Welcome Looking2Lose! You'll like it here. We're a good bunch of gals from all over the globe with the same goal in mind - to lose weight. I'm a coffee lover as well. I occasionally like flavored coffees but mainly stick to my homemade cappuccinos. Since I no longer use sugar or sweeteners in my coffee I sometimes add a little cocoa and cinammon on top.

Jo - You are almost done! We are all so proud of you. I know the gain is frustrating but you have to keep in mind that you are juggling a lot of things: kids, family and university. I'm sure you'll get back on track once things settle down.

Brandy - These vibes are for the both of us because I'm stressin' and I feel like my head is on backwards.

Talk to you all soon.
Love,
Raff

Welcome new people!

I have cut back to one coffee drink about every other day (there's a Starbucks across the street, I'm doing the best I can). I usually have a toffee nut latte, soy, no whip. For coffee and tea at home, I usually us real sugar or honey. I'd rather have a little of the real stuff than a ton of the fake, but if I'm sick or it's cold and I'm drinking a LOT of tea then I'll switch to Splenda.

Raff right back atcha! I THINK I'm starting to sort things out. I'm just one of THOSE people when my house is out of order, my life feels out of order. It's time to clean out closets, get rid of the winter stuff, let go of the unused/unworn clothes and just start OVER. I don't know how we accumulate stuff so fast (I lie, my husband is a packrat and an impulse purchaser and I know it!).

Anyway, I'm back on WW and trying to walk every day. I don't know what else to do. The weight just won't budge so I'm going to have to try something new and SOON.

B

Hi Girls,

Sorry I've not been around for a while ... darn computer problems again!!! This is going to have to be very short as Tom is waiting to use the pc now I've managed to get it up and running again ... but for how long I can't say ... we seem to have probs every other day!!

Jo, sending you good luck wishes for your exams ... Tom is stressed out at the moment too, revising for his GCSE's which begin next week ... although he seems to be stressing out ABOUT revising and not ACTUALLY revising if you know what I mean!! God, it's so difficult to get a 16 year old to understand how important these exams are. Nick and Tom have been at each others throats for the past couple of weeks about Tom's lack of commitment when it comes to studying, but Nick went to London yesterday on business for a week so we can all breath a sigh of relief that things and going to settle down for a while ... hopefully I can coax Tom to do some work!

Brandy I'm in the same position as you ... Out of order! I really must try to get myself together!!

Welcome to the newbies

If you don't hear from me for more than a couple of days it's because the computers not working again!!

Nichola

Hi Chickies! I'm doing good here. Still following my foodplan but have noticed something recently: I'm eating a lot of Chinese ribs. At least 3 times a week I'll order a small portion of ribs which really isn't small because you get 6-7 meaty ribs. At first I couldn't understand the recent rib fascination, because I never eat ribs, and then I realized what it was. Ribs are hard to eat. It takes a lot of tearing and chewing and I'm taking my anxiety out on the ribs. Sounds weird but I think that's it. My husband is overseas and I am under a lot of stress trying to handle the homefront without him. And it's hard to contact him because he's in the mountains of Yemen. So I'm anxious and I'm using the ribs to temporarily relieve some tension. Funny, but sad.

I hope I didn't bring anyone down with post, but I just needed to share.

Love,
Raff

Ok, guys. I've recommitted. And I've done well this week. I even updated my sig to admit to my weight when the week started (I'm trying to think about how that was a 28, yes that's twenty eight pound gain in the past eight months. It's past understanding). I have a lot of motivation going for me, not least of all that my clothes from last summer - which were too big when we went on vacation in September, are nowhere near fitting. Not even close. I saw this ad with a woman running and it says something like, "I'm doing this for my skinny jeans" and it just kind of clicked with me. I don't even HAVE skinny jeans. I'm doing this to get back into my REGULAR clothes. So wish me luck

Hope things are well with the rest of you!

Raff, maybe you can find some bubble wrap and go to town on that!

Nichola, hope you get those computer problems sorted.

B

Thanks Brandy! That's a good idea. I'll take a trip to staples and get some.
I think it's great that your starting over. That's the great part of a new day: you get to start over with "clean page". And I wouldn't worry about skinny jeans, we expect you to look like a woman - not a twelve year old boy.

Hope everyone else is doing well and I'll talk to you soon.
Love,
Raff

Hi Girls,

Well, the computer is now working again but I don't know how long for! We keep having problems with viruses ... amongst other things! I've contacted a guy who comes to sort it out for us every now and again but he's been busy lately and Nick is away in London until Thursday, so I've been coping with it the best I can!

Confession time!! I've been awful lately!! Not able to stick to any kind of plan at all, just can't seem to stay motivated. I had a good week a while ago and lost 4lbs, then went totally crazy ... again!!! I just don't know why I can't manage to stick to it. It's not as though I'm trying to do some silly plan that's impossible to stick to ... it's just supposed to be healthy eating and watching portions ... I'm just totally greedy ... there, I've said it, I'm just a pig!

So, here I am in the middle of May, and the date my friends are visiting is getting closer and closer! I will die if they have to see me looking like this, but I know that there simply isn't enough time left to do anything that's going to make a real difference.

Brandy, I have the same problem ... none of my clothes from last summer fit me anymore and I'm getting more and more depressed about it. Why the **** can't I just do something about it instead of keep talking about it!

I really do want to do it ... it's affecting so many parts of my life, my happiness, my health etc. I can't keep doing this to myself. I'm sick of talking about it and I'm embarassed by the fact that I've told people that I'm trying to lose weight only to find myself gaining instead!!

So, here's the plan ... I'm starting off afresh ... I'm going to re-weigh and update my weight tracker ... I'm not going to mention to anyone I know (except you girls of course!) that I'm trying to lose weight ... I'm not "going on a diet" ... I WILL write EVERYTHING down that I eat ... and I WILL walk EVERY DAY!!!

Ok, so now I've got that off my chest!

Brandy, glad to see that you've recommitted too Forget about the gain over the past few months, just concentrate on the present.

Raff, how much longer is hubby away for? Nick's only away for a week and I'm already missing him

***Slight pause whilst weighing-in***

Official weigh-in on this day, Sunday 8th May ... 179lbs ... again! I'm now going to update my tracker and hopefully this will be the last time it says 179!!!

Sending good vibes to everyone else Have a great week!

Nichola

Can you believe it? I'm actually here. Ilost the way, but found it again! LOL

Weight loss is out the window. I'm fat and sad and ugly and fat and obvioulsy having a pity party here. LOL Sounds like the rest of you are trucking along though! Good for you!

Will do my best to update far more often. I missed you guys!

Lorraine
(Yes, that's right... I am actually posting! )

Perk up, Lorraine, and time to send the pity party home. I was just there and it sucks. I sort of thought - jeeze, it would be easier to diet than to feel like this. Hee. So, I'm doing my best. I'm sure by now you are too

How's your re-start going, Nichola?

How's it going with you, Raff?

I'm trying to decide if I can drag my allergy medicated rear end up long enough to do even the one mile WATP. Wish me luck!

B

Brandy, my restart is a bit slow getting started if you know what I mean!! TOM is due in a few days and I'm wanting to munch on anything and everything right now! But I'll persevere and I'm sure I'll get started everntually.

Nichola

Hi guys.

Still plodding along here. Got two exams on 25th and 27th, so supposed to be revising now.

Dom hasn't been well for the last few months. He's missed around 12 weeks off school this school year. He keeps getting chest infections. It's even affected his hockey playing (we thought at first it was the hockey causing it). The doc has finally said he thinks they've all been blinded by the 'asthma' diagnosis for the last six years, and he no longer thinks it's asthma.

He thinks it is a structural problem with Dom's left lung. When he was born at 39 weeks his lungs had stopped growing around 10 weeks earlier, and he'd had a rough start in life (with the docs calling him their 'miracle' baby because they didn't think he'd make it).

The doc thinks now that there is something physically wrong with the lung. He wants the consultant to arrange for an MRI and a bronchoscopy (camera down the throat job I think). We go to see the consultant on Monday. The perils of free medical cover in the UK is that we will have to fight to get it done, and may have to wait MONTHS before it is.

Anyway, last night I joined Slimming World, which I think is a purely UK thing....felt like a change from WW. Will update my profile to adjust to my starting weight.

Halfway down page two....hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Jo, hope you guys get good news about Dom's chest infection or whatever this turns out to be It's a shame that you could have to wait so long! And with your exams!!! I have heard of Slimming World but only from people in the UK so you're right - it must be something you guys aren't sharing with us

Nichola, I feel your pain ! TOM makes me and and I have found that consistant exercise - even just 20 or 30 minutes a day - really cuts back on my symptoms, even the munchies. So if you're still doing your hiking, keep it up

I just bought Leslie Sansone's Walk Away The Pounds book. I have really enjoyed her tapes so I thought I'd check this out. It's pretty much a day by day six week walking program to get you up and walking about four miles a day by the sixth week. The good thing is that you can either walk outside or use her VERY BASIC "steps" to walk inside (side steps, kicks, knee lifts, kick backs, walking in place, and arm work) - which I love. I mean what's NOT to love: climate control, my own music (or the tapes or while watching tv), it's never too hot, too cold, or too raininy inside and I'm pretty good at hanging with the DVDs for weeks at a time.

My only problem is that week six, the final week, we'll be on vacation. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there - I have an mp3 player that also does video so I could load the DVDs and do them while I'm home or just take the book and do the steps to music (or without) - but this is all assuming I'll get any time to myself! Oh well, like I said, I'll deal with it when i get there.

Hope things are going well for the rest of you!

B

So much for my stint with Slimming World. I've quit already!!!

It was just too complicated. My sis and Mom were doing it with me, and we were all completely confused, so we quit at the same time. The thing is, we know WW works, we know how to do it, how to count points, how we lose weight if we don't drop out....so having joined SW last week, this Thursday I'm going back to WW. I think I will have lost a few pounds anyway because I have been careful this week....but if I haven't it doesn't matter, I will do it next week with WW.

Just got home after a very long afternoon at the hospital with Dom. The specialist wasn't happy at the GP telling him what to do, so he's not going to do any of it. He has given Dom loads of anti-biotics and steroids to take for the next four weeks, then we have to go back. If he's no better, then he will have a CT scan. (I always thought CT and MRIs were the same). Not sure whether to be happy or not, but at least we know that if he isn't better that we'll be seen pretty quickly next month.

Good luck with the WATP Brandy...really sounds like it works for you. Once I get my exams over next week I am going to start using my treadmill.

Jo - a friend once tried to explain Slimming World to me - good heavens! It's like MATH! With colors! I would never be able to follow something I couldn't understand but I know lots of people have success with it.

Best of vibes on all Dom's medical issues. Co-ordinating doctors is always frustrating!

I'm still plugging along with WATP. Today I'm supposed to do like two and a half miles - wish me luck! It's a little strange that the first week is one mile, one mile, one mile, and then 2.5 - seems like quite a jump but I'm going to give it a go. I'm off to do it right now, actually!

Everyone take care and girls in the US, I finally found this spreadable Laughing Cow low fat cheese everyone's been on about - WOW! It really is good!

B