I am not following any particular plan, just eating better & becoming more active.

Name: Michelle (or Chelle)
Screenname: michellejy
Homestate: PA (Currently - hopefully not permanent)
Occupation: Owner/Designer of small jewelry business/SAHM
Age: 29 (but really close to 30 now)

Well, unfortunately I am doing a drive by (again), but I swear I'll get a minute one of these days to actually participate in this thread

name : carly
screenname: carlytaz
home:mass
occup: processor for mortgage co.

I am 37, work full time, have 3 kids and hubby.. not a whole lot of time for myself but i keep trying to find it.. I am not overweight but need help in trying to get healthier.. I have been doing pretty well, trying to make healthier choose but boy when i fall off the wagon.. i go all the way...
life these past few months have been very stressful so i have lost some weight but its all about the stress ya know... need any and all advice on healthy eating and stress reduction..

well I hope everyone has a wonderful day...
carly

Wow, looks like we are getting quite a group going here. This is awesome.

Carly, welcome! I'm Chris...34 yrs old, 3 little girls and I work part time and am a stay at home mom the rest of the time.

Chelle-I expect a good post from you soon.... How's your jeep?

Carmen-My sister took off for Denver until Tues, but I guess all 3 of us girls are going to start getting together during the week and rotate between houses and exercise videos and work out together. I'm one of those that probably needs a workout buddy to keep me on track so hopefully this works great for all of us.

Jacky! Welcome! Looks like you got a good start on your weight loss. I know I gained some weight when I went back on my BC pills but I can't go off of them because of the medicine I'm on for rheumatoid arthritis...(and I'm also very fond of the lack of PMS and all the usual monthly aches and such).

Char-Welcome too! 40 and another baby! That is awesome. On my last little girl, I watched what I ate and walked every other day and only gained 16 lbs, so I'm thinking you'll be doing fine. The 16 came off fast, but then I got stuck on prednisone for a year and gained that back plus some. Take care of yourself and that baby.

Okay...my littlest munchkin is up and just took off out the front door. Gotta go.

~chris

Sorry I haven't posted here, I have a hard time finding the time to keep up
Chris- I am sorry, but my knowledge of RA is limited, and I just do the regular old fashioned stuff. I hope you do get answers, though.
ALS- I have a German Shepherd and a Lab. I used to to take my shepherd on runs, but he is close to 8, and just can't do it anymore. No DVD's here, sorry- I like to get out.
Bootiegirl- TY, yes they keep me busy, that is why I never post

So I hope everyone is enjoying their 4th weekends and not stressing out too much about what they are eating.. MIL took my babies for the night, so I can actually SLEEP for 8-10 wonderful, uninterrupted hours. I have not been to the gym since Thursday, tonight I will try to run and see where I am at. Until next time.....

Hello, all. It's nice to see this group being so active again My daughter is gone for the next two weeks so that's going to be really odd. She is with my parents this week and her dad the week after. We'll be going to see my parents in a couple of days though so I'll get to see the little munchkin soon. I can't figre out how her dad wanted to only see her every other weekend. The house feels so empty!

I was really late this month so all of my PMS symptoms went into overdrive. I'd been snacking like mad. My weight still doesn't seem to change, but I really need to start getting healthier. I'd like to lose a few more pounds before going to the UK next month (crossing fingers that my passport arrives soon). Since my daughter isn't home to interrupt, and my husband is at work, I think I'll be able to get a bit of working out done between running errands. I really need to get back in the habit.

Chris- I'm still loving the Jeep even though my husband seems to snag it nearly every day so I rarely get a chance to drive it.

Hi All...

Hi Kim! I'm having a great quiet time too. My SIL took my girls for the night. I do have to work for a little while tomorrow and then a family picnic at 2 and a family bbq at 4. Busy busy...

CHelle-Tiana (my oldest) is with her dad too. He only wants her every other weekend too. He kind of gets me because he doesn't see her too much..he's supposed to pick her up on Friday evening and bring her home on Mondays but he doesn't pick her up until Sat evenings most times and has her back by thurs. afternoon. My husband gets so irritated with it. It just gets to him how wonderful Tiana thinks her dad is when he actually does so little for her and barely shows any concern for her, except for his 18 hrs. Whoo HOOOO!

Okay...since its the night off from the kiddies, I have to go so we can watch Boogeyman. I love scary movies.

~chris

Ooh, let me know how Boogeyman is. I'm a horror movie fanatic myself but don't watch them nearly enough anymore.

You ex sounds like mine, Chris. He's supposed to have Sage from Friday afternoon/evening until Sunday afternoon/evening. He keeps whittling down his time until he now has her Saturday afternoon until early Sunday afternoon. Plus he keeps making other plans during the times he is supposed to have her and just dropping her off with my parents instead of spending any time with her. We've been divorced for well over two years so you would THINK he could figure out the visitation schedule (which he chose) by now and stop making other plans for that 24 hours he has her every other weekend. He was supposed to have her this past weekend, and on Thursday, he sends me an email and tells me he made plans to work overtime Saturday morning, go to a concert Saturday night, and go to a party on Sunday so he was just going to have my parents take her (without actually asking them or figuring out how she was going to get to Ohio for his brilliant plan) and visit her for a couple of hours while she was there. ARGH!

Goodmorning ladies,

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th.. mine was very nice just hung out with my hubby and daughter. my son's where off doing there own thing. my 16yr old son is going to fla tonight fo 10 days.. I am very nervous about this i have never let him leave out of state.. but his best friend moved there a year ago and he wants to go and spend time with him. i never had that kind of chance when i was a kid so i figure what the heck go and have some fun.. i just hope he stays safe.. i will be worried until he gets home. anyways, i ate like a bangee all weekend.. havent been drinking enough water .. seem things are in excess this weekend.. but i am jumping back on the wagon.. so here i go again starting over.. oh well.. anyways.. everyone have a great day. keep motivated... carly

I probably won't be around for about a week. My husband's friend is flying in from England today, and he'll be here about a week. (I asked my husband the exact date he's leaving, but of course, he has no idea. Men! )

Okay, insane question of the day... am I the only person who absolutely hates meeting new people when I'm overweight? When it's 15-20 pounds, I don't really think about it too much, but right now I am dreading this visit. Rationally, I know it's not even about me, but I always have this thought in the back of my mind like people are going to think "why on earth did he marry her?"

Hi all!
Michelle- I've never had TOO serious a weight problem, but I had to see a lot of family lately, some that I haven't seen for years, and I would rather not have them see me when I am not looking so great. So, no you are not alone, but you can't let life pass you by, no matter how much you weigh. Remember, you are working hard right now, and this is only temporary, and when you lose all that weight they'll only have admiration for what you have accomplished!

In other news..... The 4th went well, I had gotten some much needed rest, and did go for a run which really got me physched that my fitness level is getting back up there. Hopefully it will speed up the weight loss some.Yesterday I caved and had an oreo McFlurry- 560 cal, 18 g of fat. Oh well, I am trying REALLY hard to keep my cals under 1200 today. HAHA. I am going to try to go for a run tonight.
I am getting really tired of not getting a good night's sleep. The babies are 5 mos, they ought to be sleeping through the night, but they still don't. It is really hard to be in a good mood when you're tired all day, and I don't want to drink 5 cups of coffee. I'm too tired to clean at night when dh is awake, and when they sleep, I want time for ME. Soon enough, I guess.
Well, enough about me, how's everyone else?

Morning all...Group post from me. I have to get busy. But in answer to Michelle's question about meeting people while I'm overweight....I HATE meeting new people, and I HATE seeing people from my past while I have all this excess baggage on me. I am very embarrassed by my body, esp. since I was such a twig in high school. I am so self conscious of what I look like. I feel like such a slob. I don't think many people understand how being overweight can make you feel. I know I get very overwhelmed in social situations, so I have a tendency to not look people in the eye, and walk with my eyes more on my feet so I keep people from noticing me. I know...I'm a weirdo. I've always been shy but being overweight compounds the problem.

I didn't do much for the 4th. I worked until 1:30 and then did a family picnic on my dh's side, then followed that up with taking the girls swimming at the pool...then another family picnic (my mom's house) and finallly the fireworks display. Yesterday was a day for recuperating.

Okay gotta go. I still need to get myself all cleaned up and go to my sister's house in a bit and help her move around her furniture while she shampoos her carpets.

~chris

morning everyone,

Michelle, I feel the same way,,, when I dont feel good about myself it is very hard to be confident in meeting new people.. but just keep in mind you are working very hard to get yourself to where you want to be.. and its not all about your looks or weight anyways, you sound like a great person,, so your husband;s friend is probably just going to adore you... just try to enjoy the visit..

Tonkasmom- great that you where able to get some much needed rest. your babies are still so very little.. and yes in time they will start sleeping through the night. just take your days slow.. and when they takes naps.. you try to get a little rest.. that is what i did when my children where babies.. my daughter never sleep through the night.. i think she was about 6 years old when she finally did... but i just tried to rest when i could.. I do admire you for all the hard work you do trying to keep yourself healthy and in good condition when my babies where little i just wanted to be lazy.. i was to tired to do much... LOL....so keep plugging along you are doing great.

chrily- sounds like you had a nice 4th... and regarding not looking people in the eye.. you need to just remember that you are working on the weight issue in your life and that should give you the motivation to stand up straight and say here i am i am wonderful... no matter what you think you look like.. you should never let anyone make you feel bad about you.. you do that enough to yourself .. just look up smile and keep walking that is my motto...

you ladies are wonderful and working so hard to make yourselves more wonderful.. be proud oh who you are no matter what other people think... have a great day ladies.... and keep on keeping on... Carly

Carly, thanks for your words of encouragement. I'm proud to say that I've at least donned a swimming suit 3 times this year so far. More than I've done in the last 6 or 7.

Keep up the good work girls! I'm on my way out the door in my swimming suit...AGAIN! It's 100 degrees and too hot to just listen to the kids screaming in the house. I'm taking them to the pool where they can use up some of this excess energy. TTFN and I'll check back later

~chris

chrily- I personally have not worn a bathing suit since my daughter was 3 she is now almost 13...so i am very proud of you. I just had a doctors appt yesterday.. and to my surprise i have lost 10lbs in about 3weeks. I am not overweight so that was not my real issue.. my issue is to try to become healthy. i have a few medical problems that i need to get fixed.. so in the last couple weeks i have changed my eating habits alittle i added more wheat bread instead of white... drink more water.. only have 2 cups black coffee in the morning instead of 4 cups coffee with cream and sugar.. i do not use sugar anymore...which i beleave is a big weight gainer evern in small doses...I'v been adding more veggies and fruits to my deit something that i loved before but didnt eat much of.. junk food was my friend if you know what i mean.. i am on a serious road to get healthy... I just lost my mom in march with pancreatic cancer and I would like to try and get as healthy as possible because that is what she wants me to do.. i just found out i have diverticulitisis, fibroid tumors and one other thing that i cant spell..endo something.. so i need to really work on these things and if any one has advice or anything that they think would be helpful.. ears wide open or in this case eyes... I hit 37 and am starting to fall apart...LOL... well anyways thank you all for listening and hope you all have a great weekend.... carly