[judydc]

checking quickly from my hotel room...which is filled with chocolate and other candy! Some of it is ridiculously expensive, as part of the mini-bar, but some of it is on the house, because I have so many hotel stays. The desserts and the sweets on the buffet tables look scrumptious....But I'm hanging in there. I over-noshed yesterday at the opening reception, but not too crazy, and today I've not strayed far from my program. I didn't go to the fitness room today, but I did a dance workokut in my room for over an hour this afternoon, and that felt good.

Bon voyage, Carol! Quiltmama, Marie, Maureen and all you lurkers, I hope you're having a great day!

judy

[quiltmama]

well I'm back from my visit with my dad. He is really not in good shape. My husband has continued to stay over there. He is really being a big help because he want let my dad pull the tricks he does and get away with the things he does. Its very hard to see someone that sick, and know that they wouldn't be if they would stop doing some of the things they do. The doctors told him his alcohol will kill him, and besides destroying the quality of his life too. To say nothing of the stress it puts on all of us. I came home furstrated and wanted to eat everything, but I stayed legal and managed. I tried to focus on watching TV, a good CSI, get help me detox from it all.

I guess I missed saying a last good bye to cscmsc. I hope her flight is going or was good for her.

Judy so glad you resisted the tempations put too close for you. I know it was hard and way to tempting.

Something I think about when I get temped to overeat, is a visualize my goal in my head. Also, LOL, When I get clothes catalogs in the mail, I will pick out and outfit or two, that I would really love to wear and look at it when ever I get tempted. I love bring out this one pair of pants I want to get into. I have them hanging in my closet and bring them out and look at them and compare visually my body getting into them.

I don't think it matters what you do, but trying to find something that helps you refocus you goal in your head when ever it gets a bit fuzzy.

[Marie]

Morning Quiltmama and Judy. I hope that your day is going good. I'm so happy it's Friday. There's a soap opera going on at work so I'm very glad I'll be away from it for 3 days, starting in 5.5 hours. Can you tell that I'm ready to go home?

Carol, I'm thinking about you, envying the fact that you're in the sun and warmth while it's cloudy and pukey here.

I took 2 days off from walking and that was sort of nice. Yesterday when I exercised, I was much more motivated then I had been for the last few days. My goal for March is 54 miles so that equals 4 days off. I used 2 of them on Tues. and Wed. Oh well.

I'm not doing good with the food, though. I'm very munchie feeling. I really want to get back on track, but the motivation to stay on track during the day wanes. I'll get there, though. I haven't given up.

Well, back to work.
Marie

[quiltmama]

Don't ever give up! I wish I had some of you motivation for exercise.

[quiltmama]

Well I had a rough weekend emotionally but not food wise, for some reason all the stress I'm going through has made it a small battle with food, but also has made me not hungry in some ways and it has been a strange effect.

I try and eat at least 1400 calories a day, the book I've been reading says by going under 1350 there is a strong chance we can put our bodies in hiberation and begin lowering the metabolism rate. I try and pack as much nutrition in those 1400 calories as I can, mostly in the meals and add fruit as a snack and also cookies from the 100 calorie pack that are out. I've been working on a presentation for my TOPS group, Take Off Pounds sensibly, if you haven't heard of it. amazingly it has helped me to sort through a lot of things and has helped a bunch in my own understanding. Plus it was a great distractor from dwelling on my fathers condition, which I can do nothing about. I don't know what I weight until Tuesday but I've kept my calories where they are supposed to be so it is what it is.

I'm still not exercising, and I'm wanting to, but finding too many excuses at this point to avoid it, and I'm working on that problem.

[Marie]

Morning Quiltmama, I am sorry you had a tough weekend. Parents/family have that effect on us all.
Give yourself a pat on the back for not eating your say through the emotions. That is quite a feat!!!
I'm still having major eating issues. I just can't get them under control. It's frustrating since I do have the desire just not the will. I will try again today.
Exercise, I'm doing great at. I bought another Leslie Sansome Walk Away the Pounds DVD. It's the 5 mile work out. On the menu you can do the 5 miler or 3 different walks of 3 miles. I've been doing the 3 miler so I ended up bumping up my walking from 2 miles to 3 miles. They are much faster walks and quite a good workout. On Saturday I also played Dance, Dance Revolution with my son for 1.5 hours. I was so sore on Saturday night. Quite a workout that DDR is. No wonder the experts are using it to get overweight kids to exercise. It was a blast.
Well, I have today off so I'm going to knit and enjoy my craft room. DH bought me a shelf to go over the work bench and it cleared off the work bench so there's room to work. How cool is that????
Judy, how are you doing?
Carol, I hope you're enjoying Hawaii and the warm weather. It's Brrr here. BTW, my sister is vacationing in Hawaii tghis week too.
Well, have a great day and I'll check in later.
Marie

[quiltmama]

Sometimes I think we feel our eating is out of control for several reasons, (1) maybe stess is going on, (2) maybe the things we are eating need to be changed to more filling things. I guess I'd better explain that, when I get up in the morning I'm normally not hungry for a couple of hours, if I wake up and right away I'm hungry or with in a short time. That is the day I will eat to packages of plain instant oatmeall with splenda and cinnaomon (200) or I'll eat a piece of toast, 2 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of Jenno O turkey bacon 140 calories total for all that. I guess my thinking is my body needs either some different or more filling on those days.

I also try and change my food up which is very hard at times to do, it is so easy to stick to the simpler things and unfortunatly I found myself doing them over and over. Hope this gives you some ideas, oh yeah, I also with my fruit, I try and make sure I get a lot of fruit as my snacks, but I also eat other snack too.

[judydc]

Hi, gals, thanks for keeping the conversation going. I'm back and a little overwhelmed with work this week, but I'll do my best to check in nearly everyday.

Hey, Marie--sounds like you've been burning calories while having fun. It is good to take off from exercise for a few days now and again, just to give you system a chance to reboot (computer lingo--aren't you proud of me? ). And adding on to Quiltmana's comments, sometimes you should eat a little more than usual--not pig out, of course--to boost your metabolism, which starts to adjust to the 'diet' and overcompensates by hanging on to every extra calorie for dear life. But that's why you get "that munchie feeling" when you slack off exercise--your body thinks, "Aha, we're going back to normal!" So don't give in....It also sounds like your husband is going out of his way to do something special for you--isn't that nice?

Quiltmama, good luck with your presentation! I hope that you had a little 'me" time to recover from your emotional weekend.

I managed not to gain any weight while I was away (a mjor accomplishment) and today I am finally back down to my advertised ticker weight. I will keep this in mind as I plow through this week of deadlines and meetings, and see if I can keep up the momentum.

More later--have a great day!

judy

[quiltmama]

Today is my meeting day with TOPS, so I also weight at home, I've was very pleased to see 2.5 pounds less of myself. Things have been stressful and I've found I want to eat when I should or just keep eating. I keep focusing on the healthier way I'm eating now and how much better it is for me. Dont get me wrong I focus on the weight loss too. I'm just so glad that I'm seeing the scales move indicating it is working

[judydc]

Quiltmama, congratulations on the 2.5 lb. loss! How did the TOPS presentation go?

I earned two stars on my calendar yesterday, by passing up homemade banana bread (which smelled heavenly) and luscious-looking chocolate birthday cake for a colleague. The coworker who brought in the banana bread is a food pusher, the type who always says, "Not even a little piece?" despite all the conversations I've had with her about my not wanting to eat sweets, particularly in the morning (which make me ravenous the rest of the day). She's kinda religious, so I think I'll tell her that I've given up sweets for Lent, although I'm not religious at all.

I was already planning for a crazy week, and that was before someone in my little department gave notice. I'm happy for her, she'll be moving on to a great opportunity, but that means that things won't be slowing down in the spring, as we divvy up her responsibilities and search for her replacement.

Marie must be out walking or holed up in her craft room. hey, Marie, how ya doing?

Maureen, I hope you're feeling good.

Maybe we should start our own countdown, for when our most faithful Daily, Carol returns.

have a great day--judy

[Marie]

Morning Judy and Quiltmama, Nope I'm not holed up in my craft room. I had started to post yesterday then someone at work decided I should work. So I just gave up on it until today. Thnings are going pretty good. I've been exercising everyday - 3 mile walk video. Pretty soon I'll be able to walk outside. It's still so muddy from all the rain that my dogs make a filthy mess out of my house if we walk outside. Sof for now, it's the DVD. But from what the calendar says, spring should be here someday...

Quiltmama, great news on the 2.5 pound weight loss. That is totally awesome. You're motivating me to get my act together.

Judy, I don't know if I would have been able to pass up both chocolate cake and banana bread. You deserver TWO pats on the back. Great for you.

Well, I should get back to work. I will chat with you later.
Marie

[quiltmama]

Judy, I'd say you get more than 2 starts for that, at least 2 more for putting up with the food pusher, I know how those folks are and they don't ever give up.

And Marie hitting the treadmill, wow, I'm awe struck, I've not been able to get myself geared to even do any exercise. I know I will have too but my mind isn't ready. I know it will come so I'm just hoping it will come soon. With all the junk still going on about my father my mind is in a strange place and at least I'm sticking to my food plan and I guess I'm just going to grow into my exercise plan.

[Marie]

Hi Judy and Quiltmama, things are going good. On another thread a couple gals helped me find some motivation for dieting and bam, I'm on the wagon again. I was good yesterday and doing good today. I pray the motivation really takes hold and then I'll be on my way. You know, Quiltmama, between the two of us we are one good dieter. I do the exercise, you do the eating.

Well, back to work. Chat with you later.
Marie

[quiltmama]

I'll find the my exercise mojo....I hope.

[Marie]

It's Friday and to say the least, that just makes my day!!!!

I've been good for two whole days and so far today is looking good, although I'm actually hungry today. That's not a good thing. I plan on having a yogurt in an hour to see if that helps.

Exercise is still going strong.
TTYL.
Marie