Hello Y'all. I have been lurking here a few days and I just had to post to this thread. You guys are wonderful support for each other. I have not seen any negative posts on this site. Other websites I have visited turn into "lets insult and embarrase the new person" if you know what I mean.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Tina, I'm from Texas (bet you never would have guessed, left a little clue lol), I'm married with 4 kids (5 if you count hubby) , and I work full time.
I am always reading and researching about healthy eating and exercise (doing it is another thing). I am not much of a fad diet person. My biggest vice is sugar. It is my drug of choice. I eat better and exercise in bursts. I am so not consistant.
Any way I would like to join the challenge.
I will not drink reg sodas, I will drink more water, and I will get 20 min of exercise every day.
I'm so far behind, I think I'm going to skip individual responses today.
Way to go, Sushi, getting to 21 days!!
I had a horrible day yesterday, diet-wise. The scale didn't move at all, I'm still at 205 (it is NOT fair to be stuck soooooo close to 199!) and I just couldn't help myself - I ate so much yesterday! Total binge. I didn't have chocolate or soda (because I had none in the house) but I ate pretty much everything else. Blech. I feel bloated and gross this morning as a result. I haven't been able to get to the gym in a week now, and that's having an impact on me too. I don't think I'm going to get there today either, because I have tons of homework to do now, too! I'm just feeling really discouraged today, and I'm feeling like I'm going to be stuck weighing 200-something forever, because I can't get to the gym and this weight is going to come off slower than molasses if I can't get in more exercise than I have this month.
Anyway, I am through day 5 and today is day 6 with the soda/chocolate challenge, but I'm feeling really discouraged and my determination is gone right now. I want more than anything to be thin and in good shape, and right now I feel like I have too much going on to make it happen. I am really discouraged right now. I don't know where my motivation went, but I need it to come back.
gray eyed girl - I can really relate to what your feeling right now. I too over ate yesterday the only thing that saved me was I just brought a bunch of veggies from my garden in the other day and I ate those. Had there been other things I know I would have eaten those. I did gain 2lbs! Which makes me sick! I know I need to take control. ( I'm still mad about things other than my diet from yesterday) So here's what I'm going to do. Put on some music, think of what I want in the future and not right now. I'm worth waiting this out. So here's my advice to you. Put on some music. (if your able to do both your homework and listen at the same time) Close your eyes and pictue yourself at goal. Your worth it! Those instant snacks aren't!!! I watched the diet doctor on T.V. yesterday. She said that you don't have to do 15,30, 60 and so on minutes of workouts in one setting you can do say 3 - 10 minute workouts spaced thought out the day and it will be just as good as 30 minutes. I'm not sure what your workout is but as long as your moving it's going to add up!! Now as far as the scale not moving. I think it's just your body being stubborn holding on to excess water. If you've been on plan and are working out your doing great. I go shopping and try on clothes. I find it helps me to remotivate myself. I know lbs don't always matter but getting into a sizer sizes does! My last words when motivation is gone go for determination!
I made it through day 1! (I wonder how many times I will repeat that?? )
I am already started on my water today, just gotta get some exercise!
Gray eyed girl-I totally understand about the exercise! Before we moved-4 months ago-I was walking 2-3 miles/day, it helped me lose 43 lbs. Since we moved I have probably walked a total of 8 miles and gained 10 lbs back I have lost 3 of that so far, but it makes me very upset that I just can't seem to get the motivation to get off my behind and walk! I have a treadmill in my bedroom, calls my name everytime I walk by (evil thing ), but I have done a darn good job of ignoring it's voice for the last 4 months! I talked my hubby into buying me the treadmill because with 6 kids it's hard to get away and go to a gym, or to even walk down the road and back, by myself. This way I could turn on a cartoon in the living room for them and turn on a video in my room and walk away, the problem is I have been walking away from the treadmill!
I am going to start walking again today! My 2 middle children start school tomorrow, so that will ease up my days some. I will still have the 2 little ones-until I find a preschool-but they are not hard to please with a video. I will do this, I can do this!!
Welcome Tina! I have only been here a few days, but I have read through the past challenges, and this is a super group of ladies! I wish you much success!
Good morning, everyone. Monday here and my Day 4. Yesterday went fine, though I am starting to notice the yearning for sugar. It's not a craving or anything. I don't get them anymore. But it is a yearning. Probably my body just wants that jolt. I am a true junkie, sugar and caffeine. But, I'm just going to try to ignore it this time instead of whining (too much ) about it.
fancyfrog -- Congrats on getting through Day 1! I don't want to hear any negativity out of you, you understand?! Don't poo-poo your wonderful start with a "wondering if you will repeat it?!" You are going to blow this challenge away! Ok?! And get in there and listen to that treadmill. It's not evil, it's your friend. Think of your time on it as pampering time. Your body will thank you!
chaps -- on knocking out that ab routine! How nice to be jogging outside. Keep up the good work!
mez -- What's this?! Am I hearing you getting down on yourself when you're on your last day of your challenge!?!! Come on now, stay OFF that scale. The gains and losses really mean nothing. It's the long-run picture that counts. You are probably sabotaging your efforts by watching that scale like a hawk. You may be so close to seeing a drop in the numbers and then you get discouraged and eat too much and then you really will not see a drop. I used to chart my weight very closely so I would learn the trends and I ALWAYS would see a major gain before a loss. It is the fluids in your body that is retained before fat is flushed out. And as for the SBD 1, just stay off it. It is not a magic equation, where you have to do phase 1 in order to have the rest work. Phase 1 is merely meant to get people feeling good about the drop in weight. Carbs make your body more hydrated. There is nothing wrong with this. You need it! If you're feeling dizzy you are not getting enough carbohydrates. I work out with bodybuilders and they do this right before the contests, to get their fat level to super low levels. Normally, they eat tons of carbs. Your muscles need the glycogen to work. Your brain needs the carbs to function. Maybe you're not eating enough. Meat is certainly not the problem. I have been a vegetarian most of my life and I have tons of energy. It comes from whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts and lots of fruit and veggies. We are omnivores, not carnivores. You can do without animal products easily. SBD is a very good program but you have to eat. Get on P2 and enjoy. It's a hard program to be sure, it's a hard lifestyle. Many of us have been eating wrong all our lives and are, like me, are addicted to simple sugars. It's a large reason we're overweight. OKay, OFF my soapbox! It's just, mez, I hate to see you getting down on yourself. Look at how great you've been doing. DON'T belittle your efforts!
justkeepswimming -- Welcome!! I'm glad you found us. Is this your very first post?! Wow. I rarely read other threads but I find it hard to believe there is negativity out there. How can that be? Why would people do it? Isn't everyone supposed to be supportive of each other? Bizarre! Sometimes it's very hard to read tone in writing. There may be misunderstandings. I hope you don't misread any of our posts! If you ever feel funny about something someone says, and yes, it happens here too, just say something! And if somebody ever is truly mean to you, just tell me. I will whip their butt! send my cyber-Doberman through to get them, so don't you worry! Well, good luck on your challenge. Not drinking sodas is a toughie and as for the sugar as vice..well, that's mine too. It's never just a little bit with me, it's a LOTTA bit. Hang in there and good luck!
gray eyed girl -- Wow, a lot of glum faces around here this morning. Look girl, take heart! You too, stay away from the scale! Focus on your successes. No, you didn't have a "total binge." If you had you would have had chocolate and soda. And not having it in the house is thanks to YOU! Okay, listen, in these kind of times, you need to step back and get your priorities in focus, AND put it all in perspective. Losing weight is HARD. It involves not only eating right and what is enough for you but it involves doing a little bit more in order to use up the stores of fat you have. And that's the toughie, the real toughie. Eating right is hard in itself. Stop thinking of all you haven't done and look at what you HAVE done!! Why are you feeling discouraged when you have six whole days of doing something that is not easy! You sound like you're suffering a stroke of perfectionism too. Yes, it's hard to get it all together. But you can at least stop beating yourself up. Overeating is the LAST thing you should be doing if you are not getting to the gym. And yet it is something we ALL do. It seems we've all turned our discouragement and yucky feelings into triggers for eating. So, just try to say to yourself... "What CAN I do right now..." However small, you have to focus on that, NOT what you can't do, what you don't have, what you should be doing...just what you CAN do. Thinking like that helps put you into a mindset of optimism. Optimists never stop thinking. Be like Thomas Edison, keep going, going looking for ways to do little things, AND to give yourself those much-needed pats on the back. Don't allow anyone to belittle your efforts. Wow, soapbox morning here! gray, you know I get down too. But this is how I come back. You can do this! I am rooting for you!! Fight!!
I'm missing a lot of our old regulars and feeling quite lonely... where are you all? Sometimes being the thread organizer is a very, very lonely job and I just want to quit. It doesn't feel lonely if I don't come in here. Come on and help me out, will you?
I need support too....
Red, don't feel lonely. I can't post right now - have to be somewhere - but will post later at such length you'll be sorry you called on your regulars... Don't EVER think we don't appreciate all the work that goes into organizing the thread!
Red, believe me, I want to post and post and post, but it's kind of tough to do when you're just a week away from moving to a different continent!
I'll be totally offline for a week or so, I think... but I'll be back. I'm planning to start a new challenge around Sept. 9th.
day 7 all done! and welcome to the new commers!! anyone see a scale fly by their window? lol it was mine! grrrrr see sawing here!
247 on saturday and 251 today ... but i just read thru Red's post and maybe it will dissapear by tomorrow.. maybe thats my gain before my loss, cuz i did xtra exercise saturday and didnt go op..
carla, sushi, thanks! carla, I look forward to the mega post! Sushi, hang in there. I know about moving to new continents! curly, I had to reread your post. I thought you were hoping my post would disappear! No, really, I used to find that there would be a good plateau or days of gain for about 4 or 5 days and then the weight would plunge. If it's PMS time, however, it can be longer.
Last edited by redballoon; 08-28-2005 at 10:03 PM.
Well, Red, I'm back as promised. A friend who lives in my building had called wanting me to go to WalMart with him. I was pretty sure they closed before 8 on Sundays, but he wanted to go anyway. Of course it turned out I was right, but it was a fun outing anyway. He and I have been friends for almost 35 years . The year before my ex acted on his mid-life crisis, my friend's life-partner died unexpectedly, so we hang out together a lot. Both of us slightly battered by life, but good buddies.
In your profile or one of your posts, you mentioned the kind of work you do. I'm an interpreter as well - English/French. Freelance, but the market here is extremely good, so I've never lacked for work. I knew you must do something with language, what with your good grammar, proper spelling, and articulate posts.
I've finished day 6, dodged a bullet when I went out to lunch, but it turned out my lunch date had no intention of leading me astray, and I really couldn't justify initiating any wine drinking on my own. I think this challenge is starting to become a habit!!! I've added another week-at-a-time challenge on another thread. So I'll be getting up and out in the mornings, and to bed at a more reasonable hour. At least that's the plan.
Life with the kitties is never dull. My little Lily is no longer stepping in poop and spreading it around. But Bigboy seems to be acting out some stress. I think he needs to be an outdoor cat, which I can't give him here on the 14th floor. I'll give it a little more time, but if he continues to groom excessively and eat like a pig, I'll find him an outdoor home. Also, Lily has started to run away and hide from him when he gets too rough, so he's feeling a little abandoned, which doesn't help. (Yes, I am a rather obsessive mother. Maybe the cats will turn out to be too much responsibility for me after all.)
Gray, I don't want to hear any more of that self-defeating talk!! You've done really well, and I'm counting on YOU to keep ME on the straight and narrow. I know what you mean about the scale though. I had briefly dipped below 200, but gained when I was away, and it's not all gone yet. Let's hope we both have a sudden dip at the same time, and very soon.
Curly, way to go with the exercise, and day 7. Stick with Gray and I, we're one day behind you and we're having scale issues too.
Fancy, Chaps and Swimming: welcome! The more the merrier. Every time one of us has a success, it helps everyone else remember that victory is not only possible but close at hand. Sort of like WW meetings, but you don't have to get out of your chair.
Mez, you're right at the end of your challenge. , bravissimo! As for the dizziness, I agree with Red. Part I of SBD is so restrictive, and you really do need carbs, preferably complex carbs. They'll give you the energy to be more active. (In theory at least - I'm pretty lethargic these days...).
By the way, Curly, I'm amazed you can walk at such a fast rate! When I was a regular jogger my race pace was about a 10-min mile, so I can't imagine walking that fast without tripping over my feet. You really will enjoy running, I think. I can't describe the feeling of power and weightlessness I had during a good run. If my right foot wasn't such a mess (chronic plantar fasciitis) I'd get out there again, even if I can't do much distance.
Red, about negativity on other threads - I haven't seen much either, but I was a little shocked by a right-wing, homophobic rant I read the other day. I don't remember which thread it was. I've certainly been welcomed on the threads I've joined.
Starting Day 3 here. Day 2 went well -- had a nice loss at the scale and even ate all my points! First day, I think, that I've actually gotten them all in. Drank all my water, which is my challenge.
I won't try to reply to everyone's posts today as I am going to make a concerted effort to exercise this morning! I bought two of Richard Simmons' "Blast Away" dance videos -- one is Latin, one is Disco -- and while I wasn't brave enough to list it as part of the formal challenge here it's certainly something I need to do. Baby steps, baby steps.
Red balloon, you asked what broadcast captioning is. Ever watched a TV show and seen what everyone is saying appearing in print down at the bottom of the screen? That's what I do. I primarily do city council meetings and college classes. I usually enjoy the college classes more, but they don't pay as much, so I do both.
That's it for now ... time to pop that video in the TV! Good job everyone!
Carla: my secret for walking that fast is the song i am singing as i walk lmao... sing it as fast as i can : " there was farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o B-I-N-G-O B-IN-G- O Bingo Bingo and bingo was his Name O"
Hello, all. Back home now and soon to hit the hay. Another good day eating and exercise-wise and stayed on the challenge just fine. Just finished up a big bunch of huge purple grapes. Yummy! I got a jog in at the gym this morning before work, weights too. Would have loved to run longer but had gotten out too late this morning so only did 3K. I wore my new heartrate monitor and kept my pulse up. Normally I would have gotten lazy and taken a lot of walking breaks, but today I jogged practically the entire 30 mins just because I hated to see my pulse drop! Good incentive!
ladynredd -- Wow, what a great day for you, eh? Stayed on the challenge AND had a loss on the scale. You are going to make some people here real jealous, you know, saying things like that! Blasssttttt!!! Away Sounds so funny. I hope they blast away the fat for you. I know what you mean about not being "brave enough" to make something part of your "formal" challenge (heh, when did we get formal around here?!?! ) You've got a great attitude, doing the things you know need doing. You know, I'm realizing a lot of people don't really want to do what they say they want to...uh, like duh!! me! Ok, I understand the captioning thing now. Closed captioning I think is what I've heard it called. I've seen machines here that will add it on for you. Great for language learners, isn't it? Maybe I can find work doing that. I sure need work right now! Well, good luck on Day 3.
carla -- Thank you very much for the great post. I enjoyed reading it a lot. And thank you for the compliments on my posts, but don't make me self-conscious now. I like to just let this be my "nearly-anything-goes" writing place...that's not true, actually, but...I mean, you know, I do get very sick of commas and caps and such... Yes, I do interpreting but most of the work is rewriting, editing and translation, none of which I really like. I am first a writer but the money is rarely there. My writing gets in the way of my translation work though, you know, and vice versa. There's always the question of how closely do you follow the original, even when it was bad! Ugh. Really don't like the whole thing. I studied years and years of French and can read it quite well but never used it so can't speak. German was my major, lived there four years and was fluent. But I've been in Japan so long now...Japanese is surely my best language after English. Ok, shut me up, will ya?!
I'm glad you're considering giving your one cat an outdoor home. Some cats can just not take being penned up, others can. A neighbor had about six cats and most of them died when she went in to a retirement home and had to give the cats to her sister. It was so sad, but they just couldn't take the change, physically or mentally.
Glad you got through lunch okay. Don't you just feel like such a lush when you suggest drinking to someone who doesn't drink much at all, ever? I hate that. Most of my friends can knock back endless beers. One of them was knocking back a bit too many and definitely had a problem. Now she's on the wagon and I admit I miss the rockin' and areelin' times! By the way, isn't your challenge to stay off wine and chocolate again? If so, wasn't the challenge reason enough not to initiate any wine drinking?!?!
What you said about the posts, I guess it happens. There are a lot of threads out there that are really sewn up and hard to break into. You can try and just get ignored it seems. So weird, but chat rooms are like that too. I can't, however, imagine bigoted posts of any sort being allowed on the forum. I guess the moderator can't watch too closely. If I saw something like that I think I would (if I were moderator) at least PM the people and warn them about content. I mean, I'm all for a bit of cussing (I really restrain myself in here) but cussing is nothing, just superficial stuff. It's the content of the words, the thoughts that should be watched. Well, anyhow...like I told swimming, man, if anyone like that joins up and gives anyone trouble in here, or starts spewing verbal vomit like some sort of bigot, they are going to have to deal with me! It takes a lot of courage for a lot of people to even post, to talk about themselves, their overeating, bingeing, whatever, and for someone to come in here and make them feel bad, that would just steam me!
Well, Good luck, carla on your challenge, and thanks again for the long post!
curly -- I really can't picture myself singing "Bingo." But, you know, I very often count my steps as I'm running. It becomes an obsession with me, as I'm watching the numbers on the treadmill I start counting steps, then figure how many in a 100 meters etc. (60 steps) Then I make up ways to count to 60 without doing it the long and boring way from 1 up. I divide it all up in my head, knocking off 10, then seeing it as 50 left, then seeing it as 2 x 25, counting off the two 5s and then a 20 and then the last 20, and voila! with all the mental math the steps are gone and the number changes and I start over...and over and over again.. I do this with weight lifting two. Instead of going 1 to 10, and start getting too tired at about 7, I count to five only by going 1,1, 2, 2, 3, 3. It makes it seem like less. I told you I was obsessed. I AM nuts!! You know, curly, I just remembered, I used to do 20 squats to "Row, row, row your boat" with each syllable a count. ....Bingo is starting to look pretty good after all....
Well, turning in now. Boy, am I tired. Hope to see lots of posts tomorrow morning when I get up....
Bye for now!
Last edited by redballoon; 08-29-2005 at 07:59 AM.
, and I work full time.
I didn't have chocolate or soda (because I had none in the house) but I ate pretty much everything else. Blech. I feel bloated and gross this morning as a result. I haven't been able to get to the gym in a week now, and that's having an impact on me too. I don't think I'm going to get there today either, because I have tons of homework to do now, too! I'm just feeling really discouraged today, and I'm feeling like I'm going to be stuck weighing 200-something forever, because I can't get to the gym and this weight is going to come off slower than molasses if I can't get in more exercise than I have this month.
) 
), but I have done a darn good job of ignoring it's voice for the last 4 months! I talked my hubby into buying me the treadmill because with 6 kids it's hard to get away and go to a gym, or to even walk down the road and back, by myself. This way I could turn on a cartoon in the living room for them and turn on a video in my room and walk away, the problem is I have been walking away from the treadmill!
starting Day 4....
) about it. 
I don't want to hear any negativity out of you, you understand?!
Don't poo-poo your wonderful start with a "wondering if you will repeat it?!" You are going to blow this challenge away! 
Ok?! 
And get in there and listen to that treadmill. It's not evil, it's your friend. Think of your time on it as pampering time. Your body will thank you! 
Come on now, stay OFF that scale. The gains and losses really mean nothing. It's the long-run picture that counts. You are probably sabotaging your efforts by watching that scale like a hawk. You may be so close to seeing a drop in the numbers and then you get discouraged and eat too much and then you really will not see a drop. I used to chart my weight very closely so I would learn the trends and I ALWAYS would see a major gain before a loss. It is the fluids in your body that is retained before fat is flushed out. And as for the SBD 1, just stay off it. It is not a magic equation, where you have to do phase 1 in order to have the rest work. Phase 1 is merely meant to get people feeling good about the drop in weight. Carbs make your body more hydrated. There is nothing wrong with this. You need it! If you're feeling dizzy you are not getting enough carbohydrates. I work out with bodybuilders and they do this right before the contests, to get their fat level to super low levels. Normally, they eat tons of carbs. Your muscles need the glycogen to work. Your brain needs the carbs to function. Maybe you're not eating enough. Meat is certainly not the problem. I have been a vegetarian most of my life and I have tons of energy. It comes from whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts and lots of fruit and veggies. We are omnivores, not carnivores. You can do without animal products easily. SBD is a very good program but you have to eat. Get on P2 and enjoy. It's a hard program to be sure, it's a hard lifestyle. Many of us have been eating wrong all our lives and are, like me, are addicted to simple sugars. It's a large reason we're overweight. OKay, OFF my soapbox! 
It's just, mez, I hate to see you getting down on yourself. Look at how great you've been doing. DON'T belittle your efforts! 
No, really, I used to find that there would be a good plateau or days of gain for about 4 or 5 days and then the weight would plunge. If it's PMS time, however, it can be longer.
. The year before my ex acted on his mid-life crisis, my friend's life-partner died unexpectedly, so we hang out together a lot. Both of us slightly battered by life, but good buddies.
and even ate all my points! First day, I think, that I've actually gotten them all in. Drank all my water, which is my challenge.
I bought two of Richard Simmons' "Blast Away" dance videos -- one is Latin, one is Disco -- and while I wasn't brave enough to list it as part of the formal challenge here it's certainly something I need to do. Baby steps, baby steps.
But, you know, I very often count my steps as I'm running. It becomes an obsession with me, as I'm watching the numbers on the treadmill I start counting steps, then figure how many in a 100 meters etc. (60 steps) Then I make up ways to count to 60 without doing it the long and boring way from 1 up. I divide it all up in my head, knocking off 10, then seeing it as 50 left, then seeing it as 2 x 25, counting off the two 5s and then a 20 and then the last 20, and voila! with all the mental math the steps are gone and the number changes and I start over...and over and over again.. I do this with weight lifting two. Instead of going 1 to 10, and start getting too tired at about 7, I count to five only by going 1,1, 2, 2, 3, 3. It makes it seem like less. I told you I was obsessed. I AM nuts!! 
