SUNDAY: Toda is Silly Poll Sunday and our silly poll this week is, What is the sexiest part of a man't body (keep it clean gals )?

POINTS:

Amanda

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. We didn't even leave the house yesterday. I put off going to the bump and grind store until today. I do so hate having to shop for groceries!

Amanda: Thanks for peeking in. I do feel like I am posting to ghosts on the weekends, but everyone has a busy life and I understand that. I know that if I don't get in here, people will wonder what happened. It is hard enough keeping the thread from bombing out anymore so I try to do my best.

I have always thought the sexiest part of a man is his hands. If he has ugly hands, then..... I know that is kind of dumb but ugly hands are a real turn off for me and I ALWAYS will look at a celebrities hands like on a talk show or something. Goofy, huh?

Well, chores await me before I go to the store. It opens up at 10 on Sundays and I want to get in and get out.

Have a great day girls!

Faye

MONDAY: Today is Mission Monday and our mission this week is to find those elusive 4pters. Let's work hard to get some 4 pters on the thread this week for each one of us!

My husband and I discussed our dieting woes last night together and we decided to BOTH go on the Nutrisystem program even though it is sort of expensive. I have to split it up between two paydays so I am putting him on it first next payday as he has a cardiologist appt right before Thanksgiving so I want to get 20 lbs off him by then if possible. I will follow two weeks later and until then, will follow my old program. I think it will be easier for us right now to have prepared food that we can take with us like on trips etc and just warm in the microwave. We don't have to discuss what we want, we can each pick out our food for dinner, no leftovers, NO eating out! This way we can take our food with us at Thanksgiving and eat at my son's rather than out to eat every night. We will still have a night out with friends and Thanksgiving, but it is better than a week of eating out and eating donuts etc for breakfast. In the mean time, I can work on behavior modification issues that long have need to be addressed and put to rest for ever. I am up and going this morning pretty well and hope to do well for the day even with it being Jack's bday and there being bday cake tonight. I will NOT succumb! lol I have gotten rid of all soft drinks and am back on water and iced tea exclusively and will get out and walk in a little while when the sun is up then do some treadmill stuff this evening if I can. I am miserable, having small health issues that effect the quality of life and made a promise to myself that I didn't keep. I cannot look back however, but strive to make myself better for the future. I have two years until my next class reunion and want to be at 145-150 by than, which is totally reachable. I want to be down 100 lbs by next Vegas vacation, which is a little under a year away and I can do that also. Wish me luck gals, I am going to need all the help I can get to get back in the groove again!

Have a great day!

Faye

Sounds like a good plan, Faye. I highly recommed Dr. Phil's book for help on resolving issues that lead to eating. It is really helpful, even if you don't do his diet.

Tell Jack Happy BDay - mine as yesterday -64 so one more year until I am an old lady (not me!). My husband was feeling good so we went out to dinner. Had some great ginger steamed talipa with vegetables. People at work took me to Ruby Tuesday today (was not the best choice but I had a bacon cheeseburger and fries) and one of the girl's made me a ff, sf, low carb pumpkin cheesecake - really good, too.

I have to get back on track - have mid-November Doctor's appointment and want to be down 5 pounds by then.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUSAN!!!!! Glad you had a nice one! I will put you in my birthday alarm so I remember it next year!

I am doing great today! I did 1.25 mile walk today and am totally op and drinking my water so I may just get a 4 pt day out of this!

Well, my grandson should be here anytime, so I am going to get out of here. Hope everyone had a great day!

Faye

TUESDAY: Today is Target Tuesday and our Target this week is FATS! No, that is not a dirty word. They are necessary to good health too. Make sure your program has some healthy fat in it (at least 20%) use canola oil, olive oil, reduced fat margarine, a little peanut butter, etc.

POINTS:

Faye I know, shocking isn't it!

SusanVA: I have Dr Phil's book and tried his program and didn't like it, but I agree with his points all the way. Good luck on getting those 5#'s off. I know you can do it! Let me ask you something, now that you have lost all that weight (though I know it was awhile ago) is it hard to keep from gaining a lot back? Do you constantly have to be vigilent or do you think you have a handle on it all?

I actually did great yesterday. I even had a smidge of bday cake (it was german choc and I hate coconut thank goodness!). I am going to do treadmill work today I think as I want to just slob around the house until Jack gets home.

We had a great little birthday party last night. Thomas and I played Kerplunk and he beat my behind both games. We also played an alphabet game where he would call out a letter and we would have to name something beginning with that letter. He is doing really well in school. I guess he went to see the new Wallace and Grohmet movie on Sat and cried through part of it thinking Wallace was going to die. He is such a sweet little boy.

Well, the rest of the chores await as do my breakfast (a special K bar this morning) and the treadmill. Have a good day gals!
Faye

Faye, it is actually not too hard to maintain now. At first I had to be vigilant, probably for close to a year, but once I found the grove, my weight pretty much stays the same...I'd like it to be lower. I should say that I pretty much eat healthy - lots of veggies, a couple of servings of fruit, 3 dairy some protein. I snack on fruit, popcorn, sf ff pudding, sf jello. Maybe once or twice a month I'll have a small serving of sf ff ice cream or cookies. I really don't have a problem because once I got off the chips, sweets etc it no longer tastes very good to me so I feel no compulsion to eat them. If I absolutely must have something sweet, I'll have a SF hard candy.

Faye, you know you can do this. You have done it before and we are all here to root for you!

The important thing, I think, is to take small steps in achieving your end. Don't try to do everything at once or it becomes overwhelming. Get one new behavior down, and then work on the next one. Same with cutting back on junk foods, desserts, etc. - cut the portion in half then after awhile, cut it in half again, etc.

It sounds like you had a good day - and hey, if you can't eat burger, fries and cheesecake on your birthday when can you? It's great that dh was having a good day too and you were able to go out - I'm sure that really meant alot to you both.

Well, my eating has not been good (again) for a few days - I am seriously having trouble staying OP for more than a day or so. If I am not careful I am going to start seriously gaining weight - it's already at the stage where I haven't lost any for a few weeks. I have been really struggling with low mood, but eating badly always makes me feel worse so I need to sort it out. I need to get back to basics and also work on my discipline! I'll sort it out though - this has just been a little bump in the road, what with the change to winter and the consequent drop in my mood - I am not going to undo all that I've achieved though!

FAYE - I think it is GREAT that you are going to do this nutrisystem thing, and the fact that you are doing it together will really help. I think sometimes it helps to have all the food decisions made for you - everything will be prepared ready for you and it will help you to regulate your eating. It sounds tough - you will have to be very strong and disciplined to stick to it, but hey, even if you ate those meals 80% of the time and made your own choices for 20%, then I am sure that the weight will still really drop off. I think it is brilliant that you are making this commitment to your health - you sound really positive about it. It is also great that you have started back with your own programme while you wait till you can afford it - it is good preparation!

Hi to Carri and Julie!

Love Amanda x

Well, I did a short treadmill and some weights today. Have to work back up to heavier treadmill. I can walk a distance in the neighborhood, but it is hard for me to do on the treadmill until I work up to it. I just did 1/4 mile and then 10 reps on the weights of about 7 exercises so that is getting that started again. I was just so tired this morning so I didn't get out to walk. I was up going to the bathroom 4 times last night so by 5 AM I was wrung out and stayed in bed until 7 AM or so.

I am doing well on food again and the lbs will be coming off within a week or so and that will make me happy. Actually, giving up soda and taking in more water with my diuretic has already made me lose lbs but it isn't far to count that I don't think!

You know I have been looking at emotional eating and I don't really do that. About the only thing I do like that is eat if I am bored so I am trying to keep myself busy during the day. If I am sad, mad, etc, I CLEAN! It may still be screwed up, but better to have an overly clean house than to be eating! I do have a lot of issues but they don't make me eat. I do know that like a lot of other fat women, I have a fear of being small I think. It is absolutely crazy and nuts but I know buried back in my brain is this rotten voice saying, "If you are small, then maybe you will become a big flirt, etc." My God! I absolutely adore my husband, think he is gorgeous, sexy and the best thing that ever happened to me, but I know that is one of the things I have to deal with. Unlike many of you, I have been a big girl my whole life. I don't necessarily mean, fat, but I have always been sort of a botticelli in my younger days. I mean, I weighed 185 lbs when I got married. I weighed 145 lbs when I was in 7th grade with big boobs, but I was amazingly naive so I didn't have boyfriends and anyone who showed an interest got the cold shoulder. With that being said, I think that the fact I have no reference with which to gage myself being small makes those thoughts lie there in my brain. It is something I have been working on for a long time and have to continue to do so. One BIG emotional issue I have is being deserving. I have to really get after myself about that one and you would think with a husband like mine, I wouldn't have that issue, but I do. I had a mother who criticized and never complimented, who basically threw away the two oldest because one was short and fat and the other tall and big with her favorites being her baby boy and her sweet skinny dd. So I have to talk to myself about everyone deserves to be happy and healthy and that things said in the past don't matter in the present or future.

Enough about me. I am just proud that I have friends like you guys. I am amazed at your progress and so very proud of you all!

Have a great day

Faye

WEDNESDAY: Today is Wednesday's Woes so we get to complain about anything today girls!

POINTS:

Faye

I know a lot of you don't have children or they are grown, but we need to be thinking ahead to Halloween. There are stacks of candy everywhere you look from groceries to drugstores so we need to prepare ourselves when we shop to ignore the goodies! What I have always done when I give out candy is buy and give out something you hate. If you despise jelly beans, buy individual packets of them. It saves you from munching on them before Halloween even gets here. Also, control the kids candy as much as you can when they get home.

Well, I need to get out and walk this morning so talk to you later.

Faye

Morning ladies!

I seem to be back in the groove. No gym today cuz of my 2 classes tonight, but I actually WANT to go today...so I guess that's good. I tried an experiment yesterday and ate 1/2 of what I normally do for breakfast (my favorite meal!). I had 1 piece of whole grain toast and 2 slices of turkey bacon (instead of 2 eggs, 2 toast, 3 bacon)...and I wasn't hungry at all before noon! So, I'm thinking...shoot, I should just cut all my meals in half and I'll be golden! It's just the taste I love so much....wish I wasn't such a good cook

anyway, Just have to be patient with myself. I'm getting a haircut and color this afternoon, which I have needed for like 6 months! I made an appointment at a swanky spa just to pamper myself. Can't wait!

Faye, you absolutely deserve to be healthy...I know you're already happy most of the time! I think everyone I know who has lost a lot of weight and kept it off (including my mother--150 pounds! and my aunt--probably 150 pounds) did it by finally deciding to just be happy and not FOCUS so hard on food and losing weight. When they finally got over their obsessions, stopped beating themselves up for every little thing....just finally got fed up with it all....THAT's when they finally were able to relax enough to do the job. They just made sure they exercised everyday (just do SOMETHING...anything) and ate less than they normally would, better quality food. I know you can do this, you've done it before...but BOY HOWDY! Do I know how tedious it is to just be constantly obsessing about your diet and exercise. I lost that 40 pounds over 2 years ago! When I first joined up here...I can't believe it's been that long! And for the past 2 years I've just been so burned out, I have only been able to sustain a diet/exercise blitz for a few weeks at most. BUT...in all that time, I've maintained my original loss, which is AWESOME! And it's because of you all that I haven't given up hope.

SO, I guess what I'm trying to say is we're all in this together...it never really ends...so just be happy and we'll all stick together through good times and bad. Sheesh, sounds like we're married or something

Okay, I've rambled long enough....Hi to everyone! And Happy Birthday to Susan and Jack!!!

TTFN,
Julie

Afternoon All, I am feeling a bit down today, my woe is that last night I was thinking about when I originally started ww for the first time which was back in Jan 2002, so here I am over three years later and still not at goal ... yeah I have lost quite a bit of weight when you look at my numbers but when you look at how long it took me to get there it is just frustrating...I have been doing well and going to the gym but today for some reason I am just not feeling it, I have eaten badly and plan to do so for the rest of the evening, even planning what I am going to get at the store to pig out on tonight
( oreos by the way ) ... so I guess we all have these kind of days, I seem to be playing with the same 2-3 pounds weekly because I cannot get myself under control on the weekends, depressing really ... working out all week just to sabotage it over the weekend... last year I was so on it, I really do not know what happened.

So good thing it was Weds woes huh?

Faye - Glad to hear things are getting back good for you...now kick me back in gear!! I know I am just having a temporary slip up...

Julie - You are doing well too, I have often thought that if I would just cut back on the portions but still eat what I want that it just might work, keep us posted on how that goes...I love my breakfast food - scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage links, pancakes, hash browns ... dang it, better update my store list for tonight

Okay girls enough of my complaining ... I am going to go ahead and eat tonight so back on tomorrow...I expect to hear some butt kicking for me when I get back on here tomorrow.

Later!!

THURSDAY: Today is Time for us Thursday so be sure and give "you" some time to yourself today to do something fun!

POINTS:

Faye

Carri: I noticed you have a 22 lb goal by Christmas. You know that is easily attainable. You MUST put the bad stuff behind you even the stuff yesterday and only think ahead. I know it is frustrating as the devil to come so far and then go back, but look at me. I list at 340, but a few weeks after Vacation I was back up to 360. Eighteen months ago I was at 313 and looking towards twoterville. I just decided to put it all behind me and keep going. I think you should think of it as keeping going not beginning again. That sounds too much like failure and you haven't failed just mistepped a little. I know you can do this. I have seen you put everything into it and you can do that again.

Julie: I know you are busy with your writing, kids, etc, but don't let them give you an excuse not to do what you are supposed to do. Think about whether that bacon and eggs were glossed over because "I just can't think about dieting with this magazine deadline" or "I am just too busy to make myself something to eat so I will just grab ???" Your health should be your priority always! Besides, exercising makes you feel so much better!

I did something to my bad knee so no walking for a couple days. It is really tight and stiff like when I twist it or dislocate it, but I don't remember anything like that happening. So, I guess I will do weights and some sit down stuff for a couple days.

Guess I better get to chores. Jack will be up in a bit and I am going to make him some breakfast.

Faye

You know, we all have days where we want to throw in the towel and be a pig and eat anything and everything. However, the consequences of that are not good in terms of poor health, heart disease, diabetes, hip and knee replacement from carrying too much weight, etc. I have a very dear friend who is diabetic and will be on insulin the rest of her life because she refuses to eat properly, lose weight and exercise. The insulin could have been avoided but she just want to eat poorly and sit in front of the the tv or quilt frame.

I've been having some hip problems and, although I've been at goal for nearly 30 years, I'm sure the years of carrying 200+ extra pounds took their toll.

Faye, I got a great tape of chair aerobics for those days when my hip is bad - would probably to good for your knee. You might be able to check it out at the library. I've had it for several years and got it at Kmart. Surprisingly, you can get a pretty good sweat worked up while sitting in that chair.

Like so many, I'd rather sit and read or quilt than exercise, but I don't feel as well when I don't. Think that would be enough of an incentive, but it isn't. Most days I have to push myself to get going. As a small defense, I do a lot of walking and stair climbing at work so I do get some calories burned that way.

Faye, I know you'll reach that mini goal. I am going to have those 5 pounds off before I go to the doctor (he told me to get a few more off when I was there in June).

I think we all need to love ourselves more and see what worthy people we are. We deserve to be healthy!

hello folks,

Well my eating is still crap - but I've realised that PMS is on it's way so that isn't helping. I am not despairing though and know that I am going to sort it out in the next few days. I tried a new gym class yesterday - legs, bums and tums - BIG MISTAKE!! It was just a bit to hard for me as they were using a step and heavy weights - I kept up, but right at the end I felt my calf muscle go and I had to limp home! Nigel said that the thing is - I am still 70lb overweight so it is not good for me to be jumping off of steps carrying an extra 14lb weight across my shoulders! I am basically working 5 times harder than all the other skinny minnys! So I won't be doing that class again till I've lost another 30lb or so - I'll stick with my cycle class and fat burner aerobics which just use light handweights. Oh well, you live and learn and it's not put me off trying new things!

I babysat for my friends little baby last night - my first time totally unsupervised with a little baby. She is nearly 4 months old and is such a cutie! They said if she really won't settle then ring us and we'll come back - well 5 minutes after they left she woke up really screaming! I knew it was probably wind so I winded her but by this time she had got herself into a real state and was yelling her lungs out - I was thinking, how embarrassing if I have to call them back 5 minutes after they've just left! So I tried one last thing which was to pull her in really close to my body and rock her and she immediately went straight to sleep! I was so proud of myself for settling her - I know it's something mums do 10 times a day, but it was my first time!

Love Amanda x

Amanda: Good job with the baby. Newborns and younger babies like two things, swaddling and laying face down on your arm sort of like holding a football. When you clutched her tight, it made her feel secure and that is why she went right to sleep. That is why swaddling works so well. Their little body parts can't flay all around so they feel all secure like they did in the womb. Something about the football carry will calm the little buggers too. Babies are like animals. They sense stress. If you can keep calm even the most ardent criers can usually be quieted one of these two ways.

I am doing pretty well today except that I am hungry and trying not to give in to that. I don't have fruit etc here in the house to make a snack of and I don't want to get into the leftover choc cream pie or birthday cake. Thomas also has an adorable M and M machine we brought back from the M and M factory in Vegas last year and it is full of M and M's so I have to dodge those two. Builds character I guess, but it is still hard to hang on when I get like this. It is around the time of the month I would normally ovulate and I have noticed I get particularly hungry and want to binge still around that time so that might be it. On top of that, my knee is killing me and nothing can be done. I am putting ice on it and taking anti-inflammatory, but when I sit for any time at all, it stiffens up really badly and it is tough to walk around then. Getting old sucks sometimes!

Everyone have a good day. I am going to go and check the mail than maybe take a short nap. I was up at 4 am this morning so I am a little tired

Faye