Nikki just wanted to say your in my thoughts. Don't let the stress your going through take control of how far you have come. You deserve to reach for what you want and need. Hang in there! Hope you have sometime to relax this weekend.
Girls I know that the scale today didn't really move and its my fault for having too much bread and pasta the last two days. Naughty girl I was so today I am warding off to all bread and pasta. I will not having any bread for a couple of days. There are times it sounds so good to make some pasta and have fresh Italian bread or a bagel. The thing is it catches up with me in the end. I know if I hadn't the scale would of most likely been down today. SO now I will concentrate on being better with that. Its all a trial an error game of some sort I just don't always win. Darn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well my spirits are still up and my wt. stable that is something to be grateful for. I can't say I'm not happy this week is over after today for work. I closed my case yesterday all but a final case note. I will take some time to do that this a.m.. I have a picnic to go to this weekend with my SIL her family that aren't local are in town. I will try to eat with in portion control and count my cals. in my head. Of course I am the one bringing the dessert. Now isn't that kind of funny they are the ones whom choose that. I will take something from my Cooking Light cookbook I think. Good idea to have a bit of control people never know unless you tell them.
Well hope everyone is having a good day so far. I am going to move my SIL inot her area this weekend. We still need the Fire Safety approval so no sleeping there yet. But it will be nice to have my house and room back there is stuff packed in boxes all over the place. Oh two houses in one doesn't look so good.

Hello everyone, where are you all? Must be sleeping in?
Well the sun is shining and its beautiful out today. I am up and moving around early. A friend and I are going to breakfast then to a few garage sales. Later on I am helping my SIL and doing some gardening. Wow Marie how it does get ahead of us. I just have been so busy with everything else lately. I didn't do as well as I wanted to yesterday. I didn't give in to donuts at the office only a little corner 1" piece. Proud of that. But later on gave into a pecan square. Oh now that was not good. I ate only part of it but its high in cals. I did keep my word on no pasta or bread. For dinner had a omelet with broc. cheese, ham. Not too bad but ate late that was another no no. Well my confession is over and today is a new start. I will count cals today. Grill something for dinner tonight and have fresh sweet corn to cook. Have a great day everyone. Our summer is flying by and I feel I have missed most of it. Soon I will have to take a day off and enjoy it.

Hey Carol, today's a new day and you're set to go. I love the grill and corn on the cob. Sounds delicious!!! Enjoy the garden and time with SIL.

Nikki, we're all thinking of you. I'm so sorry that you're family is causing you so mush stress.

Penpal, it's cool that Carol's and my experience with the weight gainw ith exercise could help. My hummer's no longer even make it 24 hours with one of their feeders. They're little piggies. :D

My birthday was really nice (Thursday). DH and I went to Crater Lake and hiked Mt. Scott. It's a 2.5 mile trip up and an ascent of 1500 feet. Way easier on paper than in reality. It was hard!!!! But I made it. Next year I'll be carrying lots less weight and that should make it a little easier. Here are some pictures.

http://www.mariesdogs.info/Images/MtScottUp.jpg
This is the look up. The little speck at the top is the fire lookout tower which is where we were headed...

http://www.mariesdogs.info/Images/Mt...ookingDown.jpg
Here's the view looking down at the little parking lot. Our little red car was almost visible. ;) And yes, that's snow you're seeing...

Yesterday's appointment with the chiropractor was good. My neck felt good for a little while, but it'll probably take more visits. So we'll see. He had good advice on the problem (computer work posture) and I'll try following that.

Diet/exercise wise I'm still going strong. I ate about 300 cals more that usual on my birthday but the hike used way more than that so I did good. Yesterday and this morning I WATP. Yesterday's weigh in was good - I lost another .8 pounds (past the .6 I'd "gained" on Tuesday). Slow but sure, right???

Talk to you all later.
Marie

Marie - Belated birthday wishes! :woo: It sounds like you had a lovely time at Crater Lake. Thanks for posting the great photos - it's amazing there's still a bit of snow left at this time of the year. Congrats on losing almost a pound - you're doing great!

Carol - I hope you find some good stuff at the garage sales. The summer is flying by for me too. I hope things quieten down now your renovations are almost done so you can relax a bit.

Nikki - I've been thinking of you and hope that the situation at home will soon get better for you. Hang in there!

Judy & Freda - Hope everything's going well for you guys.

I'm pleased to say that I've managed to go walking with DH every day this past week for at least 45 min. and up to 1 hour!!!! The weather has been perfect for walking - in the high 70's to low 80's. I didn't lose any weight - I'm still at 188 - but my legs are feeling more toned. I was suprised I didn't get any aches and pains in my legs since I haven't walked this much in years, but I think the strength training I do at Curves has helped.

Hi ladies!
My name is Angela and I am just getting started. Do you mind if I join you? I just had a baby 7 weeks ago and have already lost all my baby weight! Yay me! Now I need to lose 28 more. I am breastfeeding so controlling my calories is tricky. I want to consume enough to contine bf but not too many so that I can keep losing weight. I look forward to posting with you so I can keep motivated.

Hi, Angela! Good to meet you. I'mglad you're joining us--the more, the merrier!

Sorry I haven't been around more. I'm still traveling, and more than a little brain dead by the time I have downtime late in the evenings. It has been a good trip, but this is my fourth bed in less than a week, and I will be very happy to sleep in my own bed Tuesday night.

Marie, thanks for the beautiful photos! Congrats on the continued weight loss. Penny, keep walking and you will reach your b-day goal.

Nikki, I hope you're feeling better today. Do something nice for yourself to strt the week off feeling strong and in control.

Carol, how are things with the SIL? I bet she's happy to have her things around her in her new space. You're right, the summer is flying by.

And so is this evening. Now that I have an Internet connection, I gotta do some work. Catch you all later--judy

Marie I truly enjoyed the pictures. I felt like I was in Maui at the crater. It was cool too. That mountain view you took was wonderful. I felt like I was right there with you. Congrats on your loss. I am at a little stand still partly my own fault just not being super careful. But will try hard this week. I have a wedding to go to next week and two picnics this weekend. Oh!!!!!!! Must keep my goal in mind. Totally! So I am packing a nice lunch today. My how did I miss your BDAY? At any rate congrats and happy b day belated. Sounds like you had a nice time with the hubby.
My SIL in almost moved into her area of the house. I will work on hooking up her t.v. and phone for her. We still need the fire marshall to sign off. I think we finally got the wiring to the detectors like he wants it. Oh! Things never go as smooth as one might want. I had help from my oldest daughter and my SIL's grandson whom has stayed a couple of days to help out. They will work on things today while I am at the office so it will be moving forward quite quickly. I am glad to get my space back as she must be too. We have made it though with no problems. It was a good test for all. We still have to build our garage though. I need to get started with my brother the contractor today to get some figures and start the process. The hubby will be excited to get that moving. My future son in law has been very helpful with this whole project he fits right in to the family circle. We are lucky to have him.
Judy I am sure you will be glad to sleep in your own bed. When you get home your intake process has to be much easier for you. I am tempted to easily when out away from home.
Penny hope your doing well.
Nikki we are all here for you!
Angela congrats on the baby. Sounds like your doing quite fine with losing some wt. already. The support on this site is good and we are pleased to have you join us. As you have read the more the better.
Well its watch what I eat today and drink plenty of water no more than my allotted 1400 cals. I will be counting them up.

Hi ladies -

Sorry I have not been around much. I am going to try to get back into what is going on here. I have managed to maintain so far so thats good. I won't do personals now but I will jump back in when you all post.

Nikki

Welcome Angela! :wave: Congratulations on losing the 'baby weight' so quickly.

Judy - There's nothing like your own bed! I hope you get some good zzzzz's on Tuesday. You must have an interesting job to be traveling so much.

Carol - Wow - two picnics in one weekend! I hope you managed to resist temptation :devil:. We're going to another wedding soon too - I'll have to practice some control :ziplip: (maybe I'll have a protein shake before we go, they always fill me up).

Nikki - I'm sending good thoughts your way :hug:. Let us know how things are going when you're up for it.

Marie - I hope you had a good weekend. I read an article about how 70% of women have an increase in 'unconsious eating' when they start walking regularly (tell me about it! :lol:). They recommend a balanced snack before exercising. We go on our walks shortly after breakfast, so I'm doing ok in that regard.

We went on a lovely walk (45 min.) by the river this morning - the weather was gorgeous with the dappled sunlight shining through the trees and the river sparkling (getting poetic here!) I feel like I'm a member of a new 'club' as I'm starting to recognize some of the regulars we pass on our walks.

Have a good week everyone.

Didn't make it to Monterey today. My friend had an emergency last night, everything's fine, but she has to deal with family medical issues today. So I've spent the day walking along the shoreline, doing a little work and playing with Fit Day. I'd been looking forward to hanging out with my old friend, but it's also been a treat to have a spontaneous day to do whatever....I also dida cardio workout early this morning, and am eating on program.

Carol, you do stay busy! Good luck with staying under your calorie count.

Hey, Nikki, I'm glad to hear that you're maintaining. If I were in your shoes, I would probably be chillin' with Ben and Jerry instead of checking in with us! So I think it's great that you are holding it together and haven't fallen off the wagon.

Penny, isn't walking fun? I love it. I work for a national nonprofit, and am on a couple of boards of directors of national organizations, which isn't all that exciting, but I do go to meetings and conferences in other parts of the country sometimes.

Angela, I hope you're doing well today. Tell us about the baby!

judy

Hi Everyone, well the party is over. My three week vacation officially ended at 7:30 this morning. Eeks. I hate coming back to all the problems. It's easier to control when I'm there but I didn't mind being gone. :)

Nikki, I'm glad you're maintaining. You know, in the long run, maintaining might help you get off the plateau you were stuck on. You're in my thoughts.

Carol, you are a saint for giving up your space. I have a countdown until DS, GF and DGS move out. Unfortunately it's still 16 months. :) I love them dearly but I really want an empty nest...

Penny, good for you on the walking. I joined another thread (WATP) for the fitness support and since they're doing the same thing, it's pretty cool. Not quite the same support as this thread but I like it.

Judy, I will think of you tomorrow evening when I lay my head on my pillow. There is nothing (including Ben and Jerry) better than sleeping in your own bed. Monterey is pretty but an unplanned day is great. Take care on those planes (aka self contained germ incubators). Can you tell I hate planes???

Tomorrow is the unofficial weigh in of the week. I will be so happy when I lose all my extra weight and I can weigh in once a week.

I got my new fitness bra today. It's an Enell that I saw on Oprah's show. Hoely moley, when they say it will fit tight and let nothing move, they're weren't joking. Sure did feel good on my back, though. Tomorrow's workout will give me clue whether I can breath enough to exercise. :)

Have a great night.
Marie

Trouble getting on thoday. Someone used my computer and all my addresses under my toolbar are missing. Now is there anyway to get them back? Marie do you know? Oh computers! At any rate I couldn't remember my password as I had it set to remember on here. So I had to get it reset etc. Oh hum bug!
Determined though I made it on! Now I am making some breakfast scrambled eggs and green peppers. I have read eatting protein helps keep you fuller and the eggs are a good source. Yesterdays cals weren't too bad but I did add in my calzone on the dinner menu. I made it at home so it was full of yummy veggies and some cooked sausage that was drained well. I am taking 1/2 of one for lunch today. For lunch yesterday I ate just veggies and fruit and a yogurt for breakfast.
Nikki it was good to hear from you. Congrats on maintaining during a stressful time that is really an accomplishment for sure.
Judy well soon you will be resting in your own bed. Sounds like a nice trip though glad you had some me time. Thats more important than folks realize sometime we are all so busy doing things never taking me time. I know I live that one.
Marie I hope the new bra does the trick. I have one and don't use it when walking suppose I should. I am going to try to start walking around the lake again soon. I miss the beauty of it and the exercise. I feel good now with losing but still miss the exercise. Soon I hope things will take a slower pace I may have to force the issue as its me whom places such high demands on myself. I never say no and need to learn to. That is one of my down falls to over do and not take it easy. But life is short and I need to enjoy some of it too.
Penny glad your enjoying the walking. Yes I used to take an apple or something to eat before or after walking. When I got home I could of ate 10 dinners I think. Well keep up your good efforts it will pay off soon.
Off to work I go see yah all later on. Hope to see a loss by friday better tend to what I eat though if I really want a change. Drinking lots of water!

Judy - Monterey must be a great place for walking. Are you near Carmel? It's one of my favorite places. I volunteer on the board of a charitable organization and enjoy it a lot, though it can sometimes get a bit hectic when we have fund raisers. We have conferences once or twice a year but I haven't been to the last couple as they were at high altitude places where I don't do so well.

Marie - I looked for the WATP group over at the Fitness forum but I couldn't seem to find it. Could you give me the link? I hope your fitness bra makes your workouts more comfortable.

Carol - I think you're right about protein keeping you feeling full longer. I increased my protein a month or so ago and it's helped a lot.

I walked for 45 min. today. All this walking hasn't shown up on the scale yet, but hopefully I'll soon start losing again. Sometimes I think my body is hanging on to the fat for dear life!

I hope everyone is doing well and staying on track. :)

Hi Everyone,

It was a GREAT weigh in day. I thought there was a good shot at losing since it is at the time of my cycle that I lose. I lost 1.6 pounds. Today I hit the 25 pound weigh loss mark. I was sure doing the happy dance.

Work was better than yesterday and I'll soon get back into the swing of working. I've been busy so the time has slid right on by.

Did the 2 mile WATP Fat Burner (does intervals of aerobic and then strength training). I'm trying to do that 3 times per week to build a little more strength. Then DS's GF and I took the doggies and DGS for a walk around the 2 mile block. So it was a good exercise day. Food wise, I'm about 100 calories under my limit but I'm not hungry so I'll leave it at that.

Carol, it sounds like someone deleted all your cookies. More than likely they're gone. Now if you marked the sites in your favorites, you might be able to retrieve the sites by going to the start button, scroll to Search, then search by files or folders, then search by the file name. Choose the two words Fat Chicks and let it run. Then you'd have to move the files back to your favorites folder. Let me know if you find them, and then I'll give you instructions how to move them. Good luck getting back on the exercise track. You do need you time so definitely put it as a priority.

Penpal, it's actually in the Fitness Videos part at http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90543
I really like it, sort of a daily check in on exercise. BTW, the walking will show up on the scale. Those little weight boxes are sometimes very stubborn to move. :)

Judy, hope you're enjoying the sleep in your bed. :)
Marie

Penny you might be gaining some muscle and losing inches with the walking. Thats what usually happens to me. But building muscle isn't a bad thing. Are you clothes or rings fitting differently. I wish now I had measured myself early on. I was always going to and never did.
I am pleased this a.m. with my little white square. I am down 1.5 from just the other day. Yah! I missed my goal though which was today by .5 but I will take the numbers just he same. Its working watching myself a bit more careful with the portions and breads. I don't go without though if I want it then just add it in. It works for me. Must be I have done something right lately and of course being busy helps.
Marie you beat me by .1 good for you. Wow 25lbs. you go girl you deserve to dance on the roof top! I just looked back and my last set back was in June 26th. At that time I was 6.5lbs heavier. So I am pleased that I was able to lose that much in a little over a months time. For me that is success. This is almost my low pt. since starting here. I think it was 1.5lbs lower so I am shooting for 2.5lbs by the 18th its a long shot for me. I lose slowly let my body adjust then lose again. But thats okay as long as it goes. If I lose the wt its well worth it to me to be patient. Thanks for the computer info. I will ck it out when I get some time. I did lose my cookies!!!!!!!!!!! At least I seem to be going forward the mini goals seem to help me thanks Nikki for boosting us a bit ago. Hope you doing okay.
Today its a bit cooler here and no fan on last night. The evenings are getting shorter and another season around the corner. Boy it comes way to quickly. Being so busy I feel like it flew by and I didn't get to enjoy much of it. I plan on being good today set my goals and will count my cals. Have a good day everyone.

Ahhh, home again! Now, if only I didn't have to show up for work this morning, things would have been perfect!

Marie and Carol, congrats on a good weigh-in :carrot: .

Penny, I didn't go to Monterey this time, but had a nice time at the end of my trip wandering around the shoreline in Alameda. Not quite as beautiful or upscale as Carmel, though!

Nikki, Angela, Freda--hope you're all diong well today.

judy

Marie - Woohoo! Way to go with losing 1.6 lbs. and reaching your 25 lbs. loss! :cp: :woo: :dance: :dancer: :carrot:. It must be hard getting back to work after three weeks off. Thanks for the WATP link - I'll check it out.

Carol - Sorry to hear you lost your addresses on your computer. I know how frustrating that kind of thing can be. Congrats on your loss. Keep up the good work. I am feeling slimmer even though it doesn't show on the scale yet. It's funny how I sometimes get this feeling that I'm going to lose before it actually shows on the scale. I should probably take some measurements on a regular basis.

Judy - It must feel good to be home. There's nothing like walking on the beach. I hope we can fit in a trip to the coast again soon.

I'm still doing well with the walking. We just got back from the river park and walked for 45 minutes. I'm sitting here with my ice packs on my ankles. It feels soooo good! This seems to make all the difference to ease my ankle pain. I bought some arnica lotion from the farmers market last Saturday and I like to massage it in after I take off the cold packs. I'm hoping I can report a loss on Friday!

Way to go on the waling Penpal!!! You're really getting into it. I'm glad you found a solution to the foot/ankle pain.

Judy, welcome home. Too bad about having to go back to work. I understand the wish to not return the first day back. Monday wasn't a good day for me.

Carol, YEAH!!!! on the weight loss. 6.5 pounds since late June is fabulous. Go, Carol, go!!!

Today was even easier at work. I guess I'm getting back into the swing of it. These 5 day work weeks are so "fun". I know, you all don't feel too sorry for me. I did a 3 mile WATP, 2 of the miles were jogging. I can't believe I'm jogging for 2 miles. Who'd have ever thought that would be possible. I was going to swim this evening but the storms the last few nights made my pool dusty and full of tree droppings. So I cleaned it instead. I was a little bummed on that.

Well, it's about my bedtime so I'd better go.
Marie

Marie smart move on the cleaning instead of walking. Storms lately around my area have been way out of the norm. We have had a couple of tornado touch downs. Its crazy! Thanks for your support as always this site is super. Together we all make a good team. Keep up your good work jogging too!
I am glad I journal cause its nice to ck back on to see well how long it took me to lose etc. Now hopefully I can get over my hump its getting close to my lowest in quite sometime. Lets hope its not too bad and I will just continue on my journey in the right direction. 2 picnics this week end. But I will have some control one is at my house. I helped with the menu and planning. I can't wait til this work week is over one more day. Next friday I will take a few hours off for a wedding. The friday night wedding which start at 5:00 are really tough to get to. Being its close family I will get there. Judy glad your back in your own bed thats always nice. I like to travel but you are always off somewhere. Nice but also hard on yah. Hang in there.
Penny watch the ankles don't push too hard. Glad your feeling good about yourself though. I only wish now that I had measured way back. I did actually and then lost the measurements. Thats where the log comes in handy.
I am off to work soon and still have to make my lunch. The company was going to have a meeting today but it was canceled so there went lunch til next week on them. We are celebrating a few birthdays today. I will have a small piece of cake. I don't usually give things up completely but watch my portions and add up the cals.

Penny, I think of you icing your ankles after a nice walk...I used to have more trouble with my arthritic knees than I have lately (knock wood), and would keep 2-lb bags of green peas in the freezer, marked with a big 'X' for icing my knees at the end of the day. I don't miss those days! I'm glad that you're finding relief. And feeling the internal "whoosh" just before the scale registers a loss probably helps with the pain, too:D .

Marie, you're jogging! I missed that somehow. Congratulations! When I'm really cruising on a long walk, I feel like I want to run. Until I try and am reminded that I can barely run to catch a bus. Running for two miles is fabulous. You go, girl!

Carol, we'l have to have a big virtual party when you hit your 'lowest' point. Even if you don't have measurements, I bet there's 'before' pictures you can use to show what success looks like. I was just looking at the Success threads again a minute ago, and marveling over how happy and healthy the women look, especially those who started out around my current weight or higher.

I'm doing well. Did TurboJam this morning, and will go to Curves shortly. We had a good-bye lunch for an intern at California Pizza Kitchen, but I had a half salad (which was still pretty big), a bowl of pea soup and no bread. I'm feelign a little frazzled at work--trying to cram at least a week's worth of work and meetings into three days--and was struggling with the "nervous crunchies" late this afternoon (i.e., time for cookies and brownies at conferences). Carrots and hummus (and the Success thread) got me through the afternoon. Now, I just have to stay out of the kitchen after dinner, and I'll make it through another day.

Wish me luck--judy

Marie - You are an inspiration with all that exercise! I would love to be able to jog - who knows, one day.....:running:

Carol - Watch out for those tornados! That must be scary. I wish we had more thunderstorms around here. When I was a kid in England I always loved hiding under the stairs in a cupboard wrapped up in a blanket with a hot cup of cocoa when we had a thunderstorm - how weird is that???

Judy - I know what you mean about keeping out of the kitchen after dinner. I wasn't too successful doing that today :(. I think maybe I'm sabbotaging myself because it's weigh in day tomorrow :?: Those little 'nibbles' add up.

I only walked for 20 min. today as I overdid it a bit yesterday and my foot was sore. I really, really, want the scale to start going down soon - I'm going through one of my impatient phases. I've been stuck at 188-189 for a couple of months now.

Good luck for your weigh-ins tomorrow everybody :goodluck:.

Hi Everyone, just a quick note since it's getting past my bedtime. My day was good. One of our new hires isn't working out but the other is great. The one that's not is annoying and condescending. B*TCH comes to mind... So I'm very thankful, as is Carol and Judy that tomorrow is Friday and the weekend is upon us. Walked 4 miles today and missed my calories by 100 again. I need to proportion my day better because I don't want to be too short.

Penpal, I hope your foot feels better tomorrow. And that the little white box give you a loss. It will come even if it isn't tomorrow.

Carol, good luck at the picnics. Small portions will let you succeed. I learned that on vacation.

Judy, welcome back and eeks on the amount of work. Amazing how if you take time off you're still expected to get the job done. I think basically it works out that you don't get time off - it's just delegated to a later time.

Well, off to bed again...
Marie

Penny try to shake things up a bit and maybe it will help your metabolism. If we do things the same too long it slows way down. Recently I increased veggies and fruit, limit the pasta and bread more. Fiber is also important and maybe increasing that as well. Oh well worth a try ck it out.
Last night we all went out to dinner at Zebb's great grilled burgers. I did order a burger and 1/2 order of fries. I left part of my roll and 1/2 of the fries. Now that wasn't the best thing to order but at least I left some behind. There was a time that wouldn't of happened thats for sure. I am glad to see the end of the work week. I need to catch up on cleaning before this picnic and my gardens need some assistance thats a must. Cooler here today. Penny my SIL has a piece of metal rod in each leg she gets really nervous during storms and stands in the hallway til there over in the middle of the house. You two would enjoy hiding in the closet with the hot cocoa. Other than a planned meeting this a.m. to counsel a couple of guys about behaviors I am planning a quiet day. I need to do my mileage for work as they now will owe me 4 weeks worth. With the gas prices I can use it. Talk to you all soon. Penny hope the scale was nice today. Marie we are losing our supervisor and so soon we will have a new person to get used to. It will be fine we always adjust same stuff different person. Hope this one just treats everyone as an equal, gives respect for her workers and is generally a hard worker.
Have a good one.

Just have time for a quick wave :wave: and hope that everyone is having a good day! I'm doing well, about to break out my carrots and hummus and head off to yet another meeting. I'm feeling good about getting that extra sugar out of my body, and I hope that the scale wil show it on Sunday. I would still like to reach my goal of 229 by the end of the month...I managed to gain 5 pounds in California, so the scale was up to 240 yesterday morning :( . But some of that was salt and bloat, I can already feel that going away...

See you ladies later--judy

Marie - You're doing great walking 4 miles! I hope the situation with the new hire works out - nothing worse than working with difficult people in my opinion. I've been having a bit of a run in with someone who will not reply to my emails and takes it very personal if I even drop a hint to keep me in the loop :mad:.

Carol - I bet your SIL sets off the machines at the airport with those metal rods! Good idea for her to keep away from thunderstorms. I'm going to definitely have to mix things up a bit to get the scale moving again.

Judy - Those few extra pounds will come off quickly now that you're home and can get back on plan without all the distractions.

I was up a pound this morning for my weekly weigh in :(. Maybe all the walking I've been doing is making me hold on to calories until my body adjusts??? I've been snacking on nuts lately, so that could be the culprit (even though I include them in my daily calories they are loaded with fat). My foot is feeling better today, so I'll go for a walk later (maybe not so far this time).

Have a great weekend everybody.

Penpal, I have read that when you start an exercise program, you can get weight gain, usually your body using more water (not quite water gain where you're bloated but that water gets more distributed through your body). It was an article I read a couple days/week ago. If I remember where, I'll post the link, but then again, it might have been a news item I saw. But keep at it and it will get better.

Carol, enjoy your weekend and picnics. Actually it sounds like you did pretty good at the burger place. And you've seen progress in changed behavior.

Judy, Sunday's weighin will be way better than 240. You just traveled and Penpal was right about water weight after flying. Just know your making progress. The big thing is you care that the scale was mean and you'll do something about it.

So that brings me to my insight. I looked in the mirror this afternoon and realized I looked better. I didn't look "fat" with the pudgy face and such (my face thinned a lot). Then of course the evil mind games where I thought I wished I lost the 2 pounds a week stuff you hear touted. But I don't. I lose about 6.5 pounds a month. So anyway, I looked in the mirror and liked what I saw looking back (pretty cool, huh?) and realized I was so far ahead of the game. I mean 4 months ago (about 2 weeks before I started the diet) I didn't have hope for being slender and healthy. I'd sort of accepted being fat. So now 4 months later, the pudge in my face is gone and I'm consistently losing and staying on track. I really accept the idea that if it takes another year to lose the weight, that's okay. That I will be even farther ahead because if I don't, what other direction is there to go? So losing anything (and I mean anything) is so awesome. I'm going to be grateful for every ounce shed. I'm just so impatient by nature that I wanted quicker results. But today I really saw that I can be patient and make it.

Oaky, enought about that. I did exercise 3 miles today and was okay on going out for pizza/dinner. I had a mini cheese and reluctantly did not have my nightly ritual of an ice cream cone. :) BTW, the pizza was worth giving up the ice cream. Not on a regular basis but occasionally.
Marie

Penny, you're building muscle, which looks nicer and helps burn fat, so hooray! Don't worry, you are doing great!

Marie, I'm doing the happy dance for you:dance: I wonder how long it takes for us to see in the mirrow what others see when they look at us?

So I'm back to where I was before I went to California and began eating like I was raised by wolves. My weight's back to 235, which quite a relief--it took less than a week of being careful to recover. I'm annoyed that I lost some ground, but this means that my August goal of getting to 230 or less is still within reach, if I stay focused. So far, so good, although I've been working most of the weekend on writing content for our new website at work. I have lots more to do, but I'm getting tired of typing, so I'll give it up for today.

Carol, you are a powerful woman, leaving french fries on your plate. I can't have then sitting there looking at me, all hot, salty and exuding that aroma, I have to order a substitution....

See ya on Monday--judy

Marie - It's great you are losing around 6.5 lbs. a month! That's phenomenal - I know you're working really hard to achieve it. You must be noticing changes a lot quicker that I am - I'm losing at a snail's pace. I would be thrilled to lose half a pound a week. All roads lead to Rome, as they say, so eventually I'll get there, even if it takes ages. I'm glad you mentioned about the water weight gain when someone starts walking a lot. I'm pretty sure that's what's happened, because I really haven't been pigging out. That's what's so great having support from you guys. In the past I might have fallen off the wagon because I was mad at not losing (and actually gaining) with all the extra exercise. Now I know I just have to be patient and it will come off!

Judy - Thanks for the kind words about building muscle. I don't know how quickly a person can build actual muscle from walking. I've only been going on my daily walks for about three weeks. I've been working out at Curves for 2-1/2 years and I'm only now starting to see all the muscles I've got now that there is less fat covering them up! I'm glad the weight you gained on your trip came off and I'm rooting for you to reach your 230 lb. goal soon.

I've managed to keep up with my daily walks but have reduced them to half an hour from 45 min. as my foot was really sore the other day when I overdid it. I think I'll keep at a comfortable level and add increments of five minutes each week and see how it goes. We walked along the waterfront in Portland today. The "Bite" festival was on with lots of great music & food and all the pleasure boats were floating around with the occupants enjoying the show - made me wish we had a boat! It was very warm and breezy and you would have thought it was in the tropics somewhere instead of here in the northwest. I really, really, fancied a hamburger and fries (I usually only eat one or two burgers a year), but settled for an Asian chicken kabob and salad which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I hope everyone has a good week.

Judy good for you with losing that Calf. wt. its all that extra out of town stuff. Now your going to make some positive changes I hear it in the tone of your notes. Great!
Penny I also gained when walking it just happens and it is muscle I think. Oh at any rate walking is so good for you it can't be bad. So keep it up and glad we have you here on this site.
Marie your doing so good. I think its wonderful. I know what you mean about the mirror I also can notice a difference lately. But did eat some junk this weekend but also was so busy with getting ready to entertain 40 people. Lots of stuff to do. But we pulled off a nice graduation party for my SIL's grandson. He was happy and she loved showing off her place which is coming right along. I hung curtains after ironing all 6 prs. It was crazy. Then carrying things in and out etc. We did get our deck almost finished before the party. My good friends next door helped out too we put up 1 gazebo which will stay up now. No more bugs! And one screen room etc. It was busy I made too much corn and better more than not enough. I don't have to do any cooking for a few days. Lots of leftovers. But it all went well and that was a great feeling. I think I am going into the catering business. At any rate I am all ready set for next years bridal shower plans. That will be in April. I even picked a lovely bouquet of flowers from my gardens and weeded my beds at 7:30 a.m. crazy huh. Not perfect but better looking. Got to pick tomatoes today!
Well have a great day. I have a little sinus junk going on not fun and a plugged ear. Sick day may be on the way.

Carol, I hope you feel better. Sinus and ear problems aren't fun. You sure a worker bee - ironing curtains??? I hang them up and wait for the wrrinkles to fall out. I'm really basically lazy by nature. :)

Judy, good to hear the travel weight came off. 5 pounds in a little over 2 weeks isn't easy, but you should give it your best effort. Anything lost is so great.

Penpal, it's probably be a good thing to cut back a little on the walking. There's no reason tgo go until you're in pain. Actually that's just plain silly.

I did the 3 mile walk this morning and 5 miles yesterday (as well as swimming laps yesterday). DH is home this evening and when he gets off the phone with DS (in the military) we're going to go night swimming. We rarely do that since the evenings are so cold. But the water's warm so we're going to go once. We should check and see if the fiber lights still work, right?

The lady at work is a pain in the *ss. Suffice it to say I was HAPPY to leav e this afternoon. I don't think she'll last long, but she's so abrasive. Why did I think it was okay to hire her??? I must have a big brain fade. :)

Talk to you tomorrow!
Marie

:wave: Hi everyone~
I’ve been browsing through your thread and I can see that you’re all pretty tight, but would you mind very much if I join you?
I like the fact that you all seem to check in daily and very supportive of each other, which is what I really need right now.
I have been off the wagon and I have gained 5 pounds of the 15 pounds that I’ve lost after I started dieting (yet again) in January.:( So I’m really going to try to get motivated before I gain all the weight back and then some.
I got back on the wagon Sunday, and now it’s Tuesday morning and I’m down 1.3 lbs., so another 3.7 lbs. and my tracker will be up to date. I decided not to move my tracker as an incentive to work harder, and I definitely will try to lose the other 3.7 lbs. ASAP.;)
I hope to get to know all of you better, but it looks like I’ve got a lot to catch up.
Have a great day everyone~

Elyn here everyone is welcome so feel free to join in. We are always happy to have new people join. We are tight in the fact we have similar goals wants and needs and think this site is a good place to get support. So come aboard by all means your welcome. Tell us a bit about you and we will do the same that way you can learn a bit by not having to read so far back.
I helped with the wood pellets last night 1 bag is about 45lbs. I helped lift and pile 50 bags. Well then I thought I deserved a hot fudge sundae at our wonderful stand. I bought my nepfew a banana split he deserved one as well. I wasn't going to help but then thought oh what good exercise and I should be also helping. Oh I am getting old the hips are killing me this a.m.. But the calories I took in had to be lower than I burned off. I helped lift and stack higher than my ht. Oh! At least the hubby is happy we are getting ready for winter he always worries. We have 2 pellet stoves one in our basement and one in the Adirondack room. So cozy winter nights around here with the knitting needles or a book.
So my intake was a bit shaky yesterday. I am going to also start in Sept. back to the gym on my way home from work 3 days a week. I did keep my membership. I have the treadmill at home for the bad weather days. I am looking forward to setting up a workout room w/ my office switching bedrooms I currently use going for the larger one. I want to paint etc.
We are currently hiring for a supervisor Marie hopefully we have better luck. Yah never know until you get them what its going to be like. In the past 6 years in this office I have had 3 this will be the 4th. So I hope she will be okay the director was interviewing yesterday and brought the gal down to say hello. We all took it as she was going to get hired? We will see. The current one is now taking some action to help us get some needed things before she leaves. Now she says no one can do anything to her? Crazy huh? At any rate they are checking our air quality because 2 girls have gotten really sick one went to the hospital and was out 1 week. Bactrial infection could be from poor air quality they say and poor working conditions. We work in a very old building used to be an institution years ago closed for awhile then reopened. We won't drink the water there but do make coffee with it. Maybe we shouldn't do that either. At any rate their finally listening probably afraid of a law suit. Well girls catch yah all later I am going to try to be better today with my choices no ice cream runs. Help me in praying that they move our office to a bit closer to my home or the highway. tHANKS! Scale day is FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone -

Elyn- Welcome aboard

Sorry I have not been around much. It has been insane around here and some how 3FC stopped sending me daily alerts when messages were posted. In the couple of weeks I have ben away I gained 1.8 pounds. I have not realy been hungry then I pick at lots of little things and those calories add up. I hope you ladie are doing well.

Hi, Elyn, welcome back to the wagon:D . What are you doing to lose the weight? I work out and/or walk, and follow lower-carbs, lower calories and healthy fat eating plans. I've been up and down, but mostly stuck in the 230s :( . The ladies on this thread have been instrumental in keeping me from throwing in the towel, and now I'm feeling really good about the journey.

Nikki, it's good to hear from you :hug: . It sounds like you already know why you gained a little weight, so I bet you already know what to do to take it off again! At any rate, this is a difficult time to be positive and focused, when there's so much drama at home. Take it one day at a time, and be good to yourself!

Carol, I'm sorry to hear about your sinus trouble. It would be scary to think that it's related to conditions at work. It doesn't sound like it's slowed you down any, you are the busiest woman I ever met. You've already planned how you're work out when the weather gets colder, good for you!

Marie, I'm sorry that your new colleague is a pill. I'm in the midst of hiring three new people, and will be guessing if any of them are really Dr. Jekyll in the interviews and Mr. Hyde once we've gotten to know them. Reference checks are usually no help...

Penny, ditto all that's been said about pacing yourself and not doing things that hurt! Are you a bike rider? That might be a nice alternative, and you could still enjoy the scenery. I bet that Portland has great bike trails. The Bite festival sounds like fun.

I'm doing well, still on program and working out. Did my first morning 55-minute walk in several weeks (it had been hellishly hot, then I was traveling). It's more humid today than I'd expected, and the last 15 minutes or so was a chore, but the view of DC as I crossed the river, with the rays of sun piercing the clouds over the trees and monuments, was more than worth it.

judy

Judy -

yay on doing a 55 minute walk you rock.

Hey all, it's been a long, long time. I hope you are all doing well. It's been a busy, busy year - yes, I gained most of the weight back, but I started the journey again in July and I'm making gains. I just had a full physical and watched my in-laws get really, really ill (one of them passed away) somewhat due to a lack of a healthy lifestyle so it's time to start the health journey again. How are you all? I'm sure there have been many major events in the past year. I hope you are all well. Take care. tiredoffat

Hi Elyn, welcome aboard. Carol was right, we are tight, but we always like newcomers so please visit often. I'm a low cal, exercise (walking mostly) type of dieter. Since April, I've lost 26 pounds. :carrot: I have another 51 to go, but I'm on my way!

Carol, have you ever thought of saying "no" to lifting 45 pound bags over your head. You are a little nuts. It would be cool if they moved you out of that old building. I used to work in an "historical landsite" and it was horrible on my asthma and allergies. Then I moved to the desert and only once in a while have problems. I know that not working in that building was instrumental as well as no mold in the air.

Tired, welcome back. Are you ready for another school year???? Today was T minus 3 weeks till our first day and things are starting to hit the fan. Summer was way too short.

Nikki, I'm so sorry things are still so dramatic at home. Try to find time for yourself and visit us here. You know we're all in your corner.

Judy, I really like the description "hellishly hot"/ That was here about 3 weeks ago. Very fitting. I remember when DH and I were first married we went to DC (from Hampton, VA where we lived) for the 4th of July and CAMPED. It was so horrible we left the next day. Never saw the fireworks or anything. That was my most recent memory of DC. I have better ones from when I was a kid.

I was a little under on the calories today, but I didn't want to have too many in the evening so I figure it's okay. I did the strength 2 mile walk this morning and then DS's GF and I went on a 2 mile walk around the block with the doggies and DGS. I think TOM is due at the end of this week so I probably won't weigh again till next week. This morning showed a .2 pound loss. Hey, I'll take it. :)

Talk to you tomorrow.
Marie

Tiredoffat wow its so good to hear form you. I am glad your back and hope you will ck in often it really has made the difference for me. I still have about 10.5 lbs to lose. But feel good about what I have accomplished so far. I gained some back but recently said hey this is it I need to get serious. So far its worked well. Sorry to hear of your loss its never easy. Take care and don't forget to ck in you will feel better its a good outlet.
Marie I know sometimes I just do what is needed. I am a bit crazy like that. I guess it comes from being Polish! Hard workers but a little silly! Anyways at least my cals got burned off. I took it easy last night my hips are a bit sore nothing else though not too bad.
I ate within my calories yesterday. Thinking ahead and left breakfast out cause I knew we had birthdays to celebrate at work with cheese cake being 290 a slice. I did well having cukes, tomatoes and a little potatoe salad for lunch. A hot dog for dinner with squash, tomatoe and a little mozzarella ch. I am getting better about balancing things out and planning ahead most of the time.
Judy our weather has been cooler but its going into the 80's again this week. I love it. Sounds like your making some progress. Keep it up.
Marie take any little loss cause it adds up so what it might be little but its something. My scale only does .5 and above losses. Hey I am actually wearing my shirt tucked into today with my capris. Couldn't do that a month ago and look okay. Gotta go off to work!
Be good and think before it goes in the mouth! It all adds up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the warm welcome, you're all so nice.

Judy~ I'm basically just counting calories, watching portions and trying to eat a healthy balance diet. I tried South Beach, but I just can't seem to do those low carb diets~ I just love bread, rice, and pasta. I also try to exercise, walk out doors or on my treadmill or workout with my video tapes.

Marie~ WTG on the 26lbs. lost, how much is your daily net calories? I'm aiming for a daily 1200-1500 net calories.

Marie - You are doing awesome ....26 lbs wooohooo

Tired - Welcome back I don't remember you but I could just have a block. I look forward to getting to know you .

Carol- wearing a shirt tucked is an awesome accomplishment.

As for me ... I am hoping to lose the 1.8 I put on by friday. I tried to tape a workout show this morning but the vcr messed up grrr. I think I'll either swim or go for a walk later. I would love to lose 4 lbs by next week.

Catch you all later

Nikki