Good afternoon all, my weigh in this morning showed me to be one pound down. I will take that. I was hoping for more but i am always happy just to see the scale move in the right direction. I hit the 35 pound mark so i was able to add a dragonfly and that put me out of the 250's...so even though it was just one pound...it was a pound that packed a punch. :carrot:

Brenda- Hello and welcome. :wave: 15 pounds is a great goal. My sister lost 80 pounds on Atkins, she just loves it. I, unfortunately, have to have my carbs so calorie counting works for me. I am right there with you taking it one goal at a time. That is my motto: I may not can lose 100 pounds but i can lose 10 pounds 10 times...just seems to make it doable.

Jeni- I calorie cycle too. The only difference is that on your 1700 day, i have a splurge day. It usually ends up being between 1700 and 1900, then my sort of two high days are weekend days, the rest i try to keep around 1300. Its been working so far. I really think it helps with the platueas...kind of keeps the body guessing. Good for you for getting your water in. That is my BIGGEST struggle...especially in the winter. Although i have been kind of slacking at exercise the past couple of weeks, but only cause i had surgery. I sort of got back to it this week....but still no upper body for me. Which i have found is cutting my weight loss by half...so it is good to know all that hard work at the gym actually does some good. :woops:

SNO- Hope your tooth problem is better today. I know the soft bland food has to be getting on your nerves. Although, i know if you are taking pain pills like i was a couple of weeks ago, they really curbed my appetite. ;)

Well okay ladies, my lunch hour is grinding to a close. Talk to you all soon.

Happy Friday!
 

Hi all:

great to hear from everyone and am interested in the calorie cycling thing--sounds interesting, Jeni!

Good job Stacy--it is so nice to break that 250 barrier--I know what that is like!

And welcome Brenda--good luck with Atkins--it is a no brainer and easy to lose on.

I was low carbing it but my stomach is still rumbly so maybe one more day on the bland soft food and then I will try to low carb for the weekend.

Have a great day everyone! Keep up the great work--I miss Dolly and Nancy and Trob!!

Hi everyone and thanks again for the welcomes.
Stacy Great job, One pound is great! Adding another dragonfly must be great!!!
Sno: Tooth problems stink, I hope you get better soon!
Hi Brenda!
I had to watch my carbs during both my pregnancies because of Gestational Diabetes. It was so hard, but it taught me alot about good carbs and bad carbs. Plus it taught me to eat at the same time everyday (if possible), to have 3 meals 3 snacks, and protein each time. I have eliminated one of the snacks, but otherwise I try to stay true to the meal plan.

I am sore today, I kicked it into high gear working out yesterday so its a good sore! :)
Have a great day, I am usually on several times per day. I stay at home during the day and work in the evenings. It sucks because I dont see my husband much, but it saves on daycare!

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this. I'd like to join the New Years challenge. My goal is to loose 16 lbs by New Years. Today was the first day I've tried to follow the GI diet. I've done farely well so far. My problem is that I eat very infrequently and then eat large meals later in the day.
I've recently sprained the ligaments in my knee and will only be able to do limited exercise for the next 4-6 weeks.
I also have the challenge of feeding three growing teenagers. They can eat anything and you name it we have it for junkfood in our house. I wonder how they will react to me changing the menu plan.

Nina

Hello all. Well it is so nice getting to know you all. I had my splurge day today and i am ready to hit the ground running tomorrow and head to the gym early. I didnt have a huge splurge day...no big sweets just chinese food for dinner...so not too much damage done. I want to sort of watch it until Thanksgiving. I weigh in on fridays...so i only have one more good weigh in before thanksgiving. :turkey: I guess i can weigh in thanksgiving morning but oddly it is always friday that i actually see the scale drop...so i am hoping for a big loss this coming week.

My goals for this coming week are: :coach:
*Make it to the gym 4 days this week. (i want to make it 5 but realistically 4 is good)...lots of cardio...pushing myself to 35 minutes instead of 30 on the ellipitical.
*Lots of water. I am thinking, since i dont like cold water as much in the winter...maybe i could switch to hot lemon water...it is surpisingly good and refreshing.
*Two days 1700 cals, the rest 1400 cals. SERIOUSLY.

40 before 40- First of all, i love your user name, that is great. And :welcome2: . So glad to have you. 15 pounds is a great goal. GI diet is super healthy. I have the same problems as you...i eat few meals but then eat my heavier meal at night. I have fought that battle for years. The only way i know to combat it, is that i dont eat ANYTHING after dinner and i always eat dinner before 6. That is aweful about your knee :getwell: ...good gracious. And a total bummer about not being able to exercise like you would like to. I have a teenage boy, and i can DEFINATLY relate to their eating. Good greif, they can eat you out of house and home QUICK. Drives me nuts...i cant seem to keep the cuboards full. I buy only healthy food...if i buy unhealthy, i will eat it. So they can only eat healthy food too, which is fine with them and good for them...sets them up to appreciate different veggies. A lot of their snacks consist of yogurt, light string cheese, ff pudding, jello, and all kinds of fruits.

Jeni- i was borderline gestational diabetes too. And i too learned ALOT about carbs. The main thing that stuck with me, if you are going to eat a carb ALWAYS eat a protien with it. I found it immensly helpful. I really think anyone could benift from a nutrition class. I always thought a calorie was a calorie...not so huh? 100 sugar calories has a totally different effect on my body than 100 calories of chicken. And i can tell the weeks i ate too much sugar...even if i stayed in the calorie range...i will lose a lot more weight on the weeks my cals were not coming from carbs/sugar. WTG on getting a good workout yesterday. :carrot: Me too...my legs are killing me today from the weight training at the gym yesterday. Do you go to a gym? What is your routine with exercise. I try to go to the gym on my off days (I work 2 days a week) and i used to do 5 minute warm up, 25 weight training, 30 ellipitical. But i had a couple of cysts/moles removed last week, all on my upper body, so it is just lower body and cardio until i get the okay from the doc...dont want to pop a stitch. I am missing my regular workuots but boy my legs are coming along, ;) ha ha. You mentioned you work in the evenings? What do you do? I am a medical transcriptionist in a doctors office.

SNO- Boy oh boy it IS nice to break that 250 mark. :trampo: I think you would like the calorie cycling. It is supposed to keep your body guessing...so it doesnt get used to 1500 cals a day and then platuea. This way you go 1700 some days, 1300 some days. It also is supposed to keep you from having to lower your cals because your body "got used to" a certain number of cals. If you indulge once in a while the body never realizes "hey, are we losing weight?". It really seems to work. I lost over 100 pounds before doing that and NEVER hit a platuea...i mean naturally there was a week here and there that i didnt lose anything or that i gained a pound but i never actually went weeks or months at a stall...it was just slow and steady. I miss Dolly, nancy, and trob too :( ...where did those wild women go?

Ok, well, i am feeling good about this up coming week, now if we can all just get through the weekend...stay strong ladies. :dust:

well, i'm sitting at 211, so i'll take it. We will see what the scale is like on monday. My dh is back tonight, finally. I must have missed him because i have been unable to sleep since he left. So hopefully tonight will be me in dream land. i'm so tired i could sleep standing by this point.

Went to the board meeting on Wednesday and it looks like my boss will be replaced within the next two years and my favorite co-worker is first in line for her job. also if my co-worker gets the job I know for sure the wicked witch of the west, aka my jealous co-worker, will be out the door. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

AND.... I was talking to one of the mothers at work and she was telling me the trouble she is having with her 15 year old son which made mine look like little angels. So I got a little perspective on the teenager issue. It can always be ALOT worse.

Good to see some new faces around here!!!! And I am absolutley refusing to move my ticker because I will be back down to 205 before this challenge is done for sure. Back on track.

Sno and Get n - I hope you are both feeling better soon. And glad to see you are both sticking with it.

Happy Friday!
 

Good to hear from you all--welcome to Nina--good to have you here.

My day was okay--finally had a good nights sleep last night--and felt tired all day--just counting calories and keeping it low since I have not been having much activity. Still want to lose 2 more by mon--here's hoping!

Lets do a new inspiration chart since we have some new people! I changed my goal a little from when I began because of my bumpy start. Stacy is our star so she gets to go first!

Stacy: 32 by 2007. 21 down, 11 to go!
Jeni: 12 by 2007
Brenda: 15 by 2007
Nina: 16 by 2007
Sno: 25 by 2007, 9 down 16 to go!
Card:

Please add yourself or feel free to make corrections if I have made a mistake!

ps
 

Hi card:

snap! we posted at the same time. sounds like things are looking up a little--it is so great to have work be manageable. Dont worry--those pounds will come off fast--you were weighing like 205 just a few weeks ago so those 6 lbs will come off easy--I promise! Sleep well!

Hi ladies,

Just reading thru getting to know everybody. Thanks for the welcomes. It's great to hear from others with similar goals and obstacles.
Went to the gym early this morning and had a pretty good workout considering my sprained knee. Could't do any cardio but had a good weight workout.
Went grocery shopping after and only bought healthy stuff. Hope my teens don't go into shock, but it's time to be accountable for my eating patterns and as long as there is junk in the house it calls to me.
I have 17 and 13 year old daughters and a 15 year old son and they're very slim and active and can eat anything and eat everything. Sometimes I think the stress of having teens and all the challenges they present drive me to emotional eating so it's good to know some of you can relate.
The chart is a great idea :cb: Stacy 21 lbs is awesome. I lost 10 over the summer and have kind of been yoyoing to keep it off so I can understand were your coming from with not giving into those 6 lbs, Card.
I'm interested in the calorie cycling concept. I often plateau after about 7-10lb loss and get discouraged so maybe this will help so let me know how it's going Jeni. I don't know if 'm diligent enough to count every calorie but if can get you over a plateau it will be worth the effort.
Hi brenda and good luck with Atkins I know lots of people that have had much success with this program. Personally I need a few more carbs than they allow so have decided to follow the GI diet. i run a child daycare facility and am constantly on the run with little ones so without the carbs i burnout fast.
My eating today has been pretty good but its the evenings that are the hardest.

:hug: Nina

Good evening ladies,

Well i totally fell off the bandwagon this weekend...I made a few smart choices but i dont know if they will out weigh the bad choices. I dont know why i do this to myself....why are the weekends so hard for me? :tantrum: It is just rediculous. So now i plan on working twice as hard to undo the damage i did over the weekend. Why oh why do i do this to myself?

40- Good job on getting to the gym and buying healthy choices at the grocery store. I always do a good job shopping if i have just worked out..i always leave the gym so motivated. :coach:

SNO- Here's wishing you luck on your weigh in tomorrow. :crossed: Thanks for updating our inspiration chart. Now lets kick butt, we have 7 weeks or so, we can do this! I would be insanely thrilled to be in the 230's at new years. I am just shocked that i have gone from the 280's to the 240's. With the road i was on...i could EASILY be in the 300's at this point. That just shows us to never give up...i cringe to think of where i would be if i had given up any of those times i wanted to. :fr:

Card- So glad your dh is back home and hopefully you got some sleep. Wishing you luck on what the scale says tomorrow morning. :goodluck: I wouldnt move my ticker either honey, you will be back down to it and even further in no time.

Ok ladies. Time to go get ready for the week. Looking forward to making this week count.

Is there room for one more?
 

Ladies, I am desperate to get back on track (had lost 45 lbs. in the last couple of years, have managed to gain 30 lbs. back now)! I read over a lot of threads, trying to find one I'd feel comfortable in, and your thread struck a chord with me. I see many of you are also in the 200's, and like to post often. I think I'm probably older than most of you (a Granny!) but I would like to jump on board if I could.

I will shoot for 10 lbs. off by January 1. Normally, I'd try for more but, I know, during the holiday season, I will not be 100% good, so I'll go with 10 lbs. Also, 3 long walks per week, and a couple of days at water aerobics. I will *officially* weigh in on Mondays.

I wish all of you a wonderful week, and great weigh-ins. :)

Cheers!
Markie

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Stacy I feel your pain. I did well until saturday evening and then the kids ordered pizza and I was a goner. Nothing like pizza to bring on water retention or thats what I hope it is. I'm not going to let it get me down. Some times I give in for an evening and it can go on for days. Still went to the gym Sunday and had a pretty good workout and I'm determined to be good for the rest of the week. I've decided to weigh in on Saturday mornings. i know that is probably taking the easy way out but if I'm going to have a bad day best have a week to recover.
Markie I know what you mean about this thread striking a cord. :welcome3: 10 lbs is a great goal. I know my 16lbs might be a bit unrealistic given the holiday season but I'm always hopeful.
Hope everyone weighing in this morning was successful:cheer:

Have a great day Ladies,

Nina

Just real quick post, at work on lunch break. I want to welcome Markie. :welcome2: Absolutely room for one more. I did the SAME thing with the losing then gaining it back. I lost 100, gained back 80, lost 30, gained back 25, so now i have lost 35....geeze, talk about a yo-yo. This is it folks, the final count down...of pounds that is.

Will write more later. Wish you all a great, on program monday.

Happy monday--7 weeks to go! WELCOME NEWBIES!!!
 

Hi all:

I am happy--made my two pound goal again this week--it was a hard week! I didnt think I was going to do it because I was so intactive. :carrot: :carrot:

Decided yesterday that I am going to walk 30 minutes a day no matter what. I also want to do a set of stretching and calisthenics every day that take about 25-30 minutes. I know I can do it! It is really hard since I dont really feel well yet but I thik it is reasonable and do-able. I just walk around the property and the yard about 10 times and that is 30 minutes. So I did this yesterday and will keep going!


I know it is going to be really hard next week with Thanks G but since we are going to relatives at least I wont have a lot of leftovers at home--tho I plan to get a nice turkey breast on sale and have that at home to munch on! My plan is to just have a nice day, eat as slowly and mindfully as I can and have what I want. Then get back on the wagon the next day and keep it clean until my birthday (which is Dec 16) when I must go out to dinner and have cake. Then xmas eve and xmas. then 5 days till new year. So that is four planned chat days in the next seven weeks. If I keep to it and go right back on plan after the day, then I will be able to keep losing--I really want to be below 230 for new years. That would be my ultimate.

Markie: many welcomes to you--we need as many grannies as we can get! Please share with us what your plan is and any thoughts about your weight loss.

Nina: do whatever is right according to your plan--we have monday as an official check-in day but you can just use your weigh-in from Saturday like Stacy does. I had a lot of struggle getting on plan at the beginning of this challenge and everyone supported me and I got back on track--that is the name of the game I think--not never eating pizza again, just figuring out how to come back from eating it!

Stacy: dont even stress--you have gone off on the weekends before and look at how great you have been doing--you have lost the most in this challenge!! So maybe what you are doing works. And as you say--think about how high your weight could be if you werent working on this--every pound for me so far has been difficult and slow but still--it is in the right direction. Keep it up and let us know how you are doing!

Hope to hear from Jeni and Brenda soon!

take care

Sno


Stacy: 32 by 2007. 21 down, 11 to go!
Markie: 10 by 2007!
Jeni: 12 by 2007
Brenda: 15 by 2007
Nina: 16 by 2007
Sno: 25 by 2007, 11 down 14 to go!

HI everyone! I am a little beat this morning. I had a full weekend and didn't stop until 8:00 last night. My son isn't sleeping and we have had storms for the last two nights. I am pretty much surviving on 6 hours of sleep over the last three nights.

I flip burgers for a living!! (I love my job) Its a family owned restraunt with absolutely nothing healthy on the menu! My boss is awsome, I have great benefits and make decent wages. It isn't a glamorous job but The hours are perfect for my family. I generally work Mon, Tues, Wed, 5-10 and just started Sat and Sun 2-10 (although weekends vary, sometimes I do work day shifts.) DH works M_F 9-5 so I barely see him, but we save tons of $$$ on Daycare. I work out at home, I have a weight machine, treadmill, and Stationary Bike (my fave) I also do pilates.
Lately my normal workouts: 20 minute pilates, 20 minutes weights, 30 minutes stationary bike, 10 minutes stretching. 3 nights a week I also go walking for 45 minutes (except lately it has been way to rainy for walks). I try to get on my treadmil for 20 minutes too, but lately it hasn't happened. My normal day is 80-100 minutes of working out (but I have to do it when I can throughout the day)
My two biggest obstacles: work and my kids. I am like an alcoholic working in a bar, It is soo soo hard not to eat the ice cream! and My kids only want something when I start working out. I try to explain that it is Mommy time, but 1 and 3 yr olds don't know what Mommy time is. :)

As for this weekend, well it was busy and I didn't get in any real workouts (although I was packing and moving boxes for my mom.) And my food choices were NOT GOOD. I had to eat on the run and to top it off I had a b-day party to go to. But today is starting a new week and I WILL DO GREAT!