Elycia - Good luck on that house! I bet you're so excited. I definitely would be. Despite not having kids, I'm the worst nester you've ever seen. I love moving into a new place and putting everything in its right place.

Norma - Sorry about the scale troubles. I'm tempted to weigh myself everyday, but I know that fluctuations in my weight would depress me, so I'm sticking to once a week at the most.

Amanda - That Budokon workout sounds really interesting. I'll have to look into it.

I bought one of those Quick Fix workout DVDs yesterday. It's kickboxing, which I've always wanted to do. It has four ten minute workouts on it. Each workout targets a different area. I'm thinking that I can fit in two ten minute session during my lunch hour before I eat. Combining this with my evening walks should give me results, I think.

Let's see if I can be positive about myself this morning.

1) I'm a good daughter.
2) I'm passionate about music.
3) I'm funny.
4) I have a good memory.
5) I'm good at managing money.

Once again the weekend is upon us. So whats in store for this weekend? Who knows..lol This time of year is so hard for me because it seems like there is always a fair or festival going on somewhere and we all know the best junk food can be found there. I think I married the only man on earth who loves to drag me to these things. Its pretty sad when all week long I pray for weekend rain so I won't have the temptation of food. So today for my positives:

1.) I have cooked a healthy nutrious dinner every night this week
2.) I am a social butterfly and a great hostest
3.) I am having a really good hair day today
4.) The bike riding continues
5.) ???

Wow today the fifth one is just not coming to me.. LOL I'll blame it on the medicine head along with mommy mush brain.

Have a great weekend Ladies..

Hello Ladies:

Gail, thanx for the good luck wishes on the house. Man, I am so hoping that we get it. Right now, I am looking at refrigerators for the new house online because we will be needing a new one. I am really excited and looking forward to moving to a nicer house in a nicer area. I've been wanting to for awhile, but ever since the girls got here, I have really wanted to. You got the Keli Roberts workout didn't you? Whew, she is tough! I have that workout as well. I haven't done it, but I have done some of her other workouts and I know she is tough. Be sure to tell us how you like it.

SAHM, sounds like you have some really good motivation going there. I know it is soooo hard when you are really trying hard to stay strong, but good smelling and looking foods that are bad for you are all over. That really shows how far you have come since you don't even want to go. That is so good and I am also very impressed by your positives today. You've fixed nutritious meals all week, that is awesome! You are also biking regularly. You are doing great! I am so happy that you are making positive changes in your life and able to say positive things about yourself. That is so good. You should be very proud of yourself.

Well, I am going to go and eat dinner with my husband. With our work schedules, we really haven't seen each other all week. The girls are down for the night and I am just going to relax. You ladies take care and I will see ya tomorrow.

TinaMarie, how are ya?? I haven't seen ya and would love to hear how you are doing.

Ciao!

Elycia

Gail,I would definitely like to hear how you liked the workout as I was thinking of buying that one but put it off.
My five things:
1. I'm openminded
2. I'm more tolerant
3. I'm calm in crisis
4. I'm unique
5. I'm well read
Forcing positive thinking is getting easier and seems to be improving my general mood. Thanks for the challenge Elycia!
Everyone have a great Saturday!
-Amanda

U2Girl,

Thanks you are so positive with your feedback and words. You know I am really proud of myself this week.. who knows what next week will be like..

To all of you who have been posting positives: I think that it is truly great that we do see some positives in ourselves. You know we are our own worse critic. So keep up the good work and stay positive. Have an awesome weekend.

I have been feeling really bad about myself and my weight. Whenever I diet, I obsess about food so much to the point where I just give in and eat. I wish I had the life that I used to have. Things were much simpler then. I won't go into detail... I have been beating myself up saying things like, "I cannot sustain a romantic relationship," "My mother is right saying that I will never get married," "I will never be thin unless I starve," and so on and so on.

I am glad that I logged on to read all of your positive exchanges. And I suppose I will list 5 things to feel good about myself.

1 - I am a good writer.
2 - I am organized.
3 - I am good with my finances, budgeting, and saving.
4 - I have sweet dimples.
5 - I am a talented and creative SCRAPBOOKER!!!

Afternoon Ladies:

Just checking in real quick to say hello to everyone in hopes for a Super Saturday. Everything is going okay for me. Thankfully today was a rest day so my bones can rest.

Amanda, your positives were great. I am glad that you are challenged by the challenge and that you are saying great things about yourself. Isn't it something that it is starting to get easier? It is for me to. I think someone mentioned earlier that it helps their mood and that is so good because mood has alot to do with how successful we are for the entire day. Keep up the great job you are doing Amanda.

SAHM, that was so sweet. Thank you for that compliment. Made me smile when I read your post. I meant every word of it, you are donig a fabulous job of saying great things about yourself and that is translating over to other areas of your life. Now that I am making it a habit of eating better and making better choices, I am finding that it empowers me and makes me feel like I am capable of taking on other things that I didn't feel I was able to before. It's amazing how your mindset can really affect your success in every area of your life. I am so glad that you challenged yourself. Great job!

Whit, so glad to see ya. Awesome that you were able to read other post and be inspired by them. You have some great positives as well. Our family and peers negativity can really rub off on us and make us feel like we can't improve or succeed. I remember when I was younger and wanted to lose weight, my mom would tell me to go ahead and eat something because I probably wouldn't stick with the diet anyway. I mean, I know my mother didn't mean any harm, but those type of things stick with you and you start to believe that you can't accomplish anything. Anyways, great job on your positives and I look forward to hearing more from you. As a side note, I wanted to add that I look at your weight and I think "Oh my God, I would love to be her weight!" But you know what, weight is a very personal thing and YOU have to be happy with where your weight is. You have to know what is healthy and best for you and go with that. So don't let anyone deter you from reaching your goals. You must be a very intelligent and determined lady to pursue a career as a lawyer, so you are definitely on the right track. Keep Hanging tough and you will reach your goal real soon.

Well, I better get going. I'm wishing all of you "Shrinking Misfits" a Super Saturday! I will probably be here tomorrow just to say Hello to everyone.

Ciao!

Elycia

I agree with Elycia, dedication is everything. My aunt keeps trying new diets and exercise habits but she only sticks with them for a few days. Not surprisingly, she's in the same, if not worse, state she's been in for years. I keep trying to tell her that just about everything works if you stick with it.
My 5 things:
1. I'm NOT giving up!
2. I'm good at embroidary (even if i can't spell it )
3. I'm not a bad singer
4. Yoga was easier today
5. I'm finally finished with my fitness course! They're sending me a diploma
I'm starting a new rewards program for myself today. For every 10 0hours of exercise, I'm buying a new CD. I already have the first one picked out! What does everyone else do for rewards?

hello ladies.... Sorry I haven't been here in maybe a couple of days. i have a major exam on Monday and I always study for every exam like it is a final exam. Anyway i have great news.... Check out my ticker... i did it I am down 100 pounds.

Elycia.. That is a great ideal of getting together when our schedules work out

Whitney--- My heart is so sadden by your last post. My sister is a attorney in DE. Actually she graduated from St. Louis University school of law. Then she moved to Atlanta where she worked for some time and now she is in DE. You remind me of her. She used to worry about her weight and the way it would effect her career. She is 31 and single and often is sadded about that fact. The sad thing is she is really very pretty. Just as you are! Now she is very thin. Maybe she is a size 4, but she is very healthy. She became a vegan. Too drastic for me but I am still so very happy for her. Look at how creative you are! Not to mention super smart! Ok look I have been putting a scrap book together for almost two years now. I really like doing it but I am not sure I am as good as I want to be Since you are very good with budgeting etc. Work it in to buy yourself something nice when you reach small goals. Like every 5 or 10 pounds. I always go and get pedicures whenever I shed 10 pounds. It is just a nice little treat for myself.

Amanda - I'll definitely let you know how I like that kickboxing DVD I bought. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. I'm hoping that I can start it on Tuesday and get a couple sessions in during lunch.

Whitney - That's wonderful that our positive posts were able to pull you out of your funk a bit. If you stick with it, I'm sure you will reach your goal.

Kenya - I love the idea of getting a pedicure for every 10 pounds lost. I might have to start doing that. I've never had a pedicure before, but it sound like fun.

I was a little bummed on Friday evening because just a quarter of a mile into my walk, it started raining. I had to hurry back home before it really started to pour. So, I wasn't able to walk my usual 2 or 2.5 miles. It actually depressed me that I wasn't able to do anything. I felt like a slob for sitting around after dinner. However, Saturday was better. It rained around dinner time and stopped afterward, so I was able to get out there and get two miles in.

Hey Ladies!

It's Monday!!!!! Ohhh, I know that typically Monday's aren't the most anticipated day of the week, but let's make it a good one.

I missed my first workout yesterday. Yesterday was just a crazy day. I am not sure, but I will probably make up that workout throughout the week because I really want to complete the rotation.

So how was everyone's weekend? I hope that it was great. A little gloomy here in St. Louis.

Okay, so now that we seem to be doing pretty good on the positive thinking challenge. Let's start a new one for this week. Hopefully we can get going by Wednesday. This week will be:

PICK YOUR CHALLENGE!!!

Everyone needs to pick 3 things that they will try their best to stick to for 1 week.

Here are mine:

1) No pop.
2) Stick to exercise rotation.
3) Eat breakfast every morning.

Well, I have to get going. I will do personals a little later.

Ciao!

Elycia

For a Monday, today isn't *too* bad. :-) Hopefully, I'll be feeling just as good tomorrow when I step on the scales for my weekly weigh in.

Let's see if I can stick to these three things this week:

1) Walk at least two miles everyday. (I've been walking between 1 and 1.5, but I'd like to kick it up to two.)
2) Do not go over 1900 calories on any day this week.
3) Start using the kickboxing workout routine during my lunch hour.

So, how's everyone else doing? Weekends are always my weakness because we eat out on Friday and Saturday nights. I have to be careful how much of my entree I eat. I've been pretty good about it. I've avoided eating m the entire thing. I'll usually just eat half.

HI guys.. well it has been ur typical Monday here.. Crazy busy!! Anyhow the weekend was good, Sunday I gave in and had a slice of pizza, but it was just one and my craving went away. So the three things I am going to work on this week are:
1.) Eat Breakfast
2.) Add an extra veggie to lunch and dinner
3.) Get off my hinney more

So here's to a good week..

How's everyone doing? I weighed myself this morning, and I'm down 3.5 pounds from last week. Yay! The numbers on my long-term ticker don't overlap anymore!

I'm keeping a journal of my food/exercise/water, and I've been updating as I go during the day. In the last few days, I've taken to updating it the night before for the coming day. I'll make my menu of what I will be having the next day. I also write down all the exercise that I want to fit in. It makes me more likely to do it if I've already written it down.

The Google Pedometer is really awesome for those of you who walk. I've worked up to walking two miles each evening after dinner. On the weekends, I have more time, so I'll walk about three miles. The pedometer that Google has tied into its maps is a real help in planning out my routes each day. Here's the link if anyone wants it: http://gmap-pedometer.com

Christi - I just recently started eating breakfast myself. I actually throw it together in the mornings before I leave and eat it on my way to work or when I get to work. It's just a smoothie with soy milk, a banana, and a mini bagel with peanut butter. Fast, involves no cooking, and easy to eat. I'm barely awake in the mornings, so it's perfect for me.

Whitney:I sure hope you are feeling better about yourself. I know what it's like when you question your self worth or self esteem. From the looks of the list of 5 things, you are a super person. I've always had difficulty managing finances. I'm a beginner scrapbooker and I have confidence problems. I am working very had to get organized, but it's a continuing effort. I don't even have cute dimples to brag about. As you can see from this rambling effort to lift your spirits that my writing skills are deficent. Seems to me you have alot of great qualities I wished I had. You also care enough about yourself to come to this site and share. You are on the right track. Organize your diet, scrapbook a new you, and put your calories on a budget. Since you have all these talents use them to work for you!

Gail: Congratulations on the 3.5 lbs! Yea!!! Sounds like you are really motivated. Thank you for the ped. link. I'll have to check that out.

Elycia: Sorry I haven't been around. I was a little down with scale issues but my new scale has arrived and I was very happy. I'm hoping to have a good week.

Kenya: Super Job on the 100 lbs!!!!!! You are such an inspiration! I hope you also did super on your exam!

Amanda:Congrats on the Fitness course. The idea of rewards that you and Kenya talked about sounds like a good idea. I have to come up with something that I would love that does not involve food.

SAHM: I hope you have a good week. Sounds like you have a plan.

These are the 3 things that I need to work on:
1. get more exercise
2. try and eat more fruit
3. eat breakfast every day

You all have a super week!
Norma