By the way, this thread has been great for me! There is no way I'd have gotten to 10k steps yesterday without it. At one point, I was literally walking in a circle and jogging in place in a tiny little exam room yesterday while waiting for the medical people to come in!
Treasa, I'm so glad this thread is helping you! That's what it's all about! I hope you had success with your steps today too, despite not feeling your best!
Lovemylife, thank you! I hope you've had a great day too!
Raining!
MsTibbles, so happy to hear you're frisky again!
Married_an_angel, yay! That's the right attitude!
Aml, oh no, that's sounds awful! You just take care of yourself!
Jacqui_D Congrats again on your mini goal, I am so pleased for you! and thank you, i'm still hacking up the occasional hairball but i'm definitely almost there.
Treasa That is awesome! I never even thought of doing steps that way. If that counts, i'm gonna try and do it too! You have inspired me!
Married an Angel Do you know where you're going out? I always find it helpful to look at their menu online before I go and figure out a couple options that would fit my plan (don't rely on just one, some chain restaurants might not have all menu items available at your location). If you aren't sure where you are going here are some helpful tips. Lean meats are better than fatty ones (fish or chicken over steak), grilled is better than fried or even baked (baked ones tend to have a breading or a cooked in a puddle of oil), steamed veggies are healthier than fried sides (but ask if they come in a sauce, some are drenched in butter, just ask for it on the side), and a side salad is better than bread or chips that might come out first. Pastas tend to be outside most peoples weight loss plans because just the pasta alone tends to be around a days worth of calories and then you add the sauce, cheese, toppings, meats, etc. I also avoid appetizers, drinks (other than water), and dessert. I also rarely eat the whole thing, I try to order lunch or senior sizes if possible since they are smaller, and never skips meals before going out to eat. It's better to arrive semi-full since what you were eating prior was probably less calorie dense than what you're about to eat at the restaurant. As you can tell, I go out to eat a lot. But I'm still losing weight just fine.
For me I'm around a 9/10. I had a lazy day yesterday to recoup some energy and now today I have to clean and rearrange my room since I'm getting new windows put in sometime this next week. And then I also need to go shopping for some work clothes. I've been shopping a few times over the past few weeks but nothing has struck my eye in my price range. So I'm going to hit up some thrift stores and consignment shops since my store officially opens tomorrow and I can't continue in my jeans and a t-shirt.
LoveyLeah - I always skip (or go light) on the meal before I go out to eat! I never thought about it the way you just put it! My husband and I very often have a date night on the weekend and will go to a restaurant for dinner. Next time, I'm going to eat a normal lunch and see if I have the willpower to just say no to the bread. I'm always super hungry by the time the bread comes.
What I eat at the restaurant isn't too different from what I'd be eating at home so I never felt bad about the bread, even if it may have made my meal a little more carb dense than it would've been at home. I always figured it was the 2 to 3 glasses of wine that was throwing off my weight loss. But if I can skip the bread, the wine might not have as much of an impact sugar and calorie wise. And if I have the normal calories at lunch, at least I have some time to burn them off before bed.
Good ideas about eating out. I don't eat out very often so sometimes I will splurge a little but I will tend to eat light the rest of the day. I don't always pay attention to the calories too much but since I am watching my carbs I go for something like a steak with veggies on the side, stir fry without rice/pasta, or a protein packed salad when I am not "splurging". I don't drink alcohol much but will get a dessert sometimes and just have 3 bites of it (willpower needed lol).
congrats to jacqui and treasa on reaching your goals! I have a desk job so I really need to increase my steps I'm sure.
Ms. Tibbles - love your avatar - I too am covered in cat (and dog) hairs lol
Feeling better today but still scared to eat anything beyond crackers and soup, gonna try to add in some veggies or fruits today, but exercise is out for now. Gonna walk the dog an clean up in my house. The scale has started to go down again, was probably in starvation mode for a while when i was sick, I barely ate anything for 3 days. Feeling about 7/10 in spite of everything though.
Married_an_Angel, I hope you have a very nice time tonight! Leah gave some excellent advice on meal choices!
Leah, that's fantastic that you were able to rest up! I love the thrift stores and consignment stores! You can't beat those bargains on some very nice clothes! Good luck finding what you need!
Hi Treasa! I hope you day is going well!
Aml, I'm glad you're feeling better! Walking the dog and cleaning house are excellent exercises but be sure not to overdo!
I lost another lb, so I am thrilled! 10/10 for me!
Jacqui_D I'm all better, thank you! back to my usual self, heh. How are you doing today?
LoveyLeah - Thank you for the eating out tips! I tend to avoid fried but I wasn't aware about the baked, that's a good one to know! I ate out this evening, made pretty good choices but still felt like a treat, so i'm pleased.
Tomorrow is my first official weigh-in though it's looking like 7lbs in total so far. Onwards!
My best friend was a waitress all through out college but started out in back as a line cook. She's taught me so much about what to order and what to avoid. That's where I learned that baked doesn't equal healthy option at restaurants.
Treasa That's the way I was raised. If we were going out to eat then you saved your appetite for the restaurant. That translated to save your calories as I got older. But what I realized what that by the time I got to the restaurant I was ravenous that I would just shovel food in way past the full point and then hurt afterwards. Then someone told me that eating ahead meant I wouldn't be as hungry so I could actually enjoy the meal, still enjoy the splurge, but not feel that painful regret afterwards. It worked wonders for me! I still enjoy eating out but I'm better able to notice the subtle changes from hunger to satisfied and not reach the point of exploding. And I like knowing that what I eat ahead of time is lighter rather than calorie dense.
I hope you had success with your steps today too, despite not feeling your best!
Raining!
You just take care of yourself! 
How are you feeling today?
I hope you day is going well!
on another pound gone. What a great way to start the weekend 
