Hey everyone. I've been reading everyone's posts, but haven't felt like I had a lot to say recently. I've been a news junkie these last few days -- very unhealthy -- so I've decided to put myself on a personal news embargo. I've been doing a lot of emotional eating this past weekend, but realize that it's really self-defeating. So, a little kick in the butt please . . .

Susan: I was so sorry to hear about your accident. Get well fast, and I'm sending you good vibes.

Ethiopian food: I'm not sure if I can describe it very well -- basically, it's small amounts of curried veggies and meats placed on this lemony, spongy "bread" that looks like a pancake or crepe. You eat the meal by scoping up the veggies and meats with pieces of the bread. (No forks.) Can anyone else come up with a better description? I did some research but haven't yet tracked down the nutritional value of this type of food.

The pictures at the MSN site are great. Everyone looks fantastic!

Hope everyone's week goes well.

Peace! Sharon

From the previous thread!!

This is taking into consideration things from the last thread that I missed.

adriana Trainers Edge software ¡V well I have only had it a few weeks so I have been playing with it a lot. I basically have to rewrite the database since there foods are very americanised (if that is even a word!) Once it is finished though it should be an excellent resource. I definitely think that it is worthwhile but I am a bit of a software and computer freak. I had some trouble with the licensing but it¡¦s all sorted out now. Mitch was very helpful. To answer Mindi I don¡¦t think that you need it at all but if you want it ¡V it is valuable. At the end of the day it¡¦s just another tool though ¡V it¡¦s you who needs to do the hard work!

Jamie Thanks for your warm wishes. By the way you can have some of my chest if you want! I am a DD and I hate it! Unfortunately in my case the chest is the LAST thing to go!

Susie I can¡¦t imagine what it¡¦s like to have snow. Australia is a fairly dry country and the only place that has snow is the ski fields. I think it would be lovely to have a white Christmas one year ¡V I hate salads for Christmas! Good luck in finding a job. As for the peace keeping ¡V it¡¦s such a pain because the tours are so long. The last one Ray went to was for 7 months and I was a bit stir crazy by the end of it. He feels the same way in that he wants to be there helping out. We watch TV and he says ¡§damn I know that place¡¨ all the time ¡V it¡¦s a bit scary.

Terry I remember when we first got married as well and we added the time up and we had spent 11 weeks together in the first 2 years. Ah the joys¡K¡K ƒ¼ No I don¡¦t have that mug but I sure would like one! With regards to Sue yes she is the one who has had results with it, her picks are on L&S somewhere under Netsurferchick, I think. If you have already ordered the product I would be interested to hear another person¡¦s opinion about it. Let us know.

Adena I did two batches of CPB at 2 separate times. One was loosely based on her program from what I had learnt and the other was a set I paid for. I didn¡¦t have a lot of success with it, I had some when I first did it but very little when I did it the second time. It is no reflection on Pam though herself ¡V the program just didn¡¦t work for me. Since then I have found something that works better for me and I am happy with it. As for my cooking on the weekend, I was just fiddling with some muffin recipes etc and I tried Tidey¡¦s sweet CC spread etc. I like to refresh my menus now and then and incorporate new things where I can. Jayne was my guinea pig!

Meg How do you cope and deal with your hypothyroidism? The oat flour is a cool idea but you still need to be careful about how much you use. Measure it out in oats before you make the flour.

Mindy I am not sure about the others but when my fat gets jiggly it usually means that it is breaking up (or down) and is getting ready to burn up. The most obvious was on my lower abs ¡V it kinda looked like watery cellulite for a while there and then I noticed as it went away my belly button was sitting higher. It only took 18 MONTHS to do it! What¡¦s with the peanut butter on pancakes? I have never had that before¡K.

Mrs Jim We have been having massive protests here as well. I guess that is the beauty of democracy ¡V everyone can have their say. I get sick of eggwhites regularly but never chicken! Karen, I am so happy that your surgery has been successful and that your jeans fit better ¡V that is soooo cool.

Sel another real estate friend! Yippee!! You may understand what I am talking about half the time. I used to think that same thing about myself ¡V the big strong woman who carried her weight well, I never saw myself as really obese until I took my first set of before photos ¡V I was shocked into taking action pretty much. I have heard a few things about Clarence Bass from other sources but don¡¦t know any of his theories personally. How is his program going for you? I wouldn¡¦t worry about the slow weight loss ¡V we are all slow losers in here!

[BDeb[/B] Hot wire a car?? Not me! What kind of work do you do? Not getting paid on time would cause my staff to walk out! Deb ¡V I am praying for your cousin and I hope for the best. My hubby is Navy. As for the shoe size I have been waiting to hear of someone else like me! I have dropped for a 7.5 to a 6.5-7 in foot size and my rings used to be an N and now they are a K. That¡¦s 3 rings sizes ¡V I finally got them resized because my wedding ring kept falling off!

Ilene Yes I have messenger ¡V mine¡¦s [email protected] that¡¦s sounds like a cool idea!

Mel I know what you mean by feeling lonely. I am lucky in that I have Jayne to talk about food with but I don¡¦t have a workout partner at all and sometimes it¡¦s lonely.

Ebe I think that with a groin injury you should cut out the running. They can be very dangerous injuries and need to be rested.

Chelly You, Jayne and I are the same age. Except Jayne and I are shorter than you! Should you be doing something else first ¡V well the jury is out on that one for me. I had the same thoughts a while back and I never came to a conclusion about it. I think that lifting is very important and should be done but as for the BFL nutrition ¡V you will have to make your own judgement on that one. I started off with it but it was not exactly successful for me. It wasn¡¦t until I started tweaking it that I got the fat moving. But I have a very decent lean weight ¡V carrying and building muscle is not an issue for me so perhaps my situation is unique.

Mindi again Good fat is very important in the diet. When you eat fat your cravings will subside and fat also takes longer to digest than simple carbs. Without getting too technical, Serotonin is released in the body (the hormone that makes you tired after a big carb meal) by eating carbs not protein or fat. The brain demands and feeds off glucogen (I think that¡¦s right ¡V I don¡¦t have my book with me) and that is basically the sugar that comes from carbs breaking down. If you starve your body of carbs (LC eating or Atkins) then your brain switches to Ketones for it¡¦s fuel. Sadly, at the end of the day it¡¦s our hormones that makes us crave food not our brain directly. (jump in and clarify me anyone if I stuffed up somewhere) I am like Laura and a bit of an ¡¥information hore¡¦ so I read a lot!

Cac Don¡¦t be overwhelmed just take your time to blend in¡K. We will be patient¡K

OK will post another one for the new thread.

JC

MrsJim WOW WOW WOW I am so happy for Mr Jim! What a wonderful thing to happen! My Mum found her family about 15 years ago now that she had never met since her father died when she was 9 months old. They were such happy times for her.

Jamie I ran a 5km race last year and it was so much fun – I ran it with a friend. I used to hate running but now I love it – go figure? (by the way don’t listen to Jayne!)

Sandy What do you mean great compared to us guys? Firstly, this is your own life so you don’t ‘compare’ to anyone but yourself. Secondly, I started at 217lbs and it took me 3 months to lose the first 9 lbs. So if you want to compare you are doing INCREDIBLY compared to me! Don’t put yourself down – you ARE very important and your successes are VERY important. Got it? (did I mention that I love your avatar?)

Jayne Love the new avatar! It’s going good, I have my abs back slightly since I cut out the carbs again.

Meg You are so right about relationships being more important – I have a creed that I live by. Whenever I am trying to make a decision and having trouble with it I ask myself one question – ‘On my deathbed will I regret not doing this or will it even matter?’ that never fails to help me make up my mind. It really puts things in perspective. By the way I LOVE your stool description!

Phew now that I have caught up - I had a pretty lazy weekend just unravelling my frazzelled life and catching up mentally. I need to get back into things full speed this week so I needed the rest. I decided on Sunday to go back to the NHE way of eating now that I fixed up my bowel issues. But this time I am being more careful and counting calories etc (I know some people don't like it but I like to be exact about things). I feel much better already and the energy has kicked back in again plus my head is clearer. I had forgotten how much my hormones rule me when I eat too many carbs! So besides the change in diet, life is going along nicely. Hubby is still at home at this stage and experiencing watching things from home with me this time. Seeing the mines that were intercepted by our Navy in the Gulf was a bit of a wake up call for me. I tend to think that there isn't much danger for the Navy these days but that reminded me that there still is..... Anyway glad that he is safe at home with me.

Well now that I have caught up I had better do some work! I will update my journal with my meals later on today hopefully.

JC

OPPS! Jayne - our server is down so I can't respond to your last email at this stage. Will get back to you soon

JC

Meg,

To explain – One of my major fears of completing a physique transformation is to regain my body and then lose it by reverting to my old way of eating. “Playing it safe” meant losing the weight as slowly as possible, no matter how long it took, to ensure no weight gain setbacks. However, viewing your pictures made me realize the possibility of what my body could be by February of next year. It was such an exciting thought that my head and heart buzzed with excitement all afternoon. My husband wants to go home for carnival, one of the biggest parties in the Caribbean and a time when woman of all ages are scantily clad. (Much to his hedonistic delight). I went three years ago and felt totally sexless due my need to cover up all my body’s faults, real or imagined. Next year - less than a year from now - that could all be changed. I could be one of the scantily clad though without benefit of a thong, thank you very much.

I showed my husband your pictures and he told me to go for it. He said “stop playing it safe and go full tilt after what you want. You just might feel so good that how you look is a **** of a lot more important than anything you might want to eat.” That thought had never occurred to me and so I forge ahead. Must tell you the man was so wise today that one would swear he had a uterus.

Sel - what you wrote just made so much sense to me - I can totally relate to the situation and your hubby. I played it safe for ages and it got me no where. It sounds like we both have very supportive husbands as well

JC

Good morning, gang! I woke up too early, as always, hit the button on the coffeemaker and headed straight here (computer is off of the kitchen, don’t even need to turn on lights).

Wow, Mel is back, kicking *** and taking names! If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to hear a little bit about the eating and lifting in the GetLean program. And I so know what you mean about the “old you” re-surfacing — it happens to me, too, generally when I am overtired/overhungry and/or stressed. I’ll just go “brain-dead” and start eating (for comfort and all the wrong reasons) and when I come to, I am so mad at myself. I think the best we can do is what you did — look at the triggers and figure out a strategy of how to avoid them in the future. Medication, though, is hard to avoid — your other trigger is a little easier to stay away from (perhaps we can just remove three keys from your computer keyboard?). Thank you for your kind words, especially about keeping the weight off. I need that kind of positive thinking to counter all the negative that I hear from the media about keeping weight off. In the end, though, the only one who can take this away from me is ME and I am simply not going to do that!

Colleen — saw the “before” picture — you look like a totally different person! Seriously, do people not recognize you now? You have come a long way!

Ebe — I like the gym during the quiet times too — it just seems less stressful when there are fewer people and no one is breathing down your neck waiting for something (though I always offer to let them work in). And no ”big guys” experiencing childbirth in the squat cages!! Sounds like a good plan to rest your injury.

Sharon/mox — no kick in the butt, just a hug and a little understanding …

JC — your explanation about the carbs and fat makes a lot of sense to me. I believe it to be true in my case, but never thought about the science behind it. All I know is that I lose better and am less hungry when I restrict carbs and that eating some good fats keeps me from binging. I count calories and grams of this and that too, for the same reason that I weigh myself every day — to be accountable. I spent way too many years in denial about what I weighed and what I ate (“Oh, I hardly eat a thing — must be my metabolism making me fat!” Not!!!) and I still have a tremendous capacity for self-deception. In my case, I suspect that my palm and fist would be the size of a small child when I am hungry! On the hypothyroidism, I take Levoxyl every day and have my TSH levels checked every six months and that’s about it. When I finally made up my mind to lose weight, the hypothyroidism didn’t seem to hold me back. Surprisingly, though, my dosage of Levoxyl has only dropped slightly, even after losing all the weight. I guess it’s not very weight-dependent.

And Sel —- your post actually gave me a chill up my spine when read it. I can’t think of anything better than to inspire you to finish your transformation. You know, we are always going to struggle with the demons of weight gains and setbacks and “the old way of eating”, regardless of how fast or slow we lose. I do believe that our brains are wired differently than those of naturally thin folks and that we are always going to have to think and plan and be aware of what we eat. But it is a small price to pay for getting to your goal and staying there. You hubby is right, I think — success breeds success and as you see your body changing and feel the spring in your step as you fly up the stairs, you will be even more motivated to keep going to the end. BTW, your goal picture is gorgeous!

I know that some people think that I lost too fast — 122 pounds in less than a year — but I say “why not?” Undoubtedly I’m in better health than I ever have been and I’ve been able to keep it off, plus lose a little more, in this following year. So I asked my doctor about this and he looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, “But what’s the advantage of staying overweight longer?”

Thinking of you, Adriana!

Today is back day (on my own, no trainer) so I need to think up a good workout. I always like to start with pull-ups but am not sure where I’ll go from there, probably lat pull downs and one-arm DB rows and maybe the high-row machine and seated cable row.

Meg

Sel - I hear ya! For the last year, I've been in the same mode. My boyfriend knows had badly I want to lose more, but has never really understood why I can't just "go out and *do* it!" (He's very business/goal-oriented, and when he wants to accomplish something, he puts all of his focus into that one thing, and doesn't stop until he gets there. My reasoning has been that "I don't want to lose too quickly for fear of having loose skin!" Of course, even going slowly, I have loose skin. You have to expect some of that, I guess, when you have an 80 pound weight loss, regardless of how long it takes for that to happen (has been almost 2 years). And truthfully, I'm not sure if it's all "loose skin: or just fat that hasn't left my body yet. If you've ever seen Mina's photos, my stomach looks a bit like her does in her middle progress photo - so I have to wonder if it will in fact tighten up more as I continue to lose weight and build muscle..? Ok, I'm rambling (a little internal dialogue here - sorry!)

Meg: I *feel* like a different person! And what makes me mad, actually, is that I'm treated SOOOOOO differently these days. You'd think that would be a good thing, but it only emphasizes to me the prejudices people have about overweight people. Also makes me wonder what opportunities I may have missed out on (career-wise and otherwise) while carrying around 263 pounds. But oh well - I guess everything happens for a reason, right?

I've been reading everyone else's posts, but my short attention span makes it impossible for me to retain all of the info in order to comment on it in a post! Sounds like everyone is chugging right along.

4 days sugar-free for me still working on this moodiness, though.

Good morining. I have a daffodil in bloom in my garden. Spring is here! I can't wait for the others to bloom.

I went to the picture web site. Oall I can say WOW i am impressed. Meg and Trininidad -congrates. I was so Impressed.

MrsJim congrats on finiding your husbands family.

I am finishing up my second week on BFL. The food is getting easier and easier to figure out. I am going to spend soem time to figure out if I am eating enough protein. The workouts I have got down. I was telling a freind last night the big diffenence in these routine is that I am not just doing the exersizes I like and ignoring the ones I don't like doing.

cc

Good morning everyone. Ready for Tues?

JEC, yes your info is spot on, if only I would've known that back when I was eating low fat, high carb. 'sigh' Takes a long time to change the tape in one's brain, doesn't it? The one that screams out "OMG, its FAT, don't EAT IT."

How long did any of you live the high carb, low fat lie? I remember when it became 'hip' back in the early 90's, I spent a decade and more on it. I also smoked like a chimney and drank a lot. And I wonder why my metabolism's shot? And I berate myself daily for not losing scale pounds fast? Geesh someone slap me would ya?

I just smacked myself upside the head cause I got on the scale this am, (I'm down to once a week and that's an accomplisment, believe me!), no change from last week. I must be getting better cause rather than falling apart over it, I'm rather matter of fact about the g*(*$#* scale!

So as of now, a bit more fat into the diet, I may cut out a bit more of the oatmeal concoction I make. (Meg I'll do the receipe soon, I promise)

JEC, yes peanut butter on pancakes! Try it sometime..using only NATURAL peanut butter of course and never EVER using Reeses. hehehe

Here's an interesting link if any of you have time to view it: http://thefactsaboutfitness.com/

Have a good day ya'll and breathe deeply, its good for your muscles.

Hmmm, I had an intersting night and so I didn't make it to the gym this morning. I will hit the gym on my lunch, not sure if I want to run or get ina weight workout. We shall see how I feel.

I forgot who asked me what SPII is, but it is The Schwarzbein Principle II. There are 2 books - Mindy, Laura and I have read them both. They are great books and I have felt very good following one of the 4 programs in the book.

Meg - Your pictures look great at the msn board, do not sell yourself short! I really didn't want to join the 5k and once I realized that I decided it would be the best thing for me. Get me out of that comfort zone that I fall into without new goals!

Ebe- I figured a 5k would be perfect to start, you are right with it not being too short or too long, plus I have plenty of time to train for it.

JC - I think it would be great if I learned to enjoy running, but we shall see how this plays out. If I set up my frame of mind to think I will enjoy it instead of dreading it than I should be ok!

Trinidad - Now that you have the incentive and the power to change your body, don't let anything stop you! You know that you can do it, you have plenty of time and what is that saying... it goes something like "Nothing tastes as good as ones success?" Remember that when those bad evil thoughts and self doubts cross your mind! I look forward to your transformation!

Mindy - I am with you on the natural PB. I have a tablespoon a day, love the stuff! I think I am addicted!

Mel - good to see you back and ready to kick some butt! You decided to go with the get lean program huh? I am interested in reading that, I hope Kristi gets her copy back so I can check it out!

Good morning to everyone else, stay strong and on track today!Jamie

Hi girls


Sandy I have to agree with JC on comparing yourself to us... DON¡¦T... OK?? We luvs ya just the way you are...

JEC Thanks for reminding me about the comment that Sandy made... It was soo nice to chat with you the other night! I can almost hear your Aussie accent...

Mama I¡¦m happy to see that you didn¡¦t skip your workout... Hang in there and just git up and GO!! Stop making excuses!! Just DO it!! On your vacation with your mom, just go for a walk, just do SOMETHING... IMO if you don¡¦t have weights for a week it¡¦s not gonna kill ya! BUT do something! Walking is only one foot in front of the other...

(Ok I¡¦ve given 2 pep talks so far... Now I¡¦m hoping no one is upset....)

Niffer Stop talking so fast I can¡¦t read that fast...

Chelly Welcome to our world! We certainly welcome you with open ¡§muscular¡¨ arms.... Wow what Meg said about the stool certainly got me thinking, how ¡¥bout you?

MEG Loved your 3 legged stool, great example!! Are you the one following the SPII, I just bought the book and will start reading it...and Meg you are way too modest you are extremely lean, and we all know you will keep it off , because if there¡¦s one thing you have it that determination .... I WILL eventually find that determination because I don¡¦t want to regain the weight I¡¦m loosing this time around, I¡¦m too old for that, I shouldn¡¦t really say weight I¡¦m loosing, but muscles I¡¦m building, because I have not lost one iota of a ##!! You should be a public speaker you speak so well or should I say write...! YOU sent goose bumps up my spine when you replied to Sel...

Colleen WOW!! You also have come a long way !!! You girls amaze me, honestly ... When you say sugar free, do you mean no fruits either? I have to kick up a notch for the last weeks of the bootcamp also... OMG I thought I was the only one!!


ebe I love supersetting it¡¦s all I do lately, maybe it¡¦s all in my head, but I can go heavier and my w/o¡¦s are done much sooner.... yay on both counts... I agree rest your groin for a week and certainly do upper body, one part each day... This is what I do now, I work hard on one body part / day... and do legs twice/week, but I don¡¦t have a groin injury... I do at least 4 exercises at 4 sets each 10-15 reps... and I superset the exercises...
I am proud of my muscles too !! Se my signature I truly believe those words.... jiggly is out!!

Mel I certainly agree that antihistamines are the cause of your tiredness!! I feel it a lot when my allergies act up... Did anyone ever find out exactly what you were allergic to? Don¡¦t worry your head about that ¡§other site¡¨ !!


Mox Kicking U butt here!!!! I¡¦m not as understanding as Meg... Thanks for the Ethiopian food description... I¡¦d love to try that, I¡¦m game for anything different on free evenings out....

Sel Your last post really was touching... I don¡¦t know why but it touched me... and YOU go for it girl!! ...
Oh those DHs sometimes do get light bulb moments!!...... SOMETIMES I said ....

CAC Great to hear that you are catching on to the program....

Mindi I was on the low carb thing forever it seems, then I wnet the hi protein route... now I'm on a level plane... I love PB on pancakes....

Ok... Now I¡¦ve had a good morning so far...I¡¦m ready for another ¡§feeding¡¨ I will try to cut my carbs a bit not by much but no carbs at the last two meals... is this a good idea.?.. I did get the SPII book so will be reading that... I¡¦m NOT working so I can spend mega time on here... and reading...WOOHHOO... working cuts into my internet time ƒ¼ LOL... Oh and I actually jogged at 6kmh this morning and yesterday for a whole minute... I'm tired of going up hill... I will try this for a while...


Ok will go have an omelette... and veggies... with oatmeal... my fav meal lately...


Later girls... keep in touch...

PS... Can anyone tell me why I am getting are these weird looking thingies when I past and post on the forum lately... JC you got the same....

OMG KAREN I didn¡¦t forget you!! I was just keeping the best for last.... SOOOOO happy to hear of your reunion... Family is so important much more so than material things...

Ok... I¡¦m starving...

hi everyone. this was a hard weekend for me...little Zeppelin didn't make it... Seems he was just too small and though he was old enough to lap milk, he needed more time with the puppy milk his mom could have given had he still been with her. We never found out where the mom was, as he was a stray...poor little thing. sadly, i reverted to old habits, and the depression led me to a monday eating fest and I ate nearly a plate of shortbread cookies...thank goodness there was no chocolate in the house. However, I still had a great Chest and Biceps workout, and today I am quite sore. Me and DH had a nice run this morning, though I was lagging a bit behind what from all the sugar in my blood from yesterday! It has been a long time since I binged like that, so I forgot just how bad it is!

Fortunately, I know what triggered it, and spent a lot of time looking at my behaviour in my food journal, and hopefully i won't repeat it should this ever happen again. Today I started off the day great with egg whites and oatmeal, in hopes to beat the sugar hangover...lots of water too. then, it is off to the dentist. (DH has a root canal scheduled and I am to be the translator. --the dentist speaks spanish and DH needs me to say "ouch" for him!)

One last thing, I have my pics to go up at MSN but I am still awaiting approval to the board....I will keep trying. Thanks ladies.

meow2

Meow....

Just viewed your pics at MSN... WOW aren't you the cutest!!! Honestly. I too love a tan!!... NOT good for the wrinkles tho ..


I have a Q for everyone:

Yesterday I fit very comfortably into a size 11 jean skirt that was really snug a few weeks ago... by the measuring tape I have NOT lost inches at the hips...Why is it looser??

later all...

Pics are up on the MSN site!