GG -- I love the style of the house! It seems to be way out inthe country? Very cosy... I love the kitchen, love that sink and faucet!

Today has been pretty laid back so far... just finished some cleaning house, next a good shower since it's extremely humid and sticky here, then I may go do some shopping, then mass at 5PM...

Not much else to report, life is good... TTFN...:wave:

Jack,

I'm doing a combination of things but the foundation of my plan is Jenny Craig coupled with FitDay.com. I use FitDay to take the basic JC program and adapt it to what works best for me. Basically, I delete some of the JC carbs and increase the protein. My anniversary with JC is August.

What drove me to JC was moderate arthritis in my knees and feet. That coupled with my weight was making it very difficult to walk, I was on the verge of applying for a handicap plates so I could park closer to the door at work. I knew I needed to loose some of my weight but I had no idea how much of the pain I was in was linked directly to that extra weight and of course the less I moved the more I gained. JC really took the pressure off my shoulders, I just ate what they told me and started walking, literally just to the end of the block at first. I started out taking a cane and cell phone with me because my knees and feet were hurting so bad I would trip and fall without warning and I wanted to be able to call for help if I needed it.

As I approached my goal I started panicking over maintenance and that was when I found this site. One of the ladies from the JC forum found your site and recommended we read some of the maintenance stories. That lead me to BFL & EFL information and I have over the last couple of months been migrating to eating cleaner and weaning myself from JC food. Fortunately I was already using FitDay so it has been pretty easy to transition. Things are really clicking now and I’m feeling confident that I can keep it off. I’ve still have about 20 lbs to reach goal but I’m already feeling like I’m already transitioning to maintenance and I don’t see a lot of change in my eating just because I reach goal.

Thx for asking and sorry I get so wordy but I figure that will lighten up once ya’ll get to know me.

Thanks for the warm welcome L2L, Lanaii and Jack. I knew I was going to like becoming visible.

GG, the house is wonderful. I remember back (16 years ago) when I was buying our house I brought friends from working during our lunch house to peak through the windows. Buying a home is one of those really really big events, congratulations.

Jack,

The knees are doing great, the only time I get any pain or swelling is if I get over zealous jogging. I never dreamed there could be such a change just from loosing weight. Clothes look like heck, I’ve bought smaller clothes and they are too big again. I’m trying to hold out for the last 20 lbs before I start investing in clothes again. Thank goodness for e-bay, I would go in and buy clothes lots of 10 or 12 pieces in my current size just to get a whole knew wardrobe cost efficiently. I knew I wasn’t going to be at that size long enough to spend a lot of time shopping and it was kind of fun to experiment with colors and styles that I typically may not have selected.

I already luv the ladies on this thread. They have such good sound advise and just seem like good people. I almost feel guilty for lurking for so long.

Welcome Evangeline :wave: What a great weightloss journey and story you have :bravo: I'm glad you came out of lurkdom and feel free to chime in on Maintainers, too :)

Evangeline -- Great story! Congrats! About your knee pain, have you tried Glucosamine? I take it so does DH... I recommended it to two co-workers and a couple of months later they met me in the hall and were amazed on how well it works. I take it because of jogging also and I tell ya if I don't take it for a couple of days I can feel the difference... Yes, we are a tough bunch here, specially those two Meg and Mel, I think I'll start calling them the M&M's of LWL, cause they are sweet like the candy, and quite harmless...:lol2:

Lanii,

I did try the Glucosamine when I first was diagnosed but I couldn’t detect any change. Now I know it was because of all the extra weight, at the time I assumed it was because the damage was already done and everything I read about Glucosamine indicated that it prevented deterioration. However, I’ve been thinking about getting back on it now because I’m feeling so much better I suspect that apparently the damage isn’t as bad as I first thought and anything I can do to prevent further damage is certainly worthwhile. Thx for the nudge, I just added it to my shopping list to pickup the next time I’m at the store.