Seasaw: I'm 5'7" too...my goal weight is 142 and I like to maintain around 140, this is where I feel my best. I can usually up my points if I get more walking in but the weather hasn't been conducive and I haven't gone down to our rec center as a supplement so it's my own fault that the weight is creeping.

Laurel: I hear you! I weighed in at noon today and was up another .6--I am at THE top of my window as far as not having to pay. It's pretty frustrating. I can't ever imagine having to eat only 19 points in order to maintain...that's just insane. I'm lucky if I can get a 20 point day in.

lala: Well I was up but it's my own doing on that one..I know where my problem is and it's night time snacking and stress. I need to get out and walk it off rather than heading for the kitchen!

Well this next week I am going to focus on making sure I write every BLT and stay out of the kitchen!

Happy Thursday!

The sun is shining, tho it is sprinkling a bit outside. I would love it to rain today for the lawn, and tomorrow so that I can get out of a business obligation - it is a lake party. As I have mentioned earlier - I don't relish the thought of tramping around the lake shore with co-workers in a bathing suit. As lalala pointed out, the sight of THEM in bathing suits might also be a little much!!

Otherwise, things are looking good. The gym scale shows that I have lost 2 lbs this week, which is a good thing since I gained 5 on my Tahoe trip! Exercise is the key - I have worked out three days this week and I like the results.

Have a great day, all!

Hi all-

I can't imagine what it would be like to see my supervisor and the lab director in their bathing suits. It would be more than I could handle today. So, austingal thanks for making me lose my appetite at snack time :).

Nothing new to report. I am doing okay. I weighed in and gained .4 lbs, thats okay, because I lost
3.6 lbs last week. I'm on my way back down. I wish I could have stayed for the meeting, but we need to do all sorts of work related tasks today. Work, boof :dz:, who cares about mortgages, roofs and
vet bills?

Anyways, getting ready to leave for the Bay Area and Yosemite tomorrow. It will be nice to see my bro and his gf and mom and dad :). We return post-haste and run off to Rome, so other than not getting our desired upgrades (well, we can bring more food and knee pads), it will be fun , right?

Laurel: From a fellow vertically-challenged person, how much did you need to lose and how long did it take you? I am 1.5 years into this (with lots of ups and maintains) and would like to be at goal by the new year and more fit- meaning able to run 5 miles instead of 5K.

okay, hope everyone is well.

lala

Hello!

I'm feeling a bit more upbeat about the whole 23 points issue. Can't look too far into the future, just one day at a time as usual. Hey, how else would I get to obsess, if I didn't have points and pounds to worry about?

Melissa , nice to know one is not alone in the struggle. in fact is there anyone out there in WW-land NOT struggling? At a meeting once, there was a leader-in-training and his speech was about the struggle and how he still struggles, etc. At the time, I was a little shocked because I was not struggling at all. Points were fine, pound were coming off, everything was easy. Now I'm beginning to realize what he meant. On the other hand, things could be a lot worse. Can't take this too very seriously, if you know what I mean.

La , I started WW in the beginning of October 99. My goal was to lose 44# (ugh - that's a lot esp for such a shrimp) to reach the very top of my weight for height considering I'm a middle-aged person (okay, stop hedging I went from 172 - good Lord! to 128 - GOOD Lord!). I'd say it took about 19 months. I basically never eat below 20 points, usually at about 23 points/day and I add about 3 points a day to cover my exercise on weekdays. The last 10 or 12 pounds took about 8 months to lose. I know I can't believe it either. Alot of up and downing by a pound, and then I'd get really serious and lose 1 or 2 pound and start the next stairstep downward. I actually have a powerpoint chart that I've graphed by weight progression. It helped give me the perspective that the overall movement was headed in the right direction. P.S. if you get a chance to get to Western New Jersey when you're in the Rutgers area (which is central), you will love it. By the Delaware River, Lambertville, Frenchtown, Stockton and the surrounding countryside. It is beautiful. Lots of great places to eat too (is that a good thing?) And re: being a single-income family, I see your "ouch" and raise you an "oy vey". Been there, still there, waiting for hubby to get job. All together now - It's for the greater good. It's for the greater good.

I'm getting a little punchy I guess. Not enough to eat!!! HA!

I have a confession; I haven't been in a bathing suit for about 3 years and then too wrapped in a sarong thingie. And I'm proud to say that suit is a trifle huge on me. Must get new one. Wow!

See you all tomorrow.

Laurel

Hello hello!

It's been ages since I've been able to post on the thread - work has been busy, plus I have to account for all my time during the day (I work in a consulting firm where we have to charge clients for time, so I have to document my entire day - UGH! :mad: ) so it's hard to take much time to something that is non billable or I can't code to the appropriate code).

I have been struggling with my weight somewhat. I am still up about 5 pounds from where I want to be & tho it bugs me, I am not quite as motivated as I used to be (I used to think I'd never lose my desire to be OP). I am keeping up with the exercise, but my nighttime snacks have increased in portions....

I, like Melissa and Seasaw am also 5'7", so I am thankful for the extra height - much easier to spread a few extra pounds around. I would like to maintain betw 142-145, but lately I've been hovering around 147-150. I wanted to get below 140, but have never managed to get below 140.4.



AustinGal - welcome back! I have always wanted to go to Lake Tahoe; one of my sisters eloped in Lake Tahoe; I hear it's gorgeous.

lalala - such a world traveler! Do you do all that travel for your work??

Well, I signed up for a 6 week beginner's yoga class that starts in about a week. I'm looking forward to it.

Later,
Katie :)

Good morning - it is a beautiful day. I think i'll take my lunchtime exercise outside walking. Will prob burn fewer points, but I find I never get out into the fresh air otherwise. Good for the soul.

KTMarie - waah - you are making me cry, - that's another thing I never considered - losing the desire to be OP. So far I've been blessed with a continual desire pretty much to be OP. Oh no...

Fortunately that outside walk will go a long way to improving my positive outlook!

Talk to you later.

L.

I wish I could FIND my desire to be OP. I definitely want to get closer to goal (yes, I too am DEFINITELY struggling) but I seem to have lost all motivation to stay OP. My motivation to work out is much stronger, so I go through most days completely OP but getting into better workout shape! What are the things that used to engender a desire to be OP? I think it was usually panic - panic at the sight of myself in the mirror, panic b/c hubby mentioned that my figure was slipping, etc. So, I think this is the problem ... I kind of go from the mentality of "I hate having to watch what I eat so I'm just not going to" to "man, this is an emergency, I have to do some damage control." Could this be why I am always either gaining or losing, but never maintaining? Losing is fun, but as soon as the challenge has been met, maintenance becomes a drag and I start to gain again.

Any thoughts out there on how to get into a better mindset?

Katie - hi ya! Good to see you around here again! I also bill my time. I HATE it - I completely understand the idea of "non-billable" work. Other than that, I love my job (patent attorney), but the billable hours thing really stinks.

Oh dear, AustinGal what a good question! I feel like I'm such a novice (yeah, right 19 months and counting on WW so far). I guess because I'm just starting at the maintenance challenge.

Here's my personal theory: there's something about exercise that helps you eat right, want to eat right, stay OP, etc. Before I started WW I had decided to at least get exercising - walking at lunchtime (of course, eating after the walk!) and doing some aerobics tapes and weight training. I did that for about 6 months before joining WW. I didn't really lose any weight, but for the first time "ever" I actually could face the prospect of joining WW. Subsequently I read an article (in the New York Times so it must be true, right!!!) substantiating my theory. I don't remember the details but something about the hormones or whatever body chemical changes that occur with exercise which facilitate good eating habits. Of course that's an oversimplification.

Again, I'm just very green at this maintenance thing. In fact, I'd say I'm really still in the losing phase since I now have to lose 3 # to get back to goal weight! I'm sure I will go through all of this too down the road.

On the other hand, it's FRIDAY. Yippee!!!

have a great weekend everybody. .Lala , are you off to La Bella Italia this weekend? have a wonderful time. I am so jealous!

L.

Hi all-

kt and austin: you don't even have to be
high powered attorney or consultant to bill hours. I am a lowly (not really) research scientist who is constantly asking those who need something "so, what budget can i charge my time to?". I feel like carrying one of those credit card machines with me all the time. "will that be check, cash or charge?". Such is the new government. sigh.

I am so stressed with everything that is happening in the lives of those around me that I am feeling like WW is the only thing that I can control.I can control what goes into my mouth and how much I chose to exercise (well, if I can find the time). I am also trying to find the line between conscience and unconscious choices in my life. Exercising because it makes me feel good and keeps me limber and I need it versus feeling like exercising is the only thing that will allow me an extra 1/2 cup of pasta.

Yikes. You have brought up some good points ladies!

Laurel: you are amazing. I am trying to only lose 25 lbs total and you lost so much more much faster than me. I am terribly jealous and excedingly in awe. You must look lovely.

I am going to not set a challenge or goal for July 4, but continue to stay on program (even while travelling) and try to get back to the gym on a regular basis as if this is my regular at goal life. We'll see where I end up.

I'm off to california (another stressor) and hopefully, by this afternoon, DP will know her fate re: work and grad school. We are leaving our dog/child with friends for the weekend. I hope he behaves enough to be invited back :rolleyes:

Have a great weekend, I'll catch up with you all on Monday night!

lala

Good afternoon all,

I am at home today (I usually don't work on Fridays), and DD (who is 4) is napping (thank goodness!!), so I have a little more time to post.

The sun has FINALLY reappeared here in southern Wisconsin; we've had about 2 weeks of (pardon my French) CRAPPY weather here; cloudy, rainy, cool with highs barely hitting 60. Last night, it finally started to brighten and warm up & I mowed the lawn (along with nearly the rest of the neighborhood, the sound of all those mowers was deafening :lol: ).

I've been able to curb the nighttime snacking somewhat over the last couple of evenings - I think I need to get away from the kitchen area after supper - too easy to venture back in & start "looking" for something to snack on. I sometimes end up taking a bath to get away from the dreaded kitchen.

LM - I never thought I'd ever feel so-so about being on program. When I rejoined WW in late Jan 2000 to relose the weight again ( I make lifetime way back in 1988), I was SO militant about staying on program. I figured I was paying WW good money to lose weight, why should I sabotage myself every week by slipping up - I didn't want to waste the money. I lost approx 45 pounds in about 24 weeks & got back to within 2 lbs of my original goal weight about mid-July 2000 (about 3 months before I hit 40 - I really didn't want to feel/look like I did when that happened). I am not really that off program, just not as vigilant. I do know that if I don't weigh in as a lifetime member, that I will get sloppy & the weight will come back like it did before. I am determined to NEVER gain the weight back. I even work as a receptionist at our community meeting where I live to keep myself honest.

AustinGal - how do we get our motivation back? I figure if I keep up the exercise that can help cancel out any slip ups we have. Another lifer (I can't remember who) use to say something like: Just fake it until you get your motivation back.

lalala - believe me, I am nowhere near being a high-powered consultant. It sounds much more impressive than it really is. Your career sounds much more fascinating.

Have a good weekend all!!
Katie