Chrily: Exercise is often easiest when it becomes a habit. Don't beat yourself up about exercise -- take it one day at a time, then one week at a time. Pick a target number of times to exercise THIS week, then pick when you will exercise, based on your schedule this week. In other words, plan ahead. For example, my goal is 4x per week, and I know I have plans Friday and Saturday night, so I will work out Monday (already done), Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, right after work. Don't expect it to happen on its own, because it probably won't, anymore than you start eating healthily without planning and effort on your part. The hardest part about getting into the habit of woring out is the part about making it a habit. At first, I really disliked exercise, but I did it because I knew it would help me lose weight. Now that it's an ingrained habit, I turn to it because it reduces stress and makes me feel better, and helps me lose weight, but MOST OF ALL, I do it because it's a habit. I don't even think about it -- after work, I just get in the car and drive to the gym. If I even waffle on going, I tell myself that I will just do half of the workout -- once I get there and get started, I usually find the energy to do the rest.
Lauren -- an interesting tactic. Keep us posted.
Princess -- congrats on the weight loss! The bike ride sounds like fun. I used to ride all the time in college -- my calves were the most fit part of my body then.
Paige -- I'm so sorry to hear about your cousin. That is terrible. Don't beat yourself up about forgetting points during a tragic time like this. As long as it doesn't change your long term habits, it's fine.
On a happier topic, you might like the Wendie plan. I've been doing it myself for the last couple of months, and I've lost 20 pounds in the last 8 months. Not fast, but then I am not the world's strictest adherent. I tend to slip when I go home to visit my family (1x per month) and when I go out to eat (getting better about that.) When I adhere to it, I lose weight, usually; the exceptions were when I ate more than I realized when I was eating out, and when I needed to mix up my workout because my body had gotten used to the workout.
As for myself, I am a bit cranky these last few days, because I am so hungry. When I am headed for a significant weight loss (more than 1.5 pounds), I get really hungry. That's just me. It's uncomfortable, but I know what it means, and I know that I'm getting enough to eat. I compensate by "cheating" with a 1-serving package of healthy pop (about 1 point) or an extra piece of fruit (1 point of course) when I'm ravenous. Work is a little better. Pretty stressful, but not terribly. I am really proud of myself, because, after a long time working on rechanneling my reactions to stress, I don't crave junk food much -- I crave working out and a day spent quilting, my replacements for eating junk and shopping. You guys have heard me rhapsodize about them many times. I find it helps to remind myself of the pleasure I get from those things, especially when it's a replacement for the pleasure I get from food and shopping.
Anyway, back to work. Lunch is over. Take care ladies, and good luck! I'll let you know if my super-hungry feelings indicate weight loss on Wednesday night or Thursday.