Starting the topic - be right back

Carla - I was rooting for your Bears - congratulations!

Not much to report. I'm home sick today with a rotten head cold. The weekend wasn't bad - no exercise (rest instead) and a little snacking but not too bad. I think the fact that I decided to follow the "new" point guidelines was in the post I lost - because as a Reading teacher I'm mostly sitting, my overall activity during the day isn't what it was when I was subbing, soooooo with the new calculation, my daily points are only 18!! At first, I was sticking with the old program's 20 but then I decided to go with the new plan. The fact is, I have 9 weeks to get to my goal weight (or at least to 135, I haven't decided what I want my goal weight to be) and I may as well try whatever I can to help that. I definitely use at least a few flex points every day but hey, that's what they are for, especially with only 18 daily points!

I'm retaining a ton of water today (not surprising with all the sodium in that escarole soup.) Since I'm home, I think I'm going to dig out the materials from WW's test program that I found so helpful. I said I was going to do it and never got around to it. The only activity I'm planning on today is just some very gentle yoga because my back is bothering me.

Have a great Monday,
Judy

Judy, I don't think I could ever go down to 18 points!! The new point system sends me up to 29 points instead of 26 on the old way. I tried that for a week or so and it seemed like it was too much, because I eat my activity points too, so I went back to 26. I usually end up eating 30 anyway, because on most days I earn 4 activity points. If I calculate my activity points using the formula, it's more than that, but I always just eat 4. I figure 30 points is about a 1500-1800 calorie range, and that seems to be working for me. I rarely use Flex points -- I just eat a "treat meal" every 2 weeks or so and call it Flex.

Anyway, I haven't officially weighed in yet -- that's tomorrow -- but I weighed this morning and my freaky scale said 211 and then it said 208 and then it said 210, all with a few slight shifts of the foot. If I get the 211 tomorrow I'll be happy, because that's a 3-pound loss! I've been running lots, but I've also started strength training so I think my weight loss may actually start to slow down slightly because of muscle gain. I feel strong, though!

I'll post my loss tomorrow. How's everyone else doing?

Keeping my fingers crossed for a great weigh in for you Lisa!

I had a 0.5 loss this week, not great, but this is the week of my "cycle" that I usually gain a half a pound, so I was happy to be down at all. I cheated a bit and weighed again this morning and I was down another 1.5, so I felt even better about it.

The weight loss this morning is probably due to all of the jumping around last night from the Colts game! I know we have a Bears fan in this thread too, but I was just so happy for my boys in blue! I can't believe that we are FINALLY Superbowl bound!

Congrats to all of the losers and hugs to those that need them. Have a great week everyone!

Hi all,

Judy - Sorry to hear that you're sick. I hope you feel better soon. Going down to 18 points must hurt, but once you're feeling better you'll be earning some activity points. I don't know if I could do it, but when the time comes, I'll find out.

Lisa - Sounds like you've done a good job in figuring out how to make the program work for you. I'm pulling for you to see that 3 pound loss.

Mom2 - Congrats on your loss. I'm the Bears fan! I am so glad your Colts beat the Pats and will be facing us in the Superbowl! I tend to root for the Colts whenever I watch a game they're playing. It's fun to be playing a worthy opponent. And I'm sure that your sportscasters have been playing up that Lovie Smith and Tony Dungee are great friends as our's have. And to have them both be the first African-American coaches to be coaching in the Superbowl. It's fantastic all the way around. Of course, I'm pulling for the Bears and believe that they can win, even though they are the underdogs, but if we lose, I can't think of a better team to lose to!

Not much new here. Ana was still out of school today. Actually, we sent her, but had to pick her up again not even an hour later as her ear was bothering her. The school nurse checked her and saw redness, so she sent her home and we took her to the dr. She has the beginnings of an ear infection, but we're treating it with Advil for the discomfort and a decongestant. We have a script for an antibiotic, but our doc doesn't want us to start it unless her fever returns and she starts feeling worse. Hopefully she'll make it through a full day of school tomorrow.

Have a great Tuesday.

Carla

cece, I hope Ana feels better soon.

Mom2Q, a 0.5 pound loss is great -- it's a loss! Just maintaining during your "cycle" week is a victory, if you ask me!

I DID have my 3-pound loss this week -- woohoo!! I'm down to 211 -- Onederland, here I come!!

Well I had my Monday weigh in and I lost 4 more pounds for a total of 9lbs since I started Jan 8th. Judy it scares me how much we have in common - I live on Long Island too - Massapequa. I did teach Reading and Math in a school, but now I privately tutor. I couldn't deal with the politics to get a job on Long Island. I wish I could get into a school, but I really feel you need to know someone. I am glad to be apart of these boards. Everyone is very encouraging and shares some great ideas.

hope you don't mind me joining your thread, i'm doing ww at home too (although i did go to a meeting today but more for moral support for a friend)
this is week 3 for me, i lost 6 the first nothing the second (i hate that time of the month !) and lost 4 this week, mondays my weigh in day.

i guess i should introduce myself, my name is kate, i'm a mom of 2, married for 14 years, and two weeks before christmas i got the shock of my life when the scales read 250 (got sick and lost a bit before i started) so i decided on jan 1st that i'm going to commit to 1 year of dieting (fingers crossed) and see what happens at the end of it, did you know there were 49 weeks till 2008 ? i'm counting.

kate

Lisa - Congratulations on that great loss! You'll be in Onederland soon! 18 points is pretty tough to stick to, even if I have one of my stellar days where I don't snack at night. I guess I have to amp up the exercise, at least as much as I can right now. We were talking about activity points at my meeting this morning, and I decided, based on some of the discussion, to try to continue to eat some, but now all, of the activity points I earn that day. Sort of still gives me a little boost towards weight loss that way.

Mom2 - congratulations on your loss - any loss is a good one in my book! I know how you feel to see less than a pound loss but I always try to remember how skewed my feelings are about the scale. If I gain "point-something" I feel it's a big deal (in a bad way) so how come I don't feel like it's a big deal (in a good way) when I lose "point-someting"? Congratulations on your Colts' win.

Carla - I hope Ana is feeling better by now. I hope her ear infection didn't get worse and she avoided a fever.

Ann - congratulations on the great loss! We certainly do have a LOT in common. Before I got my current position, I was a TA, student taught and subbed in Massapequa! Yes, the teaching/job situation on Long Island is tough. I hope I can get a full time position for next year.

Hi Kate and welcome! You are doing great. I know it sounds like "WW speak" but I really don't think of this as a diet but as a change towards a healthy lifestyle.

I made it to my meeting this morning and wasn't surprised to see a 0.6 gain. I'm not stressing it because I did sort of lose it a little in the middle of the week and really didn't get much activity in this week (except for my yoga class, which I am still loving, on Wed). Thursday I ended up at the podiatrist's office for a little procedure on a badly ingrown big-toenail. Nothing like going to work with one shoe and one slipper yesterday, especially since we were in the deep freeze (temps in the teens and wind chill in the negative numbers) and I couldn't walk very fast. It's feeling a lot better today and although I have to soak it every day for the next week, I was able to put on a shoe today. After I soak it I'm going to see if I can put on a sneaker and get on the bike. I'll leave anything that requires moving around a lot for tomorrow. Unfortunately, my cold, which seemed to have started leaving mid-week, is back with a vengeance. No fever though thank goodness. We're going to a friend's house for dinner tonight. I'm not sure what she's serving but I don't think it should be too naughty. She does WW and is at goal now for a few months.

Have a great one,
Judy

I actually gained 4 pounds since last weight in, but I feel like it's all water retension, so, I am passing on the weigh in this week. I started to jump rope. I went and bought some new tennis shoes, and got the jump rope out and I am joining a gym monday for sure, 3 times per week, plus the jump roping at home. I need to take my situation and kick it up about 5 notches right now, as the metabolism isn't even budging with eating strictly by the WW plan right now, like it did before! My fingers are like sausages with the water weight, so I hope that goes away. I had made homemade enchilada's for the husband, I decided to take a 1/2 of a one, had a whole one the next day for lunch, and POW! water weight city here..anyhow, I'm not getting down to bad, just getting mad and going to hit the gym baby!
Hang in there everyone, I feel anyones pain right now of frustration, and I'm just beging right now. One night I ate just steamed brocoli and cauliflower for dinner.....yum