Good morning everyone! I'm happy to report a 1.2 pound loss which brings my total loss to 4.4 pounds - just a little bit more and it will be my first 5 pounds.

I had a pretty good weekend. We tried two recipes from the latest Cooking Light and both were great. I did a good long cardio workout yesterday but I ate the activity points- yes, it's PMS week. The good news is that although I had eaten all my available points by 9 or 9:30, I didn't snack on anything else - I just kept that picture of me in a bathingsuit in my mind. I also picked up my knitting again and that helped too.

Have a great Motivated Monday!
Judy
163.6/159.2/135

Holly - I just read your note from yesterday. Congratulations on really working the program over the weekend and way to go for your sil for being so helpful! I'm glad that this group could be helpful - I think this is a great group!

[This message has been edited by JudySP (edited 02-26-2001).]

Hi everyone.

Holly - A big congratulatios to you for staying OP over the weekend at your SIL's house. That's terrific. You're well on your way. The memory of the sense of accomplishment that you felt after this weekend will help you keep on keeping on.

Judy - Congrats for a great loss and for not going over available points. You're on a roll! Which recipes from Cooking Light did you try?

I'm posting a maintain again this week. Again it's fine by me - I've been taking baby steps and I'm glad to see that I'm at least holding my own. For some odd reason, I didn't do a good job getting in all my water last week. That's usually not a problem for me. So I'm going to pay careful attention to that this week.

Have a great day everyone

Carla
255/255/138

Carla - Congrats on the maintain. Baby steps still get you to where you want to go! How is the ankle?? As for the CL recipes, on Saturday we tried the Asian Flounder recipe that's in the article about cooking with the microwave. It was easy and pretty quick to fix and we both loved the flavor. It was a pretty low point - we had it with some steamed veggies and brown rice. The recipe we tried yesterday was the Veggie Baked Ziti recipe. Tony did most of the prep work but it was a little time consuming - definitely a weekend recipe. It was absolutely delicious and we have another meal from it for later this week.

[This message has been edited by JudySP (edited 02-26-2001).]

Judy - Fish isn't my thing, but I'll definitely try the Veggie Baked Ziti! My ankle is ok - thanks for asking. I've pretty much stopped wearing my brace the last couple of days. It still feels a little "funny" (but no pain) without the brace, but I have to wean myself from it. I'm still wearing it while walking between the office and work.

Carla

Holly - Great job over the w/e.

Judy - Congratulations on the loss. Way to go stopping the snacking when the points ran out.

Carla - Congrats on the maintain. Those baby steps will get you to goal. Glad to hear your ankle is feeling better.

I did pretty well at the party yesterday. I didn't count points, but did do much better than I usually do there...no upset stomach last night from all the junk. I didn't weigh in this morning because I know I am always up after a day like yesterday. I'll weigh in tomorrow morning.

Talk to you later.
Pat

Yikes - Where is everyone today?

Pat - Congrats on doing well at the party. I hope the scale rewards your efforts.

Had a good day yesterday. I ate under my maximum, but what really pleased me was I put the 20 minute rule into effect, which stopped me from eating some yummy Terra Garlic and Onion 50% reduced fat potato chips. I would have measured out my ounce and I had the points for them, but I so want to stop the mindless snacking I'm prone too and keep from eating stuff just because I have the points to do so. Got all my water and my fruits and veggies in as well, so progress on all fronts yesterday.

Have a great day.

Carla

Carla - Way to go using the 20 minute rule to stop the snacking and getting in your water, fruits and veggies. :)

I had another maintain this week. I need to keep better track of my points and get back to exercising. I want to be back at goal and in better shape before we go to Florida this summer.

Talk to you tomorrow.
Pat

Hi! Great news...I lost 5.4 lbs!!! I stayed 100 percent OP last week, and too my surprise didn't find it *that* difficult. I found that being prepared with food that fit my program was not hard because I didn't sit down and calculate pts on meals/snacks -- I just tossed stuff in a bag to take with so I had options (which I, of course, calculated before eating). Worked like a charm :-) I also had to really curb constant snacking. I was amazed at how many times I had to stop myself from mindlessly reaching for food, and then realized that I wasn't really hungry, just bored.

Judy - congrats on the loss! I need to follow your example with exercise - you do a great job getting in a well balanced mix of exercises.

Cece - Changing your lifestyle/habits is the goal, so hurray! to a maintain -- especially if you are replacing your old habits with healthier ones. Glad to hear your leg is better :-)

Pepper - Great job handling a party and then maintaining! I'm also going to work on getting that exercise in this week. It is already Wed, and I havn't exercised at all :-(. Funny how I prioritize almost everything above my workouts ;-)

196.8/189.2/145ish 10% target is 19 lbs
Holly

Pat - Way to go on doing well at the party and on the maintain. Keep the picture of you in Florida this summer in your mind. The picture of me at the pool in a bathing suit has helped to keep me from over snacking a number of times (not last night though - ha!)

Carla - Way to go on keeping to the 20 minute rule! Sounds like you are making good progress especially with getting in all the water and fruits and veggies!

Holly - Wow - congratulations on the great loss and for the preparations you made! Great strategy and it paid off.

I had an so-so day yesterday - it was really a triple witching kind of day - very stressful at work, PMS and Tony had a business dinner so dinner was solo and he came home relatively late. I exercised when I came home and had a WW frozen meal (I had had lunch out - a burrito with an old friend - I counted it as 2 extra points 'cause it was pretty big) which had been in the freezer too long - yuk! Then came the sweet and salty cravings. The good news is that I only went over by 1.5 points which I will easily make up with exercise today. It's funny, I knew it was emotional eating and although it didn't stop me from going over, the knowledge that that's what it was stopped me from going way over. I'm going out to lunch again today but it's sushi which is easy to count although I'll have to guzzle water like crazy. I really want to reach 5 pounds lost this week (another 0.6 pounds) so I'm determined to stay totally OP the rest of the week.

Have a great Think Thin Tuesday,
Judy

Hi everyone.

Pat - Congrats on the maintain. Like you, I need to get back to exercising. I'm keeping our August vacation on the Outer Banks in the back of my mind as incentive. I haven't worn a swimsuit in 11 years. Yikes.

Holly - Way to go! That is an awesome loss and you are an inspiration. Guess it's true - if you work the program, the program works for you!

Judy - Talk about a triple wammy yesterday! I'm proud of you for being mindful of why you were snacking and for controlling it. 1.5 points is nothing in the larger scheme of things and I know you'll make it up.

I had a good day yesterday. I went over points, but am not worried about it as today is a day of fasting so I'll be way under. I was able to effectively use the 20 minute rule again last night, so I'm happy about that. Got all my water in, didn't do as well with the fruit and veggies, but I'm taking things one at a time and my focus this week is water. I even got some exercise in - walked between my house and the train station in the morning and evening both (although I'm paying for it and have to use my brace on my ankle today). So all in all I'm feeling better about my progress. I've decided to do the Self Challenge (there's a thread here about it with a link if you're interested) as extra motivation.

Have a great day everyone.

Carla

Bad news is I am still up from my lowest so far, I am at 190.5.

Good news is I have my two weeks of menus and as Holly says, staying on program really helps. LOL. Anyway, I am exercising 4 out of 7 mornings this week, and know exactly what I am going to eat. It leaves me with a really nice feeling and very relaxed.

I have also decided to make an effort not to make such a public effort, both for myself and for my daughter. For the 2 year old to be constantly around someone who is measuring and counting and obessing about food is not a good thing for her I think, and for myself, I do not want to have constant comments about what I am doing, what I am eating, did I exercise, have I read this that or any other article about food and dieting.

So, overall, I am in a really good mood.

Liza

Liza - I agree with you regarding the public effort. What I really wish for my daughter is that she have a "normal" relationship with food, that she does not see it as good or bad, that she does not use food as a coping tool, etc. so I'm really trying to be conscious of how I handle my relationship with food in front of her.

Hi folks, I've been out of town and swamped. Last week's weigh in showed a 2 lb gain and this morning was a maintain. I was reading some of your entries from last week and this week and some of the challenges certainly fit me. The circle of too busy to plan and then eating without a plan and on it goes.

Big congrats, Holly! What an accomplishment. Planning does pay off.

Judy, that 5 lbs is coming. Keep Cooking Light!

Carla, baby steps is probably what you need while you're ankle is healing, in more ways than one.

Pat, good deal to maintain while partying.

You all sound like you're making progress in many areas. It has taken 2 months, but am finally over the back pain and soreness from a car accident. It was scary for a few weeks after, wondering if the soreness would really go away. Ok, I have a few minutes so off to recording my eating today.

Take care - Jan

Hi guys! I had an interesting insight today about how I internalize other peoples negative comments and let my anger out by eating. We have a supportive group of women at work who are all trying to watch their weight, exercise, etc..., and we were sharing our challenges/successes. A guy I work with who is a total fitness/healthy eating/naturalistic person got into the conversation about my loss this week. He was nicely questionning me about my goal, and how much I want to lose when the obvious connection of how much I weigh now came up. He said "Oh geez Holly I have never weighed that much" (translation: how could you do that to your self??). It wasn't meant to be nasty, but it didn't come off as supportive either. I, of course, laughed it off as is my usual defense. After the encounter I immediately wanted something to eat, was bummed out about the total I needed to lose, and just feeling bad about myself (on a day I was celebrating my loss, of all times). At least I was almost immediately aware of how I respond to that sort of thing, and I didn't chow down or want to quit...but it sure bothered me. In the end I thought "I am in control of this, I am doing a great thing for MYSELF, and I am certainly not going to let what other people think or say get in my way." If I lecture myself enough, will it sink in??!

In regard to the discussion about not making a big show of being on a diet, weighing and measuring, etc.. Good for you! I need to keep this in mind myself. My Mom was *always* on some diet or another, and I think it really affected me negatively. The whole "on a diet, not on a diet" and "good food/bad food" mentality does not make for a healthy relationship with food!

Holly