just starting this off. hope that's okay.

i weighed in yesterday and the wonderful, beautiful scale said 252 pounds! that's down 3 pounds from the previous week!

to all those who asked about the biggest loser workout--i'm enjoying it. it's not too dificult. a lot of simple moves that get your heart rate up. and the participants sometimes look just as confused as i feel. i like knowing that i'm not the only totally uncoordinated person out there!

Well, after a very rough week (eating-wise), I managed to lose one more pound. One more pound to reach my Valentine's Day Goal

I'm not sure why the past couple of weeks were so difficult but I have a few ideas:

1) Self-sabotage. I have never (repeat never) been this thin. I understand that to a lot of people being a size 8/10 and around 160 pounds would not be their final goal but I have a very athletic build and have always had a lot of muscle. For me, this will work just fine. But a couple of weeks ago at the grocery store I went down the Valentines' Candy aisle and picked up tootsie rolls and york peppermint patties , trying to convince myself that since they were the lowest in calories/fat of all the choices that I would be ok with them in the house. That was a mistake.

2) Plateau. Before I bought the candy, I had struggled to see much movement on the scale or my body measurements (because I will go by body measurements before I get upset about what some sort of scale tells me) and I was getting really frustrated. Why was I putting forth all the effort? Why should I sit here and eat chicken tortilla soup while my husband feasts on a burrito/enchilada dinner and not see any positive outcome???

3) Boredom. I was eating the same foods, day in, day out. I was buying the WW snack cakes and eating them in the kitchen, one after another. Was I hungry? Heck no! I was bored out of my skull. I now have a couple of books to keep me occupied

4) Being unprepared. My refrigerator had virtually Zero vegetables in it...except for some funky looking salad...I ran out of bell pepper, onion, and carrots (my main staples in the fridge) and just never ran to the store.

I know that I pledged to myself again last week that I was getting back on track and I partially did but now that this one pound loss has been "given" to me (I'm using the term "given" as lack of better word fails to come to me) as a gift to reclaim my motivation to reach my goal.

Now, some things that I've been doing right:

1) Exercise. At least 4 days a week I am on that treadmill or taking a walk outside

2) Journaling all my food - good and bad. Getting more water and dairy in my daily point allottments (sp?)

3) Staying away from the beer. I had one beer when I went to dinner last week with friends. Normally I would have had 3-4 of them during a our 'partying'.

4) Finding other things to do...I mentioned above I have a book that I'm reading now and that helps me a lot.

5) Telling my hubby I love him. He's been pretty supportive for the most part of this journey and he tries to keep me accountable and doesn't fuss when I won't eat pizza he orders or chicken wings, etc...

6) Getting involved in the message boards HERE. You'd be amazed at how motivating we all are

Ok - I know that was a long post but I've been needing to get some of that out here

Have a great week

p.s. Carrie - great job on the weightloss. Stick with your DVD - they tend to get better over time

I'm down 1 1/2 pounds this week!!! That makes 50 pounds in 4 months.
I still had a few snacks I should have skipped and like Emily I have been eating out of boredom, I will be so glad when winter is over.
I am going to stay OP this week and just watch those pounds melt...HEHEHE.

Emily--i know what you mean about the eating out of boredom. i do that too. generally at around 8 pm i say 'hmmm........there's nothing on t.v., nothing to do, it's freezing cold outside, i wonder what's in the fridge...." i find that if i can keep myself occupied (either by the computer, or the baby or the husband) between 7 and 10 pm i'm good to go.

KristieKat--all i have to say is You Rock.

seeing someone with results like that keeps me so motivated! i dream about having lost that much weight and to know that it can happen makes me so happy!

Well, not a good weighin for me. Up 2 lbs and I did not cheat. I am very faithful about logging all food, every bite! I drank all my water and then some. I'm getting all my veggies and fruit and have done the treadmill faithfully. I have not eaten salty things and don't have TOM so if anyone can figure this out I'd be thrilled.

I'm still hanging in there. I'm hoping later in the week something will improve. Actually I think it's all a big practical joke to see how long I can keep this up with no results. I am the most stuborn person I know so I will win in the end. I will NOT quit or give up.

Today I made granola bars, cut and packaged them up. Over half went in the freezer because we can't eat them all up before they go stale. 2 pts @ so a good thing to have on hand for DH who has gotten on board. He's eating all my good food. You know men, they just have to think about losing weight and it falls off.

Here's to another great week. I'll post if things improve on the scale.

I weighed in this morning. I lost another 4 pounds. That's 11 pounds in 3 weeks.

Congrats on fellow losers. Good luck to those that need motivation. Just stick with it.

Carrie ~ WTG - awesome week's loss.

Emily ~ Thanks for sharing your struggle and thoughts. It definitely helps me to read of others' trials and tribulations to keep me motivated and know I'm not the only one. Best of luck losing those last 3 lbs. I'm sure you can almost taste victory, being that close, LOL.

KristieKat ~ OMG, you definitely rock!! WTG - what an inspiration. Keep up the awesome work.

Jerry ~ Sorry the scales didn't work in your favour this week. Muscle, maybe? Good for you for hanging in there - nothing like a challenge to keep you going. That's so great that DH is doing it with you - nothing like such close support to keep you going.

Leia ~ Wow - you're doing so great!! WTG - keep up the good work!!

My weigh in is tomorrow. I'm off with the boys today to visit an auntie and uncle who have just arrived from Canada and are staying with Mum and Dad. I met my Auntie about 5 or so years ago but haven't seen my Uncle since I was a baby.

Canadian girl - thanks for starting the topic. Congratulations on that fabulous loss!

Emily - congratuations on losing that pound, especially after a rough week. You deserve one HUGE pat on the back for thinking about why you have been having a hard time, identifying some possible reasons and then DOING something about them! WTG!!!!! I know that boredom can set me off too. How many times have a found myself doing the "hand-to-mouth" dance when I'm not hungry at all! Plateaus can be so frustrating. I hope you've also given equal time to what you've been doing RIGHT and not just focusing on the problem areas. I know that I will spend way more time beating myself up about slips than giving myself an "atta girl!" for the things I'm doing to get myself healthy.

Kristiecat - way to go on your fabulous loss and doing so well these last 4 months. I agree that winter is a tough time - there's so much more to do when the weather is nice.

Jerry - please don't fret about the scale. There are so many things that can affect it - even the weather. Have you done any strength training? That could affect your weight. Keep doing what you have been doing and I know that the weight will come off. Maybe you can take a page out of Emily's book and check how your measurements are doing. Often times the scale shows us crazy numbers but either taking our measurements or paying attention to how your clothes are fitting show us our real progress. Hang in there - I'm sure you'll see a loss next week.

Leia - congratulations on the great loss!

Tanya - Enjoy your visit with family and good luck tomorrow on the scale.

I did not weigh this week although I did go to my meeting. I ended up having some salty food Friday night and just didn't want to see that number on the scale. I'm pleased with myself int hat I did go to the meeting (in the ;ast I would have just skipped it and slept in) and I'm glad I did because it gave me a good dose of motivation that helped me deal with some temptations this weekend. My Tai Chi class on Friday was great; I didn't exercise Saturday as I felt I was fighting off a cold. On Sunday, as the day progressed I felt a little better. I was watching a movie on TV that had some great music so every so often, I got up and danced! Hey, however you can get the activity in, right? Today after work I did a strength workout.

Have a great one,
Judy

End of week 3 ~ Down another .6kg (1.32 lbs) making a total of 3.8kgs (8.36 lbs). Did a lot of exercise this week but also splurged a bit over the weekend as we were away with friends. I managed to surpass my January exercise goal of 1000 minutes. I did 1100 minutes starting 10th January which averaged 50 minutes each day in the 22 days.

Judy ~ WTG going to your meeting even though you didn't intend to weigh in. I'm glad you got the motivation you needed to get through the weekend. It's great you're enjoying Tai Chai and getting a bit of TV boogying in on the side, LOL.

Have a great day, everyone.

judy--i think it's a great idea going to the meeting even if you don't weigh in. the motivation must rock!

silverfern--in 3 weeks you lost 8.36 lbs? woot! and surpassing your exercise challenge, that rocks!

i'm doing okay. today i went for lunch with a friend and i probably didn't make the best food choices but afterwards we went for a walk and pushing the stroller through the snow was hard work! lol.

Hi all,

Rachel - I'm so glad you stopped by. And I'm glad things are looking more positive for you. I can understand how your best friend feels - she's seen and heard how hurt you are and she wants to protect you. But at best, you'll have your marriage back, and probably a new and improved one at that. Worst case if the counseling doesn't work out, you'll know you gave it your best shot and you want have to wonder if you could have done more. But Rachel, please remember to keep your best interests your first priority.

Tanya - Congrats on a great loss and on surpassing your exercise goal! Your weekend sounds lovely. I love being by the water. Enjoy your aunt and uncle's visit.

Carrie - Congrats on a terrific loss!

Emily - Congrats on your loss. It's good that you did some reflecting on what went wrong with your eating during the week. Boredom and being unprepared are my two biggest bugaboos. It's great that you also took the time to recognize what you did right!

Kristie - Congrats on a terrific loss this week and a great overall loss! You rock!

Jerry - I'm sorry to hear about the gain. It's so frustrating when you do everything right, but the scale doesn't acknowledge it. The body does what the body wants to and it sounds like it's trying to show you who's boss by holding on to the weight. Hang in there.

Leia - Congrats on another great loss! You're doing a great job!

Judy - I'm picturing you getting up and dancing to the movie. What a great idea! Good for you for not skipping your meeting!

I weighed in a day early this week. I'm going for an abdominal/pelvic CAT scan tomorrow morning and tonight I have to drink the first of two bottles of oral/contrast. I didn't want that to skew results on the scale, so I thought it best to step on it today. The good news is that I'm down 1.4 pounds from my last weigh-in a couple of weeks ago. So whatever damage I did falling off the wagon, I've undone plus some. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. Even though they say I"ll feel fine afterwards, I think I'm going to be wanting a nap and, unfortunately, I have to go to work. Ah well, I'll think positive thoughts going into it and it will all be ok.

Talk to you later.

Carla

Carla ~ WTG on your loss. It's always great when you recover from falling off the wagon. Good luck for your CAT scan tomorrow. Hope work is kind to you.

Hello everyone. Well down one more lb was hoping for two but, i find the weekends hard to keep track of my eating. need to learn to do better. So iI'll take the lb anyway. I am trying to do better on my exercise though. that would probably help.

Hi guys. THanks for all your support and words of encouragement. While I'd like to say that this week has been easier since my epiphany, it is still the same struggle, but I feel more in control than I have in a while.

Today I had a dentist appointment and was frustrated at how long it took and the 'pain' I endured with my fillings so I rewarded myself - with what you ask? With chocolate of course. Nine points worth of chocolate. D'oh! But I have adjusted the remainder of my eating throughout the day and I will use 5 flex points for the day but I will be in my point range Go me

Kristie - way to go!!! Seriously - that is really an awesome job!

Jerry- I'm sorry you're disappointed at the scale but check your clothing and measurements. Trust that before anything else!

Leia - great job - way to go!!

Tanya - Awesome job on the exercise! that's great -

I'm in a bit of a rush - I'll get to everyone tomorrow - have a wonderful night!

em

Canadian*Girl ~ Eating with other people is a huge challenge for me. At home it's no problem but out it's always so hard to make good choices when there are so many yummy things to choose from. WTG on the walk - that surely would have earned you extra points.

Rlc ~ WTG on the pound - a loss is a loss. Weekends are definitely the hardest. We don't go out a lot but usually get together with friends for dinner which is a real challenge because I hate feeling like I'm missing out on all the delicious goodies.

Em ~ A dental appointment definitely qualifies for some reward IMO, LOL. I'm salivating at the chocolate, I'm such a sweet-tooth. I've found a great chocolate treat that's only 1 point (if you only eat 1). Do you have Milky Ways? The little treat-sized bars are great if you eat it nibble by nibble and I actually feel rather satisfied afterwards. Normally I'd inhale nearly, if not the whole, packet (of 14) with little effort.

I managed a walk as well as some yogalates yesterday. I hope to get another walk in later if the wind dies down a bit.