Jenn - My goodness, you are way up north. The weight certainly does come back quickly when we stop paying attention. I've gained back all but 2 pounds of the weight I lost when I first started this. I don't have the Winning Points info either, but I pretty much follow 123 anyway. Although, I have been toying with the idea of trying WW On-line. If you do the demo, let me know what you think of it.
I decided when I got up this morning not to weigh myself and to stick to Wednesday weigh-ins for awhile. I'm still struggling with getting serioius about the program. I wish I could hear that click. But I just have to buckle down and do it, click or no click. With all the weight that's come back on have come the problems I left behind when I started losing: the heartburn, the inability to get off the couch easily, the general yucky, bloated feeling, and, most troubling, the knee problems. I spent all day Saturday on the couch with my leg propped up and actually used my crutch when I did have to get around, that's how badly my knee hurt. My knees are bad enough, but now that my right ankle is weak from the second sprain last January.... So, that's my motivation, right gals? I have to do this to feel better. I don't want to live my life hobbled and on the couch, for me and for Ana. So... onward and downward! had my bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and am working on the water. Here's to a great day, and week, for all of us!
Hello, this is my first post! My name is Karen, I am a 52 yo female from Cross Creek, FL. I went to the dr. on June 24, and weighed in at an all time high. Dr. gave me the "lose weight and exercise" lecture. On the way home I stopped at a friend's shop and she told me that she had started on WW. Since I live way in the country, I can't attend meetings, but with her help I was able to get the basic info on WW and started that day. It has been 10 weeks and I have lost 20 pounds as of this morning! YEA! I have a long way to go, but with support from friends and this wonderful forum, I plan to stick with it. Thanks for your help.
wow, Karen, you picked US???!?!?!? Way to make us feel flattered! Welcome, FANTASTIC news on your weight loss, you must have this down! Glad WW at home is working for you. I am still following the basic aspects of the plan and am finding that I'm eating in the midrange of points, but I am also following Deepak Chopra's program Perfect Weight which is helping me with the whole deprivation mindset thing. If you have been following the thread, you probably know that I only post my weight loss about once every month, or whenever I can find a scale to weigh on. I had to give mine away! You have found a great group here.
Carla, HANG IN THERE!! You have been so inspirational to us. Go back and take a look at your posts, and revisit your reasons why you want to lose weight. You'll get there. We believe in you!
The pink bike is VERY sad. Some CREEP left a TACK in the STREET!!!! GRRR!!! Now it has a flat tire and it's waiting in the back of my truck to visit the techs. It's better than earlier this month when I wrecked it and had to get a new wheel! Sigh. I so wanted a ride tonight, but I will burn some calories scouring my house, I'm sure.
Paying attention (crunch) to your food (munch) is so (chomp) important for weight loss (urp).
I've decided that I am not going to exercise anymore, I am only going to play. If it isn't play, I'm not doing it. Everything I read these days says that exercise should not be intense or horrid but should leave you feeling refreshed. That's playing, not exercising, but if that's what does it, that's what I'm doing. I look at kids playing and they are having such a good time, they aren't sweating up a storm over some awful machine thinking about when to pick up their dry cleaning!!
Well, I hope everybody is having a good Monday so far. Mine has gone ok, for a Monday!
Holly - How does Josh like kindergarten so far? Congratulations on the great loss last week.
Jenn - I don't have Winning Points either. I just use the old 123. Just start over with us and forget about the weight you put back on. I'm in the same boat...I was at goal, but have put 12 back on. I know I have to get back on track or I'll be right back where I started.
Carla - Sorry to hear your weight problems are back, but as you said it is a great motivation. Lets work on getting serious together. We've done it before and we can do it again!
Karen - Welcome to the group. Sounds like you are doing great on the program.
Jennifa - Sorry your bike is sad again. Hope you can get back on soon. I like your idea of playing instead of "exercising."
I had another maintain this week. I'm glad I'm still maintaining, but sure wish I could start down again. I was at SIL's yesterday and she got out some old pictures. I have very few pictures of myself, but she had one of me at my heaviest. I couldn't believe how heavy I looked. I don't want to be there again! I know I'm just not working the program. I told myself that today was the day to start over. The worry over Sara is over and she is off to college. Laura has started high school and likes it. Of course my boss still hasn't decided about retirement yet, but otherwise things have settled down. I started out good, but by this evening had snacked myself into a deficit. I did get out for a longer than usual walk tonight.
Carla - I wish I could send that "click" your way. In the meantime, here are some {{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}} that I hope will help.
Hi Karen and welcome! WOW - you have been doing great. This is a great supportive bunch and I hope we can help keep you motivated.
Jennifa - sorry to hear about the great pink bike. Glad to hear that you are doing well.
Pat - congratulations on the maintain. Hey, you are on the right track now and I'm sure if you keep taking it a step at a time, you will start getting that scale to move in the downward direction. I'm glad to hear that Sara got off for college. Way to go for extending that walk!
I'm pleased to report that I was down 0.8 on Saturday - close enough to 1 pounf for me. I was hoping for a little more but I'll take any downward direction! This week will be a real challenge. My bronchitis took a nasty little turn over the weekend; I found it hard to take a deep breath and it was worse if I was outside. Obviously no exercise although I didn't console myself with food. Sunday evening I got a migraine - that helped me to 6 points in the bank - I wanted to eat the minimum but I just couldn't (the only silver lining of a migraine). I went to a pulmonary doctor yesterday - it's inflammatory bronchitis - sort of a low level asthma. He gave me a 6 day low dose steroid pack that he said would clear it up faster than if I took nothing and I have an inhaler. I need for this to clear up - I can't sleep the night through and if I speak more than a couple of sentences I'm short of breath and coughing like crazy. The downside is that my mom said when she took this stuff, she retained water like crazy. The doses decrease each day, today being the first day with the most doses. She said as you take less you retain less so I have a feeling Saturday's weigh in (day 5 on the stuff) won't be so good. Oh well, I'm planning on an OP week - well, everything except exercise - so hopefully I can squeeze out a maintain. If not, I'll know what it is.
Thanks to everyone for the nice words, I really appreciate the support.
Judy, hang in there, the last thing you need to worry about now is a little temporary water retention. Concentrate on just getting better. BTW, I took the prednisone dose pack in March and didn't have a problem with water retention. Hope this helps you!
It's sunny and not humid and not too hot - a beautiful day. Too bad I'm stuck inside.
Karen - Welcome aboard! We love new friends. You have had fantastic success. I have a long way to go too, but together we'll get there.
Jennifa - Thanks for the kind words. Sorry to hear that the pink bike is down and out. That's a good philosophy about play rather than exercise. Wish I lived closer to you - I'd come out and play too. I'd love a turn on the pink bike.
Pat - Congrats on the maintain. Keep hanging in there and you'll get the losing will start soon. I'm with you on getting serious. You're right - we've done it before and we're going to do it again. Thanks for the helping hand.
Judy - Gosh, I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so poorly. Get well soon. And don't worry about the medicine causing you to retain water. If you have a gain on Saturday, you'll know what it will be from and you'll lose it by the next Saturday. Just take care of yourself. Thanks for the hugs!
I had a great day yesterday and managed to bank 4 points. I should note that I decided to go completely back to 123. Once Winning Points came out I combined the two programs and while I didn't count points for carrots and onions and I didn't cap fiber at 4 grams, I was using the point range for Winning Points. I decided to go back to what I know and what worked for me in the past, so I'm using the 123 point range and when I get my butt back in gear and start exercising again, I'll use the exercise point system from 123 also. That's my story and I'm sticking to it... for now. I'm well on track for today as well. Tomorrow is weigh-in day. Hopefully there will be some movement downward. If not, next week is going to be a great weigh-in for sure.
Judy - Congratulations on the loss. Take care of that bronchitis and don't worry about the water retention. If you have a gain, you'll know why.
Karen - This place is great for support. I had never followed any program this long before. I think coming here has kept me from quitting.
Carla - Good idea to go back to 123 since you know it works for you. Sounds like you are well on your way to getting back on track.
I've done better today...at least with snacking. I'm trying to add some protein to my snacks to keep me satisfied longer. It does make it harder on points though. I got in another walk tonight. At least I've got that habit back.
Hi Karen - yes, you're right. Getting better is the most important thing. Although I've just taken the first day dose (the largest number of pills in the pack) I don't feel like I'm retaining anything so maybe it won't affect me. More importantly, the stuff is working and I can feel the improvement.
Carla - I'm so sorry you're stuck inside. It's beautiful here too but I'm going to be careful about the amount of time I'm outside (a little as a time) since this is probably a prime allergy day. Have you seem a doctor about your ankle and knees recently? I'm thinking that you may need some physical therapy to strengthen those areas. I'm so glad you had a good day on Monday. Yes, I think you are smart to go back to what you know and what works. Winning Points is just tinkering with the basic forumla of success (in my opinion). Good luck on this morning's weigh in.
Pat - Way to go on getting another walk in. Yup, you've got that back. I also think it's a great idea to add protein to your snacks even if it makes it tougher on points. They are more filling and satisfying. One snack I like is to hard boil a few eggs, and make an "egg salad" without the yokes and with l.f. mayo (the kind that's 15 calories a TB). Slap that between 2 slices of N.O. bread and you have a 2.5 point snack that's as filling as a meal!
I did OK yesterday although I ate at my max. I made sure to drink plenty of water too. I am feeling a good deal better after the first day on the steroids and that's a big relief. Tony was at the Brooklyn Cyclone's game (for business - the park was named by his company) so I was on my own. I ended up having a lot of little meals throughout the evening which kept me satisfied without that very full feeling. We are drowning in tomatoes and one of my favorite mini meals is a tomato sandwich - home grown tomatoes, l.f. mayo, a little fresh basil, a thin slice of onion, salt & pepper on N.O. bread -yummy! BTW, my sneak peek was very good this morning.
Pat - Yes, I do feel like I'm back on track. I just have to keep reminding myself that I need to take it one day at a time. I'd say you definitely have the walking habit back. As for the snacks, I'm glad to hear it went better yesterday with that. I think that your plan to add more protein to your snacks is a wise one. Judy's suggestion was great. Another one to try is a "grilled" cheese sandwich using nf or low fat cheese. Using NO breads this costs me 2 points and counts as a milk serving too! I do this for breakfast a lot. Let us know what other snacks you come up with. I'm always looking for new ideas.
Judy - OK, that's it. I'm hopping a plane and coming to New York for one of those tomato sandwiches. You have me positively drooling here. Our garden is completely overgrown. I keep telling John to hire someone to plow it over; he keeps insisting he's going to buy a roto-tiller and do it himself. He has no free time as it is, so it doesn't get done. I'm taking charge and hiring someone and next year, by golly, I'm putting in tomatos. Glad to hear the medicine is helping you. And, I forgot to congratulate you on your loss. Way to go! I think you're right - I probably do need some physical therapy on my knee and ankle. I have to schedule my yearly exam and will ask my doctor about it. Luckily the hospital system that he is a part of built a beautiful fitness center in my town last year and they do therapy, etc.
I'm very pleased to report that I weighed in one pound lighter this morning. I had another good day yesterday. I used up three of my banked points because we did Mexican for dinner, but hey, that's what they're there for. I was ecstatic yesterday when I got to the train station and saw the big "Store Closing" sign at Sweet Factory (aka Satan's candy store). For those of you who don't know, this is a bulk candy store that stares me in the face when I go to catch my train home everynight. It's been my downfall more than once when I've had a bad day. Now, one less temptation to work through.
Way to go Carla on that great loss! You are on your way girlfriend! Oh, and I literally started clapping when I read that the evil Sweet Factory is closing - hallelujah! Listen, anytime you want to hop on a plane to NY you are welcome to tomatoes, roses, you name it! Seriously though, we did hire someone to "cut out" the sod from the area where we plant each year (we marked out the area). We both love gardening so we are both involved in preparing the bed each year (mixing manure into the plot is a great workout), selecting & planting the plants (we also grow parsley and basil - tried some others but over the years just stick with those + tomatoes). I will admit however, that Tony is Mr. Tomato (and actually Mr. Garden). Every evening, he makes himself a drink when he comes home and "surveys the estate" as we joke about it (he wanders around the front, side and backyard). He fusses over the tomato plants (the roses are my job) and generally checks out how everything is growing (flowers, bushes, etc.) So I consider myself very lucky because he loves it as much as I do. Of course, we also have a landscaper who deals with the weekly mowing (we decided when we were buying a house that we had to work that into the budget - Tony had done all the lawn care in his "previous life" and said that was enough).
Judy
Oh, and I'm glad to hear that you'll have those knees and that ankle looked at!
Judy - I'll be there! Actually, I think I mentioned before that I like gardening in theory, but not so much in practice. John, when he has time, does enjoy it and tends to his roses quite lovingly. We (me, my mom, his mom) have been trying to convince him to hire a mowing service. We have 3/4 of an acre, so you can imagine that just mowing takes up a good chunk of time. But he's so stubborn and feels like he should do it on his own. At any rate, I'm happy to leave all things outdoors to him. I'm really tempted to just sod over the garden area (it's quite large because the original owner was retired and loved his gardening). But even if we do that, I'm going to try some tomatos in pots next year. I'm dreaming of fresh salsa, gazpacho, a sandwich........
I chuckled when I read about Tony surveying the estate. There's a hill in our back yard that divides it naturally. Everythng before the hill is lawn, beyond it is the garden and the apple trees. The original landscaping reinforces the division. At any rate, we call the part behind the hill the "back 40".
Judy - Glad to hear you are starting to feel better. Thanks for the snack idea. Actually I had thought of fixing some hard boiled eggs earlier this evening and then forgot about it. You've just reminded me to get them done.
Carla - Congratulations on the loss and another good day. I'm sure you were relieved to see that the Sweet Factory is closing. Just too much of a temptation after a rough day. I used to make the cheese sandwich every once in a while for breakfast but haven't thought about it in a while. I'll have to have it again. My biggest problem is coming up with a protein snack for work. I've taken string cheese and an apple several days, but I'm afraid I'll get tired of that. I have a refrigerator at work, but no microwave.
I won't join you in the gardening. Darrell's family always had a huge garden when he was growing up and he says he has done all the weeding, etc. that he ever wants to. Sara and I are the only ones that like tomatoes anyway, so we rely on our families to give us some.
I had a good day today foodwise and took another walk. I'm feeling more in control and things around the house are settling down. Only two more days until the holiday weekend. Does anybody have plans? None for me...Darrell and Sara are both working most of the weekend.
Carla - The "back 40" I love it! Wow, John mows 3/4 of an acre. Actually, that's good exercise for him. Wonder if I can convince Tony... As for growing tomatoes in pots - my Mom does it every year. They live in an apartment (as I did almost my entire life) but have a terrace. My Mom has these huge containers (you can get them in syrofoam I think) and she grows tomatoes as well as herbs every year.
Pat - I'm so glad that you are feeling more in control. Way to go on getting that walk in. Do you like yogurt? That's another protein snack idea - I get Breyer's Light (Fat Free) which is only two points. If I think of another protein snack, I'll let you know.
We have plans for Saturday & Sunday. Saturday we are babysitting for Anthony (Krista is working and his father says he can't take him). We plan on going to the pool which he loves. Sunday we are probably going to my sil's to see our new great niece. We were supposed to go the weekend I came down with bronchitis. I think it should be OK - after 11 days of antibiotics I'm sure I haven't been contagious in a while and I'm feleing better and stronger every day.
I had a pretty good day yesterday - I ate in the middle of my range. Tony and I had a great dinner - N.O. pancakes with blueberries! My sneak peek was great this morning. I don't think I'm retaining water at all. If the sneak peek stays the same on Saturday, I will have lost what I gained on vacation. I'm going to do everything I can to be sure it stays good!
Weigh in at home 8/27-9/2
I'm well on track for today as well. Tomorrow is weigh-in day. Hopefully there will be some movement downward. If not, next week is going to be a great weigh-in for sure.
