Pixies Power

[maddy]

WI - is drinking hot tea an option for you? I personally don't like coffee or tea of any variety - but it seems you are looking for something heated now.

Thanks for all the supportive words, everyone. I'm feeling a bit better today about this lifestyle thing.

Work on the other hand was a series of stressors today. I came later than I wanted to and just felt exhausted. My 45 minutes on the treadmill were long and brutal, but I got through them.

Hopefully I'll get a good night of rest, I'm going to need it to get through the rest of the week.

[fzzy]

great news osuche ... I'm striving to get to the point where I don't have to take any (over-the-counter) pills for the knees, etc. ... may be a ways away still, but I've managed to cut back by 1 (was taking 4/day now 3/day) most days and I see that as a good thing!

maddy ... hope tomorrow is an easier day for you! What a great job you're doing though, even in the down times you keep at the treadmill, wonderful!!!

Lil ... also hope tomorrow is a better day for you ... glad you were down this morning, but make sure you get enough to sustain your energy needs! - just a bit of mom coming out in me I guess :)

WI and Aqua ... way to keep at it ... such habits have years worth of conditioning behind them and every step forward is a good thing!

IAKG so glad you are making progress with the sugars thing ... that is so great!

And me, I've made it through another day ... managed for the last three days to keep my calories in the middle range .. I thought I had been at the top of the range on Sunday, but got looking at my list of what I ate (looked at it on monday) and realized when i cut and pasted some of the info from the previous day, I hadn't removed a lean cuisine entree, so after deleting it from the total ... all of the last three days, I've been in the 1600-1700 range ... that makes me happy! Off to bed now.

[maddy]

I don't have the link, but perhaps tonight I will find it again, I read an article last night about how when losing weight (fat) your body releases the stored hormones which can cause differing things to happen. This can range from all the normal pre-menstrual activities to menopause activities. I wasn't sure I bought into it at first until I saw Lil's post in Lou's pregnancy tips thread. It could definitely explain the emotions I'm going through this week. And having an explanation brings me some form of relief.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Maddy, I think I've read that article, but it's been awhile. If you could find the link, that would be great. I know re-reading the one I posted about weighing every day (and how the scale lies) helped my mental state some yesterday. I do think I'm PMSing this week. It seems like last month I had this issue--I exercised several times that week, yet I had no weight loss. Then, the Hut came early. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that is the case now, too.

Lil~While you may not feel in control of everything at work, just remember that your eating IS something over which you have a great deal of control.

Aqua/WI~It sounds as if you both remain focused, and that's just wonderful. Please keep us posted--I know we're all cheering for you.

Osuche~You seem to have a more positive attitude this week than in recent ones, and I'm sure that has to do with how well you feel physically. That's terrific. ((osuche)) Oh, and, yeah, the VS came in. :D

fzzy~You are my inspiration!



BTW, I just have five words for everyone:

"SKINNY COW ICE CREAM SANDWICHES."


OMG, I think I'm in heaven! And, Lil, they're made with Splenda! Two points! :)

[osuche]

Day #5 with no meds. :) I woke up sore this morning and took some ibuprofen, but nothing stronger. And I held myself to 1800 calories last night...I came home at 8 pm and was so exhausted and sick (the ear infection and sore throat still bother me) that I went staight into the bath. After the bath, I *made* myself eat soem dinner since I was only at 1200 calories for the day. I didn't want to eat, but I knew I should.

And between the bath, some Tylenol, and some food, I almost felt human again by the time I went to bed. Although I still haven't studied much this week...which has to change.

WI -- Do you like hot chocolate? Might be a good alternative. I personally think the Carnation packets of hot chocolate (while not great for dieters) are yummy.

Aqua -- Sounds like you're making progress. Ever thought of having Mt Dew-free days? ;) Just so you have another peak to conquer. :D And congrats on the weiht loss. Damn I bet you look sexy. ;)

IAKG -- Yes, I am more positive. I've been making a conscious decision to do so...life is too short to be miserable all the time. ;) And I am glad you got all your loved ones back safe and sound.

Lil -- I doubt you will fail at your endeavor. Just showing up -- and caring -- is more than many of your lost boys have gotten before. You are wonderful. And you have too much perseverence to fail.

maddy -- way to go on the working out, despite a bad day! Most of the time, if the day is really bad, I lack such discipline. And I think you're right about the hormonal swings.

fzzy -- Congrats on staying in your range (which is pretty low, challenging goal!) and also staying positive. You *are* an inspiration for us all.

[Lilith]

WTF is wrong with this thread????? Aqua and I both noticed it is no longer fitting into my computer window. Anyone else having trouble ONLY with this thread?????

[osuche]

Yep.


I think it needs to lose weight. :p

[Lilith]

We've packed so much love and support into 1 thread it's swelling up :p

BTW TY guys for keeping me on track!

[maddy]

I noticed that yesterday - it's the link IAKG posted it wrapped funny and made it all swollen. But I have mine set to 20 posts/page so I'm onto a new page now :)

I decided I am not doing the treadmill tonight - who knows that might change as the night passes. I had some weird nausea feelings on the way home tonight and thought that perhaps it's the day to take off. I've been on it consistently for 23 days in a row - I deserve a day off now and again, right? If I'm feeling better after I eat dinner maybe I will jump on for 20 minutes rather than my normal 45.

[Aqua]

Thank you maddy!! :)

[Lilith]

It's fixed for me now :p

[fzzy]

Yep, my screen looks fine again too ... thanks to all for getting it fixed!

maddy, taking a break is actually good for the muscles now and then, it gives them time to rebuild and rejuvenate. 23 days in a row is amazing!

Osuche, wonderful that you are continuing to be able to be off the meds, congrats!

IAKG ... I'm ignoring that reference to ice cream ... one of my all time total weaknesses is ice cream and even with the low cal versions, I eat it til it's gone most of the time, so I wouldn't even dare have it in the house - at least not for quite awhile yet ... but good to know when I have to have it and can't hold out anymore, there's a better alternative!! :)

Tonight I'm on the high end of my calorie range, but still inside it ... somedays you just need a bit more I think, that's the purpose of having a range I think! Anyway, hope you all have a great Thursday!

[Aqua]

Yep, my screen looks fine again too ... thanks to all for getting it fixed!
Thanks fzzy... I found the link that Maddy mentioned and fixed it so it wasn't tweaking the screen.

[maddy]

I got back on the treadmill tonight, not quite as long as I had been a few days ago... but got a good little walk in before American Idol came on.

I had a highly positive day today and I'm hoping it carries over to some of the frustrations my scale has been providing me as of late. And to add to that positivity today - I had another person remark to me today about my noticeable body change... that's highly encouraging and motivating to me. That's a whole TWO now :). Many people have observed the change of my eating habits, but few have remarked that they see a change in my image/shape/size.

[fzzy]

Way to go maddy!! And glad you had a great day!

I was so busy at work today that I got home tonight and realized I didn't stop even to grab something to eat for lunch ... so busy that I didn't even realize it til I went to record what I had eaten during the day ... and even with that, I was fine when I got home, didn't overeat, just had a quick snack to get me through til dinner time and ate a regular dinner for me .... am ending the day in the 1600-1700 calorie range again. Off to bed now. :)

[osuche]

I went out to dinner last night and Between Mr Osuche and I we managed to polish off *two* small loaves of Itialian bread and some olive oil. Of course, then we were both too full to eat our dinners, so we took a couple of bites and had them packed up. :p

All in all, not a good calorie day...I think I ended up at 2100, and 1100 of them were dinner. Yikes! But I will be better today.

My one redeeming thing was that I worked out and burned about 450 calories on the stairmaster....so maybe I won't suffer too much from the over eating.

Today is my last day to study before finals, so I suspect stress may get to me. I need to watch myself today.

PS -- Still med free. :D

[maddy]

I think I'm changing my weigh in day - I seem to have really good scale days on Saturdays. I'll think about that some more throughout the day before I commit to it.

Today is a great day - the weather is beautiful and I've got a lot accomplished already. I just got down with my shower and thought it was time to pull out the next size smaller jeans and give them a try. They fit, sorta. I can get them on and fastened - just they are much tighter in the thigh than I like - another week or so and they will be the new jeans and I will have to find another cheap pair to shrink into. So today I have the ones on that are quickly becoming too big, along with the belt I purchased sometime in January. I'm up to notch 4 (started in the first notch) with only one more remaining before this belt is history.

With today's victories I'm about 6 lbs away from the first goal I set for myself to have met by the first weekend of April.

osuche - great job with the meds - it must be a tremendous feeling of joy and accomplishment.

fzzy - odd how sometimes we get so busy we don't think about eating... sometimes my brain waits too long to give me the message about needing food and then I feel like I could eat a horse.

[Lilith]

I ate junkie today and so I feel bad but I was 8 calories under my goal still so I figure I still have a tic tac or two coming :p

[fzzy]

osuche ... hope the finals went/go great!

maddy .... great news ... postive changes are accumulating!!!

Lil ... lol ... give me those calories, I ended up 5 over last night! :)

Still have to eat my dinner and probably an evening snack, but I have almost 900 calories left for the day, so I should be ok.

[fzzy]

ended up slightly under the top of my calorie range yesterday ... and then today did much better ... in the 1600-1700 range again .... heading off to bed now ... YEAH!!!! most of us have now completed 10 weeks ... I'm so amazed at that ... can't believe I've made it so long and still feel ok about the whole process! Thanks everyone ... SOOOO much!!!

[Aqua]

I don't feel so good today. I had no breakfast (unusual for me), a couple Dews (normal for a Sunday), a granola bar, a package of Grandma's chocolate/chocolate chip cookies, a package of pop-tarts, and then I also had a large chocolate milkshake, a Sourdough Jack hamburger, and a large fry for dinner. Add the stress of the today's workday to that and BAM!... unhappy Aqua tummy. :(

[Lilith]

I ate out too much thise week and made poor choices I had a gain :(

[Aqua]

(((Lil)))
No time like the present to get back on track.

You can do it!

[maddy]

I've been happy dancin' all weekend. I finally broke through the 20lb loss mark - I've been skirting on the edges of it for 2+ weeks and it's been highly frustrating. I also broke through a "decade" at the same time. I had a "good" loss this week of 3lbs, it makes up for the frustration of the past two weeks.

I'm not sure what my problem was yesterday - most of the day I was incredibly hungry (stomach growling and pains) but couldn't pinpoint what it was that I wanted. Everytime I went to the kitchen to find something to eat nothing looked appealling. I finally got my appetite back at dinnertime and ate like a pig.

[Aqua]

Yay Maddy! Excellent progress!!

[osuche]

Congrats, maddy! That's awesome. ((((maddy))))

Lil, you've had a lot of stress lately. Please don't beat yourself up about it. Today is a new day.

((((Aqua)))) looks like you had a long hard night. I can understand wanting some Dew....and a few Tums too. :D


As for me.....I've eaten like a pig since Thursday, but I tried to correct it yesterday and finally got back into my range. I tried a new pilates workout CD last night too, and I think it gave me a decent workout.

I am still net down 7 lbs, which is OK but nothing like you guys...but I have managed to keep the couple of pounds I lost while I was sick off. Also, I should have LOTS of water weight gain by now (2 days before my period) and the scale is holding firm. Who knows?

I am still med free, and I've been working on my stress level. My Dr has been yelling at me about my blood pressure, and I'm going to see what diet, exercise, and stress management will do to help.

I took Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday off and didn't do a damn bit of work or homework. I *did* clean house, cook, and shop....but I did nothing that would have made me stressed or obsessive about my responsibilities. And you know what? I'm not stressed. Mission accomplished. :D

[IAKaraokeGirl]

I've missed you guys, but it sounds as if you ALL have been busy.

Congrats, of course, to maddy--that is soooooooooo awesome!

Lil...look at it this way--last week is going to trick your metabolism into speeding up. You cut down this week, and it's still going to burn at a higher level. ;)

osuche~Let me know about that stress thing, will ya? Seems like I could probably use some advice. :)

fzzy~We all seem to be in the same "time range" as far as commitment, and I, too, am amazed sometimes that I've stuck with my regimen thus far. Support groups--online or otherwise--are wonderful!


As for me...Friday's weigh-in was as I suspected it might be. I showed neither a loss nor a gain for the week, despite being active 4 of the 7 days and staying within my point range. However, Saturday morning I entered the Hut...and peeking at the scale since, I'm down 3+ lbs. since Friday's weigh-in. Looking at my chart, I realize that I followed the same pattern *last* month, so I guess I'm going to have to stop obsessing nearly as much and realize that one week of the month my reading is going to be "off." Regardless, if the scales continue as they are, this Friday (or more likely next Friday) I'll pass the 20.0+ lb. lost mark myself AND I'll be in a new "decade." I may drop over in a dead faint when that happens. :D

[maddy]

Hi IAKG - good to see you here again :)

Stress! Let me tell you something about that - it's a huge waste of energy! Looking back I think it's some of what held back my progress in the two weeks prior. I have been trying to make improvements to my stress level as part of my overall lifestyle change. I know stress doesn't do a darn bit of good for me physically, emotionally or mentally. Don't get me wrong I thrive on it and do well under pressure - but the excesses of stress and pressure I was under were not worth it.

Lucky for me I'm slowly finding things to occupy my time and some are still food related. I'm finding the joy of cooking. I spend enough time in my kitchen on the weekends making my meals for the week but I enjoy it. It's not a chore to me. And at least it's not baking brownies :eek:.

[maddy]

I just did my treadmill thing... I got in 2.6 miles and am feeling good. My new routine that I'm trying for awhile is to do the treadmill every other day.

Something I read on WW this weekend that might help some of you with your weight loss and understanding what is "realistic" - a slow and steady sustainable weight loss is about 10% every three months. For example: if you start at 200, losing the first 20 should take about 3 months, the next 18, should take an additional 3 months, etc. This put some things in perspective for me. Now I know that this is going to be a looooooong journey for me and I can set goals that are hopefully realistic.

[fzzy]

Good job maddy ... and I know what you mean about it being a looooong journey!

IAKG glad to see you back ... I think you actually have a few extra days on me ... plus that time that you were losing even before you joined WW ... glad your scale is being a bit more friendly this week!

Aqua ... sorry you weren't feeling so great earlier, hope things have improved a lot since then for you.

Lil ... it's a new week ... I have my days when I know I could do so much better, but then I remember how bad I was before deciding to make these changes ... it puts it all back in perspective for me ... some changes come in stages ... heaven knows .. I've had 40+ years of getting myself into the good stages ... and to be truthful, I'm never certain that tomorrow will find me still making better choices ... I just have toooooo much history of not making the good choices to feel any kind of confidence beyond a few hours or so ahead. But we only fail if we don't keep trying. Glad you're still trying with the rest of us!

I've ended my day nudging at the high end of my calorie range ... discovered Pringles 100 calorie snack packs and ate a couple more than 1 ... ooops ... now they are a farther distance from my usual sitting spot and hopefully they won't be a problem again ... I also found 90 calorie individual bags of marshmallows ... I bought some, figured if I have a massive craving then I can have those ... I like marshmallow, but it's not one of those foods that I ever eat a lot of in one sitting, so it's a fairly safe option for me. Anyway, off to bed now ... hope everyone has a great day tomorrow!

[osuche]

fzzy....I've tried marshmallows and the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Both seem to satisfy the sweet craving for me. And sometimes you just gotta have it. :)

As for me....I was BAD yesterday. I was well within my range after lunch (about 100 calories total for the day) and went to the gym for a good long workout. Then w ehad a cookout at our place and I had *two* bratwurst and dessert and some wine. I ended way over my range (about 2700 calories, to be exact) but I did have fun. The party was a success.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

osuche, one tough day does not make a failure out of you, as you know. You relaxed, you had a good time...and, chances are, you won't be duplicating that scenario anytime soon, anyway. ((osuche))

fzzy, we're all learning in this--about making better choices, and more about ourselves. It seems like you already know some positive steps to take to lessen the temptation. That's admirable, trust me.

maddy, I think the every-other-day treadmill thing will work just fine for you. I know I have to do some creative arranging of my schedule to get in my 3-4 days a week at the gym--and two of those usually come on the weekends. Still, the fact that you're more active--period--is an achievement on its own.

As for me, and speaking of cravings...I gave into one tonight. I let my children talk me into going to KFC for dinner. :D I was only up to 13 points of my 22 for the day before, and I calculated as I was eating (and verified after getting home tonight) that I consumed an additional 15 at the restaurant. BUT, I did 4 miles on the treadmill tonight, and that, combined with some other physical stuff I did today, brings me back down to my 22 points--no flex points used. It doesn't sound like something big, but to me it is. Yay for me. :)

[fzzy]

Way to be IAKG ... congrats on your day!

osuche, I agree with IAKG .. it was an event, sometimes they come at us without much warning, life is meant to be lived .... in the midst of it all we try to make the best choices for that moment, sometimes that means some endulgences, because it's the best choice for that moment!

I've made it through another day and feel good about it ... this time I wasn't quite so close to the top of my calorie range, more toward the middle, so I'm happy about that. heading off to bed soon.

[WildIrish]

I think enough time has passed to get a real answer to this.

In what ways do you feel different regarding your changes? We've heard of physical impacts (loose jeans, increased endurance, and I'm still in awe of fzzy's seatbelt achievement), and the emotional impacts (hitting the "I haven't weighed this amount in ten years", satisfaction from overcoming temptations, and again...the seatbelt). And there have been countless other thoughts. But have you had the thought that you truly have turned another page? That you see/feel/think something that made you say "This is working, and I am doing it!"?

I call it the "aha" moment. That moment when the lightbulb goes on over your head. When you realize something and say "aha".

Has the aha hit you?

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Hmmmmmm...I'm not totally sure I understand the question, but I'll try to respond.

Of course I'm thrilled about dropping clothing sizes and compliments from those around me. But maybe the "Aha!" for me is two-fold. First of all, I think a huge eye-opener for me has been my dedication to physical activity--and the fact that I make it a *priority* now. I push myself every day to do a little more than I did the previous day, and I am disappointed when things don't work out and I can't make it to the gym. Three months ago, I'd have never believed that I would sustain motivation for physical activity, or that I'd *enjoy it.*

Secondly, I've just seen an amazing reflection of my better diet choices/that physical activity in my blood sugars. I find that I'm looking for "better" food when I go out to eat or when I'm grocery shopping, and I'm doing it without even thinking about it. It's becoming second-nature--and I've found that I really, honestly, don't miss certain things. From time to time, I'll allow myself a little treat, but even then it's not an urge--more like a reward.

Those two things in particular show me that I've accepted this as a lifestyle change and not something simply designed to get me to a certain weight before allowing myself unabandoned freedom. The fact that they're natural to me now--and something I consider important--only confirms that.

[maddy]

I had a nice long reply typed HERE then poof... I'll have to think all over again.

[fzzy]

LOL at the seatbelt thing ... although I have to say, there is still a part of me that wonders just as I'm about to put it on every night and morning ... "has this just been a fluke, will it still really fit?" gratefully, it not only continues to fit, but now there is a bit of give in it as well.

At 47+ yrs of age, and no time in my past having stuck to a healthy lifestyle plan for this long (as far as I can remember anyway - and certainly not without having some major cheating happening during the time), I'm amazed that I'm still doing it .... and that it continues to be easier than it ever has been before for me ... other than those couple of pre-hut days, I've not even had any CRAVINGS since the first or second week .... I crave things sometimes, but the cravings have been easily re-directed.

However, after so many years of living NOT healthy lifestyle, I'm still doing the one day at a time thing ... though for the most part, I'm past the one or two hours at a time ... that's progress ... and like IAKG I'm finding that I'm able to make healthier choices more easily, which is a good thing, because the weight I'd like to lose will ultimately take me at least 16-24 months or more. But I do feel like I'm making progress toward becoming a truly more health conscious thinker and do-er.

[Aqua]

As far as seatbelts go, my only concern is getting the lap belt part positioned high enough to unzip my fly on those occasions I need 'relief' on the freeway. :p

[maddy]

Okay, let me try this aha thing again...

I've had a lot of little aha's, I'll list a few of them here:
- making it up two flights of stairs with a full large laundry basket and not being winded at the top.
- not occassionally slipping my back out of alignment with simple movements.
- being able to more comfortably cross my legs in that lady-like manner.
- having chocolate nearly every single day and seeing results anyway.
- walking through the cookie aisle at the store and not even being tempted.

For me the changes I've made in my life have not been exclusively about losing weight, but about making me a priority. This includes making sure I'm healthy, reducing my stress levels, doing things I enjoy, and making sure that my career is a part of my life rather than being my life.

I'm learning plenty in the process too - like I actually like vegetables and fruit and can manage to eat them with every single meal (not counting potatoes!).

[fzzy]

great question by the way WI ... it's always a good thing to reflect upon such things when trying to make improvements in our lives! I have enjoyed reading the responses and enjoyed thinking about my own response as well!

Time for bed for me now, but figured I better report in ... did pretty well today on calories, just over 1600 ... course that was mainly because I was doing errands, etc. after work so didn't get home until it was dinner time, then after dinner just didn't want to go to the bother of getting up to pull together an after dinner snack. That's probably a good thing for me to do! :)

[IAKaraokeGirl]

All right, I've decided that doing four miles on the treadmill one night and three miles the next is not conducive if I want to do something crazy, like live the next 30-40 years. I've also figured out that, while losing weight is GREAT, getting less calories burned for the same amount of exercise you did before when you were heavier SUCKS.


You may now return to your regular program. :D

[osuche]

I've been kinda bad this week, and yesterday was the first time I ended under 1900 calories. :( But it's pre-Hut week, and I've had a lot of stress at work...so who knows? I'm not beating myself up about it, and the scale isn't either. Funny, but I haven't even gained the water weight this week....so unless I'm really down 5 lbs, it's been a funny week altogether.

This morning I woke up in major pain -- first flare up I've had since off of the arthritis meds. I'm hoping I can make it through the day on ibuprofen. Of course, I have no choice. The meds I used to take build up in your system over a 2 week period and thus there is no "safety net" prescription alternative for me. Hopefully if I can make it through today I will be better tomorrow.

As for the aha's, most of which I discovered about 2.5 years ago during my stint of losing 55 lbs:
* Your health really is worth working hard for -- and it's like another job. You gotta put in the time in order to get positive feedback. No shortcuts.
* I -- little mis un-athletic -- LIKE the endorphin rush from going to the gym...and my reflexes and balance have been MUCH better since going to the gym. Some people even call me graceful now. :D
* Prescription meds are a choice, not a necessity for me....at least not right now.
* Stop living to eat. Next week you won't be able to remember what you ate today...so quit being so fixated on eating the "perfect" food.

And my biggest revelation:
* Damn I'm sexy! And I look good too. :D You laugh, but it's nice getting the wolf whistles on the street I hadn't gotten since college. ;)

[WildIrish]

I first learned of "the aha hitting you" in Algebra Two class, in high school. The teacher was a very old man that talked like he had swallowed broken glass and had a crush on Vanna White.

He told us one day, early in the class, that he doesn't enjoy math. He doesn't like having his summers off because when school starts back up...it's hard for him to be enthusiastic about coming back to work. He teaches for one reason. "The aha moment". He said "There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a person's face the moment the aha hits them. And teaching Algebra, the most abstract concept to comprehend, affords me that opportunity." Ever since then, I've been interested in knowing what people's aha moment is. Sorry if it's a dumb or irrelevent question, but I thought it would prove interesting, and also do some good to reflect back on how far everyone has come.

[Lilith]

I just watched the ABC PrimeTime on the theory of game therapy. The weightloss portion was very interesting. For those of you who did not see it they took 5 overweight people and photographed them in skimpy bathing suits and then told them to lose 15 pounds in 8 weeks or have the photos exposed on national television. 4/5 lost at least 15 some losing as much as 25. Amazing.

[fzzy]

Wow it's almost Friday again ... another day completed "successfully" ... almost at the top of my calorie range, but somedays are like that! :)

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Lil, that *is* fascinating, but not surprising, if you really think about it. I know it would motivate *me!*

fzzy, top of range or not, you're still where you want to be, right? And that's great!


As for me, it *is* Friday, which means it's weigh-in day. Now, I had that whole "Hut" thing in preparation last week, so I really don't think I lost it all in the last seven days, but this morning I'm down 4.5 lbs. from last Friday, 23.5 since 12-30, AND it puts me in a new "decade." I stood on the scale four consecutive times to make sure I really was seeing what I thought I was seeing--after I picked myself up off the floor, of course.

This puts me at basically the half-way mark of my ultimate goal, although, after figuring in my body type, I could get away with only losing 15 more. I can only figure that pushing myself at the gym this week and the extra activity I did was a huge, huge factor

[Lilith]

I am truly so happy for you. You made a decision to do something about you weight and you can see it's paying off. Grats!

[osuche]

I am back in the game with a vengence. I should start my period sometime this weekend...and as of this morning I am down another 2 lbs. WTF? I work like heck for 2 months and go to the gym 5 days a week....then I lose weight after I get sick and go to the gym less often??? I don't get it, but I am going wo keep doing what I'm doing now and hope the trend continues.

So what's different sice I got sick?
* No more arthritis meds
* No weight lifting at the gym...only cardio and less intensive cardio at that! (focusing on keeping my heart rate in range, not pushing my self as hard as possible)
* I eat when I want, snack thru the day
* I stay around 1900-2000 calories
* I take a 15 min walk in the middle of the morning to get some tea and take the stairs at work
* I am drinking a LOT of green tea and have eliminated coffee permanently from my diet (as of 2 weeks ago)

In 2 weeks I've lost about 7 lbs....after I'd regained some of my 2 month weight loss...I'm down 10 lbs net.

[maddy]

Great job IAKG and osuche.

I'm in pain these days ... I went down an exceedingly high number of stairs in heels the other day for our impromptu firedrill. My thighs are still aching and letting me know they were not happy about that activity. Unless something drastic happens before Monday (and the weekends have been good to me in the past), I won't have a loss on Monday's weigh in. I'll be getting back to my daily treadmill routine soon as I'm not sure taking a break is doing me a lick of good.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Hopefully, maddy, your metabolism will still be kicking it from when you WERE on the treadmill last...and, regardless, a break while still watching your point intake won't be catastrophic.

osuche, sometimes it's best not to question but just accept. My zen of the day. :D

[sassee]

I just watched the ABC PrimeTime on the theory of game therapy. The weightloss portion was very interesting. For those of you who did not see it they took 5 overweight people and photographed them in skimpy bathing suits and then told them to lose 15 pounds in 8 weeks or have the photos exposed on national television. 4/5 lost at least 15 some losing as much as 25. Amazing.

A local radio station actually did that here, and they threatened the people to lose the weight in a longer time span, I think, or else it would be posted on their website for everyone to see. It worked well even though some people quit it. Still, I think it's interesting too.

[maddy]

I lived in Texas when ^^^ said radio station ran that "contest" - I believe it was the morning show and one of the dj's was part of the "contest", right? And that same dj is now finally expecting a baby.

[fzzy]

Ended last night in the 1600-1700 range ... today, I've not been feeling very well, hopefully it will pass quickly!

[IAKaraokeGirl]

I hope you feel better soon, fzzy!

[osuche]

OK...I've been on the higher side of my calorie range for the past 2 days, but not doing *too* bad. I'm still drinking lots of green tea and doing the other stuff, in hopes that the new routine will continue to pay off. And I've felt better since the flare up on Wednesday -- I actually feel like a real person this morning, and the cold symptoms are reseding, too.

All of this, combined with a really beautiful sunny day today with NO RAIN (although it starts raining again tomorrow) give me hope. :)


fzzy, hope you feel better soon.....and maddy too!

[fzzy]

Yay osuche! Glad you are having a good day ... and thanks for your well wishes, they must have done the trick ... seems it was just a one day thing and other than feeling a little weak, I'm doing great ... the up side is that yesterday I had little appetite for most of the day so my calorie count was under 1600 ... that doesn't happen very often!!!

maddy, hope the legs are feeling better ... I know about that pain from several years ago ... when I was in better shape then I am anywhere near today ... we had 4 fire alarms in three days - 2 in one day and had to trapse down 11 flights of stairs each time, hate to say this, but when the 4th one rang, I stayed at my desk and waited for the announcement that it was a false alarm ... found out after the 3rd time that a new group had moved into the 8th floor and their smoke alarm had a hair (or rather popcorn) trigger. It took me days for my knees and thighs to feel ok again! :)

[Lilith]

11 flights????That's what they make firemen for :D to carry my fat ass down the stairs :D

[maddy]

My thighs finally feel better, I'm not wincing when I have to walk down the stairs at my condo.

I wore my gym pants when I went out shopping today and noticed that fresh out of the dryer they are too big (they are stretchy cotton). So I picked up a new pair of really cute nylon capri pants today - they have a bit of stretch to them. I quite like them :)

I also stocked up on some Kashi cereal and granola bars that were on sale - which meant I needed to clean in the kitchen. I came up with two shopping bags full of food that need to be donated as they are no longer part of my eating plan. I also cleaned out my coat closet today (it doesn't actually have any coats in it) and my next project is going to build shelves in half the closet so it can be part pantry.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

I'm envious of ^^^'s space. :) I also probably need to clean out the kitchen, too...in my case, I have it a LITTLE better, since I have two helpers who might eat the "bad" stuff. Regardless, maddy, I'm definitely glad to hear that you're not hurting as much.

As for me, I was still able to walk this morning after going to the gym twice yesterday, so I did what any insane woman would do--went again today. I did 3 miles on the treadmill and some ab crunches with this cool thing they have (I'm going to have to see if I can get one for home, 'cause I *really* like it)...and then decided to be ambitious and did 10 minutes on the elliptical. I KNOW that that machine was sent from hell to torture me. Of course, I had to do it in two, five-minute intervals, and STILL my heart was begging me for mercy. I am trying to keep in mind that, eventually, I'll build up my stamina, but it's frustrating, as I'm not a patient person.

[maddy]

A little rant I found on a blog this weekend that I think some of us (if not all of us) can relate to on some level ....Fuck You Scale (http://www.freewebs.com/lilybugg7/fyouscale.htm)

[IAKaraokeGirl]

*nods her head in understanding*

[osuche]

Lmao

[Lilith]

I can't get to it :(

[osuche]

Click the "skip this ad" in the top right corner....then I saw it. :)

[fzzy]

OK, this is maybe one of my silly little advances in this process: A week ago I was asked if I would give a talk to a group of people today ... for 10-12 minutes ... talking is easy for me, no fear of public speaking whatsoever, but I was hugely concerned about having to stand up for that long ... when I first started this process, standing in one place was a maximum of about 2-3 minutes and then my back would feel like it was seizing together - very painfully and my knees would stiffen totally so that my next couple of steps would be like me being a toy soldier ... no bend whatsoever, but I would have to move to get to a place where I could sit down so I wouldn't soon start to cry from the shear pain of it ... (I know I can be a bit of a drama queen sometimes!) Well all week long I've been practicing, spending 10-12 minutes standing upright (not always without some walking as well) trying to do it at least 2 times a day ... except yesterday when I wasn't feeling well enough to do so ... I gave my talk today and had no problem getting through it!! YAY!!! :)

[Lilith]

Click the "skip this ad" in the top right corner....then I saw it. :)

I don't even get that.

Congrats fzzy! Feeling better, isn't that the main reason we are all doing this???? It is becoming obvious that you are making big progress especially in the "feeling better" area!

[fzzy]

thanks Lil ... somedays it feels like I'm making no progress and then I'll realize that some specific thing is different and better ... I love those moments!

Ending today on the high side of my calorie count, but that's only 1 day of the Fri, Sat, Sun grouping where that is the case this week ... that's very positive for me! :) Happy monday everyone!

[osuche]

OK. So I'm up a lb this morning, and I am still waiting on the $%&# period to start. I've been crampy and feel bloated, but see no progress yet. And in 3 more days I go back on BC. So who knows???

I've been right around 2000 calories, and probably will be again today. No matter how much I starve myself during lunch, we're headed out to dinner with friends and I know that means t-r-o-u-b-l-e. :D

The positive side is I am still off of the arthritis meds, and that is starting to look like a very permanent change.

((((fzzy)))) ~~ 'grats on a great weekend!

[fzzy]

I'm very excited today ... yesterday's advance was great, but it wasn't something that was on the top of my list to get fixed, I knew it that over time my ability to stand upright for longer periods of time will increase ... but I've been getting a little discouraged because I didn't feel like I was making any progress in a particular area of my body that I hate and of course it's the slowest to have any positive change (always the first to expand when I'm not eating healthy though :( ) to be specific ... the lower abs and belly area ... today however, even though I'm starting the particular belly bloating of the week before my visit to the hut ... I reached a milestone in my progress and I'm so HAPPY! Up til this point, all my progress in that area hasn't been visible really and hasn't even been noticable in the fit of my clothes ... but from this point forward it will begin to be .... YEAH! Thank you so much everyone for your efforts in this process we are going through together .. and thank you for your gentle and caring support of me and others! :) Doing the happy dance so everyone close your eyes ... it's not a pretty sight ... but one day it will be! :)

[maddy]

I'm glad to hear of your victory in the "battle" fzzy, positive reinforcement is incredibly powerful.

Excellent news on the meds, osuche.

As for me, I really wanted to get back on the treadmill today, but I'm not. I'm absolutely exhausted today after a very restless night of sleep and a long day at the office. I'm charging and updating my iPod overnight and will get on the treadmill tomorrow night.

My weigh in was not accurate this morning, so I'm trying again tomorrow. There is no way possible I gained two pounds yesterday!

[IAKaraokeGirl]

maddy, just a thought--did you weigh in before or after breakfast? Believe it or not, eating beforehand really does add weight on--the weight of the food you've just eaten. And we all know the perils of that dreaded water retention.

osuche, you're doing great. I know you're a lot like me in that you're your own worst critic but trust me--progress is progress.

fzzy, unfortunately we're not in control of where we lose the weight, you know? I mean, I'm bemoaning the loss of some...padding on top, while at the same time my hereditarily-determined curse still rules and won't shrink my abdominal area at a rate I'd appreciate. Still, I know that I HAVE lost some inches in my problem areas, just from the fitting of clothes/smaller clothes, and I have to believe that I am doing the right things overall to continue to lose in the spots I'd like.

As for me, it's Day 3-in-a-row for heavy (for me) gym time. Tonight I went to the "real" gym (Gold's, vs. the little gym here at my apartment complex's clubhouse) and did an hour on the treadmill. They obviously have better equipment, and I was very surprised to see that, to keep my heart rate in the target range, I was doing 3.4 mph at inclines between 3-7.4%. When I was done, I'd spent 45:09 in my target heart rate zone with an average heart rate of 126. If what I've read is correct, that's incredible progress for someone who admittedly was nowhere NEAR that three months ago. :D

[fzzy]

Yay IAKG ... great news on your workouts ... and thanks for the encouragement!

maddy ... good to hear you've recovered from your fire drills ... you might have had that restless night because your body is used to a lot more activity and doesn't feel like it's done enough the last couple of days ... I know my mom ... ("Mrs healthy" - lol) walks pretty much every day at a fast pace for 3-4 miles .... which she does outside .. she lives in a small community where everyone knows each other ... so on the rare days that the weather makes it impossible to get out and walk .. she will always have restless nights ... wish I'd learned to be like her more! :)

osuche did I say how proud I am of your success with the meds ... HUGE accomplishment!!

[fzzy]

Reporting in for my day before I go to bed tonight ... made it and ending the day at just over 1700 calories. g'night everyone!

[maddy]

Well the scale was still up this morning so I'm going to suck it up and record the 1 lb gain for last week. I'm less than pleased about it, but now I need to get back on the treadmill tonight and do my thing. I would like to shed 7lbs in ummmm just over two weeks time to meet a goal I initially set for myself. It's not looking very positive now, but I'll give it a shot still.

And I think I'm the only person who can get sick and gain weight during being sick.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

I don't know, maddy. Knowing you, I can't imagine you ate an ADDITIONAL 3500 calories for the week, you know? Regardless of whether your treadmill time has decreased. I know how frustrating it is, though, but maybe you'll be surprised come next Monday.

[osuche]

maddy, I have to think it's water weight. I always gain water weight when I am stressed, and I think I'm detecting a bit of stress in your posts. :) Don't sweat it -- maybe watch your salt intake and see what happens.

fzzy -- I understand about the problem areas. For me, it's my butt. If I could make weight come off of my butt at the same rate as everything else, I'd be so happy!

IAKG -- It's great when you *know* you're more fit than you used to be. For me, it's good to know that I no longer get out of breath at all when going up the 4 flights of stairs to my office -- and I am one of the few who can carry on a conversation while walking up! 'Grats on your BIG victory!

As for me...I was right about yesterday. 2700 calories, and I was only at about 850 after lunch. Two beers and some BBQ threw me over the edge. So I'll have to watch the calories and the workouts for the rest of the week to get back in range....but I had soem MUCH needed R&R time with a very good friend, so it was worth it. Work has been stressful -- I've even considered quitting (even though I've only been there 2 months) and I needed to blow off some steam.

[maddy]

HA! I did it... even though I didn't get home until after 9pm today - I ate a quick dinner, listened to my father ramble on the phone and then did my 2.5 mile routine on the treadmill. I really wanted to skip it since I got home so late, but am really glad I stuck to it. It was a good workout (sweating still!) and I feel better for doing it.

I received a couple more compliments today which always feels good. And I swear my ass is getting smaller. So there ... screw you scale, I am losing weight :b My eating sucked today. I haven't tallied it up yet, but I'm pretty sure that I did not get my veggies in... and I'm certain I'm under points for a second day in a row.

[fzzy]

maddy ... wonderful ... way to stick to your treadmill goal!

LOL at osuche ... ever since I read that I can't get that song out of my head .. you know .. "I like big butts and I cannot lie ...." the funny thing is that the only time I've ever heard that song is from the Friends episode of Ross singing it ... I'm sure it lost something in the translation! :)

ending my day between 1700 -1800 calorie ... I count that as a success ... headed to bed now ...

[IAKaraokeGirl]

No, no, fzzy, I think Ross and Rachel caught the spirit of the song just fine.

(I love that episode!)



:D


Congrats on your successful day!



maddy, that's great that you stuck with it and made your treadmill time a priority. I'm so proud of you (again)!

osuche, sometimes our spirits need as much rejuvenation as our bodies. Hopefully you're feeling a little less stressed than you were. ((osuche))

[osuche]

I decided only one of 2 things can happen (1) we clear the air, or (2) I get fired. Either one I can live with. I have $$ in the bank and recruiters calling me. So I'm trying not to stress over it. :)

Yesterday I stayed in my calorie range, but I ate crap. Not a veggie in sight...and of 1800 calories I spent 400 of them on cupcakes. :p But I *did* work out, and lift weights. So I'm just going to try and do better today.

maddy -- I know how hard it is to work out when you're exhausted. 'Grats for doing it...but I hope you can spend some more relaxation time on yourself later this week.

IAKG and fzzy ~~ I liked the episode too. Although, fzzy -- I personally think Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" is an even better song. :) Either way, I think I made my point. :p

[maddy]

I went out tonight and ate with reckless abandon.... including dessert. I'm allowed a splurge every now and again, right? I had not ate like that in a good three months. It was refreshing to do so and know that I made the choice and tomorrow I can make the choice to go back to lean protein and veggies :). I will be getting back on the treadmill just as soon as American Idol is over.

I'm tired again tonight and am looking forward to my extended weekend that's almost upon me.

[fzzy]

absolutely allowed maddy ... sometimes you got to bust out and break lose ... I'm planning a dinner/dessert like that after I have completed 20 weeks of being good ... just the one dinner/dessert of what I want to eat ... trying to keep the portions in normal sizes, but since as I've mentioned before I've never really made it beyond 10 weeks .. I figure 20 weeks will mean that I'm going to return to the proper type eating after the one meal ... so that's may plan for now anyway... haven't thought yet what it will be that I have then, trying not to focus on food like that until the goal is completed.

Glad you had a good time of it!

[fzzy]

Going to bed now ... made it through another day in my calorie range. Night all!

[osuche]

I'm not down this week, but I am maintaining...and I still have a day or two left on my period. So who knows?

Yesterday I ate fairly healthy -- except for the piece of cake I had at work. But overall a good day....I had a great long workout too. I've added weight lifting back into my workouts...and it feels good.

I also discovered Aleve. One tablet works for 12 hours...so if I take 1 a night, I can get up in the morning and feel fine. I used to pop 2 ibuprofen at night and another 2 in the morning because the dose had worn off over night. Now (instead of 4 pills) I'm taking one OTC dose. I find that if I can get myself up and dressed in the morning, I am fine without meds after I get moving...so one at night is fine for me.

I think that's all for now. The boss bought me a present yesterday (work-related) -- so I suspect I am back on track. Whicjh is one stress relief.

Now all I have to do is work on my homework for the week. No pressure...just 2 days left! :p

[Sugarsprinkles]

I hope it's alright if I join in this thread. Two years ago I decided to do what I could to lose weight. I need to lose a lot.....a whole person, so to speak. Between cutting back calories and going to Curves I lost about 50 lbs. I was still losing when my car broke down and I had to quit going to Curves. That was a bit more than a year ago. My car is still down and don't know when it will be fixed or replaced. I've tried not to get back into bad eating habits, but it's hard. I've gained a bit back, about 15 lbs. I need to get back to watching what I eat, even if I can't get back to Curves for the forseeable future. I think if I can do it with the support of my friends it will be a little easier. I'm not getting any younger and I don't want my weight to shorten my life.

[Aqua]

((((SS))))
Of course you can join in. It's what this thread is for. That's great you were down 50 lbs... but it really sucks you had a setback. Don't give up though.

You can get back to it.... and it'll be great hearing about your progress in this thread!

[osuche]

((((SS))))

Are there exercises you can do at home to help? One thing I've noticed about my body is that cutting calories isn't enough -- I need to exercise too or it's hopeless. I think it has something to do with metabolism.

Either way, welcome to Pixies Power!

[fzzy]

YAY SS ... glad to have you join in .. we're here to offer our friendship and support to anyone who wants to be part of the group ... for as long as you want to be part of the group ... I have about 2 people's worth to lose, so it's good to have ya with us ... use the thread in the way that works best for you ... I make myself report in every night ... it's my way of making sure I'm being accountable for my decisions ... and I also report my oop's and my aha's when I have them ... that helps me to stay on track as well .... and most of all, the great support of the Pixies Power players :) has been really great and very helpful for me. Welcome!

[Sugarsprinkles]

Thanks for the warm welcome to the group. It means a lot.

Is anyone else using Fitday.com or the Fitday software program to help monitor their caloric intake and expenditures?
I used it before and it really did help me. I just fired it back up and entered my current weight and my goal weight and target date. It gave me the number of calories I should take in each day that will help me reach my goal. I'm going to stick with using the program......it helps me be more accountable for what I eat. Although I have quite a bit to lose, I've set a temporary goal of 90 lbs by Dec. 31. That will require a loss of 2.25 lbs per week. More than the program recommends, but only .25 lb more.....so I'm not too worried. I know I didn't gain all this overnight, and I'm sure as hell not gonna lose it overnight.

I'm going to try to do a bit of walking every day. And maybe see if there are some exercises I can do at home. As long as I don't mind my cats staring at me and wondering if I've lost my mind, I'll do fine. LOL

[Lilith]

I use fitday too! osuche intriduced me to it.

[Sugarsprinkles]

Excellent!! Nice to know I'm not the only one. I spent the $ and bought the software and I think it was well worth it. I just opened it up again today and adjusted my goals. I'm limited to about 1,700 calories a day. Makes me wish I hadn't made a "good breakfast" for hubby and me this morning. Used up a lot of my calories there. But I guess that's better than eating the bulk of my calories at night.

I'm having a salad for a late lunch, and will probably have some soup for dinner. With hubby working afternoons I can really control what eat at night.
That will change in a couple of months, darn it, but only over the summer, then it will be back to afternoons once school starts again.

[Pita]

I want to join too please!! I have peeked in here from time to time and saw how great you all are doing and how great the support and advice is. I have been going through so much in my personal life over the last several months I wasn't ready until this week.

I started my diet on Monday and on Tuesday started going to the apartment fitness room to work out. I have done three days of 20 minutes on the treadmill and worked out on the weight machines yesterday, will do that every other day. I have my honey dieting and working out with me, so it is much easier now then it has ever been.

I have been a big girl it seems my whole life. I have yo-yo dieted for over 20 years and this is the first time in my life where I really feel I will succeed and reach my goal. I have a lot of weight to lose, but I am keeping my eye on the prize. A whole new wardrobe!!! :cool:

So far, I have lost 4 lbs since Monday. We all know that the first week is mostly water, but I am still excited! :D

[Lilith]

Grats Tess. So glad to hear you are making choices to make your life better. ((hugs))

[Aqua]

Awesome Tess! Glad to see you in here and working on making changes for the better. :)

[Sugarsprinkles]

C'mon in Tess.........join in the fun! LOL The more the merrier! (((TESS)))

[fzzy]

Yes Tess!!!! ... congrats on the good beginning ... welcome to our group ... so happy you'll be with us now! :) ((((Group Hug)))) :D

[Lilith]

I am desperately trying to get my fat ass back on track. I was gaining it back twice as fast as I lost it. I think I have my motivation back.

[Sugarsprinkles]

Just sitting down to dinner.......no more meals or snacks the rest of the night. Totalled up my calories and I went over my allotment....but by only 100 calories or so. Tomorrow will be better. And I'll be working a lot more calories off tomorrow. It's grocery shopping day......and since I have to shop for a month at a time, I'll get a workout. I dread it, because it's so exhausting, but looking forward to it to burn off some extra calories.

[Pita]

Thanks so much for the welcome everyone! I am so happy to be here and know that my life is finally taking a healthier turn for the better.

Lilith, you do have to get back on your program and don't let discouragment set you back even more. I had lost quite a bit and then put it all back on over the last three months do to stress and a huge life change. I was so pissed at myself for failing. But, I am back on it again and if I mess up I will again restart.

"Never Give Up" is my motto!!

[maddy]

Gosh, I go away for a day and the pixie power multiplied :) Today was pretty miserable. I woke up highly congested, I think I caught osuche's cold that never goes away. So I think I'll be spending another three day weekend sick and am not too excited about it. I didn't get on the treadmill like I said I would last night. I got into my workout clothes, got on the treadmill, took about five steps and just felt physically exhausted. This probably should have been my first clue I was getting sick.

Tonight I had things to do after the work and just got home (much later than I had planned) - and wouldn't have done the treadmill anyway since just breathing is enough of a challenge for today.

[osuche]

(((((maddy))))) ~~ I'd take the cold back, rather than sic it on you. I hope you feel better soon.

Welcome to Tess!!! Sounds like you're already making good progress.

I worked out today and also made some progress on the job/boss front. One step at a time. I am about 150 calories over for today, but I burned about 400 at the gym so...who the heck knows?

I was feeling VERY frustrated and pretty hopeless about ever losing weight tonight -- and stresed about work and home -- and was considering eating a chocolate bar...until I logged in here and read posts from all of you. I think I can make it through another day without eating even more......and I'll hold the damn binge off. It's emotional, not physical.

Thanks to all for inspiring me.

[fzzy]

maddy ... sorry about the cold ... hope you get feeling better soon!!!!

osuche ... yay for your positive decision!

Lil .. we love ya ... hope you find what you need to get to that right mind set ... heaven knows, it's taken me long enough to find it! :) ((((Lil))))

I'm ending my day just under 1700 calories ... and going to bed a bit early for me ... my feet and ankles are all swolen from the pre-hut water retention ... seems to be a little worse than usual ... probably due to the massive salt cravings I've been having ... staying in the calorie range, but taking in too much sodium ... gratefully the worst should be over in a couple of days! Have a great Friday everyone!

[IAKaraokeGirl]

What a wonderful surprise to log in and see the new faces in this thread! I think it's wonderful that you all have joined us, and I'm looking forward to "watching" your progress. :)


And maddy, don't stress too much over the treadmill just yet--get yourself feeling better before pushing things, you know? ((maddy))



Personally, I've had a very weird, very interesting week. I've been under a great deal of stress at work the last month or so, but the woman I work with and I sort of cleared the air with our boss Tuesday, at least for as long as it lasts. I've also had stressors in other parts of my life that have distracted me a bit as well.

But, despite that, and despite the fact I had a glass of wine, Italian food, pizza, and two birthdays, I got to the gym for four good workouts, and I ended at my weigh-in this morning down another pound. The program I'm using to track shows me at an even 2.0 lbs. lost per week since I started, and I'm a half-pound away from 25 lost since 12-30. I have 23 more to go.

Maybe more telling than that, though, was the episode I had yesterday afternoon, which honestly scared the crap out of me. For the first time since I was pregnant with my daughter and giving myself insulin shots, I had a hypoglycemic episode. Fortunately, I knew how to handle it, and I called my doctor afterwards. She confirmed what I kind of already suspected--I've lost enough weight and have been active enough that my body has again started to use the insulin it produces...but I am also still on medication designed to jump start my body to do that very thing. Obviously, it kicked my body into overdrive.

For the next three days, we're playing scientist and experimenting--I'll be diabetes medication-free. I'll watch my sugars, and, if they're within an acceptable range, I may not have to go back on them, controlling it with diet and exercise. I've got all fingers and toes crossed.

And did I mention that, for the first time in the four Fridays since I bought them, I'm wearing my new (smaller) jeans? I've tried them on every Friday morning since purchasing them, but no luck until today. They're the same size as a couple of other pants I've worn recently, but jeans are different, of course. How cool is that? :)

[Lilith]

Superb! Smaller jeans is a happy thing for sure.

Osuche~ good job recognizing that you were depending on chocolate to do something that it really can't do (ok well it can comfort us temporarily but we pay for it later). ((hugs)) <~~~~ work better

[osuche]

((((IAKG)))) ~~ congrats on the meds!! That's awesome, and good luck finding the right balance.

Lil ~~ I think sometimes you forget (as do I) to be gentle with yourself. You've had a lot changing in your life, and a diet is a big commitment. Don't get too discouraged by occasionally falling off of the wagon. You've made big progress and sometimes your body needs time to adjust! I know you'll be back on board soon...if not already.

[Lilith]

Thanks osuche. I do have to find some outlet for the stress. I need something that takes oh about 4 minutes. It seems that is all the time in a day I can scrounge.

[osuche]

Thanks osuche. I do have to find some outlet for the stress. I need something that takes oh about 4 minutes. It seems that is all the time in a day I can scrounge.


I can read your mind. You're thinking about:












SEX

[fzzy]

Ending my day ... just barely under the top of my calorie range ... but I made it. Off to bed now.

[Lilith]

fzzy you are amazing. You have consistently kept to your goal!

[Lilith]

I can read your mind. You're thinking about:


SEX

funny girl ;)













yes I am:D

[osuche]

Let's see...ended yesterday with 1800 calories -- which is good. But I took the day off from the gym, too. Woke up this morning about a pound up. I'm hoping it was water weight -- been eating more salty food than usual. But who knows?

I'm going to try and do my Pilates tape tonight after I get home from class. Not a complete workout, but it truly kills my abs...so hopefully is doing some good.

Off to class...Hope everyone has a GREAT Saturday!

[maddy]

I've only been on the treadmill once this week due to being sick again/still. I'm hoping to get over this soon so I can get back to the treadmill. I have a couple of trips coming up that will be challenging to my eating and I'm not completely sure how I will cope yet.

I'm feeling slightly better today and am going to head out soon to do some shopping. I did my weekend "feel better" routine and tried on some of my smaller clothes to see if I'm making progress. Today I managed to squeeze my gut and butt into jeans from about 6 years ago. The odd thing is I know I was about 30 lbs lighter last time I wore them. Granted they are not remotely comfortable right now, but I can force myself into them. I also got out my one size smaller than my current baggy jeans out, and they are now fitting comfortably. I can zip and button them without a challenge. Lastly I pulled out my dressy capris that I wore last summer/fall to work and I can now pull them down without undoing the zipper and clasp. These are the last of my work pants to go in the goodwill pile. They were the only dress pants I had that didn't have some elastic inset in the waist. It's a shame I really liked those capris, but I'm not keeping them.

The scale also smiled upon me this morning...and I'm only about 4lbs away from where I want to be in the next two weeks. I'm still hopeful I will reach that goal I set for myself.

[Sugarsprinkles]

I came in a couple hundred calories under my limit yesterday. And today I went out and did a month's worth of grocery shopping. So that was more calories burned than usual. Tonight in my Red Hatters get together. I'm looking forward to it, but also dreading it. We're going to Olive Garden. I would have a lot easier time resisting the cream sauces if I went there more often. But I don't know what kind of will power I'll have tonight. I've deliberately held back on eating too much today just so that I can relax a bit tonight. I won't be consuming any alcohol, nor ordering dessert.
So maybe I won't do too badly. I haven't been to Olive Garden in over a year and I really do love their foods.

[maddy]

SS, I recommend taking a look at their website before you go and see if they have their nutritional information available - that way you can make an informed decision before you even set foot in the restaurant. It's been my savior for dining out.

[fzzy]

thanks Lil .... I think I may have mentioned this before (a couple dozen times or so) but this is the first time in my life I've been able to consistently stick to the plan for any length of time, so I'm happy, but recognize that it could so easily change to the wrong direction with me if I do not keep pretty firm control on myself ... I just have such a long way to go that I am trying to focus VERY much on keeping within my personal limits so I don't fall off that wagon....

Good job with the calories yesterday osuche ... and the plan for the pilates today!

maddy, that's wonderful about the weight loss and the clothes ... I'm so pleased for you!

SS ... have fun at Olive Garden, it sounds like you have a plan going for that!

Me, I've been having an interesting day ... had to take my car in for a tune-up, etc., left the house this morning just before 8:30 ... no time to eat anything and I didn't want to take a snack pack with me, cause I knew that would just get me wanting to eat more ... the work on the car and another errand got me home about 2:30 was feeling pretty hungry by then, so I've hand my lunch and a snack with it and hopefully I'll be able to keep myself in sufficient control ... I wouldn't have done that, but the car has been needing the tune-up for a long time and I was starting to get concerned that it wouldn't keep running if I didn't fix it soon ... and you know how Saturdays are at car places ... BUSY! Anyway ... $550 later, the car is running really GREAT ... so it was worth the time and money I guess.

[Lilith]

Cross your fingers for me. Income tax check is in and I'm hoping for this nice elliptical machine :D I need to excercise off the weight and the stress.

[maddy]

I've crossed my fingers for you Lilith. I think the elliptical is the devil though. I can't stand that machine and commend anyone that uses it.

[Lilith]

What don't you like about it???? I've only tried it in the store. Am I making a mistake??? I chose it because it seems to be joint friendly. Am I wrong?

[maddy]

It's an incredible workout! I think my problem on it is I can't find a good pace, I end up going too fast and being tired after two minutes. It reminds me of a much friendlier to the body stair stepper and I never liked that either.

[Lilith]

OK I loved the Stair Master so maybe I'll be ok. Mr Lil said he's happy with me spending the $$$ on something that will help me continue to feel better.

[osuche]

Cross your fingers for me. Income tax check is in and I'm hoping for this nice elliptical machine :D I need to excercise off the weight and the stress.


Lil...if I could cost-effectively do it, I'd ship you mine. I bought it at Sears (it's a Nordic Track) and it's great.

[Lilith]

I got one tonight. Let's just say stamina is an issue :p

[fzzy]

Lil .. I'm still a long way away from being able to do that kind of a workout ... even a short one, but it's what I'm thinking I'll get once I get to that point .. (primarily because of the joint friendly issue) ... I'll look forward to hearing reports about that issue.

Right now, for me, I'm just trying to incorporate some extra steps into each day ... I do 45 minutes worth of totally non-impact and not really aerobic stuff 4-5 days a week, it tones and at least I'm doing something, but the just started this week with working to start toward building my capacity with some walking (and I do mean a few extra steps at this point)!! :D

[kitana]

I have seen this sort of thing done elsewhere and wondered if it could truly work here.

I'd like to create a small corner here for those of us who need support in our efforts to change our lifestyle meaning things like habits (such as smoking or even financial spending), dietary changes, or exercise. I'm envisioning a place to brag about accomplishments (no matter how small) or bitch about failures, to cheer eachother on to making better choices, to offer eachother insight and encouragment. I think it would be a great place to report or keep a running record of daily, weekly, monthly, goals and what good choices you are making.

I found this site www.tickerfactory.com that has tickers to keep track of your goals and achievements. I'm sure there are other places too with behavior modification tools.

This would also be the place to discuss tactics you have found useful to help you to make those choices, as well as feelings about how thechoices you are making are impacting your life. Feel free to blog here, record keep, celebrate or whine.

I put this in Advice because it's mainly a support/advice thread and also because this forum gets less riff-raff and it's a seriously personal type subject.

Yes I think this is a great idea, I have alo seen on other site's and it has worked wonders for the site.

[Lilith]

fzzy~ I lost 70 pounds once a long time ago after baby #1 and I did stretching and floor excercises like leg lifts and pelvic thrusts for the first 30 pounds.

[osuche]

Well...ended yesterday just over 2000 calories, which I guess isn't too terrible. We went to PF Changs and got take out...was yummy.

I plan on working out today and also doing some much-needed errands. I'm going to try and target 1800 calories. Let's see how it goes. :)

'Grats on the elliptical machine, Lil. I hope you like it!

[IAKaraokeGirl]

I'm so envious, Lil, of your new purchase! Like maddy, that thing kills me--but I'm determined to build up my stamina on it over time.

I also made a purchase this week--a heart rate monitor. I opted not to get the one with the chest strap--I wasn't sure I'd like that. So mine is a watch type, and, unlike most doctors and nurses, it finds my pulse pretty darn easily. Today was my first intense workout with it, and I loved it. Mine has the option of a 'calorie countdown,' which basically means, since it knows my weight and resting heart rate, it counts how many calories I burn during my workout for me.

I did almost 4.5 miles on the treadmill and seven minutes (LMAO!) on the elliptical after that. I burned closed to 500 calories.

However, my main concern was my after-breakfast glucose reading. I'd had a bigger breakfast than I had planned. While my fasting was in the range I wanted it to be, I basically shoved the kids out the door as soon as I finished eating in order to go to the gym and hopefully counteract what I feared was going to be a bad, bad reading. It worked--much to my relief.

Today's the last day of my three-day, diabetes medication-free trial. I've already listed out my sugar readings since Friday morning and will give them to the doctor in the morning. I guess at that point it's up to them. They're not as low as I'd like, but still pretty darn good for someone who IS diabetic. I have my fingers crossed.

[maddy]

Lilith, I'm proud of you for getting a piece of equipment in your home. I hope it pays off for you.

IAKG - I'm excited to hear you like the heart rate monitor, now I'm more inclined to get it myself. I was waiting for your review. Is the petite really small around? I'm concerned it would be too small for me, I don't have that dainty of a wrist. And, I hope you get good news about the diabetic meds tomorrow...

fzzy - I'm glad you are starting to move more. Listen to your body it is more than willing to tell you when you are doing too much.

osuche - I'm still amazed that you have found a way to be med free and I think that's a huge accomplishment.

I've been lazy today. I'm eating good but now that I'm feeling better today I really need to get on the treadmill. And I need to run the stairs a few times to get the laundry done.

[Sugarsprinkles]

Although I realize it's probably just water, I am down 5 lbs. It's still an incentive to keep going, even if it's only water.

I had a nice time at Olive Garden last night. I had Seafood Alfredo, but I didn't eat it all. I brought some home and had it for lunch today. Tonight it's stuffed peppers for dinner. I haven't made them in quite some time. And instead of leaving the peppers whole and stuffing them, I cut them in half first. It will still look like a full serving on the plate, but will only be half. I made a lot more than we'll eat, but I intend to freeze the leftovers in individual zip-lock baggies. Should make for quick lunches here and there.

[Lilith]

Tonight it's stuffed peppers for dinner. I haven't made them in quite some time. And instead of leaving the peppers whole and stuffing them, I cut them in half first. It will still look like a full serving on the plate, but will only be half. I made a lot more than we'll eat, but I intend to freeze the leftovers in individual zip-lock baggies. Should make for quick lunches here and there.


Do you use ground turkey breast?

[Sugarsprinkles]

I prefer it, actually and I would if it didn't cost more than ground beef in my area. I used to use it all the time, but unfortunately, I have to shop according to my wallet right now.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

I have the same problem, SS--the turkey is usually more expensive. It's one of the few treats I allow for myself, though, at least for now.

maddy--the monitor really *is* cool. I think the specifications for the petite version are listed (maybe 6-3/4" wrist?) in the details. All I know is that I'm on the third hole in. :) I feel much more comfortable about how many calories I burned today than I normally do--in fact, the treadmill I had to use today (which doesn't have a heart rate monitor/input for weight) showed me as burning at least 100 calories less than the monitor on my wrist.

[Lilith]

LOL I did 5 minutes :D My thighs are burning like a bitch from playing with the damn thing yesterday.

[maddy]

Lil, 5 minutes on the elliptical is better than 5 minutes on the couch :) You will be amazed to watch your stamina increase.

Thanks IAKG! I'm going to order one tonight. I think I'm going to go with the more pricey regular sized one though to be safe. I know my wrists are getting smaller but I think my wrist is closer to 7" if not slightly over.

SS, I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner out and are finding ways to modify what you are eating on a budget. Also, a loss is a loss no matter what it was you were losing - and it's a great jumpstart motivator.

As for me, I only did 20 minutes on the treadmill tonight but it was a hard 20 minutes. I need to build my endurance back up.

[Lilith]

Yesterday I thought the mountains were "fun". :D

oh! and about turkey, I like to think to a certain extent the $$ is worth it because you don't have the shrinkage like you do when the fat escapes from the ground beef. If you buy regular ground beef you can basically say you throw 20% of it away. I know $$ can be awful. You can always buy a turkey breast and then make the butcher grind it :D They hate that :D

[maddy]

*thinks ^^^ is going to have a lifted butt and toned up body in no time*

[IAKaraokeGirl]

maddy's right...your stamina will come, Lil. I mean, I'm up to 4.5 miles at a time now. Not only that, but to keep my heartrate in the right range, I was doing 3.6 mph today on an 11% incline off and on. It's nuts. :D

[Lilith]

I had a salad at a restaurant this weekend and it's super simple and very low in fat/ calories.

Baby spinach or mixed greens
craisins
walnuts (could do almonds)
orange sections (could do the little canned things)
feta (could do the reduced fat or even blue cheese)
raspberry vinaigrette (fat free or reduced)

was simple and yum!

[maddy]

Lil, I've found that I really enjoy adding fruit to my salads. I will usually add mandarin oranges, strawberries, or apples. I don't know why I never considered this in the past.

[fzzy]

You all are doing great!!! Today was a bit out of control for me .. I think I'll be ending it about 500 calories over my range .... it's the day before my visit to the hut and history seems to be showing me that this day is out of control ... though I at least control what type of things go into my mouth because I don't have anything really bad for me in my house and am tooooo lazy to get up and go buy something when I'm comfortable at home .... so it's a "controlled" out of control ... luckily it is just the one day each month so far, so I'm trying not to get too upset with myself about it ... just don't seem to be able to motivate myself to stop the eating on this one day each month ... but I'm going to keep working at it anyway! :)

great job on the workouts Lil and maddy and all others who keep at it! :)

[Lilith]

According to the scale (%$#@*&) I've gained 5 pounds this week :(

I guess I found the 5 SS lost :(

[maddy]

I hate to rejoice immediately after ^^^, but I lost 3.5 lbs this week.

I know that IAKG has mentioned the Wendi Plan here earlier and I'm a believer now. It's where you alter your eating so that you have high and low days. The idea being you kick start you metabolism and your body doesn't know how much it is getting so it keeps "burning" at a high rate. I had a really high eating day this past week and it seems to have done the trick as far as kick starting my metabolism back up.

[Lilith]

Grats maddy! I can be disappointed in me and happy for you at the same time :D

Can you post some information on this Wendi thing?

[maddy]

Absolutely. Please keep in mind that it's somewhat based off of WW. But a point is approximately 50 calories (the calculation is actually a combination of calories, fiber grams, and fat grams).

Wendie Plan (http://groups.msn.com/POINTingMyWaytoaNewLife/theoriginalwendieplan.msnw)

[IAKaraokeGirl]

I'll beat maddy to the punch. Hopefully this will give you some information, and there are more resources out there, of course, if you do a search:

http://www.stormpc.com/ww/wendie_plan.htm

[osuche]

Interesting perspective. I'll have to think about that. Thanks guys!

[Sugarsprinkles]

I've heard about this concept before, but it didn't have a special name that I can recall. It does make sense. It would keep your metabolism from going into 'starvation' mode the way it does when you cut back on calories for an extended period. I'm going to look into it further too. Thanks Maddy and IAKG for the links.

Lil........sorry about my 5# finding their way to you. Just pass 'em along to someone who need 'em more. LOL

[Lilith]

Thanks for the info ladies.

[Lilith]

Stamina is improving but I probably won't be able to walk tomorrow. 10 minutes on the beast.

[maddy]

I nominate PF to be the recipient of the floating 5 lbs. I always think about how slender he is and how he eats crap out all the time. And it makes me think life just isn't fair! He'll just burn it up in no time anyway.... so send it his way, Lilith :)

[IAKaraokeGirl]

maddy, I forgot to mention earlier how happy I am to see your loss. Woohoo! :)

Lil, I think maddy has a point. Where's Pixies Package #1 when you need it? ;)

[Lilith]

Actually I sent PF a package today mayhaps the 5#s snuck in there.

[maddy]

:) Yah! He can have that with his deep fried french fries!

I've got a sweet tooth today - thus the cheesecake pudding that is setting up. I also am very tempted to try a recipe I found....

Angel food cake mix (don't include the water)
20 oz can of crushed pineapple (including the juice)

Bake per cake mix directions.

Cut into 12 pieces (that's a big piece of cake!!!) and serve with a dollop of fat free cool whip.

[Lilith]

My fave easy cake recipe:

chocolate cake mix
1 regular size can pureed pumpkin

bake in a bundt pan @ 350 til done

[maddy]

I've heard of that... does it taste like pumpkin?

[Lilith]

not really... it's extremely moist but still has the fat that the mix contains. Being diabetic I don't avoid fat I just try to limit it.

[osuche]

I was down another 0.5 lb yesterday at the gym -- no idea why. I think I like the idea of varying my intake to keep my body guessing -- but I'm not sure I'm really up for starving myself.

If I'm going to do it, I think I should cut my calories to 1600-1700 a day normally, and make my "big" day about 2300. I'll have to think about finding the willpower to get to 1600 calories. I think that requires completely retooling my diet and buying LOTS of very low cal options -- I can't imagine limiting portions more and still having enough energy to make it to the gym. <sigh>

Something to think about when I go to the grocery store tomorrow.

Stop talking about cake! My sweet tooth is getting the best of me!! :D

Hope everyone is having a good week so far...Spring is in the air, which gives me hope for a time when I'll be able to exercise outside more.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

<----grumbles because she's only going to get to the gym ONCE this week. *sigh*


But, I'm doing the happy dance in the meantime. I just hung up the phone with the nurse from my physician’s office. Based on what the four glucose readings I’ve taken during Friday, Saturday and Sunday after stopping my diabetes medication, I am temporarily removing that medication from my daily regimen. My sugars are apparently low enough with my healthier diet, weight loss and exercise to attempt to control my diabetes in that manner.

I have my three-month diabetes follow-up appointment already scheduled mid-April. They’ll do blood work then and re-evaluate, if necessary, my need for outside help.

This is a good, good thing! :)

[Pita]

IAKG, that is wonderful news about the meds! I hope your next check-up is even better then you hope.

Heyyyyyyyy no fair posting chocolate cake recipes!! I am sooooo dying for something chocolate! :rolleyes:

Well, today was one week since starting my new and improve diet with my slave driver boyfriend. :D I weighed in and lost 6 lbs for the week. I am excited, but know that it is mostly water and vacation pounds. Next week will be the week I really start counting my progress.

I did manage to hurt my right calf and ankle on the treadmill yesterday so I didn't get the workout I wanted. Today I only did 10 minutes on the treadmill and 20 on the bike which doesn't hurt the injury at all, but doesn't burn near enough calories either.

[Lilith]

grats!

[maddy]

I'll try to limit my talk about chocolate and sweets, but in all honesty in the past three months a day has not gone by that I have not had ice cream or some other form of a sweet treat.

There is no way possible this could be a life change for me without allowing myself these indulgences. I also believe the fact that I always have low cal/fat options of this at my fingertips is what keeps me from going on a crazy binge.

I can give up fried foods and be okay, but sweets ... no way.

[Lilith]

My thighs are on fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 15 minutes...Stamina is increasing :D MTV 2 helps :D

[Galatea]

I have spent the past 2 weeks on a fairly vigorous work out plan. I haven't changed my eating habits at all except I've started drinking at least 52 (I know its suppose to be 64 but my mug only holds 52 lol) ounces of water a day. In the past 2 weeks I've lost 10 pounds. I'm fairly excited about that but I've got my daughter tonight and I will have to take her with me to the gym if I go. Normally her dad is here to watch her while I go but he isn't tonight and I'm thinking about skipping tonight but I know tonight and tomorrow night are my last 2 nights before we go on our anniversary to get in a full gym workout and I really need it. But I'm thinking about not going because I don't want to lug her out with me (she's a rambunctious 4 year old). Getting someone to watch her isn't an option or I would have fully employed it. So...I'm here for some Pixies Power. Help me talk myself into going before I decide to put it off.

[maddy]

You know what the reward is for going to the gym.... get your things together... grab your daughter and whatever she needs to keep her occupied while you are working out. Sitting on the couch won't have nearly the same impact as a good hard workout, and you will only be mad at yourself if you don't go.

Now I know I have to get on the treadmill tonight! I can't dish out that advice and not eat some of my own words.

[maddy]

Lilith, you rock. You are rapidly increasing your stamina and that's amazing.

[Lilith]

Thank you kindly.

Galatea, my kids liked going to the gym.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Yep, yep, I'm in awe of her prowess on the elliptical so rapidly, that's for sure. :)

I normally take mine a couple of times a week with me to the gym here at our complex. It's located in the clubhouse, and my kids are old enough that they can sit in the main "game/social" room and watch the big screen TV, etc. while I'm in the gym for an hour or more. However, with a four-year old, that's a little more difficult. I also belong to Gold's Gym, though, and they offer a babysitting deal during certain hours that's included in my package. Just something you might want to look into, Galatea.

[maddy]

I'm amazed at how quickly you can lose your stamina too! Or at least that's how I'm feeling. I've bumped my speed up on the treadmill and now (after my sick breaks) I'm struggling to get 35 minutes (just over 2 miles). The first 20 minutes felt good, after that I was playing games with my mind to keep going.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

I had a rare treat today. Apparently when the weather gets nice (and it was GORGEOUS here today), some of the girls at work walk through half of lunch. We did nearly 2 miles in a half-hour, but, of course, it was a little more intense than the pace of the 4.5 miles/gym visit I'm up to, since there were some hills, etc. involved. Stamina-wise I was fine, but I think if I'd have planned to go to the gym tonight, I'd have been hurting. :D

[fzzy]

maddy .. I suspect that's really your body saying that you are still in recovering mode ... not that you lost that much stamina that quickly..., but way to keep working at it!

Lil ... wow!!!! I'm very impressed at the amount you are building at ... congrats on that!!!

IAKG ... wooooo hoooo about the meds .... YAY!!! that's so great, a huge jump in the very direction you wanted to go when you started this process .... congrats!!!

Galatea ... yea for the progress you are making ... we are all here doing things that we think will be more healthy choices ... sounds like you are making great positive changes!

Tess ... in case you didn't know this ... it takes about 2 weeks to get the sugar out of your system enough to stop the actual physical withdrawal and cravings ... after that then it's just the mental/emotional cravings ... I feed my sweet tooth with sugar free jello and a bit of fat free cool whip ... also the 100 calorie snack packs help in the really hard moments and you can't do nearly as much damage with them as with many other sweet treats ... way to stick to it ... we're so glad you've joined us and are making the changes you want!

I'm doing much better now that I'm past the worst of my hormone binge stuff ... think I'll make it through til the next one in about 4 weeks ... :)

[osuche]

((((fzzy)))) -- good job persevering (much better than I did) during the visit to the hut.

maddy -- I noticed the same about endurance...mine drops within about a week. You earn it back faster the second time, but you do have to "earn" it. Bummer, huh?

IAKG -- Have I mentioned that I am so proud of you and your med-free ways? :)

Lil -- the elliptical is hard...and IMHO the home ones are *much* harder to use than the "professional" ones they have at the gym. Congrats on your achievement.

Tess -- Big loss this week. Congrats!

And Galatea -- I hope you went to the gym. :)

[fzzy]

yay ... I'm ending my day inside my calorie range, it was a rough couple of days before that, but I'm still here and that is something I'm celebrating .. in the past everytime I would have even one meal where I didn't hang tough ... I would be a goner ... learning new habits is a GOOD thing (she said in her best Martha Stewart voice) :)

[Lilith]

good job fzzy! It's hard not to get negative when you slip, I'm there, it's a battle I'm waging.

[osuche]

((((((positive Lil))))))

I was down another 0.5 lb at the gym yesterday -- which tallies me at a total of 9 lbs since day 1. Not too shabby! (although not up to you girls' standards)

Yesterday I had the guts to wear a sleeveless shirt for the first time in about 10 years. I wasn't completely happy with the way I looked, but it was an exercise in getting my courage up. LOL

Other than that....1650 calories yesterday, a good gym workout, and an evening eating bruschetta (I stuck to a piece and a half) and beer (I had 1) with Mr Osuche and my officemate. It was fun!

[Lilith]

I'm in the HUT!!!!!! Explains so much :D

Grats osuche on keeping your # low. I love bruschetta!

[Pita]

Hey Girls!

Today was better for me. I did get a much needed piece of dark chocolate. God I just sat and licked it. Joe said that must be how I learned to give head...which then gave him some new ideas for fun!! :D

My ankle seems to be much better so I walked for 15 on the treadmill and did 20 on the bike with the resistence raised so I really felt the burn.

I am soon to be in the hut myself and PMS is really getting to me this month. I wonder if it is the change in diet and exercise that has triggered it to be so bad?

Keep up the good work and don't let set backs get you too down!! :)

[Sugarsprinkles]

As far as I can figure right now, I'll be finishing my day considerably under my limit. And I'm down another pound. I think I'm going to try that plan that lets you vary your caloric intake to fool your metabolism.....was that the "wendie" plan? Anyway.....whatever it's called, that's what I'm going to try. If for no other reason than to not feel so deprived. If you can have a day periodically where you can indulge yourself a bit, it should be easier to do the stricter days.

Congrats to everyone on their progress!

[fzzy]

For a nice change, I'm ending today at the low end of my calorie range ... too busy at work today to think about lunch .. though I did have a 100 calorie protein type snack somewhere in there ... then stopped to do my laundry after work, so by the time I got home it was time to fix dinner .... heading off to bed now ...yay ...

great job SS ... wonderful that you are making progress!

TTess ... glad you enjoyed that chocolate ... when we allow ourselves treats, the experience should be enjoyed to the fullest!

Lil .. I feel your .... um .... pain ... :) the good thing about the hut is that we get to come back out of it after a bit of time there! You've been doing great on the elyptical ... so I bet once you get out of the hut again, you'll see a big improvement!

osuche ... great job with the day and the dinner.

Happy Thursday everyone!

[osuche]

Well...still maintaining that pound loss for the week, which is nice. Also happy because my abs are feeling much tighter...and I *did* get a compliment yesterday from a co-worker on my thinner appearance.

Other than that...we're headed to Monterey this weekend for a romantic weekend. I can't wait! 2 nights at a hotel on the beach...room has a fireplace and a balcony. It should be lovely.

[Lilith]

Sounds terribly romantic! Have fun!

[fzzy]

yay osuche for the pound loss, the abs feeling good, the person noticing and especially for the upcoming trip ... have a wonderful time with your man!

ending another day inside the calorie range ... :) g'night everyone.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

It's Friday, and considering I only made it to the gym once this week plus the lunchtime walking one day, a three-pound loss is more than okay with me. :)

Last night, my sweetie and I went to eat Mexican for dinner. Normally, that thought terrifies me--Mexican food is not the most diet stuff in the world--but I'd planned it out, and I had more than enough flex points for the remainder of my week (yesterday), so I ate what I wanted to--and didn't give it a second thought. I'm sure that knowing I made good choices in what I ate helped, but I ate as much of my steak fajitas as was comfortable, and I even had a few chips and salsa. It was nice to be relaxed and know that, no matter how much I DID decide to eat, I was still going to be okay and working towards my goal again this morning.

[osuche]

I had a night like IAKGs, althought I have no flex points that I know of. :D We ate out at a Thai restaurant and I had whatever I wanted. I am sure the salt alone will make me bloated. :D But I worked almost a 1 2hour day, had no lunch, and LOTS of stress. So I took it out on food. Bad me. :(

However, I am much more proud of fzzy and IAKG, who alwyas stay on task. :)

I'm headed out this morning -- be back on Sunday. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

[Lilith]

Anybody notic FitDay's new look. I like it.

[Sugarsprinkles]

They've changed? I haven't been to the website in a while since I use the software. I'll have to check it out and see if there's an upgrade for the software. Thanks for the heads up!

[maddy]

Alright pixies, I've not been on the treadmill everyday and therefore not posting much here. Starting today, I'm renewing my committment - though I know it will only be short lived as I have a couple of trips in the next three weeks. But I need to get my act together beforehand! One of the trips does involve a hotel stay and I'm taking my sneaks and gym clothes and hoping I can get on the treadmill each day while there. The other trip does not involve a hotel but I'm going to do my best to find someway to get my ass moving during that trip.

So, this morning I got up, had my breakfast - opened every window in the house and got on the treadmill. I only did 30 minutes but had my heartbeat going fast the whole time.

I also packed away all my winter coats this morning into the back of the closet. What a tremendous feeling! I forgot how much I love spring. It is incredibly rejuvenating for me. Today is cleaning day at my house and let me tell you, I have got some major cleaning to do!

[Lilith]

I've been sucking eggs again :p I'm in the hut and eating from the the major food groups, salt and chocolate. I know by next week I'll be back on track.

[osuche]

Anybody notic FitDay's new look. I like it.


I just logged in and found my beloved site got a facelift! But the functionality is still the same. Looks good to me too, Lil.

After a 3 days weekend with 3 days between 2000-2500 calories, I Haven't been doing stellar. But I *have* been very active -- we walked for hours each day!

Also, my big accomplishment...We BIKED 22 miles (a good portion uphill) through Monterey to 17 Mile Drive and back. Was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life -- gorgeous seside scapes. And ME -- un unfit arthritic -- managed to bike that far! It was really cool (oh, and I estimate I burned 1200 calories from the bikeride alone).

Mr Osuche and I are thinking about buying bikes and doing that more often.

STrange thing....my butt hurts a little bit (the seat was like butt-floss) but otherwise I feel fine -- we even went on a 90 minute walk through Carmel today (a good portion of it uphill). Go Me! :D

Damn I love vacation

[fzzy]

sounds like you did wonderfully osuche... great job!

I've been a bit high on my calories all weekend, but will get back on track tomorrow ... sometimes, I think you just have to allow a little more leeway ... as long as it's not a final slip and just a short one... well, I don't intend to keep slipping, tomorrow will be a much better day!

[maddy]

I managed to go down 1.5 lbs this week. I don't think I'll reach my goal by Friday (which seems to keep getting farther away even as I lose). I have an additional 1.5 lbs to get to my goal. I'm okay with missing it. I'll get there soon enough.

Half of this weekend was a disaster but I did everything I could to keep it from impacting my food choices. Luckily I had made some exceedingly good decisions before disaster struck.

This week is going to be a busy one for me and my biggest challenge between now and Friday is to make sure I get on the treadmill everyday.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

I found maddy's 1.5 pounds. I'm up exactly that from my weigh-in on Friday. Now, mind you, I KNOW I haven't eaten an extra 5,000 calories or so, so I'm going to assume that I'm getting ready to go into the Hut a bit early. I'm trying not to be depressed by the scale, but you all know how it goes.

[osuche]

((((IAKG)))) -- water weight sucks

maddy -- look at the treadmill as a valuable stress-relieving tool. Sounds like you need that. :) And good luck getting through the week.

fzzy -- You've been so disciplined and I know this week will be no exception.

Lil -- continue to post and report what progress you do have...we're here to be supportive.


As for me...I ended yesterday under 1700 calories, partially balancing out the "bad" vacation days. I did avoid some of my common pitfalls though -- no dessert or appetizers while on vacation. While we did eat well, I kept myself kinda in check. And I think I mentioned that we were very active.

Today I head back to the gym for a more "traditional" work out

[Aqua]

I just logged in and found my beloved site got a facelift! But the functionality is still the same. Looks good to me too, Lil.

After a 3 days weekend with 3 days between 2000-2500 calories, I Haven't been doing stellar. But I *have* been very active -- we walked for hours each day!

Also, my big accomplishment...We BIKED 22 miles (a good portion uphill) through Monterey to 17 Mile Drive and back. Was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life -- gorgeous seside scapes. And ME -- un unfit arthritic -- managed to bike that far! It was really cool (oh, and I estimate I burned 1200 calories from the bikeride alone).

Mr Osuche and I are thinking about buying bikes and doing that more often.

STrange thing....my butt hurts a little bit (the seat was like butt-floss) but otherwise I feel fine -- we even went on a 90 minute walk through Carmel today (a good portion of it uphill). Go Me! :D

Damn I love vacation
Awesome to hear you had a great bike ride!

I'll be posting to your bicycle thread in the near future. :)

[Lilith]

I'm down 3 this week, still 5 to go to get back to where I was before my lapse in good judgement.

[Aqua]

Maybe so Lil... but you will get there. And beyond.

[Lilith]

Thanks! I'm trying to get my shit back together but it's hard.

[maddy]

how's the eliptical going Lil? It was incredibly motivating for me to hear of your progress. It's almost a guilt thing for me to read about how active everyone else is while I choose to sit my butt on the couch.

osuche and IAKG - I'm curious about your gym workouts - what are you doing at the gym? I'm considering joining one that would be highly convenient to me as a something different to be doing other than just the treadmill. Of course, I first need to develop a consistent pattern of using the treadmill first.

osuche - I'm glad you had a good vacation get-away. I miss biking! As a kid it was my only means of transportation and I went EVERYWHERE by bike. I also had huge calves thanks to my bike, but they were solid.

fzzy - your attitude never falters and that speaks to your success. Remember this is a life change and occassionally life happens we just need to remember how to stear ourselves back on path - and I'm confident you will do that this week.

As for me - well no complaints from me today. I'm just getting through some high stress events. I'm eating my dinner and will be hitting the treadmill shortly after I'm done.

[Lilith]

I refuse to excercise in the hut.

[maddy]

fair enough... I thought you were holding out on the stamina increases ;)

[Lilith]

yeah well I suck :(
























but I swallow too :D

[fzzy]

LOL Lil! I don't refuse to exercise while in the hut so much as I just can't seem to motivate myself to it ... gratefully that's over for another 3 weeks or so again and I'm feeling more motivated and more in control again ... thank heavens!!! :)

Lil .. congrats on the loss ... great to hear (even when it's catch-up pounds) I've been doing catch up pounds for years now! :)

way to keep at it maddy!!

[osuche]

Lil...if you have cramps you might try exercise. They help mine...gentle stretching followed by some time on a recumbent bike or pilates works well for me. Just be sure to wear tampons :D Pads slip. :p

Maddy, I love the bike too (I had to rent one to remember why) and thanks for the advice on my thread.

fzzy -- you were feeling unmotivated last week while in the Hut? Seemed pretty motivated to me! Keep up the inspiration.

Aqua -- Progress report, please. :p :D

To answer maddy's question....
* I work out 4-5 days a week in the gym
* Cardio -- Done every time I visit, 30-40 minutes and I alternate between recumbent bike (level 7 -- 120 watts), elliptical (gluteal workout, level 8), and stairmaster (level 6, climbing mode)
* 5 minutes of stretching, including some ball exercises and some squats
* 200 situps (alternate between doing them on the balance ball and on the Abbench)
* 2 days a week I lift weights -- one day arms, and one day legs. On arms I do: shoulders, biceps, triceps, rows, and chess press (3 sets of 15 reps). On legs I do: inner and outer thigh, donkey calf lifts, squats, this "butt blaster" machine, leg extension, and leg curls.

I used to do weights more often, but I found that I was making my joints sore and irritated...so I have cut down the frequency.

My entire workout takes about 50 min on a non-weight day and about 1:15 on a weight day. :)

My order of operations is sit-ups, then stretching, then weights...followed by cardio. You must LAWAYS lift weights before the cardio, not after....burns more calories this way.

Hope this helps.

[osuche]

1600 calories today. Making up for a "bad" (but active!) weekend. I ate a late lunch and skipped dinner, save a glass of wine I had at a meeting this evening.

I even cooked dinner for Mr Osuche but didn't eat any myself -- realized I wasn't terribly hungry and I didn't need the extra calories. I'm now at a 7 day average calorie intake of 2000, and an average workout burn of 450 a day. :) Not too shabby, given three bad "vacation" days! (thank goodness for FitDay)

I went to the gym today -- 400 calories burned...elliptical, weights, sit-ups, and stretching.

Now I'm tired...night all!

[fzzy]

I'm about to head for bed as well ... but reporting in ... ended up eating less than 1700 calories for the day, so I'm feeling good about that ... and also did my "gentle" workout for about 60 minutes this evening ... it's not aerobic and non impact, but one day, when my butt shrinks down, It's going to be a very tight one ... :D got to figure a way to do more arm and torso toning though. .... anyway, off to bed now! :)

osuche ... interesting to hear your schedule ... someday I'm going to work up to a much more active schedule, but for now, I'm slowly building more activity into my day to day stuff.

[Lilith]

I was better yesterday calorie wise but I did drink a coke at the end of the work day. I really don't want to drink those. Hut days are winding down and the salt/chocolate cravings are subsiding.

[maddy]

fzzy, when I went to Curves over a year ago, I was having difficulty with my arms - I just don't seem to shrink in the flabby bat wings. They advised me of a few movements that I could do at anytime - some even while sitting. I'll try to describe a few of them here and hopefully I can convey them in words.

1. Press together - raise both arms to shoulder height - biceps should make a straight horizontal line across your shoulders. Extend forearms straight up in the air, elbows bent at 90 degrees. start with your arms out at your sides and then press them together in front of your nose - then back out to the sides. Concentrate on the biceps while doing this and make the movements very diliberate and steady.

2. Reach for the stars - one at a time raise your arm straight up and slightly across your head and reach as high as you can elongating your arm fully.

3. backwards extension - arms at your side, bend your elbows at 90 degrees bringing your forearms forward. then push your elbow back but don't raise your shoulders. pushing your upper arms back behind you. Hold your upper arm steady and curl your lower arms forward. This one is the hardest for me to describe!

[osuche]

Down another pound as of yesterday. I ate 2000 calories today and I didn't work out -- spent much of the day feeling sorry for myself and overwhelmed by the life/work/school balance. <sigh>

But tomorrow is another day -- and it coulda been worse (calorie-wise)...right?

[fzzy]

you're doing great osuche .. on my "bad" calorie days, I always remind myself that even though it was a "bad" day, it still doesn't come close to the regular days I had before making these changes with the first of the year!

thanks maddy ... I'm going to add those in (gradually as with everything else) :)

Yay Lil ... you're wonderful - as always!

ending my day at just about 1700 calories ... so I'm feeling good about that. hope it's a good Wednesday for everyone!

[osuche]

yay fzzy! Another day following the plan.

As for me....woke up this morning and weighed myself as usual, and it appears I am down another pound. I'm going to try and make today another "low" calorie day (my 3rd of this week at @1600 calories) and then I may very well make Thursday my girl-gone-wild day. :) Maybe I can convince Mr. Osuche to take me out to a yummy dinner. :D

[jennaflower]

Hello Everyone :)

Wow!!! I have glanced thru this thread… and I am inspired by each of you…. What a wonderful thread and a fantastic way to be accountable.. Each of you are wonderful inspirations..

Here I am…. Late into the thread… and chiming in.... the 8th of this month will be 2 months on Weight Watchers... as of yesterday I have now officially lost 20.4 pounds :) :) And yeah, I am damn happy about it. :)

Tho... getting up at 5 am to be at Curves isn't easy... it is rewarding :) Imagine the weight I could lose if I were having SEX too!! LOL...

Hugs to all :)

[Lilith]

Superb Jenna!!!!! I am very proud of you but more important I can see that you are proud of you!

[fzzy]

Yay Jenna ... glad to have you join our thread ... sounds like you are doing wonderful and it is good to have another person to help inspire the rest of us!

[fzzy]

Well, I'm ending my day at 5 calories over my maximum .... close enough for today for me! :) Hope you all have a great day tomorrow.

[Lilith]

I think I am almost back to where I was before I wasn't there anymore :p

[maddy]

I confess, I'm a daily scale hopper. I don't try to put too much emphasis on it daily or to report it here. But I'm making this an exception, I'm down an additional pound since Monday and am now just a mere half pound from where I wanted to be when I get on a plane tomorrow.

My next goal will be sometime in July - just unsure if I'm going to try for the beginning of the month or the end yet. I'll make that decision in the next couple of weeks.

[osuche]

'Grats Lil, maddy, and jenna. :D

I scrapped the low calorie day and went for high day myself...2100 calories. Today I will have to be good. I was down a lb in the morning when I weighed myself at home, and up a pound and a half on the gym scale. So who knows? But I do know that I look better and feel better, so damn the damn scale. :p

[jennaflower]

Hello Everyone...

Hope everyone had a wonderful day :)

Almost bed time... and another successful day comes to a close... no moments of weakness (or atleast none I couldn't outwit).... and the only decision left for me to make is which kind of Weight Watchers Ice Cream bar do I want to have.. LOL..

Hugs to all..

[osuche]

1700 calories today and a 500 calorie workout. Go me! :)

[fzzy]

Way to go osuche ... wonderful job, wonderful attitude!

jenna ... congrats on the day you had ... and on all of your success.

maddy ... woooooo hooooo! wonderful news on being right on the edge of that goal .. YAY!

Lil ... great progress ... you're doing great!

I did better today than yesterday, ending at under 1700 calories for the day and I managed to add activity into my day several times as well!

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Wellllll...it's Friday, and for the first time since I started on 12/30, I am up for the week--1.5 lbs. That includes, of course, one pound since yesterday, a day in which I ate all of 1200 calories. Calendar-wise, the Hut is due to arrive tomorrow or shortly thereafter, and I HAVE to believe it's the reason behind the gain. I know I didn't eat that many "extra" calories.

Frustrating, though, isn't it? *sigh*

[Lilith]

I feel your pain^^^^I gained like 4 pounds last hut but it came back off fairly quickly.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Thanks, Lil. I have my fingers crossed that the Hut comes soon and that I can get back on track.

[Lilith]

You are still on track. It's normal in a month of time to fluctuate up and down. The goal is to end up down more than you are up. Your progress has been inspiring and even if you plateau for a bit you will still be successful.

[maddy]

Seeing the scale inch upward is not a pleasant feeling. I was there a few weeks ago and didn't have the hut to blame. I'm still not really sure what the cause was, but I know that I've since gone down and am still feeling great.

I was observing myself in the mirror this morning trying to decide what I really wanted to wear and I can really start to see the changes in my shape. Talk about rewarding! I knew I was losing thanks to the scale and the changing size of clothes but I hadn't really seen it in the mirror yet.

[WildIrish]

Mrs. WI has been going to Curves three times a week for about a month now. She had her first "checkup" there yesterday and learned that though she hasn't lost a pound...she's down several inches in a myriad of locations. She's on cloud nine now. That and your journals go to show you that persistance does pay off. I can see that it's not easy, but you guys are really doing it and I couldn't be happier for anyone.

[jennaflower]

Good Morning Everyone :)

I can't help but wonder how many calories I am consuming after reading everyones posts... I haven't even paid attention to that... Weight Watchers doesn't make calories important... and in my case.. the points aren't even much of an issue (on the Core Plan)... I am relying more on training myself to make the good choices and listening to my body as to wether it is truly hungry... or am I bored. I ask myself that each and every time I go for a snack... and most often that is enough for me to bipass having it.

I haven't had PEPSI in about 4 months now.... and only recently began drinking Diet DR. Pepper... and have only had 2 of those in the last week :) HUGE improvement over the 6-8 cans of PEPSI that I used to drink daily!!

Well... today is my day off from work.... so I am gonna take my boy to school and get my way to CURVES...

Hugs to everyone!!

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Jenna, one point is about 50 calories. I, too, go by points (as does maddy) but when considering the fact I'm up 1.5 lbs. this week, that would be an extra 5000+ calories over what my body is burning to accumulate that extra weight for the week. I know that's not possible, because my goal is 22 points per day (roughly 1100 calories), plus the 35 flex points a week.

You have the right attitude, definitely, as far as the lifestyle change. I think that's what most of us are focused on--the long-term goal--while making our daily accounting of short-term events to keep us motivated.

Thanks so much to all of you for the supporting words. Hopefully I'll have better news to report from my end next Friday after weigh-in.

[osuche]

1800 calories...due mostly in the evening to ice cream. I managed to get foo dpoisoning from a Chinese restaurant -- has made my afternoon miserable.

Here's wishing everyone a great weekend.

[jennaflower]

Need some suggestions... I get exercise daily and don't have free time during the week due to the routine I already have... My problem seems to be Saturdays.. even tho I do get up and go to Curves and watch what I eat all day... I can't seem to keep my behind out of bed!! During the week I don't find myself tired.. but Saturdays seem to require a NAP!! Is that bad?

Hugs to all.. and have a wonderful day!!

[Lilith]

I would nap everyday if I could. As long as you only do it once a week I see no big deal. It's not like you are lying in bed every chance you get because you are depressed and want the world to go away.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Update: The Hut arrived a few hours ago, right on time. I've also practically killed myself at the gym yesterday and today, so hopefully those things combined will make a difference when I obsessively step on the scale first thing tomorrow morning. :D

I think Lil is right, Jenna. Everyone needs a little down time every once in awhile...and I know you're a single mother like me. It's tough. Take it when you can. :)

[fzzy]

I ended my day yesterday just below my limit in my calorie range, so I'm happy about that .... also still working to add in activity .. it's a baby steps thing still, but I'm working it all the same! :)

IAKG ... like Lil said ... it's natural for our bodies to fluctuate as far as water weight goes and with that amount in such a short period of time and no other external reason why you'd be up, you know it's temporary weight ... congrats on keeping at the program and even upping your game a bit!

Jenna ... I always nap on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays as well .... I figure it's a treat I allow myself ... but I also know that during the week I'm a bit sleep deprived so it's a catch-up that I allow myself ... enjoy it if it works for you!

WI congrats to Mrs. WI .... when you can see and feel the difference, the scale doesn't matter nearly as much!

Yay maddy for all the progress you've made and for being able to see it in yourself!!! That's marvelous!

Jenna .. we're on various programs for getting to a healthier lifestyle ... I have done numerous diets over the years and have never been able to stick to one for any more than 10 weeks (and that was usually with a lot of cheating) ... I think that's a lot because I'm a VERY picky eater and don't eat much in the way of fruits or veggis ... I know I should, I'm working on it, but it is very unlikely that I would eat the number of fruits or veggis that most diets call for ... never done it in the past, so I'd skip them, and eventually the skipping them would mean subbing in unhealthy choices and then it would mean just going for unhealthy choices in unlimited amounts ... thus I'd be off the diet I had started on ... this time, what's actually working very well for me is having a calorie range, currently for me it's between 1400-1900 unless I plan for some extra situation that is happening .. anyway, it's working for me and I'm finding it the easiest time I've ever had with making these kind of changes in my life .. I'm becoming almost superstitious about it ... and I know that pretty much everyday, I'm going to report how I've done here ... that keeps me accountable and helps me stay on track ... that's why I mention calories, cause it's the way that I'm doing this (at least the most reportable way) :) No need for you to know about your calories if it doesn't affect your plan.... so glad you've got one that's working for you as well!!!! :)


OK, think I've use my word allotment for awhile .... :D Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

[osuche]

I had a terrible calorie day yesterday, but I was due one sometime soon...So I am not stressing. And since it's 4 days until I join the Hut, my guess is this is part of my problem. Today I'm going to try and moderate the calories and also work out (which I haven't done for 2 days).

IAKG -- Water weight sucks, huh?
fzzy -- keep up the positive attitude! And how's the physical activity going?
jenna and Lil -- you ladies work hard and deserve a nap. :) Sleep deprivation *does* hurt dieting, you know...messes with the cortisol levels and your metabolism.

[fzzy]

Yesterday I did good on my calories, was just over 1600 for the day ... really GREAT for a Saturday!!! My activity is still improving (at the pace of an elderly snail ... but improving) :) Sunday of course is a day of rest for me!

[osuche]

Finished at 1950 caories, but not too bad for a pre-Hut day. :) I also had a phenomenal workout -- 700 calories and LOTS of sweat. :D So I treated myself to an iced sugar cookies...one of my favorite indulgences.

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

[fzzy]

Yay osuche, sounds like you had a great day!

Ending my day now, just under 1900 calories, so in my range again. And glad that I'll be back on my weekday routine again tomorrow.

[jennaflower]

Uh OH... Where are the posters? I have been looking forward all day to stopping in and hearing how wonderful everyone is doing (I know you ARE!)

Tomorrow's weigh in for me... I THINK I am going to do well (tho I type this with a Weight Watcher's English Toffee IceCream stick stuck in my mouth). LOL.. So send my skinny vibes tomorrow morning :)

Hugs to all :)

[maddy]

Hi All! Just checking in from a weekend away - one where I didn't really keep track of what I consumed. I made some good choices and some carefree and indulgent ones. I made sure to have fun though!

I'll let you know what the scale says in the morning.

[fzzy]

Just so you all know ... if you started your lifestyle changes on January 1 this year ... you've now been doing it for 100 days! YAY!!! (or as Sharni/Alasse would say ... "good on ya!")

[Lilith]

I go for a check in w/ Doc tomorrow so I will be curious what their scales say. I have that I am still up.

I have to get back to the beast before it become a clothes valet.

[fzzy]

Ending my day on track ... just over 1700 calories for the day and did my usual 45 minute routine plus added steps to my day a couple of times. Happy Tuesday everyone!

[maddy]

I weighed this morning and the scale bobbled a bit for a minute, but I'm playing safe and going with the higher amount. I lost a total of 1.5 lbs last week - 0.5 of that over a long weekend vacation. I know it's not due to the great manner in which I ate, but the fact that I did a lot walking to compensate for some of the indulgent eating.

I have now hit the 25 lb lost mark and am on the cusp of a decade that I am anxious to break through.

[osuche]

I was down a lb yesterday, but I am back up that lb today. I am due to be in the Hut in 2 days and my body is NOT happy with me -- also in a bit of a flare-up arthritis-wise. I suspect that the rain and the hormones have something to do with that. :rolleyes:

I am taking 2 doses of Aleve a day and gutting through it. I WILL work out today -- if only because I need to stretch my body (but I likely won't push it). As for the diet -- as long as I stay under 2000 calories a day I am not going to punish myself. :)

Lil -- good luck at the dr.
jenna -- ((((jenna))))
maddy -- congrats on the decade! That's awesome!!
fzzy -- your dedication continues to be my inspiration.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Lil, I'm curious to hear what happened at the doctor's. I go in Thursday morning myself for my three-month evaluation and bloodwork, so I'm kind of anxious about that.

maddy, congrats on the loss, even with your weekend away--that's awesome!

fzzy, your dedication to your goal is amazing...you are focused and determined. :)

osuche, speaking as someone who is just coming out of the Hut, I sympathize totally.


As for me, I am fighting the scale this week. I am allllll over the place--up one day, down the next. It's dang frustrating. I did an hour or more at the gym Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and I was practically too sore to move yesterday. :) But I did do almost two miles with the girls at work today during lunch, so I feel pretty good about my activity level this week.

But the best news, whether the scale is showing it or not, is that I squeezed into a pair of jean capris tonight that are four sizes smaller than the clothes I was wearing four months ago, a size I've not been into since about 1993. Definitely made me smile. :)

[Lilith]

My doctor was thrilled at the weightloss. She said I am down 20 pounds from this time last year, 8 from my last visit. She is most happy cause it appears to be a consistent loss. I still have to go do labs. I work a 10- 11 hour day plus most Saturdays and just can not get to the lab when fasting. I'm going Saturday. I have to have some more tests run due to some medical issues but I am sure all will continue to be well. My blood sugar was 102 while I was there which is great for me!

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Lil, that is simply terrific. I'm thrilled to hear that your doctor is pleased, and I'll be waiting with crossed fingers on your lab results. Congratulations, definitely, on the 102, though.

My blood sugars are actually something I will be discussing with my doctor on Thursday. Since going off of my diabetes medication a few weeks ago, I have consistently been running what I consider to be low sugars. My fastings are in the low 80s, and averages throughout the day run from my two-hour after breakfast average of 85 to two-hour after lunch of 117 to two-hour after dinner of 98. I had one huge slice of pepperoni pizza plus a half of another for dinner tonight. My two-hour after dinner number for pizza? 103.

The scary part to me is how quickly the numbers drop. For instance, my blood sugar, thanks to a mid-morning granola bar, was 108 before I did the two miles of walking today. Immediately after we finished, I took it again--and it was 79. And then yesterday's two-hour after lunch was a paltry 82. A half-hour later, I felt a little funny, so I took it again--and it was 71. That's 2-1/2 hours after lunch, and at least three before when I planned to eat dinner. I'm wondering if I should be focusing on stabilizing my sugars more and not be so darn focused on future weight loss. I do know that if I keep having to eat something every 2-3 hours it's going to make counting calories/points difficult. :)

[fzzy]

Yay maddy ... congrats on hitting that mark and on being so close to another one!

osuche and IAKG ... thanks for your kind words ... I think I've mentioned before that I've never been able to do this before ... so I'm not sure that I qualify as an inspiration ... every day I'm surprised that I'm still managing to stick with this ... AND very grateful as well!

Wonderful Lil .. hope the tests go great!

IAKG ... it's all moving you toward a better place ... sometimes when you lose weight, it takes awhile for your body's various functions to stabilize, that may be all that's happening with your sugars at the moment ... but of course it's something your dr should know when you go in next.

Ending my day and doing ok again ... I've been having a tough time in another area of my life ... my very best friend ... been best friends since we were both 11 years old ... is going through tests right now ... things look like she may have MS, so some days have been a bit tough emotionally for me ... amazingly it hasn't translated into anything with my eating though ... really amazing to me! :)

[Lilith]

Good job fzzy cause the two are unrelated and eating won't truly make anything better. I am sending good thoughts and peace for you and your friend.

[osuche]

I suck. I absolutely suck. 2400 calories yesterday and I was *still hungry*

Damn the Hut. Damn it to Hell and back. I have water weight, I feel bloated, I am already cramping. And did I mention I was in a bad mood???? :p Oh, and I haven't been working out because work is so freaking demanding.

<sigh>

Glad all of you are doing better. ((((fzzy)))) ((((Lil)))) ((((IAKG)))) and ((((jenna)))) and ((((((((((((((maddy)))))))))))))))))

just because

[Lilith]

Osuche you don't suck alone. I'm eating OREOS as we speak. I can dish out good advice but not take it.