Well, I can always use my all-purpose fat-free shredded cheese, too. Man, Lil, you're making me hungry!

I'm stuffed and staying well under my calories today. I am drinking water like a crazy person.

for sliced cheese I far prefer the 2%. I've just discovered Cabot cheddar 50% and 75% light - I can only find it in the blocks currently. I have a "chunk" of one ounce as a snack when I need to use up points at the end of the day. I know this is a luxury I will not always have.

I can bring up the site with the recipe as well, so it must be available to all ...

As most weekends, I've been on the high side of my calorie range, but tomorrow is another day. I checked out my smaller sizes underwear drawer this weekend, have some of everything that will be fitting very soon and more to go down for a ways. I also have a couple of outfits that I fit into again and can add to my current items ... though not anywhere near enough to replace all of the items that are bagging BIG TIME on me now ... but they are still wearable for the moment, so .... things are good.

I've reached a stalemate with the scale. No loss :( no gain but no loss this week :(

Well, I survived a week of sickness and starting today I will be going back to the gym AND working on my diet. I'm still not quite "well" -- but I am significantly better and I want to get myself back into good habits.

The past week I've managed to control my calorie intake (thanks to being sick) and have gotten used to eating smaller portions...my average daily intake for the week was about 1750 calories...well below my target of 1950. I'm going to try and stay under 1900 all week this week, and target an average of 1800, knowing I'll go over on a couple of days.

I'm going to start the workout slow today, only going to do about 20-25 min on the exercise bike and maybe 150 sit ups. I'll get more aggressive as I get my strength and health fully back this week, and plan to start lifting weights again by Wendesday.

One more accomplishment I want to mention...I took myself off of my *last* remaining arthritis medication three nights ago and haven't taken more than ibuprofen since then. :D This is the first time since I was 19 that I can stay that I am perscription medicine free (except for the birth control). :D As of last year, I was still taking two mediciations -- sulfazalazine and indocin -- and two years ago I was taking 4 -- the previous two, plus methotrexate and prednisone. Part of the reason why I gained all the weight in the first place was the steroids and other meds.

So...I'm going to try and stay drug-free as long as I can....which means getting HEALTHY and eating right!

Try an extra shot of exercise every other day this week Lil. Not positive it will help, but I doubt it will hurt. Just an idea. (((((hugs))))))

((((osuche)))) I hope now that your getting over being sick you can get right on track and be med-free and healthy.

LOL I don't exescise :D It's against my religion:D

I've had a bad day emotionally. The scale really upset me this morning. I lost 1 lb, when I was really expecting it to be more like 2-2.5 (based on Saturday and Sunday morning checks). I know that I should be happy that I am losing, but I am slowly losing my patience. I don't like seeing the scale go down by only .5 or 1lb after a whole week of walking on the treadmill and eating within my point range.

And the only redemption I have for these emotions is that tonight when I weighed after work I was .5lb lower than this morning - and I am consistently about 3-4lb heavier at the end of the day.

I'm eating on track today - but let my water go right downhill - I've only had about 20 oz all day - and there hasn't been any other liquid intake to compensate for the lack of water. I had it on my desk all day but never had a desire to sip it.

I'm not giving up - but just had a lousy day.

((((maddy))))

Lil and maddy ... glad you're still with us .... some weeks, especially once into a healthy lifestyle plan just are like that ... I keep reminding myself, it's a cumulative thing, even if there is a week here or there with minimal (or no) change in our measuring tools, over the course of a number of weeks, then the changes add up.

I always have kind of a down week when I'm in the hut ... my emotions are more easily on the negative side and my body isn't responding as well to the efforts I put in .. so last week was like that for me, didn't feel like I was making any progress, even when I could recognize where progress has been happening, I didn't feel like I was progressing ... but over the course of time, I've learned that the week after that is always an up week, I see the progress, I feel more upbeat, etc. So today, I could see changes in the way my clothes fit and how much looser they are, etc. I could also feel some differences in the way my knees are ... less pain with each week that passes.

Sending healing thoughts and hugs to osuche ... hope you get back to 100% very soon!!

Just glad to have you all as a part of the group so we can share the ups and downs .. It makes a huge difference for me and I appreciate you all ... thanks!!!

By the way, reporting that I made it through another day and am off to bed now. :)

I had a bad one yesterday too so bad I didn't really eat. I woke up this morning to a sudden drop in weight but I know it won't stay that low.

maddy ~ tomorrow/now today will be a better day ((hugs))

(((Lil))) ~~ didn't mean to get you sick, too. :) I hear the first year teaching is hell ont he body, and it seems you're suffering for it. Also, sorry to hear about the little boy. You do know...don't you...that the kids are better off because you have the ability to be tough? Thank you for being you -- we need mor eteachers like that.

Maddy, I hope today is better -- I understand about the weight loss in small increments. Such is my life, and it's always pissed me off that weight drops off of other people in whole pound increments and it dribbles off of me. If oyu find a good solution, let me know -- I've always suspected that I'm not eating precisely the right foods for my body and that's why.

fzzy...glad this week you're more positive. I could *feel* your struggle to remain positive last week...but you have come so far! You're feeling better and have a LOT of signals that your plan is working.

IAKG...hope you're celebrating with that man of yours. Did the VS stuff arrive yet? ;)

Aqua...I need a report on your progresss as well, my friend. :D

As for me...I broke my calorie rule last night. Came home and fixed shrimp pasta...it tasted so GOOD and I've had such little appetite this past two weeks. I went mad and ate two plates of it, and drank a glass of wine. Then I had 2 Swiss chocolates. I'd been "good" earlier in the day, so the splurge ended me at 2150 calories for the day -- which (given that I worked out a bit) is still OK. But today I'll be more diligent about my goal.

Woke up with some stiffness and took a shower...but last night was night 4 without arthritis meds. Two years ago my rheumatologist told me that I might never have kids because the meds I was on would cause birth defects. That I'd have to be off of them for 18 months before I got pregnant, and she didn't think that would be possible for me to do. Well....here I am....off of the drugs for 4 days straight! 18 months to go and I can have babies if I want to.

To me, the goal of remaining arthritis med free is *almost* as important as the weight loss. I am sure they're entwined, but this is a big accomplishment to me. Something I've been working on for about 2 years, which is finally completely successful. Let's just hope I don't back slide.

^5 osuche!

Wishing you luck and continued success in your quest to be med-free!

TYVM. :D I really *am* proud

How about you, WI? How's the quest to remain coffee-free going? :)

I still want real coffee. Giving up other caffeinated drinks was no problem at all because I don't drink much soda anyway. That's what makes it so difficult to give up coffee. Decaf doesn't taste as good and I'm tired of water all day. I feel like there should be meetings or something!

I'm taking it that juice just doesn't "do it" for you, WI?

osuche~I understand your quest. I'm hoping that, when I go to do my next three-month glucose reading mid-April that my A1C results have me in the "non-diabetic" category, between the weight loss, improved diet, and exercise. In January I moved down to the lowest dosage of my medication, since my A1C at that time was below what the American Diabetes Association wants it to be for "well-controlled" but not quite to the level my doctor would prefer. Still, when I can remember to take my two-hour readings, I've not had one over the magic number in weeks. Not one. That gives me hope to eventually control a disease that still makes me very, very angry through simple lifestyle changes and not through medication.

maddy~As I've said before, here and in our conversations, it's still a loss. I know how frustrating it is to work on this 24/7--because we ALL work on it 24/7--and to have all of that hard work rewarded at the end of the week with something paltry.

But, just remember--you have to cut out 3500 calories to lose a pound in a week.

Also, check this out: Weightwatchers
Apparently I needed to re-read it as well. I believe I am PMSing and retaining water in preparation...all I know is that the scale is not budging for me one iota this week. And it's depressing. ((maddy))

Most juices are way too sweet tasting for me. The only one I can tolerate in small doses is cranberry.

Spring should be here at some point, and I'll feel more like drinking iced green tea. That'll help, I think.

I've been doing pretty good. Vacation was anything goes time, but I still kept it at 2 pops a day. (Mostly :p )

Since the Monday after I got back from vacation I have only had one day when I had more than one pop during the week.

I've also slowly been creeping down towards 185, which is where I'd like to be weight wise. I think if I got myself to exercise a bit more I'd get there pretty quick... and look better to boot.

Thanks for asking ((((osuche)))))!

Thanks osuche. I am having a fear of failure thing with work and trying not to let it creep into my eating too.

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.

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.

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.

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! :)

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.

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?????

Yep.


I think it needs to lose weight. :p

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

BTW TY guys for keeping me on track!

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.

Thank you maddy!! :)

It's fixed for me now :p

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!

Thanks fzzy... I found the link that Maddy mentioned and fixed it so it wasn't tweaking the screen.

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.

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. :)

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

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.

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

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.

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!!!