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

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

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:.

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.

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!

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.

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. :)

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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

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!).

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! :)