The Me I WANT to be - Weight Loss Support June 16

[greysangel]

The reason for the question mark is because the me I want to be is not the crying hysterical mess that I was all day folks.

I was up again...this time 4.8 whopping pounds...sigh. I know, I know...it can't be fat, it's PMS, it's physically impossible yadda yadda. The bottom line is that scale is ruining my outlook on me. I had a fabulous week. My caloric average was 1900 per day. I worked out 6 days this week, three days both cardio and weights. I feel glorious during the week. After I get over the first 15 minutes of blah on a machine I actually love the rings of sweat on my shirt. I love that I have graduated to the "boy" free weights. I feel fueled with no desire to overeat. This morning I stepped on the scale and felt like a complete failure. I had a housewarming party to go to and I just couldn't shake it. I cried this morning. I cried after the party. I cried on the way home tonight after a nice dinner out. And here it is 12:15am and I'm still upset about it. My leader doesn't know what to say...hell if someone showed me a card with three weeks of gain, I would think that something funny was up. If I get to goal (and now I'm feeling if instead of when which is not good), I swear I'm going to be the first person to write the book detailing what an absolute B*TCH it is to lose weight. So many people just write about how the weight just magically melted off in x number of weeks. Well that ain't me.

I can't do this anymore..this weekend torture. I haven't decided quite what to do and of course I welcome any feedback. My leader actually said that maybe I was exercising too much :rolleyes: This my friends is not something I am willing to give up. Right now I'm faced with a few options:

1. keep weighing in every week and after two more weeks drop my calories again.
2. not weighing in every week. Take measurements and measure every 6 weeks or so and maybe weigh in at that time just for information's sake.
3. forget weight watchers or just do the points on my own/online etc and forget the scale completely.
4. forget about counting calories..keep working out, journaling food (not points) and eat based on what my body is telling me (physical not emotional)
5. say to hell with it and eat myself to oblivion ...just kidding :D

I have a lot of thinking to do and would love feedback if you have any. I'm feeling pretty tapped out right now and I'm hoping that a morning in the gym tomorrow will help me feel better.

The meeting today was about comfort zones. What to do to get in the comfort zone and what made us feel out of the comfort zone. Apparently I'm out of the zone right now :D Journaling honestly is my comfort zone..it helps me plan, it helps keep me "honest", it helps me balance my day/week/etc. What situations put you out of the comfort zone? How do you feel when there? What tools help pull you into your safe place?

I also added my "story" so to speak onto my site. I'm warning you now, it's a bit of information...some of you will love me for sharing and some of you may rather skip it. For one, I feel it helped verbalize what has happened up to this point. I also feel that something I share may trigger a lightbulb for someone else so it's all good.

Goals:
make a decision.

Have a wonderful week everyone and hang in there...I don't think any of you have had three weeks of gains so don't feel bad! :D

JeAnne

[Robyncz]

Oh JeAnne, I feel your pain. I have, in fact, had 4 weeks of gain. Unlike you, I know EXACTLY what is going on. I haven't journaled consistently, I haven't had enough water, I simply haven't stayed on program, and try as I may, I can't seem to be back on track. I'm starting to realize that there might be some emotional/mental issues involved for me, and I'm seriously considering trying some counseling to see if I can get to the bottom of it and finally break through this mental barrier I have apparently set up for myself.

Here's my two cents about what's going on with you (and two cents is about all it's worth). I'm sure that WW has done a ton of research on their program and the point ranges are probably pretty close to accurate for most people. I know that they have made significant changes to the points program since I was first on it several years ago (e.g., slightly dropping the number of points in each range, limiting the number of fiber grams you can count when calculating points, limiting the number of points you can bank in a week, etc.) and I assume that they have made these changes based on what they learned about how the program really works for people. With this in mind, I would think you might want to try dropping back into your WW-assigned range again, being sure to add appropriate points for exercise, etc. You could give it a couple of weeks before making a decision like dropping WW altogether. . .

From a completely different angle, I don't know enough about how the body reacts to exercise, but I wonder if there is some kind of survival mode that can be triggered by too much exercise. Sort of like the starvation mode that is triggered by consistently consuming too few calories? Anyway, that might be something to ask your trainer to look into.

By the way, when was the last time you took your measurements? I checked out the June 6th pics on your site and there is DEFINITELY a difference from the last set of pics you took not too long (and probably not very many pounds) ago. From your recent descriptions of your exercise regime, it sounds like you have significantly upped your strength training. It is quite possible that you are seriously increasing your muscle mass right now and that's where your gains are coming from.

No matter what, I know you won't give up. You have come soooooooo far and each week of this journey makes you a stronger (albeit frequently more frustrated!) person.

Don't forget to drink some extra water to rehydrate after all that crying!!;)

Robyn

[Gracie]

I had a feeling when the new thread for the week didn't appear Saturday morning that something had happened (that you had gained and were upset). I don't normally have ESP so I was hoping I was wrong.

JeAnne, my thoughts are similar to Robyn's. I "listened" to the discussion a few weeks ago about upping the points to lose weight and honestly I didn't get it. How adding points and their calories could make you lose more if you were exercising just didn't add up. This has certainly never worked for me, however I have never been in your exercise league! ;) I worry now how I am going to maintain this small level of points/calories for the rest of my life.

The times that I've journaled and counted points religiously on my way down the scale, I have been amazed at how little you can eat to stay in point range. I have done WW many times over the years through many variations of their program. I have talked to friends who have done it over the years and we have all come to the consensus that the points system gives you the least food over the exchange system. Which then leads to the question of "well then how come I lost successfully on the exchange system?" so obviously there are no easy answers.

My two cents (and it's probably not even worth that) is that you continue your fabulous exercise program and get back to your real point range while exercising. I just can't imagine that all that wonderful exercise can be "hurting" you. I honestly think you may be having too many points.

Please take this with a grain of salt. I'm a scientist by training so maybe that's where my viewpoint is coming from. I see a lot of things in black and white, and for me, more calories does not equal weight loss. But everyone's different.

My thoughts are with you. You've traveled a long hard road and you are at the point where you are starting to enjoy the fruits of your labor (a year ago, could you do all those wonderful things in the gym?). Please don't abandon it. I really don't think you would anyway. We are here for you just like you are here for us. I'm sure others will chime in with different ideas. Sort through all of it and come up with what you think is best for you. What ever that is, we'll be backing you.

Loren

[SusanL]

my thoughts exactly! When I checked in here after lunch, I thought the same thing!
JeAnne you have been such an inspiration to all of us, we should take a count!! You are honest with your ups and downs, not many people can be as honest as you have been, and we admire that! You have persevered through hard times, and I wish this one would be easier for you, you will get there!! I agree with Loren that you may need to get back to the points range and continue the exercising. I say start now, see what happens rather than wait two more weeks! With tears in my eyes, I know that you WILL succeed! Sometimes things so close make you work harder~ But it will happen because of your strength, keep exercising!

[greysangel]

Please do not take this personally any of you...I'm playing devil's advocate to hash this out in my head.

WW has done a lot of research on weight loss...I agree with this. So have a lot of other groups including the nutritionist, the trainer etc. From the exercise side everyone is saying to eat more. Chaz and I talked about this all day yesterday because he agrees on that side. He thinks that my body was working up and building up very little based on the fuel I was putting in. Now it's going in the other direction and he thinks that pretty soon it will even out and then head back down. But he's not a doctor.

The thing that makes me so angry about WW is for all the research they have done, I really don't think they have fleshed out the activity portion. Their attitude is eat the points, don't eat the points, eat some, who cares it's only exercise. I don't think going back down to 1200-1400 calories is really the answer...maybe it's somewhere in between, or I don't know. I don't know and I haven't slept right in three days and this is really dumb.

I'm sure I will have a loss next week as I do indeed think a lot of this week was water. Period is today and I feel like a stuffed watermelon. My issue right now is not even that I'm gaining. My issue is that scale and how I let it make me feel. Am I a better person when I'm giggles and sunshine when the scale gives me the answer I want?

JeAnne

[Grace]

Oh JeAnne. I came running over to this thread to see how your week was - I was so excited to hear your results.... and I feel so badly for you. I'm no doctor either, but I have done SOO much reading, and I'm with Chaz - I still think it's your body adjusting. I still really and truly think you are just gaining more and more muscle! I mean really, you're working out harder than you ever did, right? My one and only suggestion is to not focus so much on the scale, but start checking your measurements every week. If you're still losing inches (despite the scale), then for sure you're losing fat, and just gaining muscle (which as we all know weighs more than fat! :D ). I really, really, really would bet my PAYCHECK that you ARE still losing and just don't realize it! Or go out and get one of those body fat measuring scales. Although they can be imprecise, I've heard.

I think that would help take away the power of the scale a little for you too. As always, I truly and sincerely wish you the best in your continued efforts. Just remember, that as long as you're making the effort, you WILL succeed! That's how everything in life works. But you don't need me to tell you that, of course. I'll be here cheering for you!!!

[ebobbitt]

This is really me just thinking out loud but I wanted to toss out an opinion to see if anyone has heard the same thing. I have no idea where I read this but I seem to remember hearing muscle retains more water than fat. JeAnne, you've got to be building muscle with all the working out you do and the fact that it's TOM--that's got to be where the gain came from this week. It sounds like you're building muscle faster than you're burning fat at this point. Chaz is probably right that it will level off but I have no idea what to tell you to do in the meantime. I just know you can't quit. There's no future in that. And what would we do without our fearless leader?

No, just because you're having a hard time doesn't make you any less of a person. We all love you.

[slknight]

Oh, JeAnne, I'm giving you a big hug. I know you must be so frustrated. But Ebobbitt is right, it doesn't make you any less of a person. We do still love you!

I really would have to say that I agree with Grace in this situation. It's taking a little while for your body to adjust to all of this and you are gaining muscle. I do think it's a good idea to take those measurements more often.

I have been very frustrated with WW for the same reasons you have said related to activity points. They are very vague on the situation and I don't think they properly take into account that if you are earning a lot of activity points, you are probably not getting enough calories. Especially when WW online says that you can only eat 4. When I was training for the 3-day walk, I was sometimes earning 12 a day. That's a big difference, and I always felt hungry so I would get frustrated and over-eat.

I think you should probably stick it out a little while longer at the higher point range. But I'm not a physiologist, so that's just my opinion. What about talking it over with your trainer or your doctor? Or maybe consulting a nutritionist?

As for the gain this week, I'm sure it's just TOM. I know that I gain several pounds and feel like a bloated pig. When there was that thread about how much do you gain during TOM, and so many people said 1 or 2 pounds, I couldn't believe it. Not me. I'm closer to 3 to 5 and morph into this completely different creature.

As you said when you posted your options, #5 (eating into oblivion) isn't really a choice, is it? I know you don't want to go back to where you've been.

One thing I am going to say is that I hope you don't feel pressure being our "leader." We still think you are a great leader no matter what happens. I just don't want you to stress out and think you've let anyone down. You haven't! I just know that when I have been in situations before where people are looking to my leadership for whatever reason, I have sometimes stressed out too much trying to maintain some standard of what I think others have wanted. I've put too much pressure on myself and freaked out. Please don't ever feel like that around us.

(((Hugs)))
Susan

[lisas3575]

I found this amazingly inspirational passage on some website or another:

"It is such incredibly hard work to change habits that we took years to create. I have successfully changed my relationship with food without killing my love of food. People ask me how I have been so successful…again so many different factors. The one thing I put above all in my advice is to believe it is possible. If you don't believe it is possible, how can you ever get there? I still have some weight to lose but to me the rest is icing on the cake for I am already the me I want to be. "

You know that line in As Good As it Gets? Where Jack Nicholson says to Helen Hunt, "You make me want to be a better man"? You make me want to be better too, JeAnne.

sending an angel your way!
xoxoxox

[jrfdalton]

/hugs JeAnne

I wish I could be half the inspiration that you are to so many people! I wrote this down from my last meeting "I'm not leaving till it happens, because I know what happens when I leave." I'm the dreaded "retred". I don't know if this is my 3rd or 4th time. I go cause I know it works, I loose weight, but I haven't reached goal any of those times. The last 5 weeks I've been up and down the same 2.5 pounds - one week up one week down. I'm tempted to throw it all out the door again, but at least if I keep going to meetings I can stay somewhat focused.

Can your leader refer you to anyone in your area who has worked out a lot or might be more familiar with the exercise/WW issues than she is? I don't know all the physiology involved but what about salt intake and those growing muscles? Someone in our meeting this week said she was particularly careful about her sodium in take and she was amazed at the loss.

I didn't get much out of the 'Comfort Zone' meeting unfortunately. I feel that I'm pretty open to new things. I may be wrong but I feel that I don't dress, eat, exercise, cook, behave a certain way because I have been overweight. The two exercises we did at the meeting were putting our watch on the other arm and moving to a new chair in the meeting. Of course putting your watch on the other arm feels awkward but I have no attachement to my meeting chair. I'm trying to figure out what Comfort Zone I might have set and if so will breaking it help me on my way to a skinnier me.

jill

[Marian]

JeAnne, this totally sucks for you!! You have been working so hard and it's just NOT fair! I am positive you will start going down soon though. I also believe your body is just adjusting to it's new self and once it adjusts there will be no stopping you.

Another thing I think is true is that everyone responds differently to the number of calories consumed and the amount of exercise being done. So one person may need fewer calories, while another might need more or their body will start to "sleep" and conserve.

I have noticed the last few times I have lost weight is when I was being less strict about my points. I had a little bigger portion or maybe some dessert or an extra alcoholic beverage I wouldn't normally have. Combined with that I haven't been as "strict" about my exercising either - I would still get exercise, but instead of jogging for an hour it would be normal walking around.

An example is when I went on vacation for a long weekend with my friend - I still chose healthy food for meals, but we did drink quite a few margarita's and I didn't "exercise" per se, but we walked quite a bit site-seeing. I came home expecting to see a gain and I was down a couple of pounds! This past week the same thing happened with my mom visiting - eating more, exercising less but down 2 lbs. In between I was strict about points and making sure I exercised but I stayed the same or went up each week.

Maybe your body just needs a long weekend break from the strictness. Do some fun activity rather than a gym workout and go out for a bit of a splurge type meal.

Remember, we love our fearless leader - she is AWESOME!!

[HRJ]

Oh JeAnne -- I am so sorry to hear you did not get the news you wanted. Please remember we're all here for you, and we're all rooting for you, no matter what the scale says.

I agree with some of what's already been said here -- and I've also got a "radical" proposal. Basically, I think you should stay with WW, but allowing for the extra points as you've been doing, and I think you should stop weighing in weekly for a while. It's going to take me a bit to explain myself -- bear with me here.

I agree with Grace about the fact that you MUST be gaining muscle and losing fat, with all your exercise, and that taking measurements is something you should do, regardless of anything else.

About the points -- that's a stickier question. I agree that if you cut down your points, and keep exercising at the rate you're going, you will most likely lose weight. You could start doing that, and will likely slip into Onderland fairly soon.

BUT -- here's the important question -- do you want to be eating fewer points and exercising at the rate you're going for the rest of your life? 1,300 - 1,400 points sounds awfully low for someone who does as much activity as you do. If you try to keep your fuel intake unrealistically low, I think it's likely to backfire.

About WW -- I've talked before about my love/hate relationship with the WW. While I think it's the safest, healthiest, most sane approach to weight loss that I've tried in the 20-some years I've been dealing with weight issues, it is also far from perfect. A program used by hundreds of thousands -- millions? -- of people every year cannot cover all individual situations, no matter how flexible it is -- and in my experience, the vast majority of leaders are not trained or encouraged to show a lot of flexibility when dealing with individual members.

This is particularly true in regard to exercise -- because frankly, WW is a selling a "diet" -- a way to eat -- and not an exercise program. It wasn't even until recently that exercise was even included in the program in any way, as you know. The WW way is to preach the "plan" and I just don't think the majority of the leaders or those who put the program together really know a lot about exercise and weight loss -- as shown by the varying formulas for using activity points, the dismissive attitude of many of the leaders, etc.

So I think the time may have come for you to make whatever adjustments you need to make in the program to accommodate your activity, and your lifestyle.

Also -- the plan is not a "magic formula." WW likes to preach strict adherence to the points, or exchanges, or whatever system it's using at the moment. But the fact that WW has changed so often also shows that there is no one perfect way. And, WW, as much as it has helped many, many people, is a business, and is motivated by profit motive. WW mixes up the program every couple of years because it's a way to get new customers, or bring back old customers. So there's nothing about the program that should be beyond tinkering with, if need be.

I'm not advocating leaving the program -- it has a lot to offer, and many of its features have been really valuable for you, and I think you can continue to get a lot out of it. You should not stop journaling, and I've found that journaling with "points" rather than just writing down various foods, has been much more effective for me -- it really helps to quantify what I've been eating. It provides an excellent framework.

About the scale -- I may get a lot of disagreement here, but I think you should stop weighing in every week .

Two reasons:

1) the philosophy behind weekly WIs, I believe, is so that you can keep a close eye on your weight, and make adjustments when you see the scale moving in the wrong direction. This might be OK for someone who has a tendency to veer off-program. But, you don't need to worry about that -- so much of your new lifestyle is devoted toward your weight loss/healthy living efforts. Think you're going to eat a whole gallon of Rocky Road if you don't have to face the scale on Saturday? I don't think you will.

2) The numbers on the scale have taken on too much importance. You are eating well. You are exercising. You are stronger/healthier than you ever had been in your life. Why should you spend the day crying your eyes out because of the number on the scale? You CANNOT let the scale have this power over you. The scale has gained the upper hand in the relationship, and you need to switch that. Being scale-obsessed isn't much better than being food-obsessed.

Don't forget the scale -- but I think you need a break, now. Give it a month, take your measurements, let your body adjust to your exercise regime, and then see where you're at.

I have to admit I'm personally biased on this account -- I stopped weighing in weekly over a month ago, because I felt I was becoming obssessed with the numbers on the scale, and was falling into unhealthy behaviors because of that. Maybe I'll eventually go back to weekly weigh-ins. Maybe you will, too. But I think you need to give it a try.

Sorry I went on so long, here. In a way, I feel like I should hardly be offering you advice -- you've been far, far more successful at weight loss than I have ever been.

Hang in there.

Helene

[Molli526]

Helene, very well said. I agree with you.

[ebobbitt]

Hi Helene! I have a question about WW in your area. Do they offer some type of "once a month" weigh in? Do you go to the meetings and not weigh? Or do you skip meetings? I'm really curious because we have no options here. Either you weigh every meeting and if you miss a meeting you must pay for the meeting missed. Or if you're life time you don't have to pay for missed meetings. Now, I don't know if as a life timer I could just weigh once a month (I'm way over goal) and still attend meetings weekly. Did that make any sense?:confused:

[Gracie]

Elizabeth, I'm a lifetimer and although I have finally gotten back to goal, when I wasn't, I could go once a month or more frequently. It didn't matter to them, the only part was that you pay if you are more than 2 pounds above goal and you don't pay if you're within 2 pounds. (all they cared about was the money, it seemed).

I was thinking the same thing about paying for "missed meetings" iif you don't weigh in. I don't know what WW thinks about attending meetings and paying for them (without weighing in).

Loren

[greysangel]

You ladies are truly wonderful. I hope I can someday turn around and give all the advice that you all have offered me...it's so much easier telling other people the things we should tell ourselves in such a loving manner. Thank you all for you imput...seriously.

I came to a decision. I wanted to do it relatively quickly because 1)I can't stand being in anxiety mode. I'm not one of these people that can put something on the back burner until I come back to it. 2)I do want to have our usual weekly thread..I'm not totally narcisistic :D I never worry about you ladies as far as how you feel about me. You put me in the leader chair, but as far as I'm considered you are all leaders...leading yourselves to a healthy life and helping others lead themselves.

It was a late night last night. I emailed Krista from the women's weightlifting and fitness website I may have mentioned before and I was so happy to get yet some more feedback. All of the feedback I have seriously considered...believe me. I woke up early this morning and talked to Chaz and went out walking instead of the gym. I walked 140 blocks to be exact (you can be exact in manhattan :D )...thinking. I thought about what my ultimate goal is, and oddly enough it's not a number...size or scale number. My ultimate goal is to be able to live my life enjoying all of it...food included. I want to be able to live without a scale and know what my body needs based on activity level, hunger level and satisfaction level. I want to have a loving relationship with me, inside and out.

Helene, I knew that weighing in once a week was out of the question after this weekend. It was horrible. I truly felt unbelievable emotional angst over a stupid number and then felt incredible anger for letting myself get in a frenzy over it. This is not healthy living. Seeing myself as a failure for a ridiculous scale gain is proposterous frankly. And yet it's happened three weeks in a row. Three weeks I have had wonderful weeks and then horrible emotionally damaging weekends...each Saturday getting progressively worse. So this above all was the main reason for my decision.

Here's the plan:
1)I am weighing in next week simply to give myself a starting point that is not clearly premenstrual related. I am also going to take measurements. I will not weigh in or measure for a month. That is a month of working out and food intake without the scale. Though measuring every week is kind of intriguing, I do not want anything to have the power of me that the scale currently does ..therefore I do not want to replace the scale with the tape measure. I also think that it takes a lot more work to lose one inch than it does to show scale fluctuation..I think measuring once a week is not a realistic amount of time to show improvement.
2)The next month I will measure BEFORE I weigh in and I will reward myself based on measurement changes vs. the scale. I thought long and hard about ONEDERLAND and that reward stays the same as I feel onederland is more an emotional goal than an actual number goal. I will post pictures and measurements on my site once a month (what I have done so far will remain there) in work out attire if I can bring the courage up to do it :D The scale will be information only and I'm going to work really hard over the next month to journal emotionally how I feel in regards to food and working out.
3)I'm going to look into WW in regards to missing meetings. I think you have to pay if you miss, but isn't there an option where you buy meetings instead of having to go every week? I really want the option of whether to go or not. I feel I can handle myself without a meeting, but I want the option of going. I can also post a thread topic without a meeting :D So I haven't committed to remaining for every week and I'll decide more once I know my options...if I have to pay, I may as well go.
4)I believe in the WW eating plan. I could easily just count calories, but to be honest, I like points better. To me it just makes it more enjoyable and I really want to enjoy food. If I were to get all into calories and macro nutrients blah blah blah..it would kill it for me. Saying that, I do believe there are slight adjustments to be made. My husband's argument is that for the past 20 months, I have been training my body to slowly accept less and less food energy. At the same time, I have been increasing energy I put out. He says that it is unrealistic for me to expect my body to do anything OTHER than freak out when all of a sudden I give it more food :D And I agree with him :) One thing is for sure is that despite sizes, scale and measurement, my body shape has changed drastically since March. You can stay the same size and be leaner looking in that size. I also cannot ignore what my body feels...which is I feel pretty **** good at about 1600 calories and up. When I upped my caloric intake, it was like everything really sparked up inside me. I feel hunger and satisfaction easier, I have more energy, I am more "awake" etc.. if I'm fueling throughout the day. Saying that, I do think there is room for tweaking. Seeing as I am not totally counting calories, I do have to allow calories for foods that are zero points. Veggies do have caloric value and are mostly carbs. So the nutritionist said 1800-2300. The fitness guru said around 1800-1900 6 days a week (9x body weight)and then a "spike" day of around 2400 (12x body weight) reset. I am going to shoot for around 1600-1800 calories per day (we'll see on the spike) and I've decided to journal but not add points as I go along. I am going to write what I eat and then count up at the end of the day. Hopefully this will help me focus more on what my body feels it needs vs OH I HAVE X NUMBER OF POINTS TO SPEND! By aiming for 1600-1800, this gives me leeway for the calories I don't count.
5) I'm not going to exercise any less...if anything it will be harder up to this three day hike.

I hope and pray that this will make a difference and if it does, then there's hope it will in turn help someone else.

Regardless of whether I go to meetings or not, I am committed to a weekly thread and I will be here for you all if you are here for me :D

Please take care and be good to yourselves this week. I think I will be able to get a good night's sleep tonight.

best,
JeAnne
fat/getting there/fit and fabulous :D

[Grace]

Originally posted by greysangel
fat/getting there/fit and fabulous :D

I LOVE it! Wow. It takes some people YEARS of therapy to get to this point....it took you all of what, 12 hours??!! You're the BOMB, JeAnne!

[Molli526]

JeAnne-

You are already Fabulous!

Thank you for being so open and honest.

[Peggy C.]

JeAnne you are so darn smart, good for you to have a plan already worked out! As always you got some great advice and I really couldn't have added anything else. I'm sure all of this week was TOM, and you'll be pleased next week when you weigh in, and I think that is a great idea, kind of consider next week, week #1 again.

Also wanted to let you know that I made the 2 toned roasted potatoes yesterday and they are awsome, thanks for posting the recipe for me. And I agree next time I'll skip the white potatoes and just do all sweet! Yummylicious!:D

[newtricks]

JeAnne,

You ARE the bomb. One day this episode will be one of your favorite parts of your weight loss journey. This is where you're gaining wisdom and faith.

I don't know if this resonates with you but you said something to me a few weeks ago that really sticks with me - "Don't underestimate confidence". I took it to mean that confidence WILL change you in good ways. I think we all think that we will be more confident because we look better but I've realized that we gain confidence from just being able to take care of ourselves. Your healthy lifestyle is hard work and you kick @ss at it and that, way more than a number on the scale, should make you feel great about yourself. Roundabout way of saying that if the scale undercuts your confidence then throw it out. OK, you've reached that realization already but just wanted to put in my 2 cents.

And I totally agree with Chas about the calories.

Peace, Barbara

[HRJ]

JeAnne, you are already fit and fabulous!! Good luck with your new approach -- I hope it makes you happier -- I think it's a great step.

Elizabeth -- I'm doing WW online right now, so I don't know how the weigh-in policy works at the meetings -- Loren would be a better source for info about "real life" WW in our area.

With WW online, you pay once a month, and can weigh in every week, or not -- but the program won't let you weigh in more than once a week.

I did WW "real life" three times before (reached lifetime on the first go-round), but the last time I did was 1997, and I don't remember how things worked then, regarding weigh-ins. I'm thinking WW shouldn't have a problem if you pay, stay for the meeting, but don't weigh in -- but, I don't know, they tend to like their rules. Sorry I can't be more help.

Helene

[greysangel]

aren't those potatoes so good? There's something about the chilipowder and cinnamon combo on the sweet potatoes. I honestly think I could have them only for dinner and be content :D

JeAnne

[Gracie]

JeAnne - sounds like you have a great plan. It seems to incorporate a little of everything that I've heard so far on this thread (and I don't know what Krista told you, but her advice is probably in there, too).

I will be curious (as I'm sure will you) how your weigh in will go next Saturday. I for one will be tuning in bright and early when I get back from mine!! :D :D :D

I sure had a "Fat Me" night last night. DH had to work which normally doesn't happen on Sundays so after dinner I kept hitting the kitchen. I haven't done that in a long time. I am berating myself for this behavior this morning however I have to be careful not to try and make up for it by not eating much today (and the next 4 days!!:rolleyes:) because that leads to more overeating because I'm starving.

Now intellectually I know this, let's hope my actions bear out my thoughts.

Loren

[Peggy C.]

Did anyone else get their July issue yet? I did and there is a picture of a studdabubba cart on page 32! I was laughing so hard when I saw it. Also have to say that it is the raciest looking studdabubba cart on the market!:D

[jphilg]

Hey everyone....how are you? JeAnne...I think it has all been said, so let me just send you a hug. Hang in there, toots.

I am having big struggles as well. I didn't meet my gym days goal last week (so no brow wax yet....it is getting pretty critical, so hopefully that will keep my on track for this week). I am very very scared of the scale tonight, but I have to go.

Todays goals:

Gym (check!)
Journal everything
No sweets...

jen

[krhm]

As usual, I am late to this thread, and don't have anything new to add, except that I think it is great idea, JeAnne, that you are going to stop weighing in weekly. I think that you will be amazed at how positive and free you will feel, knowing that the numbers on the scale won't be hanging over your head. You can focus on all of the positive and wonderful things that you have accomplished...how great your body feels, how your clothes fit, how much energy you have, how differently you eat.

As far as meetings go, in my area (Atlanta) you are taken out of "active status" after six weeks of non-payment. If you go back at that point (or anytime before), you can simply pick up where you left off. Depending on your particular center's rules, you may or may not have to pay a missed meeting fee or a percentage of your missed meeting fees. It will not, however, be the full amount of the missed meetings, and it may in fact be cheaper to simply pay the registration fee again. After that six weeks, your membership card is filed away in an "inactive" box. BUT, whenever you come back, whether it is 4 weeks or 6 weeks or 8 weeks, if you bring in your original WW membership book, you can tell them what start weight you want and they will go from there.

I did this several times while I was trying to get to goal. My issues were based more in emotional eating, and sometimes the WW diet mentality was not what I needed, so I would simply take a step back and work on the other stuff, then come back when I needed to. The longest I was away was 7 weeks, and this was after 4 weeks straight of weighing in mere ounces away from goal weight. You can not officially achieve goal with WW unless you hit it on the nose or under, so for 4 weeks I did everything I could think of (short of weighing in naked). When I was ready to come back, I paid the registration fee and picked up where I left off.

[buffygirl]

Hugs, JeAnne. I think it's all been said. And I think your plan sounds like a good one for what it's worth. I also strongly agree with what someone else said that you *will* look back on this time period very fondly at some point in the future. You will feel very proud that you've gotten thru this rough time. Many of us, especially prior to this board, would've thrown in the towel. I'm so proud of you, you quickly made a plan, and knowing you, you will stick with it.

As for my WI, I stayed the same. I'm fine with it because I had an unplanned dinner out Friday night, just before Sat morning WI. Had I not gone out, I'm sure I would've been down that smidge to get me to my 15 pounds. Next week.....:)

Kim

[dawnie_vu]

JeAnne - ditto to all the thoughts that appeared before mine. If you can look at yourself in the mirror and think "D@*N - I look hot!" then don't sweat the pounds. And if you can't muster up the words yourself ... we'll all be here to say it for you :cool: ;) :D Not to repreat the same thing everyone else has said ... but does your gym have the machines that can do a body-fat analysis? Because at my gym, I can do a monthly test which lets me know what my lean mass is ... the goal of course being to increase my lean mass through weight training and cut down on my fat mass through healthy eating and exercise. It's been a good way for me to keep track of the "kind" of weight I'm losing, and make sure that my body isn't going into starvation mode and eating away on my muscle.

When I was in San Diego last week, I made it over to the Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado island. Marilyn Monroe's movie, "Some Like it Hot" was filmed there, and my friend and I got into a discussion about Marilyn's weight. I know it's brought up all the time ... she was anywhere from a size 8 to a 14, and yet somehow ... she was idolized as a goddess of sorts ... the perfect female body. What man didn't have the hots for her? This weekend I was just thinking about what society in general views the perfect woman's body to be now. Size 6? Maybe smaller? I was a size 6 at one point in my life, but I don't ever expect to be a there again. I don't think I'd want to be. (I don't have the structure to be a "healthy" size 6.) But I came across a picture of myself during a very recent trip to Chicago and thought to myself, "Who is to say that I should be a size 6 anyway? I look pretty good now." :cool: Our weight and size is such a bad determination of how we should view ourselves. I wonder at what point in time it because such a national obsession?

Anyway - goals for the week:

Exercise!!!
Drink Water!!! (I'm slacking on that! :p)

Ciao everyone!
Dawn

[gertdog]

Hi all!

JeAnne, I'm so sorry that things have not gone the way you hoped these past few weeks, but I applaud your resolve and your new plan.

I had another week of not weighing in. I was in NJ looking for an apartment and didn't see a scale anywhere. Although the apartment we hope to get (waiting to hear if our credit checks out :rolleyes: ) has a very nice fitness center with a scale, so I'll be able to keep an eye on my weight if we live there.

I did try stepping on DF's bathroom scale first thing Saturday morning. It told me I'd lost 8 lbs. I think not. My clothes fit exactly the same as they did a week ago. So I'm just waiting to weigh in on the usual scale at the gym this coming Saturday. Another good example of why we shouldn't be a slave to the scale. Scales lie.

I spent a very frustrating afternoon Sunday shopping for a pair of white pants. I went to 5 different stores, tried on umpteen pairs. Verdict: While my waist may be a size 14 (or maybe even a 12) my a** and hips are still a 16 when it comes to slimmer-fitting pants. No new pants were purchased.

Goals for this week:
Journal every day
Get to the gym at least 3x
Eat plenty of veggies (have not been doing so well w/ this)

[Jessica]

I do something called the Freedom program. I weigh in a minimum of once a month and pay more per meeting than I did for the weekly meetings--$14 here in the Midwest.

I started this program for the summer for two reasons:

1. I have a lot less time in the summer and did not want to commit to weekly meetings.

2. I felt like I was too focused on the WI and not focusing on healthy habits.

How's it going? Well, my first WI I was up 1.2 and my second is next week. I am having a VERY hard time staying OP, but I also know I am making healthier choices than I would have a year ago.

I am positive I could not stay on an 1100-1400 calorie diet for the rest of my life. But I want to improve my relationship with food and I think the mindful eating preached by WW is helping me do that.

JeAnne, this program might work even better for you, because you already have developed good eating habits. Maybe your center also offers the Freedom plan.

Something else to think about--you made a major decision when you started WW and began concentrating on a healthy lifestyle. It turned out to be a good decision and your health is better as a result. Therefore, you can trust yourself to make this next decision and to do what is right for JeAnne's body. That is why you are a leader--you have made choices and followed through with them.

[greysangel]

Jessica;

I did find out..they have the liberty plan..same concept. I'm definitely going to do this. This will also free up weekend time so I can get more walking in and spent quality time with my sweet hubby.

Gertdog;

Scales TOTALLY lie! And I'm not even talking about my latest crises! My scale at the gym weighs me higher than WW and my scale I have at home weighs me under 200! :eek: It's totally nuts. The scale at home has already been tossed...hubby's weight never changes and it's totally not accurate for me so who cares. NO MORE SCALES..it's only information :) As far as body fat measuring..I will probably do that at some point just for curiosity's sake, however same principal as the tape measure once a week. I do not want any one thing to have that kind of influence over me.

It's going to be hard, but I think it's going to be liberating as well..hence the LIBERY PLAN :D heee hee!

As for Marilyn, she was a woman's woman, however she was never today's size 14. As most of you may be aware..the fashion industry has changed to accomodate our growing girth. There is no sizing standard anymore.

JeAnne

[Jessica]

liberty, freedom...I knew it was something patriotic.

And yes, MM was not a 14 by today's measurements. But she certainly had curves. Just goes to show that trends in body shapes change and change back.

[greysangel]

Give me Jlo or Marilyn over twiggy anyday :D

[buffygirl]

Hooray for the liberty plan! Sounds like the perfect change for you JeAnne! I'm so proud of you. It would've probably taken me several weeks (and a 10 pound pity party) to get back on track. You rock!

Kim

[jphilg]

The bad news: weigh in last night was worst than I had expected....I am up another 1.8, putting me almost 10 pounds up from my Onederland moment in late April.

The good news: that was the last gain I will be reporting for a while. I met my goals yesterday, and have already been to the gym today. Challenges are 1) lunch with a friend, and 2) potluck supper tonight. My plan for 1) is to have a salad with a little protein, and for 2) is to fill up my plate with the grilled veggie/ yogurt sauce assortment I am bringing.

I hate admitting how far off the path I have gone....but if it weren't for weekly WW weigh ins, I would go even further, until I ended up in some huge depressed funk.

Again, I am just going to focus on today. I'll worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

Jen
224.4/208.4/175
ACK!

[Laura B]

JeAnne, it has all been said, and I think you are very wise and strong! You've gotten good advice and made good decisions and they will pay off.

I am down another pound today! I am still one pound away from my lowest number on WW. I hope next week's weigh in will get me back there and maybe lower. Even though I lost a pound, I did not do well this past week. Ate out too much and did not get my exercise in. This week, though, we have had to put the budgetary brakes on all the eating out and I am cooking. This means that I will likely have a good point week. And I REALLY plan to get my workouts in. I love the way I feel when I am working out. So why do I let myself go a week without doing it? :confused:

215/197/145

[jphilg]

Yay Laura! You must be doing something right if you are eating out a lot and still losing! I know how hard it is in this bizarre unstructured/high stress time we are in.

Now go work out!

Jen

[greysangel]

Laura; Congrats on the pound and get thee to the gym!

Jen; Confession is good for the soul :D Sounds like you have a solid plan...fall down seven times, stand up eight! Brava.

JeAnne

[Gracie]

I've never heard of the Liberty Plan but it sounds perfect for you! YAAYYYYY!!!!!

I wonder if they have it everywhere but don't advertise it and just pull it out for people's special circumstances. It wouldn't do for me since I seem to need that weekly stay-on-track reminder. Last week when I didn't get to meeting for the first time in almost a year I was feeling very out of control. Fortunately I lost 0.4 in the two weeks.

Loren

[ebobbitt]

I just got back from WI and I am down 2.5 pounds. This makes me VERY happy since I did trudge 28 miles last week and I lost 1/4 pound. Now I must work on the menu for the week.

[greysangel]

Go go GO ELIZABETH! :D

[JJ40]

Hi everyone! I just read this thread for the first time today and it is very relevant to what I'm feeling.

I am EXTREMELY frustrated by my weight and my eating habits. This has been coming for a while... About a year ago I lost 20 lbs, just by watching what I eat and trying to make good food choices (fruits and veggies, whole-wheat carbs, low-fat, etc.) I got such positive feedback about my weight loss...it was very motivating for a while. I did want to lose more, but was content to plateau for a while.

But then...I slipped back into old (bad) eating habits...ordering lots of take-out, eating French fries, etc... And I always tell myself, "just today I'll eat like this...tomorrow I'll start fresh!" Of course, then tomorrow comes and I say to myself, "oh, well, today I'll have McDonalds but then tomorrow I'll eat better!" ...and so on and so on.

So I've now been totally overeating (and eating junk) for a few months and I've gained back at least 7 lbs, if not more. I'm so mad at myself for letting this happen, especially because I wanted to lose even more weight, not gain it back. I expect more of myself than this. I mean, it's not like I don't have the information...I'm quite well-informed on nutrition and I know how I SHOULD be eating...I'm just not putting it into practice.

The other thing is that I'm terribly frustrated by life in general at the moment...I am currently in a job that I don't enjoy. My job will ending in 3 months and at that time I'm going to be moving, but I don't have a new job or a place to live. Add to the mix that I am very single, and having major desires to be a mother, and I guess I'm just not happy with much at the moment.

I guess I just had to vent about this, and ask if anyone else has ever felt similarly. I would love advice about how to deal with the way I'm feeling. I am in therapy, which has been an amazing experience...but that's only once a week for an hour. I feel like I need more continuous support, at least for the weight/food issue.

Anyhow, I welcome any feedback that anyone might have.

Thanks!
Julie
:(

[greysangel]

Julie:

A few thoughts:

1)We are support round the clock ...I mean that. It's rare that someone asks a question or posts a problem and doesn't get a pretty quick response. We are all here having similar struggles etc.

2)Put down the bat! You gained a few pounds and you know how to lose them again. And you will :)

3)Don't wait for tomorrow...this applies to a lot of things. Don't wait for tomorrow when you have eaten something you feel you shouldn't have...start immediately. It's about balancing. So you want the fries? Don't write the day off completely just because of fries no matter how many...have a salad, get to the gym, journal about how that food choice made you feel...maybe good, maybe not so good. Also don't wait for tomorrow to do what you want today. I have a friend who basically puts off living until life gets perfect. She will lose weight when she has the perfect man...she will start working out once the bad job is over, she will dance and feel free once things slow down a bit. Life is never perfect!! It is up and down. If we always shut down when life takes a turn, we will not get anywhere. Do the things you want to do regardless of what is in your face at the moment.

4)I'm married, but I spent many a year single. Though my biological clock is not ticking, I know what it feels like to cry in bed alone at night because you feel...alone. I'm sure your therapist has told you this, but everything you do and feel manifests itself. Put good in, get good out. When you start feeling good and doing good things for yourself, it comes back to you in many different ways.

5)You have three precious months. Three months to look for a good job fit and three months to make yourself feel better about life starting right at this moment. When you feel good, things just seem easier, decisions come more quickly etc.

You can do it, and you can always come here :D

JeAnne

[Robyncz]

I've been trying to post all day to say hooray for me!!!! I've just exercised two days in a row for the first time in I don't know how long. This may not seem like much of an accomplishment for those of you who exercise regularly, but finding the time and energy to do it, as well as figuring out what to do with my 1-year-old and 2-year-old WHILE I'm doing it has been a huge hurdle for me. I'm hoping I've found a solution that is going to work. And if it does, perhaps I can dive off this plateau I've been on for the past 9 weeks. Okay, 5 weeks of plateau followed by 4 weeks of gain. aggggh. Anyway, maybe this will help!

[greysangel]

YAY GYM GODDESS!!!!!!!!!!!

repeat
we loooooooooove the gym
activity soooooooo good
makes us strooooooooong

:D

JeAnne

[lisas3575]

"I loooooooooove the gym
activity soooooooo good
makes me strooooooooong!"

;) :D ;) :D

[brykate]

So, what DID they do while your were sweatin'?
I'm going to come to that dilemma when my program slows down for the summer, next week!

JeAnne - you crack me up! And I'm so happy that you won't leave us! <<hug>>

:) Katie

[ebobbitt]

When I get home from job #2 this evening and start to walk the dog, I will be chanting:
we loooooooooove the gym
activity soooooooo good
makes us strooooooooong

:D :D :D :D

[Molli526]

we loooooooooove the gym
activity soooooooo good
makes us strooooooooong


:D :D :D :D

[Peggy C.]

Originally posted by Molli526

we loooooooooove the gym
activity soooooooo good
makes us strooooooooong


:D :D :D :D

OMG this is a cult, I'm slowly being brainwashed!;) Have a good hump day everyone, from Peggy who is eating oatmeal with craisins for breakfast! Yummmmmmmm!

[greysangel]

I got my butt up early this morning and I am proud to announce that with my brandie new running sneakies, I got in 50 minutes jogging STRAIGHT!

Now I'm ready to pass out :D

stroooooooooooooooong
goooooooooooooooood
looooooooooooooove

JeAnne

[Marian]

Originally posted by greysangel
I got my butt up early this morning and I am proud to announce that with my brandie new running sneakies, I got in 50 minutes jogging STRAIGHT!

Now I'm ready to pass out :D

stroooooooooooooooong
goooooooooooooooood
looooooooooooooove

JeAnne

YOU GO GIRL!!!!:D

[ebobbitt]

DID YOU SAY 50 MINUTES???? I can't breathe just thinking about it!

[JJ40]

Just wanted to say thank you to JeAnne for her amazing response. It made me cry to read such supportive words...and from someone I don't really know! Everything you said is absolutely true...I just need to be reminded of it now and again.

Thank you.

Julie

[buffygirl]

Julie, JeAnne gives amazing advice, doesn't she? We just loooove her so much:) Stick around, this place provides a tremendous amount of support. When one person is down, someone else is bound to be up and lend an ear. It's great!

My update is that as of Monday, I'm actually working my legs out! (Other than the bike, that is) I did my first leg workout on Monday, light weights of course, and supervised, but it felt so good to use those muscles! And yes I'm sore, but hey, I'll get over it.

Food wise I'm good this week with the exception of home made carrot cake left over from Father's Day. If DH doesn't finish it tonight, I think I will throw it in the trash! Shame!

Kim

[greysangel]

Yay buff gal..I mean buffygal :D

Yay Julie! I'm glad it helped..sometimes a little cyber hug is a good thing :D (((((((((hug)))))))))))

As for me, I went to Victoria's Secret last night and made a killing on bras and panties! WOO HOO! I'm down to a 36C (B felt a little too snug) and a LARGE!!!

no extras for this chickie :)

[ebobbitt]

YAY JEANNE!!!! Don't you just love Victoria's Secret? Unfortunately my "girls" are still a little too large to shop there:eek:

[pattiarl]

Way to go on the treadmill, JeAnne. And good news for you, Elizabeth. I know you were really needing a loss :)

One of my favorite step teachers is being transferred and I am a little nervous about her leaving because there is only one other step teacher I like :( . But tonight I am trying out a new teacher that everyone says is great so I hope I don't lazy and go home instead. (He only teaches on Wednesday night so then I would miss him again for a week.)

we loooooooooove the gym
activity soooooooo good
makes us strooooooooong


And Jen, can I have your baked beans recipe so I can make it for the party that our step teacher is having before she leaves?

Thanks.

[greysangel]

pardon my little tangent...

You know why I love Victoria's Secret?

For the longest time, there was nada. There was ugly white and black cotton bras with extra support straps from sears. Then the joys of Lane Bryant...except anything sexy didn't really fit right. Don't even get me started on the OVERPRICING!!! I swear one of the nicest things about being a smaller size is I can usually find what I want...if I want something cheap and cheerful than I get it ...if I want to splurge on something really nice, I can. Now I know there are plenty of online naughty shops that you can order sexy things, but it is wonderful to be able to walk into a dept store OR Victoria's Secret and get something. I personally love the body by victoria microfiber stuff...so soft and supporting at the same time. I also like their lacey kind of fru fru stuff...but I'm not willing to pay 40 for it..so I splurge at the semi annual sale :D

JeAnne

[Peggy C.]

Kim, so cool that your working your legs. So everything is going well post op?

[Robyncz]

Originally posted by greysangel
WOO HOO! I'm down to a 36C (B felt a little too snug) and a LARGE!!!

Just more proof that the number on the scale is meaningless and you are a goddess!! Hovering around 175, there is no way on earth I could squeeze my girls into a 36C or my bottom into a large panty from VS. Screw the scale. You're doing great!!

[Grace]

I would agree with Robyn!! I am a flabby 140 pounds, and I wear a 36C and a size large panty (that's the size I WOULD buy if I wore them.... :D ). It just goes to show that you are becoming a VERY fit and muscular, woman!!! In my book, that's soooo much better than being "skinny".

[Marian]

Now that I'm ready to buy smaller bras I was going to try VS. Do they have dressing rooms there? Is it possible to try their stuff on? I'm not quite sure what size I am now and don't want to get the wrong size.
I was going to go last week but I didn't feel like dragging my mom in there with me.

[lisas3575]

Originally posted by Grace
(that's the size I WOULD buy if I wore them.... :D ).

ROTFLMAO! :D :D :D

Oooch, my side...

[jphilg]

Patti...I wasn't all that pleased with my baked beans. I mean, they satisfied my craving, but they were WAY too sweet. I suggest searching for a recipe that has less than 1 cup sweetener per pound of dried beans.

Kim...in my experience, working your legs is the quickest "results" activity of all. While it takes months to see serious changes in your upper body, leg exercises change the chape of your legs quickly.

JeAnne...I share your love of Body by Victoria. Is that stuff included in the semi annual sale? I thought it was mostly the lace and patterned stuff. AND YAY ON YOUR 50 MINUTE RUN! I bet you ran a 10k this morning! Pretty freaking impressive.

I am 3 for 3 this week....three workouts, three on-plan days (dinner is in the oven still, but no lurking feeling of impending binge).

2 more days and I get my f#*&ing eyebrow wax. You can't imagine the significance that my stupid eyebrows have taken on over the last week. Since I told myself no wax until I do 5 workouts in one week, and then blew it last week, every time I look in the mirror I see not only unruly eyebrows but also lack of self discipline. No one should care this much about eyebrows. Eyebrows are meaningless in this world, other than to help keep debris off of our eyeball and to aide in non-verbal expression. I believe that I am the first, and hopefully last, person ever to wrap her self worth into her eyebrows.

Happy hump day, guys. It has been a long week already.

Jen

[jphilg]

Marian...yes, they have very very pink dressing rooms. And the salepeople are very nice about measuring you for the right fit.

Jen

[greysangel]

yes i was able to find body by victoria stuff. They had a couple of their cup bras and a couple of seamless...I also got a couple of french cut panties to match :D
JeAnne

[Gracie]

Originally posted by Grace
I wear a 36C and a size large panty (that's the size I WOULD buy if I wore them.... :D ).

Grace doesn't wear un-der-wear, Grace doesn't wear un-der-wear! :p

Please make sure you all note that I'm Gracie and I wear underwear! :D :D

Loren

[lisas3575]

JeAnne, I've been thinking about you a lot this week... I've been pondering if perhaps you're excercising at too high of an intensity and moving beyond your fat-burning aerobic zone. SandyM posted about that last week, and then I just got my July CL and they have an article about heart-rate monitors. Just a thought, maybe you could check with your trainer and see what he/she thinks?

Anyway, sending everyone a Wednesday hug and/or a kick in the behind, whichever you need most!

[greysangel]

I bought a heart rate monitor a few months ago and it was quite enlightening! I now stay in the top part of my "fat burning" zone and low end of "cardio" zone. I'm not sure I believe in all this zone stuff, but I do know that I spend a lot of time in the past thinking I was getting some great work out on that Precor machine and burning all these calories when I wasn't! Jogging on the tread and the row machine are the easiest to stay in that higher zone and work up a sweat for me. I love the Precor but I have to really up the resistance and the incline in order to get a good workout.

So I'm pro monitor!

JeAnne

[buffygirl]

Peggy, thanks for asking about me. Recovery is going well. I'm officially 11 weeks out from my surgery. My doctor gave me a cane last week so now I'm alternating between the walker and the cane. I've had some pretty bad pain this week. I'm sure it's because of the cane and the leg workout combined. It's just part of it though. I had a big pity party at home yesterday (no food involved!) and now I'm back to my positive self. I know that when I have a few painful days that I'm close to a major break through!

Jen, you don't know how timely your comment about leg workout is for me! Thank you so much! Last night I was trying on some of my older, smaller clothes. It's amazing how well the jackets fit, my upper body is looking really good. But below the waist, Yikes! My left leg (where I had the surgery) even looks cottage cheesier than the right! It's awful. So I truly appreciate your comments. I hope I come around quickly!

One last thing, am I the only one whose boobs don't shrink as I lose weight??? I've been a DD my whole life, 32dd at my skinniest and 38dd at my fattest. I'm sure they shrink a little, but not enough to go down in cup size!

kim

[jphilg]

Inspired by JeAnne, who of course never fails to inspire, I went running today! I went 3 miles, mostly running, a little walking, but not bad for the first time out of the gate in MONTHS.

That makes 4 workouts....after tomorrow, I get my eyebrow wax! Then I will shut up. I promise.

Jen

[greysangel]

Jen - I truly understand your happiness over eyebrow waxing..I really do :D GO GIRL!

I've been checking time...maybe this time I'll see how far I'm going too :D :D Although I'm warning you all..it's no where near 10K...we're talking slow jog!

JeAnne

[Robyncz]

Originally posted by buffygirl

One last thing, am I the only one whose boobs don't shrink as I lose weight??? I've been a DD my whole life, 32dd at my skinniest and 38dd at my fattest. I'm sure they shrink a little, but not enough to go down in cup size!

You and me. Even at my thinnest, some button-up tops tend to strain across my chest. I HATE that!

Okay guys, what's this about?? In the first 20 weeks of this journey I lost about 17 pounds and NOBODY said a word about it. Not even the girls I just see once a month. Granted, some of it was baby weight, but still, somebody could have noticed right?

So now I've been on this plateau for 7 weeks, the last 4 of which have involved a total gain of 4 pounds and suddenly, in the last week, I've had a billion people tell me I look great and ask whether I've lost weight (which is such a loaded question, but that's a whole 'nother thread). Anyway, it's NOT that I'm toning up and building more muscle mass, because I only started exercising again this week. I did wean my 1-year-old last month, so maybe that has caused some sort of primal body shift??

Anyway, has anyone else experienced something like this? Any explanations?

[buffygirl]

Yay, Jen, on the running. And I do know what ya mean about the brow wax. My SIL, who is an aestheticia, is moving to Houston in a few weeks. I can't wait. I will be impeccilbly groomed!

Robyn, do what I do, take the compliments and ruuuuuun!:D

Kim

[JJ40]

Yay! Since my rant a couple days ago, I've been doing much better. Yesterday went for a long rollerblade with a friend, and right now am eating a lovely healthy pasta salad for lunch.

I can certainly join the bra size discussion...I'm hoping that as I lose weight I will lose some on top. I'm probably technically
a 38 DDD, but since that size is impossible to find, I squeeze myself into a 38 DD. But then sometimes I get boob popping out of the top of my bra...not particularly attractive. Victoria's Secret? Ha! I know they do make bigger bras but they simply are not supportive enough. When will bra companies learn that you just can't simply make a bigger version of bras...you have to add extra support too!?! And don't even get me started on the price of larger bras....

:)
Julie

[aggie94]

Originally posted by Robyncz
Anyway, has anyone else experienced something like this? Any explanations?

One of the secretaries at my office asked earlier this week if I was losing weight. She said I look great and that she could really tell I was losing weight. I started working here TWO MONTHS ago and I guarantee you I have not shed a single pound since then, despite my efforts. I don't know what it's about either. :confused: But I'm doing what Kim suggested - taking the compliment and running with it!

[Peggy C.]

Kim I can't believe it's been 11 weeks since your operation, it seems like it was just a couple of weeks ago.

I definitely lose weight in my chest, and while I don't mind losing a little (I'm a D cup) I tend to lose a lot and then I look even more bottom heavy! Ugh... and then fitted dresses don't fit my boobs if they fit my fat bottom. (girls make the...sing it!)

I just got back from WI, down .5 for a total of 14.5, I'm going to aim for that other .5 so I can get that darned star next Thur.! Juan says Hi!;)

I'm going to lake Chautauqua this weekend which can be very high stress if it rains (which it is supposed to) or very activity filled, keep your fingers crossed for good weather.

[greysangel]

YAY PEGGY!!! And I'll keep my fingers crossed for good weather.

JeAnne

[buffygirl]

Yay Peggy! You and I are in exactly the same spot, I've lost 14.4 and am really hoping for that .6 on Saturday. It will be my 16th week. I think I'll fast tomorrow, just kidding:p

Kim

[Peggy C.]

Originally posted by buffygirl
Yay Peggy! You and I are in exactly the same spot, I've lost 14.4 and am really hoping for that .6 on Saturday. It will be my 16th week. I think I'll fast tomorrow, just kidding:p

Kim

You aren't kidding, it is my 16th week also!:D Of course you were laid up for a while, so I think you are doing better! ;)

Keeping my fingers crossed for your WI on Sat.

[RebeccaT]

Whew! I finally made it through the whole thing!! ;)

I was in New Jersey from Monday - last night for a biz trip. Ugh. Very tiring. But you girls have been busy! Running, and jogging, and walking, and losing... woohoo!

JeAnne, I can't say it better than anyone else on this board, but I can just say that I am so so proud of you. You remind me everyday of what true commitment to oneself looks like.

So I am waaaaayyy off kilter at the moment. I didn't journal while I was gone, but I was ridiculously vigilant while I was out of town because I was so afraid of losing control, which is what I used to do on business trips. My one splurge was a half of a cannoli, my first ever! :D boy, was it good, but I don't think I'll be needing another one of those for a long time!!! The rest of the time I got razzed by my coworkers (whaddya doing, eating Raisin Bran! That's not breakfast!!!) I was feeling it last night in the airport too - I think I was too hard on myself, because I REALLY wanted to binge. I wanted candy, Ben and Jerry's everything I saw I wanted. I didn't eat it, but I wanted to, and I felt really out of control. So here's a question. Are you in control only when you don't want the bad stuff, or when you know that you could have a bite and be done with it? Or do you consider yourself to be in control when on the inside you are raging and dying for a whole bag of gummy worms, but you don't eat any? I almost felt as bad last night as I was trudging through the airport, desparately wanting to find comfort in sweet food but resisting, as I would have had I given in.

Does that make any sense? Am I blithering?

This weekend will be a challenge of challenges... family reunion. Casseroles galore. Baked goods out the wazoo. Should be interesting. My plan - get in a run at my grandmother's house, hopefully two. Play outside with my cousins, because nothing gets the blood going like a good game of freeze tag. And try not to obsess - I worry that this is becoming too much of a control thing.

[gertdog]

Hi all!

Yay Peggy! Hope Lake Chautauqua turns out to be fun rather than a trial.

Robyncz, I've been having a similar experience to you in terms of people noticing my weight loss. Hardly anyone has mentioned anything until the past two weeks, when I've been inundated with comments about how great I look. I don't mind, it's just weird that there comes some point at which people notice. Interestingly, the first person to notice and comment, a few months ago, was a male colleague. I walked into his office that he shares with a female colleague (who was at her desk) and he said "Wow, you've really lost weight... you look great!). The female colleague was horrified that he would say anything, but he meant it to be a genuine compliment and he's a nice guy... I didn't mind at all. There wasn't anything lecherous about it or anything. I just thought it was funny that a man would be the first one to comment.

Now, as far as boobs go, even 60 lbs overweight I was only a B cup. And I have definitely lost some boobage over the past few months. When I hit my goal I will be lucky to be an A cup! :p

I had my annual Ob-Gyn appointment this morning. It's never fun but always good to get a clean bill of health. And they weighed me and made a big fuss about how much I've lost since last year. I'm going to count their scale reading as this week's weigh-in as it was first thing in the AM, light breakfast, clothes but no shoes... pretty similar to my Saturday routine. According to their scale, I'm down 4.5 since I last weighed in a month ago. I'll take that! That puts me 1 lb. above the goal I set for my wedding, and 26 lbs away from my eventual goal weight. I think I like weighing in less than once a week. I didn't plan it that way but I've been missing my Sat. weigh-ins for one reason or another... I like not being stressed every Saturday morning about what the scale will say.

Stephanie
224/186/160

[greysangel]

Rebecca;

Being in control is all the scenarios you mentioned in my opinion. My opinion is that now you are in a safer environment, have something...especially before a casserole family laden bonanza :D Get a nice treat..whether it's a nice meal or some nice dessert etc and pick a time to have it where it will fit into your plan. This way you don't linger on with the feeling of wanting something, you satisfy the child that wanted to have some at that moment (dammit!), and you treat yourself before another stressful situation comes up.

Pat yourself on the back! You did a fabulous job and if you were hard on yourself while away, than congratulate yourself now! You deserve it and you need to acknowledge the success. Success at not giving in to a temporary fixation to have something.

YAY!

JeAnne

[greysangel]

thoughts on loss...

I don't think the body adjustment necessarily coincides with the scale to be honest. First off I don't think people are as perceptive as we give them credit to be :) People didn't comment on my loss until I lost around 60 :eek: I also think people are afraid to comment because weight is such a sensitive issue. I watched a coworker ask someone in another dept if she was pregnant, and the woman said "no, just fatter" :eek: :eek: My coworker felt like the size of an ant and would have welcomed a hole to crawl into.

Also I think the weight (number) comes first, and then the body shifts and then the skin shifts (for those of you with jiggly skin :D ) I have noticed that it's definite stages. The fat drops a bit and I see my flesh kinda poochy (no other word for it) and I actually feel a little itchy and then poof...the skin tucks in a bit. It's really strange. Of course I still have a bit of loose skin that I'm hoping will pull in. Chaz has convinced me to take pics in minimal work out gear so you'll all see it up close and personal (and see how well I do hiding it with clothing!).

JeAnne

[greysangel]

gosh i'm verbose...

I almost forgot...

YAY GERTDOG!!!!!

JeAnne :D

[Marian]

Originally posted by Robyncz

So now I've been on this plateau for 7 weeks, the last 4 of which have involved a total gain of 4 pounds and suddenly, in the last week, I've had a billion people tell me I look great and ask whether I've lost weight (which is such a loaded question, but that's a whole 'nother thread). Anyway, it's NOT that I'm toning up and building more muscle mass, because I only started exercising again this week. I did wean my 1-year-old last month, so maybe that has caused some sort of primal body shift??

Anyway, has anyone else experienced something like this? Any explanations?

This also happened to me - in fact, only 2 people noticed until I lost about 30 lbs and finally the past couple of weeks people have been commenting. Are you tall? I am and I'm guessing it just wasn't that noticeable until now or maybe it's because I'm wearing shorts now instead of jeans?
It really bugged me for awhile - but I'm loving all the comments now. :D

[Robyncz]

Originally posted by Marian
Are you tall?

Teee heeeee haaaa hooooo hoooo. I'm laughing myself silly because that's a question I've never heard before!!! I'm actually 4'11'' or 5' -- depending on who's measuring and how tall I'm holding my head on any given day. So, no. I'm going to have to say I'm not really very tall.

[Marian]

Originally posted by Robyncz


Teee heeeee haaaa hooooo hoooo. I'm laughing myself silly because that's a question I've never heard before!!! I'm actually 4'11'' or 5' -- depending on who's measuring and how tall I'm holding my head on any given day. So, no. I'm going to have to say I'm not really very tall.

LOL - well you seem very tall in your posts. ;)

[dawnie_vu]

Hello everyone! Man this week flew!! While I don't think I have time to comment on all the posts I just finally read - let me just say that this thread continues to be both entertaining and supportive. What a great group of people! I'm sad I missed out on all the VS fun talk :p

I went to WI yesterday. It's been 12 weeks since I hit my goal - and I'm happy to announce that I'm 5 pounds below my goal weight. I didn't vary at all during maintenance, and I'm still holding steady. This is good - it means that I can keep doing what I'm doing now and be okay. Do you know that I have only had fast food once since January? Between not eating fast food and giving up soda completely - I think I overcame two of my biggest weight contributors. Although - I'm still a sucker for a pint of ice cream - just not every Sunday anymore :D

I also started a Pilates class this week. I was so nervous about it, I heard that it can be a killer - but I loved it!!! I felt taller when I left. Maybe I'll stretch out and regain the 2 1/2 inches that I swear I used to have that mysteriously disappeared the last time my doctor measured me. Actually - based on my "new" height - I wonder if I really am at goal... Hmmm - this poses an interesting conundrum :confused: Oh well - I'm not going to sweat about it.

Anyway - I have a weekend full of weddings, bridal showers and bachelorette parties planned - so food, food, and lots of alcohol. And I can't wait!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Dawn

[pattiarl]

Hi guys. I agree with all that's been said about the lag time between weight loss/scale numbers/human perception. I have been at a plateau for aobut four weeks and during that time I had several comments about how I lost more weight, blah, blah, blah. Except for my close friends I just took the compliment and moved on.

I am trying not to be a slave to the scale but I am finding it so hard. I work out at Golds' chain so I go to different gyms depeding on the group exercise schedule and where I happen to find myself when I am ready to work out (which has only been twice this week :( ). And it seems that whenever I find myself at my official WI gym, I hop on the scale. This has got to stop because of the stress it causes.

Jen, my colleague has a recipe for baked beans from Emiril that she says are really good so I'll try those. Thanks, anyway. And have fun at your party...it sounds like a blast.

Bye for now.

Patti O.

[jphilg]

Wow...sounds like lots of us have big plans this weekend...first official weekend of summer and all.

I just got back from the gym, so that makes 5! Off to the salon to be "impeccably groomed" (or at least minimize the catepillars)

Happy Friday!

Jen

[greysangel]

HAPPY FRIDAY AND HAPPY GROOMING JEN!!!!!!!!!

[greysangel]

Just FYI...

Tomorrow and possibly Sunday, I will be away from home most of the day. I know y'all are not glued to the monitors waiting for me to post, but I may be a bit later than usual. :D

Don't worry...if I haven't jumped out the WW window yet, I won't tomorrow :D :D In fact I feel better this week than I have the last few weeks so I'm pretty sure I made the right decision!

JeAnne

[Peggy C.]

Whadda mean we're not glued to our computers? Ok over the weekend I'm not, but I have to say I've logged probably 7 full hours today! Yes I have a life.

I'll be thinking of you tomorrow JeAnne.

Jen have fun at your party!

Everyone else have a great weekend.

[Molli526]

Just wanted to share my proud moment of the week. I ran 8 miles this morning! YAY! That is the farthest I have ever run. I am debating on running the Detroit Marathon so I have been running like I will be or else I won't have enough training time. I feel like a CHAMP! :D

[Marian]

Originally posted by Molli526
I feel like a CHAMP! :D

You ARE a CHAMP! Way to go Molli!

[slknight]

Originally posted by Molli526
Just wanted to share my proud moment of the week. I ran 8 miles this morning! YAY! That is the farthest I have ever run. I am debating on running the Detroit Marathon so I have been running like I will be or else I won't have enough training time. I feel like a CHAMP! :D

You go, girl!

8 miles. Wow, that's awesome. And about twice as far as I've ever run. Great job. :D

I haven't been posting on this thread much, and have been off program, although working out a lot. I think I'm going to join back up with you all when JeAnne starts the new thread. If I don't join you, come looking for me!:D :D

[ebobbitt]

Molli, congratulations on the 8 miles. Boy, I'm certainly impressed.

slknight - the BB police will be alerted if you don't show up again. A missing person report will be filed and they will find you:cool:

[pattiarl]

Way to go on the run, Molli. I am definitely impressed.

Come back, slknight....

[Chefzhat]

Molli - I am so impressed! I used to run for exercise, but never made 8 miles!