The ME I WANT to BE - Weight Loss Support Week of July 13, 2003

[greysangel]

Good morning everyone! Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend. It's absolutely gorgeous here. DH and I spent the day yesterday walking around the city and landed in midtown to see Pirates of the Caribbean which was great!! I was worried it was going to be devoid of script, but I was actually pleasantly surprised..never mind the eye candy :D :D :D

This past week was good...eats weren't completely clean and I ate more than I wanted to on free day. Got in all my workouts though with muscle soreness to prove it! This is week 12 of my challenge. The next challenge I am doing a long with a yahoo group so there are $$ prizes for the winners. The end also puts me at my trip to LeSport with DH so I have added incentive for making challenge 2 even better than the first! I would say I gave Challenge 1 85% effort...80 on the eating and 90 on the gym. Of 12 weeks, I missed 3 workouts and when I was at the gym I can honestly say I gave it my all. With the eating, a lot of it was adjusting to better food choices (no bars!) and free day. I had a couple of cheat days and in my next challenge the plan is to make all my free days free meals. I do believe it's completely possible to undo a calorie deficit with a free day and while I gained muscle this challenge, I don't believe I lost a lot of fat. My plan is to aim for 100% effort on challenge 2! I even bought a new journal yesterday and I'm ready to finish strong and start anew!

This week's topic is overcoming eating challenges. I'll come back to this to answer my own (have to go work out!). What are your food challenges? What steps do you take to overcome these challenges? Are there people in your life who pose a challenge in your quest for losing weight? Are there food situations? Is it emotional? Do you find that you have less struggle days now than you did in the beginning?

Have a great week everyone!

JeAnne

[ebobbitt]

Greetings! I want to respond to this today since I'll be teaching classes the next 3 weeks and won't have a lot of time to be on the boards.

I do find my eating challenges are normally results of emotional upheaval in my life. I'm getting better at dealing with these though. Sometimes I just go to bed so I won't dig in the refrigerator. Although digging in the fridge these days doesn't do much good since I haven't been to the grocery store. I purchased a new journal just this morning and plan to start writing in it. I have to keep myself busy so I won't be eating. It's such a struggle.

[Chefzhat]

Well from my whining last week - you all know my eating challenges. They are boredom and reading. I'll eat to read, and read to eat, if you know what I mean. And that means that I'll eat anything except the wrapping paper, whether I like it or not, as long as there's something going in my mouth while I'm turning the pages. This is a habit from my youth when I'd escape into books to get away from a rather goofy home life and teasing by a sibling, to the point where I brought a book to each meal and happily ignored whatever discussion was going on at the table (or argument). To this day, when extremely stressed I'll grab a book, any book, and eat and read. I always feel better afterward, but the damage from the junk frenzy adds up.

I've moved my books to the bedroom to get away from the kitchen and am currently working hard to find stuff to do so I'm not bored. This next week is going to be difficult because both my boys are going away to camp and I'll have soooo much time available. One day I'm going to the beach, one day I'll go work at dh's office, but the other three days are going to be a challenge to fill the time. But I'll get through it!

Debie

Another hug and thank you to JeAnne for the "nudge" last week - I was really having a tough time. Whenever I count my blessings, I always count you!

[sarah louise]

I’m new at posting here, but I have been lurking for a few months. I decided to post today because some of you mentioned getting new journals. I happened to buy a new journal yesterday too!! Thanks to your input I recently bought Eat, Drink and Be Healthy, Body for Life and The Good Carb Cookbook. My plan is to start tomorrow combining a few of these ideas and include some concepts from The Zone, which my daughter is trying. I hope to get my plan on paper tonight and start some serious nutritious eating this week—mostly cutting way back on refined carbs (this is a major challenge for me since I LOVE baking!). I joined Jazzercise 2 months ago (I go 4 times a week), and I take the dog on a short 15 minute walk each weekday morning, which seems to be what I can handle for now in the exercise area. Thanks for being such an inspiration to me!! -sarah

[heide]

Hello all! Sorry I've been AWOL the last couple weeks. I read along, but never got around to posting. So, I'll try to answer the last two weeks' questions this week.

First of all, though, Sarah, I love your avatar. It's so cute.

Debie, I've been thinking about your reading/eating issue. Reading is great. I don't think you should avoid reading because it's a trigger. I think you need to turn it around to your advantage, so you can still so something you enjoy. So if you're blindly reaching for something while you're reading, make it something you need anyway. That's how I manage to drink 3 liters of water a day. I always have the water next to me, when I'm at the computer or reading a book. When I'm reaching blindly, I'm drinking the water I should be drinking anyway, and I don't feel like I'm forcing down 12 glasses of water every day. When I don't have that water at hand, I end up wandering in the kitchen, looking for "something". So, keep reading, but out of the kitchen, with that water at hand. Keep a pitcher at hand, so you don't end up going in the kitchen to refill your glass. Take your book and your water outside so you can enjoy the weather as well as your book. That works for me.

So, to the topic. Food challenges. I need to think about this more, but the first thing that comes to mind is the candy we keep in the house. My husband is a chocolate fiend. He doesn't eat whole candy bars, just a few bites or a handful of M&Ms, but he has it everyday. Chocolate in Angola is very expensive, so we bought a lot of candy in the US and put it in our annual shipment, so we've got tons of candy here. Hershey Nuggets, fun size candy bars, M&Ms. It's easy to grab and a default dessert after dinner. I always count the points, but they add up quickly. So I need to find an alternative for "dessert" so I'm not digging in the candy jar after lunch and dinner. I think I'm going to make some sugar free Jello and maybe some sorbet so I have something around that house that's sweet and is an alternative to the chocolate. Otherwise, I'm doing pretty well, I think.

Two weeks ago, the topic was a review of the year. So, I'm down 12 pounds since February (I was on vacation all of January, so I didn't step on a scale) and I'm in a good place mentally about this effort. I truly believe I'm going to do it this year. Motivation waxes and wanes but I don't see any reason at all to quit.

Hmm, last week was really busy so I've forgotten the topic. Oops!

Anyway, I was down 1.7 lbs last week, and I'm at a new low. Yay! The biggest challenge is that I've also moved down a points range for WW, so that'll be an adjustment. In the past, I got freaked out when I hit this points range, and gained back enough to put me at the higher range. This time, I'm just going to go with it, because I really want to make goal.

My promise for today it to stay away from the chocolate.

I've got on and on in this post. Sorry for the ketchup.

Have a good week everyone :)

heide

[kwormann]

Hello all

Im back from my trip. I ate what I wanted this week and put on 4 lbs, but I know it is water and will come right off.

I am starting SBD today. I have less food triggers now that Im stopped eating sugar and refined carbs. It amazed me how much this change took away my food cravings!

Im going to try to find a yoga class today. I am also trying to start meditating....like with anything else I want to learn, I bought a book. I also am going to go do some lifting this week. I guess I dont have specific goals right now because my mind is filled with all the other things I need to do today. Maybe when Im done I can be more specific:D:D:D

[clairea]

I'm actually managing to get in this week before this thread is two or three pages long!

Last week was good, and I lost 2 pounds. DH and I started South Beach Diet yesterday, so I'm going to see how that goes. I think the first 2 weeks are going to rough, but after that it looks pretty similar to the way I ate when I lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago. I'm not sure that we will have the dramatic results during the 1st 2 weeks that some people have, as we already eat whole grains and "good carbs" almost exclusively and don't eat much sugar, but I figure it is worth a try.

Debie, I think Heide's idea about the water is great. I definitely find that if I just keep a bottle of water with me, it really keeps me from mindlessly reaching for food just to have something in my mouth, and it also makes me get a lot of water in every day (usually at least 120 oz.)

My eating challenges are definitely stress and kid food. When things are rough I tend to feel like I deserve something (usually chocolate:rolleyes: ) to eat. I think I'm just going to have to learn to get over that, and remind myself that eating too much or the wrong stuff only makes me feel worse mentally and physically in the long run. The other thing I really struggle with is not nibbling on little bits of my kids' food -- a few fries here, the crust of a grilled cheese sandwich, and handful of cheerios . . . you get the picture:o

Have a good week everyone.

Claire

[pbutterfly]

What are my food challenges? Portion size, though I'm getting better with that one -- it's hard, especially when eating out, to really limit myself to eating a healthy portion. Maybe a better way of stating this challenge is - "If it's there, I want to eat it", because if it's not there, I don't always go looking for it. At home, this one's easier to manage - I just don't have a lot of 'extra' stuff around. (Lucky for me, I live on a block with a grocery store, so it's easy to not have things on hand!) At work, I've been taking my own snacks so that I have no excuse for dipping into the treats there. And, at restaurants, I work on making the menu work for me (find the high-veggie dishes, or ask for substitutions).

Emotional eating is something that I've gotten much better with, but which will always be a 'demon in the closet trying to get out'. Boredom is the biggest trigger, so I always have a couple of magazines, a glass of water, and a needlework or jewelry project around to keep myself busy.

The people around me, for the most part, are supportive, which is a HUGE blessing. The only troublesome people are the ones who cause stress -- and I just have to keep finding new ways to deal with the stress that don't involve food! :)

Overall, it's definately less of a struggle than it used to be, which is a nice thing to realize. That means that I'm making progress not just on the numbers on the scale, but on the head-stuff. Yay! :) Thanks, JeAnne, for making me think about this topic this week and giving me something to celebrate.

I'm counting down the days until Saturday, when I get to go on a week-long vacation!

:)
lynne

Welcome Sarah! Jazzercise 4 times a week is great! :)

[hannah_phi]

What are your food challenges? What steps do you take to overcome these challenges? Are there people in your life who pose a challenge in your quest for losing weight? Are there food situations? Is it emotional? Do you find that you have less struggle days now than you did in the beginning?

I'm realizing that I have a problem with boredom eating as well. It seems that when I am bored I eat the first thing I see without thinking about it. I just read that over and it occured to me how odd that is! If I'm bored I ought to grab out all the beautiful CSA veggies and make a big salad to munch on. That would cure boredom, munchies and steer me away from bad choices!

I also have the problem of eating for celebration. I'm curbing that by bringing healthy foods to potlucks and realizing that the salads and soups at restaraunts are just as much celebration food as the main dishes. Also I've taken to asking the waitperson for a box the first time he/she comes after bringing the food when I do order a main dish. That way I can get 1/2 the food out of sight right away.

DBF sometimes poses a problem for me with my weight loss. He is a runner and he also has a lean lanky body type, so he can basically eat any thing and not put on wieght. Sometimes when he slacks off on training he gets a little gut, but it comes off super quick. He doesn't really think about what a long term commitment this is for me and why I need to stick to a plan. He's really very much anti-plan, pro-spontinaety. I love this about him, in most areas of life it is really fun, but it doesn't work out the best in this area. I find that if I never let him in on my eating plan and just begin making dinner he won't jump in and try to change it. It also helps if I plan one burrito night and one pizza night every week.

I feel like I'm doing a lot better than I was in the beginning. I've pinpointed several situations, foods and habits that I can overcome to help me along my path. I am learning to apply them, and even though I am not seeing dramatic results I feel better than I did when I wasn't trying.

[greysangel]

Hi Everyone;

I'm so happy to hear all the good vibes and news on this thread. Lots of people losing, lots of people identifying their challenges (the first step to conquering!) and general wellness.

I still have to get to my challenges. There are a couple that I did want to write out, but I just have to come back to it.

My step sister was killed this weekend and I just found out this morning. Though we weren't particularly close, it is hitting me pretty hard. Cathy had a very difficult life with a lot of bad choices made and not a lot of good opportunities to change presented to her. She chose to deal with her demons her way, I chose weight. I did have a lot of opportunities presented to me so I was able to flourish, but it could have easily have been me. I hope at least her spirit is now free and at peace.

JeAnne

[kwormann]

JeAnne, so sorry to hear about your step sister. Even if you werent close, it would be a blow! Im so glad you made good choices in the end!

[Jessica]

JeAnne--I am very sorry about your stepsister. I am glad you found healthy ways to deal with your challenges in life.

[gertdog]

((((((((JeAnne)))))))) I'm sorry for your loss.

I had a pretty good week. I met my exercise goal and did okay with food. Yesterday was our first wedding anniversary and putting on a pretty skirt and top to wear for our trip into NYC felt really good- reminded me of how beautiful I felt on my wedding day- a nice reminder of why I started this weight loss journey to begin with.

The biggest thing that has changed for me this year is that I now work at home and travel frequently. I think it was easier to control my eating when I packed a healthy lunch each morning and spent the day at the office. Now I'm home alone for the better part of the day and the kitchen is too easy to wander into! So that's one major food challenge- round-the-clock temptation.

The other is that my husband is underweight and I am overweight. When he has a bowl of ice cream, I usually have just one bite of his, but I still feel bitter that he can eat ice cream and I can't. Logical me says it's not about fairness, it's about doing what works for my own body. Irrational me pouts. So I have to work on that.

[BeckyM]

JeAnne -- so sorry to hear about your step-sister. It's hard to come up with something comforting and positive to say that doesn't sound sappy, so I'll just let you know I'm thinking about you.

Heide -- good to "see" you here again, and congrats on reaching a new low! I can certainly identify with your food challenge of having those bite-sized chocolates around, because people at work always had those in bowls in their offices as snacks for anyone who wanted them. There was a period when I would probably eat 10-12 of those types of chocolate things per day, taking a couple each time I walked by the candy bowl. Needless to say, that was a period of weight GAIN! Since I'm not working right now, that's not as much of a challenge for me though. Luckily DH and I both know those types of things are dangerous for us to have around, so we just don't buy them. I'll have to watch out for those when I return to work in October though.

My food challenges revolve around emotional/boredom/pampering eating, as we were discussing last week. Even though I know that's why I'm snacking on the chocolate chips and other empty calories, I haven't quite figured out a way around it. When that compulsion strikes me, none of the non-food pampering ideas sound like they'll appease me, so I end up going for the food anyway. I think part of it is that the non-food things take time away from doing all the things I feel like I need to get done, whereas I feel like I can eat and accomplish something at the same time. I know that's a lousy way to think about it, but somehow I just can't seem to allow myself time to relax. I know I need to replenish myself or I won't have anything left to give, and I know I'll do better if I allow time for myself, but somehow that doesn't always play out into actions. I'm always thinking about what I ought to be doing for my daughter, for my husband, for our family, for my friends, etc., so doing things for myself seems to take second place. I need to keep working on that. I also need to get to the library to check out one of those Geneen Roth books. I think she may have some insights to help me get past where I am on this. I do think I have made some progress though, because my moments of senseless eating are fewer and farther between, and they don't throw me completely off-track like they used to.

I am excited today, because I'm planning a trip to Wild Oats after Katie wakes up from her nap. Wild Oats is clear across town, so I don't make it there that often, but they have all sorts of healthy foods that I can't get at my local Kroger store. I'm going to pick up some wheat berries for the Wheat Berry & Dried Fruit Salad in the July issue, plus I want some of the fat-free roasted red pepper hummus I can find there. I'll get lots of good fruits & veggies to keep handy for snacks too.

Keep up the hard work everyone!

Becky :)

[buffygirl]

Food challenges, ah, food is always a challenge for me. I do think thought that most of it is emotional. Case in point...on Saturday DH and I went over to MIL's. Of course I am on SBD, no sugar at all for another week. DH (who has been incredibly supportive up until this point) gets a bag of M&M's (my favorite) out of the freezer and just starts chowing down. He knew that I couldn't have any. My reaction? I actually had tears in my eyes and a big lump in my throat and it wasn't because he hurt my feelings - I WANTED SOME D&^% M&M'S!!! It hit me in the moments after that, this (my weight) is some much more emotional than I ever would have admitted. I was willing to say my weight problem was 50% emotional, but I think it's more like 90%.

I had another food challenge on Sunday. We went to the movies and of course there is nothing there I can eat. So I brought my own portion of pistachios, and purchased a diet coke and a big bottle of water. I was a little bit bitter the rest of the evening, but I didn't eat poorly:o

I can identify with Gertdog, I get bitter that I can't eat like other people. I'm not sure how to get over it.

I'm starting the week on a positive. This is Day 8 of SBD and I have stayed on plan completely. And I've lost 6 lbs. Yay!

BK

[sammeybella]

Hey everyone!

Jeanne - My heart just breaks for your loss. My sympathy and prayers are extended to you and yours.

This is my first post in this thread. I don't have a real problem with my weight. Right now I would be at the high end of a healthy BMI. It's not a comfortable weight for me. I am more concerned with "what" I'm eating and "how" it is effecting my health. I suspect that I have a slight gluten intolerance which is causing some of my allergy problems. I also have moderate PMS that is most likely to get someone killed if I continue to do nothing about it. After much research the SBD seems to cover many of my concerns so after plowing through the literature I am going to start folling the program tomorrow. I am also going to start the Couch Potato to 5K Running program tomorrow. In a months time, when vacations are over and my schedule is more predictable I am starting a boxing class.

My food challenge is that I'm not overweight and therefore start thinking that I can eat whatever I want. However, since entering my 30's I'm noticing that weight doesn't just fall off like it used to. Therefore I have to readjust my thinking about food. I can't continue to see it as a weight issue but a health issue. I know everyone here knows the difficulty of changing your thinking.

I'm hoping that posting here will keep me accountable.

Having said that my goals for the next 24 hours are:
-to buy and prepare the appropriate foods for the program
-to exercise tomorrow morning

T - wishing everyone a successful day!

[swquilts]

My food challenges...hmmmmm.

I like food. (duh right?) If I really like a dish I want to eat MORE of it! I also have a love affair with Chinese food, I could eat it 4-5 days a week, but then there's that "eat MORE of it" thing. I can't win.

All last week I did very well, it showed at the scale. Sat night we went to a street fair and I ate pizza! 3 small pieces and share a salad with DH before the pizza arrived. Last night we went to a friends, Ribs! Only had 2, and with corn on the cob and a tomato, cuke and red onion salad I made with FF Italian. Not too bad....but I have a sneaking suspicion that when I weigh in tonight it won't be good. *sigh*

Weekends are NOT conducive to WW for me sometimes.........

Have a great week everyone!

[SallyCC]

JeAnne...I am so sorry for your loss. May you and your family feel peace.


I definitely see my emotions as a challenge in dealing with my eating. My husband (who had kidney stones the week before ) presented with stroke-like symptoms and was hospitalized for three days for testing. I am ususally strong through all the crisis...but after I tend to melt down. The good news is that is was probably migrane related. It was very scary because he had difficulty communicating clearly..I had to call 911 and go in the rescue with him ( I thought they may need two stretchers!!). We have a follow up with the neurologist today and I have my questions ready.

Needless to say, my cooking was off. I did miss a couple of days of exercise but managed to do most of my walking dates. I am trying to get back into the routine again and that feels good.

I hope you all have a great week.

Sally

[pbutterfly]

(((((JeAnne))))) -- What a sad loss, and you know that you have my support and sympathy.

Stephanie - I totally relate to your "unfairness" thoughts - growing up I had a step-brother who ate from morning to night without ever gaining anything (he tried!!), and I resented that he 'got' to eat whatever he wanted and I would get scolded for a second helping or a snack. It's hard to not compare yourself and what you're "allowed" to do/have to others, and it's something that rears its head now and then, still, with me.

BK - I am so amazed that you got through DH eating the bag of M&Ms without succombing! That's amazing strength, made more amazing by the emotions you were dealing with! :)

T - Welcome! I think that, really, it's about healthy eating for all of us -- whether we have lots of weight we want to lose, a little, or are maintaining. The people who are working on maintaining sometimes have the most helpful things to say for me!

Sally -- ((hugs)). Kidney stones are no fun, and the other situation sounds downright scary (though I am glad that it wasn't a stroke!!). Keep taking care of yourself, and celebrate what you have been able to do well (and forgive yourself for the rest).

:)
lynne

[greysangel]

my food challenges:

1)Eating out. I am very good with only eating one portion at home no matter how good it is. But the combination of being out (ie social), everyone else eating, and spending money makes it hard for me to stop when I'm out. How I handle it now is a free meal once a week. :) I am willing to compromise the rest of the week in order to fully enjoy one meal. It's a nice trade off and it's also a nice break from WW where I never really felt like I was ordering something I really wanted...I was taking the path of least resistance which most often left me feeling resentful. If I happen to go out twice in one week, I have to make a good choice during that second meal and I don't have a problem with that so it's good.

2)DH. DH is an incredible support and I love him to pieces. No one has been my cheerleader more than him. However, he is a complete civilian. He has no concept of how hard it is to lose, how easy it to gain or the emotional tie ins with food. This is both a blessing and a curse :D In some ways it's great to be able to learn from someone like that..someone who has the switch, can stop with one bite left on the plate etc.. And in other ways, I'm totally jealous! The man is 155 in the summer and 160 in the winter. It makes no difference how much or little he exercises or what he eats.

3)The candy dish ie free food. Free food calls to me. It could be stale day old donuts, candy in a dish or a pizza party. I have to constantly remind myself that it's not worth it and also remind myself that I dislike watching others make piggies of themselves so why should I.


On a separate note, thank you for your well wishes. We don't know very much, but right now it looks like it was an ex boyfriend who was arrested and is being investigated. I'm sorry for the unrealized potential and the creative spirit. She may have been the black sheep of the family, but she had a kind and good heart and no one deserves to have their life ended with violence and without the presence of love.

JeAnne

[swquilts]

(((((JeAnne))))) I'm so sorry for your loss.

Well, weigh in wasn't a total and complete bust, only gained .6. I truly thought it would be more.

Slowly, but surely in Reedley......

[Gracie]

((((((((JeAnne)))))))))) I also posted condolences on the Other Stuff board. I'm thinking of you.

My food challenges are:

1) leftovers calling to me as I'm doing the dishes after dinner. I try to cook less so there will be less leftovers, and that's working, but I still don't count those extra mouthfuls and they really add up!

2) portion control - I am much worse at home than out. When I'm out, I eat half of my entree and I'm stuffed. Why can't this happen at home? This is the case even if we don't have appetizers and I don't drink hardly at all.

3) finishing stuff left in the fridge. As you know ad nauseum :D this is my after work, during and after dinner downfall. I'm a "finisher" (see #1!!)

Well, now that I'm looking at this in print, it seems that if I don't have any leftovers I'm all set!! :D I have a friend who will absolutely not eat leftovers no matter what they are. Maybe I should cultivate that!

I didn't get to WI this past Saturday. My friend and I hit the Boston farmer's market (Haymarket) where you need to go early to get a free parking space. We got tons of fresh produce for next to no money. I'm still working on making it all, but so far I made Salsa Ranchera from Gourmet, Hay Day's pita chips, June CL's French Vanilla trifle (made with strawberries), maizeyoats' blackberry crisp and lots of salads. I will be at WI this Saturday, though.

Loren

[buffygirl]

(((((JeAnne)))) You are in my thoughts and prayers.

BK

[pattiarl]

JeAnne, I am sorry for your loss. It sounds like a very bad situation.

On a different note, I think I need to face the facts that I am completely out of control. I have had M&M for breakfast yesterday and lunch today. I had chips for dinner tonight. And I haven't had a good workout in weeks. (I've had a few mediocre ones, but I really want a good, sweaty one!) And what is a journal? The only saving grace is that when I have candy for lunch and chips for dinner is that I stop eating. Sometimes not totally, but I don't continue to eat all day like that.

I am leaving tomorrow for my high school reunion (20th) and I feel like I look pregnant. All my friends here think I look great because they have seen the alternative but most of these people haven't seen me for 10 years so they don't realize that I have spent the last year losing 30 pounds. They will only see that I still have 10 -15 to go.

I force myself to post messages on this board, because expressing my thoughts and feelings (especially in writing) can be difficult for me. But I usually find that after a cleansing post, I can come clean and fly right, but after my last couple of posts I have just continued to eat crazily.

I think I need a little positive reinforcement.....

Patti

[greysangel]

Patti;

I know it sounds kind of reverse psychology, but could it be that the reunion (the thing you wanted to look good for) is making you feel sort of anxious/nervous and making you eat? I'm not sure anyone can really say anything to make you stop, but maybe once the reunion is over, you will sort of feel like the slate is clean and can focus on other goals.

Daily promise - stick to the written plan! Yesterday I did that after a sort of rollercoaster Monday and it felt good! And today I dragged my unwilling carcass to spin class and admit that felt good too.

Jeanne

[greysangel]

I guess I scared everyone away with my sad news.

Where is everyone?!?

JeAnne

[Jessica]

I am here--I am just having a crazy workweek. My DH's stepbrother is getting married in a town about 2.5 hours from here. The wedding is Friday afternoon and my DH is a groomsman, which means the rehearsal is this afternoon and each of us had to take 1.5 days off work. I am grouchy because I think it is selfish to save money on a Friday wedding when all the guests live far away (we are the closest in terms of his family) and have to take so much time off work. Then I feel like I am the selfish one for not just being happy for the couple. We also have to show up tomorrow for pix at 11am--for a 5 pm wedding!!! Grumble, grumble.

I am maintaining my 8-9 lb loss and have for nearly a month. That is a big deal for me because I am not good with maintenance. My next goal is to make it to a 12 lb loss, because I've never gotten further than 11 before gaining again. "This one goes to 11." :)

Debie--I totally sympathize because I LOVE to eat and read. Geneen Roth says to dump the habit but I can't, so instead I focus on only eating and reading at regular meals. I usually won't eat more that way, but if I curl up with some crackers or pistachios or something and a good book, I won't even notice when the box is empty.

My main food issue is social situations--if I am nervous, I feel better with a plate of food. I also get it into my head that this is the last possible time I will ever get this food, so I must go back for seconds.

[Chefzhat]

hee hee hee! Jessica, just how does Ms. Roth suggest we just "dump this habit"??? Easier said than done!!

Clean week so far - no junk, reading only in bed or on the beach (far away from snacks!) and cut out the bread. Now just need to work on more water - I've been drinking lots of weak ice tea, does that count??

Debie

[Jessica]

Debie--I think iced tea counts unless it is caffeinated. My DH drinks herbal iced tea because he doesn't like plain water.

Roth basically says you have to put away the books and TV and concentrate on the taste and experience of eating. I can see what she means, but I like the food-book combo too much to give it up entirely.

[BeckyM]

Hi all!

This week is so far so good. My weigh-in day is Wednesday, and this week I lost another half pound. I feel good about that, because I did have a couple days above points, and my exercise wasn't as consistent as it could/should have been. I am now within a pound and a half of my preliminary goal. I have heard the body needs some extra fat for breastfeeding, so I didn't want to really push myself to get to my ultimate goal until I'm closer to finished with nursing. My ultimate goal is only five pounds lower than my preliminary goal though, so I am getting close!

We finally got our new baby backpack, so I took Katie for a walk in it last night. It's fairly lightweight, but it still weighs almost 9 lbs, so adding that AND a baby gave me an extra 26 lbs to carry around. I could DEFINITELY feel the difference! But I was proud of myself for still walking briskly and doing the street with the big hill THREE TIMES!

My promises for today:
* Fruits & veggies (I'm still working on making it a habit)
* Exercise
* Count EVERYTHING I eat.

Have a great day, everyone!

Becky :)

[pbutterfly]

On the reading/eating front, I'm with the ones who find it too enjoyable to ditch completely... however, maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to do that for a finite amount of time (say a month)... then you've broken the habit and might be less likely to just do automatic eating with the reading. In the end, it's more enjoyable to be in control than not....

Good news on my WI this week... I was down 2 whole pounds (amazing in a week for me!), which took me just over the -80 mark! Yay!! :) Not a bad way to head into vacation....

Speaking of vacation, I'm actually looking forward to it even on a food level as I know that there will be a lot of control (since we have a cabin with my parents that has a full kitchen where we will have most of our meals). I also know that there're a lot of chances for fun activity (there's a huge lake just out the back door!, so I just have to keep mindful. I'm hoping that the loss will be one more thing to help me keep aware (after all, I don't want to come back having undone my newest scale-success!)

Sorry I've been quiet, lots to do this week. :)

lynne

[sammeybella]

Hey guys,

I kept my goals on Tuesday, started my couch potato to 5K running program and followed day 1 of SBD. Felt great. Got up late on Wednesday, felt like crap, ate crap. Got up this morning did my running program and ate what I was supposed to eat. Feel great. I think yesterday's ickiness stemmed from two things. 1) Should have gotten up at a decent time and had breakfast. I think I waited too long to eat (like 11:30am) and my blood sugar had taken a serious dive. and 2) Body adjusting to new eating. Body not pleased. Body expressing displeasure. Body forced me to have KFC. Bad body.

Having said that, pants still feel looser today then the last time I wore them. Do not own a scale, evil, evil things that they are, and prefer to judge my success by how my clothes are fitting (or not fitting as the case may be).

I'm hoping that I don't feel like crap tomorrow morning as it sends me to the worst possible pick me ups.

So my goals for the next 24 hours:
-to get up early tomorrow morning and walk the dog on my jogging route (suspect the excerise helps with the crappy feeling).
-to prepare foods tonight for tomorrow so as to have non crap alternative during psychotic episodes

T

[Hkgall]

Hello Everybody!

My thoughts are with you JeAnne. So sorry for your loss.

Have had a couple of difficult eating weeks, so this is a timely topic for me. My food challenges are #1 - Eating Out and #2 - Eating while Travelling. We've been travelling a ton, which means less planning, and more unhealthy foods. I thought I had gotten the hang of it, but obviously not. I haven't gained anything, but I haven't lost anything either. Also didn't reach my July 4th goal weight, so I think that made it even worse. Have to realize that I lose slower now than in the beginning, so I can have more realistic goals. Anyhow, back to #1... Dining out just seems to pack it on for me, but tonight we are going out, I have planned for some extra points, and I have a good idea of what I can order.

Overall, I am feeling a little more in control than the past few weeks. I was in danger of spiraling out of control, but luckily I was able to get back on plan and start journaling and counting my points again. Thanks to everyone here for that, because just reading through the threads reminded me of the mind set that I needed to get back to.

Happy Thursday!
Holly

[greysangel]

TGIF!
It's beautiful out, no one is in the office and I've got a day to work on my site updates :D I woke up at 5:30 to make it for a 6:00 spin session...the guy came late so my 45 minute session turned into an hour and 15 minutes :eek: wahoo! I was a sweaty puddle but it felt good :)

I hope everyone has great plans for the weekend...both fun and eating :D

daily promise - drink some water! so far today I've had an iced tea and a diet coke...can ya tell? :D

J

[Hkgall]

Today we're moving our office and it is HOT HOT HOT out!!!! It's a fun day though - not much regular work to do because it's all packed up!

Found an interesting food habit of mine this morning - went to the grocery store to buy some snacks for the teenagers who are helping us move, and they are terrible!!! Chips Ahoy, Cheez-its, real sodas, you name it. So I know that I will now have to resist...

Wish me luck!

[pbutterfly]

Today I've been struggling a little - I'm ansty to get going on vacation, so the last place I want to be on this pretty day is in the windowless basement that is my work space. Ugh. And, one of my fave co-workers brought in his famous chocolate-chip banana bread partly because he knew I would be here and I've never gotten to try it (usually he brings it in on his later shift, and there's never any leftover by the time I get here the next day!). I had a small piece, and it was YUMMY. I'm just going to have to alter dinner plans (do-able) to compensate. No point in getting off track before vacation has really started, right? :)

I was reading O Magazine today (the August "Weight" issue), and I'm finding some really helpful things in it. Here's one that I thought I would share from Michelle Burford's article "Making Peace with Your Body..." --

"... I've adopted what I call a Former Fat Girl's Manifesto: That though my body isn't nearly what it could be, I'm doing all right if I can keep it from what it used to be. That if I can manage to waste only one afternoon on self-loathing for every 23 of self-loving, then I've still won my fight. That on those days when I do ward off a double-cheeseburger binge, I shouldn't berate myself for instead craving Manolo Blahniks. That maybe the most any of us can expect of ourselves isn't perfection but progress -- even when it's as small as picking off three of the five pepperonis on a pizza slice before inhaling the rest."

I love that my personal motto - "Progress not Perfection" is in there! :)

lynne

[greysangel]

Holly-
Aside from cool ranch doritos or oreos, I cannot honestly remember the last time I had any kind of processed cracker or cookie. And it's so funny because growing up, a lot of foods were not allowed, but somehow Cheese its made the cut! I used to have cheeseits with my sandwich for lunch at school! too funny. Well I hope you manage to resist!

Lynne -mmm that sounds like good bread. I have a PB chocolate chip banana bread recipe I got from this board that is fantastic. If you ever want it, let me know. I hope you have a fun filled, food stress free vacation! Well deserved!

drumroll please.... I FINISHED THE CHALLENGE!!!!

JeAnne

[buffygirl]

Yay JeAnne!!! What a accomplishment! That is so great. We are proud of you:D

Lynne, don't fret too much. Just have a great time on your vacation!

I've had a good week. I felt a complete binge/breakdown coming on on THursday so I allowed myself off plan for 1 meal, then hopped right back on . That strategy worked pretty well.

I started the Firm tapes last night. DH and I made it halfway through Cardio Sculpt before he fell off of his Fanny Lifter:rolleyes: He just bruised his shin. We were getting tired anyway... We will complete the tape today. I'm sure it will take a couple of weeks (and a couple more bruised shins) before we can make it through an entire tape.

No big plans here except an open house tomorrow. Hopefully we will get some nibbles.

BK

[pbutterfly]

JeAnne - CONGRATULATIONS on the completed challenge!!! You should feel so very proud of yourself - I've found your determination, perseverance, and commitment inspiring!

Thanks for the well-wishes for my vacation - I'm at work right now, but will be on my way to the airport in 3 short (?) hours! YAY!! :)

The bread yesterday was really good. Sometime I would like to get that other recipe from you, JeAnne.

BK - What a great way to allow for satisfaction without losing control! I'll have to remember that success the next time that I 'feel a binge coming on'! :) Yay for you!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and I look forward to reading about all the successes (and struggles) when I get back!

:)
lynne

[sammeybella]

Jeanne,

When are you going to update your website with new pictures? I've been following your progress and am being nosey.

Congratulations on finishing your challenge!

T

[greysangel]

actually i already did!!! :D

Not much measurement difference. I lost 1/2 inch in my chest and gained 1/2 inch on bicep and thigh and 1 inch on the calves which I think is muscle and will eventually go down.

I definitely see it in the pics. The back shots in particular...upper leg, butt. Side shots I see reduction in the hips and buddha and front shots I see the skin a bit saggier/looser in the belly. Hopefully that will pull back!

Thanks for asking!

JeAnne