I ended up with a great day, dh and I snuck out to see a movie, dd seemed to be feeling better...unfortunately she got worse during the night, poor girl...
Saturday QOTD: What defines you as a person? If you were to lose all the weight tomorow, what would still be the same about you? What would be different?
Great question! My short answer: The same...mom, wife, friendly, helpful, different...more self confidence, more energy!
I'm sorry to hear that yoru daughter is not feeling well, but it sounds like you had a great birthday.
QOTD: What defines me as a person? I would have to say that being a good wife and mother are high on my list. I also give 100% to whatever I committ to do. Organizations love to have lead committees etc as they know that I will deliver above expectations. The same goes for my house and family. I also LOVE to travel. My ideal career would allow me to travel the world, and let me take my family with me.
That's quite an impressive list!
Those of us that GAINED this week, well I'm not letting it get me down or stopping me from going on! I did much better with exercise this week - a couple of days walking, a day of WATP and a wii Fitness Coach workout. Now if I can get back to tracking those calories and keeping my total down I'll be doing great!
♥Theresa
I love your aitttude! You're brushing off your setback and moving on. Congratulations on the fitness!
Saturday QOTD: What defines you as a person? If you were to lose all the weight tomorow, what would still be the same about you? What would be different?
I am a wife and mother most! They are my world and they make me who I am. That wouldn't and hasn't changed with the 40 lbs I've lost since last Christmas. I have more energy and am happier with myself. I have learned to not get frustrated with this journey. I've learned that there will be good weeks and bad weeks and I learn from the mistakes that I've made each week.
Congratulations of 40 lbs gone! That is truly inspiring.
Saturday QOTD: What defines you as a person? If you were to lose all the weight tomorow, what would still be the same about you? What would be different?
This is actually a question I have been grappling with since I declared myself at Goal yesterday. Who am I when I don't have weight to lose? It has been one of the defining characteristics of my adult life: whatever else I may be, I've always been a person who was carrying more weight than she wanted to. A person who wanted to lose but found it overwhelming. It was not something I would have said was important to me, but now that it's gone, and for the first time in 10 years, I can say "I don't actually want to lose 10 pounds," I am not quite sure what to do with that extra space. I don't think I realized how much I defined myself as "someone with weight to lose" and more recently as "someone losing weight."
CONGRATULATIONS on reaching goal! That is truly inspiring. It sounds like you have done qutie a bit of thinking about this. Your post illustrates to me just how easy it is for us to let our weight define us, even if we do not mean to. But you are doing a great job and are an inspiration to us all!
I did lose 1.8 again this week bringing me to a 20.2 loss since Sept.
Congratulations on your weight loss! 1.8 in one week is great!
Saturday QOTD: What defines you as a person? If you were to lose all the weight tomorow, what would still be the same about you? What would be different?
I think what defines me as a person is the different roles I play in the game called life. LOL. Ok I am a dork. But I do mean that in this sense:
I am a mom and wife and I love this about me. I love voluntering in the classrooom and making sure dinner is on the table every night. I love that my husband has moved me to paradise and I can focus on being a mom and not have to work if I dont want to. I do miss being a nurse though. That is something that defined me. Days when DS is in preschool I feel kind of a tug to go get a job it is part of who you are. The other thing that defines me is my Disneyness. I love the parks, planningA trips, just soaking in the atmosphere. I go over to the parks some days and just people watch and wander the world showcase never getting on a ride just enjoying the sites, sounds and smells of the world. Above all I love my compassion for people. I guess this is what makes me who I am. Mommy, wife, nurse, friend whatever it may be.
I have lost all the weight before and it didnt change who I was. I just had one less thing on my plate. So it would be nice to just focus on maintaining and cutting calories but that is not where I am at right now. I have come to realize this is a journey not a quick fix.
Sorry to be so long winded but I have thought about this alot. Can you tell. he he he.
It sounds like you are in good mental shape to reach your goal. You have been there before, you know what it takes. You can do this!
The best thing about exercise to me is being done!

But I do like to take care of my house and yard and do things with my family so whatever I end up doing exercise wise will have activity and well as plain old exercise. I keep trying different things and am getting closer. That is why I like to hear what other people do.
Thanks for coaching this week! You're doing a great job.

I hope that you get the position that you want at Worlds of Fun today.
I have to agree with jenn's answer on this one. I will still be myself, wife, mom, daughter, lawyer, volunteer, happy, friendly, strong. But I will be better because I will be healthier, have more energy and confidence. I'll be a better piano player, too, because by then I'll have another year under my belt. It would be fun to be a good piano player by the time I reach goal!
Some days I agree with you on the exercise! Thank you for the good wishes. I am hired back as either a lead or assistant lead. I will not know which one, my area, or my partner for another couple of weeks. I am just hoping not to have my same partner again. I like the idea of being a good piano player by the time you reach goal!
QOTD: I'd still be helping my sister plan her wedding, getting ready to be a maid-of-honor, and being very busy. I'd still be working and loving my job and trying my best to be a helpful daughter. On that note, if I lost all the weight I need to lose, I'd get a lot less grief from my mother. Thanks for letting me vent.
Gained a lot this week-not even sure what my weight is as the receptionist at WW didn't record it in my book. This week, my goals are to get in all 4 COWs daily and to avoid bingeing. And, I'll probably only aim for the 20 min. of exercise, and not more. I really want to focus on having a binge-free week. Again, thanks for letting me vent.
Have a great week everyone and congrads to all who lost and maintained!
I'm sorry that your mom is giving you a hard time. It's difficult when family gets involved. I know that you will be able to lose the weight. We all have setbacks and bad days. It sounds like you have a great plan to get back on track.
One thing that helps keep me from binging is just reading the nutrition info on the package.
That is a great strategy!
Saturday QOTD: What defines you as a person? If you were to lose all the weight tomorow, what would still be the same about you? What would be different?
Wow! What a big question for a Saturday morning! Mother and teacher, those are the most important roles in my life. Certainly not housekeeper. LOL. Everything in my life would be the same. I just might feel better both physically and emotionally. I could be a better mother and a better teacher. I would certainly shop for clothes more and probably take more care about my appearance. I seem to not care about my appearance as much when I am overweight.
First and foremost, I am a mom, and that is the most important and rewarding part of my life, but there were 37 years that i was not a mom and so many parts of those years are still interspersed in my personality. I am a nurse, I'm friendly, compassionate, helpful and fun-loving. Last year I would have said, I'm a daughter too, but since I lost my mom, my whole family dynamic has changed, and so I am a sister, one who tries to support and keep us all close, and be there for everyone, but also am trying to take care of myself. All these things would be the same about me if I were at a goal weight, but I would be thinner. I think I would feel less self-conscious about my appearance, nor worried if my rolls/muffintops are showing, more selfconfident. Maybe I'd be one of those single mom's who goes out on a date once in a while. I did date a little about 3 years ago, when I was 25 pounds lighter. As the weight comes off, I do find myself feeling more self-confident, and flirtatious. It's good to look inward once in a while, and see all the positives in my life, but it's hard at the same time to think about it all.
Thanks for listening. I don't know what I'd do without you all.

Now I'm going to shut this computer down and get back to being a mom. Have a wonderful weekend.
I'm sorry about losing your mother. Any guy would be lucky to date such a wonderful woman who obviously cares so much for her family.
Looking back on my life there are lots of things that I have finished, but there are so many things that I have quit. I would really like to figure out what is going on in my brain that makes it so easy to quit. I think I just haven't told myself enough yet that I am worth finishing, worth being healthy. And I know that in the past when I was at a good weight I still was not happy with it, and the negative messages kept coming. So, I'm working on the messages that float around in my brain, and I know I can finish the challenge and keep working towards my goals. We just need to tell ourselves that we are worth it!
Anyhow,

to you. I know you can finish! Hang in there.
Maybe isntead of focusing on what you have quit and why, you could focus on what you have finished and what it was that helped you finish. That way you are focusing on the positive instead of the negative.
Saturday QOTD: What defines you as a person? If you were to lose all the weight tomorow, what would still be the same about you? What would be different?
What a question for a Saturday. .
I have been a mother for 25 years and in a way that is almost over since the guys are almost 25 and 20. I know you never stop being a mother but it is not as hands on as it once was.
I have been a wife for almost 32 years and God willing that is not going anywhere soon. But I do know that life changes in a second.
I have been a math teachers for almost 33 years but I have been tutoring people in math since I was a freshman in high school and I tutored a friend in homeroom.
After I lose weight I will still be all those things but maybe this is why I am having such a hard time about my dh talking about retirement. This is something I have to start to think about. In May I can officially retire and I have been hesitant to think about it. I am not going to retire this year but dh wants to go in 4 years and I keep think NO. This question has me questioning why I have been resistant.
Thanks for the great question. It definitely has given me something to think about.
Ds2 comes home from Africa today. I just checked his flight from London. He flies to Charlotte NC and then changes planes to fly to Philla. The plane from London is then going to Orlando. I bet he wishes he was staying on to Orlando. He told me he can't wait to go back. We will pick him up at the airport tonight and then drive back home (past his college). Tomorrow he leaves for college for the spring semester. He has most of his stuff packed. I just went to the grocery store to get him a few things for his kitchen. I can'tt wait till he gets home but I wish he wasn't going back for another week so we can find out about his trip. Ds is a slow story teller.
Have a great day everyone.
How is everyone doing on the COW3? If anyone has any COW2 points please pm them to me.
That is neat the your son has been in Africa! You are lucky that you have found a job that you like and are obviously passionate about. I'm sure that you will know when the time is right to move on to the next big thing in your life.
Saturday QOTD: What defines you as a person? If you were to lose all the weight tomorow, what would still be the same about you? What would be different?
I have been struggling with the what defines you as a person question for months now. I was a mostly SAHM for so many years, and now we're mostly empty-nesters. This fall I went back to work, and I love it. So I guess that would still be the same. But I feel like I have no idea who I am right now anyhow. DH and I talk about this a lot--what we want to be when we grow up.

. I will still be a wife, a friend,and a Mom,--though that's a very part-time job at this point. I want to find somewhere else to volunteer on the days I'm not working. So that would be the same.
I guess what I want to be different is I want to be thought of (think of myself) as someone who cares about their appearance. Who actually takes the time to put makeup on and fix her hair when she goes out. Who wears cute clothes. When I'm carrying the extra pounds I don't feel good about myself, and I quit trying. I am working on that, and I'm tring to incorporate those attitudes into my daily life and not just wait for some magical number on the scale to decide I'm worth making the effort.
Thanks for the interesting question!
It sounds like you are doing a good job of putting for the effort to be that person you want to be. It's so easy for us to tie all our feelings of attractiveness to our weight when that is not true at all. Maybe this week you can resolve to do one thing to make yourself feel pretty each day.
When I was 200 lbs I couldn't have cared less what I looked like and looking back now, the photos of me "dressed up" were what most people wear on a daily basis. One of the biggest self esteem boosters that I found was to go to the mall and have someone show me how to properly apply makeup and what colors work best for me. Just that one change made so much difference for me.
I love that idea!
Well.... just a quick minute to say hello to everyone. DS's b.ball team won their game this morning and DS actually scored twice. DD has a swim meet for her HS this afternoon, so DS and I are heading to that soon. DH has a fraternity get-together this afternoon/evening. I'm pleased for him. He doesn't get together with friends/frat brothers very often. He needs some time with friends, so I hope he has a lot of fun today.
Saturday QOTD: What defines you as a person? If you were to lose all the weight tomorow, what would still be the same about you? What would be different?
Well.... hopefully my weight DOESN'T define me as a person. It is WHAT I am, but not WHO I am. That said, I am definitely more confident and self-assured than I was at 219 pounds.
THE SAME: Mom, wife, daughter, sister, scrapbooker, mostly SAHM, sometimes-substitute teacher. Organized, neat, reader, wanna-be traveler.
DIFFERENT: More confident, more outgoing, more energy, more health conscious.
Gotta run and get moving to the swim meet!....................P
Wow, you certainly are busy. Congratulations to your son for scoring twice. It sounds like you have agreat foundation for fitness through your kids.