Need help - MASSIVE amounts of weight to lose

[MelanieC]

Hey everyone,

I'm so sorry I fell off the face of the earth. I've been so busy this summer. I do have good news though. I have been to Niagara Falls for 4 days, Vegas for a week and I didn't gain weight- but I didn't deprive myself either. I just balanced some splurges with some eating good and making wise choices. It feels so good!! I did eat lots of good things too. It feels good to walk away from eating feeling like you enjoyed the food and not mad because you ate till you felt sick. I even had wine and a couple of maple sugar candies in Niagara Falls. I had the pasta I wanted, the fried homemade thick potato chips and ordered the meal I wanted at the Irish Restaurant we ate at. In Vegas I ate the snacks on the plane, we brought a chicken ceasar salad on the plane and I even had one glass (small- not the entire can) of Dr. Pepper after having water the rest of the fight. We had a buffet that night and I hade wine, crab legs and even desserts. I didn't deprive myself of anything I wanted. The next day we cooked at my mom's house, and I did excellent and lost whatever I gained the day I flew out. Over the next week I had some splurge foods, including all you can eat crab legs and catfish (I had 1 catfish and stopped when I was full of crab), no butter but I did have 2 hushpuppies. I had one of my favorite bagels with honey almond shmear and another day only ate one half of them. Another day we had a buffet lunch and I watched the items I ate, but had a few desserts. Another morning we had a buffet for breakfast. I ordered an omlet with lots of veggies, just a tad of lowfat mozzerella, some plain grits and strawberries and watermellon. I had a great breakfast, but it was hardly any WW points. We had Thai for lunch one day and also ate at the cheese cake factory twice.

My point in all that food talk is that instead of just eating and feeling like it was all or nothing, I splurged some, but also made good choices and stopped when I was full. I still can't believe I was able to splurge as often as I did and not gain.

We leave for Disney on Thursday for 16 nights. This is the trip I'm worried about. I usually gain about 12 pounds on this trip alone. I'm going to try to be good on the trip down and back and watch what I eat during these meals so its at least a few meals that are within good limits. I don't plan on eating the usual sugary drinks on the way to Florida or eat any of the bad snacks on the way down. I also plan on not drinking any soda (only water and ice tea with no sugar). I also plan on eating my Kashi bars for breakfast (except on my birthday this Saturday, I do plan to have a Cinnamon Roll from Main Street Bakery). One other day we plan on having a late breakfast at Kona Cafe (I will only eat this meal as a combined breakfast/lunch). I also plan on bringing my scale. By knowing what the real number is, it should keep me on the straight and narrow instead of feeling like I should just blow it since I don't know what it really is.

I really hope that some of these small measures along with not overstuffing myself at the buffets makes a difference. If I can come home from this trip with either just a few pound gain or none I will be excited. I just can't gain 12 pounds this year.


Enough about me -

Mare - You are doing great! Keep up the great work. Welcome to all the new people and Hi to everyone who has been around.

I promise I will do better to post once I get home from WDW. I won't be back till 7/31.

 

[ashleypmo]

[But, ya'll would be proud ... I had diced up fresh peaches for my dessert. So, over all I'm glad I didn't gain!

Fresh peaches! yum! sounds like you did a really great job & enjoyed yourself too!


Do not remember if I've mentioned before that we homeschooled our daughter until this past fall. We had always told her that if she were to become unhappy we could as a family look at the situation. I believe that to a great degree the problem was the fact that she was lonely and felt isolated. We tried many, many groups but, around here they fall apart as quickly as they form. The school she should (according to where we live) go to has a student body of 3600 in the high school! NO WAY! So, after many tears, and prayers and much searching we enrolled her in a school which is in a tiny town about 22 miles away which enjoys a student body of 159 in the high school. She has done very well. She is on the basket ball team and is the school mascot. (wow, glad we paid for dance lessons for 12 years!) I truly still miss her very much, daily. I'm afraid it will be much worse this fall because she will drive herself instead of me driving her.... I'll miss the time we shared on the drive. But, I know she is GOD'S girl and he will continue to watch over her and care for her too.

We are blessed to live in a community which has a large, very active homeschool assn. That being said, I've never gotten involved in it ! We homeschooled for several years, and last year when DS was born w/ Down syndrome, I just felt that something had to give. Unfortunately, we've had a really heartbreaking year in public school, so we're coming back to homeschooling in the fall (the heartbreaking year was the "unfortunate" part, I'm really excited about bringing the kiddos back home!). The funny thing is that Down syndrome hasn't been the big scary thing I was expecting. DD3 has a peanut allergy, and that is WAY more life-altering than DS1's Down syndrome!

I know what you mean about them being GOD's first. DS8 came to me this morning and said that he wants to be a missionary in Africa when he grows up. I'm like, gee God, this is great that you can use him this way, but please don't send him anywhere dangerous. Let someone else save the cannibals, please?

I have a b'day coming up Thursday, and we have a way of milking birthdays out in this family. Just in this household we have 5 b'days between May 31 and Aug 9: that's 5 (count'em, 5 ) birthday cakes in just over 2 months. And because you have the small family b'day, & the extended family b'day, then friend b'days for the two older kids, that's more like 12! Not to mention leftovers! On Thursday the kids & I will go have my gooey enchiladas for lunch. I'll be good to fill up on salad & pinto beans first, and have 1 enchilada. Or maybe two. But no more than 3.

Saturday DH & I are going out for b'day dinner. I'm more worried about that one, because on my carb addict WOE, my reward meal (the one where I can eat whatever I like) has to be completed in one hour, from first bite to last. And lately I've found that if I take the full hour, I don't lose; I do better when I limit it to 45 minutes. It's going to be hard to do a nice 3 course meal in 45 minutes. I guess I'd be satisfied if I kept it to an hour--at least I wouldn't gain anything. But even at that, I'm concerned. I am really commited to not falling off plan. I may just explain to the server about my time limit so that he/she can adjust accordingly, and so that I don't get any funny looks for holding onto my appetizer until my entree is served.

I am determined that I am wearing shorts on my Disney trip next year! I haven't worn shorts in almost 20 years, actually I think it was the grand opening of MGM. But I have until May 2008 to get these thighs-o-mine in shorts-shape. I'm not expecting supermodel legs, I'm just tired of these extra knees!

 

[dare2dream]

How wonderful to be on program and doing what I know I need to do to lose weight. I am hungry all the time, but not eating. I imagine that will get better in time. My stomach is the size of a football, no basketball, no watermelon. I can pack away a lot of food, but NO MORE. I am eating better, smarter, and slower. Food even seems to taste better when I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.

How wonderful to have more folks joining the journey. Let's do this together.

Wendy - thanks for stopping by again. I visit your journal every once in a while. You have been journaling for over a year. Good for you. I have oftern thought about doing a journal to record my progress on this journey. I always seem to make everything about me and that's what a journal is for. Did you get to visit with BB?

I know with hard work and determination you can make your yearly goal in September. So here's some tough love. GIRL GET WITH THE PROGRAM!! You know you feel better when you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. You can do it and you are worth it.

Cinderella - you can share ANYTHING here. I have poured out my heart and soul here and feel accepted for who I am. I know the other ladies here understand what I am going through. I know there is strength in numbers and we can all help each other to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Never feel obligated to check in or share things that you do not want to. I'd encourage you to start making small changes in your lifestyle to help you lose weight. Set goals and get to work. I can't believe I first hopped on this thread May 9 but have just gotten serious about what I need to do. Two months wasted just blowing hot air about wanting to lose weight. It's one thing to want it - it's another thing to get with the program and start doing something about it. Weight loss is a very emotional commitment. When you are ready, you will be ready to begin. Until then we are here to support you as you prepare for your journey.

I LOVE all those realistic weight loss shows. I taped all the Dr Phil episodes with the 13 weight loss challengers. I remember Kim very well and was excited to see everything click into place for her and for her to achieve her weight loss goals. Some of the other challengers never quite got it. I have e-mailed the Dr Phil show several times pleading that they do a follow up to let us know how the 13 are doing today. After that season Dr Phil never really dealt with weight issues on a continuous basis again. I think he feels that the book he wrote is the answer to everything and if people aren't doing everything in the book then he has nothing else to say to them. I need to see those real success stories with real people that are doing this without surgery, drugs, or high dollar programs. The Biggest Loser offers contestants a fantastic opportunity to be re educated at the ranch, but then they go back to real life before the final weigh in. I also remember Kelli the teacher. She did really well with the program even though she hurt her ankle and could not exercise as much as she wanted to at the end.

How neat that you "almost" got onto Fat Walk. It's kind of ironic that you were not "BIG" enough for them. In this instance it may have been better to be another 75 pounds overweight. That sounds crazy. I'm sorry you did not get to do the show, but all is not lost, you now have us here. We have a local organization called HealthyUDelmarva that encourages healthier lifestyles. They are sponsoring a local Biggest Loser contest. They picked 6 men and 6 women from the applicants to participate in the program. It's for 12 weeks and includes gym membership, counseling, and sessions with a personal trainer. It sounded cool so I entered. After I entered I got a phone call. I was chosen . . . to be an alternate if one of the 6 ladies can not get doctor approval to participate. THe program has started and I was not needed. Oh well, I guess this opportunity was not meant for me. I am finally getting myself together and after the 12 weeks I can see how I do compared to the losers. This thread will be my support group and I will enjoy success on my own. Join us in the journey, baby steps, one day at a time.

Hey Cindy, what's your real name or do you prefer Cinderella? I'm actually a princess too, struggling to come out of my cocoon of fat. We princesses need to stick together. Let's do this together.

Melanie - good to hear from you, you world traveler. I LOVE to travel. Last week I wrote my top 10 reasons to lose weight and 3 include trips I want to take (as a thinner women) and one reason is to not have to use an airline seat belt extension. Air Travel as a mobidly obese person is a mental and physical nightmare.

I LOVE Vegas. Where did you stay, what did you do (besides buffets)? I'm glad you enjoyed the travel and did not gain any weight. Stopping eating when you are full sounds like it should be easy, but for me it is not. I will be going to a buffet with family on the 21st and I will have to gear myself up for that thought. "Silly Brenda, just stop eating when you are full." With two weeks of success under my belt by then hopefully I will not blow it at a stupid buffet.

I know you can control your eating at WDW and enjoy success with a plan formulated ahead of time. You have come too far to eat unresponsibly at WDW. A cinnamon bun sounds like a wonderful birthday treat. I feel for certain that cinnamon buns are a slice of heaven here on earth. I had one at the bakery on Main Street in DL in Jul 05. DH and I got to the park for early entry that morning, before the Candy Cane Inn started their continental breakfast. We sat and enjoyed our breakfast at the bakery as swarms of people filed down Main Street, off for a wonderful day in DL. Good memories. I am sure you will make many great memories. Remember as Ashley has said soda is "The Devil". Now Melanie I don't want you tangling with the devil. You will not gain 12 pounds on this adventure. I want you to have fun but not overindulge with food. I can't wait to hear about your adventure when you return at the end of the month. I know you can do it. I hope when you get back I can report some success also.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELANIE!!!

Veronica - welcome to the group. Make yourself at home and set a spell. CONGRATULATIONS on losing 32 pounds!!! That is really GREAT!!! WW is a great program. DeAnna is also doing that. Thanks for sharing you weight lose tips. They were helpful. Since I have been eating better I am becoming reaquainted with hunger. Everytime I feel those pangs I just get some water and tell myself it is good to be a little hungry.

When my kids were small we used subliminal tapes to help with bedwetting. They really worked. I also had a weight loss one for me. Who knows where it is now. I would appreciate a copy of your file. Could you put in on Windows media player and email it to me? I have no clue how to do that stuff but DH and DS can help me burn it to a CD. Send me a private message on the board here and we can discuss details. I will try anything to reprogram my head. I am feeling much better with two days of success so far. I have been depressed most of the summer. I really need to get out of that since family is coming and I need to get ready to go back to school in the fall. I am just taking 2 or 3 classes and I really want to do well with them.

Continued success to you Veronica, I look forward to sharing this journey with you.

Ashley - you are one busy mother. (Ha Ha). Four kids and you even managed to lose 70 pounds. YOU GO GIRL!!! I bet some days are craziness around your house. I fondly remember the day my three were at home. My favorite time was the three meetings in three different places one night. Ah, those were the days. At the time the choas was hard to bear but looking back it was one of the best times of my life. Motherhood is such an adventure.

Losing weight is also an adventure. I'm glad you have found a program that works for you. Jennifer (debute) also uses a cheat day each week. I read a book called "controlled cheating". The author ate almost nothing 6 days a week but on day 7 he went nuts. He ate EVERYTHING and ANYTHING he wanted. Do you do just one reward meal a week? I know the combination and quantities of food can make a difference in our weight loss. I'm glad this is working for you.

I'm glad you're excited about homeschooling again in the fall. Will all the kiddos be back at home? I know you will be busy, but remember to take some time for Ashley. A peanut alergy can be really scary because nuts are in lots of stuff you don't think they would be in. It is also hard because right now DD3 can not let everyone know she had this problem. I know you will be her protector and keep a close eye on her forever. Your DS1 sounds like quite a blessing. Our church teaches that those sent to earth with disabilities are very special spirits, sent to bless the lives of others. I am sure he is a special member of your family. DS8 will be a great missionary. My oldest went to Brazil for his two year mission and youngest went to Hungary. Oldest DS even went on a two week mission trip to Africa to work with AIDS orphans. He loved it. The Lord needs us to serve where he needs us, who knows what is in store for your DS8.

PEACHES!! Peaches are always hit or miss for me. I buy them at the store and put them in a paper bag to ripen. I check on them, they are not ready. I check again, still not ready. Then low and behold they are either ready or rotten. Last week I bought my first two peaches of the season. They went into the bag. I checked, not yet, I checked again, not yet, I checked again and it was time. Would they be mushy or mealy or would they be just right. THEY WERE HEAVENLY. I then decided that like cinnamon buns fresh peaches are another slice of heaven here on earth, and they are much better for me. I hope my next peaches are perfect too.

Ashley you will get an official happy birthday on Thursday. I know that with hard work you WILL wear shorts on your trip to WDW next year, and girlfriend you will look fabulous. Keep up the good work.

DeAnna - .08 pounds this week GREAT!! A loss is a loss and that is always good. I know you are off on your trip and I hope everything goes well. I will be thinking of you. I know you can eat responsibly on your trip. Wouldn't a loss be great at your next WW meeting?

I know the fall with be hard with DD driving herself to school, but that will leave you more time to do other things. I know you can use the time wisely to get healthy and you'll have more time to DIS. THe Lord will protect her and she will be a positive influence on the kids she comes in contact with.

Keep up the good work Deanna and check in when you can.

Aisling - how are you doing? Getting started takes time and effort but you are worth it. YOU CAN DO THIS and we are all here to help.

THE END. I hope I don't get in trouble for writing so much. I just wanted to say HI to everyone and let you know that I need you. We can do this together.

Brenda

 

[ashleypmo]

Hey Brenda & all!

You asked about the reward meal on my WOE. Actually, I get one every single day! That's one big reason I've been so successful. Any food I'm craving, I know it will be at most a day until I can eat it. The other big factor is that this plan has really rewired my body chemistry & metabolism.

In case anyone is interested (and if not, you'll prob want to skip this, 'coz it's pretty boring otherwise ), it is based on insulin control. I might get some of the science a little off, but this is the basics: When we eat, at the very first bite our bodies produce insulin to metabolize our carbs. The amount of insulin produced depends on the amount of carbs we typically have eaten in the past. IOW, our body knows from history how many carbs we tend to eat, and if that amount is a lot, it produces beaucoups (my french word for the day) of insulin. What this WOE does is trick the body into believing we don't eat carbs anymore. For 23 hours of the day, you basically don't eat carbs. I mean, you can eat the low carb veggies like broc, cauliflower, cucumbers, green bell peppers, green beans, mushrooms, as well as unprocessed protein (watch for added sugar, esp. those "ose"s) and some dairy (there are guidelines for dairy). So your body thinks you've cut drastically back on the carbs, and doesn't overproduce insulin.

Your reward meal has some guidelines too, for instance, you have to finish w/ in an hour, which isn't generally a problem unless you're eating out, and if you stop eating for more than five minutes (like between courses or for a "potty break"), you're done; otherwise your body will treat it like a brand new meal when you resume eating. The book goes into the science, and also into the guidelines.

You're ideally supposed to balance protein, carb, and low-carb veggies at the reward meal, but for the first 6 months I just went free for all, and the weight still came off fast. These days, I'm still not all strict about the balance, but I eat a lot of fresh raw veggies & lots of fiber, like black bean soup w/ my RM.

I am so serious that within maybe a week, I completely quit craving food. In fact, I stopped caring about eating other than my reward meal. There would be days when my sister would say "Is your stomach growling?" and I'd be like "Hmm.... yeah, I guess so." and she'd say "EAT!" but I'd finish whatever I was doing and eventually get distracted and forget to eat. I promise you, I have never "forgotten" to eat in my life!!!! I eat my reward meal (RM) at lunch, and I'm usually not really hungry in the evening, but I'll eat something anyway to keep my metab up. The first 50 pounds were really easy. It's going slower now, but that's okay. I'm not getting any younger (hmmm... maybe I'll try that Thursday & get younger instead of older...), and my metabolism really suffered a lot through all the years of crash & fad diets before I found this WOE. I'm not working out consistently (I've let my 8 min. cardio slip this summer), and I've been a very bad girl when it comes to drinking my water. But I'm back on track, baby! And I am happy that the number on the scale is staying the same & not going up, which is what it has been doing for the last 4 years.

I don't want to dissuade anyone from WW; I know it works for a lot of people. I've never tried it. But if you're still searching for a plan, you might consider looking into The Carbohydrate Addict books by Drs. Richard and Rachel Heller. Get the most recent release (I'm not sure which it would be--I used an older one), because they updated the plan as they came out w/ new findings from their research & clinical programs. Another note: the version I read, which was TCA Healthy Heart Program, was written in conjunction w/ a heart specialist who was tired of seeing his patients die while they were on low fat, calorie restrictive diets.

And on the subject of peaches: I heard that all this rain that we're getting down here in the South has produced bumper crops of huge, sweet, juicy peaches. I haven't even bought any in years because w/ the drought they've been dry and mealy, but I intend to go grab some this week. Also, this year's bing cherries have been AMAZING! I've had a huge bowl every day for a couple of weeks with my reward meal!

Blessings to all!

 

[VernRDH]

DH suggested a friendly "contest". We are leaving for the World in 63 days (YEAH) or 9 weeks. He suggested we see who could lose the most weight by the 12th of Sept (the day we leave). Sabotage, trickery everything is FAIR GAME. I weighed in at 182 today. I want to get to 170 by then and I think I can do it. NO I *KNOW* I can do it!!!!!!

I have my WW weigh in tomorrow and am hoping to be in the 181's, maybe even 180.8.

WISH me luck ladies!!!

And I am glad to hear that everyone is doing well. Please keep posting and keep the faith!!!

 

[MelanieC]

Hey everyone,

I leave in the morning. I feel like that Disney commercial. I'm too excited to sleep!

Brenda- Thanks for all the wonderful encouraging words. I did well today, many times I eat a little too much the day before I leave for vacation thinking I'm already there, lol. I plan on eating well on the drive down. Yes- Soda is the devil, lol! I totally agree with that. I want to make it without drinking it. That has got to be several of the calories I gain down there alone. I also am bringing my scale. I think it will keep me more honest. I can't say - Hey I don't know and just blow it.

I stayed at my Mom's in Vegas. I grew up there, so for me it's going back home. We ate quite a few meals at home, even thought it sounds like we ate tons, lol! I go back without the kids at the end of August too. I love my trip by myself. Me and my mom get to spend good quality girl time.

Well everyone, I'll give a full how I did report. I really hope I don't gain or at least no more tha 5lbs. 5lbs I can loose easily with a week or two being back on track. I don't plan on depriving myself at all. Hopefully I can cut back enough on the drive to and from, cut out any soda or sugar from drinks (I'm not buying a mug this year) and being mindful at buffets. I'm also going to try to order more vegetarian and fish/seafoodmeals. Hopefully that will help some. I'm also going to make a pack with myself to walk up the stairs only to and from my room unless I have something heavy like suitcases or food in my hand. Unless my knee acts up. I"ve been having a problem with walking downstairs sometimes, and sometimes my knee acts up.

Night everyone - I'll talk to you all soon -

Mare - Hope all is going well.

 

[ashleypmo]

DH suggested a friendly "contest". We are leaving for the World in 63 days (YEAH) or 9 weeks. He suggested we see who could lose the most weight by the 12th of Sept (the day we leave). Sabotage, trickery everything is FAIR GAME. I weighed in at 182 today. I want to get to 170 by then and I think I can do it. NO I *KNOW* I can do it!!!!!!

I have my WW weigh in tomorrow and am hoping to be in the 181's, maybe even 180.8.

WISH me luck ladies!!!

And I am glad to hear that everyone is doing well. Please keep posting and keep the faith!!!

Didja' remember to fill up your pockets w/ quarters before your initial weigh-in???

Won't it be exciting in a week or so, when you'll officially be in the 170s?!?!?!?

 

[ashleypmo]

Good morning ladies! I thought of you all yesterday. I was at 7-11, and saw this woman at the checkout counter. She was beautiful--well coiffed & made up, dressed beautifully, and though she had on a long skirt, she had beautiful, tiny ankles. She was a very large woman. Now, I hope no one will get offended by my train of thought, because I assure you that what I'm about to describe has been me on more occasions than I can count. So at least try to catch my thought processes as I go .

This woman put up her purchases on the counter: A large hot dog box (couldn't see inside it), a large bag of chips, and a 1-liter bottle of regular soda, plus some other assorted stuff that I couldn't see from where I was. Now first let me say that w/ my WOE, I am allowed to eat a lunch like this, so who's to say she's not on some similar plan and this is her reward meal. Or that she's just having a derailed day, which goodness knows we all have. I'm not passing any judgement on her whatsoever, even if I am a tad jealous of her little ankles (I will never have teeny ankles. My ankle bones--and my knee joints--are huge. My little sis, who officially has the body fat % of a competitive athlete, has big knees, and they're all bone. So yes, I'm obsessing about ankles today . But I digress)...

Anyway, I promised an actual thought process, so maybe I should find one . It made me think of all of you ladies who have committed to being healthy and changing. It made me think of all of your posts, encouraging one another and I pray that this woman will find someone to do that for her. It made me think of all the posts I've read here about the amazing efforts and attitudes you all have. It made me think of all the temptations and trials we are all facing with our food issues , and of how proud I am of each and every one of us for recognizing them and meeting them head-on . And I realized that every day we make good choices, we are one day healthier and one day better off than we were yesterday.

So what I'm saying is.....YOU ROCK, LADIES!

So...this month's Good Housekeeping magazine features profiles of several
(6?) woman who have each lost over 100 lbs. Two of them used the Weigh Down program, which is available at Christian bookstores (and I'm sure Amazon), and I've heard great things about it. There were stories of women who did WW and Nutrisystem and a couple of other programs. They were great stories, and I loved that they each lost over 100#. Ladies, have those of you with that kind of goal imagined what a difference 100# will make?!!? WOW!!! By the time I meet my "goal" (I think I explained before that I have a "realistic" goal, which I am 20# away from, and a "dream" goal, which is 40# away) I will have lost about 90#.

Well, crying baby (when you have 4 kids, someone is always crying!), so I'd better sign off. I mean, it's not as though I've been long-winded or anything ...

So blessings & prayers for you all!

 

[dare2dream]

DS24 Kurt and his wife Melanie and KYLER (my one and only grandchild) arrive today. YIPEE!! Having them around for the next two weeks will be a mixed blessing. I don't feel like a good hostess and sometimes I just like to retreat into my hole in solitude. I'm not a people person. Anyway things are still going well with my program. I don't see being able to do 8 cups of water today because I will be on the road a total of 4 hours today going to and from the airport. Drinking water makes me have to pee all the time.

Veronica - I'm excited about about your contest. I KNOW you can win. Might I suggest using percent of weight lost instead of the number of pounds? It is a very cruel fact that men can lose weight faster than women. Good luck at WW. Is your weigh in day Thursday? Did you say 9 week in WDW? WOW.

Melanie - good to hear from you before you leave. I hope your trip is great and you have good news on the scale when you return. I know you can work hard and make it happen.

Ashley - Thanks for the info on your WOE. It sounds interesting. I do believe that foods affect our bodies in many ways and certain combinations of foods are better for us than others. When you say craving for food do you mean hunger pangs or desire to eat? I am still hungry all the time and sometimes it bugs me. I have heard that right after a gastric bypass patients lose that constant desire to eat. They have to remind themselves that they have to eat. That sounds so amazing to me. I seem to think about food and eating all the time, well probably not as often as men think about sex.

Happy Birthday Ashley!!!! Enjoy your special meal out with the kids. Have a great day!!

DeAnna - I don't expect to hear from you for a while, but just wanted you to know I am thinking of you. Enjoy your time with friends and eat to make me proud! (oh, and you too).

Mare - our special OP that created this thread where we can help each other,thank you for sharing your thoughts on May 9th and reaching out. I'm thinking of you and hope all is well with you.

To others I may have miss I apologize. If you have 100 pounds to lose come chime in and join us. We can do this together. Baby Steps. One day at at time.

I'm a bit nervous because I don't have a set game plan for today. I'm not quite sure how the day will turn out, but I will be as successful as I can. I am worth it and I AM going to do this.

Brenda

 

[VernRDH]

Didja' remember to fill up your pockets w/ quarters before your initial weigh-in???

Won't it be exciting in a week or so, when you'll officially be in the 170s?!?!?!?

Ashley-

No filling my pockets with quarters since I weigh myself in my b-day suit!! (not a pretty sight at this point, but gettin better all the time). So did DH.

Today was my WW weigh in-181!!! Another 1.8 lost for 33.8 total. Yes I am hoping that next Thurs I will be in the 170's!!! Another decade overcome!!!

Veronica - I'm excited about about your contest. I KNOW you can win. Might I suggest using percent of weight lost instead of the number of pounds? It is a very cruel fact that men can lose weight faster than women. Good luck at WW. Is your weigh in day Thursday? Did you say 9 week in WDW? WOW.

Brenda-I have consistently been kicking DH's butt on the weight loss thing. He does not have the level of determination and self control that I have come to (he had a pint of IC AND a bag of micro popcorn with REAL butter the other night, I had a WW dessert, TYVM). We are almost exactly 100 lbs apart. I also do more intense exercise than he does so I am not worried about beating his bum on this contest!!!

We are going IN 9 weeks, not FOR 9 weeks to WDW. I love it there, but 9 weeks might be a little much.


Enjoy having your son, DIL and grandbaby visiting you. Everytime you think about eating something you probably shouldn't, think about Kyler. Picture him playing with the NEW you, running, at the park, in WDW on (insert name of favorite ride here). Think of him graduating from kindergarten, high school, college, getting married. You want to see all of those things and be his totally awesome Grandma. Take a special picture of him while he is visiting and make a bigger copy of it. Post in on the fridge, the cupboards, anywhere and everywhere to remind you of why it is important to keep fighting the battle. HE is the best reason for you to get healthy.

I did PM you about the CD-let me know.

Melanie and Deanna-I know you are both away, but am looking forward to hearing from you when you return. And looking forward to hearing GOOD things.

To our OP, Mare-we would love for you to come back and join our discussions and support. You are the reason we have come together, and I hope you are doing well.

Later Ladies!!!

 

[ashleypmo]

To our OP, Mare-we would love for you to come back and join our discussions and support. You are the reason we have come together, and I hope you are doing well.

Later Ladies!!!

I'll second that! I've been wondering about you, MareQ; how you're doing, where you're at emotionally. Get back in touch!

 

[ashleypmo]

DS24 Kurt and his wife Melanie and KYLER (my one and only grandchild) arrive today. YIPEE!! Having them around for the next two weeks will be a mixed blessing. I don't feel like a good hostess and sometimes I just like to retreat into my hole in solitude. I'm not a people person. Anyway things are still going well with my program. I don't see being able to do 8 cups of water today because I will be on the road a total of 4 hours today going to and from the airport. Drinking water makes me have to pee all the time.

Ashley - Thanks for the info on your WOE. It sounds interesting. I do believe that foods affect our bodies in many ways and certain combinations of foods are better for us than others. When you say craving for food do you mean hunger pangs or desire to eat? I am still hungry all the time and sometimes it bugs me. I have heard that right after a gastric bypass patients lose that constant desire to eat. They have to remind themselves that they have to eat. That sounds so amazing to me. I seem to think about food and eating all the time, well probably not as often as men think about sex.

Happy Birthday Ashley!!!! Enjoy your special meal out with the kids. Have a great day!!



I'm a bit nervous because I don't have a set game plan for today. I'm not quite sure how the day will turn out, but I will be as successful as I can. I am worth it and I AM going to do this.

Brenda

Brenda--Thanks for the birthday wishes! I enjoyed my lunch very much. It was yummalicious!

You asked about whether it is the hunger pangs or the constant desire to eat that goes away on my WOE. It's kind of both. I definitely don't have the constant desire to eat. I still get hunger pangs, but not often. For instance, I might be hungry when I wake up, but I'll eat an egg or a few raw broccoli florets & drink my green tea & that's all I need. I know--y'all are like "broccoli for breakfast???" I know, sounds bizarre, but at that moment all I really need is just something to make me not hungry, and I am always just tempted to skip it altogether, but I know I need to avoid having my metab crash. Which goes back to the cravings thing. I really don't care what I eat when I'm hungry. It's kind of like my brain and my stomach have stopped communicating, but in a good way. My stomach will be growling, and I might feel a little pang, but in the "bad ol' days," my brain would have been like "Food! Food,woman! Give me cookies, chips, and that cold, leftover pizza in the fridge! NOW!!!" These days it's more like me saying "shut up and eat your broccoli." No drama, no deprivation, because....in just a few short hours I can eat anything I want.

Glad to hear that your program is going well! I hope your day went well. I know what you mean about the water thing. I lose sooo much better when I drink my 10 glasses, but after 4 kiddos, well, you know where I'm goin' with this. My DD3 has had swimming lessons all week, and every day on the way out the door I've felt really thirsty, but I don't dare guzzle that water down, because I'd have to deal w/ pulling DS1 out of the pool to go to the ladies room, and that would be such a pain!

Have fun w/ that gran-be-be!

 

[dare2dream]

Thursday and Friday did not go well with my program. They were not horrible days, so it's OK. I will not be perfect everyday, I am human. Today is Brad's engagement party. His fiancee is an only child with a large extended family so this wedding will be a big deal. I am taking Kyler with me while his parents attend an adults only wedding for a friend of Kurt's. I will have just ONE piece of famous Smith Island Cake. The rest of the day I will be on program. I know I can successfully make it through this day because tomorrow is weigh in day and so far the numbers look REALLY good.

I hope things are going well with everyone else. It is hard, but we are worth it.

Brenda

 

[ashleypmo]

Brenda, you've got a great attitude. Your gonna succeed at this! (excuse my typing if I;m off today--I sprained my pinky, so its bandaged to my ring finger right now. If I go back to cirrect all my mistakes, ill be here all night!). Im glad youre allowing yourself the slice of famous cake. If you deprive yourself of every treat, it jest sets the stage for those self-defeating scripts (mine says :if I weren;t such a pig, I could eat that like a normal person."

I did well at my b;day dinner tonight w/ dh. I kept to program timing, and even sat thriugh a movie w/out munchies i was worried that i wouldnt be able to injoy the meal in under an hour, and I really wanted time for dessert (my WOE, my carb meal has to be w/in an hour timeframe). Praise God! Before I'd taken three bites of appetizer, waiter brought salad, then entree came before salad was done, and he was quick to come ask about dessert, so I finished in 42 minutes (time to spare). The meal wasnt as fab as I expected, but it was good, and enjoyd talking w DH (about next years WDW trip, of course). My dessert wasn't stellar--it tasted premade, definitely no baked in house. Sure wish I had a piece of famous cake...

We need a name...like the "Minnie Sistahs" --get it, coz we;re getting smaller, so we;re "mini"

gotaa give up typing tonight. not working well w/ the finger thing.

 

[VernRDH]

Ashley-

Glad you did well with your dinner. I have found that some things I eat just don't "do it" for me (like your dessert) and therefore I just don't bother with them anymore. Sounds like you are doing well on your WOE-keep up the good work!! Sorry to hear about your finger-hopefully it is better soon.

Brenda-

Keep the faith girl!!! Don't deprive your self of that cake or you will eat everything else under the sun to try to satisfy yourself. You can't stop living, but you can control your actions and just have ONE piece of cake and be happy with that. You are doing great, and as Ashley said, I know you will succeed.

"The Minnie Sistahs", I like that-maybe we can get a siggie thingie for it, huh? I don't know much about doing those things, but maybe DH could help me with it.

I hope everyone else is doing well with their WOE and exercise. I went to the gym this am, ran for 30 mins and did upper body workout. Now I have a full day of housework ahead of me. No rest for the wicked and the righteous don't need it LOL.

I think of each of you and keep you in my prayers that you are doing well and continue on this path to better health. WE CAN DO IT!!!

 

[SeaSpray]

Hi everyone, mind if I jump in here too?

I'll keep it brief, but here's my story in a nutshell: I'm 46, married, 2 teen sons (19 and 16), and I was not overweight most of my life. I did gain some AFTER I had my sons (I didn't gain much at all during my pregnancies), but then took that off. I moved from the Jersey shore to Massachusetts 10 years and THAT is when I really put a ton of weight on. I went from 155 (which I know sounds like a lot, but I honestly looked pretty good and felt very comfortable), to 223.5. I hadn't gained any in the last few years, but I was at 223-225 until 6 weeks ago when DH and I started the South Beach Diet.

I am NOT a big dieter; I had tried WW years ago but got tired of weighing and measuring and counting every little thing I ate. I also didn't have any support at home. Not that my DH was unsupportive, but I always felt like I had to cook differently for myself, and then differently for my family.

Anyway, after being a SAHM for 18+ years, I went back to work (30 hours a week), last summer, and I basically enjoy it. I work for a financial company and the people I work with are very nice. Some of the women I work with have done, are still doing, South Beach, so I decided to give it a try.

I was fairly skeptical of South Beach, but my doctor told me that it, and WW, were very healthy diets, and he recommended them. I told myself I'd do the first 2 weeks of South Beach (SB) faithfully, and see what happens. Fortunately my DH decided to do it with me, so at least I had support at work AND at home.

The change over to SB was quite easy for DH and I. We found out that apparently we're not carb addicts. LOL We really do not miss the carbs at all, EXCEPT for the fact that when we were lazy at night, it'd be easy to call and order pizza, subs, chinese food, etc. However, physically neither of us went through carb withdrawal or cravings.

During the first 2 weeks I lost 9.5 pounds. It's now been 6 weeks and I've lost 14.5 pounds all together. On SB, after the first 2 weeks on Phase I, you switch to Phase II, and the weight loss slows down to about 1-2 pounds per week. And honestly, I'm finding out that I'm fine with that; even a half pound loss indicates success and keeps me motivated.

I'm currently at 209, and people are definitely noticing the difference! I've gone down a size in clothes, and I'm able to wear old clothes that haven't fit me in years. I'm looking forward to losing even more! LOL I've set a goal of 50 pounds. For now. Once I've lost 50, then I'll give myself another goal of 25 pounds. I want to take this one step at a time, so to speak. I think after a loss of 75 pounds I'll be feeling pretty good, and at that time I'll reevaluate myself and see if I want to lose more.

Thanks for letting me share my story, I've been posting on the monthly weight loss challenges and the year weight loss challenge, but I'd like to get to know some of you even more now. Since joining the DIS boards over 6 years ago, I've spent a lot of time on the Resorts, Restaurants, and Cruise boards, but I think the WISH boards are great and very inspirational.

That's it for now. Wow, that really wasn't very brief at all, was it.

 

[VernRDH]

Welcome Terry-

If I didn't know better, I'd say you were stalking me!!!
I am glad you are joining us over here-we are thinking of calling ourselves "The Minnie Sistahs" since we are going to mini-size ourselves. This is a great (albeit small) group of ladies and we are doing our best to stay with our WOE's and keep each other going. Feel free to share you good days and bad-everyone here will offer encouragement and congrats whenever needed.

You have a fabulous cruise on EOS to look forward to-I bet you could lose almost another 20 lbs before you go!!!

Keep us posted on your progress and keep up the good work!!!

 

[SeaSpray]

Welcome Terry-

If I didn't know better, I'd say you were stalking me!!!
I am glad you are joining us over here-we are thinking of calling ourselves "The Minnie Sistahs" since we are going to mini-size ourselves. This is a great (albeit small) group of ladies and we are doing our best to stay with our WOE's and keep each other going. Feel free to share you good days and bad-everyone here will offer encouragement and congrats whenever needed.

You have a fabulous cruise on EOS to look forward to-I bet you could lose almost another 20 lbs before you go!!!

Keep us posted on your progress and keep up the good work!!!

Thanks for the welcome, Veronica

I promise I'm not stalking you!

That sounds cute, "The Minnie Sistahs"

There are 15 weeks until the cruise, I'm hoping to lose at least 1 pound per week, so I'm setting my sights at 15 pounds from now. I don't want to make my goals too unrealistic, but I think that a pound per week is realistic enough to be attainable.

I just put a Perdue oven-stuffer-roaster chicken in the oven, and I have some laundry going too I'll make a garden salad and brocolli to go with the chicken, and I'll make brown rice for my DS19, and I may have a small bite of that as well. My DH doesn't really like rice so he'll probably just have the chicken, salad, and brocolli.

What are some of the healthy meals that the rest of you make? Do you make anything different for the rest of the family? My DSs are getting used to seeing all-natural peanut butter, whole wheat pita bread and whole wheat wraps, sugar-free jam, Uncle Sam cereal (which surprisingly they like! LOL), and other healthy items around the house. So they're eating healthier too, just by simply living in the same house as me. LOL I decided that I was not going to cook any differently for them, than I do for myself and my DH. They're old enough to understand that I'm choosing healthy options and eating this way will benefit them, too. So far, they're enjoying the changes and not complaining anymore. lol

 

[ashleypmo]

Welcome Terry!

Glad to have you join us! If you're doing South Beach, do you know how to do the carb free cheese "chips?" You can take either freshly grated parmesean sprinkled in about a 2" circle (don't use pre-grated: they add cellulose which is a carb), or take a slice of American cheese (the best I've found is Deli Deluxe, because they don't add all the extra ingredients that add a few carbs), or Swiss cheese slice quartered diagonally, and then arranged w/ the points out (so that you have a blank square in the middle). Nuke it for about 55 seconds. It will seem a little rubbery when it first comes out of the microwave, but after a few minutes the swiss or parm will be nice & crisp, and the American puffs up like a fake cheeto.

 

[VernRDH]

I have had the carb free "nachos" Take shredded taco cheese and spread it in a thin layer in a micro dish (a pyrex pie plat works well). Nuke it for a minute and then let it "harden" Break it into pieces and viola! nacho chips.

Since DH and I are on the healthy eating plan together and not doing a "special" diet, we eat what we normally have-just MUCH less and without all the extra/added fat. A typical day for me is:

B-coffee with Sugar Free Swiss Miss (love my mocha), 1 slice WW multigrain bread, toasted with 1/2 tbsp Dark chocolate peanut butter and 1/2 tbsp regular peanut butter (like having a Reese's cup every day!!)
L-Lean Cuisine/Smart ones meal, WW yogurt, Special K cereal bar
D-hot dog, hamburger, turkey/ham wrap, pasta. Tonight we had boneless country style pork ribs, I had a baked sweet potato and a spinach salad. Dessert was a Blue Bunny Fudge Lite fudge pop.

We still eat potato chips (i know not great, but I eat WAY less than I used to and I just can't eat a sandwich without them). But that is okay on WW, as I just need to count the points. I only use mustard on sandwiches, no more mayo for me. I only drink water or crystal light, and I drink at least 10 glasses per day. And I have come to the notion of "is it really worth it" before I put it in my mouth.

Tess is a healthy eater already-loves veggies, not big on red meat. So she doesn't mind the changes at all. She actually likes some of the new things we have better.