Heather - Happy Birthday!

Not such a good food day for me. I brought a 4pt Healthy Choice meal for lunch, but since the power was out at school all day, the office bought us pizza so we wouldn't go hungry - so that is what I ate for lunch. I was trying to be good at dinner but I made Hannah a quesadilla and it was so good, I had to make myself one too. Steph's voice was in my head saying, "Eat enough real food so you're not hungry, or you'll be thinking a/b food all night." So that is what I did. I have some fruit if I want a snack later though.

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Jen~ Welcome to the weight loss thread! You can SO do this! We are all here to help and encourage!

Kelly~ Yum, a quesadilla sounds SO good right now....

Ok, I did my 20 minute turbo jam again....I didn't push myself or anything. I started hacking and coughing during it, but I did sweat so hopefully I burned something.

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Happy Birthday Heather!!! I say take a day off the diet on your birthday

Kelly-don't feel bad about the pizza, sometimes it is just out of our control!

Jen-you can do it!! Having a ticker and this thread is such a big help!

I'm probably not going to see any weight loss because of AF, but I am sticking with my program! There was pizza in the fridge at work, but I hate my smart ones meal instead. I forgot if I said that yesterday was a bad day, we went out to lunch for chinese and of cours I got the Honey seared chicken-BAD BAD BAD! It was soo

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Jen- The two of us are starting together, and about 30 pounds is my current goal, too! I say we stick together and motivate each other!

I am SO my own worst enemy. Now that I'm watching what I'm eating, I swear, I have devil voices in my head convincing me that I need every snack and bad thing in the world! I HATE coke, and this morning I was absolutely dying for one. DH had bought them for himself last night, so I went ahead and had one today (darn, it ate up some of my points too... I could have used them on something much tastier!) Yesterday I went on an eating binge. Luckily, my binge consisted of grapes, carrots, a stick of cheese, a slice of turkey, and a Snyder's pretzel, so all in all it wasn't a terribly large number of points. I just am realizing how mental it all is with me. Although, I have to say, the boys have been nursing a lot, too, so I suppose that could be playing a role.

I'm proud, though, because I have been making sure I get enough to drink (always an issue with me), and I've been making some extremely yummy dinners. So I'll use that as motivation for myself.

Next week I'll start focusing on working out. I have terrible foot pain (plantar fascitis), and it makes every step unbearable, but I'm going to try to just deal with it and start running. I'd love to start swimming again, but really need to get a new bathing suit (the one I have now isn't really good for swimming), and I need to figure out the pool hours (they are pretty limited at the Y, but I think I could still get some time in.)

Sorry to make this all about me. I just need to focus on myself for the time being to stay motivated. I'm afraid I'll get lost if I start paying too close of attention to everyone else.

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Sarah-that is fine to focus on yourself, we all do it!! and we'll be here to cheer you on. I hope your foot feels better.

As expected no weight loss this week! But AF is still here so I won't be discouraged, PLUS I know that the weight will probably come off more slowly now that I don't have a whole lot more to lose. At least with today off and the weekend here, I can get some workouts in.

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Welcome over here Jen! Good luck!

Kelly- Stuff like that happens. My moms meetup group went to Wild Wings last night. You think I was going to eat a grilled chicken sandwich while everyone else had wings YEAH RIGHT LOL You just gotta roll with it! Good luck with your run today.

Jenna-WTG on working out sick. That's awesome!

Karen- How's your cough?

Heather- Hope you had a nice bday!

Sarah- Sometimes you have to focus in on yourself to get going. We all know how it goes. Keep sharing!

Bina- Sorry no loss, but you are right.. between AF and less weight to go it prob will slow down. When that would happen to me I would try to eat a little less salt the next week and try not to tap into my flex points for a week and see if I could jump start it again. JMO

I am still sucking at my better life, but I am trying hard to climb back on the horse. I know yall are behind me.. maybe I need to make a ticker. I am going to the beach in 6 weeks and I actually ordered a two piece which I DON'T wear, so if I don't want to look like a beached whaled I better get with it.

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Awww...I'm the voice in Kelly's head. That's so sweet.

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Thanks Girls !!! You are right WE CAN DO THIS!!! Yesterday my eating was good. I used alot of the suggestions my SIL gave me and they are working great. She came over and measured me and asked a tons of questions and helped me set up a plan.
Here are some...
1. Start with a higher calorie/fat gram intake than you would with a standard diet and then decrease it each week. I should take me 3 weeks to get to my main intake goal.
2. Keep a food journal to see how much and at what times you seem to be hungry so you can try to focus on a project at this time to avoid thinking of food
3. Make excersize a part of you daily routine- at least 30 mintues a day.

I kept within the calories/fat gram goal my SIL had suggested for week 1 and I did great with my food journal. I found that I do wonderful in the morning but that afternoons seem to be my weak time of day. Today I plan on finding an activity to take my mind off food during that time period.

Karen- I really wish I could make my exercise time "my time" that would be wonderful, but my DH works long days and doesn't get home until nearly 7:00 p.m. Going to walk and to the tanning bed would be my dream time

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Jen sounds like you are off to a GREAT start! I am so excited for you to see the changes that are coming!

I could have you totally confused with someone else but will your MIL or Mom watch Olivia while you take a bit of time for yourself? What about even going to their house letting them visit a bit while you walk around their neighborhood? And your BFF? could you meet her on campus at your old job and walk with the stroller during her lunch break? that would give yall girl time and get in exercise at the same time? I know we can fit this in and make it for you at the same time. I jsut have to help you figure it out. lol

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Christie-You'd be surprised at how motivating a ticker can be! You will be looking great in that bikini, I know it! Even though i didn't lose weight this week I think I am still losing inches, yay!

Jen-those are good suggestions! I keep a food journal to track points. Evenings are my weak time so I build in an after dinner treat/snack. I think if you just work out by walking with Olivia and working out while she plays around you, it will be easier to find time.

Karen-not too long to go until the big surgery!


I had a donut at the playdate we went to, oh well at least it was just ONE! I have no idea how many calories was in it, so I just counted it as 3 points.

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Bina - bad news - I think a donut is 5pts, and IMO, not worth it.

Jen - keep up the good work.

Steph - is that sweet? or scary? LOL

I'm doing much better today, 6 pts so far. Hopefully I do good tonight - I have a whole dress to sew, so that should keep me busy. For the b-day party at the zoo tomorrow, would it be rude to bring my own food? I have a South Beach Wrap kit that I could easily stick the diaper bag. My friend is making/bringing lunch, but I don't know what it is or if will sabotage my diet. I wouldn't have worried a/b it since Saturday can usually be an "off" day for me, but I was pretty far off yesterday - LOL

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Well, I don't know silly girl, it's YOUR head (jeez, she thinks we can ALL hear the voices...). How do I sound? Do I sound scary? LOL!

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I was all excited to eat a cupcake when I got home, but they molded. Bina - do you make a full size cake mix? How many cupcakes do you make? Do you eat them all?

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Oh Kelly, how disappointing! This is JMO but I would bring snacks for yourself and drink a ton of water and eat when I get home, but that's just me.

I DID IT!! I got my lazy tail up and ran today. I knee did pretty well. I ran about 1 mile and did some walking in between. Hey, it's a start right?

Bina- Depends on what type of donut?

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Kelly-I found a molded one yesterday too!!! I forgot that they probably should be refrigerated!! I use a whole cake mix and make 24 cupcakes. I need to not make anymore for a while, because I am eating too many!! I think it would be ok to bring your own food to the party.

Christie-WTG!! One mile is great!

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Okay, I want to point at myself in the naughty-corner and have everyone learn something:

I have eaten pretty poorly the past 4-5 days (by my standards). I have at two different times has whataburgers (plain with cheese and bacon), one small buger from wendys (same), bacon, egg, and cheddar breakfast tacos three times (though on lard-free wheat tortillas, no flour tortilla, which is the horrible part of a breakfast taco). And one big hershey bar over the course of a few days. I have kept up with my gatorade and water.

NOW, we all know I'm very comfortable with my new eating habits, so lets use this as a way to isolate what has gone wrong in the past few days, and pick out anything that applies to you:

1. I have barely slept for the past five days; night before last I literally did not go to be until 6am.
2. I have been unprepared. I ran out of milk, cheese, fruit, etc, and yet have been too exhausted to contemplate going to the store after work.
3. I have been very emotional. Between my grandmother dying, mother being out of town, Daniel stuff going on (which does involve him being home again, but I don't want to talk about it for a while; we need some time to unwind), the stuff with that baby I was talking about in the prayer thread and all the emotions that has brought up for me, and being exhausted to the point of having a fever and feeling dizzy has drained me. Tears. Psychosis.
4. I'm so tense my shoulders and neck feel like they are severely sunburned on the inside. I have always carried tension in my neck/shoulders/thorasic area of the muscles in my back. (Hmmm, an aside, perhaps I should talk to my doctor about muscle relaxors instead of so much valium or sleeping pills -- I am weaning off the sleeping pills anyway b/c I don't feel like they are helping me much).

So, the bottom line I see is this: I feel like Hell, life is out of control, emotionally, I'm like the Etch-a-Sketch when it's upside down and being shaken. Throw in tired and that is a recipe for disaster for Stephanie. Aside from the candy bar I bought, the other "bad" food came out of wanting to drive off a cliff at night rather than go to the store or cook dinner, b/c I was so exhausted.

Recurring theme I see...Stephanie goes all to Hell when she is severely sleep deprived. This is going to be vital for my continued success and well-being.

Emotional stuff: made worse by being tired; causing a lot of the exhaustion. Chicken and egg.

The only way to counter any of this is to 'always be prepared'. If I had the proper foods in place, and convenient, I would be eating them. I'm just SO tired. And knowing I can't control how and when I sleep sometimes, or what life is going to throw at me, the thing I CAN control is to be ALWAYS prepared so that I have the foods I need to not further deplete my condition. Always make sure I have frozen casserole individuals in the freezer that can be popped in the microwave (I have one with no pasta...chicken, cheese, broccoli, spinach, and cream of chicken soup; its rich, but extremely filling. Last time I made it I think I got ten large servings out of it). Always make sure I have my whole wheat bread, butter, milk (I drink organic mik, so that takes planning cause it's so expensive except at Costco), my gatorade, my cheese, and my fruit.

This is starting to sound frighteningly similar to somethng familiar...anyone hear similarities to "Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference"...??? Or we can just stick with the boyscout motto...always (always, always) be prepared. Always.

I'm really not expecting to loose this week, though my metabolism might just have been able to survive it. After all, I have kept up with my fluids, and it's not like a plain bacon cheeseburger is the end of the world. Now, if I piled on mayo a huge soda, and a monster carton of fries, we'd be in trouble... I've not been OVER-eating by any means, just not eating well.

Okay, just wanted to tell y'all whats up with me. I'm going to get back on track, and get some DAMN SLEEP, so help me, and GET PREPARED to be on track. I mean, jeez, just the additional stress of not having the milk and stuff has been stressing me...how idiotic is that?

Now, with all that said, I'm going to go get a Mountain Dew so I can make it through the next 3.5 hours without falling asleep at my desk, which will make the like, sixth soda I've had in as many months, chalk the week up to a learning experience, and go to the stinking store tonight. Drag my sorry a$$ is what I'll be doing (I'm actually getting blurry-eyed from exhaustion -- I drove out of my lane a little last night; not cause I fell asleep, but because I couldn't see the lines clearly), but I have to.

*whew*

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