age 45-50 group. Anyone interested?

I have looked for twins and poked around other groups without finding a real support group.

I am 48, 5'5", SW 151, CW 134, GW 128

I am the school teaching mother of three in their upper teens, wife of my 3 lbs from goal hubby.

SO...

Anyone interested?

Hello Everyone!

Wow! What frightful weather to go to work in. -46 with the windchill, that's brutal.

I'm sure you'll enjoy water therapy Tammy. I hope it's your cup of tea and that you can really get into it. Do you enjoy other water activities like swimming and paddling around? I really hope this works out for you. I'm sorry about your mom. I'm sending positive thoughts your way.

It really pains us to see our children suffer. Lucy, I'm sorry your daughter and you are going through such a difficult time. It is understandable that between the pain your back is causing and your daughter's heartache that a food plan would not be a priority. While you worry about and take care of your daughter, please take care of yourself as well.

Jasmine I hope your allergy meds have you feeling better in no time.

Congratulations Connie, almost a week without smoking. That's terrific!

Janet - I think you're absolutely right about cutting back and choosing healthy snacks rather than going cold turkey (hmmm- I did snack on  cold turkey LOL). I've been trying just that and it seems to be working. I think I'd just feel deprived if I didn't eat anything when the munchies are attacking. Thanks!  I hope you get your results from your surgery soon and that the news is very good - that everything is positive.

Hello to everyone. I hope the New Year finds you hale and happy.

You are all in my thoughts.

- Adara

Hello all!

I am back from 4 days of snow fun and today was back to work....can you say post-Christmas-too-much-work-to-do blues? Yes I too put on some holiday pounds, so: off maintainance and back to restricting. *sigh*

I am thinking about you all, so many struggles: Lucy, Tammy, some victories: Connie (because I have no doubt this is a done deal!), Janet (again, all will be good!)....

I'll be back tomorrow, not so pooped, and I hope, more cheerful!

G'night, Alylou

Hi to all, Happy New Year to everyone - "oldies" en newbies 

I don't do resolutions either, BUT I have looked back on the old year and faced the fact that I've been ill way too much last year. So I've started the struggle of rearranging my life completely. I prefer to work intensively for a period of days or weeks, then take a break for some days, something like that. I can do that, because I'm my own boss. But apparently that way is too tough on my system now that I'm not in my thirties anymore, - I'm certain that's why I've been getting ill way too often.

What I need to learn, is how to work a few hours, take a break, work a few hours etc. Spread work out more evenly as it were and keep on doing it. Over a year I'll probably get more work done this way than did in 2008. It seems logical to incorporate my eating in this plan as well. When I'm in a working-period, I tend to forget my meals and then just grab whatever's easy, not good not good. I need to eat regularly and I want to prepare more food myself (bake bread etc) because then I know exactly what's in it (as some of you know, I'm not allowed to have any sugar at all because of hypoglycemia, complicated but as I feel much better when eating this way, it's well worth it).

Problem now: I never ever worked or lived this way, it's going to be a major transformation. Including something interesting: I will need to put the caring for myself at least on the same level as the care for my work, my clients - a very strange idea! I would be grateful for some advice from you all, anything would be helpful.

Here in the Netherlands it's suddenly turned really cold and icy. It takes skills and focus now to ride in my VW-bus, but so far I'm doing ok. My daughter on her bike is dangerous though, so I'm taxiing her around - better than having kids with broken bones.

To Lucy and Tammy - lots of positive thougts coming your way. To the rest - this is the place to get back on track, you did it before, you'll do it again! Janet - I finished the book you recommended, like the first of the two it was great - and very hard to put down.

Have a nice day all. Truus 

PS. Is Facebook known where you live? I've found a lot of my old friends and classmates in Denmark. Fun, but also very strange - people will tell you how they saw you back then, and it will be a completely different image (nicer) than the one you had of yourself from then. Anyone reckognize remembering the bad stuff about oneself better than everything else? Why is that?

Hi Everyone!

I have lost 2 pounds so far...   I am working on the exercise...  I think counting my calories is helping me more than counting my points with WW.  I was trying to eat too many 0 point foods and they were adding up.  This way I am not kidding myself about what I am eating.  I find myself looking it up to see if I want to eat it.   That is a good start.  I am back to work after my Christmas break so that will help a lot.  I am really enjoy reading the posts. 

Good luck to all..  We can do it...

Bev

Hello!

Anew day and a new attitude, much better than yesterday!

Good for you Bev!

Connie, stay strong!

Lucy, I hope your daughter leaves this hard time with a strength and new understanding of herself.

Truus, very interesting plans you have, I find that I work best with a deadline, not healthy! but my job does not leave much room for procrastination, so that helps. It is cold and icy here too, hospitals are full of fall injuries, so watch out! Facebook is the social network of choice fo collage age and up in the US (younger tend to use Myspace). I use Facebook because my kids do, and have found the old connections to be a bit creepy! I guess I let those relationships die for a reason! But many aspects-commucating with far flung family and friends are wonderful.

to those of us who are haveing to double back over our tracks, count those calories! hit the gym! Walk! WE CAN DO IT!

Alylou

Hi everyone! I am a 48 year old male, husband and father of 19 year old, 13 year old and 3 year old. My wife and I are going on vacation this coming June (Destin) and our class reunion is coming up this summer as well. Besides getting healthy, we have some motivation to look great too.

I have never dieted before, so this is all new to me. I have been quite oblivious as to the condition I have grown into over my years. I must have a pretty good self image because I never really considerd myself as "fat". I had a real awakening the other day when I saw myself on video tape and was a little shocked!

I did the BMI thing and am coming in at 28.2. I am 6 ft 0 in and 208 lbs right now. According to the charts, I am just shy of obese! I stiil am not convinced that I am more than moderately over-weight though. Maybe I am in denial.

When I punched all my vitals in the program on this site, it suggested that I should weigh-in at an astonishing 165 lbs by October 28, 2009! My gosh!!!! I think that's what I weighed in my 10th grade year in high school (and I was pretty skinny)! Can this be right?!

Anyway, I believe my realistic goal is to weigh 180 by April 15th. I hope to report back with success and am open to any help along the way. Thanks!

Yes I am interested!!! 51 years old!!! Yikes how did that happen.  I am on the other side of menopause. I quit smoking 2 years ago and I sit in front of a computer all day.  Stress has been building up and up because the plant where I work has closed down and is moving operations to the other plant.  Will it reopen?  We all hope so but the jury is not in!!! I have found that I like to stuff my face when stressed instead of going for a short walk.  So I am learning!!! 5'7" and I am at a plump 200 pounds!!! Wow how did that happen.  My goal is to lose 45pounds and maybe another 5 for the heck of it!!! I have always - always done Atkins in the past, (I gain weight every 10 years) but right now I want a different approach!!!!

I hope this is the way to go!!!

Hey everyone, I see the New Year has brought some new faces - welcome to all the new members of our group - and aside from 'Butch' (sorry newbies, inside joke!) is Haiko our only male?   

Well done to those who are back on track already - I am not!!  Eating out tonight for the 2nd night in a row, and hosted friends here for dinner Sunday night.....so my eating is out the window for now.  BUT....I will get back in line again very soon....that's a promise to me, not just all of you!!

Connie, Lucy, Momo, Janet, Truus (and others?) who are facing other personal and health challenges right now, best wishes to you all.  Hope everything has a postive outcome very soon.

Facebook - hmmm... I am on there but a sad case with only 12 friends - ha ha, I am just not that into it.  My 19 year old daughter is another story - addicted I would say.  And Aly, be very thankful that your kids are your facebook friends - mine thinks that is uncool, lol.  (However, she does show me a lot of her stuff, photos etc. that are posted on there....just think she doesnt want to have "mom" chatting like one of the kids!!)

Gotta run....bye all xx 

Hi everyone

Truus - I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Another author you might enjoy is Jodi Picoult. One book I read is My Sister's Keeper. I enjoyed it and I will look for more of her books.

Facebook does exist here in Canada.  It's fun to find some old friends but I must admit I don't check it too often. I agree that we tend to remember the bad stuff more than the good in our past... I wonder if we can train ourselves to remember differently?

Welcome to all our new people. I hope you like it here.

Happy, healthy eating evreyone.

janet

Janet, I am a HUGE Jodi Picoult fan - I think I have read just about every book she has published!!! 

So I weighed today...and sad to say I am up another pound - not good!  I shouldn't be surprised really, but have now gone from 185.6 before xmas, to 188 today.  I don't like being closer to that 190 mark again, so will definitely need to make a good effort very soon.  Having said that, we promised our daughter dinner at a restaurant of her choice tonight - it's her last night before flying back to England for university.  I am feeling a little down in the dumps now- between the thought of her leaving home again + the evil scales.

Oh well, life goes on.  Must go get some laundry done.....

Sad Suz

Good Morning!!! New day and a new start.  This morning I had oatmeal with fresh blackberries!!! Yummy!!! Also this is the first time I have eaten breakfast in I can't count the years.  I always believed it would make me hungry for the whole day.  I guess I will find out today!!

Game plan for today is to use my lunch break for the gym.  I am gonna give that a try for awhile.  I can eat my salad during break.  Hope that works, I also hope you guys have a great day.  Now I am going back to read your posts and find out what book ya'll are talking about!!! Love - love to read!

Lauri

Yes Janet, we can train our minds to remember the positive and leave the negative.  Every time the negative tries to invade my memory I force a positive lesson learned or a positive memory to take it's place.  It isn't always easy to focus on the positive - especially when things are not the way I want them now.  But a conscientious effort to think positive and to visualize positive really seems to be empowering!! I notice when i let negative memory, painful memory or negative thoughts take the forefront of my thinking, it stops me dead in my tracks and blocks progress.  

Hi my friends,

Just checking in.  Things are very crazy right now and hopefully soon I'll be back to just working on me and my waistline.  Thanks for the good wishes and prayers and please keep them coming. 

Hi all, life is chilly and busy, busy, busy!

I am back to counting calories and seeing progress...I figure I should need to restrict for 3-4 weeks to get back to my lowest point...

Hope all are doing well with not only the weight issues but health and happiness issues too!

Alylou

Sure am!

I am new to this site.  Just jumped on the weighloss bandwagon and managed to trip and fall during my first day of exercise!  Damn. 

So I'm trying to stick to watching my food.  (Closet sweet and bread binger here).

I'm on day 8.  I have a little gimmick that is helping me (like watching sand slip through an egg timer).  I have cut out pieces of paper representing each day until my target month.  Every day I write down food/exercise and move it (if I ate less than I expected.)

Wow - the new year has brought a whole flock of newbies to us - welcome all, and our new man, too! You're gonna' have to be tough though, Haiko, to survive this group of women! :)

Tru - good for you trying to establish a new schedule. I'm with Aly - I usually work best with deadlines. Aly, I hope your snow play was fun. Did you build a snowman for me? Connie - still no smoking, right? I have faith in you. Janet, Suz, Tammy, etc. good to hear from all of you, too.

I just had lunch (a good medium-not low-calorie salad at Applebees) with a friend I only see rarely. It was really sort of uncomfortable. We've known each other since we were kids - at one time were absolutely best friends - but have drifted apart in adulthood. She, like me, has always struggled with weight. She knew I lost weight (i didn't just show up thinner) yet she seemed to go sort of overboard in trying to "justify" why she was heavy. It made me feel really bad. You know, I didn't lose weight to throw it in anyone's face; and I've got miles to go still (especially after December's eating) but it clearly made her feel uncomfortable that I was the thinner one of the two of us.

Has that sort of thing happened to any of you - how did you deal with it? I tried to make a few self-effacing jokes, and then just kept asking her questions about her work, daughter, etc.trying to change the subject, but it seemed to be the "elephant in the room" as they say.

Oh well - one more step on this journey, I guess. Hi to all!!! Sue

PS. If you're on my "friends list" check out a few new pictures I posted of my October trip to Colorado. If you want to be on my friends list, and I forgot to add you, just let me know.

Hello all!

Sue ~ I can't say that I've had that problem.  I was always the bigger friend for many years, off and on!  Hoping to finally be thin forever like them! lol  That had to be uncomfortable for you.  Wonder why it was so hard for her, when she should be happy for you.  

I'm doing good with my "balanced" eating routine I'm developing.  so far, so good!  I'm losing weight too!  I'm maintaining a 500 deficit and the weight is melting right off.  So I'll take it while it's coming. 

I'm being creative on eating more protein since I'm not a big meat eater.  I'm eating Tuna now, which I really don't care for at all.  I think it stinks!  But I know it's good for me. I've found a way to disguise it.....noodles and seasonings! 

Have a good night!

Hi Suz - I only read one Jodi Picoult but I'm definitely looking for her other books.  Hope you're winning your battle against the evil scales.

Lauri (Tuff_n_stuff?) - I am also trying to retrain the brain to think of the positive. I need to get back into meditation ..I used to do it regularly and I felt great. Thanks for the words of wisdom - I need to be reminded of the power of our brain.

Ok ladies and gentleman - confession time. Today I pigged out on snacks. My excuse is it was my birthday but I know I can always come up with some justification. I am very inspired to be reading about all of you that are being so good. Birthday's over now...I am going back to my lowcal eating that had made me lose 7 pounds in October and November that I seem to have almost all found again over these holidays.

Time to go trash the junk in the kitchen...

byebye

Janet

Happy Birthday Janet!  You'll lose that holiday weight in no time - good for you for throwing the junk food in the trash.

Adara

Happy day-after-your-birthday Janet!

Junk in kitchen: as much as I love having my girls home from college for a while, they had better stop the recreation baking or I am going to throw them out with the junk!

Have a great day all!

PS:Connie??? how's it going???