Posts by surfkitty

Good for you foodiecutie! I just heard about Insanity and found your post when I did a search. Don't have the DVDs and am really curious about the results. You sound like me. I've gone completely off the wagon...again, and need to change, not happy, etc.

So, please keep posting and I'll try and get motivated too.

Good luck, be strong!

Oh, and my name is Carolyn too ;-)

yep, it's all about putting on the sneakers. I can sit for hours THINKING about how I should just drag my smooshy butt upstairs and jump on the treadmill (I work from home much of the time), but as soon as I put on my socks and sneakers, I HAVE to work out. lol the other day I found myself debating on whether I should "hide" my sneakers so I wouldn't see them straight off and feel guilty and immediately put them on the following day.

Mmmm yum to soup! I'll also eat it in any weather and make a classic from scratch chicken soup, will post and link recipe shortly, also a nifty beef soup. victoriagirl you made 4 soups today! You must post your recipes too!!! :-P

Happy Independence Day!

acey, you're a beautiful girl! I know you don't see yourself that way, but we do. Even the hot girls in Hollywood have body image issues and cry over them just like us. Years ago I read a biography by a famous super-model (Cheryl Tiegs I think) who hated her body and would take drastic and crazy measures to try and correct these perceived problems. In retrospect she saw how convoluted her thinking was and part of her motivation for writing the book was to let other women know that even super models have these unfounded feelings of self-hatred and thoughts that they have bad bodies. Pretty eye-opening to discover that these "perfect" girls feel the same way as us normal girls. The message stuck with me even though I read it when I was a teenager and I am grateful. Of course I still have body issues, but I also know that everyone else does too. It's what makes us all interesting and different.

You're only 19 and I don't know your circumstances. I know you love your little baby and wouldn't trade her in for the world, but it would be natural for you to want to just have fun like a teenager for a day instead of having to deal with motherhood day in and day out. You're stuck in the house, no friends, no transportation except on foot AND you live in the remote mountains. I see that as a perfect recipe to create depression, which can lead to self-loathing, especially if you have a history of it. I do believe there's some PPD going on also.

Can you at least get outside near your home, out in the yard or something? On nice days you can jump rope out there, hula hoop, lift gallon water bottles. Basically get some fresh air. Look up at the sky, notice your beautiful surroundings, talk to God. Take deep breaths. Smile at nothing. No, really, do it now

A change of scenery will do you a world of good. After church, could you walk around the neighborhood with the hub and baby, maybe go to a park and take some sandwiches for a picnic? I know this is all simple and basic, but I really think going and seeing things outside of your 4 walls on a semi-regular basis would help so much.

And downloading exercise videos from youtube is a fabulous idea.Keep reaching out though, it's important and count me in as a buddy you can turn to if you need one.

I'm not taking that bet as I am absolutely sure I would lose. People have far too much time on their hands if they're going through remote posts like that. It's folks' differences that make us spin though, so let 'em have at it and we'll just giggle.

Mmmmmm butter...............

Don't get me wrong, I never stopped using sugar, real butter, olive oil, etc, plus regular cool whip on anything I can think of, which has made my diet utterly delightful - who woulda thunk?! And yes, portion control was my greatest downfall, Love me my big bags of Wise chips. And because my husband prefers butter, I was putting butter AND olive oil all over our veggies, tons of it, and because I like bowl-eating, I'd fill big salad bowls full of food and just munch away in front of the TV during dinner, complete mindless chomping. I think of that now and can't believe how much I could pack away, geez. These days I AM a religious counter however and do count every last chip, but now I eat 16 instead of the entire bag. This is a "diet"? Fun and yahoo! Thing is, I measure out a cup of rice, much less than in the past, and still I can only eat about half. I'm glad about it, at the same time, eating under 1000 calories is very bad, yet I feel okay physically. If it continues, I suppose I'll have to make a trip to the doctor. "Cooking up deliciousness" is my new favorite phrase!

Hey now, all you quitters PLEASE don't be angry for the weight gain. I was a smoker for over 30 years and when I finally quit the last time, I put on A LOT of weight. It killed me, I didn't recognize myself in the mirror and I kept asking myself if it was worth the aggravation. That was 2 years ago and I am finally dropping the weight and am absolutely 100% over the moon that I am still a non-smoker. I hurt my knee very badly not long after quitting, which delayed my weight loss, increased my weight actually, otherwise it would have happened much sooner. My doctor told me from the beginning that eventually the weight does come off once your body adjusts to the changes. My has just started to go away, but it's happening. Stay strong and proud of this accomplishment. You are awesome!

luna, she's your MOM. Of course she's going to worry, especially if you've had some ED symptoms before. Moms are like pitbulls, if their kids are hurt or in any kind of physical dissarray, you can bet that they will be watching their child like a hawk and jump on every genuine or perceived problem. Try and cut her a little slack, she can't help that she cares about you and wants you to have a long, happy and healthy life. She WILL nag you about this until she's proven wrong so maybe you should go to the doc just to dispel her fears and so you can carry on, business as usual. Then if she says anything you can tell her to talk to your doctor!

That's too funny - when MY bathroom needs cleaning, I get on the treadmill!!!

The minimum/maximum goal thing does work for me, at least on individiual workouts. For instance today I was dreading getting on the machine and convinced myself that I'd only have to do a minimum of 35 minutes, just enough to get the heart rate up. At the 35 minute mark, I told myself to go another cycle, what's 5 more minutes? And continued until I finished the 4.5 miles which is my maximum target for the next few weeks. Playing mind games with yourself is so strange, but if they work, why not? Not to be harping too much, but that's partly why I had my sights set on the subliminal, the placebo effect is a mind game of sorts.

I have to say, the higher carb snack today really did help. I hope it works for you too!

fitnessgirll, you are so sweet, thank you for your very generous offer. Though I lived in LA years ago, I've been back in NY forever and sadly cannot take you up on it. If you ever find yourself on the East coast, let me know!

Re my diet, I should've clarified, I'm fairly confident that it's fine; I eat between 1500 and 1800 calories per day and it's all healthy, fresh, whole organic foods, my single downfall being cool whip, which I put on fresh fruit and those micro'ed muffins that got popularly passed around here (I cannot deprive myself completely of something naughty, that would be setting myself up for failure, so a small plop is allowed). My only food issues - beyond eating too much - is a bit of a lactose problem, no other food allergies. So...lots of fresh veggies (3 cups p/day minimum, usually much more), 3-4oz of protein, olive oil and/or flax oil, sometimes rice, shirataki, millet or cous cous (about 1 cup). Some fruit, though I need to eat more and for a snack sometimes I eat popcorn, nuts. Oh and for breakfast I've been eating egg white omlet, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with honey. Don't think I'm missing anything, but it's all good. Let me know if I'm screwing up somewhere, but I used to be a health junkie, so I'm pretty good now, again.

amethystgirl <grin> I KNEW someone would call me out somewhere and tried to cover all the bases, but yes I want to lose major poundage of FAT, so lifting point taken... Re the moodiness, it could be low blood sugar, I've seen info for what to eat before and after intense lifting sessions and when, but don't know yet about cardio workouts and eating. I usually have something with carbs - some popcorn or a sweet potato - before and then nuts or cottage cheese about 30 minutes after. I may need something more carb-ie after?

wesmckean, you are more of an expert than I am! The schedule you've outlined sounds pretty reasonable, though I may start with strength 2 days p/wk. I used to run and loved it, but hurt my knee from wearing bad shoes (learn from me kiddies, invest in GOOD shoes!!!) and never was quite right again. Miss the endorphin high, but occasionally get glimpses now and then. I drink 24 oz of water with fresh lemon during the workout and about the same in the hour or so after. Any other refueling recommendations?

Thank you both so much for your responses. The science of weight loss can be staggering sometimes, especially when it was so very easy and delightful when I was gaining!

I'm so proud of you for reaching your goal!! Don't beat up on yourself too much. It's so hard when you completely deprive yourself, you are strong and I have not one doubt that you will see continued success. Everyone has made so may good points about moderation, avoiding triggers and such so the only thing I'll add is to ask if you are still logging every morsel you eat? (I don't know if you'd done so before). This has been the one thing that keeps me in line and/or gets me back in line. Nothing like seeing the facts in black and white showing me how many calories I've eaten to get me back on track. Good luck!

You can microwave al kinds of fruit. I'm a lazy fruit eater, don't know why, I know it's good for me, I know it's delicious, I just enjoy savory over sweet choices except.....

I recently have become hooked on fat free cool whip and have been searching out healthy excuses to put it on top of something. I started with a microwaved apple with cinnamon - yum - and recently added a peach - ooouha - and a couple of days ago sliced up a banana - oh my god! Microwaved fruit salad with a dollop of cool whip has made my life whole again. Don't forget the cinnamon!

pdxgirl, what is your daily diet like now? Use the calorie counting tool here on this site and record every little bite that you eat. You'll start to see a pattern which can help make you aware of the difference between eating good stuff and how you're feeling regarding hunger vs the not good stuff and your hunger. (By good, I mean healthy!) It'll help you begin to make good food choices when you start paying attention to every last morsel. You will start to WANT to eat well. Something about it being right there in your face that makes you feel good when you eat good! Keep asking questions, there are some really good people here that are NICE and willing to give good, solid advice and help. Good luck!

Yes, another big calfed lady here. Never bothers me unless I'm boot shopping. I'm a boot addict, so of course try on all the gorgeous boots in the store. I got so embarrassed when I couldn't zip or pull the things over the calves. It's the shoe industry ladies, NOT YOU! Thankfully online shoe stores give calf measurements for their boots. If you see something, but the calf is too small, just move on. No more embarrassment or perception of being too big - it's a lie, you're really fine, there's just a size-ist attitude when it comes to clothing and shoe sizes. At 5'10", my 19" calves are maybe a little thick, but in good proportion to my body. Doesn't matter to the shoe industry, they make the things to fit one ideal and the rest of us can wear sneakers. Ha! Not likely, they are missing out and I'll take my cash elsewhere!

I want to fit into my old wardrobe again, I have fantastic clothes that I can't wear and I refuse to buy anything else at my current size. I'll be going nekkid soon if I don't keep this up! I want good health for a very long time, I want my knees to hurt less, I want to see my old friends back home again, who haven't seen me since I've gained the weight, probably the biggest motivation! The surprise in their eyes would be so depressing.