Posts by mamarose

Motto #1: I can have fun without alcohol!  (10 points per weekend)

This won't be hard for me as long as I remember it!  I like to sip bourbon every once in a while.  I'll have to tape a big "NO" note on the bottle.

Motto #2: I choose people over food!  (10 points per weekend)

Hmmmm....I gotta do something with the kids.  Ok...I will either play a board game or let them laugh at me as I try to play a game on the Gameboy. 

Motto #3: I can eat out without going overboard! (10 points per weekend)

I'm not tempted to go overboard at one sitting very often.  Lately, I've fallen into the trap of wanting to eat out too often because it's easier.  So...no more than 2 times eating out this weekend, including fast food, from Friday evening to Monday morning.

Motto #4: I can treat myself without food! (10 points per weekend)

I want a nap on Sunday afternoon!

List all the things that first motivated you.  Things like shopping in a store with "normal" sizes, walking in a crowded area without feeling like you're going to back into someone, being able to keep up with "normal size" walkers, etc.

Review this list every day or as needed.  Eating is short-term gratification.  Keep your eyes on the long-term prize and skip the short-term stuff.

Good luck!

To avoid the yo-yo, choose changes that you can live with forever. 

If you can't give up chocolate until death-to-you-part, then severely limit the quantity.  If you can't work out at the gym 5 days a week for the next year or two, then pick a main activity that you CAN do and count the gym as a bonus.

Before I cared about what I ate/drank, I drank 2 - 3 diet cokes per day.  Now I drink 2 - 3 per week.  I can't prove it, but I am convinced that the diet cokes had a lot to do with causing sugar cravings. 

I now drink water, 2 cups of milk per day, and an occasional glass of white wine in the evening.  Sometimes I mix up a pitcher of cherry/pomengranite Crystal Light, but I can drink the whole pitcher, so I don't think that's good for me, either!  I only have diet coke when we go out to eat, so it's a real treat.  The feeling of being "treated" makes it easy to refuse an appetizer or dessert, because I have my diet coke.

Original Post by noelle31:

However, the "fault" with cheating lies 100% with the cheater. It is a DECISION and ACTION.

Yep.  I agree.

My favorite movie ever is Moonstruck.  Loretta's mom has a theory that men cheat because they are afraid they're going to die.  In a wonderful family scene when they're all eating breakfast, she reminds her husband that he's going to die anyway. 

This is a great scene.  Now I want to watch the movie again...

Frustrating, isn't it?  That's why the weight log here has a trend line.  Our daily weights go up and down--it's the trend that's important.

I gain up to 4 pounds if I eat salty food (like Chinese or pizza) then the four pounds goes away.  You're doing the right things.  Keep at it!

When I go overbudget with the calories early in the day, I stick to the original plan for the rest of the day.  I don't try to "make up for it," because that leaves me hungry (ok, starved) and more likely to blow it more.  I feel like I'm back in the saddle much quicker by returning to the original plan.

This is something that will happen for the rest of our lives.  It's just a blip--kinda like we have to get the oil changed in our cars every so often.

Well, I guess that's kind of a weird analogy....

I agree with gi-jane.  Eat your planned dinner--that puts you "back on the wagon" immediately. 

Refrigeration helps to slow down over-ripening, which leads to fuzzy blueberries and brown strawberries.  If you like them at room temp, leave them out until they are starting to turn, then stick them in the fridge.  If you have a lot of berries, then you can spread them out on a cookie sheet, put them in the freezer, then once frozen put them in a ziplock back and keep frozen.  When you freeze them this way, you don't have to thaw out the whole bag--you can just take out what you want.

I usually leave kiwi's sitting out.  The ones I can get at the store aren't very ripe.  I leave peaches and plums sitting out unless they begin to get too ripe.

Original Post by shevandell:

In everyday life... I don't tell people that "Jesus loves them" and "they're God's children" and suchlike (it is extremely annoying and misses the point), just try to live in a way that will make someone think "wow, so THAT is what these catholics are like... not such bad people after all, maybe it's worth finding what makes them tick"

Yup.  If we all did that, the word "Christian" wouldn't have so many negative connotations.  Thanks, shevandell.