SARAH-- and other brides who want to loose weight.

[mia1181]

First, I wanted to say thanks to the posters who shared their experiences regarding weight gain and being abused. My mother was sexually abused throughout her childhood and then physically abused as an adult (during my childhood). She finally met my Stepdad, who has been very loving and supportive, but she has gained a lot of weight over the years. She is my height and frame but probably weighs at least a 100 lbs. more than me. I know that the things that have happened to her still affect her but she doesn''t talk about them much. Its been really hard because I live across the country from her and we aren''t as close as we used to be. Anyway, I guess some of what you guys are saying hit close to home.

If its okay I''d like to join too. I am at a "healthy" weight, however I really have been wanting to start to lead a more healthier lifestyle. Soon FI and I will be having children of our own and I would like to be healthy throughout my pregnancy, and be a positive role model for our children. I am a nanny and I have been a great role model for the children, but then I go home and eat a second dinner with my FI and then snack on junk all night. I used to exercise at least an hour or two a week, but now I work 55+ hours a week and I use the "too tired" excuse all too often.

So my goals for eating are: smaller portions and stopping when I am satisfied (not engorged!)
As far as the psych behind my eating issues, food has always been a reward in my family. So I eat when I am having a good day (to celebrate) and then I eat to cheer myself up when I am down. Also there is this other thing about how through some of my childhood, we were very poor and with 5 kids there was often not a lot of food to go around. So I have a bit of obsession with getting to eat whatever I want now that I can afford it. And going out to eat was the ultimate prize. So now we eat out a lot and if I have already eaten and my FI says "hey wanna go out to eat," I can never say no. And when we get there, I eat a whole meal again, not just an appetizer.

My exercise goals

are to start running again. And get back into Bikram yoga which I am in love with, but a wart incident has given me a great "excuse" not to go. I also need to use my Fluidity bar workout more since I promised FI I wasn''t wasting money on it!

I don''t have any weight-loss goals per se because my body is in the healthy range, but I would love to be able to get up a flight of stairs without getting winded. Oh and the hook at the top of my dress doesn''t close, so I would love to be able to not have to get it taken out.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/1/2008 4:33:57 PM
Author: sumbride
Thanks Gypsy! I feel better just spilling the story. I do need a therapist.

I'm glad you feel better. I felt a little better today. I hope it didn't come across as you should spill to us, or vent here... but from my own experience, the RIGHT therapist can make a large difference in your life. And as wonderful and therputic this place can be dedicated therapy is a really good thing.

BIH... You are very lucky that you didn't have the withdrawal from it!! I have sexual side effect to, I went through the entire second half of my twenties without much of a sex drive thanks to Paxil. Stupid stuff. Thanks for sharing your experiences BIH.

Lucky, I will go and check on the thread! I was actually thinking that it would be a good idea to start one over there, so I'm glad you took the initiative.

Oct-bride... I can't do eight right off the bat. My normal intake is close to 16 oz a day

. I can shoot for 5-6 cups. How's that to start? We'll work up to 8 or more??

Food update: had a SMALL (like 4 teaspoons worth) of ice cream at an office going away party for co-worker. Turned down cake altogether though it was favorite type, and threw out the rest of the ice cream.

WELCOME Mia!

 

[mia1181]

Harleigh- How did you like the wrap? Can you tell me more about it? I''m interested in how it removes toxins from your body.

 

[LauraSLP07]

I''m a late joiner, but COUNT ME IN!!!

My dress fitting is scheduled for June 28th and I would love to drop 10-12 pounds by then! I have been on and off Weight Watchers Online for the past 2 years, but I am recomitting tomorrow!!! You gals have given me the extra motivation I need to be a beautiful, BUFF bride!! Watch out gym....here I come!

 

[AmberWaves]

I''m also married, but may I join?

My goal: lose weight to be healthy and better able to carry a child. Yes, it''s a slightly shallow cause, but as to now, there hasn''t been much motivating me, ya know? This is something I REALLY want, and while the wedding was quite the motivator, my husband told me frequently that I''m perfect the way I am, and heck, if he thinks so...

My story: I''m 28, been with my husband for 4.5 years. In those years I believe I gained at LEAST 40 pounds. I have very bad asthma, and need prescription meds for it, often times with steroids in them. I''ve also been on birth control. Both prescriptions were changed to let my body get back to how it was before steroids and junk. Weight stayed on.

Since my ability to breathe well (the new meds sucked) meant more to me than forty extra pounds, I went back on my steroidal meds. I''ve been tested for every/anything, and no diabetes or thyroid problems (THANK GOD), just unexplained weight gain. Some of it is attributed to my happy relationship, since the rocky ones before kept my weight down. Unfortunately, I wasn''t overweight 5 years ago, but getting there, I believe.

Now, friends and family look at me and say things like, "you should really watch what you''re eating" or "do you really need to eat that?" Yes, people, because I ENJOY being overweight. How kind of you to show me the errors of getting fatter! I exercise as much as I can, doing what I can so that asthma doesn''t flare up and hospitalize me again. I''m a vegetarian, and don''t eat a lot of fried foods. I''m honestly tried of living this way, but I can''t figure out a way to find the direction out. All I know is if another person tells me I should eat less, I will go insane. This is from people who don''t ever see me eat.

I have major food issues. Have since I was a kid. I don''t eat dressings or condiments, I don''t eat sauces. My food can''t touch, or I won''t eat it. SERIOUSLY. There are too many things to name. It''d be nice to have some friends or support from people like me, not my skinny friends who tell me it''s easy.

 

[cellososweet]

ABOUT VEGETARIAN IRON AND A SHOUT OUT TO GYPSY

Vegetarian iron sources from a vegetarian with a lovely blood count on every level haha:
Legumes: kidney beans, peas, soybeans, lima beans etc.
Dark leafy greens: spinach is a great one, kale, swiss chard (depends on how much you are using though, but every little bit counts)
Cereals, pastas, and even soy milks are fortified with iron now. Whole Foods and Trader Joe''s are stocked with ''em. Everywhere!
Tofu is a great source usually too Don''t be scared.

And make sure to eat lots of Vitamin C since it aids in the absorption of iron. We all know citrus fruits are great for Vitamin C, but some less sugary alternatives are broccoli, sweet peppers, vege juice.

It is a total myth that you need to eat meat for Iron Vitamina B-12 is different, but Iron. Nope

gypsy sweetpea you gotta eat!!!!!

It''s such a common mistruth that losing weight=deprivation. Being healthy, weight loss or not, is about listening to and being in tune with your body.

If you are hungry, then eat something sensible. Part of the reason you might be hungry is because what your eating isn''t filling you up. An issue with "dieting" is that the foods you are generally "allowed" to have don''t really fill you up because they are nutritionally unbalanced. Then you get to lunch and eat like a horse or go overboard at snack time later or that night.

Sensible snack ideas: string cheese and almonds (count them though. they are nutritious but higher in fat. so be careful), apples and peanut butter, celery and peanut butter, turkey slices (if you eat meat) and cheese, apples and cheese (count or weight the slices though, etc), whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a glass of (soy) milk, wheat crackers with hummus, red pepper sticks and hummus (yummy!), a boiled egg, yogurt with some fat-free granola or muesli. . .basically something that has some form of protein in it to keep you full and also to balance any sugars (from fruit, etc).

This way when lunch comes you won''t want to order the cookies. And try to snack or sneak in veges and fruits (watch the fruits though because of the sugar). Red bell peppers in your salad, carrot shreds in the salad, make a tomato sauce for some wholewheat pasta. A can of diced tomatoes, some olive oil, italian seasoning, and as many veges as you want. Blend it if you want an sauce. Zuchinni, crook-neck yellow squash, onions, garlic (so good for ya), broccoli, hmmm. . . . eggplant

Snack. Snack. Snack Don''t deprive yourself. And good job on the ice cream!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Hello everyone! I am awake. Woo.

Shh don''t tell FI I slept so much.

He didn''t get a lot of sleep last night since since he was up until about 2 listening to me cry over being worried about my exam. Test anxiety anyone?

How I''m Feeling: First I wanted to say thanks for being so supportive and listening to me everyone. I felt like the biggest thing for me was coming to college and meeting new people (especially FI). That was a good step in the right direction to surround myself by supportive people (other than my parents they were always there). But after a while even that faded and I started to question myself and the insecurity returned again especially now that I got to a school full of thin people who run all of the time and competition. For example: How can he find me so attractive? FI''s self-esteem has skyrocketed since we started dating which is great, and mine has definitely improved but it is still not quite there. I know part of the reason I get so weepy and angry before every big test that I am worried about is because I am a perfectionist. I told FI last night that when it comes to me "mistakes are unacceptable." And "failing is unacceptable." Again failing to me is not getting an A- (usually I can at least begrudgingly live in a B+). But I am fallible. *Sigh* I think this issue trickles into my weight as well. I''ve realized a lot of my personal faults/issues lately I am just not sure how to deal with them. For example, the one I was just talking about. I am afraid of failing. I am afraid of not coming out on top or not achieving what I want to achieve. It''s got to happen sometime, right? But what am I going to do when it does? I didn''t get into my top choice colleges for undergrad, so I had to transfer to the school I am at. I had a great gpa, great extracurriculars, but only average SAT scores. I am afraid of something similar happening for law schools. BUT, if I had gotten into my top schools I would NEVER have met FI. So I do not regret being rejected, I just fear feeling that same crushing feeling of rejection again. So maybe that''s part of the reason I don''t try to lose weight because I feel like I''ve already let myself down so bad. I am also lazy and enjoy good food of course.

Anyway, sorry for the length! Just felt like venting a bit more.

Glad to hear that everyone is doing a bit better. And I am glad you took your medicine Gypsy, it''s a good step I think. I am trying to take my non-dizzy meds every day as well so I am trying to make myself do it, too!

The only thing I''ve slacked on is my nasal spray.

Now onto to dinner!

 

[basil]

Wow, there are a lot of posts here today! I just way to say "yeay" for everyone taking baby steps towards a healthier lifestyle!

Today I had:
Breakfast: multigrain light english muffin with laughing cow cheese, grapes, green tea
Lunch (which I kind of graze on throughout the day): raw sugar snap peas, fruit leather, apple, cottage cheese, fiberone bar, diet pepsi
Dinner: scallops grilled on my grill pan, huge serving of escarole, baked potato with sour cream
Dessert: no sugar added tapioca pudding

My gym is closed for the week due to college kids studying for exams or something, so I had to run outside. I hate running outside because it''s very hilly here, and the sidewalks and roads are very crowded, so I''ll normally use it as an excuse not to go. But I made myself go out for 2.5 miles anyway, which I''m proud of.

Tomorrow my fiance is coming to visit for the week! I''m so excited since I haven''t seen him in 6 weeks! My goal is to not eat too much at dinner, since I know we will go out.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/1/2008 6:17:32 PM
Author: cellososweet
ABOUT VEGETARIAN IRON AND A SHOUT OUT TO GYPSY

Vegetarian iron sources from a vegetarian with a lovely blood count on every level haha:
Legumes: kidney beans, peas, soybeans, lima beans etc.
Dark leafy greens: spinach is a great one, kale, swiss chard (depends on how much you are using though, but every little bit counts)
Cereals, pastas, and even soy milks are fortified with iron now. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are stocked with 'em. Everywhere!
Tofu is a great source usually too Don't be scared.

And make sure to eat lots of Vitamin C since it aids in the absorption of iron. We all know citrus fruits are great for Vitamin C, but some less sugary alternatives are broccoli, sweet peppers, vege juice.

It is a total myth that you need to eat meat for Iron Vitamina B-12 is different, but Iron. Nope

gypsy sweetpea you gotta eat!!!!!

It's such a common mistruth that losing weight=deprivation. Being healthy, weight loss or not, is about listening to and being in tune with your body.

If you are hungry, then eat something sensible. Part of the reason you might be hungry is because what your eating isn't filling you up. An issue with 'dieting' is that the foods you are generally 'allowed' to have don't really fill you up because they are nutritionally unbalanced. Then you get to lunch and eat like a horse or go overboard at snack time later or that night.

Sensible snack ideas: string cheese and almonds (count them though. they are nutritious but higher in fat. so be careful), apples and peanut butter, celery and peanut butter, turkey slices (if you eat meat) and cheese, apples and cheese (count or weight the slices though, etc), whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a glass of (soy) milk, wheat crackers with hummus, red pepper sticks and hummus (yummy!), a boiled egg, yogurt with some fat-free granola or muesli. . .basically something that has some form of protein in it to keep you full and also to balance any sugars (from fruit, etc).

This way when lunch comes you won't want to order the cookies. And try to snack or sneak in veges and fruits (watch the fruits though because of the sugar). Red bell peppers in your salad, carrot shreds in the salad, make a tomato sauce for some wholewheat pasta. A can of diced tomatoes, some olive oil, italian seasoning, and as many veges as you want. Blend it if you want an sauce. Zuchinni, crook-neck yellow squash, onions, garlic (so good for ya), broccoli, hmmm. . . . eggplant

Snack. Snack. Snack Don't deprive yourself. And good job on the ice cream!

Great post and very informative Cello! I have done modified South Beach before and the string cheese, nuts, peanut butter and celery and apples REALLY works for me. Great reminder. I'll swing by the store tonight and stock up.

Thank you for the ice cream comment. I didn't USED to be a sweets person at ALL. But recently, I've indulged. I don't think it's going to be TOO hard to cut down on refined sugar sweets, but I love fruit. But that's easy enough NORMALLY to balance with a protein source. I'll have to go grocery shopping and pick some more protien up, our house is more carb heavy than non-meat protein heavy. And I actually love non-meat protein (even tofu, especially stir fried smoked tofu, don't like deep fried tofu though).


AMBERWAVES: Welcome. I promise I won't ever tell you that it's easy or discount your effort or tell you that you are overweight and should eat less. I've had comments like that aimed at me, and it's sucks. ((HUGS)). OF COURSE YOU CAN JOIN!.

ANYONE CAN JOIN. I'm sorry I limited the title to brides. Don't know what I was thinking!

 

[Gypsy]

Sarah. I mean this in the BEST possible way. Are you sure law school is right for you honey? Why do you want to go?

I do NOT at all mean to imply that you can't do it, I KNOW you can. And any advice I can give you to help you I will, if that's the ultimate decision you make. And I don't mean to make you justify your decision to a stranger... but why do you want to go?

And where do you want to go?



---------------

Basil, dinner sounds FABULOUS. Enjoy! And I KNOW your are going to enjoy having FI there! YAY!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 5/1/2008 4:56:11 PM
Author: mia1181
Harleigh- How did you like the wrap? Can you tell me more about it? I''m interested in how it removes toxins from your body.

Hi Mia!

I loved it! I had gotten 3 before about 7 or 8 years ago, and it really helped me get on track with feeling better about myself, so I am hoping it gives me a jump start this time, too.

As for how it works, I am not EXACTLY sure, but I can tell you a bit about the process and how it feels. The brochure calls it a "Body Treatment" and says it is ''"Designed to remove harmful toxins from the cells while nourishing and conditioning the skin."

It''s actually a bit embarassing to do, but I feel the results are worth a little bit of self-humiliation on my part! You can get completely nekkid or leave undies and/or a tube top on. The more skin open to the treatment, the better it works, so I sucked it up and just left a thong on, and it was as granny-like of a thong as you can get, but since I want my tush tightened, I figured I needed to just get over it and expose the ol'' butt cheeks. The recommend full nudity, but I just can''t go there!

The lady is a friend of someone who is like a mother to me and is so very sweet, and she didn''t make me feel uncomfortable at all, actually. She is also the one who did my wraps years ago, so it was a bit like seeing an old friend. After you get undressed, she slathers a special lotion all over your body...legs, thighs, rear, back, stomach and arms. You are then wrapped completely in Saran Wrap, yes, I said Saran Wrap! and put on a warming table and covered with warming blankets. It''s not at all uncomfortable once you get past being NAKED in front of a stranger, and if you think about it, feeling the heated lotion working is actually kind of a trip! After you are under the blankets, the gal gives you a very relaxing foot massage and then leaves you to steep for about a half hour. She then came back and cut the plastic away, then massaged all of the lotion in and I was off!

I could feel the tingly effects of the lotion all night, and it along with this thread inspired me to do some sit-ups before I went to bed! When I scheduled the appt., she recommended I start to eat lots of fruits and veggies and to try to double my water intake to help the wraps work better. You can literally feel yourself purging of something (which was more than likely sweat at the time!) and today I feel energized and ready to go, when often I feel like a ton of bricks is weighing on my shoulders and I wonder how I will make it to the end of the day. I actually got out of bed earlier and got to work early and have been going ever since. From what the esthetician says, my body will continue to purge bad toxins from my body throughout the week, and then each time I go back I should notice it less and less as my eating habits improve and the wraps and lotion help to draw the toxins from by body.

*Note here that I still have progress reports to get done before tomorrow, but I''d rather be here on PS, so just because I''m still going, doesn''t mean I''m getting anything productive done. Bad, Harleigh, bad!

Also, please keep in mind that this is not a weight loss regimen...people do this and expect to lose inches and pounds, but it is made to help cleanse your body and firm and tone your skin. My skin doesn''t necessarily feel firmer or more toned yet, but it does feel as soft as buttah, and my attitude alone after doing something for myself finally is a miracle in and of itself!

I hope that helps a little bit...let me know if you have any other questions about the treatments.

 

[zoebartlett]

Okay, so I had a productive day wedding-wise, but not a productive day otherwise. I was sitting on the couch most of the day doing wedding stuff, so I didn''t get the chance to go for a walk.

For breakfast I had 1 cup cheerios, skim milk, and a small banana. For lunch I had (sorry!) leftover chicken friend rice with veggies. For dinner, I just had another bowl of Cheerios, again with skim milk and a small banana. I''m now contemplating dessert. I''m thinking either an apple with peanut butter (Skippy All Natural, creamy style), a 100 calorie dessert of some sort, or some pretzel thins from TJ''s. I''ve been known to have a dessert and a snack at night, so choosing one will be hard.

It''s interesting how some people have "problem areas" or times of the day when they''re at their worst, diet-wise. I have several problem areas and I don''t discriminate times of day.

I have to watch portion sizes, I love all things carbs, I have a major sweet tooth for anything chocolate, and I love to snack. See? I know that sounds horrible, but I do try to watch what I eat a lot of the time, if not most of the time. I know I make plenty of good choices -- it''s just that the bad ones are sneak their way in too often.

 

[ringster]

Date: 5/1/2008 12:03:06 PM
Author: ringster
I exercised today :


I wont' be able to exercise today because we are meeting up with our friend in san francisco who will be the officiant at our wedding. we are doing a run through of the ceremony! I will try and get to the gym tomorrow after work for at least 30min on the elliptical. i need to do some side kicks and abdominal exercises as well as that is the area that gives me the most trouble


I ate today :


so far only had a fruit leather type of thingy. i'm going to go to the cafeteria at work and either get oatmeal or an egg white omlette.


How I feel today :


great!


ETA : ok , so i went with the oatmeal w/ skim milk, cranberries and raisins. i found that i ate less during the day and felt better if i ate something for breakfast so have been trying to eat breakfast everyday. alot of the times i just drink the stonyfield organic yogurt drink that i get from trader joes.


i am concerned about our dinner tonight cause i easily give into temptation. esp since the place we are going to has a nice steak and i love steak

wow this thread kind of has a life of it's own! i'm getting a bit overwhelmed by it all but i think it is great to see all of the enthusiasm and heartfelt stories of people's experiences


I ate today :

lunch - we had a lunch meeting and lunch was provided. i was so glad that there was something healthy as that is not always the case and it is very hard for me to say no when stuck in a room with food that smells good. so i ended up with a big salad and a pear and a dr. pepper. caved into the soda

dinner is going to be a challenge

 

[Harleigh]

Okay ladies, I really should be working on my progress reports so I can get home at a decent hour, but I just had a great idea that might help some of you out.

I have never been good at keeping track of my food. I''ve looked everywhere for something, and nothing seems to be ''just right.'' Carrying a notebook around is too bulky, writing it in my planner doesn''t work because there just isn''t enough room with all of my other things going on, and so I just had an epiphany here in my classroom a little while ago! (For those of you brighter than me, you probably already had this figured out, but for the rest of us, this could possibly take more brain power than we currently have available!!!)

I had gotten a small Weekly spiral-bound planner at Dollar Tree last July as I couldn''t find the flat Monthly kind that I like to use. Of course, after I bought it, I realized it would NOT work for my needs and I went off in search of my standard kind, which I of course found at a different Dollar Tree store a few weeks later.

Weekly calendars just don''t work for my life as I need to be able to see a whole month at a time and plan from there, so this little calendar was just not for me, so shoved on a shelf it goes.

I had forgotten about the spiral-bound one and then came across it a few weeks ago, so I stuck it in my prize box for the kids. Apparently it looked WAY too academic for my students because it was still in there when I went to check a little while ago. It is perfect for recording what I eat every day as it has 11 lines below the date and 4 small lines to the right of the date, which I thought I might be able to use for calorie and fat counts, etc...

I tore out all of the pages up until today, and it''s thin as can be and will carry me through to Dec. of 2008. Of course, I may decide to go buy a new one as these usually start in July, but for now, the dates are already there along with the lines, it is easy to go back and see what I''ve done, and it won''t take up hardly any room in my purse or school bag!

It''s a weekly planner that says "Academic 18 Months July 2007-December 2008" They come in all different colors and they still had them the last time I was in my local Dollar Tree store. This one is only about 7" tall and 5" wide, and once you tear out all those excess pages, it''s almost weightless!

Well, I''ll get off my soapbox now! I know this may not be a useful tool for everyone, but I thought I''d throw it out there in case it might help anyone else track their food. I am horrible about it, so I''m going to try to keep this up and see it if helps.

I''m off to work on progress reports...I''ll report back later what I ate today and if I managed to fit any exercise in!

Keep up the great work, ladies! We can do this!!!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 5/1/2008 7:34:50 PM
Author: Gypsy
Sarah. I mean this in the BEST possible way. Are you sure law school is right for you honey? Why do you want to go?


I do NOT at all mean to imply that you can''t do it, I KNOW you can. And any advice I can give you to help you I will, if that''s the ultimate decision you make. And I don''t mean to make you justify your decision to a stranger... but why do you want to go?


And where do you want to go?




---------------


Basil, dinner sounds FABULOUS. Enjoy! And I KNOW your are going to enjoy having FI there! YAY!

Hello! I think it''s a very valid question and I''ve asked myself that as well. It''s just what I want to do. I love learning anything I can about law and I love my classes where I get to learn about law. It''s pretty much the only time I enjoy classes anymore because I am just tired of everything else. Does that make sense? I mean I''ve taken almost every Asian history class at this school, I am kind of running out of options. I am excited for hopefully some better politics classes next fall. Still, I mean my politics classes are fun and all, but I much prefer history classes or other classes where I get to learn more about law. As for after law school I am kind of open to a few different fields. I don''t think I want to do a litigation track, but we''ll see, right? I find contracts fascinating and I also really like corporate law. The only time I worry about myself in law school is because I worry about my stress-handling skills. I am trying to work on it, so I am hoping it will be better with practice. I already feel a lot better since getting through the first exam, I feel pretty calm and set now. I mean a lot of my stress stems from the fear of not getting into law school since it''s what I want. But I guess later it could end up being fear of not getting a job? I just think that once I got into law school other than stressing about trying to keep a decent GPA I would feel a lot better. I''d get some kind of job well-paying or not if I did decently in law school. As it stands, I have no idea what I''d do with just my undergrad degree since a lot of the jobs I want require more language skills (I am only on conversational and basic reading level in Japanese). As for law school, I don''t care how much work it takes, I don''t care how many hours it takes, it''s what I want to do and I am going to get there somehow. Even if it does mean working for a year or two and reapplying if I don''t get in.

So here''s my plan:

First step: finish finals.

Second step: LSAT woo.

Third Step: My internship this summer.

Fourth Step: Summer class.

Fifth Step: Apply! Enjoy my last year of college.

So where do I want to go. Hm. Well I used to want to go Yale, but considering I don''t have a 3.9 that''s not going to happen. I am realistic at least! I also think I am going to be a bit under Phi Beta Kappa range by the way, which worries me, but oh well. Anyway, I am going to apply to all of the major law schools in VA and some of the ones in DC probably. Sounds like a lot of applications, hehe.

So any advice on how to get in? I am in a pre-law-type society at my school and my law student mentor thinks I have a good chance. The most important aspect they think is the personal statement (other than GPA and LSAT) since you can actually control that and try to show the admissions panel your personality, skills, etc. Finally, any advice on how to survive without too much stress once I get in?

Sorry for the semi-thread jack and hope this answers your questions.

Dinner update: We had a decent dinner. It was delivery, so obviously somewhat bad. HOWEVER! I had a grilled chicken sandwich (and french fries, bad sarah, and a chicken tender, bad Sarah). BUT I did have the grilled chicken sandwich which can only be but so bad! Woohoo I felt like it was a step. I also ate less fries than usual, I only ate like 5 or 6 fries.

Goal for tonight: FI and are going to play some Wii tennis! Get up and move around a bit for at least 20 minutes. Moreover, only diet coke.

 

[sumbride]

When DH picked me up at the train station, he said "do you want to go to the gym?" I said "eh, I''m not sure..." He said he would take my lead on it. So I said "Ok, let''s go." About half an hour later, when we were turning into our neighborhood, I was having reservations... exhaustion was kicking in and resolve was leaving. Luckily the 90 kids that live on the block were screaming their heads off so I had to get out of the house... so we went to the gym. I walked 2 miles on the treadmill while watching top chef. I kept going because I wanted to see the end of the show!

Dinner was a quick pesto tortellini because we need to go grocery shopping.

 

[miraclesrule]

Wow, this thread skyrocketed!! Just wanted to give some tips that worked well for me:

Sweet cravings:
1st of all, it''s important to note that I thought I would hate the switch from jiffy peanut butter to natural unsalted fresh ground peanuts, but now I can''t go back to any form of jarred P.B. It''s just gross to me now, too salty and sweet and I hate the texture, so give the fresh ground stuff a try. It''s the only thing that can make plain celery taste good in my book.

When I really need something sweet, I will take a tablespoon of fresh ground P.B. and squirt some hersheys syrup on it and eat it with an itty bitty spoon. It''s amazing how satisfying it is.

I also have a favorite dark chocolate bar that I keep in the house at all times and only allow myself 1 square (60 cals) and eat itty bites with a piece of raw walnut and sometimes I top it with one dried cranberry. It looks like a hor''duervvy. It''s really insane how little "good" things can taste and be more satisfying than ice cream, which justs make me thirsty so I can''t eat it.

I will also bake some raw walnuts for about 10 minutes and it''s crazy how much better they taste. I also fell in love with raw unsulphered apricots which are amazingly sweet and heathly.

I am a fiend for fresh green beans, so as long as Trader Joes has them, I blanche them and spray the zero calorie butter with a little Lawry''s and I have to say that even kids like these better than pizza. It''s wierd. I could never eat a green bean before because all my Mother even offered us growing up was the mushy canned crap. I eat asparagus this way too...but steamed and it''s awesome. I really never knew that veggies could taste good until my late 30''s. Keep them on hand to warm up in the microwave and you''ll not regret it.

Pink Lady Apples<---------- OMG, they taste just like a jolly rancher. At first you think it''s going to be tart and it turns sweet. I used to hate apples because all my Mom offered were the mushy washington apples...Yucky. I slice these and eat with a few raw almonds or dip in plain yogurt that I have spiced up with cinnamon, and agave nectar (doesn''t raise sugar levels like other sweeteners)

I lost a lot of weight by doing a no/low carb diet and ended up with high cholesterol of 260

The only reason the doctor said I could go without meds for the time being was that my good cholesterol was so "off the charts" high, probably due to salmon and raw walnuts. But I was afraid to eat anything with cholesterol in it after that and in one year I got it down to 220 but was bordering on too skinny, so health fears can result in either extreme. And anything extremist is probably not a good thing...you know what I mean??

I''m just a flat out terrible cook and am naturally impatient so it''s easy for me...and I think most of us in this country...to "grab and grub". A wise person once told me we needed to take the time to "dine" instead of "eat". The whole process is supposed to be nuturing...ergo ... nutritious....

Put the fork down between bites...chew for as long as you can...don''t drink tons of water with your meal or you will dilute the natural enzymes needed to digest your food. Best to drink a large amount of water at least 30 minutes before eating. It will help you be less hungry and help you digest your food.

What else...
Oh yeah, someone said on here that they were STARVING!! I once said that in the presence of a holistic practitioner who travels to Thailand every year for 3 months and he politely suggested to me that I probably have no concept of starvation.

. He suggested that I change my thought process and that I might be feeling a bit hungry. Ummmm, he got me on that one.
Food for Thought.

YOU GIRLS ROCK!!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 5/1/2008 9:42:59 PM
Author: sumbride
When DH picked me up at the train station, he said ''do you want to go to the gym?'' I said ''eh, I''m not sure...'' He said he would take my lead on it. So I said ''Ok, let''s go.'' About half an hour later, when we were turning into our neighborhood, I was having reservations... exhaustion was kicking in and resolve was leaving. Luckily the 90 kids that live on the block were screaming their heads off so I had to get out of the house... so we went to the gym. I walked 2 miles on the treadmill while watching top chef. I kept going because I wanted to see the end of the show!


Dinner was a quick pesto tortellini because we need to go grocery shopping.

I just wanted to say that is awesome about going to the gym!!

 

[FrekeChild]

My day consisted of crying to my dad for an hour in his office this morning. Oh well.

Um as for eating...So far today I have eaten:
-Lean cuisine (Chicken Carbonara--and I have to say that I love Lean Cuisine. They are way better than most of that other diet food stuff-healthy choice makes me want to puke)
-fruit leather
-handful of peanut M&Ms
-Lean pocket
-6 inch Turkey sub on wheat & chips (big indulgence there)
-Passion Fruit yogurt for dessert
If I eat anything else today it will either be a banana or strawberries

I have only drank 3 glasses of water though. So I need to get on that. I''m aiming for 5. Gotta work up to 8.

Exercise-this is my weakness. I like to DO stuff, not exercise. Like go play tennis or basketball or something-but that all takes extra time. I always walk across campus-and ours is pretty big, so I usually end up walking at least 15 minutes everyday-without really trying and literally just as transportation.

So my goals tomorrow:
Drink 6 glasses of water
Dance to my ipod (it''s fun, and doesn''t take too much effort or time to "get ready" and stuff)
Don''t eat fast food (this is the hardest because we''re both students and I''m always exhausted by the end of the day.)
Perhaps even work out my arms (I have some wimpy 8lb weights)

Here''s a question for everyone: What fitness/sports equipment do you have?

Me-
Recumbent Bicycle
3# weights that go around my ankles
8 pound hand weights
Rollerblades
jump rope
resistance bands
tennis racquet
Pilates Ball thing
I think that''s it...

BF has a baseball bat, but I don''t think I''d use it...

 

[miraclesrule]

Good One Freke:
I only have a set of 8 lb hand held weights
(I was tempted to say a BC but I gave him up for New Years)

 

[akw94]

Hi ladies! I''d like to join too. I''ll say in advance that I''m not so good at posting regularly. I posted on the other workout thread but it just had too many posts and I really couldn''t keep up.
I lost quite a bit of weight through Jenny Craig. For those with the extra money, I found it to be great. The food gets old after awhile though, especially for me b/c I am extra picky and would only get the same 4-5 things each week. I also don''t eat much meat so I couldn''t handle the meat dishes after awhile. If you can''t join, it''s still easy to do their program. To lose weight, they suggest starting at 1200 calories. I think some people they say 1500, probably depends on your starting weight, how much you want to lose, etc.. They told me 1200. I still try to follow their plan even though I don''t have the membership anymore.

This includes: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack. I think it''s important that you keep eating throughout the day. The goal is NOT to starve yourself, it''s to eat small portions throughout the day.
You can have 2 servings of fruit during the day and 2 servings of dairy.
So if you have juice, that''s one serving. I tried not to drink juice and instead ate fruit or had a fruit cup. Everyday, my morning snack is a fruit cup or applesauce cup. That allows me one more serving of fruit during the day.
For the dairy, I generally have cereal so one of my servings is taken with the milk from the cereal. They also allow a yogurt (get the 100 calorie Yoplait ones) so I have that somewhere during the day, along with a cheese stick to account for my other dairy (usually my afternoon snack or sometimes w/lunch if I''m hungry).
My evening snack is almost always a dessert or I skip it if I''ve eaten more at other times during the day. I get those "healthy" desserts from Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice or wherever they''re from. They come in packs of 2 in the ice cream aisle. They have Key Lime pie, Chocolate cake and a few others. All are pretty good. I NEED dessert so I try very hard during the day to only eat that. Lately, I just keep telling myself that I can wait until after dinner and not to give in and have something earlier.

Anyway, I know that was long but I think that their plan really works. I also like it b/c you don''t have to buy their food, you can substitute your own but still stick to their framework. It''s just harder b/c you have to be more careful w/your meals.

One thing I learned is that they consider Crystal Light a free food (you can have as much as you want) and the fat-free jello cups are free food too. So if I''m really needing something during the day, I''ll have a jello cup to tide me over. It''s not filling but it still helps and it''s tasty. Also, veggies are free foods too.

As for me, I lost about 40lbs so far and had lost a bit more but then gained some back over the holidays. I haven''t been able to get it back off yet. I have been pretty good these last few weeks and am trying to keep it up. I take a trip next week so I have to be very careful. That''s how I gained some back, I took 2 trips and ate whatever I wanted

. I really regret that b/c I worked really hard to lose it. My exercise goal is 4-5 times/wk and so far I''m at 3 times. Tomorrow and Sat. will make 5.

Speaking of Chipotle, I had that for dinner. Yum! I know it''s bad but I figure every once in awhile, it has to be ok. Then I had my dessert. I really wanted something else but got busy, forgot all about it and now it''s time for bed.
One thing I know is that when I have too much free time, or am home for too long, I start snacking. I also do better when I think about what I''m going to eat first and then stick to that instead of looking around, snacking and then deciding.

Wow, was that ridiculously long!! Sorry. Shorter posts from now on, I promise!

Thanks Gypsy for starting this and everyone for being brave enough to post your stories.

 

[Harleigh]

Thanks for posting all that info, Dixie...I totally get it!

Don''t know if I can STICK to that kind of plan, but I am more than willing to give it a try!

Welcome!

 

[surfgirl]

I lost about 40 pounds two years ago and have pretty much kept it off though I'd like to lose another 20 and call it a day. I have to say that I tried dieting alone and it did nada. I tried eating whatever I wanted but exercising, and it did nada. But when I finally went on Weight Watchers and did 50 min. of cardio 5-6 times a week the fat literally melted off my body. It was amazing. I'm getting back on the wagon again. Here's what I eat in case it might help anyone else:

Breakfast (I have one of the following):
A. 2 packets of instant sugar free McCann's Oatmeal (sometimes with a sliced small banana or a cup of berries), coffee w/ equal.

or

B. 2 slices of whole grain toast with 2 slices of 2% cheddar slices, coffee

or

C. 2 cups Special K with red berries, no milk (I hate milk), coffee

LUNCH:
I try to stick with a WW Smart frozen entree that's 6 points or less. Sometimes I have a Trader Joe's low fat Greek Salad with it, with my own dressing (Newmans low fat balsamic)

SNACK:
carrot or celery sticks with oil free chunky salsa
or
a few melba toast crackers with TJ's red pepper/eggplant dip (or with carrots/celery)
or
Luna bar

DINNER:
A soy meat product (Riblet, or 2 Garden Burger Grilled "chicken" patties, or breaded soy chicken cutlets, or Boca Burger
with: steamed green veg with Butter Buds and spices and either a small baked potato with salsa or instant mashed potatoes with Butter buds, or Zatarain's dirty rice, or lentils, something like that.

DESSERT:
Sometimes I have dessert and then I'll do:
WW chocolate ice cream sandwich
or
creamsicle
or
fresh strawberries slices and tosses with a tsp. of sugar and marinated for about an hour til goopy and syrupy...

ETA: I cook other things for dinner but the above is my "go to" dinners when I need to keep the points in check...

 

[Laurenj915]

Date: 5/1/2008 10:56:49 PM
Author: FrekeChild
My day consisted of crying to my dad for an hour in his office this morning. Oh well.


Um as for eating...So far today I have eaten:

-Lean cuisine (Chicken Carbonara--and I have to say that I love Lean Cuisine. They are way better than most of that other diet food stuff-healthy choice makes me want to puke)

-fruit leather

-handful of peanut M&Ms

-Lean pocket

-6 inch Turkey sub on wheat & chips (big indulgence there)

-Passion Fruit yogurt for dessert

If I eat anything else today it will either be a banana or strawberries


I have only drank 3 glasses of water though. So I need to get on that. I''m aiming for 5. Gotta work up to 8.


Exercise-this is my weakness. I like to DO stuff, not exercise. Like go play tennis or basketball or something-but that all takes extra time. I always walk across campus-and ours is pretty big, so I usually end up walking at least 15 minutes everyday-without really trying and literally just as transportation.


So my goals tomorrow:

Drink 6 glasses of water

Dance to my ipod (it''s fun, and doesn''t take too much effort or time to ''get ready'' and stuff)

Don''t eat fast food (this is the hardest because we''re both students and I''m always exhausted by the end of the day.)

Perhaps even work out my arms (I have some wimpy 8lb weights)


Here''s a question for everyone: What fitness/sports equipment do you have?


Me-

Recumbent Bicycle

3# weights that go around my ankles

8 pound hand weights

Rollerblades

jump rope

resistance bands

tennis racquet

Pilates Ball thing

I think that''s it...


BF has a baseball bat, but I don''t think I''d use it...

I really feel like having workout stuff at home is important. I make myself do something (crunches, curls, squats...) during every commercial when I am home.

I have

5 pound weights
8 pound weights
a big ball
4 different bands
a stepper
yoga mat
yoga blocks, straps
yoga vidios
pilates videos
Jillian michael''s circuit training video
Mountain bike
various sports stuff (paddle ball, tennis rackets, footballs, wiffle ball bats)
Jump ropes
Bosu thing for balance


For the past year I would have said that the big ball was my best investment (12 dollars) because there are all kinds of core moves I can do on it. Now I would say the Jillian Michael''s video is the best thing I have. It kills me for 20 minutes but it has changed the shape of my body.

 

[October2008bride]

Happy Friday!!!

Today is a big day for me at work (find out if I have a permanent job) so I''m going to keep my goals reasonable. WATER.

Oh yes, Gypsy, today I start my water kick. Goal: 3 regular sized bottles (may not sound like much but I usually drink ZERO bottles).

I''m going out for lunch AND dinner tonight (hopefully to celebrate!) so I don''t want to put too much pressure on me today, so I''m starting small.

What are your goals for today, ladies?

(oh, and send some fairy dust my way for the job! I find out before lunch...ugh...)

 

[Loves Vintage]

So, my goal last night was to spend at least 30 mins on the treadclimber, which I did not do. I did take the doggies for a long walk though, but that is more of a leisurely stroll, as they like to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.

So, this morning, I called the personal trainers and have an apptmt at 9 am tomorrow morning. I''m going to book myself for 4 apptmts per week until we leave.

I should have done this a month or two ago, but I was always going to work out at home, go for long walks, walk while at work, but I only did a few times here and there, and there''s nothing I can do about that now. I''ll just have to take charge about what I can do over the next few weeks.

I''m very happy with myself in the dress that I have chosen. I carry a lot of middle weight and the dress''s a-lineness hides that well. It''s just that I know I am going to be disappointed when I see photos of myself. My arms won''t be thin enough, etc., but we are all our own worst critic and I really have to stop focusing on those photos and perhaps a little more on the occasion, the love of my life and our future together!!!!

Cheers!! (Enjoy a nice tall glass of water ladies! Mmmm! Good!)

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 5/2/2008 8:46:36 AM
Author: October2008bride
Happy Friday!!!

Today is a big day for me at work (find out if I have a permanent job) so I''m going to keep my goals reasonable. WATER.

Sending lots of fairydust and positive energy your way!! Good luck today!!

 

[Courtneylub]

Goodness gracious...What if we did a daily thread instead of weekly? This is too much to keep up with....for me anyways.

Yesterday I had:

Frosted mini wheats with 1% milk
3/4 banana
Small can tuna, 1/2 tsp lite mayo, banana peppers, and triscuit thin crisps
More triscuit thin crisps (I love these too much)
Quizno''s turkey light sandwich and cup of broc. cheese soup
Popsicle

I swam laps at the pool for 30 minutes and rewarded myself with 5 minutes in the hot tub.

Today I can''t go to the gym because I need to run to the mall. I have my airbrush tanning after work (for our co-ed shower tomorrow) and I need to get a t-string thong for the spray.

I worked out 4 days this week, so I''m pretty pleased. I''m not so pleased with the number on the scale, but that isn''t the most important thing.

 

[Krissie]

Date: 5/1/2008 6:45:03 PM
Author: SarahLovesJS
Hello everyone! I am awake. Woo.

Shh don''t tell FI I slept so much.

He didn''t get a lot of sleep last night since since he was up until about 2 listening to me cry over being worried about my exam. Test anxiety anyone?

How I''m Feeling: First I wanted to say thanks for being so supportive and listening to me everyone. I felt like the biggest thing for me was coming to college and meeting new people (especially FI). That was a good step in the right direction to surround myself by supportive people (other than my parents they were always there). But after a while even that faded and I started to question myself and the insecurity returned again especially now that I got to a school full of thin people who run all of the time and competition. For example: How can he find me so attractive? FI''s self-esteem has skyrocketed since we started dating which is great, and mine has definitely improved but it is still not quite there. I know part of the reason I get so weepy and angry before every big test that I am worried about is because I am a perfectionist. I told FI last night that when it comes to me ''mistakes are unacceptable.'' And ''failing is unacceptable.'' Again failing to me is not getting an A- (usually I can at least begrudgingly live in a B+). But I am fallible. *Sigh* I think this issue trickles into my weight as well. I''ve realized a lot of my personal faults/issues lately I am just not sure how to deal with them. For example, the one I was just talking about. I am afraid of failing. I am afraid of not coming out on top or not achieving what I want to achieve. It''s got to happen sometime, right? But what am I going to do when it does? I didn''t get into my top choice colleges for undergrad, so I had to transfer to the school I am at. I had a great gpa, great extracurriculars, but only average SAT scores. I am afraid of something similar happening for law schools. BUT, if I had gotten into my top schools I would NEVER have met FI. So I do not regret being rejected, I just fear feeling that same crushing feeling of rejection again. So maybe that''s part of the reason I don''t try to lose weight because I feel like I''ve already let myself down so bad. I am also lazy and enjoy good food of course.

Anyway, sorry for the length! Just felt like venting a bit more.

Glad to hear that everyone is doing a bit better. And I am glad you took your medicine Gypsy, it''s a good step I think. I am trying to take my non-dizzy meds every day as well so I am trying to make myself do it, too!

The only thing I''ve slacked on is my nasal spray.

Now onto to dinner!

Sweetie, it will all work out okay -- I promise! If you are a high achiever, but not necessarily a great test taker, well you sound like me! I worked my arse off in undergrad and law school, have motivation like you wouldn''t believe, and will do whatever it takes to feel I''ve done the best that I can. But standardized tests? Forget it. I always screw them up. Always.

End result is that I had a fab GPA from a great undergrad, but not so great of an LSAT score. I got wait listed or outright rejected at my top law schools, ended up going to a regional law school because I knew I wanted to work in the area, and I was SOOOO happy there! A lot of the pressure was off (it wasn''t as competitive an environment); I was able to do the same self-motivation thing I did as in undergrad, and I ended up graduating in the top 5% of my class, managing editor of law review, 2 published articles, federal judicial internship, and now working for a top international firm. Sweetie, cream ALWAYS rises to the top -- and you have the motivation to get what you want out of your education! So, don''t psyche yourself out so much about the LSAT. It''s important to do as best as you can, but you''ve got a lot of other great things going for you.

 

[Gypsy]

A daily thread isn''t a bad idea... is really amazing, and yes, overwelming too.

Okay so last night when I got home I had some left over chicken salad, by itself to tide me over till John gets home. Then we had cucumber, mint and feta sandwiches on whole wheat. Only had 1/2 pita sandwich and then felt full enough to move on to some orange slices and fresh raspberries. I did have the munchies a little later but I had a cucumber, an got the urge to crunch out of the way. I felt pretty good when I was going to bed. I did manage 5-6 cups of water. And I took my pill last night.

Today I ate some fried rice for breakfast (Fridays are our brunch club, and I''ve already decided that for as long as I''m here I''ll partake, but in moderation). I also had 3 bites of a donut. SO about 1/4 of the donut. But I wasn''t enjoying it at all, so I threw it away. I keep thinking of the wedding dress.

How do I feel?

I feel a lot better than yesterday. My tummy is behaving, so maybe the control release metformin are working. I am rested, and it IS FRIDAY!!

Goals, 6 glasses of water.

I''m having ponsit for lunch. Healthy dinner, miniml snacks. TO NOT pass out into a nap when I get home. OR if I do, to get up and take a walk afterward. For 20 minutes at least.

Okay well I actually have to do some work now. LOL.