Well I made a lot of errors in last week's summary, so this time I'm going to double check the numbers. That's right, I'm making a list and checking it twice. We'll see who is getting a lump of tofu in their stocking.

Here are the results from last week:

Harold - Weight 231, lost 1, total lost 44
Silver - Weight 133, lost 1, total lost 22
Eklektos - Weight 142, lost 1, total lost 11
Jasmi - Weight 141.2, lost 1, total lost 6.8
Peggy - Weight 146, gained 1, total lost 16. Dominus vobiscum. You are forgiven. Go and sin no more.
Betty - Weight 178, lost 1, total lost 2
Helen - Weight 170, lost 1, total lost 30. Helen feasted on a hundred-calorie slab of tiramisu as her reward for crossing the 170 barrier. I hope she didn't eat that all at once and get a tummy ache.
Karen - Weight 169, lost 1, total lost 1

My results for this week

Weight 227, lost 4, total lost 48
Calories - Food 1618 per day, Exercise 319 per day

We got DD graduated. Phi beta kappa, magna cum laude. Headed for eye surgery this morning. See you later.

I had a really weird weekend. Took a nap Friday afternoon for 2 hours, then went for a 2.5 mile hike. Did errands Sat. morning, then took a 3 hour nap. Wanted to take one yesterday but didn't have the time. I've been soooo tired!!! Planning on doing my run again while dd's in her afternoon activity. I found some stairs at the library that go up to the parking garage. No one is ever up there, so I have four flights of stairs to go up and down, up and down. Then I walk across the top, and do it again on the other side.

Does anyone here go to the gym? I just don't see the point myself. I signed up once, years ago, but just couldn't get myself to go. At all. I think I went once! I like to be outside, and finding new places to challenge myself is fun. Today I will walk my pants over to the tailor to get hemmed (around the bottom, not the waist!), and go to the post office to pick up my package. That should kill the two hours I have to wait for DD. I found a hill by the post office that I go up and down a couple times as well.

I weighed 135 all weekend!!! Then got on the scale this morning and hit 132. Hopefully that will stick till tomorrow when I weigh in. I've resigned myself to not being able to lose all 7 lbs in the next 4 weeks. Darn it!

Talking about the donuts, they aren't really my thing, but everybody else were dying to get them. I sort of wish I had hung tough and not eaten it to see if it would have made much difference in the scales this morning. SIL bought a whole dozen to go besides what we ordered and ate there. DH ate 2, DS ate 3. The next morning they finished off the dozen. DH ate 3! So, I guess my one wasn't overkill. :)

I went to the gym in the early 90s when I lived right in town and had a few friends going. It was fun and convenient. I live too far from town for it to be economical and all us us have gotten busy with other things, so I would be bored and lonely now.

Sorry you've been so tired. Naps are great when you need them and can fit them in. Our bodies have a great way of healing themselves when we follow their lead.

132 lbs is awesome! How cool is that? All of those stairs are paying off. Too many bugs and too muggy and humid here for me to get in the mood to go out. So far it is easier for me to turn the AC down really cool and hit the treadmill.
It will be so exciting when these next 4 weeks are gone and you get to your target weight. Can hardly wait 'till then to see you succeed!
Betty

I overindulged in rice krispie treats this weekend. They are my downfall. Warm marshmallow... crunchy krispies... If I could give up my glass of wine/vodka every night that would probably kick-start me again too... but I'm pretty attached. I've tried substituting tea, but it just goes right through me and I'm up half the night.

Last night I was pretty proud of myself. I was hungry around 10pm and I did not get out of bed. I talked myself down. Sometimes the little fat robot that lives inside of me will just take over and march me right out to the kitchen, but last night I managed to take control. I decided to leave 50 calories in my diet plan every day so if I am hungry at night I can have a vanilla protein shake to fill me up. I'm going to keep telling myself that's all I get. No more marshmallows at midnight!!!

I told myself I'd be happy at 132 but I really wouldn't. I really really want to be at 125 again. (That's what it says on my license!!! LOL!) I guess I need to bust out my cardio DVD again. It's a killer but promises to eat up 1000 calories a workout and get me off of my plateau.

When I hit 125 I will post a before and after photo. I looked at some pics my dh took on a trip in January and didn't recognize myself. And we went to the snow, and I got to see how big my butt was against a white background... yeowch! What a wake up! I'm usually the one taking the pictures, so it's rare for me to get one of me. No wonder I was disillusioned about how big I was.

I behaved myself pretty well over the weekend, even with taking the wife and daughters out for lunch and dinner a couple of days. I ordered nice sensible stuff like salad bar, broiled fish, and broccoli instead of potatoes with my steak. Actually ended up eating less than normal, when I finally got home and added the calories up on the computer.

Silver, I agree with you about the gym. It's just not my idea of fun. I have a treadmill that never gets used either, even in the winter time.

Ever tried geocaching? It makes the hiking a little bit more fun and interesting. I think your daughter might enjoy it too.

Now I really have to get serious with the toning and tightening. UGH!! If I have time today I may hit Target and try to find the pilates video that y'all said really helps. I need some structure or I won't do it.

Thanks for all of your encouragement and tips. You really helped me get started on the road back to health.

Harold, Again, I have to say: I am so glad you started this.

180/173/7

Betty

I am at 140.5 official weigh-in today. Didn't quite make it to the "under 140 before our trip" mark I'd hoped for, but I'm not unhappy with where I am. It is at least heading downward, albeit slowly. I'm going to paddle until muscle fatigue prevents going any further, so I'm sure I'll use a lot of extra energy this week!

Take care all!

"Ever tried geocaching? It makes the hiking a little bit more fun and interesting. I think your daughter might enjoy it too."

No, I haven't but I did look into it once thinking "this would be fun!" I'll have to look into it again. Thank you for mentioning it!

BETTY!!! You are a champion!!! Seven pounds?!! That's so terrific. And getting into a pair of pants and then realizing they really are too big is such a victory. Congratulations!

I vote Betty gets our "Silver Scale" of the week award for most lost under biggest odds.

Ek, 140.5 is 140 in my book. You can go camping with pride. 1/2 lb here and there could be the glass of water you drank before stepping on that scale. I hope you have a really good time, and I'm going to bet you come back even thinner from all the activity.

I'm weighing in today:

155/132/23

162/143/19

Goal - maintain anything between 128-135 (my body will tell me by proper eating habits/lifestyle activity).

Congratulations to everyone for your continued honesty, pulling each other along. We are all winners each and every week.

I'm catching up with online work, hopefully with better weather tomorrow I'll get a really good walk in.

Cheers for now,
Peggy

PS...Harold my normal weigh day is Monday.

Way to go, Betty. You are indeed the early favorite for the coveted Silver Scale, but we still have a few members to check in yet.

My weigh in for this week is 140.8.

Last week, it was 141.2. So I did not lose much weight this week.

My numbers are 140.8, 0.4, 7.2

Harold, Hope your surgery went well. You need lot of rest for your eyes after cataract surgery. Take care of urself.

Ek, hang in there .. All your efforts will pay off...have a great vacation.

Silver, though you are at 132 , I think you are very toned up for that weight. So dont feel dissapointed. Numbers on scale can lie ...

Peggy and Betty , You both are doing GREAT....

I'm hoping you are right Jasmi. "Numbers can lie". I didn't work out today, had to run around shopping for a wedding, but tried to keep moving for those two hours just the same. And walked my dd to school this morning and ran back home. So I got a little exercise in.

Budgeted my calories like a fiend today so I could take DD to Burger King as I promised for getting 98 out of 100 right on her math test. Even with my precise allocation (malt o meal for breakfast with a splash of soy and two strawberries, blueberry/blackberry/strawberry and an oz of goat cheese with almonds and walnuts for lunch and a glass of wine allocated for after dinner) I could only eat 1/2 the bun, no mayo on my Whopper Jr. and a small fries to stay within my 1200 calories. No soda. Ended up only eating 1/2 the fries and didn't miss that other bun (but it was a little messy!). Had mustard instead of the mayo. Wished I had a salad instead right after I started eating. It just wasn't that satisfying... which is a BIG relief! The less I crave it, the easier it is to abstain!

I am doing something I did years ago - trying to avoid a lot of calories after 6:30 at night. That might help, too.

Static is good, considering the circumstances Trek! At least there hasn't been an increase, right? Are you feeling better?

I have a hard time not eating after 6:30pm but I am trying to make better choices at night. Last night I was so hungry at 9:00. I had a bowl of peas. It filled me up... and then at 10:30 I was hungry again! I just went to sleep.

Does anyone else have that little voice in their head telling them it's ok to eat? Oh, go ahead, my voice tells me... just eat that rice krispie, it's not that many calories... And my rational voice just shuts down! I think that could be a subject of a study about weight loss. How vocal, and how strong that little bad voice is. I have a devil on my shoulder, and it's Roseanne Barr!

I have all-natural lemonade in the fridge, and I have a glass of 1/5 lemonade and 4/5 water.

It's my replacement for my glass of wine :-)

So far it's keeping my mind and tummy busy thru the evening.

I am also using a trick a friend of mine used years ago to combat night-time munchies - I go to bed earlier. LOL Stomach doesn't grumble as much when I am sleeping.

Total lost is 30.8

Helen

Jasmi, my personal opinion is, you don't need WW. You are doing fine already. You are doing an online journal, which should be just as good as the WW journal. You are counting calories and you have enough sense to eat a balanced diet. You've got your support group right here. What more would you need?

SS, Thanks for the vote for the award. But remember, I only lost 5 lbs last week. The other 2 were from the weeks before.
I've also found a big difference in weight with different times of day, different clothes, and after meals. I only go by 1st thing in the morning weight in my nightgown. Counting calories would be too hard for me. I am so lazy. I have found it easier to just forget the bun completely at BK and have the meat in a dish with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I have to have my mayo. I've never been big on bread anyway. Lots of meals I cook I just forget to fix any bread. Drives DH crazy because he feels he has to have it. But, he will settle for WW sliced bread with butter spread on it when I forget!

Harold, How are those eyes doing? Can you see us yet?!?!
Sorry we are confusing you with the multiple weigh-in days. Weekends aren't good to me, so it is best to have a day to get back on track before posting an official weight.
48 lbs lost! WOW! Such tenacity! If I can hang in, that would put me right around my goal weight. I shall set my sights there.

Peg, 3 lbs! Great job! I can't wait to get below DH in weight. I HATE HATE HATE weighing more than him. That's why I get discouraged when I only lose 1 lb a week now. I think he hangs around high 150s -low 160s. Once I get below him I will be ok with "slow and steady wins the race".
Can y'all tell I'm from the "I WANT IT NOW" generation? That's how I got so large. I wanted those 2 big bowls of chocolate ice cream everyday while I forgot veggies and exercise. Now I'm paying for it. Those chest pains were my gift from God to wake me up. It worked!

Karen, I'm glad you held steady while being sick. Are you feeling better? I bet you are weak as a puppy. Take it easy 'till you get some strength back.
I know what you mean about night snacking. DH eats stuff every night after we get in bed. Can't fall asleep because of all of that eating noise on the other side of my bed! Some nights it's peanut butter crackers, others it's 2 peanut butter sandwiches, chips & dip, whatever he can find in the kitchen. If I can't resist, I will do celery with a very little PB, or 15 or so pistachios (sp?) shelled and eaten very slowly while he pigs out. I try to resist "Roseanne" that is giving Silver such a hard time!!!

Helen, Everybody needs some fun with friends occasionally. And to still lose a pound, how sweet it is!

Jas, About the WW. If it helps you get where you are going sooner, it is worth the $8 weekly. I did WW for a while once. My meeting was about 40 miles from home, so I quit going. Being right at work would really help you. My friend does it and it has helped her.
It's just about finding what works best for you. If you have friends who are doing it at work with you, that would really help you stick to your diet. Nothing like having that up close and personal encouragement. If it would still be you working alone and you can get yourself kick-started, Save the $8 to use at the grocery store on healthier foods and spend the time you would spend at the meetings working out, walking, etc. Check in here more often for encouragement and our tried and true diet tips that have worked for us.
As you can tell from the length of my posts, I love to talk. I can talk until you beg me to shut up!!!
Have a great day everyone,
Betty

I won't be the one to tell you to shut up. I'm off work this week and have some time on my hands anyway. I can't do anything strenuous until next Tuesday by Doctor's orders, or I'd be out roto-tilling the garden. So, I think I'll fight fire with fire, so to speak, by writing a long post of my own.

When I was a young whippersnapper, I always hated it when the older folks got together and started yakking about their medical issues. Now we baby-boomers always seem to talk about the same thing. So you youngsters can tune out now.

My left eye, the one that was operated on, is doing fine. Unfortunately it will never be better than about 20/30 vision, not because of the cataract but because of a retina issue. I had a torn retina several years ago, which caused a macular pucker condition. The operation for that aggravated the cataract and did not totally fix the macula problem. So that's the story with the left eye.

The right eye gets a cataract operation next Thursday. That's going to be a little bit nerve wracking. It's the only good eye I have left, so nothing better go wrong. I'll need about a 52 inch screen for my computer if I have to rely on the left eye.

In between the operations, I'm sort of between a rock and a hard place. I popped the left lens out of my glasses, but that doesn't work too well. Being quite nearsighted in my right eye, the lens distorts the image a good bit, so the two images, from the left and right eye, do not merge very well. I can't make up my mind between looking through the empty lens hole, covering the left lens opening, or just going without glasses. I think I could drive, but don't want to risk it if I don't have to.

I wonder where Karen is. Her weigh-in day was Tuesday last week. I hope that strep throat doesn't have her down.

ONLY? ONLY???? You are kicking some serious booty!!! I weigh in the mornings in my nightclothes too :) This morning I got on the scale and it was 130. I nearly screamed. I'm sure my neighbors would have loved that at 6 in the morning. I did do a little dance though :)

Jasmi, I asked about WW too. What I was told is it's a point system. You can eat what you like, as long as you only eat as many points as you are supposed to and you balance it as best you can. When I heard that, I said it's basically like counting calories. I can have 1200 calories a day. I can either eat three big macs or I can have cereal, a sandwich and a chicken salad. The WW person agreed.

So I decided I don't need to have some complicated point system or special foods. IMO, the less packaged food I eat the better. The best thing about WW is the support system, and I get that here. But I'm kind of a health nut anyway. I'd rather have a small dish of Haagen daz than a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich because the Skinny Cow has palm oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil and these are the worst kinds of fats you can put in your body. It may be "diet healthy" but it's not "body healthy" and personally I'm wanting to get more overall healthy and lose weight, so filling up with artery clogging diet foods doesn't help me much.

According to WW I can have 21 points per day. Here's how I figured it:

Your sex:
If you are female- score 2 points
If you are male- score 8
If you are nursing- score 12

Your age:
17 to 26- score 4
27 to 37- score 3
38 to 47- score 2
48 to 58- score 1
Over 58- score 0

Your current weight:
Enter the first 2 digits of your weight in pounds. If you are 175 lbs for example, you would enter "17".

Your height:
under 5'1"- score 0
5'1" to 5'10"- score 1
Over 5'10"- score 2

Your activity level on most days of the week, how do you spend your day?:
sitting down- score 0
occassionally sitting, but mostly standing- score 2
walking most of the time- score 4
doing physically hard work most of the time- score 6

Add up all your scored points- that is your daily points target.

Ok. So here's a day of meals

Breakfast = 5 points or 325 calories
Oatmeal = 2 points or 150 calories
Banana = 2 points or 75 calories
1 Slice of whole wheat bread = 1 point or 100 calories

Lunch = 4-5 points or 400 calories
Turkey Sandwich = 2-3 points or 290 calories
Corn Chips = 2 points or 110 calories

Dinner = 13 points or 725 calories
6 oz steak = 8 points or 450 calories
1 ear corn = 1 point or 59 calories
1 cup Brown rice = 4 points or 216 calories

Total = 22-23 points and 1450 calories

It's the same system no matter how you slice it. I went over in this example on both points and calories... bummer. The difference is that in WW you will need to have their calculations for each item or buy their foods rather than just look on the nutritional guide on the packaging. As my husband says, WW is for people who can only do simple math (2+2) rather than adding in the high hundreds ;)

Harold & Betty,
Thanks for your support. I did not go to the WW mtg. Its true that I got a great support group there . I also dont want to count points ..dont want to complicate anything .. I am fine counting my calories that way I am doing it now.

I stayed on plan for eating quite well until Friday night. We stopped on our way back to spend a couple of hours with my parents, who served us pizza and birthday cake (my oldest DD's bday). I resisted both, but then on the 4-hour drive home, I got too hungry. That's the first time in almost 4 months that has happened to me, and I had my first real cheat. Out of desperation, I ate the first thing I could get my hands on--and get this--it turned out to be the leftover pizza our housesitter had left in the fridge, and a piece of birthday cake that my mom had sent home with us. What a dramatic, ironic caving-in failure that was! Exactly what I resisted was what I ended up eating. :( Grrr.

Anyway, I haven't weighed and I don't think I will until Tuesday. But I'm paying for my cheat today with greater hunger pangs and some cravings for breads and sweets. It'll take a couple of days to get that out of my system again. But, I consider myself now back on track and I'm just hoping I didn't do any damage with one bad meal.

Hope you all have had a good week. I see lots of lower numbers above!

Had a roller coaster week. Besides being sick myself, DD had a sore throat (but tested negative for strep); however, she developed a fever last night. I will keep an eye on her and see if it passes or not. Then Fri, my dad was rushed to the hospital (He lives 8 hours from me). I felt so helpless, and it was scary. My brother came over when my dad called, and found my dad in the floor, and called 911.

In the end, they ruled out anything serious, and diagnosed him with a very bad case of vertigo. Dad has had dizzy spells for 3 years now, with no cause being found so far. The hospital did even more aggressive tests, only to find no smoking gun.

They kept him overnight and gave him dramamine, and he's feeling lots better.

So --- in short, I'm still coughing (but doc says no more strep), DD running a fever, Dad is back home resting comfortably, and I just wish life would not gang up on me like this so much :-)

Ran into one of my old WW buddies at the store last night, and she's a member of same gym I am. So I hope to be able to run into her, and catch some classes together.