Good morning/afternoon, McPeg and all -

The bad news - Have had my first go-round with an emotional pigging-out session. For whatever reason, a tense bad mood just kept building, and no matter how I tried, it kept coming on like a freight train bearing down. And I wanted to EAT--food seemed to be the only thing that would bring it to a halt. Saturday I gave in. At least we had mostly healthy stuff in the house, and I made myself write it all down, just to keep honest.

The good news - When I weighed myself this morning, I had lost another pound for the week anyway. When I added up my average calories for the past couple of weeks, it's not that bad overall. And I seem to be back on track since Sunday. (I just don't like that feeling of being out of control!)

McPeg, I like the idea of to something to "help ward off those moments when ya just wanna chew something with NO CALORIES." I'll work on earning my toothpicks this week, but in the meantime you've reminded me of sugar-free gum. It may be a help, so I'll get some today!

Thanks for the challenge. :)

Erica

Don't forget good old toothpaste, Erica! When you want to eat, try brushing your teeth. Most foods are not so appetizing to you after you brush your teeth!

I attended a huge BBQ on Sunday in northwest NJ, and ate like I used to eat. When I actually pointed it out, I was still not over my Flex Points for the week, but it was too much for me to eat in one day. I also had sweets, which is usually no problem for me, because I prefer savory. Anyway, yesterday I put it behind me and started out healthful.

I ate within points yesterday and feel good today. Had my yogurt and WW breakfast bar for breakfast (total 4 points). After my one large cup of decaf coffee, I will begin drinking my flavored water...hope to get in about 60 ounces today before I leave the office.

Regardless of what the scale says (and I'm not looking at it this week!), I had some great revelations when I tried clothes on.....lots of my current clothing is loose, and while I was shopping, I noticed that I had to go down a size to have things fit properly. Whoo Hoooo

Hope everyone has a great week! Just stick to it, and if you fall, get up and do what's right for you....again, and again, and again, and again.

Erica - you are doing great - really great - it's hard writing down what you would pretend you did not really eat or trying to ignore it. If you put it in a diary - sometimes when you average out your week it's not that bad afterall. At the very least you have done fabulous writing it down and deserve a pat on your back.
Yep, sugar free gum (so many flavours), I like sour dill pickles - try eating something sweet after that! Are you really craving water and getting confused?
Sometimes you are just hungry and just wanna eat. I have those weeks after dieting for months - I should be a lot lighter at this point in time but I am maintaining. This week I want to get things moving again. I have had my evenings out and got those meals out of my system. Heck, I want to learn to live the rest of my life comfortably, enjoying a good meal and enjoying feeling lighter.
Funny thing, last week DH and I had dinner with his Aunt. I REALLY GORGED MYSELF. I was soooooooo hungry and they said, go on, have dessert (I usually don't in a restaurant). Yep got that right out of my system - had an upset stomach all night, the next day and generally FELT HORRIBLE. I used to eat like that often - now it is NOT ENJOYABLE AT ALL. If I had eaten HALF of what I had ordered I would have enjoyed that evening out much more.
That is progress in my books.
Don't beat yourself up - you did the right thing by being honest with yourself. You enjoyed yourself and that was yesterday. We are dealing with today now. Make the most of it. Do your best. Keep posting, keep writing and keep with it! I'm still trying and it's slow but here I am.
DeeMarie - isn't it wonderful when your body changes and you can feel/see the difference? I am still between size 12/14 depending upon the style and it feels great. I don't see a fat person any more but now I want to tone up and shed a few more pounds - well, probably another 10 for sure. More interested now in eating healthier and finding what I can live with in the long haul. Do you feel like you have more energy now? I know I do and my back feels much better - not getting those spasms anymore unless I really over do it in the garden!
I am soooooo glad to read your posts today. We can't help but achieve our goals if we all stick together. We can do this and we shall!
Last night I had insomnia and right now (it's almost 4:30 pm) I am feeling it. My nose is running and I want to put my head down. Could not eat all my salad at lunch - just too tired. But I did eat most of it and made sure to eat my chicken (I often don't eat enough protein). Tonight I think I will just have whole wheat toast with HP sauce (no butter) and a chopped apple in a bowl with lowfat milk (love this for dessert). Not eating a large dinner because I will more than likely be in bed early and I really can't sleep well on a full tummy.
Also going to take my NORTH AMERICAN NYQUIL and get a GOOD sleep. Paracetamol just doesn't cut it the same way as tylenol products do back home!
Take care everyone - look forward to reading more posts tomorrow morning!
Ta ta for now,
Have a fabby day!
McPeg

McPeg, hope you are feeling better by the time you read this. Doesn't Panadol have a cold remedy that makes you sleep? Just curious how you got Nyquil over in GB!!!

I had my lunch, but had to go to a meeting where there was CAKE. Ouch!! I declined the cake in favor of small chocolates to celebrate the team's accomplishments. I chose the very dark, semisweet square, as I know this is the best choice...lowest sugar content. Not bad, but I've got no more cravings. I'll "point" it out when I get home and leave off a few points from my dinner.

DH has offered to take me out to dinner, so I will try to get him to take me for oriental. Sushi is very low in points, and I can also get miso or hot-and-sour soup for only 2 points a cup. Not bad.

Weather has been bad for the last 2 days, so I've not had the opportunity to go for a walk. I plan to do my circuit training tomorrow afternoon when I get a break here at the office. It's wonderful having a corporate fitness center and an understanding director who shares my need for exercise.

Gotta run.
Make it the best night that you can!
DeeMarie (who is so relieved that she could share the fact that she ate some chocolate!!)

Hi everyone, Well last week went Ok for me considering I ran around with an overweight friend who lives on desserts and sugary things. Shes very supportive of my efforts though so we try to choose places where we both can eat the way we want.

I actually lost 1 lb. last week in spite of all the food I ate...all the walking we did must have counter-balanced it.

Great going DeeMarie..isn't it a nice feeling to have clothes fit without binding.

Erica- Writing it down IS so important. Congradulations on hanging in there. Sometimes writing it down puts it into perspective and you actually find that it is really not as bad as you thought.

McPeg- Thank you for a unique challenge. I love reading about others experiences...so nice not to feel alone in my quest. Your cheerful demeanor through "thick and thin" always brings a smile to my face.

Hi ladies,
I'm sooooooo draggin' today! The past 4 days have done me in, almost.lol We went back to our little hometown to decorate, smoothed over some family problems, and had some nice time with old friends.

But, I did overeat on occasion, was up a few lbs. this morning-------so----it's back to my salads (had one tonight) and exercise routine.

McPeg, that cinnamon challenge sounds good! And thanks for all of your encouragement. Hope you're feeling better!

Take care, all. I'm going to lay down for a half hour (I also got 3 boxes of plants out today--whewww) and then either exercise or work on my kitchen, or both. Along with washing a load of clothes.

Hang in there!

Well, glad to see more pals back from your adventures! Yep, its tough visiting...I have now Friday night out with DH's aunt - CHINESE and Sunday dinner with friends - CHINESE!!!!!!!! They are keeping an eye on me while DH is visiting his family back home. I sometimes think that colds and flus are Mother Nature's diet plan. Honestly - it was a struggle to eat yesterday - and today the same. I am drinking lots of hot drinks. A little tired but I think this cold is clearing. I bring back a pharmacy when I visit home - nyquil, dayquil, tylenol - really - nothing here compares to tylenol products.
Wildchild, isn't it great having support? That's what a true friend does. I have been meaning to ask - is there a story behind your nickname? Just wondering. The walking you are doing does counter balance alot of extra calories and also is fabulous for the relaxation factor. Highly recommended.
Yellowhair I can relate with the extra pounds. My weight is the same but at least we are still making progress - even if sometimes at a snail's pace - we will get there. We must persist! Never give up! Never surrender! (Okay, I have been watching TV again!)
I have to get ready to run for the bus - traffic has been horrendous this week and I have to get an earlier bus to the park'n'ride transfer point - the later one gets held up in traffic and misses my HOURLY bus to work. So I will suffer through my travel mug of coffee, more vending machine coffee (I can only give up so much but not my caffeine!!) and read the metro paper.
Would love to chat more but the SUN is SHINING! The birds are singing and I have to get swinging these legs into motion...
Now, don't forget - keep posting - I have a ton of toothpicks!
Today I am going to eat more fruit and try to get out for a walk at lunch to clear my head a little. Failing that I am thinking of trying to see if I can have naps at my desk with my eyes open and fingers moving on the keyboard! I did sleep but colds always make me want to sleep more.

Have a fabby day everyone! Let's get moving, find something to enjoy today, dust ourselves off, shake out the cobwebs and discover the small pleasures in life. It passes so quickly at times - let us know what today holds for you and think positive!

Boy I blab a lot sometimes!

Cheers,
McPeg

Even though I haven't lost that much yet in pounds, more of my clothes are definitely starting to feel looser. I need to wear a belt now with my jeans, and my work outfits are starting to look baggy.

So last night, I went out clothes shopping, just to experiment and see what size I'm getting to be. I am now fitting (snugly) into 1X's and 18W's--where my current clothes are 2X, 20W and 22W. (The 22W's are from several years ago, when I was even heavier.) My goal is to buy a perfectly-fitting outfit in 1X or 18W during the 4th of July sales. And at that point, all the 22W's are moving out of the house!

Writing down what I'm eating *is* a big help. Just wanted to pass along how I'm doing it--using a steno notebook. It seems to be just the right size--not too big to tuck away in the kitchen, but the pages are large enough to record a day on one sheet. And it's easy to look back over previous days. (Better than grabbing sheets of paper each day and having them floating all over!)

Having a slightly less flabby day,
Erica

Erica, that's great news! I'm holding good thoughts for you that those 22s get thrown away (or given away) shortly! I was on a major stall for over a month and started to get down, but today someone else told me that they could tell I'd lost weight. My body is finally shifting into place from the 22lbs I lost.

I'm sooooooo looking forward to the day that I look back on an 80 lb loss. 22 down, and 58 to go.......ALRIGHT! I'm not giving up!

Here is a day in the life of me on Weight Watchers:

Brought a pear and yogurt for breakfast today. Yogurt is a good way for me to get in a little protein to begin my day in the office, so that I'm not so hungry. It also provides calcium and a milk product. I try to get in a serving of cheese to bring up my "milk" portions, but it's not easy for me during the week to do this.

Lunch is usually 2 slices (1 point total!) of rye bread with protein (lean turkey, ham, leftover cooked tuna, etc.), and plenty of zero point veggies. I bring along snack bags of carrots, grape tomatoes, cucs, celery...whatever is left over from the previous dinner salad. I snack on these veggies throughout the day.

In the afternoon, I eat another fruit or a yogurt (if I had cereal for breakfast). This is especially important for me to eat before I exercise.

Dinner is as normal as a non-dieter....portions of lean meat, veggie burgers, poultry, fish, salad, more veggies, sometimes a potatoe or rice. Last night it was whole wheat pasta with a lean meat sauce and salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I'm not into sweets, so I rarely have dessert. Sometimes I snack on some nuts or pretzels.

When I go out to eat, I make sure I order fish or a veggie burger (for casual dining). It more or less assures me that it will be within points.

Thanks for being here for me!
DeeMarie

I had my weekly weigh-in this morning and I lost 4 lbs. I was so excited. I didn't do a lot of journaling this week but I was conscious of what I ate. I believe the loss was because I have cut my sugar intake down dramatically. I hate to admit before the last couple of weeks I took about a quarter cup of sugar in each coffee and had about four coffee a day. Last week I cut it down to three teaspoons and also did not have any chocolate bars all week. Also no french fries. This week I will try again to be better at journaling. Atta girl to all of you who are trying so hard and doing so well. I read this thread every day.

Mirren, I was in Nova Scotia during the week of 16-May, aboard the Voyager of The Seas!! We loved St. John and Halifax; wonderful, warm people.

Congrats, Mirren, and others who are losing! It's such a nice day here--no rain----lol. I've been eating lowfat Snackwell's cookies for a snack. Had some baked chicken last night with a little rice and tomatoes. And my diet Dr. Pepper.

I'm hooked on the Key Lime yogurt---yummmm! And the sherbet. I'm staying away from breads this week.

My hot pink hollyhocks are blooming, along with some Foxglove and what I believe to be yellow coneflowers---these (the last 2) were from Trudi's "Lemonade" seeds. From the WS forum.

Received a nice, yet really really sad, card from a previous co-worker who's battling cancer. Please keep her in your prayers.

Let's make today count, let treat ourselves and our families like they're royalty. Life is really fragile sometimes, and we tend to forget that (I do) -----it's a beautiful day-----our neighbor's cat has decided to live with us now---his name is Smoky. He's so pretty and lovable. She's not going to get him back. lol take care

Just checking in to say "Hi". I'm home from the dentist and trying not to think about the novacaine wearing off. Don't mind dentist, needles or drilling but oh how I hate the coming OFF of novacaine part. My new bridgework will be done in 2 weeks and I can put it all behind me.:-)

Good going losers. I weighed this morning and was the same as last week. Oh well, nothing lost, nothing gained.

Under a lot of personal stress right now but I absolutely refuse to sabotage my weight loss efforts over it. I have gained weight with emotional eating before and no matter what, I need to focus on this one part of my life that will not change...my healthy way of eating.

Am getting ready to go marketing this morning, and wondered if anyone else has been dealing with this...

We are only a 2-person, 2-critter household. But for years, I've been shopping based on sales, the best unit price, etc. I'm starting to think that what seems to be best for my budget isn't necessarily what's best for *me,* because we end up with too much food in the house. Or at least too much at one time, of particular items.

For example--when they are on sale, I can get a whole bag of bagels plus an 8-oz bar of cream cheese for $1.98. A lot better deal than $2.50 for ONE take-out bagel w/cream cheese, right? Except one of 3 things happens. I can't resist them, and eat them too often. If I resist, they are taking up space in the fridge I need for other items. Or they are liable to go bad before I use them.

And I may really only be in the mood for one the first day. As I go into them in subsequent days just because they are there, I end up eating other extra things because they just weren't that satisfying.

Maybe it's better to buy treats like this in single servings, only when I'm really craving them? It's really going to irk me to spend 79 cents on a tiny bag of Cheez-It's--but maybe that in itself will help me resist getting them too often!

Same for healthier foods, though. Packages of 2 celery hearts are a better buy than one full stalk. But I can't use them up fast enough.

Anybody else with a small households have any tips?

Erica, DH and I live alone. I slice the bagels and freeze them in double freezer bags. When I need one (or a half!), I take them out half an hour before I use them, or I pop them in my lunch bag, and by the time I'm ready for breakfast, it's defrosted.

If you seriously don't eat bagels often, you can get one much cheaper than $2.50. Do you live near a G&A's. They sell one bagel with cream cheese for a little over a dollar.

Celery: I buy the hearts, and immediately cut one part into sticks. I fill snack packs each day for me and DH to take with our lunches. I can use all of it before it goes bad. DH also enjoys celery with cream cheese or peanut butter (he can afford the calories!) Hope this helps you.

*****************

On another subject, I had my doctor's appointment today. My blood pressure was good, and he said "do you know that you are down 23 lbs since February 5th?"....and I said "why, yes I do! I've been working hard at it.!!" LOL He took some blood, and we are going to compare cholesterol numbers from February with today's. Fingers' crossed.

I'm am soooo excited about this particular visit, because I thought I had hopelessly stalled at a 20 lb loss, but I'm starting to lose again, and my clothes are agreeing with me.

DON'T GIVE UP!!!! Hang in there, and it will work!

Oh Erica I can so relate to what you are saying. I used to be that way too. I finally had to decide that my weight loss is WORTH the extra money. When we lose weight we become healthier and lead more productive lives. Food that is tossed when it goes bad is hardly a saving.

My problem is getting my husband to understand. He was always coming home with multiple bags of cookies and such because they were on sale. The straw that broke the camel's back was about 2 months ago when he came home with two large boxes of ice cream drumsticks!

Now I love drumsticks but at 250 calories each it would be a treat I have to plan for. I eat full fat ice cream almost daily but measure it out. Since I freeze a lot of my foods for portion control, I am in the freezer several times a day. I DID NOT want to have those drumsticks staring me in the face each time.

My solution was extreme but it did get my point across. Just before he was due home I openned both brand new packages, dumped them in the sink,leaving them to melt in the sink. Left one in the package to melt in a smooshy mess on the front porch.

Yes, it was juvenile and completely off the wall behavior on my part but he finally got my point and hasn't brought multiple junk in the house since.

It's funny how we will not think twice about what we pay for a coffee, soda, tea or fast food salad on the go, but when it comes to groceries we worry about saving 50 cents on several "pounds" of food.

DeeMarie, congrats to you! And Erica, I do find that if I freeze things in small portions, I sometimes hesitate when trying to overeat----I hesitate to open up another pkg. and defrost, etc. You see, I lean a little towards being lazy. uh-huh But, yes, on some things, you may have to just pay the extra and not have so much in the house. I hide food sometimes.

I walked this morning, a little rainy, and have been trying to get back in the exercise groove. I will. It just takes determination, and I'm working on that. lol

Have a great weekend, everybody!

I just went back and read the posts again.

Mirren, what a wonderful loss for the week. Yes, it is easy to drink those calories if we are not careful. Good job on cutting down on the sugar.

Erica, It does feel great to have looser clothing and find you fit in a smaller size. I'm sure that not only will you be able to get rid of those 22Ws but will one day be slipping into a size 16 Misses.

DeeMarie, Congrats on the 23lbs. Sounds like a healthy steady weight loss.

Yellowhair, Good thoughts going out to your friend. Enjoy your new kitty who has decided to "own" you. Remember all that planting is exercise too.

Quiltingbunny, I WAS a wild child. Long ago,of course. A willful little thing that believed herself quite invincible. When I was trying to think up a unique name for these forums I rememembered an older guy when I was a teen always greeting me with "How's it going, Wildchild". It still sort of fits me even at the ripe old age of 53 and despite the fact that I am no longer 92 lbs. of cute and sassy.LOL

On another topic I went out to eat at Applebee's tonight. For those of you who have one near by, they now have a WW Menu. I had the Shrimp Skewers served with rice pilaf and steamed veggies. The menu states both calories and WW points. My meal was 260 calories or 5 points. Looked like not enough food at first (used to those huge restaurant portions) but I was sated enough to pass on dessert. There are 11 WW menu items, including 2 desserts...lemon cheesecake or chocolate raspberry cake. Very good.

Wheeewwwww, am I GLAD Monday is coming!
Friday night - out with my aunt...ever feel that you are participating just to appease family politics? Don't get me wrong - she is a wonderful lady but body language speaks volumes...she looked at her friend all night and barely gave me a glance. Last time for me. Called DH today at his folks and told him as much as I enjoyed myself I really felt like she was having a night out with me to check in on things. Okay, call me bad, but I would have been happier at home. It's keeping DH happy and the family.
Turned my phone off - 7 phonecalls last week with everyone checking up on me - couldn't even sit down to eat and that darn phone kept ringing. Sat. afternoon, got invited for a light lunch with our new neighbours - very nice folk - enjoyed it and sat out.
Today had dinner with friends (b-day for them). Enjoyed it. Somehow managed to get the bathroom painted. Now have the kitchen to do. Threw 7 bags of compost down on the front lawn, raked it in with 2 bags of grass seed and did another planter in the front. Having all out war this summer with SLUGS - they have been unusually bad - so bad I have been out with garden tools and SALT hunting them out. Actually got bio-friendly, less chemicals, slug pellets. I have worked too hard and have invested time and money enough not to have those critters eat my plants.
So that has been me and I have been neglecting this post. Tomorrow I will be getting ready to start another week and SEND OUT CINNAMON FLAVOURED TOOTHPICKS!!!!!
Send me an email with your details and I will send you a lovely little packet of toothpicks to chew on...they are sheer heaven!
Really happy to hear of great doctor appointments, weight loss. I think I have gained with all of this entertaining. This week promises to be quieter and I should be getting back into a better routine!
Take care, gotta get this butt in bed!
McPeg