Do the Math

SueAnne's post about not being obese got me thinking... There are so many "ideal weight calculators" out there that give such different results that sometimes it can seem impossible to determine which one to believe.

So I figured I would post the height/weight formula for the National Institutes of Health. It takes a calculator, but I think it's a pretty good measure.

1) Take your weight in pounds
2) Divide your weight by your height in inches
3) Divide by your height in inches again
4) Multiply that number by 704.5

That will give your index number. An index number between 20 and 25 is "normal." 25-29 indicates a "warning zone" - you're overweight but it is not a clear danger to your health. Over 29 is considered obese.

My goal weight will leave me at 21.7. What about you guys?

A couple of pictures for posterity

Well, here I am, posting more pics. But hey, I've lost 50.8 pounds! A 3.8 pound loss for the week! WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY BODY?!?!? I'm not really quite sure, but I can tell you this, I'm lovin' it! And might I add, so is my husband. : )

May I have a drum roll please?

I am back on line and am here to say that this morning I hit the 50 pound mark!! Fifty pounds exactly. :)I'm half way there people. And, may I say, that I am starting to "feel" thin? I know that I still have a long ways to go, but I feel so great about what I have accomplished so far. Just to be able to say out loud, that I've lost fifty pounds, is a pretty darn cool thing for me. :)
Thank you ladies for all of your ongoing support. Having you all here pulling for me, really has made all of the difference in the world!

Day 108: 1,428 calories, 10 glasses of water, workout
Day 109: 1,494 calories, 11 glasses of water, workout
Day 110: 1,394 calories, 11 glasses of water, workout

Invisible Children

Hey all, Jules here, putting on her Poor White Oprah hat today. Go on over to my other blog and read all about a new cause our family is involved in. It will break your heart and it will excite you that there is an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children in Northern Uganda. And please, check out this amazing website! These three young men and the others who have joined them in making a dream a reality, have literally thrown every creative idea and talent at this problem in very new ways. Don't miss their video clips, they are both hilarious and shockingly real.

Have a great day!
Jules

PS Praying for Lisa, SueAnne, and Athena today!

Ooops

Ooops! Oh Lisa, in my zeal to change my ticker, I accidentally overwrote yours instead! I am so sorry!!!!!
SueAnne

Officially NOT obese:)

Hello everyone,

My next lesson will strictly forbid me from stepping on the scale again until May 29. (Good reasons for this-changing my relationship with the scale). I could tell I had probably reached my first goal because my clothes are getting looser and I really wanted to update my Ticker-so I weighed at the YMCA yesterday and woo hoo! I am down 10.5 all together and, by the skin of my teeth, I am no longer "officially obese". This is exciting and wonderful, but the changes taking place inside are even better. I am weary and irritable at the end of the days, but I am flying in victory each morning! Loving it! So here are a couple of numbers. For now, my Ticker will remain. (For now:)

Day 10: 1,117 calories, 12 glasses of water,
Day 11: 1,064 calories, 13 glasses of water, workout

Have a great weekend!
SueAnne

A Quick Request

Guys, I have a favor to ask. Everything's okay and will continue to be, but I could use a little prayer from ya'll. I just need God to keep me a little closer tomorrow and remind me of His divine grace and love. It's going to be a tough day and I think I may need all the help I can get.

And as always, each of you will be in my prayers.

What is your favorite 100 calorie snack?

My favorite 100 calorie snack is a rice cake with honey mustard and two slices of turkey meat. Here is the breakdown:

Rice Cake: 35 calories
Turkey meat: 30 each
Honey mustard: about 5 calories

What's yours?

Jules

Okay Jules, I'm cruisin' to my half way point

I'm just .8 away from the 50 pound mark babe. You have me so very curious with what you have planned for me with this historic 50 pound mark. You have been warned, and so has your husband. :) I'm hoping to make it there within the next few days or so. We shall see...

Days 8-9

Hello everyone,
Just posting my numbers since I can't weigh in to tell you if the scale has moved. Although the days are hard, I can't explain the peaceful hope I have in me. Letting the emptiness be there without filling it with food, is harder than I ever thought it would be. And although my husband is wonderful and supportive, I feel surprisingly alone. Do you guys remember that movie 28 Days with Sandra Bullock? I feel like that. Something is strangely new and different. Leaving that which is behind and striving for that which is ahead. And yet, not really knowing what lies ahead, just knowing that the Lord is leading:)

Day 8 1,257 calories, 14 glasses of water
Day 9 1,226 calories, 13 glasses of water, workout

Have a great day!
SueAnne

Oh 51, now your gone...An Ode

Oh 51, now your gone
You've left my body
You are on the run

I do not need you anymore
You made me thick
Wide as a door

I do not need you anymore
No!
I do not need you anymore

A new physic is what I seek
Not double wide and flabby cheeked
A bod that's healthy, toned and sleek

Oh 51, oh 51, you are out of my life
You are gone

Don't come back round here no more
I will work out and drink water
Forevermore

Oh I don't need you anymore
Oh I don't need you anymore

Selah


An Ode by Jules for my Kristina

I'm Back

I'm back ! My life has been so out of sinc for the last month and a half. My brother's sudden unexpected death, being out of the country for 2 weeks, planning a memorial, lots of company and ,oh yes, a birthday. I have still been loosing weight - but very slowly. I was tempted to stop going to Weight Watchers because I thought I was doing so poorly. I did go and was surprised that I was still loosing. My choices have been better even though I haven't been following the program - like writing everything done in a food journal, counting points etc. I do need to get back on track. It's funny how easy it is to start falling back into your old ways and old excuses when you get off track for awhile. I have just started going back to the Y. I am going to do my food journal and keep track of my points every day. I am going to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.

It feels so good to be wearing a smaller size. I got out my box of size 12 summer pants. They fit. Putting away my size 14 winter pants makes me so happy. I know, I know I should just take them to Value Village but it scares me to give them away. I've done that before and been sorry, so for now I will just put them away. I have also bought a few new smaller things. I guess I need that reward. I'm trying not to buy too much because I'm planning on being a size 10.

We all have our ups and downs but there is so much support on this blog. I am inspired by your posts. THANKS!

Whoo Hoo! I'm down 51 inches!!

I measured this morning at Curves, and have lost another 6 1/2 inches for the month! 51 inches all together ladies, 51 inches! That is four feet and three inches. My oldest son who is going on eight years old is 4'4" tall if you want a visual. ( I just measured his height). : ) I'm so excited. It almost feels like it isn't happening, but I know that it is. I had gotten accustomed to being large. The manager at Curves surprised me this morning by saying, 'Who knew that there was a slim hipped person under there?' That is where I've lost the most inches, just slightly under 10. I've lost a total of 7 inches off of my bust, 8 inches off of my waist, 9.25 from my abdomen, 9.75 from my hips, 4.5 off of each thigh, and 4 off of each arm. I'm so happy to see that all of my hard work and dedication is paying off.

Day 104: 1,487 calories, 12 glasses of water, workout
Day 105: 1,476 calories, 9 glasses of water
Day 106: 1,341 calories, 11 glasses of water
Day 107: 1,566 calories, 10 glasses of water, workout

Question

I haven't made it to the gym for the last week and a half. I'm eating well but I keep getting dizzy. I'm scared of fainting in a public place (I nearly hit the ground earlier in another lawyer's office) and I'm not sure I'm up to doing so on a treadmill at the Y. They're so helpful I'd wind up on an ambulance whether I wanted to be there or not.

What happens is I'll be getting up from a chair (not quickly) or standing for a few minutes and then I'll get all shaky and feel like I'm going to pass out. So far I've sat down - pretty much wherever I happen to be - and I'll be okay but still not feel very good for about the next half hour.

So my question is: has anyone else ever had something like this happen? My blood pressure has always been in the low but normal range and when I've taken it in the last week there hasn't been anything weird. Any ideas?

Complete first week:)

Hello everyone,
We had a great time at the Women of Faith conference in Spokane. Can't say the eating was easy. Saturday, I think was the most difficult day I have had so far. I was very tired and shaky. Walking around the Spokane arena with all my comfort foods...pizza, mochas, pop, cheesy fries.....

I can not say it has been easy, but each moring I wake up with a wonderful feeling of victory. I know if I can commit to the guidelines, God will teach me new ways to cope, new ways to think, new ways to eat. I know He is making permanent changes.

My tip for the day: My biggest weakness is mochas, especially when I am out, really tired, or stressed. I can become like a drug addict, shaking and craving and resisting, and crying. So, on my really bad days, when I am so very tempted, I mix up 3/4 c. frozen blueberries, 1 c. strawberries, and 1/2 c. milk for a sugar free smoothie. Then, I make sure I SIT DOWN to enjoy it and de-stress, read some devotional materials, and go on:)

Day 5: 1,217 calories; 9 glasses of water
Day 6: 1,069 calories; 5 glasses of water
Day 7: 1,257 calories; 9 glasses of water

Blessings to you all!
7 days sober
SueAnne

The scale is moving!!!

Hey everybody! I was gone all weekend at a fabulous Christian Women's Retreat! I feel so refreshed and excited. What an amazing time I had! I stepped on the scale this morning, it was down another 2.2 lbs! My hubby measured me (much to his joy...He is so playful) and I am down a total of 31 inches lost! I have lost 6 inches off my hips and 5.5 inches off my waistline! Loving this, just loving this! It seems to go so slowly, and then bam, you look at the compilation of your efforts and you get excited!

Have a fantastic week, dear people!

Love, Jules

Pizza for supper

We made pizza for supper. This is one of my FAVORITE foods. I worked really hard to make it user friendly. Here are the results. It was delicious. The good thing is that I can make it for lunch or supper anytime I want to since the ingredients are usually on hand. The entire pizza was 7 points. I could have used less cheese and that would have taken it down to 5 points.

My New Pizza

1 Mission Whole Wheat Tortilla
¼ c Pizza Sauce
½ c 2% Mozzarella Cheese
Baby Bella Mushrooms
Diced Green Peppers
Sliced Black Olives
1 t olive oil
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Salt

Optional Turkey Pepperoni adds 2 points

Coat tortilla with olive oil, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Heat in oven for 3 minutes. Cover with sauce, cheese and veggies. (You might cook the peppers in a skillet to soften them first. They were kinda crunchy.) Bake in oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Eat the whole thing.

1 serving is 7 points. (about 350 calories since one point averages to 50 calories.)

Noticeable Progress

It's nice to be able to see actual changes as we work so hard. I friend took this picture of me yesterday and - even though it looks a little like a mug shot - it strikes me that I'm finally looking thinner in the face.

Each person is different; each will gain weight in different areas at different times. For me, the first place I gain weight and the last place I lose it is in my face. (Alas, to show how cruel things can be, the last place I gain weight is my cleavage but that's the first place I lose it. Bummer.)

Since Kristina and Jules have new "svelt" signature pictures, I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. But you saw it here first!

I've reached my lowest weight in 7 1/2 years!

I'm feeling soooo good! This morning when I weighed myself, I was down exactly 47 pounds. This is my lowest weight since my oldest child was a few months old. I had been doing the same diet/lifestyle change then and had lost some weight. But I'm there again. Yeah for me! I've been working hard. I worked out six days this week. And have been faithful to my eating plan, even when I was super tempted to have some deep fried food.
I'll be getting measured one day next week, so I'm eager to see if there's been much of a change in the inches. I think I've lost at least a few more, I hope so.
Anyhow, I feel like I'm on top of the world. And I just thank God that He is giving me the grace to live a healthier, and much happier life!

Day 102: 1,493 calories, 11 glasses of water, workout
Day 103: 1,515 calories, 12 glasses of water, workout

Shaking the Emotional Eating

For reasons blogged about here, yesterday was a tough one. The good news is that I did not eat over the feelings. I FELT THEM. It was not easy nor are they pleasant feelings but I prayed alot, looked at pictures of Mom, cried, read my Bible, played with my kids, hugged my Honey and went out to dinner with the fam.

Today was homeschool Enrichment day. Four weeks ago when I was NOT on WW, I had ordered myself 3 slices of pizza for lunch. Sounds like a drunk ordering from the bar. I arrived at Enrichment with a turkey sandwich, yogurt and some veggies and canceled my pizza order. I smelled my children's pizza and what they didn't eat, I gave to a friend's child who was wanting some instead of "finishing the leftovers" which translates "eating more pizza than I ordered for myself and making myself sick".

Sunday will be another challenge. For those of you who are not Baptists, we tend to have what is called a POT LUCK lunch on Sunday. (I am sure other churches do the same and this one is full of great cooks.) These folks can cook. It is good ole' southern comfort food: roast, ham, meatloaf, 4 kinds of potatoes, creamed corn, rolls, and I have not even gotten to the dessert table, all washed down with sweet tea or lemonade. Since Baptists don't drink, we over eat. It is amazing the number who would not think of touching a drink yet overeat and pile the plate to the brim. I am planning on bringing a dish that I know the points value of. I will eat salad, too and then come home and make up for what I didn't get.

Each of these are small steps but they make up a pattern in my eating. Had I given into just one of these challenges, I would start a pattern of eating out of control. I can't go it alone. It is only with the help of the Holy Spirit that I can face each challenge. I pray that the challenges will get easier as I go along but it may be that they are always difficult for me. Paul talked about his "thorn in the flesh". Here is my thorn.

Just for laughs...Darth Naked Vadar

Wardrobe

Well, it's been slow going the last week but I do have progress to report: I'm now officially down a total of 11 pounds. Yay!

The downside to all of this is that my favorite pants no longer fit (unless being able to pull them off without unbuttoning/unzipping them counts as fitting). I guess I need to budget for new clothes. On the bright side, however, I'm almost to the point where I can wear all of the cute suits I bought back in law school. A few more pounds and I will fit them perfectly again!

(I knew there was a reason I don't throw out my skinny clothes. That I have a top and skirt that were all the rage in 1998 in a size four is of no consequence - by the time I could wear them again, I'm sure they will have come back in style). :)
__________

Ladies, I'm so proud of everyone I feel like I could burst! Each of you is doing so well. Keep it up!

Hi-ho hi-ho, off to Spokane we go....

Hello everyone!
Here are my latest numbers:
Day 3: 1064 calories, 12 glasses of water, 4 mile walk
Day 4: 1264 claories, 10 glasses of water, workout

Today was really tough. Lots of stress and anxiety. It would have been much easier to numb my senses with my favorite comfort foods, however I persevered. Barely......I think I will go curl up in the fetal position now.....

My mom and I are off to Spokane for the weekend to attend the Women of Faith conference. We are bringing emergency foods and a plan:)

Bye for now!
SueAnne

Jules logs in

Photos by Elicia Wendling at a recording studio in Seattle

Hey all! What a busy whirlwind of a week! Easter, working in a recording studio, babies being born, showing our apartment to prospective renters, being stood up 9 times by said renters....Geesh! No wonder I am beat! I even took a nap yesterday. I never, ever take naps. Crazy. So, this week has been ok. I made the big mistake of not keeping up with my journal as I went, so I had to play the old memory game and try and recall all that I consumed the day before and the day before that. Not fun. My memory cells are not too sharp these days. I know I probably left things out, too. I have resolved to be more on top of it all today. So far, so good. I don't really feel like my body made much progress this week. I feel like I really demanded a lot of it and that the stress alone undermined most of my efforts. I have not been in a regular workout routine for several weeks now and I am beginning to freak out about that. I need to get back to the Y. I fear I will be starting at square one again. Not good.

It is exactly a month, now till the Spring Hurrah! I am excited. We will have such a great day together.

Blessings on all of you ladies (and Randy of course). I am so proud of Miss Athenainaminivan and of SueAnne and Paige for your big steps this week. And Ms. Northwest, I think you are starting Prism as well....You ladies are inspiring to all of us. Kristina and Lisa continue to be such pillars of this community of bloggers. Thank you all for your great words. Thanks to Pink Slippers and Glitzy Guru and Chickadeeva for all your input as well. We all need one another, don't we???

Totals for the week:

Day 98: 1300 calories, 8 water, bee pollen
Day 99: 1256 calories, 8 water, bee pollen
Day 100: 942 calories, 8 water, bee pollen
Day 101: Easter Sunday, no journal
Day 102: 1207 calories, 8 water, bee pollen, exercised
Day 103: 1197 calories, 8 water, bee pollen
Day 104: 1150 calories, 6 water, bee pollen

A few things to be grateful for...

- 101 days in a row of a healthier lifestyle

- 46.2 pounds lighter!

- A healthier, stronger body

- A renewed sense of confidence

- A new wardrobe

- Having people not recognise me

- The 9 inches that have "melted" off of my hips!

- The pride in my husbands eyes

- Being expectant and excited about the future

Day 99: 1,497 calories, 16 glasses of water, workout
Day 100: 1,534 calories, 13 glasses of water, workout
Day 101: 1,524 calories, 12 glasses of water, workout

Emotional Eater/ Lack of Self Control

Jules, after my last wonderful post, talked about asking myself the deep questions.

She's right.

Why do I eat? Why do I overeat? The food- it isn't that good. Alot of times, after I eat it, I don't feel so hot. In fact, I feel kind of crappy. Both physically AND emotionally.

I am an emotional eater. I'm addicted to food as a way to numb pain the way an alcoholic is addicted to alcohol to numb pain. This is a very, very hard fact to face. It's difficult. Becuase you can't give up food the way you can abstain from alcohol. And in some ways I feel like this makes the addiction that much more complicated and frustrating.

Things have been going well for me. And I've been eating well. But I had a rough couple of weeks at work. I work in Foster Care, I'm a social worker. So when I say rough week, I don't mean that I had too much to do or that my coworkers sucked (although those things did happen.) Usually a rough week at work is rough emotionally because something difficult is going on with a child in foster care that I am dealing with.

On Thursday ( a week ago) it all came to a head and an end. And emotionally I crashed. That, couple with what I blogged about (on my other blog) tonight, have put me in something of an emotional crisis. And I am trying to eat my way out of it, apparently.

The problem is that when I'm eating crappy, it only makes me feel better temporarily. while I'm eating. Then that goes away and I'm left feeling worse because look at all the poor choices I made. Which just deepens the cycle of emotional food addiction.

The other thing is that for me, it's alot of work to eat well. It's alot of thinking, and planning, and making good choices. I tend naturally towards unhealthy food and laziness the way some people tend in the opposite direction naturally. So everytime I eat well, it's the result of thought, and some battle, and an intentioned decision. When things start getting more difficult emotionally, it's harder and harder to have the room and the energy to make the good choices, to deal with the whole journey AT ALL. And so I stop. I give up the first thing that I can, which is food. I just quit dealing with it. Those good choices, they do start coming easier after some time. I find myself wanting water and wanting healthy food. But it's just so easy to slip back.

Jules didn't say, "paige, tell us what the deep reasons are". But what's the point of being accountable if I can't be honest? If I can't say- THIS. This is why I eat, why I overeat, why I'm addicted. If I can't be honest, I have nowhere to go. If I can be honest, the next step is to continue working on it.

Tomorrow is a whole new day. Thank God.

Jolene lost 6 lbs. 8 oz...in a matter of minutes

A silly way to announce the birth of a dear friend's child, I know, but hey, what can I say! Jolene and Jeff had their long awaited baby girl this morning! Bethany Joy weighed in at 6 lbs. 8 oz and is 18.5 inches long. She is doing well and so is mom. Just thought I'd let you all know.

Jules

New York!

Hey ladies, I've been just plugging along, doing good! i went running three times this week and intend on going again this afternoon. this is a big step for me, not because running is hard for me, but because i've been scared of the changes it would cause in my life. I've gotten over those and I'm ready to be healthy throughout my body. Yesterday's was 3 miles! felt super good.
So I have a job interview today, in two hours actually, for a teaching position in New York City! I'm so excited about it, and I plan on moving back there in August. So i'm pushing to reach my goal weight of 135 by then! Such great things!
you're all doing awesome out there!
Mandi

Hahahaha.

Eating well?

What?

I'm supposed to be eating well? And making good choices about food?

You mean the Triple Play Sampler (Ribs, chicken tenders, fried shrimp, and fries) from Ruby Tuesday's WASN'T a good choice? What are you implying? That the blizzard from Dairy Queen wasn't the best option I had?

What are you SAYING? I should respect myself enough to treat my body to healthy food, instead of junk that slows my body down?

Are you crazy? That's so hard for me!

I mean, when I eat right, I do have an easier time making positive choices. But boy, when I slip... it just gets harder and harder to get back to where I was.

So what do you suggest to help me get back? I need some motivators. I mean, the fact that I need to lose weight to someday have a healthy pregnancy, that I need to lose weight to not get diabetes, that someday I want to look cute in clothes... for some reason these things are not convincing me.

Who wants to bet the inevitable gain on the scale will motivate me?

Weigh In Tonight

Man this weekend was a doosy. There were hot cookies in the hotel lobby, my favorite Mexican Food restaurant has great chips, Easter lunch was at the Cattleman's Restaurant. Inspite of it all, I managed to lose 2 pounds. Planning ahead was really a good thing. I was ready for the hard stuff and made decisions to eat some things and not some things. I had one cookie instead of 4-5 which I usually would have had. I chose Arroz con Pollo (chicken and rice) instead of Beef Enchiladas and I had green beans with my 5 oz sirloin steak instead of the 10 oz Ribeye with baked potato I use to get.

It is all about decisions. I did not feel deprived. I did not feel left out. It was wonderful to be with my family and to be home. I could feel your prayers of support and it makes all the difference. I am grateful for this group of ladies who support each other in our endeavors because we have all been there.

It was a blessed Easter. Resurrection is about new beginnings. This is my new beginning.

Day 2

Hello everyone,
I am a little tired, but still doing good and full of hope:)

Day 2:1064 calories;12 glasses of water;workout

PRISM Day 1

I have joined the ranks of those who are on the PRISM program. I am full of hope. Today, I have been sober (sugar addict) for one day. I look forward to all that God will open my eyes to. I will probably not post a journal EVERY day, but I thought I would for now-you know one day at a time! I got to go to a meeting and found my group tonight! So now I have the support of my mom (love you!), you all, and the ladies I just met! Thank you to everyone who posts here-love it!

Day 1: 1163 calories, 12 glasses of water

SueAnne

This is how I felt for most of the day yesterday!

Yesterday, on Easter, I really had a terrible attitude about my diet. First of all, I was heavily on my cycle and EVERYTHING was tempting me! I had gotten gormet cinnamin rolls for breakfast, and I'm the one that heated them up and served to everyone. That was awful!!! I had to rinse my hands off, for if I would have licked any of that sugary frosting off of my fingers, I probably would have shoved a whole cinnamin roll in at once, right afterwards.And then there were the pastries that they had out at church. And this is a good one, the minerature peanut butter cups that I loaded the plastic Easter eggs with. Why did I buy my favorite candy? Argh! I really struggled with my attitude. But I knew that if I'd have given in yesterday, I would have totally pigged out. With how emotional I was, and how deprived I was feeling at the time. So, I did not succumb, by the skin of my teeth.
I did allow myself an indulgence on Friday night however. My husband celebrated his 40th Birthday, and I had a yummy piece of cake after dinner. I can't even remember the last time that I had a piece of cake. And I wasn't feeling bad about it. In the past I could have easily had a few pieces... as cake is my favorite things in the whole world to eat. But I stayed in control, and that's really a large part of it, isn't it?
Anyow, I'm not feeling quite so grumpy today. But I'm still HUNGRY.
Day 96: 1,750 calories, 7 glasses of water, workout. ( Willem's Birthday)
Day 97: 1,627 calories, 7 glasses of water
Day 98: 1,509 calories, 7 glasses of water

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all of you! I am not journaling my food today, folks. I am not going to eat anything "illegal", but I am sure that I will go over my cals for the day. I am fine with that. I am going to have sugar free cheesecake for desert with cut up strawberries on it. Yum. Love to you all. He is Risen. He is Risen indeed.

Jules

Accountable

I'm going to start copying everyone else here who posts totals etc. But I'm going to post if I had a good or bad food day, whether I exercised, and how I handled things emotionally.

I think it's so important to be accountable, even for small things like food choices and exercise. It's important to have someone outside of myself letting me know- hey, look at the string of poor choices you're making, and yet you're whining about the scale?!?! So don't be nice ladies, let me have it! I need it.

I'm starting Monday though. That is irony itself, huh?

I'm so proud of everyone doing well- Jules, breaking 190, I'm SO jealous, Kristina, up to 45 pounds lost. I am right there with all of you struggling- I feel the pain. I know it's hard. We all do. That's why we're here. I also am going to try and post more, even when I'm struggling. Sometimes I don't want to post unless I have good news, but then what's the point of a support system if you don't let them support you???

Scale said down .6 this morning. At least it moved in the right direction, and with lots of poor and emotional choices this week, I'm just happy with that.

Have a wonderful Easter ladies.

Honesty

Hello everyone,
Here is where I am at. I don't want to post, but I know honesty and accountability are my friends:) I am a WW drop out. My group lost it's place and time slot. My journaling has stopped. I think WW is a GREAT program. I learned a lot about eating right and eating healthy portions. However, I am not just someone who needs to learn to eat better. I am an outright addict. Addicted particularly to sugar. I have asked the doctors about it for years, but they just test my blood sugar level and tell me I am fine and not diabetic. However, anyone who thinks that you cannot be addicted, does not know what it is like to be addicted.
Sugar is an addictive substance, however, like alcohol not everyone is addicted. I am down right addicted and usually looking for the next fix. It is never NOT on my mind. I am looking into the PRISM program and gathered some materials, and contacted a couple of local groups. I have found one that will work for me and am scheduled to go to an intro meeting on the 24th. I cannot deny that weight loss will be a welcome side affect, but my main motivation is to be free from the monster. The stronghold. The addiction.
Right now I am just trying to eat good and make good choices (we all know how successful that is-HA). But I am mentally and emotionally kissing my comfort foods goodbye-forever. I know when I actually start the program, I will never look back. I am talking to prayer partners to keep me accountable and count on you all as well:)
Happy Easter!
He is risen!
SueAnne

A Boast and A Recipe

Guess who's wearing her oh-so-cute navy and white Ann Taylor skirt in a size 10 to work today? I don't know whether to be grateful or depressed that everyone thinks its new since I haven't worn since the first month or two I worked at my firm (and I've been here almost two years). I'll settle for grateful at the moment.

Since Easter is Sunday, I set out to come up with some "We ate it, moved it, lost it"-acceptable treat for those of us who have sworn off the chocolate bunnies. Here is what I've come up with (warning: recipe ahead): Dipped Grapes

Take several (or several dozen) large cold grapes with a little bit of the stem left at the top (I like the green grapes but I've had them with red and they're still good), dip just the very bottom of the grape (no more than 1/3 of the way up the grape) in melted white almond bark. Before the bark cools, dust the very bottom with smashed cashews (and I do mean smashed - they have to be pretty much dust so I generally run them through the food processor). Then refrigerate and let the bark harden.

A couple of these are generally enough to satisfy my sweet tooth and they're great to take along to other people's houses. I'll try to take pictures, but I found this recipe and it's just too good not to share. And as far as good for you, they have the chocolate bunnies beat hands down!

I hope each of you has a blessed Easter/Resurrection Sunday/Passover/religious celebration of your choice!

Lisa

I'm up to 45 pounds now... Yipee!!

As of this morning, I am exactly at a 45 pound loss! I'm feeling so good, and I think I'm looking pretty darn good too. I've lost more inches too. I'm pretty sure that I have, but I'm not getting measured until the last week of the month. They really only want to measure you once a month at Curves. Anyhow, I went to the thrift store yesterday and got some more jeans. One pair in particular are like new, and I feel so fine in them. The one's Jules gave me were starting to hang on me. I really feel so much better when things fit me properly. Especially now that I have more of a figure of a woman, and less of a figure of a marshsmellow. I mean, that's really how I was feeling.
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!
Day 92: 1,449 calories, 13 glasses of water, workout
Day 93: 1,604 calories, 14 glasses of water, workout
Day 94: 1,524 calories, 16 glasses of water, workout
Day 95: 1,488 calories, 11 glasses of water, workout

New Ticker, Blessed Easter, and some other stuff

I figured out how to put a ticker at the bottom thanks to Kristina. Thank you Kristina. It is a bit depressing letting the fact that I need to loose more than I need to keep be out here in cyberspace.

Happy and Blessed Easter to you all. May you be renewed with the love of Jesus and remember His great gift to us all, eternal life with HIM!!! Halleluah, what a Savior.

This weekend I will be in my hometown, with my family and staying at a hotel (and probably visiting my mother's grave) any one of which could lead to complete emotional eating and total break down. I am trying to plan to take food that I can snack on. I managed to get our dinner reservations for Sunday at a restaurant where you order off the menu instead of an all you can gorge buffet. The candy from the Easter bunny is not what I like and that was very intentional. I have grapes, string cheese, sliced turkey, baked chips, bananas, and cucumbers to snack on.

I love my family there is no doubt but being together makes us all eat too much. My prayer this weekend is to walk in the Spirit and be filled with the Spirit so there is no room for food. I want to take it all in and join in as my children play and love life. I want to hold hands with Honey. I want to cuddle with my sister and whisper under the covers. I want to smell Old Spice on my daddy's neck. I want to be insulted by my big brother. And on top of all of it I will stay on program.

I broke the 190's!

I am now out of the 190's, everyone! I am strutting around the house in my size 14s, wearing a BELT(Reese was sure that I was stealing Daddy's belt, but mine is pink with rhinestones, thank you very much. I told him that just because he has never seen me wear a belt doesn't mean I don't own one!) and feeling cute. The scale said 189.6 and I will take it, baby! I remember when it said 199 and I was so excited to be out of the 200's, well, now I am distancing myself even further from that number and I am thrilled. Here are my stats for the past few days:

Day 92: 1189 calories, 6 glasses of water, exercised, vitamins(bee pollen)
Day 93: 1685 calories, 6 glasses of water, vitamins(bee pollen)
Day 94: 1125 calories, 6 glasses of water, vitamins(bee pollen)
Day 95: 1180 calories, 8 glasses of water, exercised, vitamins(bee pollen)
Day 96: 1174 calories, 8 glasses of water, vitamins(bee pollen)
Day 97: 1223 calories, 8 glasses of water, exercised, vitamins(bee pollen)

Kinda Boring Update

Hi Ladies!!
Everyone's been doing so well! I'm doing pretty good. When I measured on Monday- I was down another 3.5 inches!! I've had to put several pairs of pants away- they're all too BIG! That's a really nice feeling. The scale is doing a little better- was down 1.3 on Saturday. I'm worrying less about it, particularly because I am seeing other changes. My body feels better overall, what with all the exercising!! Andthe pants and the inches sure are good indications that something good is going on in there! I'm just sticking with that.
Exercising is good, miraculously. My husband helps with trying to get me up- some mornings it's no easy feat!! But I'm always happy I've exercised. The eating remains the same- I don't know. I constantly, constantly struggle with making good choices, particularly when eating out. I just don't make them. I really don't want to, in all honesty. I like my bad choices, the way they taste. I'm worried- I don't want to buy food out and then not like it! So instead I continually make poor choices. This is the battle- I need to reframe my perception of eating out, that's for sure.
I'm still around! Just busy over here. Little energy for typing once I get home from my crazy job. :)
Thanks for listening, and the support ladies.

Okay ladies, what can we accomplish by the Spring Hurrah?!

39 more days girls, just 39 more days until our Spring Hurrah. Do we have any goals? Are you envisioning what you are wanting to look like, or feel like by then? If you haven't, maybe you should. We all are in this together, and we all need encouragement. I, personally, would like to fit comfortably into a size 14 pant by then. And I would LOVE to break the 200 pound mark. I'm still eleven pounds away from that.
And so, what are your goals? And are you saving your money to go on a huge shopping spree? 'Cause after lunch, we are going to shop, shop, shop!

First Weigh in Tonight

First weigh in tonight at Weight Watchers. I am so excited. I have not stepped on the scale in a week. Send me light thoughts.

UPDATE: First weigh-in tonight and I lost 6 pounds. YEA. It is a good start and since I am looking at one day at at time and not the long term I am so excited. This weekend will be a toughy. With Easter (and 3 baskets of goodies), going to my dads, staying in a hotel, and the anniversery of my mom's death it will be a challenge not to eat over emotions but I know if I stay filled with the Holy Spirit instead of food I can make it. I bought candy I don't like but the kids like for the Easter baskets and I bought less of it too. They don't need it either.

My hard work is paying off!

I had the manager check my body fat percentage this morning, because, as you know, I am very motivated by numbers. And anyhow, in two weeks time my body fat has gone down a solid 1.1%! Bringing that total up to 7.6% that I have lost. I'm building muscle you guys, I'm building muscle. For me it isn't just about losing weight, I want to lose FAT. So I am very encouraged.
Day 88: 1,570 calories, 16 glasses of water, (I worked out twice!)
Day 89: 1,486 calories, 16 glasses of water
Day 90: 1,798 calories, 10 glasses of water, workout ( This was the day at the hospital with my mom)
Day 91: 1,560 calories,12 glasses of water

Happy Birthday, QueenLivalot!

My sweet Yommy (Your Other Mother) celebrates a birthday today! Go on over to my blog for a lengthy tribute to her Queenlyness...Who is still shrinking and becoming more healthy and gorgeous each day!

My mom is with us now

After 9 1/2 hours in the ER and a gammet of tests, my mom was diagnosed with diverticulitis. Which is several small bags which have formed on the outside of her colon. In addition, one of the bags had an absess that had ruptured. She was having severe abdominal pain. They put her on two different types of antibiotics and a pain killer. She'll be staying with us for a couple of more days. And I'm getting her a primary care physician here in Everett, which we'll be following up with either on Monday or Tuesday. Last December, when she was admitted to Whidbey General hospital, they had misdiagnosed her. In addition to many other things. I'm just happy that I was able to persuade her to come to the hospital over here on the main land, just a few miles from my house. Thank you for your prayers, we really appreciate it.

Please Pray...

Please pray for Kristina's mom, Katie. She is back in the hospital with severe stomach pains. Last time, she spent several days in a Whidbey Island hospital. That was hard on Kristina and the care there was less than great. This time, she was able to talk her mom into coming over to Everett. They are at Providence Hospital right now, waiting for a doctor's evaluation. She wanted me to post this on the blog to rally some prayer support. I will keep you all updated when I hear more. Love to all.

Jules

Scales

This resides at my house. It sits in the bathroom and taunts me on a daily basis. "Just step on me," it seems to say. Today, I told it, "NO." I am only going to weigh in at my meetings. I am not going to let my mood be determined by a piece of equipment that cost $39.99 at major stores. This has been sent into the closet to reside with the clothes that don't fit and the winter shoes and coats. I hope they become good friends.

Today is my Riley's 8th Birthday!

If your name is smiley Riley clap your hands!

If your name is smiley Riley clap your hands!

If your name is smiley Riley
And your very very smiley
If your name is smiley Riley clap your hands!

Happy birthday, my sweet boy of 8! The day you were born was such a wonderful day for our family. You are smart, funny and so precious to us all. There is no one else like you, Bubbs.

Love, Mom

end of phase 1!

So i have just finished seven weeks of Prism and have lost 16.8 lbs! I'm so excited about it! I reached my first goal which was to break 176, (obesity), my next goal for phase two is to get below 163. 13 pounds is doable I think. Especially since I'm starting to exercise more now. Praise God!! Thanks for all the support!
mandi

Peeking in the door...

to see what is going on here. You all are so awsome. I have not done awsome but Tuesday night I gave up trying it on my own and rejoined Weight Watchers. A friend from church is joining with me. Wednesday I stayed on program and met my points. Today was the same. It has only been two days but one day at a time (as my friends of Bill W. say). Just for today I will stay on program. Just for today

Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle all my problems at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

End of Phase 2! I have completed 13 weeks!

Yesterday marked my 90th day on my program, I am successfully through Phase 2 of my program and trotting on to phase 3. I can add whole wheat pasta to my list of legal foods! That will be cool. Here are my stats for the past 10 days. I was sick days 80-85, so my exercise routine really suffered.

Mandi, have you weighed in yet??? I can't wait to find out what you have lost! I lost 16 lbs. on phase 1 and 7.6 lbs. on phase 2. I am losing about 1.3 lbs. a week, realistically. I will take that. I will take anything, really. If I continue and don't have a big plateau, I will be at my goal around Christmas or New Years. What a holiday that will be! Regardless, I am going to get lots of new winter clothes, that's for sure! I should have picked up more wood hangers at IKEA! Ha!

Day 80: 1397 calories, 9 glasses of water
Day 81: 1276 calories, 8 glasses of water
Day 82: 1248 calories, 9 glasses of water, exercised
Day 83: 1232 calories, 7 glasses of water
Day 84: 1048 calories, 8 glasses of water
Day 85: 1187 calories, 8 glasses of water
Day 86: 1180 calories, 8 glasses of water
Day 87: 1508 calories, (friend's bday, sugar free cheesecake put me over the top!), 9 glasses of water
Day 88: 1213 calories, 8 glasses of water
Day 89: 1150 calories, 8 glasses of water, exercised
Day 90: 1614 calories, 9 glasses of water, exercised

I'm reaching hard to break the 2's!

I'm just 11.6 pounds away from breaking the 200 pound mark! You guys, I may just be able to get there by the time of the Spring Hurrah. 45 more days until we all will be getting together. 45 more days to work my butt off and drinks tons of water. :) What a huge milestone that would be for me. But even if I don't quite make it to that point come may 20th, I still have so much to be proud of. This last three months I've discovered that I really am stronger than I had thought. I've discovered that I don't have to be trapped by fat for the rest of my life. That I don't have to buy into that lie. I've discovered that I CAN change, and I am.
My stats:
Day 85: 1,512 calories, 14 glasses of water, workout
Day 86: 1,522 calories, 13 glasses of water, workout
Day 87: 1,609 calories, 15 glasses of water, workout

The Right Way to Reach My Water Quota

Ladies, I have a proposal/theory/something fun to try out.

I've been drinking 8 glasses of water each day, but today I was almost double that. It turns out (and I did know this before) that hanging out with the guy leads me to drink a TON of water. Glasses and glasses of it. I can go through more than two quarts in an hour. I have to do something to keep me busy otherwise I get a little nervous (albeit in a good way) and can't think properly to keep up the flirting; plus it's a little flirty itself. Was it the movie Clueless that said "anything you can do to bring attention to your lips is good"?

Anyhow, that's how I propose I get my water from now on: the "prolonging the anticipation before I let you kiss me, handsome" technique. Feel free to test it on your own. It comes highly recommended.

(Actually, I do this with everyone when we're just talking with no other distractions. I have to have something to do other than just sit there and look at them. During meetings, substitute a coffee cup or a notepad for me to jot things down on, but it makes me a better listener. From now on I'll try to do it with water instead of coffee though.)

Okay, enough of the silliness.

Your well-hydrated blogger-buddy,
Lisa

I thought this was worth a read

I've been researching a little bit about how much water we should drink. Recently they had something posted at Curves and I wanted to see what other people had to say about it. I found this article that a nutritionist had written, and it says exactly what they had posted at Curves. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't drinking too much, so this helped put me at ease. For my weight, I should be drinking 13 1/2 to 15 1/2 cups a day, depending on if I've worked out, and also my caffeine intake.

How Much Water do we Need to Drink?

A good estimate is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day. If you exercise you should drink another 8 ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. If you drink coffee or alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When you are traveling on an airplane, it is good to drink 8 ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in an arid climate, you should add another 2 servings per day. As you can see, your daily need for water can add up to quite a lot.

The best source of water is plain, pure drinking water. Sodas have a lot of sugar in them and aren't a good source, so if you drink them, they don't count towards your daily amount. Herbal teas that aren't diuretic are fine. Sports drinks contain electrolytes and may be beneficial, just look out for added sugar and calories that you don't need.

Carry A Water Bottle

It may be difficult to drink enough water on a busy day. Be sure you have water handy at all times by keeping a bottle for water with you when you are working, traveling, or exercising. If you get bored with plain water, add a bit of lemon or lime for a touch of flavor. There are some brands of flavored water available, but some of them have sugar or artificial sweeteners which you don't need.

Guess where we went today?!

It was such a beautiful day today! We had a wonderful time at the Tulip Festival. The tulips are just now coming into bloom. We stopped at an Alpaca farm on the way up and then this picture is from Tulip Town. It looks like Atira is giving Jordan a piggy back ride doesn't it? It cracked me up! This is not related to what I ate today, but you could count it toward "I moved it"! Well, I just had to share, it was a great day to be outside! 

caterpillar to butterfly changes for me

Lost a cup size in the ol' brazier.

Bought a size L sweatshirt.

Wearing "normal" pants from Gap (size 14).

40.6 pounds gone.

Love life supercharged (more self confidence).

Sugar addiction gone.

Hope renewed.

New friendships made.

Fitness level raised.

88 days on my program completed!

Now That It's Safe to Tell You...

I am down almost 8 pounds. I wasn't sure this weekend because I was a little dehydrated (yes, I'd been drinking water but also margaritas), but this morning I stepped on the scales after my shower (ooh, it was 8 lbs when I was "dripping wet!") and it looks like it's true.

This is miraculous because since joining you guys I have been very intent on the "it's a lifestyle, not a diet" mindset. I have lost weight before - even considerable weight - being what I call "in training." 7 days a week at the gym, running 4-6 miles per day, eating a specific diet - it works, the pounds fall off you, but it's not sustainable. I am not willing to do that forever, and inevitably I have the sad "I don't think I will ever be allowed to eat another piece of chocolate again" moment (usually while standing in my kitchen) and I just want to cry.

The training approach works to take the pounds off, but you may have noticed that it doesn't work to keep them off. That's why I'm here.

I'm rolling with the lifestyle portion of this. If I want chocolate, I have chocolate. If it's not taboo, it's not so much of a treat that I feel like I need it. In fact, last night I had one of those small Cadbury chocolate bunnies - you know, the ones about the length of your finger - and I only ate the ears. I didn't want the rest, so it got wrapped up and put in the fridge. If I know I can have it later, I'm less likely to eat it all now. So despite several encounters with enchiladas, a croissant debauchery, a few too many margaritas last weekend which left me in a "must have tacos" state, I have lost weight. I watch what I eat most of the time, but nothing is off limits. I schedule activities into my day to get exercise, but it's no longer "I have to run X miles today otherwise I'll be mad at myself." It's regular tennis games, dancing with friends, yoga classes.

This is the easiest (albeit kind of slow) it has ever been for me to lose weight, but it would have been twice as hard if ya'll weren't so wonderful.

size 10!

Well ladies this is my spring break (i teach at everett high) and so I went nutts on my errands I haven't done in forever. Got my oil changed, went to costco, albertsons, trader jo's, post office, and then target. I thought I'd just have fun seeing the new styles at target to end my day and found some cute stuff. I new I'd fit into a large shirt now, but wasn't sure about size ten. I've been wearing a pair of jeans that are 10's but they are a little stretchy so I wasn't sure. Well, I tried on three skirts and one pair of shorts that were all size ten and they all fit!! I was so excited! I didn't end up buying anything because I don't make any money interning and thought, "if I save my money I might be a size eight when our bloggers go shopping! Holy crap! I still have at least thirty pounds to go, I'm beginning to think a 4 isn't wholly impossible! We'll see!

Inches!

I measured this morning... I've lost three inches in the past week!!!

I'm loving the Firm videos still.

I have found, of course, that while I do wonderful eating for the most part during the week, I tend to fall apart during the weekends. What are your weekend strategies?

Sugar Addiction

Here is a great article on sugar addiction.

Jules

Down another .8!

Up to 40.8 now. Not a huge loss from last week, but at least the scale is moving in the right direction. And yeah for me, I figured out how to change the info on my ticker! Jules had to help me out to get it posted the first time. It's kind of a big deal for me, there is still so much about computers that I don't know. I am, shall I say, a work in progress when it comes to technical stuff.

Ode to the Purple Blouse

It was very very pretty
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
Purple button down
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
She looked so fine
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
cruising 'round Everett Town

On Turkey day came disappointment
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
When out the closet it came
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
She put it on before the feast day
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
It just didn't fit the same!

After working out at Curves
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
And sticking to her Prism Plan
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
She tried on that lovely purple
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
This fit she could now understand


She tossed it without sorrow
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
She donated it without pain
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
For it was too big and sloppy
(na, na, na, na, na, na)
She's too thin to wear it ever again!

Congrats and fare the well to the purple blouse!
Jules

The history of my favorite blouse

First of all, no, this is not my blouse. I just thought it was a funky photo. :)I have had a certain lavender colored blouse for about a year and a half now. I bought it back when I had first started working out at Curves and had lost some inches. I distinctly remember the evening that I bought it. I felt so fabulous in it. It was very flattering on me. I wore it a great many times. And then I went on a three month "break" and stopped excercising and started pretty much eating whatever I wanted. (Very bad idea!) I gained weight, and inches back. In fact, I climbed to my highest weight ever. I tried my blouse on on Thanksgiving and it looked hideous. The buttons were bulging, and I sadly had to hang it back in my closet. Well, I got to the point where I could wear it comfortably again, after my major diet change in January. But then it started to get kind of baggy on me, and so I opted to wear other things. And finally, last week when I tried it on again, it was SOOO big on me that it looked ridiculous. That was a major thing for me. And so, this lavender blouse is now in my donate pile. I am happily going to give it away, and it will never be my favorite ever again. For I am NEVER going back to that size.
Here's some numbers:
Day 82: 1,504 calories, 6 glasses of water, workout
Day 83: 1,528 calories, 13 glasses of water
Day 84: 1,714 calories, 12 glasses of water

Tired

OK, well I am just tired. Tired of trying. Tired of failing. Just plain tired. Not real hopeful right now. Not thinking about the permanent changes. Just tired:(
SueAnne

Time to kick it up another notch!

Okay, so, I've JUST found out that my 20th class reunion is a whole month earlier than I had anticipated. I thought that I had until the third week in August, but alas, I only have until the 22nd of July!I just spoke with a former classmate that is coordinating it. I know that I still have nearly four months, but that extra one sure would have been nice. Originally I had wanted to lose sixty pounds by then, but then I had set a new goal to lose seventy. I guess that I will lose what I lose. But it sure would be nice to be looking hot by then. Maybe it's just my pride, I don't know. I had mostly forgotten what it is like to take pride in my looks until just a few months ago.