Hi everyone!
Well I have been working hard at eating well and keeping my carbs under 20. I even got some excercise in yesterday. I am glad that this got started, as I thing it will help me get re-motivated.

Way to go Heather! That is really great for one day. What are you going to do tomorrow? I agree working around the house or yard is great exercise. I spent my morning doing aerobic spray painting from 8 till 1. You have to make a commitment to your self to exercise a certain number of times each week and for a set amount of time. Set a small goal for your self and see if you can reach that goal. Then in a week or so increase the goal. You know it doesn’t have to be a big goal. So what is your plan? What is your goal?

I think what hit me this time is I need to spend some time on my self. If I want to feel better, and live longer, then I have to take care of my self. If I wait much longer it will be way to late. Does anyone else feel this way?

You all better listen to this old lady!

Jean

PS I am and have been posting my food and exersice on fitday.com.
Food and exercise

Jean, I two worry about evveryone else and I need to worry about my self and weight loss. I really need help there.

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Posted by tina-mich - Today at 00:15
Jean, I two worry about evveryone else and I need to worry about my self and weight loss. I really need help there.
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Hi tina from Mich,

It’s seems that we women worry and take care of everyone else first. We have to try and correct this a little. It is very hard to change life patterns, such as how we eat, and how we exercise but it can be done. That is the key to making this change a life time change. We must form new habits and keep them. Do not stop these habit even on vacation, or for the weekend, which were I have always failed. You know you think well I can eat while on vacation or over the weekend (with the company) and when I get back, or on Monday, I will go back to eating correctly. Well, I never do go back until I am a mess again. That never ever works. You have to stay with it and do not give up.

So get up early before everyone else is up and get your exercise in. THIS IS FOR YOU! Find the exercise that you enjoy the most and just do it.

Writing this helps me too! I need to stay motivated. I have to be here next year telling you how we all have made it to were we want to be.

Would everyone who has lost weight then gained it back please tell us you’re down fall. I would love to know what else to watch out for.

From a New Friend
Jean from Oklahoma

PS I have lived in so many places that It seem wrong to say I am from OK. I am really from Oregon, California, Nevada, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Am I supposed to be able to name just 1 downfall???

A few years back I saw a picture of myself at 256 lbs. I was disgusted. Along with my disgust was the dread of a 10 year class reunion and my brothers wedding within the year. So I found Atkins, stayed at less than 15 carbs every day for about 10 months and got down to 170 or so. I felt good, I looked good, I even didn't mind all the exercise. And boy was I getting noticed. Men were looking at me again, flirting with me even. Women were not quite as friendly...and family members gushed about the improvement. I felt... GRRRREAT! (inflect Tony the Tiger there).

THEN...I went to the reunion and the wedding and blew it. BIG TIME. By the time I made it back to New Jersey I was already at 180 I think. I promised...promised...myself I would NEVER be over 200 again...NO MATTER WHAT!

And here I am. I kept thinking "ok...today I'll finish off this candy or this left-over pasta or whatever...and then tomorrow I'm back on Atkins. And maybe I'd do that...the next day I'd "try" to go back on Atkins and then my husband would suggest dinner at the Italian place...or we'd have a family get together...or it's Christmas...or we're running late and will have to eat fast food. Whatever. I have always had an excuse to blow it and couldn't get the motivation to stick to it like I had before.

I LOVE junk food...I LOVE pasta...I LOVE alcohol. My "downfall" is just plain old weakness...to live in the moment rather than thinking about the long-term consequence of eating stuff I LOVE. I KNOW all the right things to do. I KNOW how good I felt. I KNOW how much I hate being fat, hate that those stupid plastic stacking chairs exist and my butt doesn't fit in them comfortably anymore. I HATE that I have to buy "fat lady" ugly clothes. I HATE that my closet is full of "cute" clothes I can't fit into anymore. I HATE that I don't even want my husband to look at my body....heck, I don't even want to look at it myself!

With all of these strong emotions you'd think I'd be motivated to stay the course...but now I have this lingering doubt...realizing I lost it and SWORE I'd never gain it back...and then I failed. I DID gain it back...plus some. Maybe it's just not even worth the effort to lose it again?

Well...hopefully those negative feelings won't take over. Right now...I'm on track. I'm sticking to it and I feel hopeful. I'm here because I need this support...I need people who will hold me accountable even when I'm feeling negative about it myself.

Sorry this got long...My guess is maybe someone else out there can relate...or maybe it will just be the motivation someone needs to stop messing up now before they gain back ALL of their weight...or maybe I just needed to spill it all out for once. Whatever the reason I let this get so long...I guess I do feel a bit better.

Heh...maybe all of the typing burned off a couple calories!

Heather

Good afternoon All,

Boy Heather if did not know better I would have thought I wrote that. Those are my exact thoughts too. I have had the same fears and I also LOVE junk food...I LOVE pasta...I LOVE alcohol to much. I think that having food cravings is like being an alcoholic. Just like them we can’t take that day off. It will kill us.

This time I want to go to my closet and through out all of the big close so I can not put them back on without buying new ones. Hee Hee!

THE GOOD THING IS WE DO NOT AND SHOULD NOT GIVE UP. WE CAN DO IT WE KNOW WE CAN. LOOK AT YOU GOING 10 MONTHS ON 15 CARBS THAT IS AMAZING AND YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN A METAL FOR IT

I want to give you a new name from now on it the Last Do-Over. I can't take the the wedding or the vacation off and you can't either. OK?

A Freind
Jeanne

Count me in too. I'm in a slump and need to get re-motivated. I want to lose 14 lb. by September 27 -- my class reunion!

What is our goal as a group?

Hi guys - hope that everyone is having a good low-carb weekend (what is left of it ... work tomorrow ... groan!) ...

I am going to post 2 recent pictures of myself as a spur for weight loss, they are so hideous that if they werent digital then they would have been ripped up and put in the bin straightaway!!! But hopefully they should serve well as 'before' shots!!! ... it doesnt help that I am wearing awful clothes as well!!!!

At the moment I weigh 204, I hope to be in the 180's by the end of the three weeks, am going to follow the induction of Atkins strictly. I am going to a friends wedding on the 16th August and there will be a few bitchy ex-colleagues there from an old job, and I know that they will have a field day seeing the amount of weight I have piled on. I know that I shouldnt care what they think, but it is soooooooo hard not to go on a self-loathing paranoid trip!!!

I dont have a tape measure, but will try and get one by the end of the week so can post my measurements!

No alcohol until the 16th!!!! I will need all help I can get - am so grateful for the support on this forum - i now cant imagine going through this alone!!!

Lindyx

Hello to nitwit and TexLady,

It is great to meet you here. When you both lose your weight and go the wedding and the class reunion I think you both need to post your pictures of your selves at the events so everyone can see how great you looked.

Jean

Jean, that is a great idea. I'm not sure how to post pictures, so if anyone can give me some pointers I would appreciate it.

After you press the "Post Reply" button look below the reply input window and you will see the " Manage Attachments ". When you press this it will bring up another window that I will call the Browse window. Press the "Browse" button to browse your own computer and locate the picture on your system that you want to share. When you find your picture press the "OK" Button and then the "Add this File" Button. Then please be patient. You picture cannot be too big and sometimes it takes a bit to get it uploaded. So wait for that Browse window to tell you it had a problem or it was successful.

Okay, my understanding is this challenge runs until August 6.
My goal is to lose 5 lb. That will put me at 168 lb.

My biggest challenge is exercising. Walking is out because it's just too hot here in the Houston area. I need to drag out my treadmill.

or go to the mall and walk around! do you do yard work like cutting the grass? maybe go dancing! that's a fun exercise!

This is a perfect challenge for me, is it too late to climb on the bandwagon? I have a family wedding 8th August and am really motivated to lose as much as I can by then. 199 would be a dream but we'll see what happens.

Tholian:

It's NEVER to late to join in the "fun"...Welcome! Just tell us your starting weight and stay in touch telling us how it's going...that's all! Then on the 6th we'll see who lost the highest % of weight...and bombard the winner with all kinds of praise and envy!

Hope every one is staying motivated...how about each of us posts our exercise for today? I want to see if we're all up and moving!

Heather