Had a good weekend and was rewarded with another pound hopefully lost forever. Someone asked how I had been successful thus far. I guess my answer would be that I've only cheated once in the 6 1/2 months and that was eating a chicken breast with a coating on it. I'm so afraid that if I cheat, I'll never get back on the wagon. I had one 3 week stall after induction but otherwise I've seen some weight loss each week. Of course you have to realize that I have an awful lot of weight to lose. I've never stayed on any type of diet more than a few weeks so I find myself amazed at myself. And I can't imagine going back to the old ways. Thank you guys for your support and interest. Have a good week everyone.

Good morning, friends! I do indeed call you friends, because we are holding each other accountable.

Don't you all love the little tidbits about our lives? The battling head-on with cancer, the new sexy haircut, the....trip to Seattle to see Queen? Honey you are dating yourself now! LOL They were popular when I was in highschool. Ahh, the ol' football song "We will we will rock you". But sorry to say, I don't know who Freddie McMurray is? I can only think of the guy on Absentminded Prof. and My 3 Sons....who is he?

Hope you all had a fabulos weekend! Sorry, just briefly read over the posts here before getting ready. Will read more later...a cup of coffee with my new friends!




Doin' the happy dance.....

Official weigh in for 8 September: 182!

-3# loss since week 1 of the challenge. Let's see your numbers move, too!
You can do it!

All because of the enouragement from you and others at this forum.

Make it a great day, everyone!
Hugs, Annie-Pie

Morning ladies, I hope you don't miond my long post but I just finished updating my journal so I just copied the same thing for here. It's kind of long but I know you wonderful ladies don't mind. After reading you will understand why I am soooooo jealous of you guys who have lost weight...Okay I am so embarassed to say that I blew it over the weekend. <taking the walk of shame> I did so well up until Saturday. Friday night I even attended my kid's school picnic where they had all kinds of off limit goodies and I was sooooo thirsty but still stuck to my guns and refused to indulge. Then comes Saturday, <mind you I did well until 8:30 P.M> that is when I decided to do a Mcdonald's run for the kiddies.. I ended up getting an Italian beef sandwich for myself. < an Illinois thing> So I figured Okay, eating the bread this one time won't hurt and besides, I have been good all day and since I only had one meal previous this bread <which by the way is delicious...just melts in your mouth> won't put me that much over my carb limit, so I ate it... and believe it or not I was okay with myself afterwards. Then comes Sunday, I'm out of bacon, I'm out of eggs..only thing left is cereal and I have already missed breakfast so it is about lunch time now... I decide against the cereal and run to the grocery store.. all the while thinking of how long it will take for my bacon and eggs to get done if I have to cook them myself , so I opt for a pizza < heyyy my kids are hungry too> so I pop that in the oven < took just as long as bacon and eggs but I guess when you're hungry you lose all thought and reason> so I eat a few slices, have some doughnut holes < My kids held me down and tied my hands and shoved them in my mouth ... the little monsters> and to top it all off later that evening I had some juice. Which brings me to today, Monday the 8th...A new start to the brand new me. I have eaten breakfast, taken my flax, drank 30 Oz of H20 and duhn,duhn, duhn, duhn, duuuuuuhn....<drum roll please>. I am going to do an upper body weight workout and try out my Winsor Pilates... Pray for my Will power ladies...PLEASE!!!!

Oh by the way... The only Fred Mcmurray that I know of was the one on My 3 sons also. I'm interested in knowing who he is as well.

Hi Everyone,

Freddie Mercury was the lead singer for Queen. A rock band from the 70's. He was one of the first famous people to die from HIV/AIDS.

Chyna: Don't beat yourself up! You can still maintain the weight you have already loss as long as you stay on plan all of this week. Then by next weekend, you should be back to losing again as long as you stay on plan next weekend. We are a lot like. I am the same way when it comes to justifying cheats except I finally made it through ALL weekend on plan. With this WOE, it is imperative to plan ahead and have back up meals AT ALL TIMES. If there is not something in there readily available to eat, then we are all apt to fail because when we are hungry the mind starts to play terrible tricks on us. I always keep steaks, the deli chickens, lettuce for salads, etc. on hand in case I don't have time to cook. If first you don't succeed, try, try again! It was the same with my smoking. I smoked for 20 years and after quitting several times, I finally did it about 1 1/2 years ago cold turkey. Just don't go off plan this week because you will gain back the 9 lbs you have lost thus far. Hang in there!

Karen: You definitely sound motivated now. Glad to hear that the pain in your heel is better. Now, you can start sweatin to the oldies!

Susan: I just turned 40 this past March 11th. I know how you feel. Turning 40 can be depressing in itself. I'm sorry to hear about your brother's passing too.. What a horrible experience to have to deal with. I can relate to not having any friends around from the past. It's so true that noone wants to keep in touch and it's hard to make new friends at our age. You might consider joining a gym or class where you could meet new people. I'm in the same boat. At least I have my fiance, my best friend... Take care and hopefully you will not be depressed too long.

Fishie: I want to congratulate you on losing almost 60 lbs and being cheat free! You are definitely a strong person and well disciplined. You are my inspiration!

Well, I better get back to work! I will check back later around 5 p.m. Eastern time. Bye!

Dear Susan,

I am sending you a great big hug. Sounds like you had a great relationship with your brother. Why don't you celebrate his life this week and do something he would have enjoyed or do something in his honor maybe volunteer somewhere or go cheer on a school team that you have never seen play maybe even read for a grammer school class. It takes maybe 15 minutes. You know when we give we get so much more back. What an incredible job you're doing with your weight loss. Your 40th bday will bring alot of new beginnings for you.

Karen, please let me know how Sweatin to the Oldies is. I tried it once but I have no rhythm. It is so funny at church because if I sing my legs move but if I realize that, I get off tune and when I sing and clap I am always on the off beat and if I look at someone for the beat I mess up the words.

Fishie, you are doing an awesome job.

Annie, you actually had me lol with Fred McMurray. I am so uncool according to my 14 yr old it was so relatable.

Chyna, the past weekend is exactly that -in the past. You can do this. It is a new day.


Denise, hope you had a great day at work.

Sunday morning is our weigh in. Lost 2 lbs. I also came face to face with my reality this morning and changed my stats. I originally had that I wanted to get down to 175 (180 was my wedding weight almost 23 years ago)but that really wasn't correct. What I really wanted as a goal weight would mean a weight loss of 111 lbs. and that was really hard to admit. Pretty happy at least that I only have to lose 98 lbs. The family has lost a total of 34 lbs. and have decided from now until the holidays to buy our lbs. lost in food and give it to those who need it so we will also have the chance to visualize how much extra weight we were carrying around with us.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day.

Blessings, Maureen

Congrats Maureen on losing 2 more lbs! You're doing great!

Hi its sept the 8th and I know I am a little late joining the challange but I would like too!
I am in the xmas challange but it seems so far away I like little goals to keep me going!!!
Start weight is 214lbs so I would like to loose 6lbs by the end of the month, if possible as my weight is being a bit bouncy i have slowed right down in loss and the scales keep going up and down, I want to be into the 14 stone mark by or 209lbs by 1st october.

Welcome Lynda! The more the merrier...You're doing great!

Welcome Lynda and glad you joined us. Can you please tell us how much a stone is?

Blessings, Maureen

hi everyone! Hi Linda, welcome to the group. Thanks for the kind words. I got through this day... work was long today. I had a wonderful sandwich today, lc toast with cream cheese, salmon and capers. YUM. I even ate a big salad at supper tonight, with my chicken.

Christmas does seem like a long way off Lynda. Besides, you'll have fun with us. I remember about your weight being bouncy!

Don't worry about me... I'm not really depressed, I was just having a tough morning. By the way, Denise, I know who Freddie Mercury is... I guess knowing is about being 40 ... Queen rocks.

Hope you all have a nice evening or day, as the case may be.

Susan

Hi everybody. I sure didn't mean to come across as short this morning. I had just a few minutes before I had to can the peaches. I know you all understand, especially those who sneak in a few minutes each day while at work, etc. We all have schedules!

Susan : I want to say how sorry I am for the tremendous pain you are feeling for your beloved brother. To lose a family member is beyond words; to lose one we are especially close to is even worse. Maureen said it well (they all did) when she suggested using your time to honor him. That is exactly what I learned in my own grief support group. The leader asked us, "What can you do to show honor to your family member's name? What would they be happy seeing you do?" For me, it's following the calling to write in my dad's honor. I've started a writing career and classes now, with most of my ideas coming from lessons learn from dear Dad. It also means listening more to my children, because he was always so good at just...listening!

I do hope you will know it's ok still to be angry, to wonder why, and to just miss him so much it hurts. It's ok to enjoy the silence, to turn your phone off, to not answer your door, and take time to remember the love you two shared while he was here. Grief comes in waves, doesn't it? Everyone grieves differently and at different times. I cannot listen to Mercy Me's "I Can Only Imagine" without crying, because it was played at my dad's Celebration of Life service. But the hurt I feel is healing. I know it is with you too.

Lynda : Welcome friend! You are so wise to not set a goal towards Christmas. I mean, it's great, but it's easier at least for me to see mini-goals. We have a great group of people here, not too big (no pun intended ), so we can keep encouraging each other. Have a feeling this will roll over to October.

Karen: Hubby's dish sounds awesome...using the garden bounty before fall weather hits. Someone on another post made sphagetti using squash! Ugh, but she said it was dynamite!

Denise : You are one busy and determined lady! Can you please post your recipe for the cheeseburger quiche? Does it use extra firm tofu or what?

Fishie : Looks like one more pound in your favor! Great work!

Chyna : You are a busy wife and mom, taking care of your family, running a household, you are super carpool woman, happy meal provider, and you are beating yourself down for it! We cannot step into yesterday. You have been given a beautiful gift wrapped up in a shiny sunrise today, with a brand new never-before seen sunset just waiting for your eyes to behold. Enjoy, enjoy. No one here is condemning you for going overboard. We are here for you. Keep doing your best.

Maureen : You are a real encourager! Thanks for being here.

Ok everybody...here's off to a new week! WE CAN DO IT!!

Annie-Pie
PS Should we all "report in" on Sunday eves or Mon mornings with our new weekly weight? Like: Annie Pie, down 3# for a 3 pound total for the month of September.
What say?

I'll join! I'm losing on average two pounds a week, and that's by limiting my calorie intake to 1200 or less, carb count is under 60 (I'm not very carb resistant, fortunately) and biking a hard 10 miles about 4 times a week. I think I've been replacing fat with muscle, because my shorts are baggy and my tight clothes now fit nicely. So far I have lost 9 pounds on this round (since 8/4) and a total of fifteen since March of this year. I still have 40 lbs to go though. Best of luck to everyone!

Denise, forgot to thank you for the stuffed cabbage recipe. Looks good.

Annie, I will go with the majority. Surprise me. I weigh in on Sun a.m. so I'll just use that weight for whatever is decided. Copied and pasted this recipe. It was from a person named Glenda. I usually make 2 at a time, one for dinner and one I slice up for DH and my childrens lunches. They take it 3-4 days in a row to school and love it even cold.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pie

1 lb hamburger
1 small chopped onion
4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
3 eggs
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup half and half
8 oz shredded cheddar or swiss cheese
garlic powder(optional)

Brown hamburger with onion. Drain well. Mix in bacon. Press into the bottom of a deep dish pie pan. Combine remaining ingredients in mixer bowl and whip well. Pour mixture over beef and bake 40-45 minutes until top is browned and set. Cool 15 -20 minutes before slicing.
Apparently it does not freeze well. This makes 6 servings.

I ran it through Fitday and here are counts per serving:

Fat 39 grams
carbs 4
Protein 27.5
Calories 470

Annie Pie, my vote would be for Monday morning but I'll go with the majority, just let us know.
want2bfit, that recipe sounds great, can't wait to try it!

Hello everyone, Happy Tuesday:

I'm down another 1lb today!! YEA!! I will really be thrilled if and when it gets down below 160 as I can't remember when I was in the 150's. This is why I joined this challenge because I need to stay on plan over the weekends too! I've only been maintaining my weight for months and now I'm losing again because I did not cheat over this past weekend. It feels good. Last night, I ran 30 minutes and did my upper body weight workout.


Annie: Monday morning is fine for me too for weigh in. Monday is more of a structured day then Sunday for me. The weekends are ify due to the fact of being out of town, etc..Even if you make it on Sunday, I will have to weigh in on Mondays.

Maureen: You are very welcome for the cabbage recipe. Thanks for posting the bacon cheeseburger recipe for everyone. That is another one of my favorites.

Susan: Thank God someone else knows "Queen". I was beginning to feel pretty old. I did turn 40 this year!

Alex: Welcome to our group. You are so lucky that you are not that carb resistant. Sounds like you're plan is working well. Biking is excellent exercise.

Hope everyone has a good day!