Just a quick note...Jack is off to pick up the kids. We usually have them at 5:30 in the afternoon, but his ex wife is such a B****. Every weekend we have them she has gone up a half hour...no good reason. Just trying to see how far she can push things. Anyway, I wanted to take my last hour of quiet time in the house before I am constantly yelling at them to not eat on the couch, pick up their crap, wipe their feet before coming in the house....and on and on. Jack's daugther is a sweetie. But, his son is a pain in my A$$!!!! His mother likes to tell him that I have no right to discipline him and that he doesn't have tolisten to me. He's 10 and thinks he's 40!!! Problem is, when he doesn't listen, I end up punishing him, so he is paying for his mother's stupidity. And she has so much of it, he'll soon be in DEBT!!!

Anyway, tomorrow, I am going to Amsterdam with a woman from Jacks work. Another American. We are spending the day shopping. Gets me out of here and that is a plus! Can you tell that I dread these "kid weekends"? I know I sound awful, but if you all knew the history, you'd understand!!! Even Jack can't blame me for how I feel!!! lol

OK, I forgot to weigh this morning. I was in a huge hurry. And, I didn't want to weigh after 3-4 liters of water. So, I am going to do it in the morning. I WILL! Really!

I have had a headache for the last 24 hours. I think it is because I have been coughing so much. Maybe it is looking at myself in the mirror with this brown hair! I swear I cannot get used to NOT being a blonde! lol

Anacecilia: STOP IT! lol You have lost 50 pounds!!! THat is really something to be celebrated! If I had lost 50 pounds, I would be falling all over myself!!!!!!!!!!!! If I were there, I would give you a great big hug and a bunch of flowers!!!!! Keep going!!! And, from personal experience....I have had days and days where the scale didn't move...then I put something on and oddly, it was LOOSE! So, you might be gaining muscle and LOSING fat!! OK?

JUDI!!!!!!!!!! WHere are you? How's the family? Everyone well again? You aren't having a relapse are you????

Becky: Thanks for being so warm and welcoming to me. It's nice to know I was missed. After tomorrow, I should be back online more often.

A big hello to Sooike (if you are out there), Pattie, Wabi and anyone else I missed...Now this thing is growing and I cannot remember everyone! lol

Hugs,
Char

Thanks Becky !!!!

Thanks Char !

Well yesteday I woke up weighting 224,4 pounds, but today, I am up again to 225!

GRRR...
We will see tomorrow. I am upset!
I haven't been to the bathroom....constipation I guess?
Need to take my natural laxative SEN (forgot to take it last night).

Hi guys ! Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that today I bought my very first pair of jeans in such a long while... It felt sooo good to walk into a normal store and buy a normal piece of clothing... I had forgotten how good something like that felt. Sure they have some strech in it and they are a size 34 and not my 'usual' size 31 (if I can call something I used to wear five years ago 'usual'), but they are a pair of Levi's nonetheless and I feel great about it ! It think I'll even sleep in them!
Have a great Sunday you all !

Hi girls!

Anacecilia: congrats on the jeans! It must feel really good. While I've lost 10kg, I really only seem to have lost one dress size - down to a 16/18 here. I'd love to be a 14 (US 12) and know that I could shop in most "normal" stores. You really are inspirational for us!

Becky: Try not to stress about 0.6 lbs - that's really only 300g or a good pee! When you look at your weight loss over the week, you're probably doing really well. Anytime I get really unhappy about the # on the scales, I just think about what it said 3 months ago, and recognize my hard work! I feel a bit like you about spending money - I'm only working casually right now. But, like you I have a range of sizes in the wardrobe - and each time I lose a bit more, I find something else I haven't been able to fit into for a little while. So, it's almost as good as shopping!

I'm full of PMS this week and not looking forward to getting on the scales!

I hope you're all well.

Cheers,
Wabi

Hi girls ! There's something wrong with this site today and I'm not sure this reply will appear or not....

Thanks for the support !!!
Oh, we have the same problem here in Brazil with sizes, a US size 14 would be a XXL here (??!!??) We have that chain of stores here - Zara - which I think is Spanish, isn't it Becky? Anyway, the size of their clothes is ridiculous! I don't know why they do that and I'm sure they would sell a lot more if they had bigger sizes. My sister in law is the most 'normal' person you have ever seen, both in weight and height and she wears a size XL there .... She is not a XL person by any measure... Go figure...
My jeans are a size 34 for Levi's which is the same all over the world and I'm not sure how that relates to the normal size systems. I would guess that I'm now a size 16 (US).
I totaly agree with you guys about not buying clothes until I reach my goal. I made the same promise to myself. But the problem is that I dont have clothes of all sized hanging in my closed. My clothes are either 'before' clothes (size 12 US) from the time I got married and right after I had the plastic surgery - which are still way too tight - or MATERNITY clothes. Believe me, you don't want to be wearing maternity clothes when you are not pregnant. Pleople keep asking how far along you are, is it a boy or a girl... And you have to keep from strangling them right then and there ! So, to make a long story a little shorter: I HAD TO BUY SOME CLOTHES !!!! As if I needed any excuse for that : ). Plus, I'm going to London to visit my brother next month and I needed to wear something presentable, right? I'm excited about the trip but at the same time sad to leave my babies and husband behind.... It will be only 10 days but my heart is already aching. But my Mom invited me to go with her, 5 days in London, 5 days in Paris. I just couldn't say no ! For you guys living in Europe maybe it doesn't seem like much but for us it is! You don't get to go to Europe for FREE everyday... I spent two summers studying in London so it will be great to go back after all this time...
Can someone please stop me ? Ok, I promise I'll try to keep my postings shorter !
And I don't even know if this one is working or not : )
Anyway, thanks for your support and now I'll get back to work !
Did I mention that I work from home, so I usually work saturdays and Sundays ? Ooooooppppppsssss here I go again !!!
See you !

Wabi, you are in the southern hemisphere like me. Does it get too hot in Brisbane? This is the first day of spring for us and I can't believe how hot it is already.... By Christmas it will get unbearable... Argh !!!!

[quote]

Hello there!

[/QUOTE]We have that chain of stores here - Zara - which I think is Spanish, isn't it Becky? Anyway, the size of their clothes is ridiculous! I don't know why they do that and I'm sure they would sell a lot more if they had bigger sizes. My sister in law is the most 'normal' person you have ever seen, both in weight and height and she wears a size XL there .... She is not a XL person by any measure... Go figure...[QUOTE]


I completely agree with you! ZARA`s sizes are !"·$%, but at the same time, this can give you an idea of how skinny girls are here in Spain.

Many times I have been down town, at the Ramblas, and yo can here American turists (young) saying, " WOW, spanish women are so skinny!" " Did you see how, skinny and small she is?" All say the same, most of all when they are in the line of Mc Donalds being served by small and skinny women.

I was hearing on TV some stats that come from a poll made to young women here in Spain:

45% percent of women on their weigh "feel" they are fat and have to loose weight.
near a 30% of girls form 12 to 18 have an eating disorder - anorexia or bulimia!!!

This stats are soo alarming, that now we see on tv this ANTI MIA AND ANTI ANA spot all of the time. The protagonist, a model, with beautiful skin, and beautiful body, saying "I was anorexic".....bla.

Before coming to this board, I was searching for boards in Spanish and from spain and latin america....Well, again....amassing....Girls saying :"if you are hungry eat, and then tthrow up"... this one is just one example of thousands of posts that are all over the internet!!!!

I Think that fashion has a lot to do with this eating disorders in our society, and of course from the fashion designers that make a size 14, a veto into the clothing stores, unless they are for BIG and TALL( very few stores), here in Spain is that way.

Something else I want to say, is that being anorexic or bulimic is an illness, is not just being too thin.

I remember when I was in High school, my weight was 60 kilograms. I was in "love" for this guy....but you know what he said to me? When you lose some weight, I will go out with you".....Imagine how I felt.

Yeah Becky, you are right. The same happens here in Brazil. Girls are much smaller and thinner than American girls. And I think that this was one of the reasons that made me gain so much weight once I went to live in the US. It was so 'normal' to be bigger. No one stared at you if you were not a size 10 and if you needed a size 14, 16, 18 so what ? They were right there at the stores for you to buy. Here in Brazil the only store that sells larger sizes is called something like "For Chubbies Only". Who would buy something in a store like that? Not me ! At 1,79 m I'm the tallest girl I know and I have suffered all my life to find clothes, even when I was thin. And we have another big problem here: From November until March its officially 'summer' in Rio and everybody wears very little clothing. During weekends it is normal for people to go to the beach in the morning and spend the rest of the day in a bikini, with maybe a sarong wraped around the waist. And I don't mean that this happens in some beach town and only with teenagers. This is the absolute rule of behavior for everyone living in Rio. People go to the mall, to restaurants and so on in little more than a bikini.... So there is a lot of pressure to be thin. Just so you can have an idea, for someone my age to wear a one piece swimsuit instead of a bikini at the beach is almost a shame. One piece suits are for old ladies and you absolutely HAVE to go to the beach. There is no way around it. Last summer I was pregnant so it was OK for me to wear a one-piece. But I absolutely have to get thin(ner) by the summer this year because one way or another I will have to squeeze myself into a bikini before the end of March. To make matters worse, my husband loves to surf...
Well, back to Zara, I shop there for clothes for my kids but could never, ever find anything that fits me....Maybe by next March I will !
I had the same experience in high school. Everyone was so skinny and little and I weighted maybe 65 kg (at 1,79!!!!) and felt like an elephant. I never even believed that I could get a boyfriend.... Of course that changed a couple of years later, Thank God !
Well, go night, I'm putting my babies to sleep now....

I am 1,73 cms tall...and at the age of 6 my mother had to dress me with 12 year old clothing!!! When I was 12, I had to wear clothes made for WOMEN!!!
and now, that I am 31, I have to wear clothes for grandmas! )not to offend.
I hate it sooo much! It just makes me SICK! and depressed!
But this is it, Ana Cecilia! this is it!!!
I try to go every year to the USA, my parents have a house in Sarasota Florida, and I just love to go shopping there. Last time I went, was in February this year, but my size was 22, and the clothes were not that pretty.

At size 16 clothes are much nicer, younger and fit right. So here I come world! and for a size 12 much more nicer.
This year I haven't been to the beach because everyone looks at you as if you where an ET! Girls here go topless in many places, and even older women look great in bikini!
Thank God I am on time to change my body, and there is no way that anyone will stop me from getting in shape and be able to wear clothes that go in accordance with my age.
I love this thread! We are all about the same age and weight. this is really motivating and extremely nice.

Take care, ok. and see ya tomorrow!

Becky is right... You girls are wonderful motivation.

I had a pretty terrible weekend it seems. I know I'm retaining a bit of fluid because I am due for my period (I have pretty big boobs at the best of times!) I dunno about you guys, but all of my pre-menstrual symptoms seem to go on for about a week now! Well, anyway I weighed myself this morning - not good. I went from 100.9 at last weigh in to 102.9 today. I was pretty close to crying. But, again, i'm trying to be positive about how much I have achieved so far. I'm also putting a lot of it down to water. We'll see what happens for the weekly weigh in, I guess.

You girls are also pretty tall! (Ana, now you "know" someone taller than you). Yes, I was a freak in high school, too. I was more of a freak when I lived in Japan for two years - as you can probably imagine. And, still feel that way every time I try to buy pants now. But, when I lived in Canada, I found the most wonderful store in the world! They don't sell online, but they're everywhere in the US too - and well worth a visit when you're there. It's called Tall Girl (quite appropriately) and can be found at http://www.tallgirlshop.com/index.html

The clothes are great. They have regular (up to size 20) and junior sizes (to 19)
I walk in there (the store in Ottawa was HUGE) and feel incredibly normal surrounded by all of the VERY long pants (I almost had to take one pair up)! I also really love the shoes - I wear size 12, so it's tough to get them anywhere.

Might I also suggest http://www.tallwomensclothing.com/ ? I've bought a few things from here because they're in Australia. I just bought the jeans and I love them. The stretch meant I could go down a size! For you guys, I could see two advantages: 1) The Aussie Dollar is worth close to nothing; and 2) You'd get a discount of 10% because that is our sales tax alread factored in. I did that to buy clothes when I was in Japan. If I ordered two or three pairs of pants, the sales tax covered the cost of the postage. I know you're not trying to buy clothes now but keep those two places in mind for when you are.

Well, I'm off to ingest a gallon or two of water!

Cheers,
Wabi

p.s. YES, it's QUITE hot here now! Spring has only started and we've already had too many days over 30oC!