Hi Everyone! I am very excited abobut our Wed Club thread. Thanks Molly for starting it today. I'm sorry to hear that you suffer from Spondylolisthesis but it sounds like you are handling it so well! Good for you for not letting it stop you from being active and finding exercises that not only help the condition but are really great for you. I am truly impressed.

Jackie, wow congrats on your 3-pound weight loss! That is amazing!

As I mentioned in the other thread, I just started the Couch To 5K program. Tomorrow I will complete day 2 of week 1. Tonight I am going on a 5k powerwalk with a group. I definitely should add some weight training to my weekly routines but will have to do some research first on what exercises are best for me.

I updated my signature to show my stats. This is a big deal for me, as I have always kept my weight a big dark secret. This past year I gained 20 pounds and have spent lots of wasted energy beating myself up about it. Truth be told, this has been the most painful and difficult year of my life so far. My dad was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in August 2008 and fought hard for 19 months but finally succumbed to the disease exactly 2 months ago. He was completely paralyzed by then. My mom, my sister and I were by his side as he passed away. I coped with this experience by eating my way through it. As a result I am 20 pounds heavier but I am trying to put a stop to my constant self deprecation. What's done is done. The reality is I have always struggled with my weight - have gained and lost probably thousands of pounds - and now it's more important than ever for me to be kind to myself and get fit and healthy in a sane, balanced way.

I have had a difficult time losing weight lately because I haven't slept well for many months. I keep waking up suddenly once or twice a night. I am seeing my doctor next week so hopefully I can get to the bottom of this. Sleep deprivation is very bad for weight loss! Your body just doesn't function well when you don't get enough sleep.

One thing is for sure I am very motivated now! I think that we have a great little club here! :)

I'm here to support and encourage you all! Wishing you a great first week of the Wed Club, Everyone!

Rose

This place seems cool, I'll join.
So... I started out at 173 lbs. Now I am around 155-156 lbs.(I am 5'7") I've been at this since February, can't say I've been doing it diligently, so that's why I haven't been losing so quickly, lol. Anyway, I can't see a difference unfortunately, I'm very insecure about my weight, and it's my goal to be 130, when? I have no idea. I've seen people who lost weight down to 165 and look skinny, and I don't get it. So, I think I shouldn't go so much by my weight..but I really want to wear a size 8 pants. Right now, I wear a very tight size 13..down from 15. that's good, I guess.
For the most part, I wear baggy clothes because they make me feel skinnier even though, I think baggy or tight, I will look fat :/ sucks.
Anyway... I think I'll start posting everything here in this section because it seems easier to keep up with.

I haven't been excercising, so my goals now are to go running tonight, drink more water, and probably not eat for the rest of the day because I had a big plate of rice a couple hours ago lol.

Hi Wed Club!
 

Accountability is huge for me, so I'm glad to join in. Also always glad to "meet" new folks and hear some new perspectives and ideas. Everyone has a great attitude and seems very dedicated especially with the things you have been going through. Congrats to you for keeping it going :).

I'm hoping to make myself accountable for good food choices. Last week was not great with that; this week is somewhat better, so far. I do great with the calorie balance but now that I am in maintenance my tendency is to be a little more relaxed. I'm consciously trying to incorporate more protein now that I've started a strength training routine. I can eat 1500 calories a day of really good food or really crappy food, so if I have to come in here to check it in, I'm more likely to make it good!

You guys have some great workout routines and especially those working around medical conditions. Hopefully I can take some of your inspiration and ideas. Right now I do cardio 4-5 times a week (I finished the C25K and am just now trying to add, based on another poster's suggestion, 10% a week to that...so another three minutes to the 30 minute run. I don't go very fast :o)). I do tennis the other days for cardio. The strength training is twice a week.

I know I will need to change it up so my body doesn't habituate to it.

I also need to fight the urge of "Okay, I've lost the weight, now I can go back to eating like I used to."

This is the first time since probably elementary school (and I'm 42) that I haven't been 10-20 pounds overweight and I want to keep it that way.

A very cool thing happened today. I took my son out to lunch and he asked to substitue a salad for his fries. Granted, it was a Caesar salad and that stuff's not great for you, but, baby steps, right? I love my parents dearly but I wish they had been more careful about the eating habits they taught and modeled :(.

Good luck in the coming week, everyone. Look forward to hearing from you.

mtgirl...sorry to hear about your dad. Illness is a tough thing to go through and loss even more so. I am proud of you for deciding to make yourself a priority. I have had to do the same thing. I have a rare kind of illness myself that we call "flare-ups" but I go in and out of remission. It looks something like Parkinsons, MS, and cerebral palsy rolled into one. They call it an abnormal movement disorder. Needless to say it has had a major impact on my life as well as my family.

That said, putting our health first is important not just for us but for those around us too. We cannot serve anyone well if we are not fit and I want to live my life with joy and happiness.

Congrats and Praying for our continued success.

Jackie, thank you so much for your support. It really means so much to me. I am really sorry to hear that you have your own illness to deal with. I sure hope that you go into remission and stay there! I think it is so admirable though that you are taking care of your weight and choosing to live your life with joy and happiness.

I know all too well how illness affects family but on the upside it brought my family and I a lot closer together. We all shared some really special and unforgettable times together as a result. I'm sure the same applies for you and your family. It is obvious that you are such a strong person!

You are so welcome. That is what we are here for...to encourage eachother through it all...cuz life doesn't stop does it?!! I can't take credit for being strong...if it wasn't for Jesus I would have fallen apart a long time ago. My family has also experienced a new level of bonding and closeness and I am learning how to let go of a few things that are not as important as I once thought.

I'm so excited to get to know all of you!

NessaSonic, great job for losing 27 lbs so far! Keep up the good work!!

Tjkhoover, congrats to the 3 lbs lost! Great job!

Rose, I'm very sorry to hear about your father's passing. Please give yourself enough time to properly deal with it and be kind to yourself as you make your way through this weight loss journey. And thank you for sharing your stats with us - it's nice to know that this is a place for honesty and trust.

As for myself, I had a flu for the past few days, but felt better yesterday and decided to go on a little bike ride. However, within 15 minutes the weather changed from sunny to stormy and rainy and by the time i got back to my flat I was soaking (and I mean soaking!!) wet. So... my flu has returned with full force and I'm once again confined to my bed. :(

MollySue, sorry to hear that you are confined to bed. I'm sure you are drinking plenty of liquids and taking your vitamin C. ;) Also thank you so much for your sympathy. I definitely still have a way's to go in terms of healing but I certainly am way better off this past week as I was last month. And on a different note: I just have to say I love the Mark Twain quote in your signature. So true.

Jackie, I am sure that Jesus wouldn't mind sharing the credit with you for being strong. It's a team effort after all.

Dear Wed Club,
for everyone here I am proud to share information with yall. Everyone has their stories of sorrow, pain, and injury. It feels good to know that everyone can open up and share what ailes them because it too helps with the overall process of our true goal to shead the "weight off our shoulders" (total pun intended).

As for me I do my weigh ins on fridays and I am glad to say that I have dropped 4 pounds this week. I know it is just a pebble in the ocean of weight that I want to drop but I am happy that I dropped it. :)

Frank

Starting weight: 222 pounds
Current weight: 218 pounds
Goal weight: 175 pounds by Nov 1st 2010

fourank, that's great!!! 4 lbs is alot to lose in just a week...if I'm lucky AT ALL it'll be a pound haha. :D you're doing great. it was more like a big BOULDER in the ocean imo because of the short time you did it in. :cool::cool::cool: