Motivation & Support 11/16-11/22
 

Hi, everyone! Are you all ready for a new week?!

I'm ready!! I didn't get up in time to do my new workout this morning, but am committed to doing it this evening. After yet another weekend of food and drinks (and fun with friends ;)) I'm ready to get back on track and make some progress!

Have a great day all!

Good morning all. Lisa, thanks for starting us off this week. I was so glad to see a 2.2 pound loss on the scale this week. That's 24 pounds since Sept. 1st.
I am tempted to donate all my summer clothes but no body wants them at this time of year. I can only dream of what size I will be by next June. We will have to start another challenge in the new year for Summer.

Yes!!! Great idea!

I don't think I am ready for a new week :(..

The wheels really came off this weekend... I ate things I shouldn't have, drank things I shouldn't have, and it shows on the scale this morning... I am back in the 260's at 263.6# this morning... That's 2.4 pounds UP since last Tuesday...... :(

I am losing motivation.. I NEED to keep at this - but sometimes it is SO incredibly hard....

I am trying to get back on the right track today... So far so good - but my attitude is bad...

I am doing what is called a 'steak day' in my diet plan. If I don't lose weight for two days in a row, on the third day I am supposed to eat nothing, except a 5 oz steak and apple at supper time.. Well this is day three of no weight loss, well in actuality it is day three of weight GAIN (for good reason) - so I am trying a steak day....

Tonight will be tough... Monday nights a group of men come over and I make them popcorn, peanuts, coffee to snack on as we visit...

I lost 2.4 lbs since last Monday! woohoo! I showed no loss on Friday, which I kind of expected because of the water retention and bloat, but today's weigh-in makes up for it.

Libby, great idea on a summer challenge! You are doing soooooo excellent with your consistent loss!

Brian, keep at it. Your motivation is going to peak and also get very low at different times through your journey. This is to be expected, I think, because it's a long road. Keep your head in the game. So you had a little setback. You knew you would since you had a rough weekend sticking to it, so now let it go and get back in the saddle. My concern is that you don't eat enough calories for a grown man of your size. By a lot. Maybe you should think about increasing your calorie goal? I used to try to do 1200, but I wasn't losing and sometimes gaining, so I upped it to 1700/day, and now I am losing consistently. Something to think about. A steak and apple sounds like I'd be starving and licking the paint off the walls!

Good for you Lisa... for the 2.4 pounds you lost.. I FOUND them ;) I'm assuming don't want them back??



Trying to put the train wreck of a weekend behind me... :)... I get so disgusted with myself...and angry with myself... I know better.. Now I am UP a couple pounds since last Tuesday.... This is NOT going to be a good week for me in the weight loss department...


Yes--- I am going to adjust my calorie goal... I have been right around 1000 calories per day.... (except for this past weekend :(). I'll probably up that to 1,500 or so and see how that goes....... I do okay at around 1000... not dying of starvation or anything... I just have a tremendously hard time in the evenings... I eat, not because I'm necessarily hungry, but because I just feel like eating..... :(....

Brian, the biggest help for me is using the food log. I write in every thing I eat and drink,
every bit. My highest day last week was just under 2000 and my lowest day was around 750. It's best not to keep your calories consistently low and one high day a week beats the boredom of dieting.

Hi all :) I tried out my new workout system tonight and it was good! It is much less intense than I used to do, but I think it will help me to get back into a routine and eventually build up to more intense workouts. So day 1 of 90....check!

Brian - Lisa and Libby have given you some solid advice....I don't have much to add except that different things motivate different people. Keep trying different things until you find your groove. It's not easy to lose weight, but it can be done....just don't give up! The weight is not going to come off on it's own and if you don't make changes, things will only get worse. I'm saying that as much to you as I am to myself....we all need a kick in the butt from time to time ;) Glad you've decided to join us. Having a group of friends to check in with can help to keep you accountable and on track :)

Have a great evening all!

I'm going to be about 400 calories over my goal today. :( I haven't yet had a night time atkins/milk, but I ate dinner at 4pm and I know I will get hungry before the day is done. It wasn't any one thing that threw me off. Just a little bite of this and a taste of that that really added up fast. I had about 6 oz of apple juice, half a banana...both good things; however, it was 165 calories. I had a couple pinches of shredded cheese, which I estimated to be 1 oz--anther 110 calories. Not even worth it. And I had an oz of cheese puffs. Those I definitely should have done without (150 calories). And, of course, the soda. :( bad me. I'm going to undo the 2.4 lbs I lost this past week.

I tried another flavor of Shakeology today. I tried the Tropical Strawberry Vegan flavor. It was neither tropical, nor strawberry. I tasted it plain with just 1/2c of milk and 1/2 c of water with ice blended up. It tasted gritty and gross. I added 1/2 a banana. The only good thing about it was the banana. And the taste in my mouth didn't go away for a while. I had an atkins with milk instead.

Hi everyone,

Is it a new week already?

Hi Brian, nice to meet you. I know about the downward slope. The hardest times are pulling yourself out of a dive, but every time you do it, you become stronger!
We're all doing really well, hanging in here. This is about the longest I've ever gone consistently. All of you are so helpful to me!

I haven't been able to eat hardly anything today--I've been so nervous with the tenant situation. I'm now waiting to be contacted by the lawyer's assistant to set up an appointment.

Please let this be over soon so I can get back to my life!

Lisa - you're doing so well! Don't beat yourself up over 400 calories. That's certainly not enough to undo your progress from this past week. Plus sometimes changing up calories for a day can help to keep your metabolism revved. Keep your chin up girl and keep on truckin' ;). Sorry to hear the shaeology wasn't pleasant. All the more reason to have the Atkins shake that you thoroughly enjoy! :)

dschefer - Looks like you and I were posting at the same time so I missed your post. Sorry to hear the tenant situation hasn't yet been resolved!! So frustrating I'm sure!

Lisa - I just took a page out of your book! I'm hungry and it's almost time for bed, so I decided to have a shake since you seem to enjoy them so much ;) I had unsweetened almond milk with Isofemme strawberry whey protein. Hope it tides me over until morning!

Hi Lisa,
Everybody needs a break once in a while. For me, the calories in beer or my nighttime chocolate squares don't count. I do really good all day and then I let myself go in the evenings a bit. It means I slow my progress, but I need the endorphins.

Debbie, good for you for finding solutions that work for you in the evening.

The lawyer's assistant emailed me back to set up a meeting--this is a big step in the right direction. Now I just need to make an appt and fly down to the Bay Area (I'm in Seattle).
I'm not exactly sure when I get my life back?!?

Thank you all for your words of wisdom - and encouragement... I'll get back in the grove - today was just a very 'down' day for me - and not in the weight department.. :(

Had the guys over for coffee and conversation in my garage the 'man cave'. I always have some popcorn and peanuts for them to snack on... I couldn't stay out of the peanuts tonight having several hand fulls, and some popcorn...

So now my calories for the day are 1200 plus... I guess that is okay - but I really need to be down in weight tomorrow.. That would be motivating....

Like the previous poster... I do SO good all day, then I kind of let things go in the evenings a bit (a few peanuts, almonds, etc..)

Here's hoping for a better weight in tomorrow than I had today...

Keep at it all... This is a long and hard journey.... but one worth taking.. Right?? :)

well, I managed a few less calories than I anticipated. I'm over by 270 calories today. That's not a deal breaker. I'm a little hungry and could have an atkins/milk and feel full, but I'll be going to bed soon so I will stop eating for the night.

Have a good day Tuesday everyone!

This looks like it's going to be a high cal. day. It's only 9am and I am at 450 cal. already with my scrambled eggs toast and chocolate soy milk. Tonight I am going to Aqua fit class so I have to eat early enough that I don't go with a full tummy. It should be easier now that I weigh less. I will report back tonight. Have a good day.

Well for the first time since I started this, my 'Tuesday' weigh in is UP one pound from last week... That is not the right trend.. Today is a new day..

Oct 13: 290.2
Oct 20: 277.6
Oct 27: 274
Nov 03: 273
Nov 10: 261.2
Nov 17: 262.2 (I'm so :( with myself)!!

Brian, what diet are you on that you have to eat steak and an apple? Just curious. You have done extremely well up until this hic up. Just go back to
what you were doing and all will be well in a couple of days.

I'm not ever sure what the diet is called.. It is a lose a pound a day diet that chiropractors seem to have.. For 8 days you have a meal replacement shake two times per day, and a sensible meal for supper (fruit, veggie, and meat). After 8 days you have one meal replacement shake a day and two sensible meals.... Calories are restricted - to about 750 per day for the first 8 days... after that goes up a bit...

I did lose 30 pounds in 30 days... but now I seem to struggle.. I am also working with a natural path Dr. He is helping me with my metabolism - and I am monitoring my blood pressure daily - so I can see it come down.. I have stopped taking one of my BP meds for about am month now - and my BP is staying really good...

My goal here is to get off all my BP meds.. I know I can do it... it is just a hard journey......

I am going to have a better day today.... :)


Oh and a far as the steak and apple..... that is called a 'steak day' in this. If you go three days with NO weight loss, on the third day you are supposed to eat NOTHING except a 5 oz steak and and apple. I have done that several times - and usually then day after I am down 2 pounds or so...

It takes more calories to digest the steak than are in the steak. Interesting.
Follow your doctors advice and you will lose weight. I have 61 pounds to lose
and I don't want to be on meds for diabetes, blood pressure or cholesterol.
That is my main reason for losing weight and getting healthy.

Hi all :) Just checking in to say hello! I've been doing well and staying on track...trying to make up for the weekend like I seem to do every week ;) I will be hosting another family dinner at my home this weekend for my daughters birthday. I'll be doing my best to stay on track in hopes that I make my Monday Diet Bet goal. I've hit the goal a few times...then the scale has bounced back up...then back down....so it really could go wither way I think! Time will tell ;)

Hope everyone is having a great day!

I'm with you on the goal of no meds.. I have been on BP medication for years... I have reduced it some (and my blood pressure is sill fine).. I was taking a mild anti-depressant that I have been 'off' of for over a month now.... My cholesterol has always been good, my blood pressure has always been high... but I know I am headed for trouble with diabetes etc... My goal is to correct these issues WITHOUT medication....... And my goal is to be able to look at myself in the mirror, or see myself in pictures, and not hate myself and the way I look..... Many times I do not want to go out - simply because I feel terrible about myself...

Even with the 30 pounds I have lost so far, only 2 people have noticed that I have lost some weight.. :(

So far so good..... Just need to keep at it.. I STILL have about 60 pounds to lose to be where I should be, although I think 40 pounds more would be a pretty healthy weight for me - at 220#.. I just can't imagine what it would be like to be at 220#

I had a bit....or a lot of.....a meltdown at dinner tonight. I'm so very tired of cooking for my family's tastes and not my own. Life would be so much easier if only they were more normal about their eating. I was typing adventurous but there's nothing I've asked them to be adventurous about! My husband was packing cantaloupe on my daughters lunch (before you all think he's an absolute angel, please keep in mind that we both work full time and try our best to to balance out the responsibilities at home)...anyway, I was on my way out the door, already late for work because I needed to put my daughters hair up (lice is going around the school...how fun!)....k, so I'm already late, I say the cantaloupe has been in the fridge a while and I wasn't sure if it was still good. He asked how he would know if it was still good, so I said take a little bite. He looked at me like I was from another planet and said 'eww, I don't eat cantaloupe!' K, maybe he didn't say the ew part :rolleyes: so tonight I'm making a separate dinner for the kids and I'm making garlic shrimp for my husband and I. Normally it's plain white rice that he eats with it and I'll have a veg and a small bit of rice. Well tonight I suggest we have rotini pasta with a nice light sun dried tomato, garlic and olive oil sauce. He shakes his head, no, he wants plain rice even though he had it with dinner last night and with his lunch today. WTF! I'm the one cooking every single meal and he won't even indulge me and eat some frickin' pasta! It's not like I'm even suggesting a vegetable to him....its frickin' pasta!!!!

.....Ahem...k rant over....just needed to vent. I'm just so tired of thinking what I can feed my picky family and what I can feed myself to reach my weight loss goal. I wish I could just take a pill that satisfied my nutritional needs and took away any hunger so I don't have to think about food, buy food, plan food or track food!

......k, for real this time, I'm done ranting :p

Brian and Libby, I'm trying to stay off bp meds and any meds for diabetes. I'm not full-blown diabetic yet (I haven't had my A1C tested in a while though), but I am pre-diabetic. I lost 50 lbs once before and got my sugar levels down to a normal range, so I know I can do it again. As for bp, it's always elevated, and I don't want to get to the point that I need meds. Same with my high cholesterol. Good eating habits can cure a lot of ailments. I already take enough daily meds for my psych issues (that good eating can't cure), and I don't want to take any more pills. We're all on the right path.

Debbie, I'm so sorry you have a picky family. I can't even imagine how hard that would be to be the cook and never get what you want. I say make it, and if they don't eat it they can go hungry! It won't kill them to skip a meal...or eat freaking pasta! But maybe it could make a point that you are in this family as well and your needs and wants matter just as much as theirs.


I'm doing well for today, mostly. I had about 1/2 oz of doritos, and 1/2 cup of last night's high calorie but delicious dinner. Other than that I am on track. I plan on having a light dinner of 1 c of spaghetti, sauce with ground sausage, and mozzarella cheese on top. It won't be very much food, so I will need to eat slow and savor. Then I have on my log to allow myself another atkins/milk tonight. I've been allowing for them, but I'm rarely actually needing them, which is a good thing. We'll see how tonight goes.

I have to do some grocery shopping tonight. Although I am the opposite of Debbie and my family is game for almost anything, I still struggle with what to make for the upcoming week. If I had an unlimited budget it might be easier, but I don't. I usually buy for 2, maybe 3, chicken dinners, a pasta, a meal with more expensive meat or ingredients, and 2 or so "cheap" dinners. It's a struggle for me to figure things out each week, and I'm tired of being the only one who plans. I ask what they want and they say, "I don't know." Maybe I should serve a plate with a note that reads "I don't know" on it. Let's see how they like that. lol

I've gained back the great loss I had this past week. :mad: We'll see how my Friday ends up.

Debbie, how is your exercise today? I skipped my exercise while it was "that time" and I was in so much pain for 4 or 5 days, now I don't have the motivation to do it again. :(

In my kitchen you have two choices, take it or leave it. Fortunately for them
they like what I cook. I modify my meals by eating less starchy carbs and smaller portions.

I went to aqua fit last night and it was quite a work out. My whole body is sore today and my weight is up a pound. Grrrrr. I am going to try to get some exercise every day so Tuesday aqua fit won't be so tough. It bugs me that my weight is up. I would have thought that burning calories would have made me lose weight, at least half a pound. What experience do you have with exercise?
I am going to quilters guild today and I am five pounds lighter than what I was this time last month. Do you think any one will notice? We don't meet in December so by January meeting I hope to be down another ten pounds.
Maybe it's the clothes. If I had new clothes than maybe some one would notice. By January I will need some new clothes for sure. I decided to get rid of my summer clothes and not keep any thing that is too big on me. I never want to be size 18 or XL again. I must be into size 16 now and I have some smaller sizes in my closet. I need to get some house work done before the guild meeting. Have a good day.

Debbie: WOW - sounds like you are having a tough time.. I am so sorry.. Sounds like you are in a state that I was in at the end of last week/weekend.. Sometimes don't you just want to give up??? :(...

I am doing well again.. Seem to have gotten into the swing of things again. Yesterday was a very low calorie day - and I had extra exercise since I was doing to renovation work in a basement for three hours last night. I am BACK OUT OF THE 260's :) - weighed 258.6 this morning. Let's see if I can STAY THERE this time... ;)

Going to be some touch days ahead.. My wife is leaving tomorrow morning and will be gone to Monday Night. Meal all my teenage daughter activities and attitudes are to be dealt be me alone.. I do a lot of the cooking anyway - so that won't be a huge issue - time could be a bit of an issue - and when I'm short on time it's sometimes hard not to sacrifice convenience for health..

I am HOPING for you that someone notices - isn't that great motivation when someone notices?

I was hoping last night someone would notice I lost some weight. I met with a couple of guys that I have not seen for well over a month - so I was expecting (hoping) someone to notice that I lost a few pounds.. but...... no.... :(.. I guess guys don't talk that much about such things....

O well - my belt buckle has noticed. I had to install two more holes in it last night - and I am still using the tightest hole - which is about 6 3/4" tighter than the one I was using a month and a half ago.. :) That feels good!

Hi everyone,

You've been talking about people noticing weight loss--and I consider it sort of a personal subject. So it requires a certain amount of closeness before someone will say something about my weight, or I will say something about somewhat else's weight. It's like crossing a boundary.
My mother said something, but otherwise, no one has said anything, not even my husband. But when I asked him, "Do you think I've lost weight?", then he says, "Yes, actually".
Another friend just asked whether I've been running.

I would never comment on someone's weight unless I knew them really well--I would consider it rude. I hated it when my mother-in-law would comment--it was just none of her business ;)

Anyway, I don't care if anyone comments--I know how I look

I'll post more soon

Debbie, I can't stand pickiness from my family--I hope they're glad anything at all is ready. Usually it's not ;)

No one noticed, at least no one said any thing. Maybe when I see them again in January I will look thinner.

I've tried 3 of the 6 Shakeology flavors and they're all gross. One taste and they've all been down the drain. I don't care if they are healthier than what I'm doing. I can't justify spending 3x more on something I don't like for anything. I'm sticking with my delicious atkins w/ milk.

Making a big homemade pot of chicken and dumpling soup tonight. I've only got the vegetables done and the chicken is boiling. Smells amazing already! Can't wait to dig into this. Soup is a wonderful thing. You can have a lot of it for very few calories. I just have to limit myself on the dumplings. Damn. That's my favorite part.

Not much to report today. Other than 5 Ritz crackers I've stayed on track today. yea me!

I hope eveyone is doing well. Brian, I'm glad you are doing better now!

I'm up in the middle of the night yet again.....darn insomnia! :mad: I came across a video (link right here) from one of my favourite fitness sites about motivation to eat well and exercise. I like her message, so thought I'd share. :)

I ordered PiYo today from Beachbody. It's a workout program that takes the movements of pilates and yoga and makes them into a low impact workout. The poses never hold, they are always moving. It looks like a tough workout from what I see on tv, but thankfully there are modifiers for old, fat, inflexible women like me. lol I'm hoping it holds my interest more than the Slim in 6.

Hi all. I had such a good weigh in last week and this week I only lost .3 of a pound from Monday to Friday. At least it's going in the right direction. Yeah Brian for losing five pounds for a total of 35. Good going. Debbie, how did you do with your bet?
I hope you beat it. It's a cool but sunny day so I might get out for a short walk. Have a good day.

Thanks for asking Libby :) The final weigh in is on Monday. It's going to be a close call I think. I'm not getting on the scale until Monday.

We had epic losses yesterday. Between the 6 of us that weighed in we lost 17.5 pounds. :D Let's keep it going for Monday. This is such a wonderful group.

Hi and congratulations to everyone!

I wanted to report back on my Slimmies. They are a lifesaver! I thought they wouldn't arrive until the end of December, but they arrived within a week. They were sent directly from Germany (I knew about them because I had already used them when we lived in Switzerland). They work really well to fill you up and take the hunger pangs away. They have no side effects except if you eat too many of them, you won't be getting the nutrition from regular food. But I always eat salads anyway, and of course, I won't do this forever. Also, you may have diarrhea if you eat too many, just because they contain so much fiber. You can get them on Amazon, or they should be available at Walgreens, RiteAid, etc. within a couple of weeks, from what I heard.

Sorry, I sound like an ad.

Best to all of you, and here's to Monday!

Congratulations everyone on the fantastic weight losses this week! Unfortunately I'm undoing my progress by eating Oreos today. :( I will try to be better the rest of the day. :(

I managed to reign my day back in after the oreo binge. I just had a caesar salad with LOTS of romaine lettuce to fill me, 4 oz of chicken, some lite caesar dressing, shredded parmesan, tomatoes and a few croutons. It was a good healthy dinner, and saved my calorie day.

hope everyone is having a good weekend!!!