Exercise

[Janet]

Not going to say I'm gonna do it...because when I say "I'm gonna" I fail...lol. So after I see the Dr. on Tuesday and make sure everything is okay, I am going to try and get back on the treadmill. I really felt better when I was walking on it everyday for 30 minutes.

I would like to go back to WW, but right now is not a good time. I still have all the information I rec'd so I may try it alone for awhile, I just don't know yet. I was even afraid to post this much for fear I'd jinx myself...ever feel that way?

[gja1000]

Yes, absolutely, I know what you mean about jinxing yourself. I'm doing well counting WW points right now, but sometimes I just can't do it and I don't know why.

I have cut out all wheat and gluten, focusing mostly on whole grains (just no wheat) chicken, fish, and vegetables. I was having HUGE cravings and was eating out of control, and the subtraction of wheat/gluten was supposed to help with cravings. I think it did because I now have control over my eating and have lost 7 pounds since Dec. 1 (I didn't follow WW over Christmas or while we were in OK - and my cravings came back). Anyway, I started back on it as soon as we got home from OK (last Wed) and I feel better and in control.

Like you Janet, I need to add exercise, but I haven't yet.

[Shada]

I have kinda in a way started it myself. Spent a few minutes yesterday and today on the pilates machine. Plus!!!!!!!! I am trying to quit smoking. Haven't had one since yesterday around 2:00pm. I really want to lose some weight and if I could quit smoking too.. that would be great. The smoking I decided to (not) do yesterday after hearing some bad news about my job. I have been laid off for two weeks, ok, no big deal, well found out not only will I be laid off for another 2 weeks. but my company took a dollar per hour away from us, the employee's. Along with eliminating our attendance bonus which has been in effect since company started 40 years ago.

So I need to make a few changes... Starting yesterday.. I quit smoking.

[DianaB]

Good Luck, Shada, with your goal!! Did you know that Janet quit smoking just a year or so ago? Just post on here and we can all cheer you on!!! Go, Shada!!!! :cheer:

Janet, I understand completely what you're worried about. About the time I think that I'm doing great then everything backfires on me. I hope that everything goes right for you this time!!!

[judy]

Shada, that is wonderful! Keep us posted please.

I also quietly began eating WW and Lean Cuisine dinners for dinner. I also don't want to say anything (oops - I just did!) because I'm still having the chips at night, along with the M&M's.

Good luck to us all;)

[Janet]

Yes, absolutely, I know what you mean about jinxing yourself. I'm doing well counting WW points right now, but sometimes I just can't do it and I don't know why.

I have cut out all wheat and gluten, focusing mostly on whole grains (just no wheat) chicken, fish, and vegetables. I was having HUGE cravings and was eating out of control, and the subtraction of wheat/gluten was supposed to help with cravings. I think it did because I now have control over my eating and have lost 7 pounds since Dec. 1 (I didn't follow WW over Christmas or while we were in OK - and my cravings came back). Anyway, I started back on it as soon as we got home from OK (last Wed) and I feel better and in control.

Like you Janet, I need to add exercise, but I haven't yet.

Gayle, I've been eating 100%whole grain wheat bread...is that not good? I need to know more about the wheat/gluten you're writing about...I have cravings all the time...I'm always wanting something...especially chocolate. Could you tell me a bit more please.

[Janet]

I have kinda in a way started it myself. Spent a few minutes yesterday and today on the pilates machine. Plus!!!!!!!! I am trying to quit smoking. Haven't had one since yesterday around 2:00pm. I really want to lose some weight and if I could quit smoking too.. that would be great. The smoking I decided to (not) do yesterday after hearing some bad news about my job. I have been laid off for two weeks, ok, no big deal, well found out not only will I be laid off for another 2 weeks. but my company took a dollar per hour away from us, the employee's. Along with eliminating our attendance bonus which has been in effect since company started 40 years ago.

So I need to make a few changes... Starting yesterday.. I quit smoking.

Congratulations Shada for trying to quit smoking!! I quit the August 30/31 of 2007 and haven't smoked since. I will tell you that once in awhile I still have that urge after all this time, I just go find something to do and it passes as quickly as it came on.

You won't regret it I promise. Just take one day at a time and you'll do it if you really want to bad enough. I did....I was so tired of smoking and being embarassed by it out in public. Good luck to you !!!!

[Janet]

Good Luck, Shada, with your goal!! Did you know that Janet quit smoking just a year or so ago? Just post on here and we can all cheer you on!!! Go, Shada!!!! :cheer:

Janet, I understand completely what you're worried about. About the time I think that I'm doing great then everything backfires on me. I hope that everything goes right for you this time!!!

It's true Diana. I'll be on some diet...doesn't matter what kind....I've been on them all, but I do really well, I get so proud of myself, start seeing a thinner me, lose up to 50lbs and then it falls apart for some reason. Not sure what is going on. I want it so bad.....to lose weight, so maybe if I try really hard again...I'll succeed. Heck...I only need to lose 100 lbs...what's so hard about that.....:eek:

[2tiredmom]

Congratulations Shada for trying to quit smoking!! I quit the August 30/31 of 2007 and haven't smoked since. I will tell you that once in awhile I still have that urge after all this time, I just go find something to do and it passes as quickly as it came on.

You won't regret it I promise. Just take one day at a time and you'll do it if you really want to bad enough. I did....I was so tired of smoking and being embarassed by it out in public. Good luck to you !!!!

Janet,
I didn't know you had quit. Congrats on that. How wonderful. Its' been 11 years since Gary stopped smoking and he doesn't miss it at and and neither do I.
:)

[Tiramisu]

So, we post on here, but it seems we've all been keeping secrets from each. I, too, have started doing some things differently.

Shada, I'm so sorry about your job and it will be a hard time to stop smoking, but we're here to help you get through it. I quit May 28th, 2004, without even trying. I got pleurisy and one of my lungs collapsed. After being in ICU for 12 days and having lung surgery, I can't stand the thought of a cigarette.

Let's all make 2009 our healthy year!

[Janet]

Janet,
I didn't know you had quit. Congrats on that. How wonderful. Its' been 11 years since Gary stopped smoking and he doesn't miss it at and and neither do I.
:)

Rick quit in June of 2007 because the Dr wouldn't operate on his back unless the ciggies were gone...so we've been smoke free for over a year now.

So, we post on here, but it seems we've all been keeping secrets from each. I, too, have started doing some things differently.

Shada, I'm so sorry about your job and it will be a hard time to stop smoking, but we're here to help you get through it. I quit May 28th, 2004, without even trying. I got pleurisy and one of my lungs collapsed. After being in ICU for 12 days and having lung surgery, I can't stand the thought of a cigarette.

Let's all make 2009 our healthy year!

Okay Sandy...spill it...what are you doing differently????:)

[gja1000]

I followed Joshi's Holistic Detox. It is a liver detox program. I wasn't worried about my liver, but read that it helped with cravings. It is pretty restrictive for 3 weeks, but then after that you gradually add back in all foods. There is nothing scientific about the diet - so I'm not sure that it really works, but something helped me to stop eating wildly out of control. Here are the 21 days rules:

No red meat, no pork
No dairy (except plain yogurt with live cultures)
no fruit except bananas
no wheat, gluten, yeast so nothing with wheat flour
no alcohol
no sugar, except a little honey
no coffee, not even decaf (can have herbal tea)
no chocolate or sweets
no artificial sweeteners
no ketchup, vinegar, mustard

You can have chicken and fish and you can have the non-starchy vegetables. You can have all kinds of beans.

I ate lots of beans, fixed in different ways. I ate lots of grilled chicken and fish. You can use lemon for flavor and you can use olive oil. So I did salads with olive oil and lemon. I made a bean soup with carrots, onions, and beans in chicken broth with lemon - it was really good. I also ate a lot of hummas on corn tortillas. For some reason, corn is OK on the diet.

After the 3 weeks of eating this way, I was very much in control of my diet and was no longer having wild cravings, and out of control over eating. I stopped the day before Christmas because I wanted to enjoy Christmas dinner with everyone. I did fine with that dinnner, but then we went out of town and had to eat out mostly for 6 days. when I got home, I was not as bad as before, but I was over eating and craving things.

So, I went back on a modified version of the diet, not nearly so restrictive as above. I never eat dairy anyway and I can stay away from sugar. I'm focusing on no wheat/gluten and I really think that contributes to my cravings. Yesterday, I went out to breakfast with Gary. I had one scrambled egg, one slice of bacon and one dreaded piece of wheat toast with a little jelly. Later in the day, hubby wanted to stop at our fave Mexican restaurant for nachos. The kind we eat is just corn chips, beans, cheese, salsa, and jalapenos - all things (except cheese) that I can eat. They tasted great and I only ate 2 1/2 (each is the size of 1/2 of a corn tortilla) and I felt good. But only about an hour later, I was snacking on some black eyed pea salad and I could not stop eating it. I didn't overeat very much, but did eat way more than I had all week. I'm attributing it to the one piece of wheat toast and jelly. Maybe not, but I am going to keep avoiding wheat beccause it seems when I do, my eating is much more in control.

That's what I think is the key, finding out your triggers, and avoiding them. I have a freind who keeps foods she can't eat in her house and it helps her to avoid them. Not me, I will eat them all. I really have to be careful what I buy and keep in the house.

I think Amazon.com has Joshi's book for about $10. Again, it is not scientific and it is not for everyone, but it did help me, I think!

[Janet]

Oh Gayle....that IS restrictive...I don't think at my weight I could do that. My biggest fear is that I also would lose some and gain even more back like I've done in the past. Thanks so much for explaining it, but this is one I think I would have real problems with.

[gja1000]

I agree, it was restrictive, but I was able to manage it for 3 weeks. Now, I'm just avoiding wheat/gluten because I think it contributes to my cravings and out of control eating.

But I really think they key is just finding what works for you, what you can tolerate, and what you can stick with!

Good Luck! :)

[Reba]

So, I'm sort of in a similar boat...
None of the people here have seen a picture of me (avatar coming soon), so none of you really know that I'm overweight. I'm not as bad as they come, but I'm quite a bit bigger than I should be. I have always been overweight... I was never a kid that enjoyed getting out and playing. I enjoyed reading and watching TV. I played some soccer and basketball, but never worked hard enough to get into good shape, so all my life, this is all I have known. For a long time, I completely hated myself. I wore huge, baggy clothes to cover myself up and did anything I could to avoid too much attention... I was made fun of and put down on a daily basis for it, and it wore away my self-esteem almost entirely.
Fast forward to the present... I've been with my boyfriend Jesse for over 2 years and I'm finally starting to believe him when he tells me I'm beautiful. I'm finally starting to see that I'm not as repulsive as I thought and maybe it's okay to just be the way I am...
Last Thursday, while at lunch with my mom, we got into a conversation about eating healthy and weight. We were eating at the mall, and I was telling her about how I had planned to get a healthy sandwich from Subway, but when I got to the mall, Subway was closed. I was telling her (jokingly) that the gods of healthy food were against me. I told her about a conversation Jesse and I had had the night previous (not that important to the story) and told her that I was going to try to start eating healthier... I don't like telling people about this and I've never talked about it with anyone but my mom... I'm addicted to the foods I eat. I really can't help it. I've tried so many times in the past and it's always been too hard for me to keep up with. I either take it too far and start losing weight in an unhealthy way, or I fall off the wagon two days in because I just can't take the temptations. She let me vent and then told me she was proud of me for trying to lose the weight...
She said that she has been worried about my weight for when I decide to have kids (um, hello? I'm 18.), but she's said that before, so I just sort of brushed it off... but then she also said that she and my dad had been worrying about the fact that they think that if I don't lose weight, Jesse is going to leave me. I believe her exact words were that, "...if you don't lose weight, Jesse's not going to like you anymore."
Maybe it doesn't make sense, but I was devastated. Still get a little choked up thinking about it.
So, that night, I joined Weight Watchers online. I haven't been telling people about it... Jesse knows, my mom knows, and apparently my dad knows, but no one else. Not even Angie (until now). I've been keeping it a secret and will continue to do so because I'm a little hyper-sensitive about the whole "issue". I hate it when people look at me differently for what I'm choosing to eat, I don't want people trying to help me pick out "healthy foods"... I know they mean well, but it just manages to hurt my feelings or make me feel completely inadequate. So I save my points for when I know I'm going to be with friends and use them then... and I've been getting in bouts of exercise whenever I can fit them in.
I guess the point of this was to tell you guys that I'm in the same boat...
Good luck to you guys in your journey. May it be as successful as you wish.
I'll be on my own journey over here. :)

[Tiramisu]

My posts are posting. I'll try at home!

[Janet]

I've always been overweight too...not so much as a child, but still on the heavy side. There were times I was just the right size for me and was so proud of myself. It was always a battle to stay that way and a battle I've always lost and still try to fight to this day.

I understand about the addiction...I need (yeah right) chocolate. And if there is something sweet in the house...I've got to have it or I'll think about continually. Makes me so angry at myself.

I hate being overweight!!!

[gja1000]

Reba, I'm very proud of you for working on your issues. I think it is so true, we must work on them our own way. I love to read about what others do, because it gives me ideas about what I might try. Sometimes they work for me, sometimes, not so much!

Weight, and losing weight are very personal. It is very easy for some, hard for others, and for some, darned near impossible. I think the key is to find out what works for you and then go for it.

I find that when I start a diet, I often keep it to myself. I'm not sure why, but for some reason I find that if I start on the covert, I do better, don't ask me why.

I also think it is much harder to watch your weight, or lose weight, for some people. I know my daughter finds it very hard to lose weight. Her daughter, my granddaughter simply cannot eat like most of her friends. When they come over to her house, they eat everything and my granddaughter will gain weight if she does not watch everything that goes into her mouth. She's only 12. She has an hour of PE everyday, she swims on a team and they practice for an hour and a half, 3-4 days a week. She plays volley ball and they practice for 2 hours two days a week. She also rides her bike, and the skateboard regularly. So, it's not like she sits in front of the TV all evening.

Anyway, my point is that we are all different and some of us struggle more than others, LOTS more!!!

Again, I congratulate for trying - that's the first important step! :)

[Reba]

Thanks, Gayle. :) I appreciate the kind words.

[Marilyn]

Reba, just wanted to give you a hug...((((((((Reba)))))))). I think you are making a very important first step. There are several reasons to want to be a more ideal weight, but as Gayle pointed out, this is very personal. It's okay to handle it the way it feels best for you. The only thing that I really wanted to add is that I'm overweight, about 25 lbs or so. I'm not huge but have worked at trying to knock the extra off and keep it off long enough to understand how difficult it can be. My point is, at least for me, the most important thing in actually losing the weight is to keep my focus on the goal, and if you slip one day, don't be so discouraged that you give up. Before the holidays, I'd lost 10 lbs on WW and was feeling pretty good. I fell off the wagon big time, and it's hard to get back on. If you can just keep your momentium and keep your goal in mind, you will succeed. There will be days when you weigh in and you have gained, but keep listening to the folks at you WW meetings and stay with the program, and you will succeed!!!

BTW, if you arent' going to WW meetings, you may want to find a place in your area. I'm a member online, and the online helps are wonderful, but they don't replace the encouragement of a meeting. The meetings may not be for everyone and I've never attended another group but the one here, so don't know if they are all good or not, but something you may wish to consider.

(You may have seen a picture of me on another forum that we are both members of. That was me at close to my ideal weight, well, I'm not there right now. I'm working to get back there. )

[Tiramisu]

My posts are posting. I'll try at home!

Should have said "aren't" posting. I tried to post several times yesterday and some worked and some didn't.

[Tiramisu]

Now that I have my foot back (still have a slight limp), I'm almost back to my normal activities. I'm eating foods I like (that are healthy for me), with a few exceptions: smaller portions, no chips, no desserts, less sugar in my coffee, less alcoholic beverage. I'm thinking about getting a used treadmill.

[judy]

Reba,

Good for you! Do your best, and only take one day at a time. I'm addicted to chocolate and fats. Once I get a taste of either, I'm right back on the wheel again, going around and around. I don't expect to ever get over it, just maybe to be able to stop before I gain too much.

I am sorry your Mom said that to you. I'm sure it was from her heart, and that she only wants you to be happy. It doesn't mean that it's the truth though. I can just imagine how it hurt you though since your weight is a hot button for you. You might want to think about telling Mom how you felt and asking her not to say things like that to you. You would have to be soooo tactful though. Just a thought.