Hi!  I went to the gym 3 times this week.  In HS i did some damage to my knees when I was a runner, so the elliptical trainers are great for me.  Tuesday and today I did light cardio yesterday I worked really hard at intervals.  I'm planning on getting set up on the nautilus this weekend so I can do some weights in the morning, too.

I'm glad work had been going so well for you.  I think I told you I run a daycareout of my home.  I am losing a 22 month old little girl I've had since she was 3 months old.  She's a part of the family now, and my heart has been breaking.  Falling in love with the kids is a bad occupational hazard.  the good news is that infant care is so scarce in this town, I am going to get paid for all of November and December by a family who isn't even going to start until January just to keep the spot open.  Their baby is only 3 weeks old right now.

No snow here yet, but it's almost old enough.  We'll have you beat by the end of November.  There is always SO MUCH snow here.  It piles about 7 feet next to the driveway over the winter - with all the interim melts, too.  I don't miss the dry cold of Anchorage, though.  I've only been back once since we moved here, and I never left the airport.

I'm off to feed the babies - you have a great weekend, too.

-Tami

ping123:

gkline:

Geography lesson by Gail 

                                                               NY ( Kathleen)

                                                               PA  ( Gail)

California   lots of states in between

                AZ (Bobbi - do I sort of have it close to the right spot on Gail's map?)                                                                    

                             TX                                 FL.

 

HAHA  I am really bored right now.....   Have a good day!

OMG Gail - you had me cracking up - thank you so much for the much needed lesson.  I take it PA is not in the midwest either, is it?  How about if I just say all of you are "back east" LOL!!

 Shout out to the Fab Five!

I promised myself I would review Gail's geography lesson and I found it!  Looking back at our thread reminded me just how far we have come on this journey...I am so happy to have you as friends. 

You must promise me that you will review a map of the USA before you travel to Alaska...I don't want anyone to get lost along the way-lol!  Everyone but Sharona must head west then the four of you go north past Canada.  Sorry Bobbi, you need to head toward the ocean and follow Gail.  When you come to the big mountains you cross them and you will find me :-)!

My new position is wonderful; however the devil woman had to pull my chain last week and ordered me back to the Front End for 2 days.  Another small delay along the route to happiness.  I'm not complaining about the job, just the stress of working with her watching my every move.  Saturday was soooo busy, not enough help and I didn't get a break for 5 hours.  Oh well, tonight is back to work in my new position.  We'll see how this week plays out.  I really need a regular schedule so that I can get to the gym, get enough rest (I get cranky when I can't take my naps), and have time for a life.

Speaking of which, Gunnar says hi but he wants to go outside and play in the snow.

Good luck this week.

Marcia

I'm trying to be fit by 40! I have just begun using Alli, in fact, today is my second day. 

Here's a little about me: I'm a 38 year old divorced mother of 2 kids, ages 7 and practically 5. I weigh 225 lbs. and my goal is to get to 135 lbs. I started trying to lose weight last spring, but I've been so non-committal with it that I haven't had much success. When I started, I was 236 lbs. At one point, I got down to 209, but as of today, I'm back up to 225. My weight comes off so slowly that it's hard to stay motivated. I exercise very regularly. Last April, I began taking Tae Kwon Do lessons. I LOVE it and I take 6 classes a week. I would go 7 days a week if I didn't have that darn job mucking up my schedule! LOL My children also take classes and it's something that we like to do together. I am a proud green belt! I have definitely become stronger with all of the karate that I do- when I started I couldn't do even one push up or sit up. Now I can do 20 pushups and 30 situps! Even with all of the exercise I do, my weight comes off very  slowly and I then I just feel so frustrated that I give up watching what I eat. I'm really hoping that with Alli, I will see results more quickly so that I can keep my motivation up. I also think that the possibility of "treatment effects" will be a good motivator for me to sincerely look at the fat grams and portion sizes that I'm eating. I'm tired of being the biggest person in Tae Kwon Do. I'm tired of being limited by my size.

My goal is to be stronger and healthier by 40. I will be ready to test for my black belt by the time I'm 40 and from what I hear, the black belt exam is GRUELING. I want to be a black belt. I want my children to see that you can achieve anything with hard work and perseverance. I want to be proud of me. 

This group sounds like a great idea. We can keep each other motivated!

-Steph

 Be sure to come to Juneau, too!  It's a little off the beaten path as you can't drive here directly - you must take a plane or a ferry.  I miss getting company, and this town is so small to me!  Don't count on doing any shopping here, though.  We have most of the major stores here, but only one and on a much smaller scale. (i.e. Costo doesn't have a pharmacy or a vision center and the "restaurant" doesn't do pizza.)

Sorry,  I've got a bad cold - occupational hazard - and I'm a little cranky.  I wanted a specific microwave but I have to order it from Sears as our Sears store is about the size of a large walk-in closet and doesn't keep anything in stock other than the displays.  I miss my days of living in Seattle!

I maintained this week, but it's all good since I got sick and my husband banished me to bed.  I got worried because he rented me all these chick flicks and I can't just sit and watch tv - I always eat.  Fortunately I remembered a cross stitch project that I had put away, and I thought that might keep my hands busy.  It worked, too!  I kept skipping all the snacks he brought me and stuck to my hm chicken soup when I was hungry.

Steph - make sure you eat ENOUGH on this.  Find the nutrtional log under your profile.  If you don't want to follow their meal suggestions, that's fine, but it will help you stay within your daily limits and your meal limits.  Don't fall more than 100 calories BELOW your 1800 (I weigh 227 so I'm assuming that's where you are at).  And try to get at least 13g of fat per meal to keep the alli working.  Don't go over the 19 or ttreatment effects will happen.  I keep dry roasted unsalted almonds around to help with this.  Usually one or 2 Tbsp get me to the right level.  Besides, I heard the monounsaturated fats target belly fat for weight loss.  The one complaint I have on alli is I feel like I am eating all the time.  I'm never hungry any more.  Bummer, huh?  As for your exercise - I am s jealous!  We have 1 dojo in town, and I don't know anyone who goes, so I have no idea about their reputation.  I would like to take lessons with my 7 year old daughter, with the goal that we BOTH would be black belts by the time she starts dating :).

Better go - the monsters are getting restless.

Take care all and be happy losers!

Thank you so much for your suggestions and advice Tamib619. I don't think I've been meeting the full requirements for the fat grams. Alot of what I eat seems to be low fat or non fat...but I always eat too much of the stuff. The suggestion about the nuts is a good one! I need to get into the groove, I guess. So far, I haven't seen any movement on my scale, but I have to keep reminding myself that it's only been 3 days so far. 

I think it's great that you were able to do your cross stitch instead of snacking! I hope you're feeling better.

As for the karate, we have alot of different schools around here and they teach various forms of martial arts. I chose Tae Kwon Do because I felt that it had the right philosophy and approach for me and my personality. I LOVE it!  Most of the schools around here will let you try a class for free so that you can see if you like it. Maybe the dojang in your area offers a "free trial" too. I take about 6 classes a week over 3 days. I would go more often and take more classes (there is so much to learn!) but my work schedule prevents me from doing that. I've gained strength, mental focus, confidence....and my kids have too. I've met many very nice people too, which makes training feel like a social group too. If you're curious, go for it! What have you got to lose?

Thanks again for the tips! I don't think I'm doing it quite right yet, but I'm on the right track.

-Steph

 Tami;

There is definitely something in the air.  I missed 2 days of work this week.  Couldn't take alli and I'm afraid to get on the scale.  lol!  I know I'm retaining water because my hands feel puffy.  Feeling much better and back at work.  I'm still adjusting to working graveyard shifts...so I'm stuck.  I have been taking food to work, but I get so busy I'm not eating like I should.  Oh well, I know what to do I just need to get back to the basics.

We'd love to visit Juneau!  I've never been and I think it would be awesome!  We might even rent an RV for a few days.  I'm not sure what all we'll be able to do while the ladies visit, but they deserve a tour of our great state.  I'm excited!  You'll have to give us some ideas of things to do....shopping is definitely not the same here as in the lower 48.  We will want to look at Alaskan art and crafts though.  Anchorage has the Market down by the train depot that is full of great gifts.  I'm sure Juneau has something similar for all the cruiseline tourists.

Talk to you soon.  Hope you have a great week!

Marcia

Juneau needs to be visited between October and April if you don't want all the tourists around, because the ships don't come in until May.  HOWEVER - downtown pretty much becomes a ghost town during that time, too.  Most of the shops are owned by the cruise lines, and even the best restaurant closes during that time.  There are a few shops open that are locally owned - and they are actually pretty good with authentic artisan wares, but the hustle and bustle during tourist season is fun, too.  We have at least 2 museums open year-round.

Whatever you do, bring rain gear!  PLEASE come visit.  I'd LOVE to have everyone over for a yummy low-fat dinner!  :)

-Tami

Tami;

I have been trying to post for two days and finally was able to get to personal experiences page today.  Very frustrating!  I was up 0.5 # this week.  Probably due to not eating properly and unable to take alli while I was sick with some kind of bug...

I like the slow and steady idea that you propose.  Since my goal is to keep the weight off, it is good to "feel" the difference every pound makes in regards to my feelings of health and following this new life plan.  I have more energy and I am sleeping less than I did before I started alli and nutrisystem.  I keep telling myself that if I feel this good after losing x number of pounds, I'll realy feel good when I reach my goal!  I've got a rough idea of what I'd like to  weigh, but I won't know exactly until I get closer to 160 and able to fit into some of my "thin" clothes ;)!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Marcia

 So glad to find this thread... I'm 38 (will be 39 in December) and would love to have "fit by 40" as a goal.

I'm having a hard time getting started but I think that being able to communicate with others with like goals will motivate me. I keep setting my start date and then changing it because "something" always seems to come up and I think "oh, I'll just start later". Well that 40th birthday is coming quicker and quicker and I've got to get started before I get discouraged. And I know that people say... "it's just a number"... but I know that I thought turning 30 was bad... and now I'm almost to 40 and still not happy with my weight, health, and appearance... which in turn is putting a strain on so many other things in my life.

stephv7: you said "I'm tired of being limited by my size."  I can relate to that statement SO MUCH.

I'm tired of not feeling comfortable in my own skin... not to mention my clothes. In my head, I'm still in my 20's. lol But this excess weight keeps me from doing the things that I love and want to do.

 Welcome mikxoc!

Getting started is one of the more difficult steps with this plan.  There is always something that comes up to keep you from taking care of yourself....Women are so often busy taking care of everyone else in their family that they use all their time and energy and next thing you know another day is gone, or another year, etc.  You said the same thing yourself so you know what I'm talking about.  On an earlier post, I mentioned something I had heard on an Oprah show that puts things in perspective for me:  When you are on an airplane and the air masks drop, you are told to make sure you get oxygen first...then give some to your child or whomever you are caring for because if you are not able to breath, you won't be there for anyone else!

It is okay to take care of yourself!  I know you'll like this thread, because it is full of wonderful people who really want everyone to succeed...Good luck,

Marcia

Hi Mikxoc! In my head, I'm still in my 20's too LOL. Seriously, I can't be almost 40!  

Have you started your plan yet? Don't let yourself stand in your own way, no matter what is going on. Just jump on in and the rest will fall in place. 

I've just finished my first week with the Alli. Too be honest, I had days where I tracked my calories and fat grams carefully and days where I guesstimated. I didn't do any crazy eating or snacking and I exercised regularly (6 days). I didn't really have "treatment effects" but at times my stomach hurt a little. I lost 2 pounds this week and I'm simultaneously pleased with the loss and unhappy that I didn't lose more than 2 pounds. I've got a little dichotomy going on inside me LOL. Whatever the case, the numbers on the scale went down so I feel encouraged to keep on keeping on!

How is everyone else doing?

-Steph

 Hi Wendy,

I am 39 to be 40 in May. I started about 2 weeks ago maybe a little more. I have lost some weight. I see you have not been on since 8/14/07 are you still out their???

I know - the bug is killing me!  I stayed in bed all weekend AGAIN.  I actually am much better, but the chest congestion is exhausting.

Right now all my kids are napping.  Bless them all!  I don't officially weigh in until tomorrow, but as of today I am down 30 lbs!  That chicken soup diet while I have been sick has been wonderful :).  The trick will be to keep it off and keep going.  I'm hoping that by the end of the week I will feel good enough to go back to the gym.  Just keeping the house clean enough for daycare is fine for me until then.

Kind of off subject, but I need to vent - do any of you have husbands who get sick when you do?  I can't remember the last time I was sick all by myself with someone to take care of me!  My husband got sick first, and he's still worse than I am.  So, of course, I can't sprawl out in bed and be sick, I have to still take care of everyone.  Heaven forbid I am unable to do the dishes!

Take care everyone!  Enjoy every pound of weight loss!  I am hoping to lose 20 more by January 1st.  That would be a total of 50 lbs. for me!

-Tami

 Did anyone see the cover of Prevention Magazine with Faith Hill on the front ! Wow she is 41 and looks like she is 20 ! Even when I see before and after pictures of people who have lost weight it really makes you look years younger when you take the weight off !!! I am so happy I finally made it to 179 ! Can't wait until I hit my goal weight ! See ya Amanda

 Tami;

How are you feeling this weekend?  Everyone doing better I hope!  All is well in Anchorage...I don't know why I had such a bad week.  Hormones???  Anyway, I haven't posted because I didn't want to weigh in :-<.  As Scarlett used to say, "I'll deal with that tomorrow" and just try to get back to my program.  It will be easier this week...I actually have a routine schedule and set days off!  

I like the picture you posted!  Just wanted to say hello and hope you are feeling better.  Write more later. 

Marcia