<p>I’ll join in, too! Now that the nest is empty, I’m out of excuses!!!</p>
<p>I’ve been doing WW since January, but not really following it…just trying to psych myself into following it. Nice to see others here have done well with it. It’s true, to make it work you must keep track of everything you eat.</p>
<p>My neighbor forced me to go back to the gym with her yesterday and I’m sore, but ok. She’s made me promise to join her there again tomorrow morning after my WW meeting…I know she’ll come after me if I don’t go. Tomorrow I plan to start tracking the points again, too, so wish me luck.</p>
<p>The last thing my D said to me when I said goodbye to her was that she looks forward to seeing me in better shape at parents’ weekend in Nov. I don’t want to disappoint her!</p>
<p>I have heard people who are really happy with weight watchers- I think it helps to have outside support.
I don’t eat out of stress anymore ( I took out all my sod a year or so ago- instead I dig!)
I rarely diet though- I think I was on Atkins for a week once- but it grossed me out! </p>
<p>I have lost about 45 lbs & have kept it off- I also had been going to the gym, but since I am covered in mud most of the time- I haven’t gone for a while- which I really need to do, since pretty soon the ground will be too hard to dig.</p>
<p>( my gym also does not do body fat- except for a couple times a year when they rent the equipment- they do have free trainers though who will work with you when you want to go to the next level/have an injury/or need instruction)
oh I do have that sort of scale that does body fat- but I rarely remember the right combinations of buttons to bring it up. :o</p>
<p>It really helps to have the scales that display your weight, fat content and water content. Mine is a Tanita- available at Bed Bath & Beyond. Cost me about $50. Best fifty bucks I ever spent.</p>
<p>I am in a same boat constantly. I discovered over the period of last 25 years, that the following helps:
-Do not need to diet - cannot diet whole life
No bread/pasta/rice/potatoes (limited amount of whole grain proven by reading ingredients list, not the name of the product), no boxed food
-As many fruits/vegetables as you want
-Weigh yourself every day with very simple cheap scale</p>
<p>This has been very easy to maintain. But do not be too harsh on yourself!!</p>
<p>A couple of years ago I lost 15 pounds and was really happy to see an “old” number in the tens column Then I got a bit obsessive and lost another 10 which had every one telling me I was losing too much, might have an eating disorder, etc- which was not anywhere near the case, I still weigh 20# more than pre-kids, but they were so bothered by it that I actually purposely gained 5# because they were making me nervous about it. I think they were worried and I admit I was pretty intensely focused on the weight loss.</p>
<p>I have stayed in that range of 5-10# more than my bottom weight, I do have to weigh myself often to keep track, as I can feel fat and weigh a good number or feel good and weigh a bad number ;)</p>
<p>I used to think I could just watch how my clothes fit and how I feel not needing to weigh, but now I realise I really have to weigh myself.</p>
<p>Also, I tend to have a diet day or diet week where I am more careful about what I eat and try to stay in my range. Maybe with the kids gone I can get a little bit obsessed again and work on that other 10# If I don’t get intense about it, I enjoy food too much to skip it.</p>
<p>I did find that little bit of exercise, like walking a few hundred feet, often through the day seemed to keep my metabolism up. Also I would call old friends and family to keep in touch and walk the entire time we are talking.</p>
<p>somemom-I also chat on the cell phone while walking the dog; it allows me to go longer. Of course walking the dog is not much exercise unless you count my arm muscles! My dog pulls when she sees her friends so it takes what little strength I have to keep her near. When she isn’t pulling, she stops to smell every second, so we don’t walk as much as we stand around!</p>
<p>I started back to the gym in June when D1 came home from school and needed to work out for her sport. We went just about every morning. I haven’t wieghed myself but my clothes fit better and people have noticed. She left 2 weeks ago and I have upped my mileage and continued my workouts. Now I want to control the food intake. Bread is my weakness! (ok…and wine in the evenings ) I’d really like to lose 20+ lbs before D2’s grad party. sigh…one thing at a time!</p>
<p>Oh, I forgot to mention, that I exercise every day, and sometime it is 2 hours/day. However, I do what I greatly enjoy and looking forward every day after work. If you hate your exercise routine, it is not worthwhile to bother with it. My routine changes with the season.</p>
<p>I use splenda too- but not always, but I imagine that if you are used to using two packets ( which would be * really* sweet), some sweet tooths may then decide to look for only other things that are sweet & not care if they are low cal or not.</p>
<p>WashDad, that seems to be a new income based on several best selling books.Every candidate has best selling books now so its virtually impossible not to have that kind of wealth around the time of running.</p>
<p>More accurate to look at their past income over numerous years. Then of course, it wouldn’t make for as much hoopla for the conservatives to play with, would it?</p>
<p>I’ll sign up as well. Not only is it a good excuse to join this online community instead of just lurking, but I really need to lose another 10 pounds. I did lose 10 pounds on Jenny Craig earlier in the year (and kept it off by walking/running and some free weights) but I couldn’t give up cooking and feeding my family so the program was too intrusive. Congrats to those of you on this thread with willpower. I am still trying to find mine.</p>
Then I got a bit obsessive and lost another 10 which had every one telling me I was losing too much, might have an eating disorder, etc- which was not anywhere near the case, I still weigh 20# more than pre-kids, but they were so bothered by it that I actually purposely gained 5# because they were making me nervous about it. I think they were worried and I admit I was pretty intensely focused on the weight loss.</p>