I got on line this morning and saw a banner advertisement. It read "Lose 20lbs by July 30,2001". I remember in December I had planned to have lost 20 lbs. by March. It is almost the end of May - and well - although I had lost 17lbs I am up again and weighed 235 last week. I started this journey at 245. So needless to say I did not reach my goal. I have the will (sometimes) and the way (other times) but I am not getting the two to connect very well at all. I need to do something to get back on track and stay there. I am hoping if I start to write here -and am faced with this everyday - I will be more successful. So here I am today - re committing. I will succeed. I will. My short term goal this week is to avoid chocolate and chips and Coke and see the scale move down this week. My next goal is to lose 20lbs by August 15,2001. I will start with that. When I start thinking longer term than that I start to panic - and eat - getting no where anyway. I think I will also change my signature today - does anyone know those Loriel (sp) adds? "Because I'm Worth It" and I am worth the effort - so off I go on this journey again - Chapter 832 - the first chapter in the conclusion of this story! :)

Gen

Because I'm Worth It! :)

Hi, Gen -

I'm glad to see that you have started a journal. Many of us have enjoyed great benefits from keeping our journals here. You will probably find that a couple people keep popping in to say "Hi" and to comment on your progress.

You can do this, Gen. And - yes, indeed - you are worth it.

ThinLynn

Good Morning -

Well if I am honest with myself yesterday was not a good food day. I avoided the three C's as promised - but had a hotdog for lunch and pizza for dinner. I did go for a long walk with a friend though. Today is will be better. I mapped out what I want to eat for the day (within calorie limits) and plan on sticking to it.

Thanks for the encouragement Thinlyn.

Gen

Me again -

I'm suffering from a bad case of misguided hunger. I have eaten well today - but for some reason I am convinced I am hungry. It is 4:00 and I am counting down to dinner which can not come soon enough. So instead of eating I am typing. I was a good girl today - I took my son out for icecream and had none - so far so good. This long term comitment to healthy eating is tough.

Menu today -

Breakfast - Nutrigran Bar- Had planned on poached egg and toast but had not time - need to find ideas for quicky breakfasts.

Snack - Fruit Leather

Lunch - 6inch chicken breast sub no cheese - horse radish all the fixens. A chocolate chip nut cookie (friend bought me 4 - ate one and gave the rest way)

Dinner - 3 Tacito's (in the oven as we speak)

Snack - Bowl of popcorn (planned treat tonight)

Gen

Gen,

I think your "inner child" is complaining about that ice cream(lack of) and trying to convince you that you are hungry. You gave away chocolate chip cookies? :eek: WOW! Good for you!

I got a chuckle when I saw your signature. I just got through making the same reference in my own journal. I'm not using it as a signature-good idea. I get mad at those commercials and just want to say, "OF COURSE I'M WORTH IT!

Karolyn

[ 05-30-2001: Message edited by: karolync1 ]

Another day -

It was a challenging sort of day. I ate an extra piece of chicken at supper time which I really did not need. I am having a really hard time between 3:30 and 5:30 just before dinner. I don't want to snack but by the time dinner comes I am so hungry (psychological??) that I have a hard time being resonable. I may take a page out of karolync1's book and try having a little protein snack around 3:30 ish and see if that helps.

I did a ton of house work today - figuring keeping busy would be good for me in all sorts of ways. I felt quite productive but now I just feel tired - and full.

Karolync1 - the adds always bug me to - but the message - well I figure that it is a good reminder for me of why I am making sacrafices.

Gen

[ 05-31-2001: Message edited by: GenH ]

Hi GenH!

I too have been starving by the time I get to dinner and results in not so great choices. Have you thought that you may not be eating enough? Try adding in some fruits and vegetables-like a salad with dinner. Also are you drinking your water. That helps me alot because it is easy to mistake thirst for hunger. Hope this helps!

Take Care,
*

Hi Gen,
Just stopped by to check out your journal. Water too seems to help with my hunger pains.
But Karolyn's suggestions are great too!!
I prefer not to snack, because when I start, i tend to over do (even if they are healthy snacks) Its like a switch is flipped. If I start the off button doesn't work. Good luck !!
:rose:

Good Morning -

You are right - I haven't been drinking as much water as I should maybe that it the problem. I will make sure to get my water today and see if that helps. As for vegetables - I am trying to add more to meals but I find many vegetables give me an upset stomac - unfortunatly I have learned to associate that feeling over the years with hunger - another misguided cue (which I am occassionaly recognising) and well that is something else I need to work on. I need to figure out which fruits/veggies are are problem. I know I have trouble with apples and cooked carrots - but I am sure there are others. Thanks for the advice Karen & Otto.

I work today - those are usually my worse food days - snack and pop machine calling to me - people waving cookies under my nose - friends bringing lunch - which mostly consists of oil, fat and grease rolled in a bread product of some sort accompanied by a big glass of sugar & chemicals. 8-}

I am bringing some stew and a piece of fruit leather to work - and perhaps I will lock my office door and put a big sign on it that says no food allowed outside. :D I am feeling pretty good this morning and I think I will have a good day.

Gen

Gen, I love your description of your co-worker's lunches. :laugh:

I don't think any of us realize how many "pitfalls" we have in our lives until we start to address them - one by one - when we make a serious committment to health and fitness.

You are making great strides by recongizing and dealing with some of YOUR pitfalls right off the bat. I've found in 5 months that some of them are huge, and stand there staring me right in the face; and others are insidious little beasts that are hard to recognize as problems!

Keep up the good work, Gen!

Lynn

Howdy -

I have one really big problem at the moment -I can't seem to say no to food offered to me by others. To ilustrate the point - Friday my husband suggested we go out to a Buffet for dinner - did I say no -nope - did I suggest somewhere else - nope - did I watch what I was eating - no way. It is frustrating because I keep sabatoging myself - I know I am the one who is in control of what goes into my body but I am still letting others decide what I will eat. I just don't seem to have made the comitment I need to and I am not sure how to go about doing it. I'm feeling pretty low. I want to do this - I want to be thin, healthy, and fit but do I want it badly enough and if I don't what do I do now?

Gen

Good Morning -

I am feeling a little more positive today. I have my day mapped out -

Breakfast - Coffee & toast with pb
Snack - Nutrigrain bar
Lunch - Boiled Egg, apple sauce, bun & carrots
Supper - Venison Steak, baby potatos and mixed veggy salad.
Snack - Popcorn (if needed)

I start a motorcycle training program today ( I need to learn for work) I am nervous and excited - I wonder if I burn bonus calories for learning something new? :)

I'm wishing myself the best of days - I know I can do this.

Gen

YOu know the plan from yesterday? Didn't stick to it - not even a little. Didn't eat too badly but did not eat as well as I planned. I have to be doing a little better though cause I was able to get into my size 18 jeans yesterday (and wore them all day) - I have not worn those in over 2 years. I really have no idea how Thursday is going to go. Day two of the Motorcycle course today - I think I am probably burning 200 plus calories in stress alone! :)

Weigh in day today. Lost 6lbs. Not as excited as one might think cause I had already lost these ones before - but I am happy. It proves that just making little changes does help and if I could just really stick to a plan I would do swimmingly well. My original goal was to avoid the three C's this week. I did not cut them out completely but I did reduce my intake significatly. I believe this helps a lot. This week - I am aiming for a 2lb loss - avoid the three C's and add A 4th C - Candy. I had someone suggest I look into the Zone diet. I am not found of regimented diets - maybe I will look into it.

On to another week.

Gen

Haven't checked in in a few days. I was in a Motorcycle accident on Thursday. I'm doing better now. Haven't been condentrating too hard on my diet.

Gen

I haven't been eating well this week - but I have not been overeating either. When my neck starts to feel a little better I will have to concentrate harder on eating well instead of on eating less.

Gen

Hi GenH!

Here are some flowers for you that you will be feeling much better soon! :rose: :rose: :rose: :rose: :rose:

Do the best you can with your choices. I will keep checking in on you do see how you are doing. Keep your chin up!

Take Care,
1lucky *

Good Morning.

I've been using my accident as an excuse long enough. I need to get back on track today. I am wondering if I need to follow some specific diet plan. Counting calories is seeming tedius and pointless at the moment and I am getting frustrated with it. I'm looking at the 4 D's and I think at the moment I have only one of them - Desire. I am not sure how to "get" the other 3 in my life. I want to lose weight - I am comited to losing weight - I will use weight - I work every day to lose weight - Those are the peices. Let's hope I can finally get them all together.

Gen

Gen!! Good work for waking up and knowing you just gotta do it anyway, in spite of your neck pain. How to get the ohter D's? Well, there is a saying "Whatever you want in your life, being by practicing" and its TRUE. Just do it anyway. Inside you ARE those other D's. They are just not dominant. The way to make them dominant is to practice them, let them out, and make them STRONG!!! Come on, sweetie, you can do this!

Forget counting calories, there are LOTS of easier ways. I personally have to becuase I tend to overeat if I dont', but you can always simply focus on increasing your fruits and veggies and water. By doing that, you will automatically eat healthier! Or, cut down on fats/sugars/carbs. Another great healthy plan! Start today and you will see results THIS WEEK!!!! :) *

Joni - You've been watching Dr. Phil again haven't you? :) But you are both right - that is the key isn't it- I have to do it anyways.

Okay so I will. I worry about not counting calories because it is so much easier to lie to myself about what I ate that day. Maybe I just need to make a concerted effert to cut out the 4 C's and take smaller potions and see how that goes. The other issue for me is that I find I have a habit of making bad choices with-in the good choices. When I keep track it is easier to see how I am actually doing. Oh well - now I am just whining. I will DO - I almost wrote try - this this week, and I will re-evaluate next week.

Gen

Hey Gen!

Checking in to see how you are doing...but youre not here. <IMG SRC="smilies/question.gif" border="0"> Hope all is well. Have you thought of keeping a list of your food in your journal to help make you more accountable for what you are eating. Sometimes knowing that you have to write it down for the world to see can help you make better choices.

You can do this! We are all here to help and cheer you along! Go Gen Go!

Take care!

Thanks for the wake-up Karen. I have been busy this week - my parents and sister are comming to stay with me for 3 weeks. I ment to be about 20lbs lighter when they got here - but that has not happened. I will just have to impress them with just how well I am eating! :) I have not seen them in over 1.5 year.

Yesterday was tragic - a huge piece of cheesecake tends to ruin your calorie count.

The plan for today is to get a walk in - try and keep my portion sizes down - and mostly be resonable.

Gen