ah hell, I tried to put in a smily and my entire post got wiped out!

What did I say again.... I'll think about it and post again later. Sometimes I hate the internet.

k8memphis - Thanks for sharing how you fix your cabbage. Sounds simple and tasty. Exactly what I like I will without a doubt give that a try.
EnjoyTheCake - I know that must have ticked you off. It is such a pain when that happens and you lose everything you wrote
Wanted to share that I purchased some Grilled Mesquite Chicken from Sam's Club (Member's Mark brand) and it's really, really good. There are about 10 fillets in a bag, each frozen separately and fully cooked. Just plop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes and ya got a great tasting piece of chicken that tastes a lot like you just brought it in from the grill. Only 170 calories for a fillet approximately 4.9 ounces... Just thought I would share.

So, my husband and I had a deal (before I found out about my hypothyroidism and such) that if I lost 20lbs, I would get $200 to spend on whatever I wanted.

Well, he kept his end up, even though I had gained weight before my thyroid was under control.

I've lost 20lbs, and am down to 155. This is a HUGE deal for me, because I haven't seen that on the scale in over a year. Also, I'm still losing, so my ultimate goal of 145 is not out of reach. *crosses fingers* 145 would put me in a solid size 10. Would I love to be 135 and in a size 8? Sure, but I'm not going to kill myself to get there, and I will love myself at a size 10.

I just had to share.

Btw, I spent $160 of my newly earned money on a new digital camera. My husband and I have a nice one, but it's clunky and huge, and I wanted something small that'll fit into a pocket. A bonus is that the color matches my laptop. *squee*

Monkess - you and I were thinking alike today. I went through my cabinets to check out what kind of soup I have. It's the perfect weather for it and it's so easy to open and pour into a can I also looked at the sodium content. Geeez, it's amazing how much sodium is in things. I really try to watch my intake but I know I go over what I should have quite often. And who can eat half a can of soup? Hard to believe that there are at least 2 servings in every can. Anyway, when I know that I'm having soup, I just try to watch what else I eat that has a good amount in it. I'm NOT gonna give up my soup for sure. What's your favorite kind?

WOO HOO Jade. You go girl!!! Wow, congrats on the 20 pound weight loss. That is absolutely wonderful!!! You are almost to your goal weight!!!! How great is that??? You will without a doubt get down to 145 and I bet you will look great in those size 10 jeans.

WOO HOO Jade. You go girl!!! Wow, congrats on the 20 pound weight loss. That is absolutely wonderful!!! You are almost to your goal weight!!!! How great is that??? You will without a doubt get down to 145 and I bet you will look great in those size 10 jeans.

Congratufrickenlations, Jade!! Way to go!!

Happy New Year, everyone!!

I've missed my "old" CM buddies and am so grateful to find you and some new buddies, too.

Quick intro - I'm 38, married, twin 2 yr olds (boy & girl). The scale says I'm about 70 pounds heavier than my 5' frame should hold. I have a disease called sarcoidosis which is an inflammatory disease that causes a myriad of issues - fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain/swelling, hormonal imbalances, etc.

So, you guys inspired me to get off my butt and go to the doctor for the first time in about 3 years. It turns out that I'm having a relapse of the sarcoid. No wonder I never could muster the energy to exercise!! (Hard to get on the treadmill when a phone conversation makes you breathless!) So many of the symptoms are things that I have chalked up to being overweight. It wasn't until I "met" all of you and you started talking about finding out about thyroid issues, etc. that I began to think that I might need to get checked out just to be sure.

The bad news is that the treatment is steroid therapy, which usually equals weight gain. The good news is that I found an amazing doctor who is very progressive and combines holistic and traditional medicines. So, while a will have to take steroids for a bit, she is not looking at that as a long-term solution. So, this afternoon I go back to get the results of all of my tests and find out what she has in store for me.

I have to apologize to my CM pals for my negativity last year. I just never could quite get going. Thanks for putting up with me.

I have decided that 2009 is The Year of Me - the year I put some effort, time, love, and energy toward myself, for a change. Please make this the Year of You - you are worth it!!

I am so grateful to the Chunky Monkey girls for their support, advice, encouragement, commiseration, humor....You are the best!!

EtC - I was struck again by your pic when I read the post - you are beautiful inside AND out!!!

TS and butternut - I am so grateful for the both of you as you always have great info and words of wisdom.

Congrats on the jeans, Jade!! (She says sitting here in her baggy sweatpants.)

Welcome to those of you who weren't on the previous post. I can't wait to get to know you better!

Happy New Year - and best wishes for (not so) Chunky Monkeys in 2009!!

Hey Stacy. So glad to see you back on the forum. We've missed you. Not so glad to hear about your medical problem though. However, it sounds like you have a Dr who is going to take charge of this problem and make you healthier. Please let us know how your appointment goes this afternoon. I know you are looking forward to getting some of that energy back and being able to do what you'd like in the form of exercise, etc. So many times we attribute our weight as the culprit to all of our woes but as you've seen, that's not always the case and we should all have our regular check ups and go to the Dr when something changes in our bodies. I'm so happy that you went. Now, I'm getting on the phone and making my Dr. appointment. See, you've already been a good influence on me

Well hello everyone..For the past couple of days, I have been doing something I never done before and that is paying attention to calories. Now, I still do not count them, but being more aware is really helping. When we go out for fast food, it is usually that we are on the run again. Now, I divide my fast food in 1/2 and eat 2 meals instead of 1...I do not want to stick to any particular diet, but I buy diet books at the Dollar Tree and use some of the tiips and recipes in them. Yesterday, I bought Sonoma Diet and Flavor Point Diet.
One of you posted the cabbage recipe and I am going to try that. I love cabbage.
Jade, Congratulations on your 20 pounds ! Also, what type of camera did you buy? I do a lot of photography these days and use my photos on my greeting cards I create. I love taking photos of food.
Stacy, I am sorry about your inflammatory disease. I certainly understand about the meds for treatment ..
I have rheumatoid arthritis and that prednisone does a job ! I only take a dose pack when I am desparate as it also shoots up my blood sugars. It is one step at a time. Having low or no energy is such a drag. Then there are always the people who do not understand your problem and just call you 'lazy'..I know this one all too well... I wish you all the best.
I am glad to be a part of this group.

Sarah

Well hello everyone..For the past couple of days, I have been doing something I never done before and that is paying attention to calories. Now, I still do not count them, but being more aware is really helping. When we go out for fast food, it is usually that we are on the run again. Now, I divide my fast food in 1/2 and eat 2 meals instead of 1...I do not want to stick to any particular diet, but I buy diet books at the Dollar Tree and use some of the tiips and recipes in them. Yesterday, I bought Sonoma Diet and Flavor Point Diet.
One of you posted the cabbage recipe and I am going to try that. I love cabbage.
Jade, Congratulations on your 20 pounds ! Also, what type of camera did you buy? I do a lot of photography these days and use my photos on my greeting cards I create. I love taking photos of food.
Stacy, I am sorry about your inflammatory disease. I certainly understand about the meds for treatment ..
I have rheumatoid arthritis and that prednisone does a job ! I only take a dose pack when I am desparate as it also shoots up my blood sugars. It is one step at a time. Having low or no energy is such a drag. Then there are always the people who do not understand your problem and just call you 'lazy'..I know this one all too well... I wish you all the best.
I am glad to be a part of this group.

Sarah

Well hello everyone..For the past couple of days, I have been doing something I never done before and that is paying attention to calories. Now, I still do not count them, but being more aware is really helping. When we go out for fast food, it is usually that we are on the run again. Now, I divide my fast food in 1/2 and eat 2 meals instead of 1...I do not want to stick to any particular diet, but I buy diet books at the Dollar Tree and use some of the tiips and recipes in them. Yesterday, I bought Sonoma Diet and Flavor Point Diet.
One of you posted the cabbage recipe and I am going to try that. I love cabbage.
Jade, Congratulations on your 20 pounds ! Also, what type of camera did you buy? I do a lot of photography these days and use my photos on my greeting cards I create. I love taking photos of food.
Stacy, I am sorry about your inflammatory disease. I certainly understand about the meds for treatment ..
I have rheumatoid arthritis and that prednisone does a job ! I only take a dose pack when I am desparate as it also shoots up my blood sugars. It is one step at a time. Having low or no energy is such a drag. Then there are always the people who do not understand your problem and just call you 'lazy'..I know this one all too well... I wish you all the best.
I am glad to be a part of this group.

Sarah

why are we getting multiple posts????
Hey butternut-My fav is cream of mushroom, I am vegertarian and find that this one is low in carbs and fat...yeah its a bummer about the # of servings...I usually end up eating atleast two thirds. Made my version of Italian wedding soup, ful of kale(!!) that is SO SO filling..I hardly need anything else with it.
Jade-that is wonderful, tell all...how do you do it?!! I need all the tips I can get... Good job everyone.....

Thank you all so much for the congrats! I was so sure I was going to be "stuck" at 175lbs or more forever, that I about gave up. I had been seeing a counselor for other reasons, but having her be my accountability person really did help more than having my husband try. I don't like letting others down, and my husband gives in.

Sarah - I bought a Nikon Coolpix S550. My husband and I have a Canon S2 IS, but I wanted something small, and much more portable for myself. It also helped that it matches my laptop (plum purple!).

Monkess - As far as how I did it...honestly, my new doctor is holistic and takes a slightly different approach to treating hypothyroidism. I knew once my thyroid was REALLY under control (i.e., I no longer had the symptoms), the weight could be lost, but I wasn't sure how. Well, he told me low-carb for life. So I eat no more than 60g of carbs a day, but I also don't eat more than 60g of protein either. My body is using my fat for energy, instead of the carbs (I was consuming around 200+g of carbs every day!!). Do I get hungry? Sure, but not as often and I eat a LOT less food because I feel full longer.

This also reduces my risk for Type II diabetes, which is genetic in my family.

So, long story short, I listened to my doctor.

My mom liked what he's done for me so much, she's seeing him now (drives 1.5 hours to see him) and her mom (my grandmother) is thinking about it too. Three generations of women with hypothyroidism, two of which have diabetes, high-cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. might end up at the same doctor. That's practically a full study group right there, lol.

Thank you all so much for the congrats! I was so sure I was going to be "stuck" at 175lbs or more forever, that I about gave up. I had been seeing a counselor for other reasons, but having her be my accountability person really did help more than having my husband try. I don't like letting others down, and my husband gives in.

Sarah - I bought a Nikon Coolpix S550. My husband and I have a Canon S2 IS, but I wanted something small, and much more portable for myself. It also helped that it matches my laptop (plum purple!).

Monkess - As far as how I did it...honestly, my new doctor is holistic and takes a slightly different approach to treating hypothyroidism. I knew once my thyroid was REALLY under control (i.e., I no longer had the symptoms), the weight could be lost, but I wasn't sure how. Well, he told me low-carb for life. So I eat no more than 60g of carbs a day, but I also don't eat more than 60g of protein either. My body is using my fat for energy, instead of the carbs (I was consuming around 200+g of carbs every day!!). Do I get hungry? Sure, but not as often and I eat a LOT less food because I feel full longer.

This also reduces my risk for Type II diabetes, which is genetic in my family.

So, long story short, I listened to my doctor.

My mom liked what he's done for me so much, she's seeing him now (drives 1.5 hours to see him) and her mom (my grandmother) is thinking about it too. Three generations of women with hypothyroidism, two of which have diabetes, high-cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. might end up at the same doctor. That's practically a full study group right there, lol.

Yeah, got some problems for sure. I got the email that there was a new post for this thread but when I clicked on it, it said that no posts exists So, I just went to it the long way around. I have noticed that if you post something and hit send, if at the same time, the site goes down, when it comes back up, your post is on the forum but usually duplicated.

There is a study somewhere I read--I can maybe find it if you need it but I learned something that rings true for me. There is a hormone in our tummy's that tells us when we're hungry. So we get the message and we eat some carbs. The study shows that our hunger is indeed assuaged, satisfied from eating the carbs then in a very short period of time we are more hungry than we were before we ate those carbs. Any takers?

Ergo when I avoid carbs completly on phase 1 for two weeks and then use a certain kind of good carb in moderation on phases 2 & 3 I do not crave. If I start craving then I know for me I've consumed too many carbs or the wrong kind that day. And it's a low threshold.

Once I get to my good bmi, I feel better, I have no hot flashes, ny health problems fade to the background, I look better, my skin is pretty, I can think better, I can see better. So many many benefits.

But I am a sugar addict and it's so easy to relapse. Just a small amount gets the whole roller coaster going again and all those lovely hard fought results go up in fat (smoke) and here we are again. And the small amount of sugar substances gets bigger and bigger and bigger like me. I'm a classic.

~~Notes to self from somone who has not been able to maintain her weight for three years because she did not adhere to this line of thinking. But I am this time!

I typed out a nice long post yesterday, then my AOL closed on me and I lost everything. Sigh and ugh at the same time. I guess it was good for ya'll since I was rambling like usual and it was pretty long.

I'm babysitting a 2 year old right now, so hopefully I can keep track of her and what I am saying and still make sense in the end.

I walked Tues and Wed, but didn't yesterday. I don't even have a good excuse for it, other than I just didn't do it. I'm tired and moody this week because of my period and trying to get my eating back on track, but that shouldn't change anything.

I decided yesterday that I'm going back to the basics when it comes to eating. I am reading a book about eating carbs and still losing weight. It is basicly about how our bodies need carbs and what all they do for us (when eaten right and when eaten wrong). This lead me to look up how much carbs, fat and protien we need in our diets each day. I figure if I take that information, and pull out the Food Pyramid to follow that I will be getting more of the foods I should have, and less of the foods I shouldn't. It is all about balence isn't it?

When we are giving our bodies what they need, we are less likely to experince the mood swings, tiredness, and all those other nasty things we experince when we are eating bad. I don't think a good 'diet' or rather life style change should leave us feeling tired, hungry, moody, or craving anything. What we eat should make us feel good, energized and healthy. Right?

Each of us has to find the right fit when it comes to our 'life style change'. For me I have known from the beginning I have to relearn what foods we really need and what foods just taste good, but do aboslutly nothing for us. I also knew that for anything to work for me it has to be simple, fit into my life and let me eat real food. I don't eat alot of chips, but if you told me I could never have chips, that is all I would be thinking about until I gave in and ate the whole bag.

I seriously hope that one day I can eat food with out really thinking about it. I know we all did that and that is what got us to the point we are at, but I mean it in the opposite way. I don't want food to rule my life. I don't want to have to do a calorie count before every meal for the rest of my life. I want to just be able to know what I should eat, and eat those things. I don't want to freak out cause I went out to eat and ordered something bad for me, or a holiday came around and I ate too much, or I had a crappy day and ate a bag of M&Ms. I want to be able to just make the adjustments I need to move on.

I have decided that 2009 is going to be a skinnier year for me. This will be the year I finally do it. I'm really tired of losing the same weight over and over. My first weight goal is 157, this is one pound less than the number I stopped at the first time I lost weight. It is about 10lbs from where I am now. I'm not totally sure since I haven't decided on my weight in day yet.

I dare everyone to not only set a weigh in day and time, but to also use other ways to measure your progress. Sometimes we get fixated on the numbers of the scale and that is what rules our eating. Use other things to help you notice the changes your body is going through. Do you clothes fit loser? Do you have more energy?

I plan on using two other methods to watch my weight lose. I am going to take my measurements once a month. Sometimes we lose inches when the numbers on the scale don't seem to be moving much. I will also use a picture 'diary' as well. I learned before that I didn't see the changes in the mirror as much as everyone else as seeing. I knew the numbers on the scale were smaller and I knew I was down a clothes size, but I couldn't see it, even when my parents would point out the areas that were smaller.

It wasn't until a friend put two pictures infront of me that I saw it. One was a few years older and the other more recent. He started pointing out the differences to me, and it clicked. I remember another day after I had lost some more that I have came across some old pictures of me, and I was like I really have lost weight.

When you see a baby every day, you miss the subtle changes they make as they grow up. But when someone hasn't seen them in weeks or months they really notice the changes. It is like that for us. Since the changes to our bodies are happening at a smaller rate we tend to miss them more than other people might. By having pictures to compare to we can see those changes better.

My new motto for 2009 will be balence and moderation. Maybe between the two I can accomplish what I need to do. Not just with my weight but with everything in my life. Good luck ladies!

That was awesome, Texas.

TS - as usual, you are amazing! You are going to be a grand success in 2009!

The measurements and pics, along with the weigh-ins are a terrific idea.

This year I am going to Pick, Stick, and Click: Pick a plan that will work for me long-term, Stick with it, and Click on the Chunky Monkey posts to stay motivated.

Keep up the good work everyone!

Pick,Stick and Click- that is a cute good one!
Anyone tried a detox? It cleans out the system and sometimes a toxified system prevents us from losing weight...I did one homeopathic one, I really didnt feel that grand clean feeling that the commercial ones out there reccomend, but certainly the lethargy and constant bloated feeling is gone, there is more energy and hopefully I am going to use that to go to the gym! I go to Curves, try for 3x a week..but end up pnly 2 due to the restaurant...in the winter it is difficult to motivate myself to put on a heavy coat and drive over to the gym, get warmed up and then put on a coat when I am hot and sweaty and then drive back in the cold...brrr...that is a total nightmare.
The DH got me an ipod for christmas, to keep me motivated through the gym sessions so that is something to look forward to...but Id rather stay indoors even then....!!!! not so good eh? lol....okay gals I am off to the gym NOW!!!!

Monkess, can you tell us a bit more about the detox thing? I'm just curious.

Well Hello Ladies,

I do keep a sort of photo journal. I try to take pictures every 25 lbs lost.

You can find it at this site. I've tried to blog the progress, but honestly with the chunky monkeys I'm just not in the mood to blog somewhere else.

My next reward will be at 275 lbs. I wanted to go to Six Flags or Sea World in San Antonio. I figure I'd be able to ride the rides and enjoy the day. But my husband will be leaving for 2 months and the reward will have to wait. I weighed in today and the scale said 276. I don't believe it until I see it a couple of times. And today isn't the official weigh in day. I try to make the offical record keeping day Wed. We'll see what Wed holds.

Stacy - Welcome back. It's great to see you with us again.

TS - Your insight and thoughtfulness really makes me ponder and desire to do more.

I'm not that fond of cabbage and I really have to choose my foods wisely. some days I can eat with no problems and some days foods make my tummy tie up in knots. Soup is almost ALWAYS acceptable. As are the fruit and protein smoothies I make myself. Cheese is usually good to, but I have to be careful of the saturated fats. Why is food so hard. =( Life is such a balancing act.

School starts again on the 20th or so this month. I'm taking a kinesiology course. It's called something like walking and jogging for fitness. It'll be interesting to see if we actually walk and jog as a group or what. I've taken aerobics before but I HATE the circuits the teacher sets up. I wound up dropping last semester and am hoping this new class will be a little more interesting. I think I also didn't like the music the aerobic instructor chose. maybe I can use my ipod for the new class. We'll have to wait and see.

I'm still working at Baskin Robbins, but honestly I wonder why. Decorating ice cream cakes is not the same medium as decorating baked goods with buttercream. Ice cream does not stay where I put it. a couple degree difference and my sides are sliding off. And the owner is a pain in the neck! That's more drama I'm not going to share but suffice it to say he's on the verge of losing a decorator if he doesn't buckle down and buy the stupid tools I've requested.

I'm also still teaching Wilton Classes, but this month I've only 1 person up for the 4 week classes. That means I'm getting NO money this month from teaching. =( I am a sad monkey.



Enough rambling. Love you ladies.

AWFUL start...I just went up to 243 after going down to 239....I weigh myself everyday and it was inching the last few days...got my period and that usually helps to get rid of the water...terribly low can I join the sad monkey club Deb?
On a positive note-Stacy- the detox was 90 drops of certain homeopathic detox in one litre water to be drunk over the day...my aunt swears by it she does twice a year. It is tasteless and easy to follow but I didnt experience those over the top results certain internet sites talk of, is that good or bad?
someone send me positive vibes...I am pretty exhausted with this mornigns weigh in- do you think I should take a week off? Get the metabolisim kicking and in high gear on the other hand the hoodia and green tea are arriving on tuesday....ah!

Monkess - I can sooooo relate to what you are feeling right now. As I have said, I went on vacation to Disneyworld on Dec 7th for a week and then came home to baking cookies, cakes and every other holiday treat you can think of and totally put my "healthy lifestyle" on the back burner. I didn't weigh in until the first week of Jan and I had gained, ARE YOU READY? This should make you feel better..............12 pounds Can you believe that? WHOA, I was obviously having just a great time over that 4 week period. Soooo, there I stood on that scale thinking, well, wow, I really blew it, might as well just throw in the towel. Well, I did ponder the thought for a while and then it hit me. You STUPID SH_T, what do you mean throw in the towel? Are you really that weak? Then I got angry, and reset my mind on my goals and am now back on track. Over the last 5 days I've dropped 4 pounds so a lot of it was fluid retention, but there's also alot of hamburgers and fries and fried chicken there too In your case, it sounds like it may just be alot of fluid retention and if that's the case, your weight will be coming down quickly. I personally would not recommend taking a week off. I would say work through it and you'll be just fine. That weight will come off. Just gotta remain strong and determined and you'll be back on track in no time. For me, taking a week off means disaster. You may be stronger than me but I think we have to work on our goals every day. If I give myself an inch, I'll obviously take a mile or two......

I have today and four more days to go to complete my two weeks on phase 1 for the fourth time in 3.5 years.

I have lost about 5 or 6 pounds but I did not weigh myself to begin with because the real weight doesn't matter anymore. My particular battle is with sugar. I know that if I consume sugar I am playing with fire and I will gain weight.

When I get onto phase two I can add fruit back into my diet. So I will get some sweetening, I mean I use splenda too. But no honey mustard dressing no corn syrup nothing like that, nothing with sugar.

And I know that if I get to craving carbs, I have eaten too much of them so I need to stay backed off those too.

So it's good that I know what I need to do to not only loose the weight but how to maintain it too. It's keeping it off and facing the music that my body responds to sugar by shutting off the burner that burns fat and opens the storehouse that stores it.

So on the 15th I'll celebrate with some great SouthBeach pancakes with a ton of fruit, sugarfree syrup and I'll still loose about a pound or two a week and when I can get into my former closet of clothes I'll go on phase three forever.

I have a favorite t-shirt that's getting a little ratty but I love it anyway, it says 'one tough cookie'. It's gonna feel good to be able to wear it again. But it will feel much better to maintain my weight. But I will always long for sugar because I am an addict.

Stupid smilies =(

Monkess - you may join the sad monkey club! But don't weigh yourself every day. Weigh in once a week or at most twice a week. Then compare your progress over the last month, six months or year. The day to day disappointment is not going to help.

Butternut - I'm very proud of you for sticking to it and not throwing in the towel. That takes a lot of determination. You keep up the great work!

K8Memphis - I don't have a closet of previous worn clothes. the only thing I have from my thinner me (225 lbs then) is my wedding dress. It's actually a garden tea type dress and I'm looking forward to wearing it on a date with my hubby some day. I think it's great that you have your tough cookie shirt. I think sugar is the key to everyone's weight gain. Honestly everything is so highly processed. Sugar doesn't just come in the form of granules either. Fruit juice, soda, fast food, all has tons of added sugar. Even vitamins and mouthwash can have sugar. It's crazy! Keep up the great work. You're a great inspiration.

Hi All..
TS, I bought q DVD by Leslie and love it. I ended up getting the 4 mile one, but know I can stop anywhere along the way, so feel like I got all wrapped into one, along with the toning band. I made it through the warm up and made it almost 1/2 way in the 1 mile. Will try to do more tom orrow. I love the music and the moves. I love to walk, but do not like walking the neighborhood. This is perfect. Made me a big pot of veggie soup and am in hog heaven here..without thousands of calories. Today, in eating, I had a great day.
How about you?

Butternut-Thank you your post lifted my spirits...way to go for getting back on track!
Deb- you are right' I used to weith in thrice a week and that seems to be better.

I was reflecting on the things I have been doing different and I think i zeroed in on lack of drinking water...today for eg. I did 500 ml only...the first week when I lost 3lbs. I remember I was keeping a count of glasses drunk and would get down atleast 6-8 glasses..maybe that is an important think I am overlooking, I know water helps flush out stuff.

Also we have a new sauna/steam room installed- I think this is a great weight loss tool...any thoughts? I am told a session of 15 mins in the sauna burns 300 plus calories, boosts the metabolisim and rids the body of toxins. What more could one ask for!!?