The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[DutchChoc]

As I believe we benefit from tracking progress and effort over time, collectively, how 'bout we collectively maintain a record of our feelings, successes, and challenges as we move towards 2005?

A lot can happen in 48 days (starting today). Let's have something to show for our expenditures and our wild ambitions/dreams of present and future happiness. Perhaps this will give us something to track and follow if Lois goes away, and I hope she doesn't. Her 100 DC was a wonderful timeline and yardstick to use for passing the days of patience, participation, and perseverance -- the 3 "P's" we need to care enough about to see our work through. And I, seriously, don't want to remain in Troublesville or even on that thread discussing my ills any longer!!

Let's kick some /MF "fat bootie"!! The Dutch wants to be back with the living.

[BerkshireGrl]

Dutch, I'm with you!

Let's get this GROOVIN' PARTY started... Put on some tunes and get losin'!!



I'm off to the gym to have my first workout since *gulp* September 22nd!

[gr8views]

Recording thoughts, feelings, challenges overcome (or not) is a great idea! Especially since some of us newbies and others are facing the holidays on MF with some trepidation. The support here has been tremendous - helped me to get through my first week...

So, I'm on board. Anyone else?

Diane

[DutchChoc]

Great! I could use a boost of enthusiasm, myself! Love those happy applets.

Berkshiregrl and gr8views, we are on the road. We'll find a trainfull of other MF travellers and we'll arrive in 2005 knowing more and in some sense "being" more than we are today... and less in the physical.

Any ideas of the things we should do here? -- i.e. post the good things we do for ourselves (like efforts invested, i.e. workouts, inspirations/motivations for the psyche, the circumstances or social functions we face, how we overcome holiday and other temptations, etc.. or requests for assistance, validation, etc.

Coming here to this friendly, magnificent forum to think, help others, help ourselves, and pass the time, as in the days and weeks we invest in the getting thinner and maintenance phases, is a way to stay mindful of what we're doing and why we're doing it. Time passes no matter what, and we might as well give it our best shots.

Berkshiregrl, tell us about the workout? What did 'ya do and how did it feel? I'll be going, too, by 7 pm EST or so. I'm sure that my efforts have spared me a few pounds (though I certainly acquired many). It still feels good -- but it did look better!

[BerkshireGrl]

Dutch, I think all those ideas are great! I sure can use some inspiration and ideas around this time of the year. I got relatives popping out of the woodwork wanting me to either go out to dinner with them OR cook tasty treats for them for Thanksgiving & Christmas. Ack!

The dinner thing, well, I could squeeze in a Lean & Green I guess, skip the booze and be ok. But the cooking, well, I'm going to make things that do not tempt me... like biscotti. (At one point when on Atkins, I made banana bread for coworkers and OH THE AGONY of smelling that for hours in my kitchen. I loooove banana bread, so that was not my wisest move! I managed somehow to not eat any, but I succumbed later to other things that threw me off the Thin & Righteous Path.

My workout - phew! I think I might have pushed a tad too hard, judging by the lingering painful soreness in my right shoulder and hip. I know the "good" burn from exercise but this isn't it. Dunno what's up with that, but I'm suspecting the dreaded osteo-arthritis, which I have touches of in spots. Blech! No worries though, I'm going to keep at it, just tone it down a notch and medicate it if I have to... and switch to swimming maybe.

My 45 minute cardio-a-thon: 30 minutes on the Elliptical Trainer, 5 minutes on an ancient Concept 2 rowing machine (I love to row, but holy moly, it's a real hardcore exercise! So only 5 minutes before I pooped out), and finally 10 minutes on a Recumbent Bike. Burned about 300-400 calories I think.

I used to be very compulsive about tracking every calorie, level and heartbeat when I went to the gym or worked out at home... but this round I'm going to go based on how my body feels. I have a real tendency towards obsessive compulsiveness that's getting more annoying as I get older, so I thought I'd snub my nose at it here hehehe! I'm trying to loosen up and just go with the flow.

I'm thinking after a month of regular cardio, I'll add in weights. I really need to tone up... way up... heh! Plus I dig having muscles! I used to be able to easily carry a boxload of paper up a flight of stairs and scare the guys at work, but now I think I'd fall backwards like one of the Three Stooges if I tried it Plus they like to show off by jumping up to one of the beams in my department and doing pull-ups. Some day soon, I think it would be quite the feat to follow their example

But.... competitive? Moi? Never!

Enjoy your evening everybody, and Dutch, rock that workout!! :cleader:

[DutchChoc]

Ha, Sara, we have lots in common -- I like your "pluck", to use a really antiquated term. I wish I had your perky personality. I can tell that you have one, alright -- so good to be articulate and funny and to light up the room, etc. I know you are and you do.

I'd be quite tempted by the biscotti, but I suppose I'd be quite tempted by any and all of it. As for the immediate future, I have only myself and my own cooking temptations to fear. I really have no pressure and no fears except for the Thanksgiving trip to the pool party in Tampa. At this point, in spite of being somewhat of a social conformist, I might even try to stick to 100% MF compliance during that just not to suffer the indignity of a recurrence of wantonness such as I've known recently. That is, if I get on a roll, productive path, etc, and it's regimented like the complete fast is, or even the modified plan.

For any casual readers, please realize that I always advocate doing MF about 100% properly, in spite of my recent troubles... the old "don't let a non-MF substance past your lips" admonishment. In spite of how much you/we like to think we've improved our dispositions for food, we certainly can be disappointed by the crumbling of restraint caused by some kinds of slippages. It's better to be very cautious and treat forbidden items like unsafe materials.

Sara, I hope your couple of joints feel OK soon and that it has nothing to do with what you mentioned. You're a vigorous young "thing", in an affectionate way, and it shouldn't be so!! I do much of what you do -- I alternate between 45 min elliptical and 45 min crosstrainer. I often go twice a day, at 5am and at about 9pm, weekdays. I know what you mean about the rowing machine! I used to be able to row for half an hour at a time, but times have changed!! My arms aren't that strong now. Five or ten minutes is about all they want me to do, but it's good for many large muscle groups.

Compulsive, yes. Competitive, too. I also do weights, but usually one set of five machines or so each time. I've recently tried focussing my attention on my bookcaseful of "fitness" oriented magazines (tearing myself away from Martha Stewart et al) hoping that it will remind me of what I want. I also like muscles and had a great propensity to have them during my peak at the end of 1998. I was incredibly lean and as heavy as 137 then. Those pictures I didn't feel inclined to post about myself. Being thin & muscular can look pretty naked, even in gym clothes somehow.

The Thin and Righteous Path -- I love it. It seems pretty easy for me to go from "good guy" to "bad guy" at the turn of a fork. I wish it were otherwise and that I could just go with the flow and not turn into or think of myself as a "bad guy", etc. Moderation in all things -- what a concept. Being compliant gets us most of the way there, and then being able to be moderate becomes crucial.

So, thanks for the company. I felt good (and hopeful) today. We have 47 days to go, 47 days to make good use of... and lots more thereafter. Hope everyone has a good day tomorrow.

[Simmshe]

Hey Dutch--that's the spirit ! So much that I want to write to you, as I have been keeping up with your posts, but haven't had time to fully respond (and I'd rather not respond unless I can fully respond to a person ).

Anyways, I'll write more, properly, when I have more time and am not passing out at the keyboard (hopefully that will be soon!). But I'm glad that you are fighting your way back (which I knew you would) and are getting back on the train to thinsville ! And not just thinsville, but to self-care and health village. And even if you're not fully back on track yet, you're getting close--you'll work yourself back on track after your brief detour when you are fully ready. It would be nice if we could rush "ready," but it doesn't work like that--there are thought processes that we go through before we land upon ready.

Also, I like this thread's theme and will have some input when I have more than four brain cells working !

Okay, seriously going to sleep now ! Hope to have some downtime on my evening job tomorrow to get in here and post some.

Sheryl

[mombarnes]

Dutch - what a great idea about sharing challenges, triumphs, feelings, etc. That's what I really like about this forum.
I'm so new to this that I don't know where to start. I am encouraged. I am fearful of the holidays & being around so much food. I am thankful for my girlfriend (for a lot of reasons) but also for the holidays because she's the one who started with Medifast months ago & is my shining example. I hope we can help each other through the holidays.
Did everyone check out that booklet on surviving the holidays? It had great tips, inspirations & even some recipes that we can't wait to try.

[fedup]

Hey Dutch, you know I'm "down" for this thread! Nothing better than sharing our inspirations, troubles, what helps, what hurts! Keeps us all going! I didn't check in much over the weekend so I didn't see a lot of posts.

Also, I have something very very very important to say, it's monumentally important... is everyone ready for this earthshattering observation... how, on God's green earth, can ANYONE, not be tempted by BISCOTTI!!! Biscotti is heaven on earth, I actually have a "biscotti jar" in my kitchen instead of a cookie jar! (Of course it's been sadly empty for these MF days!) Berkshire, are you sure your okay? Not tempted by Biscotti???? maybe you need to rest, saying these crazy things makes me concerned...! Seriously though, I'm with Dutch, that biscotti would do me in! (Can everyone tell I have a very codependent relationship with this lovely Italian treat???)

[Sylvia]

Ok, now I KNOW I'm getting off the main topic of this thread, but Fedup, when you are at goal, I will share with you a company I've found that makes healthy and relatively low cal biscotti that you can use to refill your jar. Just one more thing to look forward to.

[fedup]

Oh Yeah, THAT's what I'm talking about! Didn't mean to get too off topic about the biscotti here, but can't biscotti be incorporated into every meaningful conversation? ha ha

[explorthis]

can ANYONE, not be tempted by BISCOTTI!!! Biscotti is heaven on earth,

I know the temptations of life, everyday little things that got us here in the first place. You will be able to go back to your Italian treat. It is not going anywhere. They will be fully packaged, in every store they were before you began. Soon as you are at your goal, you can fill your jar and eat a TASTE when the moment is correct. The problem with this (for me anyway) is when to say enough is enough, and like Ruffles, can you only have 1? I could not.

My temptations were things like McDonalds, and In-N-Out Burger (only Californian’s know about In-N-Out burgers), greasy spoon drive thru’s and Ice Cream. I have chosen to completely give these up for the above reason – I don’t know when to say when! Frankly it is now easier for me to just say NO, than to tempt fate. Since beginning this program 435 days ago today, I have had ½ of 1 Mc’D’s burger period. I had (just last week) about 5 spoons of ice cream, and no In-N-Out, and NO greasy spoon stuff. The cravings are small. Mentally on occasion I WANT it, bit for the most part, the HABIT is gone. I really do not desire these things any longer. Candy, sweets, breads are just not an option for me anymore.

You will learn what fills you up, and what makes you feel satisfied as you learn what you can and cannot eat. Yes, the thought of a whole package of cookies for the immediate gratification sounds tempting, but in reality, your body does not know the difference. Once your belly has sustenance in it, and sends that signal to your brain, it is satisfied; weather it’s a cookie, or something not as tasty, but something that will not make you regret your choice.

Old habits die hard, but WE can be stronger!

-Mike

[fedup]

Yup, you're 100% right Mike! That's how I think about it also... I used to try to "eat all the food" 'cause I was always gonna "diet tomorrow!" That's probably how I gained over 70 pounds huh? Now I know better, I know that my favorites are gonna be there for all eternity, and once I'm ready I can eat them in moderation. I'm also gonna save my splurges for my favorites... why waste the empty calories on things that you "kinda like",... since you can't overdue it on that kind of thing if you ever hope to maintain, why not make the "treats" the ones you really love, savor it, just don't devour everything! bye bye old me!

[DutchChoc]

Well, I'm finally home and online on our day #47. It's like coming home just to see what's happened here. Please consider this thread as your own - it's a whole-gang project. I just started it to try to get my horse cantering again, lol.

Yes, it's a good group and welcome, mombarnes. This is the putty that we all benefit from.

I had a good day at work; the homecoming I had before I came here was about par for my recent downturn, but I'm working to set limits and the limit I'm setting right now is that I've had ENOUGH for today. If I follow through with that, I should be able to hold my own. At this point, I think that's all I'm trying to do. Maintaining "this" is good enough for now, just as long as I do it. Should I say that "even for the next 10 pounds, I'm OK?" Lol????? lol??? teeny, tiny, lol???? As we set our own rather ambivalent goals, some high, some low, some just right, seems we must consider how much sacrifice = as good as "thin" feels, because that's about how much saying 'no' it's going to take to keep it.

So, I'm off to do homework with small son, and then off to the gym. See you soon.

[gr8views]

Adding to the thread...

I visited my doctor today to find out I've lost 9 pounds since I last was weighed in her office on 10/19! That's very cool.

Here's the confusing part... She asked how I was eating on plan and I explained my schedule and the foods I've been eating. She immediately told me I needed to go on the 5&1 - not full fast... OK, OK!! Guess I'll have to make a trip to the grocery store for some lean and green stuff...

I'm nervous that my weight loss will slow down considerably. I know, I know. I've read the other threads that the weight loss will still happen. I guess it's OK for now. Rob and I can eat our dinner together. I'll just have a shake for an evening 'snack'. I understand my doctor's reasons. Since I've been going to her, my health (physical and mental) has improved. I don't think I'll go against her advice right now. I'll see how the rest of this year goes on the 5&1. I can always go on the complete plan once the New Year starts to 'kick start' myself again.

Wish me luck! Anyone else on the 5&1 who find that is really works for you? Just looking for some encouragement. Even though I've lost weight over the last week, this visit somehow deflated me...

Di