sunday check in....

Steph, it hurts to see you so unhappy, because you are such a ray of sunshine to so many of us. I have no advice that has not already been posted, but want to tell you how much we care. Problems do resolve, but unfortunatley not on our time frame. Hugs, Linda

Steph, not to make light of your feelings, but I had to almost smile when I read this because it sounded just like something I had posted a long time ago. It does get Incredibly Discouraging when you are busting your butt and nothing seems to be happening. I've had an idea floating around in my head for a while... I was wondering if it might be a good idea to critique each others plans? On a strictly voluntarily basis, of course. Not sure if it's a good idea or not because I know none of us are book qualified to give advise, but most of us have found things that either worked for us or came back to bite us. It's just that I read about the things that others are doing and I don't really understand why they do things their way, you know what I mean? And maybe if I understood the whys and wherefores I would choose to try them or incorporate different things into my lifestyle or it may be that someone is just doing something because they "thought" they were doing it right, but it might be the one thing that is holding them back. Am I making any sense? Bottom line, I truly appreciate you and consider you a tremendous success. B - scrambled egg/whole wheat mini pita L - Japanese steak house shrimp dinner D - Left over Japanese steak house shrimp dinner Not enough water, no vits, no exercise Becky

i think it would be a fabulous idea for us to kind of critique or have everyone put their workout and eating routines. i think you should make a post and see what others think of that too. i'd be willing to participate..that's for sure!! i need some help with ideas and see if i'm doing things right. i just went back to doing the frequency of exercise that i was doing the first year when i really saw the weight drop off. i actually can do more walking now but still did it 3 times a day then too. but i think i'd be interesting to see what everyone else does. may get some good ideas or help someone change...who knows!!

Stephanie, I am glad you vented! I hope that helps, it does for me when I vent. I, like everyone else who has posted looks forward to your posts! I have improved since this started, my pants are looser but I have been afraid to get on the scale because if the numbers don't go down it ruins my day, it makews me feel like such a failure. I think I wish I would of ate those fries or had that cookie. I had a BAD weekend! I am back on it today.

I called the Wellness Center at Medical University here and they have a Fitness Assessment they do to get people started. It takes about an hour or so and includes a health questionnaire and tests of cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, endurance, flexibility, and body composition. Results from this assessment are used to make fitness program recommendations and offer benchmarks for recording improvements in physical fitness levels. I called and they said even if I wasnt a memeber I could pay $75 for this and I would leave with a print out of my results and game plan for improvement. Something like this would be where to get answers on "if I exercise this much, how much should I be eatting calorie, carb, fat-wise?" I know the head trainer at my gym says 1500 calories, 35-50 grams of fat, 100-150 carbs, and 80-120 grams of protein. It sounds like alot, but if you restrict fat your body does the same starvation mode thing that it does when you restrict calories. You need fat to burn fat or the body will just store it. And the carbs is not a license to eat bad carbs, its supposed to be good carbs, low glycemic index foods etc. At a medical facility I am looking to get more of a medical recommendation than a weight training recommendation so I can find a balance of the two. I am also looking to get a resting metabolic rate, will find out if its included or extra and how much. Try also any of the hospitals that have Occupational/Therapuetic Rehab Facilities, they are like mini wellness centers and you might can pay cash for an evaluation. Don't give up. One day at a time. I can admit to my food journal what I eat, but I dont post here. Some days are better than others. I do how ever read yalls posts and I'd say many other lurkers would miss ya as well. Did you take measurements before you upped your exercise routine? I bet even if the pounds didnt shift the tone has. Measure today. Check again in a few weeks. The scale isnt always the end all be all of progress Michelle