Ok I am inspired. I feel like its hopeless sometimes. I have something wrong with my achilles heels and so I decided to swim. I have been three times in a week, swimming 1000 yards. Feels good. Now I have to eat healthier. I want to lose 20-25 pounds by Christmas. You all make me feel like I can really do it. Thank you everyone.

emeraldvlly / Kirsten,

RE: the 7-minute per mile jog ... Okay Julie, think back, when were you last timed at that pace? In college, LOL!!! So I think a 9-minute pace would be great 30 years later, and an 8-minute pace would be fantastic.

I really admire your plan to run the marathon! My husband ran a "partner/half" marathon about 10 years ago (when he was 40), where he and another guy each ran half. When he was training for it he realized that his stamina and muscles were fine, but somewhere between 6 and 8 miles per run, his knees would start to give him trouble. So he decided he had to live with that, and the actual marathon day would be his first time to run the 13 miles all at once! He made it, with a decent time, but has never done a long-distance run again. He does run 2 to 3 miles at a time fairly regularly. I could not come close to keeping up with him.

HitaHomer1, you are inspiring also, finding a way to do it no matter what! My oldest sister cannot run because of back problems. She swims instead, and at the age of 54 is approximately the same weight she was in college, which is quite slim!

We can do this, girls!

Julie

emeraldvlly--bleacher butted moms-that is too funny. I had to share that term today at my son's game. Guess the laugh was on me because the other "bleacher butted mom" didn't think it was too funny-which was more of an inspiration for me-

I have walked on the hotel treadmill twice in the past two days I have been in Missouri for a tournament. I have to make myself look the other direction when I come out of the exercise room because the hotel "market" with the Hagaan Daas ice cream would be real convenient to bring to my room-haa haa

quote:

Originally posted by emeraldvlly:


I've lost 70 lbs since December.

That is WONDERFUL!!! Congratulations!!!!

Hey sunshine mom --

Way to go getting on the treadmill and by-passing the ice cream! Go for the water, and pat yourself on the back for winning the battle with the Haagen Daas!

Hitahomer --

I used to swim sometimes. I love what it does for my upper body. It is a great workout, isn't it? That's terrific that you've found something you enjoy and are making progress toward your December goal. You can do it!

Lets all start next season with the rear-ends we want, and say goodbye to the bleacher butts.

I have my son "reminding" me to think before I stuff something in my mouth. Several months ago, when I was pondering something yummy-but-not-worth-it he said "you're only cheating yourself mom." I called him "Jimminy" (after the cricket, but I don't know how it's spelled) I told him the other day that I need him to be Jimminy again, as I am really trying hard to lose this last 20 pounds.

I am so happy for all of us. We middle-aged moms can do anything we set ourselves to!

Keep it up gals!

Kirsten

It is funny that this subject appeared. In November, my husband weighed and was a little over 300 lbs. Without saying a word he started walking and dieting and slowly lost some weight. We went to a New Years Eve party and my son and his girlfriend took pictures. The next day, I saw a picture of me (ugggg)from the back. The next day I joined my husband. To date he has lost 77 pounds and I have lost 40. We walk everyday and when we can squeeze it in we walk a second time with an average of about 10 miles a day. So far we haven't missed a day. For food we purchased premade meals. I found an inexpensive brand (10 for $10.00) and found it very helpful as we new exactly what our intake was. We would add salads with fat free dressing. He lifts weights and does situps every day. I am to the maintenance part of my diet and with the walking I have found I can eat quite abit. I now pay attention to fat grams and still stay away from high fat stuff. He wants to loose around 10 to 15 more pounds.

Good luck to all of you and I will join in the support of one another. By the way, my son tells me everyday how proud he is of us.

Kirsten--WOW! I am so impressed! 70 lbs!! AND training for a marathon!! You are WOMAN!!

Running is something I have always wished that I could do. I guess the real answer is WOULD do. I am afraid to try that, see this momma used to be a catcher too back in the pre-marriage/kids/divorce/school/marriage/OMG another kid, pre-bleacher butt days and my knees are just so so. So, I never have really ran since my softball days.

luvbb--you are awesome too! I haven't tried the cute workout clothes yet, but I do have dreams!! Even though I have lost the equivalent of a 8 year old off my body, I still just don't quite feel like this body is quite ready for those, but someday when I get it toned back up a bit I will have some.

Hitahomer--oh, how I want to be a real swimmer. My swim stroke is the progressive dog paddle and although I took lessons, watch my kids, etc, I have never mastered the whole swimming with my face in the water trick. My two catchers are also two lifeguards and they laugh at me when I try to swim. Mr Charming bought me some goggles and I'm going back to the pool on Sunday to try again. Wish me luck!

Sunshinesmom--putting the haagen daas right by the exercise area is just wrong!! Not sure if it is this way everywhere, but at a local mall, the cookie place is directly in front of the plus size clothing store......hmmmmm.

LHPitcher--You are awesome too! I have never been a tennis fan, but it is so nice to do something with my husband. And, even though he has never had any weight issues (tall, lanky) he needs the exercise too.

Go girls!! You know, all the stores are having clearance sales right now, its time to buy new clothes! I now own jeans that fit and I picked out the ones that looked the best, not THE pair that would go over the bleacher butt without showing it at the waist.

Mom of 2 C,

"...I have never mastered the whole swimming with my face in the water trick."

Me neither! That is my problem with swimming...I am a fairly strong swimmer and was an "Aqua Sprite" in junior high, but I never liked doing the strokes where your face is in the water most of the time, just turning to grab a breath. So I prefer most any other kind of exercise.

"Not sure if it is this way everywhere, but at a local mall, the cookie place is directly in front of the plus size clothing store......hmmmmm."

Oh, now that is just cruel! I wonder which store is supposed to be the first stop?

I enrolled at LifeTime Fitness and I have my first session with a personal trainer this afternoon!


Julie

Julie --

Oooh! I really want to hear how your session went! That is so cool that you are seeing a personal trainer.

Kirsten

Kirsten,

My first session was mostly analysis, things like using a treadmill with a heart rate monitor, measuring upper body strength, flexibility, weigh-in, body fat percentage (blah!), talking about my goals and how the personal training works. Goals: One thing I realized during our session: I not only want to lose weight, I want to have muscles again!

I really like the trainer I met with (Kendra, a young body builder with muscular legs), and signed up with her for once a week for the next three months. Next session is tomorrow (Monday), when she will put me through a full workout and give me my "homework" for the following week (workouts and general eating plan). I am also getting a wristwatch style heart rate monitor that she will set up for me so that it beeps at me when I'm working out on my own, telling me when to speed up to get into a higher heart rate zone and when to slow down. And she will check the monitor at the next session to see what I've done.

I think this will really help me. I'm excited!

Julie

quote:

I'm excited!

IMO...."I'm excited!" is the BIGGEST hurdle to get started on a successful plan Julie! Congrats!

Truly, "I'm excited" means everything! What a great plan you have Julie. I know that for me, losing weight has been exciting -- because I love seeing and feeling a constantly evolving "me". I guess that if I'd found losing anything but exciting, I might not have been able to lose enough to then get pumped about running. ('cause running fat is REALLY, REALLY hard!)

Have a great workout!

Kirsten

How exciting and motivating to read all these inspiring stories!

About 5 years ago, I lost 17 pounds and finally felt pretty good about the way I looked. Imagine my dismay 2 weeks ago when I stepped on the scale and was exactly the weight I started at before my weight-loss journey. Frustrating! Those pounds sure have a nasty habit of creeping back. As of today, I am down 4 lbs. but I have a feeling that the next 10 will be a lot harder (most likely, I lost water weight the past 2 weeks).

A fellow poster on this site, Long Live Baseball, has been doing a great job of slimming down and toning up and her story was posted on a fitness club's website. I asked her for permission to share it with y'all and she said sure, adding that it will perhaps inspire someone else. Here it is!

http://snapfitness.com/anna/members.cfm

There is a website called Dottie's Weight Loss Zone that was started years ago by a woman that lost weight with Weight Watchers. It has an extensive list of all of the nutrition information on virtually all chain restaurants in the country. It's free & contains a wealth of information. It is based on WW & their points but has all of the other nutrition information so you don't have to be on that program to be able to use it. I check out what is close to where I'll be traveling & plan what I can eat from that information. The website link is www.dwlz.com. You go girls!!!

quote:

Originally posted by jj12303:
The website link is www.dwlz.com. You go girls!!!

That website is awesome! We have a habit of going to McDonalds often in the morning at work. The breakfast sandwich I get has twice as many calories and points as my favorite ice cream store treat!! I'm sending it to several friends! Thanks!!

Gals- your stories of weight loss are very inspiring and now that I have to "get a life" with son going off to college I will have more time to exercise so hopefully I'll start to lose weight.

But, reading the board I couldn't help but notice in the strength and conditioning section the players asking HOW TO GAIN WEIGHT! Isn't that typical, they need to gain, we need to lose! Life is funny in that way.

Please keep sharing your stories to inspire the rest of us.

This is a good web site as well... it gives the point values of many other foods: http://www.augustgames.com/weightwatchers.htm

I lived by Dottie's and this site while I was on Weight Watchers. I lost almost 15 pounds this spring and achieved my goal weight... while I'm not counting points like I was... I've still maintained!

Ok I'm having trouble with the dwlz.com site. When I click on restaurants it wants me to register for the Michael's weight loss commander - which I did. Then it takes me to "my" web page where I enter info about me - weight, diary, shopping list etc. I clicked on the P for points, but its just to enter my points, it doesn't compute it for me. I can't seem to get to the part where it lists restaurant points????

I just went to Dottie's. Click on restaurants on the top. If you wait a couple of seconds, the page will load all the way and you can choose the restaurants that will come up after the weight commander ad.

quote:

Originally posted by HitaHomer1:
Ok I'm having trouble with the dwlz.com site. When I click on restaurants it wants me to register for the Michael's weight loss commander - which I did. Then it takes me to "my" web page where I enter info about me - weight, diary, shopping list etc. I clicked on the P for points, but its just to enter my points, it doesn't compute it for me. I can't seem to get to the part where it lists restaurant points????

I almost clicked off of it immediately because I thought you were going to have to go through all those things too. Then by chance happened to scroll down to see the actual restaurants listed.

I've shared it at work and we've been abuzz about a few things. A couple of gals that love this particular salad at O'Charley's - it's like 700+ calories and 45 points!