Friday July 31, 2009

Fitness- if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body.

Cher

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

As soon as I find out where they sell exercise in a bottle........I AM SO THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Tomorrow we have to come face to face with that little metal box, that we allow to have the power to either make us feel really good about ourselves or to feel as if we are the lowest form of human life. So let us just remember a few thing here.

If the scale is up, we get another chance to work on what we didn't do this week and hopefully do better next week.

If the scale is up, and we have done everything, ''BY THE BOOK", then we need to just realize, ''my body is not ready to shed those pounds."

If the scale is up, that IS NOT the permission slip you give yourself to say ''to hell with it", throw in the towel and head for Graters.

If the scale is down, then you know you have been doing something that is working. So the idea thing here is just to continue on your good healthy path and continue to watch the numbers go down.

As you can see you get a whole lot more ''if the scale is up" stuff than you are getting ''if the scale is down". No one ever said this was going to be easy. The only guarantee this program comes with is, ''if you work the program the way it is suppose to be done, then you will see results." The amazing thing is they did not leave a line in there anywhere that states, ''Joan's way will work as well".

This week has been somewhat of a struggle for me, and what we refer to as 'mindless eating''. My eating has been healthy eating, but, I decided for now I want to maintain right where I am, so I did the test again on Saturday and to maintain, I had to add 4 more points per day. I can feel that I have gained. I don't even have to get on the scale, we can feel this. Even though I don't have to actually get on the scale tomorrow, I will. I have to know, even though I already know by the way I feel. But, if I don't face up to that little metal box then it wins, and I am so not into letting that thing win.

I have always allowed something or someone to be in control of my feelings and my thinking, but this journey and losing so much weight as taught me, ''no one or nothing can control me unless I allow it." I allowed the 4 extra points, and that is ok, this is also a learning process as well. I will still be well under my goal weight, and I have learned things this week, and, that is the important thing. What would really be sad is to have either a good week or a bad week and still not learn anything.

I'm off to the gym so will have my 5 days in this week at the gym, I have averaged at least 6 miles on my pedometer each day. I have stayed right with my 27 points, but have not touched any of my 35 or any of my activity points. As I said, it is a learning experience.

Also yesterday I was introduced to a new word instead of ''mindless eating" HEAD HUNGRY. When I saw those two words, I knew ''that is me, I am not hungry, but my head is".

Wishing Everyone A Wonderful Day,

Hope to See U ALL LIGHTER TOMORROW,

Much Love,

Joan

We are given what we need.

When you feel like giving up remember why you held on so long in the first place.

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

Don't know how many of you ever go to the Weight Watchers website and just cruse around, I found this recipe yesterday for peach chutney, had it with some pork roast last night, all I can say is, ''super yummo". If you have not cruised the recipes on the Weight Watchers site, and your bored with your eating, then its time to venture out of the box.

Commercial time here. Hungry Girl sent out a thing yesterday and you can get a dollar off coupon on the Fiber One yogurt. You can print out as many as two of those coupons, so take advantage of those.

How many of you by the time Thursday gets here your pretty much tried and you begin to think, I don't want to go to the gym, I don't want to have to go walking today. Well for me it begins on Wednesday, by Wednesday morning I am pretty well getting worn down, but I get up and go anyway due to if I give up, we all know what is going to happen. Yesterday was no different for me, I'm on the elliptical, I've gotten in about 20 minutes, sweating like a pig, not glowing like Southern women are suppose to, I am sweating, and I am thinking, ''I'm stopping at 30 minutes". I had the counter set for 50 minutes, but I was tired, and "I'm stopping at 30 minutes". Then it happens, I look up and in walks the man. The man on crutches. I have told you all about him before, I don't know his name, he does not come to the gym regularly, but it seems when I want to cut my workout short, this man on crutches and having on one leg walks in. So of course now I can't cut my workout short, I just look up to the Heavens' and say, ''OK, I get the message", and continue on, huffing, puffing and sweating off those pounds.

I am pretty sure we have all been in that place that we just want to throw in the towel and give up. Myself and some of my other Weight Watcher Sisters have said, ''as a rule before now I would have already stopped coming to Weight Watchers." We realize that what has kept us coming was the anchors we have there with our other sisters. I guess you could say we are each others one legged man on crutches. Every time this happens to me, I come home and tell Bob ''the man with the one leg was at the gym this morning". For me it is a reminder "I have two legs that work, I have two arms that work, I have no excuses to not get up and get moving, and to finish what I began."

We will all struggle from time to time. We will all have those weeks were we lose, then we will have those weeks that we gain. However, the big picture is this, ''you don't give up, you remember why you begun this journey in the first place."

Wishing Everyone a Great Day,

Much Love,

Joan

No Secret.

A champion is someone who get ups even when he can't.

Jack Dempsey

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

Since the beginning of the year and since I have met my goal weight, there is hardly a week that goes by that someone does not ask me, ''why now?" You had been trying for so long, what happened in January to get you on fire? I could only say "I don't know". I think maybe it was several things, not just one thing, but I have been giving it a lot of thought. Not that I need to know, due to I'm just happy that ''I finally got it." Then I saw the above quote, and thought, ''there you go, you got tired of being knocked down.

There are a couple of groups I have on-line, and each week since January when I would post my progress, there were congrats, applauds and such, but then when I reached my goal, and then became a full fledged lifetime member, the question I've been asked is, ''What is your secret?" It seems no one wants to believe there was no secret. So many are still looking for that easy way. As we all know there is no easy way. I don't care how hard, when we went to bed last night, asking in our prayers, ''Lord, when I wake up let me weight 50 pounds less". It just never works like that, now don't get me wrong, I've prayed that prayer many times myself.

So I finally come up with the secret to my finally getting to goal. It was nothing but going back to the basics. That was it, nothing more. Taking all the things I have read out of our books , learned and heard at our meetings, looking back at the notes I take each week, digging out the measuring cups, spoons & scale. I stopped the mindless eating, but have to confess right here and now, I'm afraid that may be creeping back in, I really need to work on that even more. I became more and more accountable to what was going on, I began to put the blame, if you will, for my bad habits on the person that was actually at fault, and that was me.

Now most of you already know this, due to you are at goal and have been able to maintain that goal, but for those of you that are still working toward that goal. There maybe just one more secret............

Just keep getting up....

Wishing Everyone a Wonderful Day,

Much Love,

Joan

Tuesday

Choose well. Your choice is brief, and yet endless.

Goethe

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

Cara, Denise & Rhonda, WELCOME HOME!!!!!!!! I want to tell you all about a movie that Bob and I watched yesterday. I think at one time it was on the Lifetime channel. The name of the movie, ''LIVING PROOF". It is based on a true story and stars Harry Connick, JR. (Harry plays the doctor). The story is about a Dr. Dennis Slamon and his help in developing an experimental drug called Herceptin used in fighting breast cancer. Great movie, real tear jerker, so make sure you have a box of tissues.

Today I have a story to tell you all. It is about my TISSter (Nancy) in Oregon. For those of you that don't know the meaning of TISSter (for me & Nancy)it is we are as close as two ''sister's " could be, but we are not blood related. Anyway, Nancy has this hernia in her belly that is huge. It was quite large when I was out there two years ago, but when I saw her this year I was totally blown away it had gotten so much bigger. This happened when Nancy had one of her many surgeries, and it could not be repaired quickly due to she was ''surgeried out". She just could not go under again for quite sometime. So Nance had weight gain, oh and Nancy is in her 60's, her doctor's had told her she would have to lose weight. Nancy was also at that time a diabetic, but my TISSter has now lost 35 pounds and is no longer considered a diabetic, and she is scheduled for her hernia surgery August 8th. Now I want you all to please keep her in your prayers, cause we all know prayer works.

Nancy lost her weight on a plan that works for her. Nancy, due to this hernia pulling down on her and giving her back tons of problems, was not able to keep up much of a exercise regiment. Doing her daily chores was enough of a workout for her. BUT, Nancy had made a choice, first to lose the weight, then to get the hernia repaired. It has been a long fight, and her surgery will not be as easy for her as it was for my Mom when she had to have one done that was in the same place as Nancy's many years ago. I know my TISSter is going to be fine, and by the next time I get to go visit again, she will be feeling so great I won't even be able to keep up with her. I just want you all to know this, and I know you already know this, but sometimes we have to be reminded.

We choose our paths in life. I think the outcome determines just how hard we are willing to work.

We can either sit and wring our hands and say ''poor me, what will I do", or we can work to make things better.

I just wanted to share with you all what my dear friend & TISSter has coming up, and just how proud of her I am that she has not only lost 35 pounds, but no longer is considered a diabetic. WAY TO GO TISS!!!!!!!!!!

Wishing Everyone a Wonderful day,

Much Love,

Joan

Three Simple things to remember.

The three great essentials to achieving anything worthwhile are; first hard work, second stick-to-it-ness, and third, common sense." Thomas Edison

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

Don't know when our Sister Friends, Cara, Rhonda & Denise are coming back home, but if your already home I want you all to know you have been missed, and we are all very proud of you.

Hope everyone had a great weekend, if not great, I at least hope it was a good weekend. Today's quote comes courtesy of our Lisa B. and I love it. You have to admit Thomas Edison could have been working for Weight Watchers by the sound of his quote.

Whether we are dealing with our weight, or some other ''thing'' that we need to see to the end, we have to apply the three things that Mr. Edison has mentioned. So today we are going to use his quote and break the three down, for our weight loss journey.

First we have hard work. I have to wonder if the day we signed up for Weight Watchers we knew just how hard this was going to be. Myself, I just figured "I'll do this for awhile, then stop and continue on with my old habits and ways." I think how hard we work depends on how successful we are going to be. Also finding all those excused for not doing the plan like it is written can be hard work as well.

Second, stick-to-it-ness. I've been at this in October four years, and even though I have had a lot of ups and downs, I have stuck with it, and not only have I stuck with it, but I have plenty of Sister Weight Watcher Friends here that have been right by my side all these years. You could say we were ''joined at the hip".

Common Sense. Bob is always telling me, ''common sense is the most un-common thing there is." We won't let him know, but he is right about that. Common sense with our weight loss journey comes in many different ways. It could be having enough common sense to know now that you are nearing 60 years old your not suppose to weight what you did when you were 20. Common sense is knowing that ''yes, I can go out and eat at a restaurant and not blow everything I've worked for, but I can't do it by eating everything that is on the left side of the menu." Common Sense is also telling others ''NO." I think all in all people mean well, but sometimes we have to watch due to they are so many food pushers out there, and trust me ''we are very weak at times".

I know that Weight Watchers was not around during Thomas Edison's time, but I just about bet someone was watching and fretting about their weight anyway.

This week I challenge you to put these three things HARD WORK, STICK-TO-IT-NESS & COMMON SENSE into you daily life, and let's just see what the outcome will be. You may well be surprised.

Wishing Everyone a great day, and a great week.

Much Love,

Joan

This was Sunday's post.

Until you decide that nothing will stop you from success, Everything will.

Elijah Brewer

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

The above quote was passed on to my by our Lisa (Love's wife) yesterday, and it packs a punch of a message if you will just take some time to think it over.

Do you ever just feel as if your spinning your wheels where your weight loss is concerned? I do know that many time our weight loss can become very slow, even to the point of stopping and there can be good reason for that. You could have been put on a different medication, it could be your body is just needing some time to catch up and get used to the idea of the changes you have put it through. The important thing here is to know that it is something like different medication or just a real stall, instead of ''too many treats daily".

I have a few things that may help us if we are struggling a bit, or if we are doing the white knuckle eating plan. What is the White Knuckle eating plan? It is where you are barely hanging on each day.

What's in your mind may be showing up on the scale.

Say nice things. We seem to at time have no problem saying negative things to ourselves, so why not take the time to stand in front of that mirror and say something nice about yourself.

Re-commit in writing. I just about know at some point and time we were all very diligent about tracking our food. Toni has told us many time, ''keep those past tracker so when you are having some problems you can refer back to those." It is a great idea to be able to look back and see what it was you were eating when the weight seem to be melting off of your body.

Stand Firm. If you have ever watched the Biggest Loser show, you know how fast those people are losing their weigh. I don't know 12-15 weeks to drop a 100 pounds just does not seem right too me. Weight loss is a lifelong pursuit If you don't have slip ups now and then; well you must be called Saint So & So, due to that is pretty much perfect. When you do have your slip up, expect them, accept them, deal with them and move on. Remember I had to do that last week.

All Shapes, all sizes. Do not get frustrated that your weight loss has slowed or even stopped. Remember if you are doing everything you should be, tracking, getting in activity, coming to meetings, reading the 3 a.m. e-mails, lol lol, then it could very easily just be your body. Consider this. Weight loss of just a percent of your body mass gives you all kinds of increased health benefits. It may be that you've already reached a healthy weight for you. This is why it is very important to check with your doctor first before ever beginning any weight loss program. Not everyone fits into someone else's chart.

Cannot and will not tell you all that I came up with the above on my own, but it came from my latest edition of Better Homes and Garden magazine. I hope it will help in some way.

This is a new week, we all have things that we know we have to do, then there are always those things that get thrown at us we were not expecting. An important thing here to remember when that happens, is to B-R-E-A-T-H.

Denise, Rhonda & Cara, good luck today. We are so proud of you all.

Much Love to all,

Joan

Another Accomplishment.

Today, I reached another goal I had set for myself, and that was to reach the 100 pounds gone before my next birthday. I made it with 1 full week to spare.

I have already succeeded where I never, but dreamed to succeed.

Just Thinking....

I have to wonder just why we allow others to determine how we feel about ourselves. Why do we go into a room look around just to see if we are the largest person that is there? Why on earth do we do these things to ourselves, but then we allow others to do us the same way.

Today is the day to STOP, all the negative thoughts. Today is the day to tell those that say they care about us that it is unacceptable to say negative things to us. Today is the day we need to take that stand, and move on. Even if that means getting rid of those negative people in our lives.

No one can make you feel bad about yourself, unless YOU allow them too. So don't allow anyone to make you feel as if you are less.

How many tries are you on??

Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.

James A. Michener

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

Have you ever just throw up your hands and said, ''I QUIT!!!'', Nothing is ever going to change, I can't control my eating, I can't make time to get my exercise in, I can't, I can't, I can't. Okay, I'm pretty sure if the most of us have not felt like that at sometime or other, then you must be up for Sainthood.

I bring this up only cause I was feeling a little like that on Tuesday. Yeah, I know, ''but Joan, this is just your first full week of being a true blue Weight Watchers Lifetime Member". I can tell you all that I pretty much know what happened. Way too much excitement for me on Saturday. Don't get me wrong would not have missed that for the world, and with Ruthann & Sally both being in town, and with my feeling Holier than Thou, figured we could celebrate. No, we didn't go bar hopping, get drunk anything like that, BUT, we did order pizza. The last time I had delivery pizza was back in early May before I left for Oregon. Kevin and Leslie brought it our for Sunday dinner, and I ate only 1 slice. That didn't bother me, but the pizza we had on Saturday night, triggered the cravings in me. On Sunday I was fine, Sally went back to Wisconsin, and Ruthann went back to Beaver Dam. On Monday I got up and went to the gym just like always, but after I got home I could not seem to get full. I was that way both Monday and Tuesday, and by Tuesday evening I was thinking, ''oh no, I am falling right back into my old habits". Happy to report that yesterday was a much better day, and I have learned, yet again, something's are always going to trigger me.

I may have a gain come Saturday, and if I do, I won't have to stand there and ask why. I should add I have dipped into my 35 bonus points, and I still have some of those leftover this week, but I don't even like dipping into those, even though I know I can. It's all a head game. I know I am not cured from being overweight, and I know I never will be, but I just wanted to tell you all about my mishap over the weekend. I honestly never thought about the pizza kicking in those cravings, but this time I did eat more than one slice. Also, I enjoyed it.

Wishing Everyone a great day, and our Sister Friends, that are headed for Boston a safe trip.

Much Love,

Joan

TIME.

Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in your way of doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.

Earl Nightingale

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

I want to begin today by wishing our Randy a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!! Hope it is just the best birthday ever. Be very grateful that Bob and I do not have your phone number due to we would be calling and singing to you, and at times it is really not very pretty at all. Just ask Sally, Jenny, Ruthann & Nancy. ha ha. However, it will wake you up. :>)

Tomorrow our Sister Friends, Rhonda, Cara & Denise and a couple more ladies that we don't know will be heading to Boston for a ''little walk-about". Good luck Sister's and know we are all here keeping you in our thoughts and prayers. Rhonda was good enough to e-mail me the route they will be walking, I have printed that out, and will be bringing those on Saturday so we can have a visual of their walk. GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you had not been coming and doing Weight Watchers all this time, what would you have been doing? For me I would have continued on the road to self destruction. Continuing to eat and not exercise, continue to have joint pains, continue to have shortness of breath. If I had not joined Weight Watchers and gotten to know all of you and others that are not even on our daily e-mail list. I am quite sure by now I would be well over 400 pounds.

For a while, when I would tell people how much weight I have lost, I felt a little ashamed when they would ask, ''how long did it take you?" Long time, that is for sure. However, on the flip side of that it is still going to be longer especially since I want to stay at goal, since I don't want to go back to my old habits. I think too many times we throw in the towel looking for the ''quick fix", the easy way if you will. I think this is why people have the stomach by-pass surgery, they feel as if, ''this will be the best way for me to lose the weight FAST". A lot of times the weight comes right back due to they still have not learned how to do portion control, or they continue to eat the wrong stuff, and they feel so bad they can't or won't get out and exercise. I used to look for the quick fix as well, wanting to wake up the next morning slim and trim. Now put that in pill form and you have me.

As all of us travel this road for weight loss and better health, we know its not an overnight thing, we also know, whether we admit it or not, that just because the scale show us the magic number we want to see, its still not over. When you get to your goal that is when the hard work really begins.

So if you had not been coming and doing Weight Watchers all this time, ask yourself, ''what would I have been doing?" The answer may well surprise you.

Wishing Everyone a wonderful day,

Much Love,

Joan

Confidence & Ability

You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.

Rosalyn Carter

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

Just wanted to let you all know Sally made it home safely, she called around 6 last night. She actually got home much sooner than she had even expected. Ruthann was going to leave this morning, but yesterday afternoon she finished up all the alterations, and decided, "I think I'll go home now, since I have to leave in the morning anyway." Have not heard from her, but I am sure she is home and sound asleep as I type. So it is just back to Bob and I, and back to our routine.

Do you have confidence in yourself? Or do you only have confidence in others? Believe it or not, I found out that others seem to have more confidence in me than I had in myself. I had, and have been told so many times, ''you may lose the weight, but you will no doubt be like everyone else and put it right back on." Of course these same people never thought I would make it to goal either. Well now, I wonder what they must be thinking now? ha

Just because I have made it to a number my doctor and I chose for me does not mean I am done by any stretch of my imagination. For me, and for any of my fellow Lifetime Sister's, you all know the ''real'' work is now at hand. We have to be diligent in not allowing ourselves to fall victim to "I am at goal so I don't need to go each week to the meetings." I really only have to weigh in once a month so I can relax just a little. I firmly believe those are the two thoughts that cause people that have reached their goal to end up gaining the weight back. I don't use my bathroom scale here at home for anything but to weigh my clothes, so I will each week be sitting right there on the 3rd. row, I will be getting on that scale each week to make sure I am doing the things I should do, and I will continue to ask questions of my Sister Lifetime's. Why? Because I am confident in my ability to be a success and follow through.

Is it time for you to build some confidence? Today is as good a time to begin as any. I believe that each and everyone of us can become more confident in ourselves. One of the first things we need to do is STOP talking negative to ourselves. So what if you fall off track, get wrapped around the wheel and have been dragged through the muck and mire. Get up, powder the shine off your nose, and move on, whatever happened over the weekend, well, guess what, if it involved eating and or drinking, nothing you can do to change that now. BUT, today is a new day. Today you can have the confidence to do better. So ''JUST DO IT!!!"

Wishing Everyone a Wonderful day,

Much Love,

Joan

Some Stuggles. Some Defeats, Final outcome SUCCESS.

Success is sweet and sweeter if long delayed and gotten through many struggles and defeats.

Amos Alkott

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F., (Weight Watcher Friends Forever)

Have some back-up work to do here this morning and some of it will be repeating myself from yesterday, but that is okay as well.

We want to give Barbara a welcome to our group as well as my sister Ruthann will now be getting our daily e-mails. Welcome and just remember nothing I write here is from anyone but me, so feel free to chime in at anytime. Barbara, yesterday when I put your e-mail address in, I was still ''high'' from all the excitement and left out a letter. I think I now have that corrected. Sorry about that, but as everyone knows ''it was all about me yesterday" :>).

Even with all that was going on yesterday I still missed Jana, who I know is in North Carolina, I don't remember seeing Angie, Christiane, or Sharon. I know Betty is no doubt still entertaining guest or she's ''on the road again". So all of you that were missing yesterday, just know that I was having a wild, wonderful morning, BUT, I did notice you were not there. Of course if you were there and I overlooked you, sorry about that as well, but I had ''stars'' in my eyes, ha ha.

Today's e-mail is more about catching up than anything, but look out for tomorrow's, I'll be back down to business. I keep thinking of all the wonderful sister's I have here at our Weight Watchers, and you all, like Ruthann & Sally have been right there watching me struggle to get where I am today. I may still have things that I will do in my life that are called accomplishments, but to be quite honest, they will have to be pretty darn great to stack up to yesterday's accomplishment.

I have for almost 5 years now, gone to meetings, watched other people get to their goals, watched people come and go. Some return, then there are some we never see again. Don't worry you all are going to be seeing me every single week, cause I plan on being at goal for the rest of my life. I remember not long ago someone that is a lifetime member asking the question, ''what goal do we set after we get to our goal?" Then she added, ''I don't know what I'm suppose to do, I'm at goal, but what is there to work toward now?" I can see now where she was coming from, but I have already set myself another goal, and that goal is ''to still be at my goal a year from now". Oh I still have my goal of losing a total of 100 pounds on Weight Watchers, and as of yesterday I only need to drop 8/10th of a pound to be there.

Things I know I have to do, to be able to be successful at this new goal.

I am going to have to exercise everyday.

Weighing and measuring my food is a must.

Portion control

Meetings, and asking for help way before I get

into trouble.

Never allowing myself to get comfortable, and

begin to think, "I'm cured, I have all the answers".

I am sure there are many other things I can and will come up with, and I have to admit, I am still pinching myself waiting to wake up, but you know what? It is not a dream this is reality, I have done something that not only myself, but I'm sure many that have been there since my beginning never thought I would be able to do. Just goes to show you, the above quote does ring true.

I told you all a long time ago, I will never tell you, ''If I can do this, anyone can". It's not true, the only way you can do this is to have that burning desire to make a lifetime change. I know you can do it, and I do know you/me/we are all worth the effort.

Wishing Everyone a wonderful day,

Much Love & Thanks Again for all your love and support,

Joan

Great friut basket

Wonderful gift for someone eating healthy. Thanks Vicki.

The Queen and her fruit basket.

Victoria from PA, had this beautiful fruit basket made for me. So had to put the tiara on and pose with the fruit.

Queen Joan

The pictures that Sally took at the meeting today did not come out at all. So after we got back home, we took some more pictures. So enjoy them

Saturday after Weight Watchers 07-18-09

Good Afternoon Sister W.W.F.F.,

Ruthann, Sally and I have had the most wonderful day. Way too much laughing for any three people. We have walked, walked and did some more walking, but it was all just amazing.

For those of you that have been missing Liz as I have, I wanted to let you know she is fine, still doing Weight Watchers, still has Toni as a leader, BUT, she is going to a different meeting. So Liz, we have missed you, and really glad you let Dana know you were alright.

For anyone that was missing today. Here comes the meeting notes.

How do I stay in "Control" while on vacation?

Vacations are all about stress relief. When we go on vacation there are times we put ourselves under way more stress than we will ever have the time to get relief from. So work on making your vacation one that will be stress free.

Vacations are all about taking care of yourself. Who ever said, "we have to take care and plan for everyone". Time to let go of that and care for ourselves. Let everyone else remember to pack their own underwear.

Vacations days are "Normal" days. If you eat breakfast, dinner & supper, just like you do at home, maybe throw in a few snacks. Eat responsibly, don't just over do it cause there is loads and loads of food there.

Points Clicker. Don't want to track. Get the points clicker, not only is it fun, but fashionable.

Tame the Buffet. Make wise choices here. Fill that plate first with fruits and veggies, then go for the other stuff. Control and Moderation is key here.

Enjoy special foods in moderation. No one said you had to eat celery and carrots sticks while on vacation. If you have a favorite food, or a favorite restaurant, then by all means, have it...go there. Just remember, to be smart. Enjoy the goodies, savor the flavor, don't go through it as if you were a parking lot vacuum cleaner.

Sip Wisely. Drinking is fine, just be sensible. Don't try and out drink everyone at the table, bar or country Enjoy, but as always in MODERATION.

Build in Snacks. There are so many things we can have to snack on, and that will help keep us from overeating at meals. Nuts, fruit, air popped popcorn. You can come up with others as well.

Check out new activities. Trying something new, sightseeing will get you a lot of walking in. If your staying in a motel check first to see if maybe they have a gym. Great way to get a workout in. Make it fun, that is the important thing.

Quote for the week.

Choice Not Change, determines your destiny.

I want to thank everyone again for a wonderful morning today. I knew there would be a great celebrations, but had no idea the extent it would be. I cannot wait until another one of our Sister Weight Watcher Friends Forever makes it to their goal. Look at me...read my lips..it can be done, no matter how much weight you have to lose. Take it one pound at a time.

Much love to all,

Joan 2009 Weight Watchers Lifetime Member.

I did it!!!!!!!!!!

Bob today celebrating with the newest Lifetime Weight Watchers Member.

A Well fought Battle.

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.

Margaret Thatcher

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

Tomorrow will be our Jana's birthday, and she won't be with us tomorrow, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANA.

How has your week been? Front row Becky, how are things going with you? Were the quick low point suggestions left by Dana any help for you? Cara, you have the Traveling Tracker this week, how has that been going? I know way too early for so many questions.

Tomorrow, unless for some strange reason I go above my goal weight, I will officially become a Lifetime Member. I said after I joined Weight Watchers, ''this time I'll get it right." I have had the bumps in the road, I've had roadblocks throw up in front of me, and most of the time those were put there by myself. It has taken me a long time, but like the quote says, 'you may have to fight a battle more than once to win it". I have fought this battle of my weight my entire life, and the battle, just because I will be a Lifetime Member is still not over. I know I will always be just one bite away from eating my way right back up to 300 plus pounds. I could sit and wring my hands over that, but I had rather take what I have learned ,and continue to learn and actually live my life. A life that is so very new to me.

Unless you have been as overweight as I have been, then you cannot fully understand this feeling. It is just so very strange to walk into a room now and not be the biggest person there, it is so strange to walk without my thighs rubbing together, oh, and there is actual daylight between those thighs now. I know probably way too much info for this time of morning, but its true.

I could have never done this without the support from all of you, and tomorrow we will celebrate. As much as I love you all, and call you all my ''Sisters". I had to have someone else to be there tomorrow, someone that has known and seen my struggles throughout my life. Way back when I knew ''one day I will be at my goal", my thought was to have Bob to be there. That can't be possible now with his back, even though I know if I asked he would come tomorrow, but Bob has only known me for about 20 years, and part of that was only the good side of me. There was only one person I could think of that knows all about my demons and the life I had by being so overweight. Rhonda, Cara & Lisa, we may have to move to a different area for a 3 rd. row due to, tomorrow morning I will be bringing my baby Sister Ruthann with me. I called her yesterday and asked her to come up to be here for this, the biggest thing I have ever accomplished in my life. So tomorrow you all will get to meet my sister. Ruthann & I favor, but we are so not alike. Ruthann is very nice and quite, and well, you all know me, ha ha.

Be strong today, track, drink that water, and exercise.

Wishing Everyone a Wonderful Day.

See U All LIGHTER,

Much Love,

Joan

To Fail or NOT TO FAIL!!!!!!!!!

You maybe disappointed if you fail, BUT you are doomed if you don't try.

Beverly Sills

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

On the home front, as of last night, the van has a new battery, so I'll be hitting the gym in a bit, and the washing machine has a new pump. So all things that were going wrong have been fixed.

Failure. The only time you can actually call yourself a failure is when you completely throw your hands up in the air, pull in at the Dairy Queen and tell them to "bring Blizzards, until I pass out." Now that is, in my opinion, true failure.

I think we do get to places that we are spinning our wheels, and I know there are some of us that tend to do that, and it seems as if we are going around in circles, and not getting anywhere. But, we continue to come to our Saturday morning meeting, due to we keep hoping and praying that maybe something will be said that will open my eyes.

But then again, are we coming to the meeting to get our eyes open or are we showing up just for appearance sake. No one can answer that question except for ourselves, and we may or may not like the answer we come up with.

For a long time, and I know this will not come as a shocker to anyone, but I would sit in my third row chair, and while the meeting was going on, I was thinking of what goodies I was going to stop in at the store/bakery wherever cause it was Saturday, and I had a whole week before I had to weigh in again. It didn't matter if I had a gain or loss for the week.

As I have told you all before "when I would indulge on Saturday and or Sunday would not stop, it ended up going on at least until Thursday or Friday of the next week."

I was ready to stop going to Weight Watchers all together around Christmas time. I mean come on, I was heading into my 5th years and for at least 3 of those years I had really not done much of anything except, keep my seat on the third row warm, have paper towels for anyone that spilled their coffee, oh I always saved the chairs for my other 3rd row Sister's and for Lisa B. who sits in front of me. But, I was not following the Weight Watchers plan, I was doing "Joan's Plan", well we all know just how well that was working.

I had no one to put the blame on but myself, and I have to be honest here, I hated like the devil to have to actually face up to what I was doing, but I did, and Saturday I am going to be known as ''Joan the new Lifetime Member!!!" All because I never stopped trying.

If you are struggling to get where you want to be, stop and think ''what can I do to make this work?" There is always going to be something or someone in our lives that whether intentionally or accidentally will try to throw us off track and into the container of Ben & Jerry. But, stop and ask yourself, ''will consuming the stuff we know we have no control over, make the problem any better or make the problem go away?" Now if your honest, you know its not going to do one thing except make you feel that much worse, and then you head for Russell Stover's. BTW, since I have given up those two products, I think their profits have gone down. ha

We may stumble, we may even fall, but one thing is for sure WE DO NOT QUIT UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE!!!!!!!!!

Wishing Everyone a wonderful day,

Much Love to all,

Joan

Do you need an attitude adjustment??

The control center of your live is your attitude.

Anonymous

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

First off want to give a 'shout out'' to our Sister Friend Sally, in Wisconsin. Yesterday was her weight in and if you read her e-mail yesterday, they you all know, ''she knocked it right out of the park", with her weight loss. Just 5 pounds and some change from her goal weight. Congrats Sally.

What kind of attitude do you have this morning? Wait, I know, no one is up at this time checking their attitude, but me, ha. Even through our weight loss journey, we have to at times needed to ''chek our attitudes" at the door. At times we approach the scale on Saturday morning already knowing ''oh my I have had a bad week, so what's the use?" When in reality, we should be thinking, ''had a bad week, but today I get to start fresh, and the scale is just giving me my starting point."

Not too may years ago I was on yet another ''DIET'' and was a member of an online forum. I got to know several people from there, and I always will remember this one lady saying, ''I had to give up alcohol, due to I was an alcoholic, I had to give up pain killers I got hooked on those, now I'm overweight and I have to give up food, cause I don't want to control that." Bad attitude right there.

There have been times I have made the statement, ''food has always been my drug of choice." Like alcohol & drugs, food does not judge you. So what if everyone else was ready to judge me, my half gallon of ice cream, only soothed my pain. I have never been an alcohol drinker, and I have never taken drugs, but everyone knows that I didn't hit the 327 pound mark by having a good relationship and attitude where food is concerned.

This morning I woke up tired, and my attitude, was of the whining variety, ''I don't want to get up and go to the gym, I want to go back to sleep." I know myself way too well to know rolling over and going back to sleep would have only added to my bad attitude due too, when I did wake up probably 30 minutes later, then I would be mad at myself due to I would be having to rush to get to the gym. So my attitude was to kick that thought out of my head and think, ''oh boy, a nice strong cuppa of coffee, that is what I get."

As I have said many times, and going to say it again. I don't think losing all this weight has really changed me that much, but it sure has changed my attitude about things. Attitude is a lot of this journey. The attitude of knowing your worth the effort, knowing you can do this even if it takes you longer than it did someone else. Remember, there in no expiration date on Weight Watchers!

So what kind of attitude are you going to be carrying around today? Will it be one of hope and desire to buckle down and do this program like it should be done? Or are you going to continue to tell yourself, ''I have given up so much already?" Remember the choice is yours.

Wishing Everyone a Great day,

Much Love to All,

Joan

Our Marathon

Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the road blocks that lay before you.

Denis Waitley

Good Morning My Sister W.W.F.F.,

Lisa (Love's wife), glad you are back home and back on track. Sounds as if our teacher's pet Becky is doing the same thing, way to go ladies.

I was out and about yesterday making some arrangements for Bob's upcoming birthday party. Does not matter that the party is not until September, I have to make sure things are taken care of, its called, ''being anal". ha. Anyway, I overheard these two ladies talking about a marathon they had both just participated in, and as I left this place, walking to my van which was parked quite a ways away from the store. I got to thinking. We are all running, walking, crawling, stumbling in our own marathon.

Think about it. This weight loss journey is a marathon, thing is to be a success it never ends. I have watched people line up for these marathons, you have some in front so eager, and that made me think, ''that is how we were in the beginning, we wanted to be the first ones on the scale on Saturday morning due to we knew we were doing so good, the scale was going to be down".

Then we run like that for awhile, things begin to slow, just like people do when they are doing a marathon, they may have to stop to get water, not everyone can run and drink, so they slow down a bit. Isn't that how it is with weight loss, after a while it slows down.

Now the difference in a marathon and our weight loss journey, or the way I see the difference, is at some point you do have an actual finish line, but on our weight loss journey, it has to become a lifestyle change. We may actually see what we think is the finish line, which maybe the goal weight number, but to be a winner in this marathon, you have to continue on, ''running, walking, crawling, stumbling" to stay at your goal weight. Now this all may sound quite dis-hearting, but think about it....it is something you are doing for yourself to promote good health habits, and hopefully a new attitude toward life in general....Something you are doing just for you, no one else. Remember, just because we get to our goal, we are not cured.

Our marathon. We show up every Saturday morning, some of us will find another meeting to go to if we can't be together on Saturday morning. We cheer one another on, we lend a shoulder to lean on when one of us is struggling. So maybe you have never actually went downtown or anywhere like that and actually participated in a ''real" marathon, but each and every day you are on track, each and every day you get in some activity, each and every day you make a good choice, each and every week you show up for our meetings.....then yes, you are running your marathon. See you at the starting line (scale) on Saturday.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day,

Much Love to all,

Joan

Get started and then stick like glue.

The first part of success is Get-to-it-iveness; the second part of success is Stick-to-it-iveness.

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

Our front row Becky should be back from vacation today. Becky hope you had a wonderful time with your sister, you were missed.

Let us all keep the prayers going for Sharilyn's Mother. From what Sharilyn last wrote, her Mother's fall was not as bad as it could have been.

What kind of new or different vegetable did you all try over the weekend? Today, I am doing artichokes, only time I've ever had those was my visit to my TISSter's in Oregon. It takes a long time to eat an artichoke.

I really like this mornings quote, and it so very true. We have to have the "Get To" for getting started, then we have to develop the ''Stick To" for being able to hang in there until we are successful at whatever we are after.

With our weight loss journey, we have to have the ''Stick-to-it-iveness" to be like crazy glue. When you are at your goal, there will be times you feel as if your like the man on the commercial that has his hard hat glued to the beam and he's holding on for dear life, so as not to fall. I've been around long enough and know enough lifetime members to know that staying at your goal weight is much harder work than losing all the weight to get to goal. However, each month I sit and listen as Toni gives out those Lifetime stars, and Toni is giving out several of those to the Lifetimes, so I know it can be done. They are proving the ''stick to it" part. Sure at times they may stumble a bit, but they come roaring right back.

I am on my last week of maintenance. As I have mentioned before "I have been blessed to have a wonderful, successful group of Sister Lifetime Member in front of me." I have been able to learn from them, knowing first hand, that maintenance was going to be much harder than the actual weight loss. I have also learned that I cannot over think my maintenance, all that does is make things harder than they need to be. It has been a very interesting journey, one that is far from being over, and I can see yet another milestone for me not far on the horizon.

Today, get up get started, and stick to it until you get the results you want. It won't happen over night, but it will happen.

Wishing Everyone a wonderful Monday,

Much Love to all,

Joan

New Beginnings.

We can overcome anything in life as long as we stop looking back and look forward to all the new beginnings that are heading our way.

Renee Scalfani

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

Hope everyone's weekend is going well so far. Today officially begins our new week and let's not forget about our vegetable challenge for this month. Have you ever noticed that we never get an ''ice cream challenge". Just kidding.

How often do we stand or sit and ponder on the past. As we all know there is not one thing we can do about anything that happened yesterday. This has taken me such a long time to come to terms with, and whatever I may or may not have done yesterday I can't change any of that. However, I can begin brand new today. Isn't it great that we have today.

I remember, and this has really not been all that long ago, but I would always say, ''come Monday I'll get back on track and I will do better, I will track, I will weigh and measure my food, I will bring home my groceries and put the crackers in the individual bags, not eating any as I count out each cracker. I will stay out of Bob's Russell Stover's. It took me a really long time for my "Monday" to get here. But, it finally got here. Maybe I just needed all those Monday's to prepare me for where I am today. I look in the mirror and I know it is me, due to it's my voice, it's my eye's that are looking back, but it sure is not my old body that is reflected, nor is it my old attitude. I have a brand new attitude about so many things.

I know, I keep hounding on being accountable, not trying too fool ourselves into believing ''I am doing everything possible and the weight just won't come off." I have to say I loved Jennifer D's. attitude yesterday. Jennifer had been on vacation for two weeks, and she knew she was going to have a gain, and yet she was thrilled, due to if she ''had let herself go like we normally do when we are on vacations, it could have been so much worse." Jennifer made the comment, ''my husband will not understand my being happy about a gain." It's true, people don't understand how we could be happy about a gain, but we that have struggled so often going on vacation and coming home with a 5-7 pound weight gain, then we all understand all too well. So Jennifer, I am so proud of you. You were on vacation, but you were still being accountable, doing things a bit different than maybe you had in the past where your eating was concerned. Way to go Sister Girlfriend.

Everything in our lives revolve around the past, present & the future. The past is just that, the past, we need to be in the present, the here and now, being prepared for today. It is fine to look into the future, but remember today is the new beginning.

Now eat those vegetables this week.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day,

Much love to all,

Joan

Today's weight in

Today I hit another milestone. As of today I have lost 98 pounds while doing the Weight Watchers program. I have to admit, I have had times I thought I would never get there, and even today when I look at myself in the mirror, I have to ask, ''who is this person that looks so different?"

As I have said before my life is not going to change, BUT, my attitude toward things have changed, some for the better and some are not. It is a journey, there are times I have and will fall off track, but I do think I am at the age and maturity to know for health reason's this has to be my life from now on.

Staying Strong in the key.

Temptations....and I don't mean the singing group.

Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell.

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F., (Weight Watchers Friends Forever)

First off I want to give a shout out and welcome to a new addition to our e-mail group. It is our own Jana's Mother and she is another Jennifer, so I have had to name her Jennifer L. to make sure I get all the Jennifer's listed. Welcome Jennifer, and please feel free to chime in and share at anytime. Better behave now Jana, your Mom is here. :>)

Temptation. As I watched Bob since Wednesday eating one piece of his Godvia candy that Rhonda brought him. I for the life of me have not been able to understand how that stuff just does not keep calling his name until by Wednesday afternoon the entire box would have been gone.

Temptation is all around us. We can't walk the Mall what we can smell the Cinnamon Bun place way before we get there. On my walks of the Mall, I have to pass the Godiva candy place. In the beginning I was tempted to just break out that window and see how much candy I could eat before the Security Guards showed up. Good news there, now I don't even pay any attention to the candy store.

What can we do about temptations? Some we just know not to be foolish enough to have them in the house, other things we have to work really hard each and everyday to use the words NO, NO THANK YOU, or I'M ALLERGIC.

For me I am so addicted to what I call the bad stuff, and it is the bad stuff for me. Its true there is nothing at all we cannot enjoy doing the Weight Watchers plan, but we do have to plan, we do need to use moderation in those choices of treats. For me the bad stuff, treats, if you will I have no control. I am exactly like a drug addict, a little bit will not do, I need a lot, and then the next day I need more. So the only way I could be a success at this was, to come to terms that, ''there are something's, I am never, ever going to be able to have". At first it was sad to have to think like that, but gave myself a test a few weeks back, and guess what, ''I am still not cured". Thought I could eat the Vita Top muffins in moderation, and I guess the moderation was, at least I did unwrap them. Good news is even though I bought two boxes, I only ate one entire box, and gave the other one away.

Yes, temptation leans on my doorbell a lot, and I bet at times the same thing happens with you all, so I say we learn to disconnect that doorbell, so we can hear opportunity knocking. When temptation is ringing your doorbell, put those walking/running shoes on and go for a walk, if you don't want to do that, then by all means call someone. There are ways to control this, but you have to think first.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day. See most of you all hopefully, ''LIGHTER'' tomorrow.

Much Love to all,

Joan

A recipe for SUCCESS.

Desire+Action+A Goal+Motivation+Meetings+Tracking+Activity= SUCCESS

Good Morning Sister W.W.F.F.,

Last night as Bob and I sat talking about who knows what. My mind was drifting to this morning e-mail. As a rule, and I am sure you all can tell, I don't plan these things, I tend to get dressed for the gym, get my first cup of coffee set down here and ''let 'er rip". However, last night the above words kept coming to my mind. Then when I woke this morning, I knew what they all meant.

When we walked into our first Weight Watchers meeting, we had the Desire, or we would not have been there. When we stayed to listen to the program being explained to us, that was where we acquired the Action, then we began to think about A Goal, does not matter that it may or may not have changed since the day we got the Desire & Action. Then we needed to be pushed alone, and that is where we needed the Motivation to be added, so we read success stories, we listened to others that had reached their goal, and that as a rule was happening at a weekly Meeting or in some cases through e-mails. Now we have the Desire, we have put in the Action, we set ourselves A Goal, we began to get Motivated with our Meetings, then we found out there is still something we need to do. How do we keep ourselves in chek? Tracking, yes, every B.L.T. (Bite, Lick or Taster) has to be counted. All is going well, things begin to slow a bit, then we find out we have to do something else still, something to shake things up just a bit. Now what could that be? ACTIVITY, if you don't use it, you will lose it, so we needed to get in that Activity.

Now we have the recipe. Desire+Action+A Goal+Motivation+Meetings+Tracking+Activity. Shake well on a daily basis and I truly believe the outcome will be the most wonderful, high rise of Success any of us could ever hope for. Makes for a much ''lighter'' version of oneself as well.

Wishing Everyone a Great Day,

Much Love to All,

Joan