Hi Ladies:

As promised, here's our new thread for July. We would like to encourage anyone who would like to join us to talk about our our weight loss challanges and successes and encourage each other on our weight loss journey.

Betty Jo

Hello Ladies,
It's been a long day today!! Woke up at 4a.m. to a nasty storm. Nothing really severe, but lots of loud thunder and lightning. Had to leave by 5:20 to babysit so it didn't pay to try to go back to sleep. When I got done babysitting and got home Jack's daughter, hubby and kids stoped over to visit so I took them on a short 4-wheeler ride. My step-daughter had never been on one before so it was fun watching her get the hang of it. The weather was pretty cool for riding, even with sweatshirts on so we didn't ride too long. After riding I made us all some supper and we sat around and visited a bit before they had to head back.

Well, it's only 62 outside right now and hubby just turned on the air conditioner so I am going to go crawl in bed and watch a movie under my nice warm blankets!! He must be having a hot flash or something! Hope you all have a great day and will check in again tomorrow!!! BURRRRRR! It feels like it is freezing in here!!

Kathy

Good Morning Everyone:

Today is weigh in day, but I didn't lose anything this week. So no weight loss to report this week. I want to wish everyone a very happy and safe 4th of July. We have company coming in today (my husband's daughter from Alaska). Tomorrow I'm cooking fried chicken for a cook out over at a friends house. After we eat, we will go to the fireworks. So big day tomorrow.

Betty Jo

hello, I am a returning JC client, am picking up my food tomorrow, I need encouragement as I lost weight then put it all back on. the new forums are hard to fiqure out, will try reading more.

Good Morning Everyone - Hope you all have a happy 4th of July!!!!

Just came in from weeding in my garden. We put a fence up but something is still getting at my beans. I don't see any sign of my dill or cayenne peppers coming up at all either but everything else is looking good.

Falling Waters - Welcome!!! We have a great group of ladies here so if you have any questions or help with anything please let us know. We have all had times when we were struggling and it is so nice to have the support and encouragement from the other gals when we are going thru a rough time. I haven't been loosing a whole lot during the summer months but at least if I gain a pound or two from too many cookouts etc., I get right back on track a take them back off again! I definitely do not want to go back to where I was!!

Betty Jo - Hope you have a great time this weekend with your company!! Not losing anything this past week if fine!! At least you didn't gain a pound or two like I have some weeks!! You do so good with your food choices so I dare to bet you that you'll have a good loss your next WI! Sometimes our bodies are just stubborn and like to hang on for awhile.

Arlonne - How is everything going with you? Hopefully everything went well with the surgery!!

Jo and Jeannine - How are you gals doing?

Tall Jo - Haven't heard from you for while - are you still with us?

Well, I'm dog-sitting this weekend for my son so I have to go and let him out and play with him for awhile so I will check in on everyone again tomorrow. Have a great day!

Kathy

Welcome Tallwaters:

We'd love to have you in our group.

The message boards can be a little confushing at first, but actually there is a way to manage and track your favorite catagories on the boards. At the top of the page, where you enter the message boards, there is a button called, "My Controls". If you go in there, you can manage and track all your favorite topics and forums. It really beats having to look at every catagory every time you go into the boards, which I did for about a month before I discovered them. It will take you a while to determine your favorite topics and forums, but after you make that determination, the controls button will make your life a lot easier.

Have a great day and come back often. The message boards really help me to focus on losing weight and maybe it will do the same for you.

Betty Jo

Hi Kathy and Everyone:

I had a great 4th of July weekend. It was so much fun. I made fried chicken for the barbeque we attended and little smokies in barbeque sauch. And guess what. I had a little of both and did not worry. I also had sex on the beach. Noooooo, now get your mind out of the gutter. I had the drink sex on the beach. In fact, I had two of them. The minute I arrived, the host said to me, "Betty Jo, you've been losing so much weight, we all think you need some sex on the beach. And of course everyone was roaring with laughter because I said Whaaaaaaat? Then they told me it was a drink. So I decided to try it. They were very good. The fireworks were great. They always have fireworks for the kids and then the adults later in the evening. I know they must have bought about $400.00 worth of fireworks. Anyway it was a good time and for just one night I forgot all about my diet, but ate little portions of some of the things I wanted. I didn't go overboard. Just had a little of everything. I even had icecream and cake. This is the first time in six months I actually splurged. But yesterday, I went right back on program and I didn't gain a pound. So, this is a lesson for me. I can indulge on holidays as long as I don't over do it and I go right back on program afterwards. Yipeeeeee!!!!

Okay, I guess I better go get the morning paper. I hear my husband rambling around in the kitchen. I'll be back tomorrow.

Betty Jo

Hello Ladies,
Well I made it thru the 4th without blowing my diet so I am hoping to see a loss at WI tomorrow. For me it was a nice quiet weekend! I worked Saturday and had to babysit for my son's dog, but other that that I just took it pretty easy and worked in the garden a bit.!!

Betty Jo - sounds like you had a great 4th!! Glad you got to spend time with some of the family. The sex on the beach sounds good!! I used to have to make them once in a while when I was bartending but I have actually forgotten what goes in them! Doesn't it feel good to have something you shouldn't have once in a while? Sounds like you did a much better job of controlling your portions though than what I usually do when I go off plan.

How did everyone else do over the Holiday? Hope you all had a great weekend!!

Kathy

Happy July! Hot and Sedentary month.
Kathy and Betty Jo - you both sound content from your celebration. I took Kathy's route and did nothing. WE were going to go to a neighborhood get together but they really did not send out invites to anyone outside the bunco group and I dont do bunko. Altho, I wish I had sex on the beach. Lucky Betty Jo. LOL.

OK -- I got a B-I-G gripe..... wanna hear it? or turn the page..... it's not affecting to anyone but me. but sometimes we just dont like to hear others complain. I talked to my consultant last Tuesday, July 1st. Gave her my order. And they charged my card. BUT guess what!? they have not sent the food yet. ONE week later. I called yesterday --- better later than never. and the 'consultant' on-hand yesterday had to find out why it was MY fault. Did you ask your consultant when your ship date was? Well,, no... I never do... but it is always shippied the next day. AND, I should have had it by Thursday. so, I just hung up on her.
what do others do in any other regular week? I've even ordered on Friday before .... and it got here quicker.
I am currently in my 15th week of JC but only starting week #11 for food. I've missed 4 weeks of food with being away from home and this full week. that's not good. and I was down 16 lbs.... until this... now, I'm up 3 lbs. So upsetting.

OK, thanks for letting me express myself. I am going to tell my consultant tomorrow that I dont want to talk to her... I have no reason to talk to her. She's going to be gull of "how did you make out thru July 4th?" who cares?

Thanks for listening.

Later,
JO

Hi Jo:

The untimely delivery of your order probably has to do with the 4th of July holiday. Orders always seems to move at a snails pace when there is a holiday. JC needs to add place on their website for checking on the delivery of their order. No one wants to sit around waiting on the UPS man all day and then not have them show up. I've dealt with companies that send you an email and let you know exactly when your package will be delivered, so I know that service is available. UPS is probably behind because of everyone taking off for the holiday, but the customer shouldn't have to suffer.

Betty Jo

Hello Kathy and Everyone:

It was very nice to be able to splurge and it was equally nice that I didn't gain weight. I'm hoping for a weight loss this week. One pound would be real nice, but two would be even nicer because it would put me in the 180's. But I'm totally ready for a plateau too if my body needs it. I want my skin to remember from whince it came , if you know what I mean.

Well, guess I better get back to work. The garden is going crazy this year. I put up 30 quarts of green beans last week and now the cucumbers are ripening. I'm making bread and butter pickles this year. Then the peaches and tomatoes will be next. I will also be making blackberry jam. It's my husbands favorite. It's a big job, but there's nothing better than canned foods from the garden during the winter.

Oh, one other thing. I tried on a coat at Sam's this weekend. I wear a 16/18 in a coat now. So that gives me an idea of what size I'm wearing now. After I get to my 3/4 goal weight, I'm going to purchase a new coat. That's my reward. I need one anyway. I want something versatile so I can wear it with dresses and pants. It will also have to work for Alaska too. So I've got my work cut out for me.

Betty Jo

Betty Jo

Hello All,
I had to babysit today so I am just to my computer now. I did my WI this morning and am happy to say I lost 1.6# so I finally made it out of the 220's!!!! It's been forever for me since I was down this low. I know I weighed 213 when I got out of high school! I lost some weight a couple of times after that but this is the first time I have been down below the 220's in a long, long time.

Jo - Sorry to hear about the problems with your food order. I sure the holiday may have had something to do with it but your counselor should have let you know when you ordered what day it would be shipped. I order my food once a month and when I order she always checks with me to see what day I want it shipped to make sure I will be at home the next day when the order arrives. I would think she would have set a definite shipping date, especially with the holiday weekend!!!

Betty Jo - you are doing so great!!! Hope you make it into the 170's this week!! I talked to my counsellor this morning and my current goal is to make it to onederland before my 4-wheeling trip on Ausust 12th!! I guess I'll have to be good the next few weeks if I am going to make it. Sounds like your garden is keeping you really busy! I'm debating right now if I should try to re-plant my beans or not. They are one of my favorites! Everything is really late here this year because of all the cool weather we were having, but the last couple of weeks have finally felt like summer. I'm hoping for a nice warm fall to get the best results from the garden!!

Well, hope you all have a great day and I'll check in with everyone again tomorrow.

Kathy

Good Morning Everyone:

I'm so happy to report that I lost one pound this week. I was not sure if I would or not. We had company and I ate at the Golden Corral twice this week. Each time I eat there, I probably have 1,000 calories so I take it easy at home before I go there to eat. The food is so good. I love their fried chicken, but just one thigh is 250 calories. And one of those dinner rolls is 160 calories. I know exactly what I want when I go there and how many calories. That always helps. I love their salad bar and soft serve too. If I ate there every day, I'm sure I would gain weight or result to just a salad and meat.

Kathy:

I wish I was down into the 170's. Not yet. I will be venturing into the 180 soon. I am at 190 this week. I can't wait for the 180. I haven't weighed in that light for years. In my 30's I stayed about 125 to 135, but I smoked. That helped me to keep the weight off because I smoked instead of eating. Then I quit, when I was 32 years old. I've been struggling with my weight ever since. Up and down and up and down. It's crazy. I figure that this year, I finally quit smoking because I finally got my weight back under control. I'm absolutely convinced that the two are connected. Congrats on your weight loss. You've broke into new territory too. Just keep track of what you are eating and you'll meet your goal. Oh, I also went into some of the catalogs and found out I'm now in a size 18 or large. That's a thrill too. I want to purchase something, but I'm afraid. Too funny.

Have a great day everyone. How did the rest of you do this week. We would love to hear from you.

Betty Jo

Hello from the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee.
Kathy and Betty JO -- your weight losses are my envy.
I finally weighed myself and went up 1 lb. Nuts!
My consultant called and I did talk to her... even tho I was upset over no shipping. I have several weeks that I was away from home and didn't do JC food.... so, I chalked it up to that. but I need to kick -in here and start dropping big pounds. I keep waiting for that to happen....... and waiting.
And it aint going to be today. Today is our 43rd anniversary and we are going out to dinner. Hubby wants to go to Red Lobster... or Outback Steakhouse. I can get by with either one.... at red lobster I order one crabcake, a baked potatoe, and a salad. I need to look at that calorie count website, Betty JO.... afraid to say that I have not so far. I'm just not on here long enuf.
Yesterday, I had a full day out. Ate a salad with chicken for lunch. Somebody in my baby qult group at church nominated me to heads up the January Party "For the Children". That is who we make the quilts for. they are children and babies that are taken away from their parents and are in transistion to foster families or other relatives. Most are from meth parents. Poor babies. Anyway, I have no pattern to follow for this party... this is the annual FIRST year. It was a 5 hour meeting... ok, we talked alot about other stuff .... and the theme will be "Coats" for the children since it is in January. Now, got to start donations and kick up other volunteers. This will keep me busy!

Well, you all behave. I'll check on you later.
JO

Hi everybody.
Iam what I see all the time is a "newbie". Iam on my third day, and want to lose 20-25 pounds. I have never had to watch my weight before, when I turned about 50 it got harder (Iam now 63) I have been a widow now for about 4 years, and I hear stress can add to weight gain.(well I blame it on that anyway). I would love to hear from you, you sound like your my age. It has been hard on JC, because I get hungary, I usually eat what every, but with this , I have to think about it before I eat it. This site is not user friendly either, I have a hard time getting to what I want.
Thanks to any of you for any kind of help you can give me.
Pam

Good Morning,
Went out for supper last nite and had a huge turkey chef salad - lots of good veggies in it! Only bad thing is they had no fat-free dressing so I probably should have brought some of my own along!! Had my first red, white and blueberry cheesecake for a snack later in the evening. It was really good!!! To bad they are discontinued already.

Pam - welcome!! Try to keep the free veggies on hand if you are getting hungry. Also the sugar-free popsicles and jello and a good snack in the summer month. Sometimes I just feel like I want to eat something whether I am actually hungry or not and they seem to help me get over the urge before I eat something really bad! There are many other good suggestions on this site and it does get easier trying to find what you want once you get used to the site. Good luck on your journey and if you have any questions or problems, please come here and someone should be able to help you out!


Jo - Happy Anniversary!! Wow!! 43 years is a long time and I wish you many more happy years together!! Your quilting club sounds fantastic and what a great cause! I should really check to see if there is a group around here that donates to a worthy cause. I love crocheting afghans and I am starting to run out of people to make them for. Maybe I could donate some to a childrens hospital or something like that!

Betty Jo - Did you just quit smoking this past year? I am still smoking and I really would like to quit, but I am really afraid that if I do the weight will start coming back on!!! I go for my 6 Mo. check up the beginning of October and I know that will be one of the big topics. Hopefully by that time I will be doing better with the eating on my own and will be able to handle the challange of not smoking!! It's funny, but I am also leary about buying new clothes! I did buy a couple outfits when we were in Minnesota, but I really do not want to buy any more right now cause I am hoping that by next summer I will not be able to wear them anymore!! I know I will have to buy new clothes come this winter cause I got rid of all the stuff I wore last winter.

Hope you all have a great day!
Kathy

Your awesome Jo. I love that you care about other people and especially the poor little babies. Happy anniversary. 43 years is a long time. I've been married for 30 years this year. That's a long time too.

A fried chicken for lunch is not too bad with the salad. I have that quite often at Golden Corral. One fried chicken thigh is 250 calories and the salad is 33 calories for a cup and a half of just veggies. I use the JC ranch dressing it's 60 calories. That's just 343 calories. That's very respectable. Then just stay on your Jenny while you are at home. You can eat out and lose weight. You just have to make the correct choices. The crab cake sounds good. One 3 oz crab cake has 190 calories. That's even better than the chicken actually. A baked potatoe is a really good choice too and so is the salad. So you are making really good choices. I usually use sour cream on my potatoe because it's less calories.

Let us know how things go.

Betty Jo

Hi Kathy:

No, I quit smoking when I was 32 years old. That's about 29 years ago. But I've been struggling with weight control every since I quit. I blew up like a baloon. I feel like this year, I finally got everything under control again from when I quit. I do think I just didn't really try for years though. I was so tired of losing and gaining it all back, I really just gave up because I didn't think there was a way to lose it and keep it off. But now I realize that I can keep it off and you definitely get enough to eat when your are on 1500 calorie diet. I could probably stay on a 1500 calorie diet for life and not really think about it much. I would just have to watch what I eat when I go out and about. I think quitting is a lot like taking control of your weight. You just do it. You have to be commited and really want to quit or you won't do it. My doctor scared me to death. She said I would die if I didn't quit because I was getting pnemonia (sp?) at lot. So I quit the next and day never had another cigerette. You get a scare like that and you will quit. Believe me. If you can gain control of your weight, you can quit. You just have to have a reason.

As far as clothes go. I think I'm going to have to purchase some. I look absolutely terrible in my bigger clothes. So I've started to look. I know you shop at the Avenue. I'm going to go there one day. I signed up for sale emails online. Are you signed up? They have really good sales online. They have just about all their summer tops on sale for $10 right now. If you not on there, you need to sign up girl. They send you emails when they are having the clearance sales. Since you already know what size you wear in their clothing, you could make out like a bandit. I'm going to go in and try some things on in the near future.

Betty Jo

Betty Jo,
I'm not over 60 but am closer to 60 then 50 (will be 57 in September). Plus although I am called Jodi, my name is Bettijo--different spelling, same name! Just wanted to say Hi. Oh and anothe coincidence, everyone in my famliy, except for me was born in Kansas! My folks moved to New Mexico before I was born. See, we have lots in common besides Jenny!

Happy Saturday, everybody!

So much to say, I hope I remember all of the comments I made as I read your posts......

Betty Jo -- thanks for the calorie counts! I joined the calorie count website and tried to work it.... haha! no comment... but I feel 'puter illiterate. But, since you make out so good telling me these counts, could you tell me ONE more please? We actually went to Outback Steakhouse to eat. I had a rib eye.. and ate the size of a deck of cards -- brought the rest home for hubby's leftovers. Had grilled asparagus and their sweet potatoes. yummy. THAT was what I wanted the calorie count for and cannot find it. It was about 1/2 cup. very sweet and have a few chopped up walnuts on top.
Yeah, 30 years of marriage seems like forever... I cannot describe 43 yrs... except for the word "lucky". We went throught tons of internal challenges and silent divorces. But I think it took and will be forever now. haha.

Kathy -- I know what Betty Jo is talking about stopping smoking. Have you ever tried before? Somehow I feel that should be the 'caution' on the cigarette pack: "Stopping smoking ?? hahahaha!" I actually stopped when I layed in the hospital for 3 months after my wreck. Where was I going to go smoke? When I got out, about 9 months later, I tried a few smokes. Just NOT the same. That way of going cold turkey was a bit unusual... but it worked. I hated (absolutely hated) the smell after being away from it.... my olfactory nerve was damaged BIG time in the wreck.... that smoke smell made me ill. I can only smell things IF my brain wants to smell them. Flowers can smell like garbage. And garbage can smell like flowers. But cigarettes smelled like just like it is: cigarette smoke. And the funniest thing, I can smell it for several feet away. Now, the weight gain was a combination of several things in my case. But it did happen at that exact time. I had had a hysterectomy 8 weeks earlier. That added to the case. My damaged olfactory nerve (smell & taste) was a BIG factor. Your smell is actually your cutoff feature to eating ... not your full stomach. Smell is a larger percent of the olfactory nerve than taste and a full tummy to tell your brain STOP. So, it all goes back to smelling the flowers.
I think the hardest part is getting away from the environment that you smoked in. Like if you smoke in your garage, it is hard not to go into the garage and not want to light up..... That, to me, is harder than thinking it makes you gain weight. If you understood that (teehee), good luck! But we know you can do it. I'd be less worried about weight gain since you are revamping your food patterns. And this is a GrEAT time for you to "JUST DO IT".
That's too bad about that red, white, and blueberry cheescake. It was good.
Volunteering crafts... and crocheted afghans is a good thing for nursing homes. The patients need them for warmth in their chairs. Ask a local nursing home if they have any volunteer groups that bring the patients stuff like that. Helping Hands is a national organization and they do that here! They also make 'shrugs' for the ladies shoulders.

Wecome Jodi (not from Kansas). :-)

And welcome Pam. You are right.... this is not a user friendly website! And I think we just have to get around it because they dont care.... their programming is ssssooooo outdated.
Well, I am partially jealous that you only have 20-25 lbs to get rid of.... but I do respect the fact that that is as hard as my 70 or somebody's 50 or 100. Especially at our age. We (at least me) are not as active as we use to be. Anybody can flatter us and say we are sssoooo active.... but it aint the same... that keeps us from burning as many calories. And that ol' stress factor just jumps on us. Sorry to hear about the loss of your husband. My stress is a bit different.... but I know that I cannot handle any stress nowadays! It just feels like the world is on me. And I want to eat..... chocolate! I thought after we stopped working, it would go away. ha!

ok -- later.....
Jo

OH, yeh,
Let's talk buying new clothes.
I think you all should just do it!
At least a couple outfits that fit you the size now.
I did it and I only lost 16 lbs but went down 1 size. I had felt so gloomy in the BIGger size. This boosted my morale. And at least I have something to wear out. I wear work clothes in my yard from the other size.... but actually had to put some of them away. they fell off. Funny thing -- this size will fit me probably through the next 30 lbs. That's sad. And I seem to be (weight) stuck in the here and now.

So, I vote for new outfits! Just tell your hubby's I said so.

teehee.... and then run!
JO

Good Morning Ladies,
Well, yesterday was a really bad day food wise!! I will probably result in a gain for my WI this week. Went to a cook-out at the couples house we will be making our 4-wheeling trip with in August. The food was awesome but none of it was Jenny friendly. Deep fried turkey, corn and catfish. Potato salad and pasta salads, Turtle soup, venison sausage, cheeses and crackers and then oh yes - the cheesecake!! Not to mention we were having a few coctails while we were there!!! I ended up trying a little of just about everything - it was soooooo gooood! But today I am back on program and will try to get some extra exercise in to help undo the damage I did yesterday!!

I actually quit smoking for 15 years at the age of 35 when I had my hysterectomy!! Then first hubby and I ended up buying a bar and grill up here and I started smoking again!! What a fool I was!!!! I started after hubby died - a little less than 1 year after we bought the bar. He was in a coma for almost a month before we had to make the decision to pull the plugs and the stress was more than I could handle at the time!! I was trying to be down in Appleton at the hospital with him as much as I could and still take care of the business up here. I do not handle stress very well anymore and I find when I am stressed I smoke much more than I normally do in a day. I am just really afraid that if I quit smoking I will be eating during these times. I really would like to quit again but I know it will be almost impossible for me if hubby doesn't quit at the same time. He wants to quit also so hopefully we will both make the commitment to do it!!

Well, it is nice and cool out right now so I am going to get out and work in the garden a bit and get my walk in before it gets too hot. Hope you all have a great day!!

Kathy

Jo, Betty Jo, Kathy and Pam,

Good morning! I so enjoy reading your posts. Stopping smoking??? That is so hard to do. I have done it many, many times!! Ha! I'm not smoking today and haven't for a while but I have learned never to say I will NEVER smoke again--at anytime something could trigger that irresistible urge and I say to myself "Just one pack to get me through this, then no more" That one pack always leads to more.

Gotta run--heading to Denver again today.

Hi Jodi:

So nice to meet you. I like the way you spell Bettijo. It's different. Do you still have family in Kansas and if so where? I live south of Topeka on an 80-acres farm. We moved here about 6 years ago from Alaska because my husband needed medical attention he couldn't get in Alaska. We plan to go back if we can sell our home here in Kansas. Our home went on the market 1st part of June. We have not had one person look at the house yet. We are definitely in a housing slump here I guess. Everyone seems to be moving back to the city because of the gas prices.

Actually I was born in Kansas too. I was born in Wichita and raised in Abilene, which you probably know is Eisenhower's home town. It was an interesting town to be raised in because of all the tourists that visited.

I also lived in Alabama for about 8 years after I married my first husband. After we divorced, I moved back to Kansas and lived in Salina for about 3 years until I married my current husband and moved to Alaska. I lived in Alaska for 26 years and worked as a land manager for the State. We loved it there and my husband wants to go back. He says he wants to die there. Sounds a little morbid, but we decided to go back not just because we love Alaska, but because we left a lot of wonderful friends there. We miss them.

Jodi, we have some fantastic ladies on this thread. They are so friendly and helpful. Please come back and talk with us. We'd love to hear from you. And if you have any weight loss challanges, we also share those here to. Again, it was nice meeting you.

Betty Jo

Hi Pam:

Welcome to Jenny Craig. I love Jenny Craig. I've been on the program since December 2007 and I've lost 60 pounds. I gained a lot of weight over the years because I really didn't know much about nutrition and my body. I knew a lot about calories and different diets, but not nutrition. I found out that nutrition and dieting are miles apart. The reason I love Jenny Craig so much is that they taught me how I can eat and be healthy and keep the weight off FOREVER AND STILL BE SATIFIED.

Okay, one of the things that I noticed in your post right away was that you were hungry. Boy was I hungry when I first started on JC. The hunger lasted for about three weeks and then it completely disappeared. I made sure I kept lots of vegetables in the refrigerator and ate them whenever I felt hunger pangs. But you know what? I followed the program really close and I lost weight like a mad women. You can check my stats below in my signature. The other thing you can do is make the most of your free foods. They are listed in the spiral book you received when you joined. Jello and FF cool whip saved my butt more than once. And drink lots of water. That helps too. And remember the hunger is temporary.

Here's some tips I picked up from other members when I first started. Hopefully they will help you.

1. Make small goals and reward yourself with non-food items. I made 10 pound goals.

2. Pay close attention to the portions JC puts in their meals. Burn them in your memory and any time you eat meals on your own, replicate those portion sizes.

3. Come into the chat room and message boards every day. It keeps me focused and hopefully it will do the same for you.

4. And finally, don't let negative thoughts invade your mind. They will be there I'm telling you. Especially in the first month. When I first started JC, I almost quit because I had myself convinced I could do this program on my own. Thank goodness I didn't listen to those thoughts. Redirect your negative thoughts. I would go do something to take my mind off the negative thoughts. For instance, I might go wash dishes or something that needed to be done to take my mind off the thought.

The other thing you can do is just say no to the negative thoughts and then keep a picture of how you want to look after you've lost the weight close so you can visualize how you want to look. I kept a picture from a catalog on my refrigerator. The model was wearing a dress I loved.

Those techniques worked for me. You may have some of your own techniques. The important thing is to have a plan of attack ready so that when negative thoughts invade your mind, you can survive.


Betty Jo

Hi Kathy:

Cigerettes are hard to quit, but one thing for sure is that you have to be ready to quit or you won't. So don't even go there unless you are. I'll bet I quit 50 times before I finally quit for good. You have to be in a place in your life where you can focus too. It just so happened everything worked out when I quit. I chew gum now. If you have something to replace the old habit, that can work too. And having your husband quit at the same time would be a very big plus.

Betty Jo

Been a long time since I have been here, I am sorry, but I got a disturbing E-mail from someone at this board who wanted to "meet me" and get to know me. I have sorta stayed away since then. I reported it to my counselor but had deleted it so I did not get the name.

Enough of that!! I am almost done with my "20lb loss program" my counselor told me about the "maintenance" program and the hubby and I have talked about it. He now thinks maybe I should stay on JC and try to lose about another 15 lbs. My heart Dr. has recommended loss of weight for a long time.

I would enjoy learning what those of you on this maintenance program think of it. I was told I did not have to buy a full weeks worth of food, but just the meals I wanted, is this correct? Plus of course she told me of the discounts you earn the longer you are ordering the food, again is this working good for you?

I did have a scare 2 weeks ago, was feeling really lightheaded and weird for a couple of days and worried the DH enough he had me start taking my blood pressure, Yipes it was way too low!!! He called the heart Dr. the next day, and told them what it had read over the weekend and sure enough 2 blood pressure meds. were too many!! Had me stop one and keep an eye on the blood pressure with just the one. So far it is reading pretty normal now. Hope I did not send this message before, have to get the memory up to snuff!!!

Hi Jeannine:

Welcome back. I think everyone got that email from the pervert. I just deleted the one he sent me and went on my marry way. Sometimes, we get jerks on the message boards, but it's really nothing to be concerned with I don't think.

Wow, it's good that you called your doctor about the blood pressure problem. I've had the same kind of issues with my husband. He had a four-way bypass about 1 1/2 years ago. He's doing great now, but we had to monitor his meds really close for a while. One real important thing I found out when he had his problems was that you should write down every medication you take and submit it to your doctor when ever they give you a new medication. Even report vitamins, allergy pills, over the counter pain pills and etc. because anyone of the prescriptions can affect how your new prescription works. It can actually be dangerous when you are dealing with the heart. So be really cognizant of the medications you take. Write them down and the dosage size and submit them to your doctor. You'll be glad you did.

I hope you do stay on JC. I'm not on maintenance yet, but I'm more than half way to goal so I get to cook for myself. I puchase my snack from JC and some dinners but not near the JC food I used to. I made my decision after I started cooking from the JC cook books as to whether to eat JC dinners or cook my own meals. I have to cook for my husband anyway. So I decided to go with JC snacks and lunches and some breakfasts. I cook my dinners from the JC cookbooks and I'm still losing weight.

One thing I want to mention is that I will never be going off of JC. I will always be on the program to keep the weight off. I think that a misconception we all have at one time or another. We think when the diet if over we will not gain weight. Wrong! You will have to use the JC tools to keep the weight off now. So I agree with your husband. Stay on JC. With your medical problems, it's probably not a bad idea.

Have a great day.

Betty Jo

Jo:

I took your advice and bought a new outfit today so I would have something that looked good on me this fall. I really look riduculous in my bigger clothes.

Betty Jo

Hi everyone

Betty Jo, I still have some cousins in Hutchinson, and Dodge. I have not been there since the early 90's but have such fond memories of summers spent in Hutchinson at my grandparents!

I also lived in Alabama about 8 years when I was married to my ex. Small world!

Tomorrow is my first weigh in and I am not expecting much loss--have stuck to the plan as much as possible but the week-end had some unscheduled changes I had not allowed for. I knew I was going to be working at a festival on Saturday and had worked a plan for it, as best I could with my JC counselor. Had not planned on Sunday also. No way to heat anything in a microwave and no fresh veggies ar fruit available. I stayed away from carnival food except for half a sandwich. Did get lots of exercise and water and don't think I hurt myself any--just not sure I helped myself either. Avoiding weighing at home as I only want to weigh on the official scale at the centre.

Dusted off my old Richard Simmons Sweatin to the Oldies VHS tapes last week! Forgot how much fun and how hard those actually are! I have been having fun with them!

To everyoner else--I look forward to getting to know you on this site.

Oh there is a great thread about "what you are hoping for". It is a fun one I think you may all enjoy reading and adding to!

Jodi:

I think you are going to be surprised when you weigh in. It sounds like you were really good and got some exercise. Those two things will probably result in a weight loss. Please come back let us know how you are doing.

Where do I find the thread called "what you are hoping for"? Which forum and topic?

Good luck.

Betty Jo

Actually it is unbder General and it is called "What are you looking forward to" (I had the name wrong)

Will let you know how I did after my WI tomorrow

Good Morning everyone!!

Didn't get to post here yesterday - son and I went strawberry picking in the morning and when we got home I was busy with cleaning them and making jam. Finished cleaning the rest of them for the freezer this morning. Boy, I'm really glad we didn't pick more than we did. My back has had enough for now!

Well, WI this morning and I gained .6 pounds. I don't feel too bad about it considering everything I ate at the cookout Saturday! I probably would have been more if I hadn't gotten the exercise I did yesterday.

Jeannine - I had the same thing happen to me a couple of weeks into the Jenny program. A couple of days I was feeling really lightheaded and dizzy so I decided to check my blood pressure and it was really low. So I kept track of it a couple of days and only took my meds when I needed them. After about a week I called my doctor to see what to do. She cut out one of my meds entirely and the other one I am taking only 1/2 to 1/4 of what I was taking to start with!!! My cholesterol is now back in the normal range again too!! Just goes to show you what taking a few pounds off and eating right can do for a person!!! And yes, I got a message from the wierdo too and just deleted it. Haven't heard anything more from him. I told my counsellor about it and she told me if it ever happens again to give her his name and addy and they can then block him from the site somehow!

Jo - I took your adivce and just ordered myself a couple of tank tops. I have lots from last summer to wear around the house but they are really getting pretty baggy so it will be nice to have a couple of them that fit better for going places. Now I just hope they fit right when I get them! I'm not much for shopping so I buy most of my clothes online but once I find out how a store's sizes run it works out pretty good.


Jodi - Hope you have a great WI tomorrow!! Be sure to keep in touch and let us know how you are doing!! Sounds like you made some good choices and got plenty of exercise so I'm thinking you should have a good loss for your first week!!

Arlonne - Miss you girl!! What have you been up to lately?

Betty Jo - Sure sounds like you do a lot of your own cooking!! I guess I'll have to dig out my cookbook and start doing more of the cooking on my own. If we cook out on the grill I do fine but with this hotter weather hubby has a fit if I turn the oven on. I can't say that really bothers me though. I'm really not big on cooking but love to bake and I guess I really don't need the baked goods around the house to tempt me so it works out O.K.

Hope you all have a great day!!

Kathy

Hey everybody! How are you all? Just got home from my first week weigh in! I am thrilled to report a 4 pound loss. I know it is my first week and the loss is always higher but I am thrilled anyway!! My goal is two for this week!

I had a great 4th with son, daughter-in-law and 4 year old grandson who visited us at the beach. Hubby and I left on July 6th for a week in Williamsburg, VA to celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary. Great time!! When I weighed in yesterday I was flabbergasted. I had gained 7 pounds! Hopefully a lot of it was water weight because I had lost 2 pounds this morning. I'm back on track now, eating all of my Jenny Food and going to the gym 3 times this week. Has anybody else gained this much on vacation? I just couldn't resist the food in Colonial Williamsburg!
Barbara

Barbara,
I have never gone on vacation for a wekk and not gained at least 5 pounds....don't beat yourself up over it. Just stick to your menu and exercise and you will lose it quickly--probably about half of it is water--always happens to me on vacation.

Good for you Barbara. Just get right back on program and you'll lose the weight right back. It is water weight. As long as you go right back on program, you will lose it by the next week. You are actually getting prepared for maintenance. That's what you do on maintenance so that you don't gain the weight back. So good job!!! I'm proud of you.

Betty Jo

Jodi:

Four pounds. Wow, that's awesome. And you know what? If you stay close to the JC program, you will be rewarded with a weight lose every week. Or at least that's how it happened with me. So keep up the good work. It's really worth it.

Betty Jo

Betty Jo,
Thanks for the encouragement. I have a hard time sticking strictly to the program everyday, but I try. The man I am seeing was proud of my weight loss, although he is very concerned I will lose too much weight as he thinks I am perfect just the way I am! He will be out of town three days starting Friday so I will have no excuse for failure this next weigh in...

I wish I had a yard and nice garden to work in--that is such good exercise and it feels so good...plus you get to enjoy the flowers and fresh veggies!

[size="4"][/size]

Hi Jodi:

Your friend probably can't really tell you are over weight if you only have 13 pounds to lose. But if it makes you feel better to get rid of the 13 pounds, do it. Carrying around 13 extra pounds each day, is like lugging a sack of potatoes around all day. It would tire you out.

I'm losing my weight for me. I want to be healthy again. When I first started JC, I couldn't even go up and down steps without going down sideways one step at a time. I can run up and down them now. So its made a big difference in my quality of life. I also like looking at clothes I have not been able to wear in ages because they made me look like a house. Have you seen those really pretty printed skirts they sell now? I love them, but I wouldn't even consider them before because they just accentuated my hips and waist. I'm considering them now that I've lost 60 pounds .

Betty Jo

Betty Jo

Betty Jo,

My weight has been an issue for so most of my life. I was at one time 200 pounds. I had lost 80 pounds when I was sick. Gained 50 back real fast, went on nutrisystem and got it off again but was not happy that small. Was able to maintain at 135 to 140 for a couple years then the pounds started creeping back on. I finally reached a point where I said enough--this cannot happen again, so I called Jenny. My friend has only known me with the extra pounds I have been carrying for about a year now. He never minded the extra weight and when I told him I was going to go to Jenny he was concerned it was because I felt it bothered him. I never thought that for a minute, once he understood my motivation he supported my decision and has been great. When I get over 140 I don't feelk good, I am tired all the time and very uncomfortable. At 5'2 135 to 140 is not at all skinny but a good weight. My doctor would prefer I go down to 120-125, but I was a bag of bones at that weight. ( and saggy skin) I had my thyroid removed so weight control is a little harder, even with the meds. I can and will do it though.

[quote name='Betty_Jo' date='Jul 2 2008, 09:17 AM' post='418118']
Hi Ladies:

As promised, here's our new thread for July. We would like to encourage anyone who would like to join us to talk about our our weight loss challanges and successes and encourage each other on our weight loss journey.

Betty Jo

Thank you...........I joined June 11th and until now have only talked to or found younger people with different issues than me. I am 62 and have lost 13 pounds. I have 40 more to go. I have had a knee replacement and during the time before & the time right after i went to sleep & woke up fat

HI everybody!

so much to say... so little memory....
but here goes:

Ramsden: Welcome!! How funny "i went to sleep & woke up fat ", I hear you! And thats the perfect statement. But sorry to hear about that knee replacement. There are several that know that story on here. Walking around with a lot of weight is just bad on your body. We all are going through the same struggles. I actually walk around with a permanently broken leg and it's rearranged. Dang Harleys. The fibula is the bowed bone between the knee and outside ankle. It gives you 'spring' in your step. that's the peremantly broken one in my leg. Then they 'moved' my calf muscle... it's a mess. I cannot believe that you just started and lost 13 pounds ??!!!! Good grief, I'm so slow at this. I've been doing JC for 15 weeks and only lost 16 lbs. the last 2 weeks, nothing will move.... although my hubby said that he can tell I lost a bunch.... A bunch? haha. But my body has lost several inches. Just not the pounds. You should get to your goal pretty quickly. Good luck! And welcome.

Jodi -- you have been on a roller coaster weight program. Remarkable with no thyroid! At least you can do it and you know the feeling of getting rid of extra pounds. How much do need to shed now? I've been working in my garden.... / yard. And when I do, I lose nothing. Sometimes I gain. It's the days that I'm dormant is when I seem to drop a few pounds. Go figure. Today, I was out there for 4 hours. Sweating because it is hot out there today! Every night our temps go to 60* - 65*. It is wonderful. But the days heat up and it is too hot to be outside.

Barbara - everyone is supporting you that weight gained on vacation is only temporary. I agree. Whenever I ride in the car, plane, or whatever, I swell up... I don't weigh-in for at least 3 days afterward.... I'd be in shock and I dont want to see that gain. But it sounds like you had a great vacation. Good for you! I might be flying to Austin next week with my girlfriend. Am NOT looking forward to that experience!!! I could visit the JC center there and buy a few meals........ but I'm from Austin and love all of the restaraunts that I miss. My girlfriend has to fly down to take care of her son (who lives there) after he gets his tonsils out for a couple of weeks. She hates to drive and rarely does here. Since I'm from there, I'm the designated driver. After flying. haha!

Betty Jo and Kathy -- I am ssssoooooo glad that you bought new outfits!! It does the heart good to look good and FEEL good. I love putting mine on. Almost going to wear them out or get tired of them unless I hurry up and loose more weight. I wish! This is fristrating me to no end. And being in Austin will be hard..... but I can get out a lot there and take my friend to walking paths, gardens, etc. I've seen some pretty skirts going on out there. I would love to wear them but still have to wear my orthotic shoes! My problem right now is bra size. I hate (absolutely) to wear a bra.... and yet clothing requires a good look under it. My bras just irritate me to no end and I hate (absolutely) to buy more. I wish I had kept some of my old smaller ones.

ok, gang -- I'm outta' here. got to go deliver some of my daylillies and flowers that I divided to a friend. Later,
Jo

Good Morning Ladies,

Jodi - Congrats on the great loss - 4# is awesome!!! As for the goal weight, I would stick with something you feel comfortable with - you can always lower it later if you feel like it. I am shooting to get down to 175 myself which is still on the high side but it has been many many years since I have been below the 200 mark so I will just see how I feel and decide if I want to go for more after I reach that point. I have been losing slower lately, even gaining occasionally - my own fault - cookouts etc. - but it is giving my body time to catch up with the saggy skin and all.

Barbara - Don't worry too much about the 7# gained on vacation - like others said it is probably mostly water. Now that you are back on program your system should readjust and should come right back off!

Ramsden - Welcome!! Congrats on your loss so far!!! What a great start! This program is really great and easy to follow. And believe me, I have tried just about everything. I do mess up from time to time but with this program I just get right back on the program and I'll lose again. If you have any questions or concerns, just let us know and I am sure someone will be able to help you out. We are all here to encourage each other!!


Jo - I hear you about the bras!! The old ones are too big and I'm having a hard time finding one that fits right.
The boobs are where I usually lose first and I really don't need to lose there as compared to the rest of Me. Hopefully the rest of my body will catch up as the journey continues!!

The weather here has been really humid here the last couple of days so I haven't been doing much outside. I am going to go check out the garden now before it gets too hot again! At least now things are starting to grow a bit better that they did with all the cooler weather! Hope you all have a great day!!

Kathy

Hi Jodi:

Your story sounds just like mine. Always an issue with weight. I'm a bit tallker than you are though. I'm 5'8" so I'm striving to get to 165 pounds and I'm not in any hurry to get there because I know I'm on this journey forever if I want to keep the weight off. At my age, I'm not trying to impress anyone like most of the young girls are. I'm too old for that. So a slow weight loss is good. I'm sure your friend will love you no matter what weight you pick. The important thing is that you have to be happy.

Betty Jo

Hi Ladies:

As promised, here's our new thread for July. We would like to encourage anyone who would like to join us to talk about our our weight loss challanges and successes and encourage each other on our weight loss journey.

Betty Jo

Thank you...........I joined June 11th and until now have only talked to or found younger people with different issues than me. I am 62 and have lost 13 pounds. I have 40 more to go. I have had a knee replacement and during the time before & the time right after i went to sleep & woke up fat
[/quote]

Welcome Ramsden:

Congrats on the 13 pound weight loss. Did you lose that on JC or on your own? You probably already know this, but as you get closer to goal, the weight will be harder to lose. So coming into the JC message boards helps me to stay focused on losing the weight even if it's slow. I've been on JC since December of 2007 and I've lost 60 pounds. I've averaged 10 pounds a month. But just to show you how much my weight loss has slowed down, this month I've only lost one pound. So, I need the support from ya'll even more to continue my journey.

I think just about everyone on this thread has had a knee replacement or has problems with their knees. I have weak knees. I really had a lot of problems with them when I was heavier. I could hardly make it up or down the steps without them twisting. I finally figured out why they were doing so much twisting. It was my shoes. Everytime I took a step, my shoe would cause my foot to roll and the knee to twist. I changed shoes and the twisting went away. But I do still have week knees. I went into the internet on Webmd.com and got some exercises for strenthening my knees. Those seem to help. But losing the weight has helped the most.

Have a great day and come back often to let us know how you are doing. We have a great bunch of ladies on this thread.

Betty Jo

Hi Kathy and Jo:

I didn't lose any weight this week. I'm on another plateau. Seems to be my pattern right now. I probably need to reduce my calories to 1200 to get big loses to start again, but I'm really not interested in that right now. I'm trying firm up a bit.

Jo:
I haven't received the new outfit yet. I'm hoping it fits. I bought denim jeans and jacket to match with really pretty embroidered stitching (flowers). I bought an extra large (16-18). I'm hoping it fits. I may have to lose a few pounds to get in it. I'll let you know. What did your new outfit look like?

Kathy:

I've canned 43 quarts of green beans and 20 quarts of bread and butter pickles so far this year. I've been busy, busy, busy with the garden. We are having a bumper crop this year of cucumbers, squashm and beans. The corn didn't do much, but we got a little. Hope your garden is doing as well. What kind of new outfit did you buy?

Betty Jo

Hey everyone got back on the thread have been really busy and haven't had time on the boards, thanks for the tip BETTY JO went to my controls and right there was the thread, great as I have to search for the right thread. Well lost 3 pounds on 1st week back, was hoping for more but I have a hard time getting in all that water. Are you guys on the 1200 or the 1500 menu?

Tipper Grannie thanks for the welcome.

Jomamad this is weird, we had our 43rd anniversary in March of this year and we always go to Olive Garden everyear to eat, and I know nothing is low calorie there

Hello to all the Jo's on this thread seems to be a lot.

And for Betty Jo, we took a cruise to Alaska a few years ago, on the inside passage, loved it, but what do you do in the WINTER!!!!

Will try to figure out how to get weight back in on my posts.

Have a nice day everyone and skinny wishes to all...