Weight loss bet with husband - any tips?

[MissStepcut]

I haven't personally done P90X but I think it might be a good fit for you/your situation. I'd google it and see what you think

 

[iheartscience]

Thing, am I wrong about this paleo thing sounding a lot like Atkins? Because that sounds like what I did the last time I needed to lose weight. I wound up losing 20 pounds in two months or so on a similar plan ... and while drinking, to boot. Then again, I was also 24. But I can see I need to look into what's new in the world of dieting ....

Nope, pretty similar! But there are weird things like no legumes in the paleo diet. I dunno why you're supposed to avoid those, I just did it for a challenge at my CrossFit gym. (I came in second and got a $100 Lululemon gift card, which bought me 1 pair of workout pants! ) I don't totally buy into it but I felt great and lost weight, so...guess it works! But I like to eat what I want, so I didn't stick with it entirely. I did keep some things, like eating lots of protein for breakfast instead of my usual yogurt or nothing, which helps me feel pretty great.

CRUSH HIM.

 

[TooPatient]

Oh -- And Wednesday is 80 minute dance lesson!

You can do it!


I agree completely with Thing2..... CRUSH HIM!!!

 

[monarch64]

Lots of good advice here. I just wanted to pop in and wish you luck! 11 months after delivering our first child, I'm still waiting for some of the "baby weight" to miraculously disappear.

I always lose weight during major lifestyle changes (ok, except for pregnancy and actually having a child). For example: when I decided to resign from my last position and switch to part-time hours to stay at home with our daughter, I lost 7 pounds in 2.5 weeks! I'd just been in the same rut eating-wise for so long, that when I switched routines entirely, I found I didn't have time for snacking or late-night wine plus plates of cheese/grapes/olives/chocolate.

 

[audball]

Totally unfair! You need to insist on percentage of weight loss. Tell him that's how "The Biggest Loser" does it! Hah. There is no other fair way to calculate actual weight loss when people having varying weights and heights.

In your scenario, if husband is 200 lbs and wife is 150 lbs, and both lose 20 lbs, husband has lost 10% of his body weight, but wife beats him by losing 13.33%. The "draw" in this scenario would be for husband to lose 20lbs and wife to lose 15lbs. You both lose 10% of your body weight.

Especially with genetics (men losing weight more easily than women), I'd never take a bet of absolute pounds against him. You're so unlikely to win even if you started at near the same weight.

 

[Matata]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, I just quickly scanned the replies. It's much easier to lose weight than it is to keep it off. For lasting success, it's important that you do it for the right reason which should be that you want to live a healthier longer life. Doing it to win a bet may work in the short term but probably won't last. Almost any fad diet will help you lose weight (I've tried a lot of them). But the secret to losing weight and keeping it off is to use common sense and establish an eating plan that will work for you. Teach yourself to eat healthier foods and not deny yourself foods that you love. Moderation and portion control is key and that's the hard part for a lot of people. Cardio workouts will increase your metabolism and weight training will build major muscle groups and make your body more efficient at burning calories.

 

[House Cat]

I get very, very cranky if I can't eat volume...meaning, if you tell me I can only have a certain amount of calories, forget it.

I do a whole 30 when I want a food reset. The good thing is weight loss is a side effect. The weight loss, for me, was permanent. I gained over 20 pounds when I quit smoking. When I did a whole 30 last August, I lost it all. Now, I'm doing another one.

I eat TONS and the weight just comes off. But, there are no carbs, no sugars of any kind, no legumes, and people think that is restrictive. I am fine...I get coffee, beef, fruit, and veggies and in any quantities I want.

To tell you the truth, the new philosophy on lasting fat loss is to eat a lot of healthy fat (80 to 90 grams per day), cut carbs out completely, and to increase protein. It works.


Good luck. I still like the idea of sneaking the husband goodies. Just take up baking...

 

[amc80]

Amc80, those are good points. I know low-carb has worked for me in the past, too ... if you go with it, we can be work-out buddies.

Great! I am going to start...probably next week. My birthday is Saturday and starting a diet that same week is just cruel. I've been doing great working out so hopefully I can keep it up on that end.

 

[Circe]

Sortmon - I KNEW THERE HAD TO BE A LOOPHOLE. Thank you for catching that! I think he's slowly coming around to the logic of the percentage of body weight ... something about "Biggest Loser" using that system finally swayed him.

TooPatient - that sounds like a good routine. I'm taking notes!

Chrono - I will not surrender! His attempts to confuse me with "math" and "numbers" are for naught.

MissStepCut - it sounds terrifying, frankly! But effective ... definitely thinking about how to incorporate it into the mix.

Thing - no legumes, huh? Well, I guess I never liked them much, so that's no great loss ....

And, that's the goal! Metaphorically. If he loses more than I do, though, I may go literal and just SIT on him.

TooPatient - DAMN, GIRL, you are ACTIVE! I am kind of in awe. Are you a trainer, or do you just really love being active? Because that is HARDCORE.

Monarch, that's a quality I'm jealous of. With me, it seems more like every 7 years or so, I realize I'm in dreadful shape, I work my ass off, I drop twenty pounds, and I eat health(ier) ... but I don't maintain it 100%, so the weight creeps up on me a little (I usually level out about 10lbs heavier than I would be if I worked out every day and eschewed all the good things in life). But once in a while, another 15 lbs come out of nowhere - the first time, it was a sedentary year of graduate school, nurturing a thesis ... this time, it was a less-sedentary but nevertheless weight-attracting year of pregnancy + a year of breastfeeding. I stopped BFing in February, waited to see if any additional weight would drop off ... and finally had to resign myself to doing it the hard way. Beating my husband is just added incentive.

Audball, you provided the winning bit of info! We are now doing it on percentage of body weight lost. Prior to that, he was insisting that, well, of course you guys - my "posse," he termed you - would be arguing for a system that would benefit me (and most of the supporting info on the net comes from women in similar positions). But the fact that a reputable (well, sort of) organization uses it ...

Matata - truer words were never spoken. Generally, I am pretty healthy: in this case, it's stubborn baby weight I need to burn off (my husband, on the other hand, needs to end his life-long love affair with rich sauces). But I agree, and have no intention of yo-yo dieting and losing 20 lbs through privation only to feast like a Roman senator once the bet's past.

HouseCat, I didn't even know that was a Paleo term until I looked it up! I think if I want to add that in, I need to figure out how the heck to cook veggies! RIght now, all I know how to do is brussel sprouts, asparagus, and green peas (which are verboten). Is corn okay? I know how to cook that! In the meantime, I guess I need to figure out how to cook ... broccoli? What are other good veggie options?

Amc80 -happy early birthday! I hope you celebrate like a champion.

 

[audball]

... something about "Biggest Loser" using that system finally swayed him.

Audball, you provided the winning bit of info! We are now doing it on percentage of body weight lost. Prior to that, he was insisting that, well, of course you guys - my "posse," he termed you - would be arguing for a system that would benefit me (and most of the supporting info on the net comes from women in similar positions). But the fact that a reputable (well, sort of) organization uses it ...

Woot! I'm glad he went for it. It's really the only fair way to judge weight loss. I hope you win!

 

[february2003bride]

Circe- I lost 45 pounds last year and I did by 1) using www.myfitnesspal.com - totally free site that you can also add as an app. I tracked everything that I ate and my exercise minutes 2) measuring everything I ate. That bowl of cereal that I thought was a cup of cheerios? Once I actually used a measuring cup to measure out 3/4 of a cup, I realized that my "eyeballing it" method before sucked. I was probably eating 1.5 cups of cheerios! 3) the gym. I'm not a gym loving person, but 30- 60 minutes of elliptical 3-4 times a week helped me lose weight, I was less stressed, and I slept better.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

[TooPatient]

Not a trainer. Thanks though

Our wedding is October 17 and I'd like to lose 60 pounds by then. I'm trying to do healthy life changes so that I don't just gain it back. Except the hour in the mornings, most of the rest just fits into my day. The walking I do between classes so it also helps keep my brain awake. Yoga ball helps my back and neck (which I really need after studying). The dance class is to get ready for the wedding.

I love 30 Day Shred. It is only 20 minutes so it doesn't take a bunch of shuffling to fit into the day. I've been doing this only on days we don't get to the morning group.

Veggies are great at this time of year. Lots of yummy things to do with them! Use the grill if you've got one. So many veggies taste great just tossed on the grill until browned and caramelized. We just did this with zucchini, whole tomatoes, onions, and artichokes.

 

[JaneSmith]

Jane- this comment made me choke on my water, and totally turned my ugly mood around. Thanks

JaneSmith, I LOVE YOU. GENIUS.

Good luck Circe.

 

[Ashleigh]

So ... my husband has made a counter-offer, since he feels percentage-of-body-weight is unfair. So, for ease of calculation, let's average out our weights: let's say he's 200 lbs and I'm 150 lbs. He wants to say that if I lose more pounds than him in absolute terms, I win: like, say, I lose 21 lbs and he loses 20 lbs. But if I lose less than him on a percentage basis, he wins - say, he loses 20 lbs and I only lose 14 lbs. And if it's an in-between number, like if he loses 20 and I lose anywhere in between 15 and 20, it's a draw.

I am bad enough at math that I suspect this works against me somehow, but I can't tell how.

Also, I am hungry.

This is where it's not fair to you because this is the zone where percentage-wise, you've lost more than him but he's calling that a "draw." I think that you still aim for the % weight loss! Also, drink lots of water before you step on the scale for the initial weigh-in - because you're thirsty.

Since you're lighter than him to begin with, using absolute weight loss gives him an advantage. Using percentage will be in your favour (plus it's truly fair that way) and women need that edge since men have the advantage of higher metabolic rate. It's easy to calculate percentage weight loss:
100*weight loss/original weight

However, if you're using percentage, you might not want to down gallons of water at the initial weigh-in.

 

[qtiekiki]

30 Day Shred is a Denise Austin exercise video. It does great combining aerobic & strength. It is pretty intense, but only 20 minutes (and I'm super out of shape so if I could do it you should have no problem) so it doesn't take a lot of your time. Weights (like 2 pounds) are useful, but you can use whatever you've got around.


My current exercise is this:

Mon-Fri from 7am to 8am group meets in the park and is led by Army ranger. (check out parks in your area, they are free and those "playsets" that look so kid-like make for a hard workout if you climb on the ropes and stuff) (Mon upper body, Tues abs/core, Wed varies, Thurs & Fri combine whole body -- look at BWW weight loss thread for more detail)

Mon-Fri additional 1 mile walk (split into one 1/4 mile walk, one 1/2 mile walk, one 1/4 mile walk) between classes.

Sunday -- yard work (ivy pulling for 3+ hours....)


I'm trying to also add in 20 min per day with an exercise ball to get some good stretching and additional workout.

When you mentioned 30 Day Shred, I thought you were talking about Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. That's a good one too, if you need another short workout. It's about 25 min long.

I suggest doing HIIT on your elliptical to get the most for your time, where you alternate high and low intensity.
Example:
90 sec low speed or incline or resistance
30 sec max speed or incline or resistance
repeat for the rest of your workout
You will slowly work toward longer time in high intensity and less time in low intensity, so eventually you will be doing 90 sec high and 30 sec low.

I used to do workouts off http://www.bodyrock.tv (need to get back to it). It's short and effective. Their new website is harder to navigate though. You can also check out http://zuzkalight.com/, same idea as bodyrock but absolutely no equipements. She found bodyrock with her ex-husband. She left after they broke up.

On the food front, everyone else had given great advice.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Circe,

I have lost weight, and lots of it, a few times in my life and can tell you the only sure fire way to lose weight is to decrease your caloric intake by keeing track of what you eat.

Some people seem to be able to lose a little weight here or there by cutting out a certain type of food. And that is great if it works for you. But in my experience losing 30-60 lbs takes more than just cutting dairy or something.

I use weight watchers online to track. But any calorie counting method works too as long as you know what your target caloric intake should be.

You can also do what DS suggested and follow the diabetic diet.. the bland bland bland diabetic diet Weight Watchers actually has an option like that too ("simply filling") where you eat what you like of certain healthy foods.

Excercise is important but not as important as calorie counting in my book. Excecise just lets you eat more

Unfortunately research suggests that if you want to lose and keep it off you will have to track your weight forevermore!

If I recall, you are a curvy gal. In that case, I suspect calorie counting will be the only thing that really works for you. It is all that works for me!

 

[missy]

Circe,

I have lost weight, and lots of it, a few times in my life and can tell you the only sure fire way to lose weight is to decrease your caloric intake by keeing track of what you eat.

Some people seem to be able to lose a little weight here or there by cutting out a certain type of food. And that is great if it works for you. But in my experience losing 30-60 lbs takes more than just cutting dairy or something.

I use weight watchers online to track. But any calorie counting method works too as long as you know what your target caloric intake should be.

You can also do what DS suggested and follow the diabetic diet.. the bland bland bland diabetic diet Weight Watchers actually has an option like that too ("simply filling") where you eat what you like of certain healthy foods.

Excercise is important but not as important as calorie counting in my book. Excecise just lets you eat more

Unfortunately research suggests that if you want to lose and keep it off you will have to track your weight forevermore!

If I recall, you are a curvy gal. In that case, I suspect calorie counting will be the only thing that really works for you. It is all that works for me!

Yes, this is true. It's calories in vs calories out. Simple math. You have to use more calories than you take in to lose weight. No magic with that. The thing is you have to find a way that is palatable to you (no pun intended). Personally, I do not care for deprivation and I like volume so I eat lots of healthy lower calorie foods-basically the Mediterranean way of eating and I exercise a lot so I can eat what I want and not feel deprived. But Dreamer is correct in that it comes down to you having to have a deficit of calories to lose weight. If I remember correctly its 3500 calories equals a lb. So to lose a pound a week you need a 500 calorie deficit a day as an example.

Dreamer-just wanted to say congratulations on your weight loss. You look great!

 

[qtiekiki]

I agree that it's simple calories in vs calories out, in term of weight. I eat a lot of junks, and can maintain my weight. But if I want to reduce jiggle bits, I need exercises.

 

[Circe]

Ashleigh - heheheh, good point. He's come around to % of absolute body weight ... so, let's hope I can lose at least 15 lbs to his 19!

Qtiekki - Interesting, thank you! I'm about to hop on the elliptical now: let's see if I can put this into action.

Dreamer - I see the logic of what you're saying ... but I think my obsessive-compulsive personality would quickly have me in eating-disorder territory if I started thinking like that. I'm 145 lbs now, and I'd like to, a) beat my husband and go to a nice place for vacation, and, b) get down to "fighting weight," which for me is somewhere around 130 lbs. I AM curvy - post-pregnancy, I seem to have gone from being an hourglass to being a really exaggerated hourglass. The only part of me that's smaller is my waist. So ... given that I've lost that much in the past by decreasing carbohydrates and cutting sweets along with a half an hour on the elliptical every other day ... accounting for a slower metabolism post-baby, let's see if cutting carbs, sweets, AND booze plus a half hour on the elliptical EVERY day does the trick. If it does, great ... if not, I resign myself to an exciting two weeks in Ulan Bator and shop for new pants. (And keep eating healthy, for its own sake.) I guess it's my version of what Smith1942 said on the first page ....

Missy - a), you're right, she looks AMAZING, and, b) I'm hoping the sheer fact that I've CUT 500 calories (or more, god help me) a day and have started working out again will get me where I need to be. And if not, well ... I work out harder.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Hey you may have luck using that method. Everyone has different habits, temptations, and self-regulatory abilities. Once when I was in my late teens I decided I did not want to worry about my weight and restrict so much and I would let my body find its "natural place". Well I have since discovered that my body has a natural weight of about 500lbs and if I let my desires guide me I'll hit that point! There is no moderation for me, I am either on the wagon or waaaaay off the wagon (i.e., the wagon being counting calories). I know others don't have that issue. My thin friends all seem to be able to regulate their eating better without actively thinking about it. For me, its a battle every day.

Good luck!

 

[qtiekiki]

Forgot to suggest that you get an interval timer app... it bumps to let you know that it's time for the next interval. I am using the free version of Seconds. The difference between free and paid is that you can save your intervals. My friends like Gymboss. There are more out there.

 

[vc10um]

Hey you may have luck using that method. Everyone has different habits, temptations, and self-regulatory abilities. Once when I was in my late teens I decided I did not want to worry about my weight and restrict so much and I would let my body find its "natural place". Well I have since discovered that my body has a natural weight of about 500lbs and if I let my desires guide me I'll hit that point! There is no moderation for me, I am either on the wagon or waaaaay off the wagon (i.e., the wagon being counting calories). I know others don't have that issue. My thin friends all seem to be able to regulate their eating better without actively thinking about it. For me, its a battle every day.

Good luck!

Dreamer, you and I are cut from the same cloth. The minute I slack off on tracking my caloric intake, my weight starts to creep back up. Now, it's creeping up much slower than it use to, mind you, but still...the moment I stop being vigilant, those little monsters called calories start creeping into my closet and making all my pants tighter!

Circe, I don't really have anything to add...you've gotten some excellent suggestions to be sure...but I will wish you lots of luck!!!

(Oh, and for calorie counting I use My Food Diary. It's $9/month, unlike things like My Fitness Pal or SparkPeople which are free, but that actually works better for me because if there's one thing I hate more than tight pants, it's wasting money! So I'm much more likely to track if I'm paying for it, even if it's only pennies per day!)

 

[Harpertoo]

So how is it going!?
(I ask as I sit making dinner sipping wine, surfing the Internet - although I did go to the gym today!)

When I mentioned scary methods earlier - well you can imagine a bunch of male former athletes, in the company of other male former athletes...their methods included extreme Atkins-esque eating and a lot of steams. For final weigh-in dehydration was a tactic. It was clearly not the type of healthful competition you'd engage in with your spouse - who you want to enjoy a long healthy life with....

Ayway - you've gotten so much great advice. Let us know how you're faring.

 

[TooPatient]

30 Day Shred is a Denise Austin exercise video. It does great combining aerobic & strength. It is pretty intense, but only 20 minutes (and I'm super out of shape so if I could do it you should have no problem) so it doesn't take a lot of your time. Weights (like 2 pounds) are useful, but you can use whatever you've got around.


My current exercise is this:

Mon-Fri from 7am to 8am group meets in the park and is led by Army ranger. (check out parks in your area, they are free and those "playsets" that look so kid-like make for a hard workout if you climb on the ropes and stuff) (Mon upper body, Tues abs/core, Wed varies, Thurs & Fri combine whole body -- look at BWW weight loss thread for more detail)

Mon-Fri additional 1 mile walk (split into one 1/4 mile walk, one 1/2 mile walk, one 1/4 mile walk) between classes.

Sunday -- yard work (ivy pulling for 3+ hours....)


I'm trying to also add in 20 min per day with an exercise ball to get some good stretching and additional workout.

When you mentioned 30 Day Shred, I thought you were talking about Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. That's a good one too, if you need another short workout. It's about 25 min long.

I suggest doing HIIT on your elliptical to get the most for your time, where you alternate high and low intensity.
Example:
90 sec low speed or incline or resistance
30 sec max speed or incline or resistance
repeat for the rest of your workout
You will slowly work toward longer time in high intensity and less time in low intensity, so eventually you will be doing 90 sec high and 30 sec low.

I used to do workouts off http://www.bodyrock.tv (need to get back to it). It's short and effective. Their new website is harder to navigate though. You can also check out http://zuzkalight.com/, same idea as bodyrock but absolutely no equipements. She found bodyrock with her ex-husband. She left after they broke up.

On the food front, everyone else had given great advice.

I am awful at names! Yes it is Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.
Denise Austin has a couple of different workouts I had tried that were okay. Not nearly as good as Jillian's though!

 

[House Cat]

typical meal on a whole 30:

grill a piece of meat
throw a sweet potato in the microwave and cook it as you would a regular potato
steam veggies.
have a salad.


Details:

to prepare meat you can use olive oil or coconut oil, then kosher salt and pepper. If you want to be fancier, then add spices, maybe a little lemon juice. Grill.

Sweet potato gets scrubbed in water, pricked with a fork, and put in microwave until soft. When you eat it, you CAN have ghee(clarified butter) but we just eat plain with salt and pepper. YUM.

Get a steamer basket for veggies. Put 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch water in pot, then steamer basket. Wash veggies, chop if needed, then put into steamer basket, cover pot, steam for 5-8 minutes until tender.

Dinner is done.


Eat as much as you want.

We prepare double so we have lunch too.

no corn. It's a carb.

Whole30 is a cleanse that paleo eaters use. it rules out allergies and sensitivities. You will be amazed at how you feed by day 15. it is recommended that while you are doing this, that exercise be taken down to low impact walking or low strain yoga. The body is working hard to cleanse.

 

[TooPatient]

typical meal on a whole 30:

grill a piece of meat
throw a sweet potato in the microwave and cook it as you would a regular potato
steam veggies.
have a salad.


Details:

to prepare meat you can use olive oil or coconut oil, then kosher salt and pepper. If you want to be fancier, then add spices, maybe a little lemon juice. Grill.

Sweet potato gets scrubbed in water, pricked with a fork, and put in microwave until soft. When you eat it, you CAN have ghee(clarified butter) but we just eat plain with salt and pepper. YUM.

Get a steamer basket for veggies. Put 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch water in pot, then steamer basket. Wash veggies, chop if needed, then put into steamer basket, cover pot, steam for 5-8 minutes until tender.
Dinner is done.


Eat as much as you want.

We prepare double so we have lunch too.

no corn. It's a carb.

Whole30 is a cleanse that paleo eaters use. it rules out allergies and sensitivities. You will be amazed at how you feed by day 15. it is recommended that while you are doing this, that exercise be taken down to low impact walking or low strain yoga. The body is working hard to cleanse.

You should try tossing your veggies on the grill some time when you're grilling meat. Still a very healthy way to cook and adds a bit of variety (plus tastes good!). Toss with a tiny bit of olive oil (like 1/2 Tbsp or less for all veggies) and you can get stuff like mint or fenugreek or fresh herbs to stick too! You can get a veggie basked for your grill at places like Home Depot or Lowes.

 

[House Cat]

typical meal on a whole 30:

grill a piece of meat
throw a sweet potato in the microwave and cook it as you would a regular potato
steam veggies.
have a salad.


Details:

to prepare meat you can use olive oil or coconut oil, then kosher salt and pepper. If you want to be fancier, then add spices, maybe a little lemon juice. Grill.

Sweet potato gets scrubbed in water, pricked with a fork, and put in microwave until soft. When you eat it, you CAN have ghee(clarified butter) but we just eat plain with salt and pepper. YUM.

Get a steamer basket for veggies. Put 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch water in pot, then steamer basket. Wash veggies, chop if needed, then put into steamer basket, cover pot, steam for 5-8 minutes until tender.
Dinner is done.


Eat as much as you want.

We prepare double so we have lunch too.

no corn. It's a carb.

Whole30 is a cleanse that paleo eaters use. it rules out allergies and sensitivities. You will be amazed at how you feed by day 15. it is recommended that while you are doing this, that exercise be taken down to low impact walking or low strain yoga. The body is working hard to cleanse.

You should try tossing your veggies on the grill some time when you're grilling meat. Still a very healthy way to cook and adds a bit of variety (plus tastes good!). Toss with a tiny bit of olive oil (like 1/2 Tbsp or less for all veggies) and you can get stuff like mint or fenugreek or fresh herbs to stick too! You can get a veggie basked for your grill at places like Home Depot or Lowes.

We do!

We love to grill zucchini and asparagus straight on the grill. I have one of those mesh grill pans for mixed veggies. With our heat in the summer, we rarely fire up the stove.

We keep it very simple around here. After we're done with our whole30, we will migrate to paleo. I see all of the paleo baking options, but then I realize that I don't have any time for that! We will probably eat just like we do now, the only difference will be that we can eat honey!

I have been drinking these coffee drinks that are totally amazing. http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2013/03/start-your-day-saying-hello-happy-drink.html They aren't sweet at all and you can't go into them thinking they are a mocha. You have to think, rich, bittersweet, dark chocolate, coffee drink. I just have to watch it because these can become habit forming. Coffee is my weakness.

 

[Ganesha]

Nothing helpful to add to all the great advice in this thread. Just wanted to wish you luck! Vacationing in Italy sounds wonnnnnderful.

 

[Circe]

I'm using you guys to keep me honest.

(And to procrastinate. Oh, my goodness, the bad papers the end of this term have brought .... )

One and a half weeks in, I am down five pounds. So is he. But, on the other hand, now *I* can wear all of my eternity rings again! Ahahaha! Who knows: maybe by the end of this, I can STACK them like I used to!

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

I'm using you guys to keep me honest.

(And to procrastinate. Oh, my goodness, the bad papers the end of this term have brought .... )

One and a half weeks in, I am down five pounds. So is he. But, on the other hand, now *I* can wear all of my eternity rings again! Ahahaha! Who knows: maybe by the end of this, I can STACK them like I used to!

YAY!!! Congratulations and keep it up!

What did you decide to do?