NEED TO LOSE 100 LBS OR MORE !

I hope it is okay for my "Sunday Share" to share what is lately my favorite poem. I was reminded of it yesterday at one of the picnics. A woman had one of the lines tattooed on her arm. While I'm not ready to go that far (yet), I find the confidence displayed within the poem to be inspiring. While I can't say I see me in the poem, I see my own potential in it. Do I make sense?

Phenomenal Woman
by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.



We are rather phenomenal around here, aren't we? Both the women and the men. Each of us hold a charm that is difficult to put into words sometimes, but very, very real.

@Believe1213 ~ You can do it! I went back to school when my daughter was in preschool, and my son was in 3rd grade. I remember being terrified but took one day at a time. You will be glad you did!

@SanID ~ I am a special education teacher (6th grade). My son (now 28) has a mild mental handicap. When he was a toddler, I found myself picking up anything and everything to read about disabilities. When we moved to a college town, I decided to take special education classes in an attempt to learn more about how to help him. He was 8 years old at the time. I never even wanted to become a teacher. My mom was a teacher, and I wanted nothing to do with it! Well, I ended up getting degrees in special education and elementary education. Because of my son, I found my niche. I believe God gave me my son to steer me in the right direction for His plan in my life. I would not be a teacher otherwise. I guess that's my Sunday share!

Hey, ya'll.... I am on the cusp of having lost 100 pounds (I am two pounds away from that goal), and it is exciting. But... when I think about ALL the weight that I STILL have to lose, I get pretty bummed! How do you keep your focus on the PRESENT and do the "one day at a time" thing with out letting the enormity of what you have to accomplish overwhelm you? I try not to think about the next 100 pounds but it's hard to keep my mind from going there.

Hey, ya'll.... I am on the cusp of having lost 100 pounds (I am two pounds away from that goal), and it is exciting. But... when I think about ALL the weight that I STILL have to lose, I get pretty bummed! How do you keep your focus on the PRESENT and do the "one day at a time" thing with out letting the enormity of what you have to accomplish overwhelm you? I try not to think about the next 100 pounds but it's hard to keep my mind from going there.

You can stomp out those ANTS (automatic negative thoughts) as Dr. Daniel Amen (writer of Change Your Brain, Change Your Body) says. We can change those thoughts when we notice we have them. One way is to argue with those thoughts. Write them on paper and write down all the successes you have had losing 98 lbs (wow what an accomplishment!!!) and tell yourself those thoughts are hogwash. Focus on the positive. Hang the list of successes on a mirror or the refrigerator and read them daily or whenever those ANTS show up.

Christine

Hi everyone. I am new to MFP. I actually "joined" the thread yesterday, but don't see my post any where. My schedule is super crazy for a couple more days then I should be able to settle down and reply more individually to other post. I am looking forward to supporting and being supported by others in this weight loss journey. Glad I made it in just under the wire, I see it is already on page 18.

Sunday Share: I am 45 and live in Florida. I am married, work full time and have 2 young sons. One son is following in my waistline. He is 9 and already wearing boys size 16-18. The other one is 8 and super thin. I don't want either one of them to grow up focusing on their weight. The best way for me to help them is to get my weight under control and set a good healthy example for them. i am starting TurboJam to help with the exercise part of the weight loss and hope to join a gym or the Y when I loose some weight and can move more (at least feel like I can move more without people staring so much). I joined a gym last year, but didn't go much. Everytime I went in I felt like people were looking saying what is that fat woman doing in here. Look, she was only on the bike (or treadmill) for like five or ten minutes and now she's done, no wonder she's so huge. No one ever said anything to me, but I did get more than one condesending look. I know I shouldn't let it bother me and just be glad I worked out as much as I could, but it does. So, here I start over, again, determined to make it work this time.

I look forward to getting to know each of you better.

I was thinking about how much I ate before I started on MFP. It was an amazing amount of food every day. Then I started to think about the kind of food I used to eat. I thought I wish I had logged some of those days just to see how bad they were. I used to eat me some fast food So I figured that I could log all fast food for tomorrow and then then just delete all of it. Here is what a day of fast food came out as on my log.



I probably would have eaten much more than this if I actually went. It is my new motivation for not going to fast food places anymore.

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/nutritionfacts.pdf
http://thinkslimmer.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/bww_nutritional_info.pdf
http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/information/

.

Share....I'm a single mom of a 15 year old living on the east coast of Florida. My son is 5'10 and weighs 107 as of last Friday. This makes meal time in my house extremely challenging. The doctor is consistently pushing me to feed my son more and to bulk him up some. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work well, especially at dinner when I like to make a nice healthy meal. He gets banana, peanut butter, wheat germ smoothies for breakfast. I get the banana LOL.

@Linder - what do you mean "you wonder how many of us are authorized?" Did I miss something in skimming the 6+ pages I missed being gone over the weekend!

TO join the taste bud change conversation. It is so true that things that taste gross or flavorless at this point will begin to taste great and your old favorites will start to be too sweet, greasy etc. One thing I have noticed about chocolate. The more healthy I eat the darker the chocolate I like. Which is a good thing. An oz of dark chocolate a day is good for the body and soul!


Sad the olympics are over. Seriously, watching water polo really makes me want to exercise all day every day!

@Linder - what do you mean "you wonder how many of us are authorized?" Did I miss something in skimming the 6+ pages I missed being gone over the weekend!

I didn't understand what she meant either.......:ohwell:

Ok, at least I'm not alone in confusion :huh:

@naceto - way to go girl! I'm all over the no pain thing - that's awesome! Hmmm... a Ren? Hope you get Twig the Fairy there

As for the turkey legs at the rens - STAY AWAY FROM THE TURKEY LEGS! OMG they are like an entire day's calories, greasy & salty to boot. And the soft pretzels are another big NO.
At the AZ Ren, they've started up having some healthier options, even grilled veggie things. So there is hope for us Renfair junkies!

Sunday share - just can't pull it together today - first panic attack this morning for no good reason, then the edges of a migraine. *So*, my activity counter is low & I'm over my numbers so-far today. Bah. Will go for a walk after sundown with the husband, so hoping that helps a bit.

Many hugs to all you wonderful people - you are each a huge inspiration

@Linder - what do you mean "you wonder how many of us are authorized?" Did I miss something in skimming the 6+ pages I missed being gone over the weekend!

I didn't understand what she meant either.......:ohwell:

Ok, at least I'm not alone in confusion :huh:

I assumed Lin meant how many people have ever posted even once in the entire time the thread has been running (thus, they are "authorized users") but maybe I'm wrong.

Just wondering how many people will be allowed to post on the new closed thread when we roll.

@morgori- Thanks for the emoticons!!! :bigsmile: You are a scholar and a gentleman! I was tempted by the turkey legs.. but they were $9!!! (probably better for my girlish figure that I stuck with the sandwich I brought) :laugh: Your farmer's market haul looks terrifically tasty! (did I just make up a word?)

@jtconst- great choice with the smoothie! I hope your bbq went well.

@Helenatrandom- LOVE the poem. Thank you so much for sharing. I have seen some wonderful quotes tattooed on people- but imagine if you got the one tattoo artist who didn't know how to spell?? Not a chance I am willing to take. :laugh:

@Christine - I may have to check out Dr. Daniel Amen's book... "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body" sounds like my kind of book. Right now I'm reading Michelle Schoffro Cook's "The Brain Wash". (Powerful, All-Natural Program to Protect Your Brain Against Alzheimer's, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Depression, Parkinson's, and Other Diseases).

@Skinnyjeanz- dinner sounds tasty! What time should I be there? (Please keep in mind the time zone change, when you send the invitation) Enjoy!

@vickimieth- Thanks for the warning! I believe I made some accurate assumptions regarding the turkey legs.. so I passed them by. Had they been free, however, I likely would have had a rough time. This was actually my first Renaissance Festival as an adult! It was great fun. I love the costumes and stage shows. The two treats I did have- shaved empty calories.. um I mean shaved ice and a couple bites of a pickle. We brought sandwiches and fruit that we picked up at the grocery.....definitely better than the turkey leg... Just looked it up on webmd- Giant turkey leg: 1,136 calories/54 g fat OMIGOSH!!! Separately - HUGS!! Doesn't sound like a nice way to start your day. I hope you are feeling better. :flowerforyou:

Regarding fast food - I have no taste for it anymore. It's weird because I have always been a fast food addict. The easier it is, the better. Now, I will go hungry rather than eat McD's fries, which I used to love. Who said the thing about imagining the teenagers prepping my food? Excellent point- my 14 year old cooks for me (and does great), but would not remember to wash his hands if I didn't get on him about it. EWWWW :sick: BUT I will never lose the taste for chocolate MyM0wM0w.... you have me beat! I have, however, noticed I enjoy more fruits and veggies I didn't previously like... beets, raw onion, asparagus sometimes.

Thanks everyone for the support. It was so amazing to be able to go the Renaissance Festival today. I was sure my hip wouldn't let me partake in the fun... I am forever the optimist when it comes to others, but for myself, it's another story. We had a great time, and though I am a bit stiff- I am not hurting, which is an amazing thing.

Sunday share- I love this group... you are all so supportive and non-judgmental. Each of you provides me inspiration throughout my week, to be just a little better than I was yesterday. Who am I, you new folks ask? I am a 29 oh woops! I mean 39 year old mother of one charming and handsome 14 year old son. I have tried and failed to maintain a healthy lifestyle several times in my life. At the end of June (this year), I committed not to "change" my life, but to make it better. I want to make healthier choices today, so that tomorrow will be more fun. There are a gazillion reasons why I want to be healthy; I am my child's only parent and primary role model, I am in some type of pain more often than not, and I want to climb mountains, run marathons, and skydive. I want to push beyond my self imposed limits to become the best I can be. Do you think that's a lot to want? I don't. I believe I will do it. I may have setbacks and obstacles to overcome, but I will learn from them and move forward. A friend of mine did the Color Run, in Colorado, this weekend. As I looked through her pictures, I thought, "I could have some serious fun with that", instead of, "Oh, that looks fun for everyone else". That's a big step in the right direction for me.

WOW again, Nicole takes up a ton of space!! Tomorrow, I will be less chatty. :flowerforyou: Have a fabulous day! YOU are worth it!