_Johanna_ Member

The salad is TERRIBLE with calories because of the dressing! However, if you ask, they have a low-calorie Italian dressing that you can ask for and it tastes just as good!!

Blood drive folks tell me flinstone vitamins have lots of iron :)

wow! It looks like you lost years too! way to go!

I've always wanted to stop by a produce/fruit stand and always end up passing them up! I guess it's time to check them out!! If money is REALLY tight, you might want to check in with some local churches. A lot of them have food banks where they open up once a week and can send you home with food and what not. I know folks…

I actually reserve 50-60 calories left on my daily intake so that if I am hungry, I can eat at the end of the day, but if not, then I'm close enough to my goal that I'm not depriving myself! Always drink some water and give yourself 10-15 minutes before eating to see if the water helps!

It's not a bad thing to focus on! I am like that for numbers! My logical brain requires that I track EVERYTHING I can in order to find results somewhere! That's why me and MFP go so well together! I get to see graphs and charts and count calories. I'm like that about my walk/jogs as well. I have to time them, measure them,…

It's not a matter of maintaining your weight, but eating enough so that you can remain healthy and are not depriving your body, which is what you do when you eat all your calories - you go back to maintenance mode. I think you are doing the right thing - and talk to your doctor too. From what I read (5 years ago when I was…

This is awesome. So very often we forget to cut ourselves some slack and realize how great we really are and recognize our own efforts! This is a great reminder for me that this journey is more than just weight loss, but a change in lifestyle and more importantly, a change in how we perceive ourselves. Thanks for this!

I made mine long term things that I would enjoy for a longer time. I am hoping that will remind me as to why I have them and give me yet another reason to keep going down the path that I am on! So, when I hit ten pounds (2 more to go!), I am going to use my Amazon gift cards to buy the Harry Potter audio book collection 20…

It sounds like you are dieting and not making a lifestyle change. You need to focus on a lifestyle change, which takes quite a bit of time. I have been there for years. I had a hard day at work - I deserve a good meal! My husband wants to go to a steak house - well, I ate good all day, so why not? It's been days since I…

I think your plan in life is absolutely amazing. You have the forethought to have a plan for what you want to do when you have kids, and....unlike me who is a working mom, you will NOT have the guilt of leaving your child with other people while you have to work. YOU will be there to teach them what they need to know and…

I have Thanksgiving dinner at my house. Years ago, when my Grandfather was still with us, was there. We had just finished filling our plates and I was about to begin piling an abnormally large amount of food into my mouth, my grandpa, from across the table, shouted "Johanna, it looks like you've put on some weight". All…

I just watched a video from another post that basically said this - You have to balance your diet between acidic and alkaline based foods. fruits and veggies are alkaline. pretty much every thing else is acidic, including sodas and diet sodas. When you don't have a good balance, you body will drain other important mineral,…

I saw skinny girl margarita in the grocery store over the weekend...thinking about grabbing a bottle...can't remember the calorie count on it at the moment though...

Just checking in! Saturday is the day I pee on a stick or start my period...I'm so tempted to take the test early even though I know chances of a false positive is much more likely! Update on my niece - She is set up for an extended stay at the hospital. Since she got there, she's been through a multitude of tests, steroid…

SPIDERS! - that crunch sound - right there with you! Can't leave them alive, and can't kill them for fear of the sound!! I have been known to spray one with hair spray, so it freezes and can't move, just so I didn't have to hear the crunchy sound!! :) I've also captured them in cups to leave for my dear husband when he…

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com Look at the links on that website - that 1500 calories is already accounting for your 2 pound weight loss. Any calories you burn beyond that via exercise, if not eaten back, *could* put you into starvation mode, slowing your metabolism and causing you to lose nothing. Read the links…

Hey all - I thought this might be a good place to post and ask for prayers and happy thoughts - My niece is 25 weeks along in her second pregnancy. She had a rough time with her first and ended up with preclampsia and the baby had to be taken early (33 weeks). He is fine now - a happy little almost two year old boy :)…

Under the post, select the "quote" button instead of the reply and it will put special tags around the original post :)

LOL! This is awesome :) Actually, if I am at a restaurant, I will happily choose a diet fountain coke over a diet pepsi - I love fountain diet coke - it's great stuff! So there you go - I do support your husband when I go to a restaurant (and not just drink water) :)

Thanks for ALL the posts - I appreciate those of you who could give me the information that you could pertaining to it's 'evilness' as well as those of you who drink nothing but 0 calorie drinks! You all gave me some interesting things to think about in drinking sodas and a few laughs as well :) I think that I am going to…

I think mani/pedis are a great idea, especially if you aren't used to getting one (like me!) But - I am taking a different approach. I am rewarding myself with something I know I will use over and over again - something that is there as a constant reminder of a goal reached. This will help me remember the hard work I went…

I am right there with you :) five years ago, when I was attempting to lose weight (before getting pregnant and gaining it all plus more back), I drank half my body weight in ounces of water. After about a week, I stopped peeing every hour ;) Now that I'm starting back up again and trying to be healthy, I am peeing like a…

log log log!!! I would log your diet and exercise religiously and then when things aren't working out the way you thought they might, there are SO many informative people here who can help you figure out what might be going wrong!! Plus, you might see it yourself if you have the information all written down for you to look…

wow. I never really thought about this! I have one of the POS ellipticals I got second hand. Its good enough now since I rarely work out as it is and I think it will be fine as a 'starter' machine to get me going, but I do want to upgrade once I can prove that I will use it. I will have to consider a treadmill when upgrade…

Hello Everyone! My name is Johanna. I have a four year old daughter and we've just started TTC two months ago. I feel good about this month's chances though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I also just started on MFP one week ago. I have already lost 3.6 pounds, which is crazy! I am so excited to be pregnant, but also…

I am from Ohio, but I do have an acquaintance of mine who is trying to send items to the victims. She was told through the organization that she went through NOT to send clothes or blankets because they have way more than they could ever use. Maybe that is the case? Maybe there is such a surplus that they can send extras…

Good luck on the weight loss and congrats for whatever degree you have almost achieved! Sounds like your life is heading in the right direction! Way to go!

Thanks everyone :)