VALVE

I hear ya! Isn't it awful when it happens?! :cry:

Nursy,I'm also a nurse and used to work day shift. I had to stop with all the doughnuts, bagels etc that everyone brought it b/c it made me so sluggish. I haven't eaten sweet anything in the morning for quite awhile. This sounds silly but I'm addicted to bubble gum. If I buy it I can't stop. And of course I don't like the sugar free b/c it doesn't taste the same :D

I remember a time in my life when food was something you had to indulge in to stay alive. What happened???????
Now if I get out of control I'm just like a dog. Eat till it's gone.
I'm soooooo bad!! :twisted:

I drink a lot of water, but I also drink things with artificial sweetners...I don't see that it's done anything but help me to lose 103 pounds...

I have heard that they make you crave the "real thing"...i.e., sugar...I haven't experienced that either...

I think it's all a matter of what you like...you DO need to watch sodium contents in artificially sweetened drinks...it can be super high!

I am working on portion control, exercising more, and trying to drink more water. Sugar is a problem for me too, but I do allow myself some so I won't feel deprived and I can stay with it better.

You are not alone!! Ask me how I know ;)

I am going to join you ladies in this fight to lose weight. I will do my weigh ins on Thursday. I want very much to loose 40 lbs by July. My son is getting married in September and the bridal shower is in July. Will be meeting up with all my old girl friends. LOL You know how that goes. LOL I need all the help I can get. I have tried to do this myself with a loss of only a lb or two.

Nurse 76 - How do you know????

Welcome, CraftyNana. You are off to a great start. We both have about the same amount of weight to lose. My job has me sitting for long periods of time. I got my elliptical machine out and did about 2 minutes :oops: It is soooo hard. Then I needed batteries so I can keep track. I moved it to a more comfortable position on the enclosed porch (I gave up waiting for any of the guys in the house to help. They would say "ok," but that was the end of it. lol). I may only be able to go a minute or two at first, but strength will come and I will increase as I can. I recently set up my quilting room in the basement, so am doing more stairs than usual too. I also cut way down on the sugar, as well as salt, first thing. I'm not cutting anything out completely. I don't eat red meat and my family does, so this is a challenge for me. Is there anyone else here who does not eat red meat? I can eat a little chicken, turkey, and fish, but I get most of my protein from a soy shake in the morning and dishes with beans (Beano is wonderful!). This is the first time in years that I have been excited about losing the weight. Until now, I was just plain stuck because it seemed overwhelming. This group is the best. I come to this group for accountability. It really helps. No beat-downs - just encouragement, help, and support. I feel truly blessed to be here. Like someone else recently shared, I have rediscovered Cream of Wheat hot cereal and oatmeal for dinner choices. Can barely wait to see the grand total for February. Again, welcome, and thank you to everyone for the encouragement.

I have heard the same thing. Not sure how much truth is in it. I think it is like most things, ok in moderation. I had a friend who had a friend who drank a TON of diet pop in a day (close to 20 or something) and ended up having a cat scan done on the brain. He had all these strange spots all over the brain. Needless to say he cut back.