TMF Diet & Exercise Club Thread

So I've been doing my own D&E for the past 4 years. 4 years ago... maybe 5 I guess now... but I was up to 222... now... this summer I gained 20 pounds back but I am currently 155. We don't have air conditioning and the stress of getting out of debt... I just quit for the summer. It gets to be 90 degrees in my place... so... yeah I just couldn't do it.

But now that it's not SO excruciatingly hot in here... (It's still hot though... uh....) I decided to get back to it yesterday. Now we can't really afford to eat well balanced meals right now... but we try as much as we can. We don't buy processed junk and we make our dinners from scratch. And soda is permanently banned. I have one maybe twice a year.

So Halloween is coming up... and the holidays. And I thought it might be nice that we can share our daily routines or at least do a weekly update to keep us all on track. People have talked to me here about how I did it... so is anyone on board for doing this with me?

There is no such thing as perfect... But HAPPY.. YES that can be accomplished. Also we can share tips on clothes makeup etc. I want you to feel good about yourselves... And I want to get back to feeling good about myself.

And the best part is... I found I became much more ticklish... without so much fat to work through.. it was much easier to be tickled.... so if THAT isn't incentive Idk what else could be. 🙂

So... if no one wants to do this that's ok. The thread will fade away and I'll do this on my own... I'm use to doing this on my own anyway. (My Bf did help me a lot in the beginning- so major props to Him!!)

But ask yourself... (even if it's just an illusion... I'm not about to debate Science here... even though it worked for me...) So... how ticklish do you want to be... how much do you want to have a waist line again... how much do you want to feel accomplished and sexy? You can have if you want it... but make no mistake... this is hard work. And I'm not going to coddle you. I can not be there to supervise you. Only you can do that...

Who's with me? I will set up and point you in the directions that will lead you to own separate paths. No ones D&E routines are alike. Hence why there are so many books and gurus.

I'll share my own story later on the thread. But I want to know others are on board for this first. And I'll share my various routines.

Who wants sexy back? Who wants more ticklishness back? Who wants to begin a very exciting and sexy adventure? Who wants to look in the mirror and say hellz YES THATS ME and I look gooooood. 🙂

Wow, good for you, CD! That's some victory!

I've been eating like a pig all year! I started working from home in February, and since then.......my pants are getting tougher to button!!!! Before this, I'd walk at least 45 minutes a day, to and from work. Now I have to force myself to walk to the corner! On top of that, I lost one of my parents in January....while the other one was in the hospital with a massive heart attack!....... I know that I've been eating my blues away at times, I can't deny it.

I definitely have been telling myself I need to force myself out every day and at the very least walk around. Which I love to do. And I have been guzzling soda and iced tea all summer, I need to just switch to water. If you just switch to drinking water? You immediately start looking better, you lose weight just from that. Then cut out the sweets, sometimes you'd think i was 8 years old, with the chips and the candy. Achtung!

Basically my plan is to eat better, eat less, and force myself to at least walk, run, do something.

My other plan is to just go with it! Get a job as Santa every year, be the jolly fat man.......ever since I was a kid, I thought it was hot, the idea of someone big tickling a slim cutie. lol. Maybe I should just become that person!!! 😛

(great idea for a thread, CD! Are we all going to exercize together? "Aaaaand one...two...three...four...one...two...three...aannnd strrrretch!" lol 🙂

In June 2013, I reached my all-time high weight, 192 pounds. (I am 5 feet 8 inches tall.)
This morning, I weighed 134 pounds.

This vast improvement is due to Goddess Shelly. She got me to change my diet considerably and do a regular program of exercise, highlighted by walking briskly in Central Park, at least three times a week, 45 minutes each time.

At one time I was over 200 but when I found I was borderline diabetic too I had to change things. I first cut out sodas and snapple. They are loaded with sugar, then I started with gardening too. I think between the exercise and cutting down on carbs I lost like 50 pounds in a span of about 5 years. I love my plants and trees and part of that is cause I think they help make me much healthier.

My all time high when I lived in Lancaster was 197 lbs. I then got down to 169 lbs within four months, and have basically kept it off. I went from 197 to 169 in 2005, from switching to diet drinks from regular sugary drinks.

A few months ago I had gotten down to 166 lbs, a weight I had not been since I was 28 years old.

I had been going to the gym regularly since I've lived in NY, the last four years, until those who know me are aware, I've been having seizures on and off since last November. .

Today I had to go to the Dr after another seizure, and I'm omg.. 174. I've gained about eight lbs over the summer, because I really have not been watching myself.

As soon as the neurologist finds out what's causing the seizures, I'm going to go back to the gym, 2 miles, 3-4 times a week on the treadmill as I had been doing. I know it would be healthy for my bp, and cholesterol, both of which I know are high.

Look at all you skinny people! Good for the lot of you! Yeah, the sugary drinks are the major culprit. Enough is enough, Im inspired and I can't let any more time go, got to get a handle on this now. Water all the way.

CD, if I hit my target weight, I will give you and the TMF full credit......outing myself in the process! "It's called the TMF Diet" "What's TMF stand for" "Tickling Media Forum" "I don't get it...." lol

Ticking someone can be a workout, let me tell you, if they're not tied up and they're a fighter.......I wonder how much you burn off in a session! (both 'ler and 'lee!)

The Internet said:

...
Ticking someone can be a workout, let me tell you, if they're not tied up and they're a fighter.......I wonder how much you burn off in a session! (both 'ler and 'lee!)

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I wrote a story entitled "Weight Loss Through Tickling." It is the fourth story in this collection:
http://mtjpub.com/iteminfo.php?item_id=189
Description of the story:

Weight Loss through Tickling

Sally is fed up with the weight that her worthless husband Joseph has gained since they were married. She has a program of isometric exercise through tickling to get him in shape. Joseph is in for the diet from hell, extreme tickle torture, day after day, until he reaches his goal weight. But what will happen then? Can Sally trust him not to get fat again?

Click to expand...

Thank you all for sharing your stories with me. It's quite a journey to diet and exercise when there are health problems, food addiction, advertising, hidden sugars in food, stress...it's like wrestling Andre The Giant. Very hard to win.

Before you read this... go grab something to eat. Whatever you want. Get cookies, get chips, or even just a soda. Please. This can wait 5 extra minutes.

Got it? Good. I trust you... Now enjoy it as you read. Please. 🙂

My Grandparents who raised me were overweight. So I never learned portion control. And advertising showed me all the goodies available in droves. Doritos, Ruffles, Candy, soda, McDonalds. All of it. And I fell for it. Most of us did.

Now since 1st grade I was bullied. Now I managed to stay thin somehow till I was about 12... then lost the weight at 16. I never ballooned up completely till I was in my middle 20's though. Thank goodness for bikes and watching wrestling... those tickling fantasies I grew to have around wrestlers came in real handy pretending to be chased by them around my backyard. lol. And no internet back then!! But Nintendo entered the picture at some point... and that started to curb a lot of my exercise and play.

But being bullied every single day until the 10th grade was such a huge stress... I started playing with my food. And I would make a game out of eating in different ways. Chew 3 times on left... twice on the right... 3 times in the left. Switch. It's a form of OCD. To have control over something. Anything. And ... around 11 I began eating in the middle of the night. I think I must have picked that up from the Golden Girls or Three's Company. I'm not sure. I just remember the first time that I did it. I felt... like I had some sort of sexy secret. Eating chips in the middle of night....How dark and mysterious was I? Oohlala. lol!!! Give me a break... lol. But I was a kid.

As I got older I lost the OCD component. But I have always eaten in the middle of the night since. To the point I get food hangovers. They are awful. I feel sick for at least a few hours in the morning when I do it. Sometimes I can't remember when I do it. I've actually been doing it all summer again. The stress of no AC and bills has just taken its toll. And even now getting back to 3 hour workouts and one Benadryl do not prevent me from getting up. Now this is just my first week back so... as the intensity of my workouts increase I should be getting back to staying asleep. But... it's not a guarantee for me. Which means my boyfriend will have to lock down the kitchen yet again. He use to restrain my ankle or wrist to the bed post per my request. It took me months but I started getting out of them somehow. He never wanted to make my restraint fully locked because what if there was a fire or robbery? You never know what can happen so better to be safe than sorry. So that didn't work out. Locking down the kitchen does...but it's sad right? And frustrating. We're talking about doing that again. I hope it doesn't come to that.

But back to some details about me. I've lost my entire family through the years including my Gf. And pets. And stress in general always makes me seek out a good meal. Or junk. Or even to celebrate. I for years starting young...drank soda and picked it back up around 24... drinking a whole 2 liters of Coke a day! Oh It tasted good. I grew up on it and Pepsi, Sprite, Dr. Pepper. Fruit juices that flat out aren't good for you. Later Beer. Nothing in moderation. Eating just became from early on a way to fill up the void of being alone so much of the time. Even my Grandparents were very old growing up. Ages ranging of late 50's, late 60's and early 70's. They played with me every once in awhile. Board games, cards, or tv. My Grandfather would take me sledding in the winter. He would only watch me have fun though. Or take me to the beach sometimes. He wasn't even able to sit down and just relax. They just were not physically able to play like younger parents have the opportunity. My Great Grandmother was born in 1903. So getting down on the floor to play dolls and Legos... or hide and seek wasn't an option. I still had a good life thanks to them and I am forever grateful. And The 80's were EPIC in the various forms of entertainment. Sexy and sleazy Exploitation films were on tv in droves. Horror movies... Sexy War films... sexy cheesy Beach movies... books... the music..,yeah it certainly wasn't all bad... 😉


After I finished homework or playing outside I was eating my dinners or snacks in front of the tv. And the characters and people on tv... became my friends. Friends from a distance. Being alone that much.., it isn't healthy. No way. You can only imagine the thoughts that plagued me being bullied so much. Very sad times in that regard. I cried all the time. But tv and music... celebrities... saved me from going absolutely crazy. Madonna and George Michael were sure a hell of a lot cooler than anyone at MY school. lol These people and entertainment saved me from doing something we see quite a lot in the news these days when children are bullied now in the age of social media. I KNEW there would be a life I could make for myself after that part of my life was over. But time was moving so slow then. But... I had entertainment in droves. I related heavily to "The Boy In The Bubble"... and "Mask" with Eric Stoltz. When Apocalyptic movies were the rage... I would pretend to lock myself in the bathroom with a sandwich to see how long I could hold out not eating. I don't think I ever lasted longer than 20 minutes.

Now around 19 (thin) I taught line dancing to tourists at a theme restaurant bar in the South. That was fun. But that only lasted a couple of years. And with long term relationships... comes bonding over food... in good times and bad. But... still one thing I never learned was how to cook for myself. With my Gf we rarely cooked at home. We always usually went out to eat. Some was fine dining... some Vegetarian meals... some very healthy meals... some were Fast food. Some were complete stoner party fiestas. She was much older than me and had been a hippie. Weed was just part of the mix sometimes. (Btw I learned years ago it's better to eat BEFORE you smoke up. Then you're not hungry.)

5 years ago I woke up and I was 222 pounds. I went to the grocery store and the horror of seeing that scale... I'd had enough. I made the decision right then and there to start controlling my life. To learn... and to get the body back I once had.

Now... there have been issues of taking care of family members of my Bf's and other issues that have always prevented me from completing my goals. Earlier this year I DID hit my goal weight of 135. But... then summer came back around. Life happens.

And now it's time to get back to it. 🙂 And I have learned already to cook and bake. But I still have not mastered the basics particularly with knife skills and meat preparation. My Bf is a foodie so he's dying for me to learn. He learned and loves to cook. 🙂 Alton Brown is his favorite cook. And I'm getting there. Now I may always have to deal with sleep eating... and life will continue to "happen". But getting back on track is VITAL.

For me now... when I go too long without working out... my legs are filled with actual pain. Worse than any soreness or muscle fatigue from working out EVER could be. I can't get comfortable no matter what I do. The extra weight gain and not moving is just... it's atrophy. When I was 222... I would be out of breath climbing a short flight of stairs. Sex was unenjoyable. Being restrained in certain positions forget it. My legs just couldn't take most positions. Even doggy style made my knees HURT. I couldn't kneel... be on top.., hardly ANYTHING.

That's not a fun life. That's sad. And I refuse to be the type of partner that would continue to let themselves go like this. My Bf has maintained his weight since high school!!! He's around 150 I think. He always told me how beautiful I was. And he himself says he didn't realize how big I had become until I was near the mark of 222.

Enough... enough... enough!!!!

I want to end this post with my Grandparents. My Grandfather died of a Heart attack at 67. I was 15. He was on so many different medications... And he was 6'4. He was not obese though. But he was a big man. He was not fat by our standards. Just a Big and Tall man. But... not eating right put him in the grave. He was a good man. I miss him so much. I could go on and on about him. He had a magical laugh that makes me smile when I think about it. So cheery and upbeat.

My Great Grandmother died of a heart attack. She was 91 I think. I think I was 24 maybe. I don't remember because I don't like to remember the specifics. I don't even remember her date of death. It hurts way too much to remember. And she died while in a nursing home. She wouldn't let me take care of her. Even though that's what I did for a living. (Being a Caregiver for Elderly Alzheimer's patients.) I think in her mind I was too young and didn't want to put me through that. And... her dignity. She was my best friend, And I miss her so much it pains me to even think about her.

My Grandmother had a heart attack and complications to Diabetes. She also ended up in a nursing home. Same story. Wouldn't let me take care of her. She was there for around 10 years. She lost the use of her legs and hands. Her hearing was never great... and her eyesight was dimmer the last time I saw her. And she had to go in for Kidney dialysis 4 times a week. For hours... 4 times a week. Somehow she heard me say I love you the last time I spoke to her. And said back I love you too. We ended up not having the best relationship after my Grandfather died. She was very angry and bitter. And growing up when she got angry the whole house if not the entire street knew about it. Her father was not very good to her growing up. He tried to actively burn her multiple times. And when I mean burn I mean set her on fire. My Great Grandmother finally had to send her to live with my Aunt for quite a long time. Divorce was not something done in those days.

But... we for the most part patched things up. Or rather I accepted her for who she was. I got the whole picture of her life. I cherish that we were able to say I love you one last time. Just like the day my Grandfather died. He had just dropped me off at school. We said I love you to each other and I went inside. An hour later he was gone.

Between these 3 people... there was probably enough medication to float a small army for an entire year.

Now... if you think it's a good idea to keep living like they did... Well first off they didn't know better. Different Generation altogether. For any of you who are reading this... you're on the Internet. No excuse. Obviously Disabled folks have a different set of circumstances. Trust me... I know plenty.

I want you to think about spending the last ten years of your life in a nursing home. Or bed ridden at your children's home. Or Hospice nurses becoming the people where you find your last couple of friends to talk to.

My Bf's Grandfather I took care of for the last 4 years of his life. Oh he stayed thin. But he let his body atrophy so badly... putting him on the toilet by myself was a nightmare. 3-5 times a day. And I had to put him to bed... get him out of bed. Now this was a small man. He was TINY. And yet... he to me weighed 400 pounds. Just to move him onto his side to clean him took 3 of us working together. And diaper changes were also a nightmare. And I've got tons of stories like this with my time as a Caregiver.

Medication costs alone will chew up your savings. Social Security may or may not be around. If it is... what you are left over with after medical costs won't be much. Depends on your career and what you make.

If you are lucky you might end up in a state run nursing home. Have fun being neglected. Have fun sitting in your own waste half the time. Have fun eating lousy meals. And have fun sitting by yourself 99% of the time because your family is working and out there living.... having to go on without you. Not all nursing homes are bad. But if you want to spin that wheel of nursing home roulette... by all means.

Or get your own personal Caregiver. My Grandmother and Great Grandmother did for 6 months. They had nearly everything of value stolen from them. And the Caregiver was putting sugar in my Diabetic Grandmothers meals and drinks. Stealing their money from their purses. Screwing with their medication dosages. Thank GOODNESS they were still with it enough to realize what was going on. I had to go with the police to rescue them. I took them and the possessions that I could fit in my car that they had left not stolen. My Great Grandmother was also threatened with being pushed into the pool too multiple times. I didn't know any of this was going on because their phone calls were being monitored. I was going to college at that time. My Grandparents refused to press charges. They were too scared.

When they were growing they would talk about how they would make their dolls from sticks and rocks. They were poor and lived on a farm in Maine. They learned to hand make their "dolls"clothes. You can only imagine the rage I had inside me as I had to pass this Caregiver back and forth and back forth as I collected their things while they waited for me in the car. It took everything I had not to thrown her into the wall. And beat her senseless. But... the police would have arrested ME not HER.

So... All those cool Star Wars collectibles and things you like... well hey... spin the Caregiver roulette wheel. You may have these things later in life. Maybe not. Including your LIFE. There's far less good Caregivers in the world and more bad ones. I was one of the good ones. To the point I would come home soaking wet and white as a sheet from the hard work it took managing and taking care of 12-15 patients every night. With only one person to help me. And I still had to do all of the dishes, their showers, their clothes, get them ready for bed, clean their rooms, fix their dentures... provide their entertainment... watch out for them because their minds were deteriorating... and take their punches, slaps, bites, struggling... because they don't know what they're doing. And on and on and on.. So possessions really mean nothing in the scheme of life. But when you take your final breath... don't you want a smile on your face? I know I do...

Or... have fun being taken care of by your family. You don't think you can hold your head up NOW. Just wait... If you have children... imagine them having to change your diapers for you. Or hospice being called in and having it done by a complete stranger. You want that life? Go right on ahead. I'm not gonna stop you. But I sure as hell don't want that life. My final years I imagine somewhere tropical... In a little condo...being able to at least walk up and down the beach. Doing a little window shopping... having a drink and talking to the locals and tourists. Keeping up with the younger folks and taking in concerts. Traveling. I live in a condo right now near the beach!!! It's paid for. Done. I own it. I'm 38 years awesome. I don't plan on staying in this particular location. But if I had to... here I am. I don't care if your 18 years awesome. You had better start setting aside money for your retirement with each paycheck you get. That 10.00 every paycheck adds up quite nicely...

And Tickling Gatherings... That's practically my top goal these days. 🙂 I can't wait to go. I hope I can attend hundreds of times! 🙂

And now... all I have to do is be mindful of what I eat and exercise. I go NUTS on the holidays. And when I party I PARTY. But when I am on track... daily life... I stay on track. Yes I eat chocolate a few times a week. The serving size. And I workout 3-4 hours a day. That's MY choice to put in this much effort. You will make your OWN choices.

If I scared you... I'm not sorry. In fact... if you're a little sick after eating and after reading this... GOOD. You cannot be dependent on food to give you those good feelings anymore.. that reward...that solice. That cookie you just ate is making you dependent. Think of what you just ate. Look at that empty plate or bag. You're reliant on a cookie or whatever it is you just ate for happiness or comfort. REALLY? Is THIS worth and equal to the sum total of your life? Is throwing away your happiness worth what was on that plate?! Only you can answer that question. Answer that question to yourself right NOW. Was that ----- worth it?

I just pulled a Clockwork Orange experience on you. But my entire story is true. And whether it turned your stomach or not is not the point. But I hope you understand what I'm trying to do here.

I see, saw and experienced the realities first hand. But don't beat yourself up too much. Because if I handed you the keys to an airplane and I said fly it... right now... could you?

Most of you would say no. If I can't expect you to fly a plane if you weren't taught... how I can expect you to diet and exercise if you weren't taught. So ease up on yourself. But from here on out... you can learn if you really want to. And you will never look back. Happiness takes effort too. We are not entitled to it. Not given it usually. We have to work for it. Just like anything else in life. And that's not a bad thing... that's a GOOD thing. It helps us give us character... strength... the ability to love ourselves. Andre The Giant is more than ready to sit on you... easy win. But wouldn't you rather find the strength within you to be ready to body slam him like Hulk Hogan did? 🙂

Now... let me show you with my next post how to not lose your mind... your money... or the fun. There is so much fun you can have with this!!!

Thank you for reading. 🙂

Yeah, I have heard that simply laying off the Cokes can be a big factor...

Volsung said:

Yeah, I have heard that simply laying off the Cokes can be a big factor...

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It is... if not THE biggest.

Volsung, I gave up regular soda, and lost 28 lbs, in less than four months, in 2005 by just switching to Diet Pepsi. The sugar in the regular soda, puts on a lot of weight.

Mitchell said:

Volsung, I gave up regular soda, and lost 28 lbs, in less than four months, in 2005 by just switching to Diet Pepsi. The sugar in the regular soda, puts on a lot of weight.

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I certainly believe your story Mitchell. But please consider this...

This is great, Doll. Seriously. All of the "options", caregivers, being taken care of your family.......it all sucks, and it's all inevitable if one doesn't grab a hold of the reins. I have a family member right now, actually, huge, morbidly obese, and she's having health problems, she lives all by herself, far away, and we're all worried about her, and also what are we going to do about her if something happens?

What I like about this is your tone, and also the fact that you've been there, and you've had great victories.

Anyways, got to run. Keep up the great work!

The Internet said:

This is great, Doll. Seriously. All of the "options", caregivers, being taken care of your family.......it all sucks, and it's all inevitable if one doesn't grab a hold of the reins. I have a family member right now, actually, huge, morbidly obese, and she's having health problems, she lives all by herself, far away, and we're all worried about her, and also what are we going to do about her if something happens?

What I like about this is your tone, and also the fact that you've been there, and you've had great victories.

Anyways, got to run. Keep up the great work!

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Thanks Internet!!! I really appreciate your comments.

While I HATE having to have this tone within me... I think everyone can understand where it comes from. Over the years I've seen my own friends weight related problems get worse and worse. Sleep apnea... mobility issues... relationship problems. I've never spoken to them like I did here... nor do they really understand what I've seen and been through. I've said my peace kindly with them... some were willing to kill the friendship. So... it's a hard line to cross for me... I've lost too many people in my life already.

Now I have no inclination in me to continue that within this thread. I wrote my past... and a lot of intense heat came out of me that I quite frankly didn't realize was ever going to come out of me. I felt so much better after I did though. So back to who I am NOW which is a very happy and light hearted person. And the tips I give are going to save a LOT of money... and I hope give everyone some happiness. And I look forward to seeing others ideas as well.

Sometimes just realize the ideas we all share may need to be tweaked. That's all! 🙂 And a stiff stance is never meant to be overbearing or mean spirited. My tough love part is over. Facts though are facts.

As far as your family member... she needs someone to say NO to her. An intervention. But... at the end of the day... it is no ones responsibility but her's. Richard Simmons does do email interventions. Sometimes for the most in need he will visit them. You might want to try and get in touch with him.

The saving the money thing: absolutely. That's a good point to be reminded of.

So... I'm going to start by telling you to relax. This is where you now contemplate the beginning of your journey. There is absolute no rush to make concrete choices in any of this. In fact the ONLY concrete choices you must make are. 1: To stick with it unless you are sick, in pain, or life gets in the way for the day. Or week. But then you get right back to it.

2: You don't buy ANYTHING but ONE bad treat per week. And you have to make it last the entire week. If you put a child in a toy store and you tell them: "Go get anything you want".... They are GOING to come back with an entire cart full of toys. If you say "Go pick out ONE toy"... Well usually they try to slip in another toy... (I sure did... lol) whether you let that slide is on you. But a lot of parents would say "No... I said pick ONE toy... not two. So which one do you want more?" This is how you begin to parent the child inside of you. The child that's inside all of us. Our inner child cannot make rational decisions concerning food. And that inner child cannot get any exercise. It's up to YOU to do it for them.

I use to use the language of "You have to be your own Mistress or Master... training your inner slave." Now if that works better for you... use that. But now I can't not help but see the inner child within myself. Longing to feel better. Longing to be happy. For friendship, for acceptance. And sometimes my inner child is just so sad or so whiney... I give in. But when you let your inner child control you... run amuck... take an impromptu vacation to Disney World... you are telling that child... it's ok... do whatever you want... I can't nor won't control you. And that's NOT good parenting. You have to guide your inner child towards eating right and exercise. The good decisions that will give you the best chance of survival. Heart, mind, and soul happy.

So how do we begin. Well... the next time you go to the grocery... stay away from processed food. If you can't pronounce the ingredients. Leave it alone. If it grows straight from nature... aka bananas, apples, broccoli, etc... BUY IT.

Now you'll have to replenish your electrolytes. Gatorade is on the list. Soda can go fuck itself. If you want soda have some 3-4 times a year MOST. Make it a special treat just like you would a birthday cake. Water, tea, even coffee are far better for you as long as you control the amount of sugar you put in. And pick up some honey for your tea... you'll thank me later.

Have fun picking out a new spice to add to your cabinet once a week. If you look on the Ethnic food aisle...you'll be AMAZED at how much cheaper the same spices are that you buy two aisles over. And a much bigger quantity too. The Mexican food aisle specifically. Try shopping in different grocery stores. Indian, Asian, Mexican... Make it an adventure!!! Pretend your traveling! If you pick up at least one new spice and two new sauces a week that are very low in calorie... (explore this...) you will begin building up an immense cabinet. At some point you'll want to pick up a WOK from the Asian store. But that's up to you ultimately. Before you buy ANY new pots and pans, utensils... compare prices with Ethnic food stores also. I'll get to thrift stores later for this as well...

Now here you are... in the grocery store... and realize 75% of packaging is marketed specifically towards children, teenagers, the Elderly... and unknowing people who are susceptible to brands and advertising. And "quick, last minute pick ups/ decisions". Pretty colors... pretty wrapping, desserts that make you feel like a MILLIONAIRE. Every time I walk by the bakery I make sure to look at all the cakes as I walk by. Now I don't hover and stand still checking these things out. I keep walking but I look as I walk. I can literally feel my brain light up. The colors... the layers of sugar.... a birthday party explosion of good feelings. DON'T STOP. Do what I do. As soon as you leave that section think about what your brain just went through. An overwhelming need to buy something. Your brain and body system have been trained through advertising since we were children. It will be a very good reminder for you to see how dependent the industry has made us. Don't believe me? Go take a trip to the grocery store and buy nothing. Just walk past that aisle and leave. What were your thoughts... did you have cravings? How intense were they on a scale of 1-10?

But... on a normal trip... then remind yourself you ARE going to buy yourself a treat. And you will relax then... and be able to concentrate on the healthy food you need to buy. This will get easier for you in time. It really is a rush you go through...like what I can imagine heroin to feel like. It's cray cray. You will be shocked.

Now... if you are standing there and you see say a 6 pack of cupcakes. You have to realize you are not in the Humane Societies Animal Rescue. Or... you are not in a bar picking up some hot needy chick or man. Those cupcakes are not looking at you with puppy eyes and trying to tell you "Please take me home... I don't have a home... no one wants me... I will love you so much if just take me home..." Or... Can I have a beer please I spent all my money..." *cupcake/ woman/ man, pouts as it look up at you blinking back its tears*.

NO! LOL!!! Those cupcakes aren't hopping into your cart either. YOU are placing them there. In your head there's a mental dialogue going on between you and the cupcake. Before you place anything into your cart that's unhealthy... think back to what you just thought about... You will soon realize how crazy food has been making you. I myself have thought things like "Mmmm I love you aren't you just so cute?! You have to come home with me. I can't wait to put you on my table and show you off".

If THATS not cray cray and DEPENDENT... *whistles*

If you can't stop rescuing food or making friends with food. Or sexualize food... Tomatoes are sexy too... WATERMELONS are the biggest, juiciest tits in the store. Cucumbers... nuff said. They need your attention more that anything else in that store. Feel free to give in to their little pouts. Because the cupcakes have been around your block about 10,000 times already. And those puppies have rabies.

Working on my next post...

My one treat is almonds covered with dark chocolate.
If I have stuck to my healthy diet all day, then I allow myself to have 10 of them as dessert after supper. That is about 180 calories.

Thrift Stores

Thrift Stores are absolutely incredible!!!!! I know this because not only have I been a consistent shopper my entire life... I also decided to work in one temporarily 2 years ago.. for 3 months... to see how it all worked. Undercover analysis... It was Goodwill.

Now... I'm not going to talk about the company itself too much as far as my time as an employee. But I resigned. I was treated extremely poorly by one of my managers. The environment itself is not good. And... I do not think that this company treats its employees well. I AM thankful that the Disabled have a place that's guaranteed work. Because I met a lot of people who wouldn't be hired elsewhere. So... any further personal opinions I will not get into. It is what it is.

Now... let's put aside Goodwill for a moment. I want you to get a list of ALL of the thrift stores in your area. Once you have your list... I want you to try and visit as many of them as you can. Now you can find things you would like to have in ALL of them. But here is the biggest tip you will ever get... Where are the thrift stores in proximity to "the rich neighborhoods"? Hmmmm...?

And let me preface this by saying I use to be well off... and I hope to be again someday. So I have no ill will whatsoever towards rich people. None.

Rich people will give away things literally with the price tag still on them. Rich people engage in what's called "boredom shopping". If you can think of it... a rich person has gotten bored with it. I have found clothes from Vera Wang... clothes and shoes that are brand new. All for such low prices... it will make you dizzy. Books and DVDs are being given away by the truck load. To the point thrift stores cannot keep up with the overload. I use to go into work and see the sidewalk FILLED TO THE BRIM. With everything you can think of. Teachers LOVE to shop there for school supplies. Especially on the weekends... My Bf bought a laboratory grade microscope worth $3,000 for $6.00... Think about that...

Now thrift stores have only so much space... so they price these items to move fast. And as far as Goodwill... every single week (depending on the location) they color code the items. So... if "The color of the week" is "purple". That means everything with a purple sticker is 50% off. So... that Vera Wang dress I bought with purple tag ended up costing me $3.00 + tax... Original price tag still attached... $1495.00...

I enjoy also vintage shopping... I can't even begin to tell you how many clothes I've bought straight out of the 80's and 90's.... and I've come home with bags full each and every time. I do love the old MTV shirt I found... I think I paid 50 cents for that...

As you lose weight... avoid the mall at all costs... why buy new clothes if your weight will be decreasing? But... go twice a year...end of summer clearance...and after Christmas sales will blow your mind... Try 50-75% off in most cases. 🙂 I bought a $75.00 pair of jeans for $4.00 last year. And for those of you who wear the "Hot Topic" store type clothes... Teenagers outgrow their clothes... vanity discards... or on to the next in the latest of fashions. I've bought S&M looking outfits that are sexy as HELL... Thanks kids!!! lol!!!!!! Hey... constant photo shoots gets EXPENSIVE... I do not have the means to go to the mall for every single photo shoot that I do... I would have gone broke a long time ago if I did that... You know that Nurses outfit photo shoot I did... notice my hat and wrist cuff... that's made out of crayons and PAPER. Being inventive and creative to save money is pretty fun sometimes... Not always... I would have preferred to go to my local sex shop and bought a sexy Nurses outfit... But I can't afford those prices right now. Oh and that German Beer Server outfit... yeah I found that for $2.00... 🙂 With Halloween right around the corner... and after Halloween... people will be giving away their costumes to their stores. Worn ONCE. Just try them on before you buy them... and when you get home you and your clothes will be taking a hot shower.

Now back to what you can also buy in thrift stores. Once again... Rich people love to give new things away... including workout equipment...

Do you know many treadmills... steppers... bicycles... any kind of equipment you can think.. I've seen ... Once I saw an all in one complete gym set up for $25.00. Now... if you are new to weight loss... go to Sears one day... check out the prices of the workout section for treadmills etc. You can easily spend $4,500- $12,000 per PIECE in that place... Some are lower... $499.00 yes... Mhm... that's great... *rolls eyes*

Get your butt back to the thrift store!! ASAP. Now workout equipment is hit or miss. They are not always going to be there. So you will have to go back and keep checking back. Best times are to go are the weekends. All day long people who finally have a day off from work take their stuff and drop it off then. Now sometimes I will spend an entire Saturday waiting around to see what comes out. Or a Sunday. Sunday mornings most people are in Church... and having brunch after... I usually stay about 4 hours. I try to go when they open for the first 4 hours... or the last 4 hours they are open. Or during the middle. But not everyone can spend that much time. So I just recommend to you that you just keep checking back. And get to know their daily and weekly deals.

And... be really nice to the employees. People who shop there really make it hard for these people to work there. They let their kids run amuck... they won't clean up after themselves in the fitting rooms. And the list is a mile long how flat out RUDE and inconsiderate customers are. And when you think about how some of these employees have varying forms of disability... it a good thing to be respectful and nice to them. It goes a long way also that sometimes they can remember certain things you are looking for and might save something for you if it comes in. They're sneaky and helpful like that. Because it's actually rare when people are nice to them.

Back to workout equipment. The other thing to keep in mind. You must test out the equipment. Some things will be too old. Now if you are handy or know someone who is handy... maybe it can be fixed. But... you can plug things in to test them... you can get on these things (carefully) and see if they are stable enough. Working right. Sometimes all that's wrong with something is a bolt is loose...

Now also don't be afraid to go old school either. I own a stepper straight out the early 90's. It's a Aqua, pink, and purple stepper that you can adjust the steps. Now I think I over paid for that. It was priced at 11.99 and each additional step was 2.99. But I didn't care. I've always wanted one of those since I was a kid. I use it all the time when I'm working out to build strength and tone my legs and butt. So if something is too much... don't buy it... just wait... another will come around like it eventually. Everything is mass produced... so these aren't vanishing any time soon...

Now all you need is a friend with a truck. Or... UHaul has a 19.95 deal for use of a truck for the day. And you replace the gas. Something like that... do your research.

Forget buying online... forget Craigslist... (People that usually post on Craigslist KNOW the value of what they are selling...) The thrift stores are your best bet. In the "upper class" areas. Including for Kitchen ware and utensils. And anything you can think of... you will save so much money... especially when you get it all down to a Science...

Oh... and yard sales are fun to go to as well in the richer neighborhoods... And since Halloween is coming... drive your kids over to THOSE neighborhoods... talk about good candy... And reminder about what I said about a once a week treat... don't be an Overlord with your kids but... gotta start exerting control.. even with Halloween candy. Once a day should be the limit... for BOTH of you. Except Halloween itself... make yourselves sick I don't care!lol!! I sure do haha

Working on my next post...

milagros317 said:

My one treat is almonds covered with dark chocolate.
If I have stuck to my healthy diet all day, then I allow myself to have 10 of them as dessert after supper. That is about 180 calories.

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There you go!! 🙂 Awesome Milagros!!

A mistake people often make with diets is to cut out alll carbs. You need some carbs to keep the "fire" burning so to speak. If you are taking in no carbs your metabolism slows to a snails pace and weight stays on. I mix it up. I have some sweets. Ice cream, candy, cookies, etc. I just dont have a ton of them and I keep active.

kurchatovium said:

A mistake people often make with diets is to cut out alll carbs. You need some carbs to keep the "fire" burning so to speak. If you are taking in no carbs your metabolism slows to a snails pace and weight stays on. I mix it up. I have some sweets. Ice cream, candy, cookies, etc. I just dont have a ton of them and I keep active.

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Exactly!! 🙂 Good for you kurch!!!

CapturedDoll said:

It is... if not THE biggest.

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Even better idea

Switched to seltzer over 6 months ago. No going back.

Planet fitness. I joined for $5, pay $10 a month. Get some ab crunches, arm exercises and treadmill in daily. I'm not skinny yet, but I'm better than where I was.

Took up hypnosis for weight loss. No, the fat didn't disappear, but I realized how much we eat our stress. For example, ever had a meal and still felt hunger after? It's not hunger, it's stress holding onto the feeling you had. Anyhow, got a cd out of it to listen to in order to reinforce good behavior. .....I behave better than I did without it.

duderino84 said:

Even better idea View attachment 510078

Switched to seltzer over 6 months ago. No going back.

Planet fitness. I joined for $5, pay $10 a month. Get some ab crunches, arm exercises and treadmill in daily. I'm not skinny yet, but I'm better than where I was.

Click to expand...

Good for you!! I can't wait to be able to go back to a gym myself! Where we use to live I could go to the neighborhood gym for free. But after we moved into my condo I had to figure out a different FREE way lol. But that's AWESOME duderino! 🙂

I am too cool to be fat when I see fat I lift up my shades and give It "the stare" and scare it away

Mrcool said:

I am too cool to be fat when I see fat I lift up my shades and give It "the stare" and scare it away

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lol!!! I wish I had that ability! What kinda sunglasses are those lol I'll pick some up.