Remember ME?! I'm BACK
 

Hey all!

Lots going on here in this club... tons of new faces! WELCOME to you all. Here's a quick re-cap for you newbies..

In 2004 I lost 80 some odd pounds and was 4 lbs away from goal weight. My desire to lose weight came as I was fitted for a bride's maid dress for my sisters wedding. I lost all the weight I needed for the wedding. It was the smallest I'd ever been in my adult life. (Size 8-10) I was so happy. Happy enough to go and get PREGNANT! I had a preemie, Carson, who is now nearing 2 years old. During my pregnancy, I managed to gain some weight back with total ambition to re-lose after giving birth, however, just the opposite occurred. I've managed to get myself to the highest weight I've ever been. I've struggled with food choices, and straight out, made terrible choices. I'm now to the point that something HAS to happen. I'm tired of being out of shape, out of breath and feeling like such a slacker and a closet eater.

I like to plan. I am a planner by nature, so I had been telling myself, I have to PLAN this. You know, go to the grocery store, get all the right stuff before I go at this again. Well, that never came to fruition. Last night I had a dream, a dream of myself feeling so much better eating right. I got up this morning, and skipped grabbing the ususal soda for breakfast and went on to work. I had a hard boiled egg for breakfast, have consumed at least 4 12-oz glasses of water to this point and went to Sheetz and grabbed a lovely grilled chicken salad, no cheese, no dressing for lunch. That was around 220 calories. I'm doing ok today! My plan is to rid the "all or nothing" mindset and just do what I can until I get up to full speed.

So we'll see what happens this time around. I am definitely planning to endulge a little on some planned weekends ahead, but I'll use my noggin' and try to make the best choices possible.

It's a long road ahead, but I think I'm finally ready to take a walk on it.

SO much to catch up on here!

It's good to be back.

Welcome back! I am new here - since the end of Dec. and I LOVE it here.

Hi Gretchen. So glad you decided to come back! We'll be here to help obtain your dreams.

Welcome back girl! How is little Carson? Elijah just turned two.. and I'm now just getting my act together.

Great to see you again!

Dana

:hug: :hug: :hug: So glad to see you back here!!! :D :D :D

Welcome back!! Sounds like you hit the ground running! Looking forward to getting to know you.

Hey Gretchen. Wow our stories are really similar. I started losing weight in 2004 and lost 110 pounds. I was in onederland for the first time in my adult life. My husband and i went through a rough patch and i gained all but 15 lbs of it back. I have been yo-yoing ever since. I fell off the wagon AGAIN during the holiays. Now i am officially back in control of my food again and it feels so good.
I dont know what sends us back to those old ways. I know it feels so much better to walk past the cookies than it does to pick them up...so why do i so often stop and pick up the coookies? What is it that happens to get our mind back in the right or the wrong mind set? It truly drives me crazy.
Right now I am in the middle of my lowest weight and my highest weight. I am doing well though and i like your approach. To not have the all or nothing attitude is a very big deal for me too. I am really trying to have that attitude this time around and not obsess about food. Good for you for coming back and making that change.

Welcome back! I remember what an inspiration you were to me. Glad to see you back again.

Melissa

Welcome back.....and you are absolutely gorgeous in that picture of you as your avatar. I love your hair style

Welcome back Gretchen!! I was recently thinking of you and so many of the other posters who were active when I started. I'm really glad to see you back again!

Stacy -- You said something I think was really important:
I think if we look at our failures as an opportunity for feedback then maybe we can learn something. Certainly, we don't WANT to fail at all, but if we do, I guess we can learn from it.

I am terrified of going back to my old ways, and, despite my successes I CAN see how I could fail. I think sometimes it's little things that send us down the wrong path and then things just snowball. So, can I figure out what those things are before I go too far??

Okay, rambling again!

Gretchen, really, really, WELCOME back!

I can't believe that Carson is almost 2! Wow time flies!

Welcome back Gretchen! :)

Welcome back Gretchen :) It's great to have you with us again!

:Waves: Great to see you again, Gretchen!!!!! :Grouphug:

Of course I remember you! :welcome: back! Wow--Carson is almost two?? It really does seem like yesterday when you said you were pregnant.

Glad you're back. :)

Welcome back! Sounds like you are starting right again! Good job!