awww RadioJane, *hugs*

I can kind of relate to how you feel... and I wish there was some magic dust that helped makec the journey go faster.... I also am giving up most fast food (I can't ever say all or always or never just sabotages me), and I truly admire your 15 months without it , I am sitting at about 2 months...... But you are right in that knowing we are doing what is right for our bodies is what counts.

Yay for posting here!!!

It's great to see all these posts! Silent, Ubee, time4me2change, Betsy, workinghard, Radiojane, I feel so good to have all this company in this huge struggle we're all embarked on. Stephanie, I hope you stick around and pick up on all this strong woman energy we're generating.

I made it through another 2 days of low-carb. Cheated a bit with peanut butter, but I don't think it will have thrown me off track very much. I'm thrilled to be wearing a 4X T-shirt right now that is even kind of loose! I've been wearing 5X's for so long it isn't even funny.

I want to tell y'all about something I'm doing that is really helpful. I have a real big problem with cookies, so a few weeks ago I got my mind set to embrace abstinence from cookies. In other words, I'm viewing that one food as if it were as harmful to my health as alcohol is for an alcoholic—because it is!

It's an idea I picked up from reading about Overeaters Anonymous. I'm not interested in joining OA or anything, because I'm not into all that Higher Power talk. But abstinence from cookies is working for me: this is my 21st day of staying completely away from them. =whew= I haven't had any other sweets, either, but cookies are the big deal. The great thing about the abstinence concept is that I'm not even tempted to go out and buy them. It's like they've been removed from my life all of a sudden.

Anyway, that concept isn't for everyone, but I thought I'd throw it out. I'll let y'all know how it goes...

@FionaW

That is a really interesting idea. I am glad you are finding success with it!

I am staying really well on my plan and yesterday I think I actually only ate 1000 calories (which might explain the headache I had around 10 pm last night)... I think I need to try to stay at around 1200 or more (Myfitness pal says I can have up to 2580, but I am trying to stay under the 2000 a day for now)

I just wasn't hungry.... I am most excited about not always feeling hungry because I wasn't but I was telling myself I was so I'd eat.... (hope that makes sense)

I hope you all are having a good day

Hi Everyone!
I am really enjoying the energy here!
Time4me, I also love food. The flavors, textures,... It sounds like you are getting in the groove. Keep up the great work.
Fiona, we have a lot in common. I also found I have to just say no to cookies. I will allow myself a few at Christmas. A set amount in the house, eaten before bed to sleep through the cravings and a strict diet the next day. I have not had a 35000 calorie cookie for months. They are evil! Now, should we talk about that peanut butter that teases us?
Jane, you are so disciplined. So, you went to Mickey D's to eat some chemicals. It was a good reminder to us all why we are doing this.
I also have encouraged others to lose weight. They are thinner so their progress is quick. Yes, it is frustrating but we all know it will make our journey easier to have partners in crime to eat healthy with us.
I feel good today. I had a whoosh of that blasted water weight that plays mind games with me. I am so going to lose another pound!!!
Have a good day!

Good morning all. It's wonderful to see all the posts on here -- give me the energy needed to get through a day in a more disciplined manner.

Silent -- hope the weigh in was OK and that sticking to the singles portion approach worked. Got to thinking that with a lot of restaurants that applies to not only skipping the appetizers, etc., but eating only half of what they serve since the servings have gotten to be huge.

Ubee -- you said you like how you feel after you've eaten a lot and were maybe thinking about having a salad. Could you explain more please? All I could relate to it is how I feel after say Thanksgiving where the thought of moving is painful. I have a feeling that I'm way off base here and am projecting my visions of holiday gluttony onto this.

Time4me2change and Fiona -- I think you both raise good points about food and having to both have it to survive (unlike alcohol and cigs), but also having to give up certain food groups. I came to the same realization about not being able to eat certain foods, but I haven't been as successful as I'd like with sticking to it. For instance, if someone told me that I could only eat 3 foods for the rest of my life, my first thought would be potato chips, ice cream, and chocolate (thus explaining why this life change is taking so long!). It wouldn't be lettuce, veggies, and protein in any form. I admire you, Fiona, for blacklisting cookies and sticking with it.

Jane -- so sorry you're going through the attack of the Mickey D's, but am glad to hear you're back on track. It is so hard to see some people lose weight seemingly effortlessly while we plod along fighting for every ounce we lose. Just tell yourself that you've done a great deed by giving them a much healthier way to eat. And I keep telling myself that it took me years to get to this point so it's ok if it takes me a couple of years to get it off.

Tomorrow I'm heading over to the other side of the mountains to pick up my puppy. I'm getting a Golden Doodle, and I'm excited about having a dog in the house again. I had to have my Golden Retriever put down on Halloween last year due to cancer, so I'm more than ready for a new doggie. Now, I just need to get through housebreaking!

Thanks everyone! I think I'm back to a place where I can be happy for those I helped (It doesn't hurt that I got back to my ticker weight this morning after two weeks of yo yoing). I've been doing an Atkins style meat/egg fast for the past few days just to shed water and kick start Ketosis again. I could sure feel it working around 6pm yesterday. Man did my head hurt!

Fiona I think that's a very admirable stance to take. I also term it as though it's a health issue (which it is). I cant have this, this or this because it affects my health, as does grain for a celiac, or cheese for someone with lactose issues. I've worked really hard to see this as a health issue and not a vanity one - but that's a daily struggle.

Ubee yay for woosh!

Betsey Housebreaking will be a challenge, but at least at that age, training is so much easier. Our Toby was 2 when we got him, and while he had really good manners, there were a few things we wanted to teach him, and it was a struggle. I'm excited for you!

Jane, glad you're doing better.....and it always feels so good to have your ticker reflect your actual weight. Mine doesn't and won't for a few more days or possibly even weeks!

I've named my dog Toby, too! I collect Toby mugs which have two faces. I figured since a Golden Doodle is a combination of a Golden Retriever and a poodle that he would have the best (hopefully!) of both breeds; i.e., two faces. Also, I just like the name Toby.

I'm in the midst of a whoosh which is much needed mentally to get me back on track. I'm bound and determined to be able to get down into the 320s by the end of the year and hopefully the 310s. I would have liked to make it out of the 300s this year, but I'll take losing 70-80 pounds.

Betsy- Toby is such a cute name!!

I hope you'll share some pictures.

I am feeling a bit down today.... no real reason that comes to mind, just some of the ups and downs of life....... one of those days where I'm a bit homesick... and of course, back to work tomorrow....

anyways hope you all have a good day

Well, I had a little slip today, but I'm writing it about now, in the middle of the day, so I get things back under control before the dreaded night time hours of being on a diet. (I'm sure y'all know what I'm talking about.) What happened was, the hub-sand and I went to the co-op grocery to get our flu shots, and because we were together, I felt less in charge of my cravings. We didn't buy any food in the store itself, but outside, a charity group had a table set up, and they were selling homemade sweet treats. The pumpkin bread, so fresh it was still warm from the oven, tempted us. We bought a loaf. When we got home, I had two slices.

Now, pumpkin bread, while yummy, is not the sort of thing I lose my head over. And it's not on the short list of foods that I have banned as part of the abstinence mindset: those are cookies, donuts, & candy. I really think, while sitting here with my stomach full, that I can stop now and let my sweetheart (who's not on a diet) eat the rest. He has high-carb foods, including cookies, in the kitchen all the time, and they hardly ever tempt me. So I just need to push the remaining pumpkin bread into a box labeled "his food" and be done with it.

You know, people always talk about the physical exercise one has to do to achieve lasting weight loss, but rarely do they talk about the mental exercise involved. I think it's a lot of work to do all the cognitive lifting it takes to keep certain foods in certain boxes, to fight back fears and hopelessness, to maintain a steady flame of resolve, to keep a positive attitude in general. Especially when it seems like everyone around you is eating whatever the heck they want!

Anyway, that's my little self-lesson for the day... Best wishes to all of you for a positive and purposeful weekend!

Hi Everyone!
Betsy, I hope you and Toby have a long and happy eventful future together. The fullness I was refering to is not uncomfortable but more like a secure hug, except for it is in my stomach.
I am glad that you are proud of the progress you have made this year. Just think of at your highest before you started to change if someone would have told you that you could lose that much in a year. Would you have beleived them?
Jane, I am so happy your tracker is accurate. Keep up all the good work. I really admire your persistance!
time4me, sending you a hug. I give you a lot of credit for following your dreams.
Fiona, I hope your day is back to where you need it to be. Your self lesson for the day is so true. I try to use cognative behavior self help to keep me moving forward.
My day is not going so well. I am using stress and self pity as an excuse to binge. Part way through I told myself I was really lame. Everyone has stress and things they can not do. I need to shut that 2 year old brat in me up! WOW! It seems so much clearer after typing it out. Thanks!
Have a good day!

Hey everyone!

I hope you all are doing well. I'm doing pretty good. I've lost what I gained, and now my tracker isn't accurate, because I'm lighter!

Betsy, I hope you and Toby are having a great time together!
Ubee- If you find out how to tame that inner 2 year old brat, could you teach me? Mine seems to pop out every once in a while.
Fiona- I struggle with that dreaded night time eating. It hits me every single night. I think it's boredom, when it's really bad, I just go to bed.
time2-I hope you are feeling less down! I know that I have days like that!
Jane- I didn't even know what Ketosis was until I went to urgent care for a bladder infection, and the doctor said that he couldn't tell if I had one or not because my urine was so diluted. But, he said you must be losing weight because there are ketones in your urine. I was super excited about that for some reason.

I'm off to edit my ticker!

Good morning. We're having one of those mornings where it's very foggy and misty and I'm wondering if the sun will even be able to break through!

Thanks all for the good wishes on Toby. We got home last night after several firsts for him -- first collar and leash (he chewed on the leash and definitely doesn't understand the concept of walking on a leash yet), first car ride, first time in a carrier so he wouldn't get thrown around the car, new house, etc. He seems to be doing wonderfully well so far, and I think we'll have many happy years together.

Time4me2change -- I can't even imagine living in a different country -- what a mix of excitement and homesickness. Here's a hug to remind you that your virtual family is just a click away.

Fiona -- As slips go, pumpkin bread was probably a fairly healthy one especially if your co-op is like ours; i.e., it was probably made from organic ingredients, used unprocessed flour, and pumpkin has LOTS of fiber. I love your concept about mental exercise as well as physical. I've really struggled with the mental part, and love the idea of thinking of it as part of an exercise routine.

UBEE -- Thanks for the explanation, and a tummy hug -- what a great description of a wonderful feeling. Slipping up is going to happen and glad that typing it out seems to help. Maybe that's why so many people blog? I blog on the 3fc blog, but always save them with a password so only I can see them.

Workinghard -- Yahoo! A lower ticker!!!! I have to admit that you may be the only person I know who was somewhat excited to be at the doctor's for a bladder infection because it might have been good news about weight loss and being in ketosis. Now that's dedication!

Today is going to be spent getting the RV winterized, cleaned, and ready for the cover to be put on. I meant to get it done on Friday but just felt awful. About 7 at night, I discovered that I had forgotten to take my medications so my a fib was racing like crazy and blood pressure was through the roof. Definitely need to make sure that doesn't happen again. Today I'm back to normal and feel ready to tackle some of these projects around here.

Thanks for the messages

It is a reminder that the community here is supportive in all aspects of life

I actually feel a bit better now that I'm back to work... my day is full and I am on top of my game there

Up almost a pound today, but I had to do dinner with bare bones in the kitchen including ramen noodles and beef cubes... then I overdid it on the beef.... oh well.... usually I make beef stew, but I had no veggies... and the meat was thawed... live and learn

did badly this weekend, or well yesterday, beyond a cheat day, had breakfast out today too but tonight will be a light supper ... back on track onwards and upwards right?

Did my leg exercises last night. Back on the low-carb today. I've been on it so long, I'm getting indifferent to the thought of eating. Need to make sure I eat all of my meals on time, because when I skip one, I get irritable and headache-y. As for yesterday's pumpkin bread, my sweetie helped me out: he gobbled it up in no time, so I didn't have to worry about it anymore. =smile=

silentarctic— Sorry to hear about your bad time... I hope you're being completely accepting about this slip-up and not getting down on yourself. There's absolutely nothing to be gained from those negative thoughts. Every time you break the diet, it's a chance to learn more about what triggers your maladaptive eating and how to avoid that as much as you can. I find that writing somewhere about what exactly happened—before, during, and after—and what exactly I ate, in a kind, self-accepting way, is very helpful. If you're too shy to write about it here, do it in a place that's private, a blog or file or journal of your own.

time4me2change— Work really helps when you're tryin' to lose weight, doesn't it? I find that the more I throw myself into my work, the faster the time passes between meals, and I avoid the boredown that can be such a pitfall.

Betsy— I love hearin' about your new buddy, and I look forward to the pictures! I'm going to be getting a pair of oriental shorthair kittens in a few months, and I know I'll be chattering away about them. Animals have their own special rhythms. They're such a refreshing break from other people and one's own thought patterns.

workinghardatlosing— You go girl! I look forward to seeing your updated ticker. I can't wait to get through these first 20 postings and have a ticker of my own.

Ubee— Why do you have to shut up the two-year-old? You gotta do what you gotta do, but I believe in letting my own little girl scream and wail as loud as she wants to. And I don't call her a "brat": as much as I can, I accept her and love her. When she gets a chance to be heard, she's much less likely to go on a binge!

Jane— Sorry to hear about your headache... I'm doing Atkins, too, and I find that if I eat often enough, I avoid the headaches. You might want to add some low-carb snacks to your plan.