[Slipfree]

Where are you peeps?

[want2bskinnyagain]

Here I am Slip!! LOL. So I have run out of work at my second job, so I am no longer working there. It was good experience and gave me confidence to look for an office job in the future. And it also frees up more of my time, which I like.
Yesterday I went to a live theatre production of `Fiddler on the Roof`, it was awesome. Went with friends and it had a buffet lunch before the production. Normally when I have gone I would eat WAY more then I normally do, mostly fried foods and dessert. Well yesterday I ate 3 bites of something fried(decided it just wasn`t worth it) and the rest was according to my plan, and no dessert. I have to say that I did feel a little deprived at the time and still hungry afterwards but I did not go back for seconds. Today I am pretty proud of myself for sticking to plan (other then a couple of bites). Just proves to myself that eating healthy can be done while away from my house, where I control everything I make and eat. It is still so amazing to me how much my attitude and mind has changed in 7 months. Makes me think that my mind is changing with my body this time, I don`t think that happened before and that is why I have always gone back to my old ways and gained the weight back.
Hope everyone is having a great day.

[Slipfree]

Hi Want2b,

I am so with you on the mind change. I have a very busy weekend coming up. 3 things to do in one day,none of which involve having a refrigerator around. My immediate thought was how am I going to have my food to stay OP! I came up with a plan, I am going to my Aunt's two nights in a row. None of the food is OP either night. Saturday, I have my Phase Off meeting, then we are going to a baseball game and back to my Aunt's for dinner. So I came up with the solution of bringing my Sat. food on Fri. night. Until I thought of the solution, I was trying to get out of some of the plans. Things have really changed!

So my hair was a big hit. You should have seen my 7th graders faces. It was so funny. My boss thought there was a sub in for me from a distance. Pretty funny

[Hiker88]

Glad the hair was a hit! You must look like a totally different person since the fall! Most people are getting used to my new looks but I still run into the odd person.. today it was an old work mate at the grocery store... its still kind of fun to surprise people with my weight loss!

[Slipfree]

Good morning everyone,

Hope to see some great update posts from all of you today. I seem to be retaining water, not to happy about it.

Hiker, you are right, surprising people is fun. One of the great pay offs for the hard work.

Have a great day!

[KookySuki]

Good Morning Everyone!

Want2B- great NSV! That change in mindset is going to help in maintenance. It's cool when you see it in action like you just did. I like how the intense food cravings are pretty much gone for me now and when I get them I can usually figure out something OP to eat for my snack or meal.

Slipfree- You're planning is impressive. I love how no one recognized you at work. You have made a really incredible transformation and the haircut accentuates that.

I think I'm retaining water too and it might have to do with buying crisps last week and eating them every day. The sodium, calories, and carbs are higher than what I normally have for lunch which is an orange drink packet. I guess I must be sensitive to salt and/or additional carbs. No crisps and light salt for me today! My weigh in is tomorrow.

It also seems like I gain weight (which I hope is muscle) or retain more water when I have a more active week. I know this doesn't sound like a workout, but I cleaned a lot and had to walk and lift a lot in the process on Sunday. I cleaned out 3 Costco sized bags of clothing from my closet to donate and organized the stuff I'm going to sell on eBay. I basically deep cleaned my entire apartment and was actually sore from it. I live on the 3rd floor of my building, so when I do major cleaning projects like this, I haul bags of donations and trash down 3 flights of stairs and hustle back up the stairs because I want to get done quickly. I think that's why my butt and legs were sore.

I get irritated when activity which is healthy, seems to slow my losses. I guess the slowing from exercise is only temporary because the muscle will eventually burn more fat, but it's hard to get motivated to exercise on P1 when this happens.

Have a good day friends!

[Hiker88]

The scale hasn't moved this week! I feel like I'm pms'ing a week early though.. even woke up to night sweats last night so I'm going with the water theory as well! LOL! I've been totally OP so I just have to stick to my guns and know my body will let go when its ready...

I always stay the same or go up a little after I've been using my muscles more than usual... if I'm sore I know the muscles are holding onto water for a few days and sure enough the scale goes down in a couple of days..

[KookySuki]

Hiker- I'm experiencing the same thing with the scale- no movement except going up a couple of times since last WI and I've been 100% OP. I hope my muscles let go of the water before tomorrow.

I also need to confess that instead of food cravings, I am getting much more into clothes shopping! I need to settle down because I still have 25-35 lbs to go, so that will probably equate to smaller clothing sizes. I just get excited buying stuff for my new body, but need to realize it's still changing. I've been careful to buy things that should still fit at goal (with the exception of pants, but I just buy a few pairs of cheap jeans to get me through). I'm sure once I get there I will want to wear fitted and not baggy clothing. I'll also need new bras again soon. This is fun, but expensive.

[Hiker88]

LOL, my 'girls' are looking quite deflated these days! I don't even want to calculate how many bra sizes I went down.. I'm glad I have some clothes that fit.. When I wear more fitted shirts etc.. people seem to think I look thinner so its nice to wear things that shoe off the smaller me!

[KookySuki]

Originally Posted by Hiker88

LOL, my 'girls' are looking quite deflated these days! I don't even want to calculate how many bra sizes I went down.. I'm glad I have some clothes that fit.. When I wear more fitted shirts etc.. people seem to think I look thinner so its nice to wear things that shoe off the smaller me!

Mine are the same way...grr! At least bras help lift and shape, but I'm really hoping they don't look like this permanently or I might get a reduction or lift. I'm just happy not to have to special order my bras online anymore due to the size.

[want2bskinnyagain]

Kooky: It is hard to get into regular exercise especially with bad side effects. But for me, I want to be in a regular exercise habit ebfore getting to goal so I don't have to worry about that as well. I think it is our own personal preference and what works for us.

Hiker: You are right, you need to stick with the plan and have faith that the scale will go down...and it always does. Keep strong and keep moving forward, it will all be worth it in the end.

Kooky and Hiker, I am with you on the bras. My 'girls' are rather small but the band size has gone down alot. One of my secret 'goals' is to fit into cute bras, and get a bra and panty that match! I have never done that. Silly I know but a goal is still a goal. lol.

Another one of my goal purchases has always been a Lululemon hoodie, one of the thick ones. When I was shopping with a friend on Sunday we went into the store just so I could try one on to see if the largest size(which is a 12) would fit me. I have tried them on before but they have never been close to coming closed, let alone zipped up. I got it zipped up but it was way to tight. Then I tried on a thinner one with more stretch, the 10 fit! I can't wait to get to goal and start buying my goal clothing!

[Slipfree]

Hi, seems to be that kind of week! Issues with C are causing water retention for me. I had tuna with soy sauce last night and the scale was up 2 pounds today!! The scale is just messing with me because of the phase off meeting. I know it is water, because my clothes are fitting better(so the inches are going).

Kooky, be careful with the clothes shopping. Remember the Maggy London dress? Too big already Will have to have it taken in. Congrats on all the cleaning. I am working my way through the closet still. As for the "girls", same issue here. Went from a 38 ddd to a 34 dd.

My hair is so easy to style! I was afraid that it would be hard, but it is quick. I am relieved.

[Slipfree]

Good Morning,

Spending the day with 600 students doing exercise stations at a local park. Wish me patience and luck!

Hope that you are OP and that your journey is smooth.

[KookySuki]

Want2B- I'm with you on exercise...I am starting to be more active and just need to accept temporary weight fluctuations for the long term benefit. I'm just not very patient with the scale (and other things) sometimes when I'm doing everything OP and get slow or no movement. I need to start appreciating inches lost and other NSVs more. That's awesome that the hoodie you want fits and you can buy it at goal. You'll probably need an even smaller size. I also want to buy cute bra/panty combos because I couldn't find ones I liked at my old size.

Slipfree- You're right about the clothes. I've got plenty until I hit goal. I may need to buy more pants prior to goal, but I shouldn't invest any more money in clothes at this point. I should use a shopping trip to the Bay Area as my reward for getting to goal and I can start saving for it now.

All of my bigger clothes are officially out of the apartment except for the ones that I'm going to sell on eBay or consign. It feels much better to have a more spacious, organized closet. It was also cathartic to purge the clothing that has bad memories of hiding my body because I was so ashamed and uncomfortable with how I looked.

I want to get to goal and maintain so that I'm comfortable in my own skin and I'm proud of my body. I'm already feeling much more confident, but I want to achieve my goal to get to a healthy weight and be more comfortable in my body. I'm excited about the excess weight being gone so that it's easier to be active and I will be able to focus on toning and strengthening rather than weight loss.

Have a good day everyone!

[want2bskinnyagain]

Slip: Wishing you tons of patience today, good luck!

Kooky: I am not very patient with the scale either, no matter the loss every week it is still not enough. LOL. I keep telling myself a loss is still a loss. I only take my measurments once a month so that is nice to see the inches go down there too, even when I feel the scale hasn't moved much.

WI today, down another 1.8lbs. So close to 70lbs gone. I am thinking that the losses RE slower now since I am getting closer to goal, which means it will take longer to get to goal. Not happy about that, but it is what it is. I WILL get there one day. My motivational level has been pretty good lately, which makes me happy. Keep going strong everyone.