Just jumping in here briefly to say that I'm still alive, still maintaining and even reading the maintenance thread from time to time, but swamped right now with grant-writing, patient care and family issues. I even managed to lose a pound from being too busy to eat (I know, I know, it'll be right back tomorrow).
Anyway, happy February 1st everyone. I'll be back with more time to post on the 10th. Until then, best wishes and easy maintenance to all of you.
Yesterday I finally gave into some stress eating, which I've been resisting with every fiber of my being for the past few weeks. Rehearsal last night was long and stressful (my word of the day!). Dress rehearsal is tonight... dun dun dun. That is no excuse to eat sugar. I'm trying to hang on! And get enough sleep. I definitely didn't get enough last night.
I was trying actively to lose in January, so perhaps I'm in a different place than some of you.
Jan 1: 158 lbs
Jan 31: 154 lbs
High: 160 (you can guess what time of month that was)
Low: 154
My exercise was a lot of walks with the dog and a decent amount of stairmaster. Not sure about #s though, I have to go back and look at my pedometer and food logs. I can't wait until this play is over, I want to do the NROLW program again and am excited to have the time to start!
Andrea, I hope all that work etc doesn't have you too stressed out!
Gary, I haven't seen that one but will have to look for it. Netflix carries South Park episodes so I'm sure I can find it. A few months ago in desperation I started reading Milan's books to help train Emma. I started telling BF, "Dave, SIT" in a calm assertive voice. It worked on him. Not on the dog.
Dagmar, have fun with your new charges! Sounds like a lot of fun for you (and them!).
I'm going to go stare at my computer now... try to be productive today...
I just checked out Barbara Belenky's blog at http://refusetoregain.com/ and she made a new post called "Life on the Island". I sort of feel that way too! We've got out own maintainers island, and I'm glad you're all on it with me.
I'm going to take a few deep breaths and continue on with my day.
Okay, here are my stats for January:
Jan 1 - 153.6
Jan 31 - 155.6
High - 157.4
Low - 152.2
DH has been doing WW since last summer and has lost 40+ pounds. I lost 50 pounds with WW the summer before and have been struggling ever since. DH stays exactly on plan (he is a scientist and literally weighs his peanut butter when he has toast). So I'm the one wearing the dunce cap in our household. I'm right at the top of the healthy range for my height, and DH has finally gotten into that territory himself.
On one hand, my year-and-a-half of struggling have been a lot of seeing what I could get away with without gaining it all back (or so it seems). Compared to how hard I have to try to lose an ounce, I should have gained back the whole 50 plus some by now the way I eat. I actually only gained back 20 of it, and mainly when I see my family, 5 pounds at a time.
I was 170 +/- 2 pounds for years (since 9th grade when I got fat) so I'm still much better off than I was, which detracts from the drive to get back down to where I was. On the other hand, after a year of struggling, I decided I really did like being where I was (at 135) and would like to get back there.
BUT I just don't seem to be able to muster up what it takes to move back in that direction. I seem to be able to eat so much and get away with it, yet to lose, it seems like I must starve myself and yet I get nowhere.
I did get back to exercising this week as we have had a warm spell. I think that may help. But at the same time, I made chocolate caramels - a Christmas tradition that I make every year but my mom decided to make them and totally botched them so I didn't get them at Christmas. Well, I do WW and eating them this week has been the equivalent of eating my extra points 3 times, and I haven't been a saint in everything else I've eaten either. They are gone now, so hopefully I can try to eat mostly on plan again.
BUT I just don't seem to be able to muster up what it takes to move back in that direction.
A lot of us struggle with this exact thing. I know I do. I've been trying, but sometimes I don't think I'm trying quite hard enough. But at least I'm trying--before now, I was only thinking about it. I guess it's a step in the right direction at this point, but I need to muster the strength to take the rest of the journey.
Pagenta-- are you still attending meetings? Are you tracking? I work part-time for WW, and I know that most people need to continue to do these things to stay motivated and on-track. When I don't track, it is easy to go over my points even if I'm eating healthy-- or my portions gradually get larger....
Dh got the call for an interview which will be on Feb. 13. We will see what happens.....
Last edited by traveling michele; 02-02-2012 at 10:44 AM.
Megan - I have also been trying actively to lose this month. Not that you can tell from my stats. I hope your day is going well, honey. Try to stay strong on the stress eating today - it won't make you happy in the long run, no matter how it looks today.
Pageta - I have discovered that I can't make things like your caramels anymore. I have no willpower. I can totally understand what you are saying about not being able to muster the energy to go in the right direction. February will be better.
Michele - good luck to DH on the interview!
Hey Andrea!
Gary - for years the only things we kept on the DVR were sporting events we hadn't gotten to yet and children's programming. Netflix streaming has given me my DVR back.
I just stepped on the scale for the first time in... I don't know, months? Maybe almost a year. I'm shocked and thrilled that the number was 126.5!! A few lbs lower than what I was expecting.
I skipped my run this morning because I'm way behind on laundry and all of my sports bras are too gross to wear... nice excuse, right?
My bf records lots of TV shows - I really don't watch much TV but it's nice that anytime I decide to, I have plenty of choices.
My DH records a lot of things. All car races and whatever game he might be interested in on the weekend. We'll ignore the recording until later in the day when he'll watch it, going fast over the commercials.
So our weekends are usually like this: get up, set up the DVR, go about our business (errands, chores, movie, golf, etc.) and late in the afternoon, he watches whatever he recorded earlier that day.
So why he recorded the entire series of "Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero" specifically so we could watch it on weekend afternoons WITH his parents--because he thought they enjoy it (I'm sure they would)--BUT instead of watching these shows, he watches the race or game from earlier in the day. His logic isn't, well, very logical.
All our other recorded shows get watched usually the day after the program aired.
On occasion he'll record a movie we haven't seen, and we'll watch those on nights when there isn't any current show to watch (except for the Rising shows, of course).
Pagenta-- are you still attending meetings? Are you tracking? I work part-time for WW, and I know that most people need to continue to do these things to stay motivated and on-track. When I don't track, it is easy to go over my points even if I'm eating healthy-- or my portions gradually get larger....
I weigh in every month to maintain Lifetime status. I attended 3 meetings in December to learn the updated program, but didn't stay for the meeting this month. I'm a SAHM with three kids so staying for the meeting means an extra trip to town on a day we usually stay at home PLUS the headache of attending a meeting with three active children.
As for tracking, yes that does help, but it's kind of like a map and when one goes way off plan (as I did with the chocolate caramels, which is why they only get made once a year), tracking at those times is like using a map of Nebraska to navigate one's way through Oregon. Generally I do keep such food out of the house.
I do count points. One challenge I have (and have had since I started struggling) is that I'm nursing part-time and haven't been able to consistently determine how many points I should have every day. If I pick a number too high, I don't lose any weight (which is a lot of effort for no results) and if I go too low, I really struggle with extreme hunger. My dd is a toddler and doesn't nurse the same amount every day, unlike when she was nursing exclusively. I've tried giving myself 2 pts per nursing session, which works better than anything else (as in, I was able to do it for about three weeks before I ran out of steam, which is the longest I've been successful at tracking since I fell off the wagon when she started solids).
When I say "ran out of steam," that means I started eating so far off plan that tracking became a flogging session rather than a tool to keep one on track. I would start tracking in the morning and by noon I had blown it big and would just quit writing things down and try to stay OP from that point forward for the rest of the day. Drawing a line in the sand and eating OP for the rest of the day seems to work best for getting back on the wagon and staying on, but tracking what I eat for the rest of the day is so disheartening that it just knocks me off the wagon again if I even try. So then the next day I start tracking again, only to have the same thing happen. After about a week of that, I just give up altogether. Thus the using-a-map-of-Nebraska-to-navigate-one's-way-through-Oregon analogy.
So that's where I am at the moment. I think the thing I hate most about watching one's weight is that you can be good for 23 hours and 59 minutes and blow it all in a single minute (or so it seems). It really doesn't take but a moment to completely ruin an otherwise splendidly OP day. Story of my life...
I just checked out Barbara Belenky's blog at http://refusetoregain.com/ and she made a new post called "Life on the Island". I sort of feel that way too! We've got out own maintainers island, and I'm glad you're all on it with me.
I'm going to take a few deep breaths and continue on with my day.
I love that blog! And yes, I totally get the island thing. It's really hard to find information about how people maintain, and just like weight-loss, there are a lot of different ways of approaching it that are all successful in the end. This forum is such a big help!
Wow Iris! I can't imagine not weighing for months-- I'm impressed!!
Pagenta--
I don't have any sage words of advice for you, but it does sound like you aren't in a great place mentally to maintain. I understand the difficulty with meetings and children....One idea that might work for you??? After reaching maintenance, I missed the "highs" of losing weight, buying smaller clothes, etc. I rewarded myself with a pandora bracelet, and each month I was at or below my goal, I bought myself a new charm. I wear the bracelet most days as an "anchor", reminding myself of my hard work. I worked too hard to take my weight off-- I don't want to have to do it again. I'm sure you agree!!
So that's where I am at the moment. I think the thing I hate most about watching one's weight is that you can be good for 23 hours and 59 minutes and blow it all in a single minute (or so it seems). It really doesn't take but a moment to completely ruin an otherwise splendidly OP day. Story of my life...
I seem to blow it myself each and every day. Some days worse than others, but I'm working (slowly) to get it under control. I can't say that mine is blown in one minute, but there is that window of time where I can mindlessly do things that are disastrous for dieting.
I got a bit more sleep last night and feel much better today. I had a slightly more indulgent, but not off-plan dinner last night ("quesadilla" made w ww tortillas & reduced fat cheddar) to satisfy my "junky stress" craving. Because of how hungry I've been, I've been toying w the idea of doing a "maintenance week" like Jessica does for a few days and have decided to try it. I will still track my cals and if it doesn't work, I won't do it again.
I'm only working a half day and Emma is at daycare, so I'm really looking forward to having time for a long workout at the gym later. Tonight is opening night! Yeep! I'll be at the theatre all weekend. What's everyone else up to?
Pageta, sorry you're struggling so much. I understand the frustration in some ways as I've had a regain since I went on maintenance and am still working on getting it off. Though I work full time I don't have kids and I know I can't even imagine the time and energy draw that must be. As Michele suggested, maybe some type of reward to keep yourself motivated would help? If it's consistently certain types of food or a certain time of day where you get stuck, maybe you could re-examine what is triggering you to work around it? Just work on "fixing" one thing at a time and take it slowly. We are always here to support you!
Iris, great job maintaining this year! When my workout clothes are the "limiting factor" to my laundry, I always tell myself good job bc I must have worked out a lot that week.
I hope your day is going well, honey. Try to stay strong on the stress eating today - it won't make you happy in the long run, no matter how it looks today. 
to everyone!
A few lbs lower than what I was expecting. 
I understand the frustration in some ways as I've had a regain since I went on maintenance and am still working on getting it off. Though I work full time I don't have kids and I know I can't even imagine the time and energy draw that must be. As Michele suggested, maybe some type of reward to keep yourself motivated would help? If it's consistently certain types of food or a certain time of day where you get stuck, maybe you could re-examine what is triggering you to work around it? Just work on "fixing" one thing at a time and take it slowly. We are always here to support you! 
