[Ilene]

Ah Ha!! I knew you were off track, Meg, I check out your Fitday for ideas on food sometimes... yesterday I checked and there was nothing there, I then clicked the day before nothing, then the day before nothing... mmmmm something fishy here! I'm happy to see you're back on track... I'll be checking on ya !

Silver -- Have you tried eating every 2-3 hrs? How is it going for you? Oh, and thank you for the Maintainers official welcome... are you the Welcome Wagon on this forum?

Sashenka -- Just go to the clinic and the heck with them...Congrats on the 2#...

karynlee -- There is nothing like lifting heavy and feeling strong! Keep up the great work...

Elanajel -- I hope you're feeling better soon... I woke up with the sniffles this morning too, I'm not sure tho if it's a cold or from the cat sleeping near my face half the night!! Probably the cat, I feel fine now...

SusanB -- It's Saturday have you exercised today?? It's the exercise police here... ...

Speaking of hearing something a zillions times and finally having it sink in... Mrs.Jim always says it get easier with time... if the last 2 weeks are any indication of that, I must say I have had an extremely good 2 week.... I'm not saying I haven't eaten anything off, but it's been extremely controlled and easier... I've even gone out 5 times! I plug along eating the right foods, exercising, and I'm really not finding it that difficult... HONEST!! I may be tooting my own horn way too soon, and I'll be kicking myself this time next week , but at the present I actually feel this way...

One thing that has motivated me is that at least 6 people have noticed my weight loss this week. A lot of people are taking double takes when they see me, or they look at me funny, and I know they are thinking, there is something different about me... It’s all very strange because the scale hasn’t moved in a long time, but we know that even if the scale is a very helpful tool, it’s also not an accurate tool.... In the past when someone would have notice my weight loss I would have said: “Woohoo! I can go back and eat now!” NOT anymore, I just keep plugging along ...

Another motivator is reading "Thin for Life"... I've ordered 2 of the books for my g/f's for Christmas, in the hopes that this will motivate them too... They seem discouraged at times, when they consider that this is for a lifetime, I just want to let them know that they are not alone... I'm sorry I didn't order 3 books now, because the newer version has a little more than the book I get at the library...I'm not sure I may just give one away.......

Anywhoo, I have to go vacuum... ... This post has been long enough, I appologize!

Let's be careful out there....TTFN...

[Meg]

Originally Posted by Ilene

I'll be checking on ya !

Please do! Sometimes I just need a little accountability, KWIM?

Originally Posted by Ilene

Another motivator is reading "Thin for Life"... I've ordered 2 of the books for my g/f's for Christmas, in the hopes that this will motivate them too... They seem discouraged at times, when they consider that this is for a lifetime, I just want to let them know that they are not alone... I'm sorry I didn't order 3 books now, because the newer version has a little more than the book I get at the library...I'm not sure I may just give one away.......

What perfect timing for you to talk about Thin For Life! We're putting together plans for a book discussion group for January on the revised Thin For Life ... watch for an announcment soon and KEEP a copy for yourself (or put it on your holiday wish list!)

[Mel]

Uh-oh! I haven't been using fitday for ages! I'm on track, Ilene! Actually, I have NO desire to eat due to a bizarre and rare side effect of a new fibromyalgia drug. For the first time in my life, I'm having to remind myself to eat something. I keep mentally "testing"- thinking about my worst trigger foods, but so far my reaction has been "why bother". It's very weird and unsettling. I don't really expect this to last. So I've just been in a 5 meal a day food rut. I don't really care what it is, so it might as well be clean

Workouts have been fair to good this week. My knee is still bothering me when I do cardio that is any more taxing than brisk walking on an incline
Someday, all of me may work again!

Mel

[jansan]

I went and checked Meg. You are having a good day!

Although the week is not yet over, it has been good for me thus far. I have exercised every day except one, and eaten well both in taste and reduced calories. And although my official weigh-in day isnt until Monday, I have lost another pound this week, last night's party and appetizers included! I am very pleased.

This week a women who used to play and teach tennis in town visited with her family. We played doubles with her again this morning. She is a very good player and in her age group is ranked in the top 10 nationally. It was alot of fun with alot of heated, competitive points. Even though I have only lost just 12 pounds in this wl phase, I could really tell the difference in my movement. I not only can do greater lurches and leans complete with squeals to hit out of reach shots, but I can tell the difference in sprinting for the ball. I am absolutely fast again. Faster than most women half my age. I feel so light on my feet again. I love it. What a fun day.

I also had my hair cut drastically yesterday. I had allowed it to get long so I wuold have 10 to 12 inches in a ponytail to donate for wigs for cancer patients. (they need 7 ponytails for one wig) I let it get extra long so when it was cut I would not appear scalped. Do I love it shorter. I have waited a long time to be rid of that hair. And I love the new cut.

Jan

[mette]

Hello everybody –
I have been reading and not posting the last month or so, due to insane amounts of school work this semester. I’ve been doing both hospital practice and theoretical classes - with papers to write and lectures to prepare. And working on the side.
And I’m very happy to see how busy the Maintainer forum has been lately. You have been having some very interesting discussions, and it’s been very helpful for me too: I’ve also been trying to figure out how this maintaining thing works.

I've lost weight in stages. Lost the first 35lbs two years ago, maintained the weight for a year, and had my second weight loss period this spring and summer – and lost 25lbs, making a total of 60lbs. I started maintaining the new weight at the end of August, and was surprised to find that I was unprepared for a couple of things. I thought I knew how maintaining worked, and that it wouldn’t be any problems for me this time around.

It’s taken a long time just to keep my weight stable: the scale has been moving up and down the same four-five pounds; never staying in the same place two weeks in a row. And I have been trying to find out how much I can eat this time, and it’s taken me almost 3 months to conclude that now I maintain when I eat between 1900-2000 calories a day.

I’m basically OK with eating this many calories; I can live well with it. But I still struggle with feeling restricted. It’s like – losing weight: yes, I know – I have to restrict my eating. But when I’m done? I don’t want to restrict anything anymore. I want to eat what and how much I want, when and where I want. It feels like my inner 5-year-old is having tantrums and then sulking, every time I’ve reached my daily quota of food…
This was one of my problems the last time I maintained too, and I’m starting to see (like everybody here) that things like that don’t go away or disappear.

But anyway. Just wanted to pop in and say Hi!

[jansan]

mette writes:<<I’m basically OK with eating this many calories; I can live well with it. But I still struggle with feeling restricted. It’s like – losing weight: yes, I know – I have to restrict my eating. But when I’m done? I don’t want to restrict anything anymore. I want to eat what and how much I want, when and where I want. It feels like my inner 5-year-old is having tantrums and then sulking, every time I’ve reached my daily quota of food…
This was one of my problems the last time I maintained too, and I’m starting to see (like everybody here) that things like that don’t go away or disappear. >>

There is a good book by Laurel Mellin called The Solution. In it, among other things, she talks about something called 'essential pain'. This is the concept of accepting things we cant change and also feel bad about. One of the things about losing weight and maintaining is accepting we can never eat all the foods, nor the amounts we used to, and there may be some pain, frustration, deprivation, etc. about this. 'Essential pain' we need to deal with in order to move into the next life phase with freedom.

The grieving process applies to more than just lost loved ones. We sometimes need to mini grieve about the loss of smaller things such as a job, a broken vase, a friendship, a pet, and now, old pleasurable eating patterns. In fact when having to moderate food, we have lost a good old friend many of us have had. Something that was there thru thick and thin, who was there for us when others might not have been, something that was fun, something that distracted us and so forth. And now its gone. We need to grieve this loss, even though it was a dysfunctional relationship, and sometimes this is unpleasant.

Jan