271.2 this morning. I'm doing it slow and steady, but that is what works for me. How is everyone else doing?

OK, so I can't tell you if you can taste 4 cups of spinach in a smoothie, but what I can tell you is this. I made a banana/berry smoothie (added low fat/low cal yogurt and a wee bit of milk) and tossed in a couple of leaves of kale, and I SWEAR you could not taste the kale. I offered some to my girls...one will try anything and one is very picky...they couldn't taste it either (even though they knew it was there) and my picky girl even asked if I could make one just for them (I did). So I am not sure about 4 cups...but you could for sure add SOME (fresh) spinach, and not taste it! Try it! What's the worst that can happen?

CC, I can't WAIT to see 271! Congrats!

Dogs, I'm just going to have to try it, you're right. I never know how to process kale and from what I understand, there's a lot of washing and blanching involved before you can eat it at all? Is that true? I'd like to try the kale chips everyone's been so crazy for the last few years, while we're on the subject.

I LOVE spinach but I can't get my head around drinking it. With berries (I do NOT like fruit in my salads. Yes, I know this makes me peculiar). But you're right, I might as well try it and see what happens. My daughter refuses to eat it...she's tried it. She'll TRY it every time we have it, but that's as far as she's willing to go. She likes smoothies so if I can sneak in some green with her blueberries, that would be great.

Total mishap at Starbucks today. Tried to go to the farmers market and - duh - closed for the 4th. My friend and I went to Starbucks instead. I LOVE their shaken Tazo Passion tea, unsweetened. It is so good. SO good. Zero calories, no artificial sweetener and it's pink. Today I had finished about half and I kept thinking...this just doesn't taste right. Something is weird here. Why is it too sweet...dun dun dun! SWEET! They gave me the sweetened version :o and it wasn't even good :p I always get the 32 oz so if I had finished it, it would have been 140 calories. Now, in my life what is 140 calories REALLY? But I am still so :mad::mad::mad: about those stupid 140 calories. Truly, I am nuts. But also hungry and I keep thinking...that's two pieces of string cheese! That's a banana and a half! A fairly large apple! :mad::mad::mad:

Happy 4th!

Going to the doctor this morning, wish me luck. I have been on BP meds for a few years but when my prescription ran out a few months ago, I flaked on finding a new doctor. After the first few calls and being told either no new patients or no new patient appointments till next month - I sort of just quit trying. Which was stupid. I KNOW high BP is no joke. I decided yesterday that today I am seeing someone if I have to go to a walk in clinic and maybe they can recommend a new doctor for the long term? Or at least I can get a prescription for a month to hold me till I get an appointment.

We have moved several times in the last few years and RIGHT before (I mean, the WEEK before our house went under contract) we moved last time, I found a fantastic family doctor and OB/GYN. It's really too far to drive, but I'm tempted. Both doctors were friendly but not creepy, open to questions, easy to talk to, and the GYN apt wasn't HORRIBLE. It wasn't fun, but I've certainly had worse.

So I'm off to find new local doctors and see any random doc I can find as a walk in patient. There's a clinic close to us but the last time I took my daughter there for a sinus infection (after school, high fever, ped an hour away), all he wanted to talk about was her weight (she had started a new med which made her gain weight, thanks for pointing it out, Dr. Jerk). So yeah, no. Won't be seeing him.

I haaaaate going to do the doctor. HATE IT.

Hey chicks. I'm Georgia and I've been on the broader forum for getting out of the 200s for awhile. I love getting all the community support I can get, so I'm joining in here until I'm out of the 270s.

I'm not officially a consistent member of this group since my weight keeps fluctuating between 288 and 292. But when I was breaking past 300 lbs, I found it helpful to identify with the 290s. And eventually, I had both feet in there! Hoping to keep that up by visiting here too.

I'm recently returned from a lovely month-long UK holiday (where I lost more weight!) and I'm struggling to fully re-enter daily life and the routine. It was a REALLY lovely holiday from all my daily distractions and responsibilities. I can't seem to wrap my head around being back home and resuming the role of mother, business owner, homeowner, dog owner, exercise and diet enthusiast.

What I have achieved since returning is getting back into my exercise routine. Sort of. I injured my ankle during my trip and I'm having to stay off it as much as possible. Icing and taking ibuprofen to deal with the pain. Probably have to stay off it for a couple more weeks. I just took a gentle walk last night to nearby spot to view the holiday fireworks. Probably no more than a quarter mile in total. But today, my ankle and heel are experiencing renewed pain. It's a tendonitis/plantar fasciitis thing. I bought a brace to wear plus I'm doing some stretching and toe pointing in my Pilates class, plus rolling on a tennis ball at home (when my dog lets me have it!).

Actually, everything is sore today because I'm still suffering DOMS since Tuesday's workout in Pilates class and the upper body weight training I did before class. I don't mind DOMS so much any more. It just reminds me that I worked! I love that I can see the muscles in my shoulders and arms slowly emerge. I can feel my triceps now. Wish I could see them! By the time I get down to goal weight, I'll have a lovely muscular physique waiting for me.

Where I'm experiencing failure is the diet. I am struggling to cut the carbs. I was eating really low carb before my trip (like 25 to 30 gm a day), but since returning, I can't seem to keep it below 70 gm and have even popped up to 150 gm a few days. I am not supposed to eat like that! I'm a type 2 diabetic and I'm trying to control my blood sugar with diet and exercise. My pancreas is happiest at the lowest level of carbs, and when I eat like that, the weight does melt away faster.

I'm going to take the weekend to do some fasting and try to get my head in the diet again. Holiday is done and the last of the potato chips and potato salad will be gone. No alcohol-drinking events scheduled for a few weeks. Lots of veggies in the refrigerator.

The game is on!

Well back from vacation... down 2 more pounds! Which is a bit of a miracle I think considering how awful I ate during those weeks, I guess spending at least 4 hours swimming a day kept things in check. lol.

Hey all! It felt good to get back in the gym today. Yesterday was a bad eat day, today was better.

Hope all is well!

Hi all! My visiting in-laws are driving me bonkers!! But I've manged to stay on plan pretty well during the week. We had a birthday celebration for my daughter tonight and I skipped the cupcakes and ice cream, and the ciabatta during dinner. I am really hoping to lose 2lbs this week, but it is so hard with house guests. And they make me want to stuff my face because they irritate me so much. I'm trying to escape upstairs with a book instead of heading to the pantry.

spinderella - that's amazing that you lose two pounds on vacation. Great job!

Neast - yesterday is gone, today's a new day.

Georgia - welcome! Good luck getting back on the low-carb track! I try to eat low-ish carbs but I consider it a good day if it is about 125. I like fruit. And beer. :D

98 days - I hate going to the doctor too. And then I found one that I like and she moved!! But I got an appointment right before she left so I don't have to figure it out for a year. I hope you find yourself a good one!

Canadian - Slow and steady!!

Texas Yankee - Good luck with the in-laws. Sounds like you're doing well.
Neast - Here's to another good day tomorrow.
98 - I hope the doctor went well.
Spin - I hope hope you had fun on your vacation.

279! WOOT! Now roll on, 260s!

Texas - good luck with the in laws. Mine haven't visited in a while (they live in another country), and it was fine when they did (all seven of them for ten days!) but just having other people in your space for an extended time throws everything off.

Neast, hope today is another good one!

Spinderella, who loses two pounds on vaca? That's fantastic!

Georgia, it's so hard to get back into real life after a nice, long vacation. Or at least, I think it must be - it's been a while since I had one. That's so fantastic that you're working out. I can't seem to get started.

I don't know why I'm so sleepy. I want to find a quiet spot and nap but I've promised my daughter we're going to see Brave today.

Anyone have exciting plans for the weekend?

So I weigh in tomorrow. However, I don't think I lost anything this week. Think it's because I strength trained 3 times this week? How long before I start dropping. Except for Wed. I have Stayed within my calories. Help!

Neast, what's your calorie range? Do you weigh and measure? When I stop losing, I sometimes go back to weighing and measuring and often find there's been a fair bit of "creep" in my "estimates." I just CAN NOT eyeball things.

I also have to REALLY REALLY watch salt, especially in this hot weather. Heat + salt = sausage fingers for me.

THIS!! For my ankles and feet too! It's horrible! I've gained 9 lbs in the last two days since the temperatures started getting into the upper 90s. That has officially kicked me out of this group! :mad: Yesterday I spent the day drinking extra water, taking dandelion pills and elevating my feet. The swelling went down a little overnight, but not that much. I'm just going to be a cranky bloated mess for the week until my body adjusts to the higher temps.

I'm sticking around...I have goals and ambitions about getting kicked out of this group, but on the other side of this weight class!

Wishing everyone a well-hydrated weekend.

As for getting kicked out - I'm not the boss of anything (except my husband, and he knows it!) but there's another group called "getting out of the 280s" or something similar and they've been together forEVER. They're probably all over the place weight-wise by now but I don't think anyone's going to insist anyone else leave on either end of the spectrum!

Also, have you tried Peach Detox Yogi Tea? Target has it, I'm sure other places do as well. It isn't tasty but in the hot months or when we go to the beach (yes, even standing in salt water seems to make me retain fluid. I am a freak. Behold the freak!), I drink it regularly. I'm not a doctor or anything so do your homework, but it helps me deal with the excess fluid.

I survived the week of in-laws, but just barely! And my house still reeks of cheap perfume but it's too hot to air it out.

I only lost .6 lbs. while they were here even though I stayed under my calories for the week. I did have one bad afternoon/evening when I felt like it wasn't working anyway so I just said screw it and had a margarita and a beer and chips and creamy jalepeno and popcorn. But I got back on plan the next day. My weight this morning was 274.4. I was hoping to be down by 274 by this past Sunday's weigh-in but I was happy with 274.4 today. I leave for NY at the end of July and I'd really like to be 268 by then. I have three weeks!

As you talk about salt, I am sitting here eating a bowl of cucumbers in vinegar and salting every bite. I've ate it like that since I was a kid. I just love vinegar and salt!

The weather hasn't been so bad here - just in the high 90s. Which sounds really hot but it's pretty good that it is less than 100. I've even been able to walk the dog at night, without the pavement burning his feet.

Keep it up!!