Oh, Angie - the suspense is killing me! I, too, hope you have great results! (But really, since you're getting such great feedback from your clothes and the mirror, it doesn't matter all that much...)

Enjoynlife - I LOVE those whooshes. And so often, they come after a period of time when water has replaced fat on your body for a little bit. I read an article about it that was admittedly theory without a strong research base, but it made sense to me. And it's a theory that helps make the mental struggle easier for me when I hit weeks of slow/no loss, so I've embraced it. =)

I'm down a little bit. I was having a great week until Friday night, when I made a conscious choice to eat pizza for the first time since June. It was good, but I woke up the next morning dying for water and feeling a bit miserable. Like a hangover, I suppose (as a non-drinker, I'm only guessing). Back on plan. And don't think I'll crave pizza again for a very, very long time.

I still remember the first time I lost a significant amount of weight. I only had 30 that I reasonably needed to lose, and I had lost it all, but I was on a very strict form of eating. I remember breaking down and having something not on plan. After that, I was done. I never got back my "mojo," and eventually gained it all back.

The pizza episode reminded me of two things. 1 - Missteps do not mean failure, and indulging is sometimes better than days of obsessing and accompanying struggles. 2 - There are some foods (pizza, cookies, etc.) that open up huge cravings for EVERYTHING for me. Maybe remembering the second will be helpful in deciding that i don't really want to indulge after all.

Enjoynlife - I think you are amazing. I am Sssooo happy to have you around! Thanks for always making me feel great. Three things:

1- I feel amazing! I meant I am only down a bit on the scale, when I wanted to have a bigger loss, and I had been on schedule for it because I generally get post-TOM whooshes. But when I went back and read it, it sounded exactly like you had interpreted it. :-) Loved the encouragement nonetheless, so am happy I wasn't as clear as I should have been.

2 - psyllium. When I go high protein / significant calorie restriction, I tend to only have bowel movements every 3 or 4 days. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I prefer to use psyllium, which is natural, just because it seems healthier to 'clean out' more frequently. And it really does make things 'smooth' and regular for me. I would just recommend building up slowly, as it initially causes gas issues.

3 - I know nothing about probiotics. :-(. Wish I did. I take a few supplements, mostly to help avoid muscle cramps and because I am susceptible to anemia, plus a multi because I calorie restrict and don't want to have to focus on micros the way I do on macros. But I encourage you to start a thread about it and engage the collective wisdom here (and wake up the board a bit!)

I don't know how I missed your earlier post! I tend to be very hit-and-miss, but this is a thread I tend to monitor.

I use the WM brand psyllium. I take six with 20 ounces of water once a day. Make sure if you take a multi (which I do), you don't take it at the same time.

I have never heard the advice to not take it daily. I don't take it as medicine, but as a supplement. (It's really only different in my head, I think.) But when I worked as a nurses aide, they gave it to elderly patients daily to prevent constipation. I don't know...

I hit 50 on Wednesday, then proceeded to work all night that night and far too late on Thursday night, so 5:15 am to 2:00 am (app. 45 hours by my math) before a short sleep night. Bad sleep affects my weight, so we'll see if I hold onto the loss for WI. :-) I have never changed my ticker mid-week before, but I am not sorry I did!

Looks like you experienced a great whoosh yourself! And if you've been working your plan, your October loss may represent fat loss. Based on my imperfect understanding of what you health writer wrote about 'squishy fat and whooshes,' I will explain, badly. The theory goes that as your body burns fat for energy, sometimes those cells will fill with water temporarily. Thus - squishy fat. Then, if you drink sufficient water, it will sometimes release all of that water fairly quickly. I have never noticed my fat being 'squishy,' but I do experience whooshes! Don't know if the theory is true. Don't really care. It helps me stay focused during low-loss times. And this is so mental.

Angie - cannot wait to hear about your success! Your discipline is awe-inspiring.

enjoynlife - Thanks so much! I'd be more excited if I could get out of my own head lol. TOM just started today and I'm sure the hormones are fueling my self-image issues. I'm bloated and it shows in the mirror and I'm just feeling the weight loss blues (I want to be at goal already). It's like when I wake up I run to the mirror expected to look 50 pounds thinner from the day before! LOL When I don't see it I get mad LOL! I know, I'm weird. Ehhh...this feeling will pass. BUT CONGRATS ON YOUR 11.4 POUND LOSS!! Fantisimo!!!

LaurieDawn - WOOOHOOOO!! 50 POUNDS!!! That's so awesome! Congrats on that! I can't wait to see 50 pounds lost (as you can see by what I wrote lol).

Angie - I really don't ever see loss or gain in the mirror. That's why I am always surprised when people I see every day notice. But I see it in odd ways. I had bought a pair of size 18 jeans a few weeks ago. I haven't worn jeans forever because I won't spend much money on transition clothes. These were on clearance for $5, so I bought them. I decided to try them on again, and I sort of have a feel for whether something will fit just based on where the waist is when I start to pull them up. I thought there was no way they would fit, but they did. I also sat between two coworkers in an auditorium. I was terrified to be the fat girl encroaching on their space. But I could sit there without touching either one. It was awesome.

These super long weight loss journeys are so mentally taxing. I hope you are seeing (and can appreciate) rewards from staying on plan, since you are not getting scale- based rewards very often. For me, these are things like not feeling powerless over food or weight, feeling my body get stronger and fitter and being more capable as a result, really enjoying exploring new foods, etc.

Just a few more days of waiting! Good luck getting through TOM hormonal madness.

LaurieDawn & enjoynlife - You ladies have truly made me feel better! Thank you sooooooo much. I knew this journey from start to finish wouldn't be perfect and that I'd hit a low point at some point in time. I'm just glad that I didn't allow it to send me back into old habits. These changes really seem to be sticking. Laurie, on Wednesday when I weigh, I have a pair of size 18 pants waiting for me to try on too! When I first started 100-something days ago, I could not get them up past mid-thigh, no joke. So I hung them back up and vowed not to try them on again until weigh in LOL. I'll definitely let you ladies know how that turned out. Thanks again for your support!

Angie - almost there. Hoping for a great weigh-in and pants fitting!

Enjoynlife - you are way too kind. Talking about this helps me keep focused. I love that this board gives me a chance to do that.

Official weigh in this morning, and I am the same as last Monday. Which means I kept off an overnight 5-pound drop, which is something to celebrate, but am not losing day to get. I guess it's not surprising. Hope I drop some by next Sunday, though. Its would be great to be in the 210s!!!

Tomorrow is the big day, Angie!!! Sending good scale vibes your way!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I'm nervous but I'm ready! Be good to me scale!! LOL! I'll be sure to update sometime tomorrow morning.

I posted in the "getting out of the 260's and 250's" as well, but I'll post here too!

I am down 50.25 pounds!!! I weighed in at 201.75!! I promise you that I could not believe those numbers. It was WAY more than I expected...even at my best lowest guess. I have a balance scale too so I inched it down one pound at a time starting at 252 (my last weight). When it didn't balance out at 220, nor 215, I started to tear up. I am still SOOOO overwhelmed right now, I'm so serious lol. This is HUGE! How did I do that in 3.5 months? The 18's I had picked out to try on were too big so I moved down to the 16's which fit me comfortably (no muffin tops and not tight at all). I look like a new person with new clothes on. I just can't believe it.

WOW!!!! I am SSSOOO happy for you! What an accomplishment. And new clothes on top of it!

I can't imagine ever adopting your strategy, but it worked out really well for you. :-)

Are you really going to wait another 100 days? You are SO close to Onederland!

Plus - not even tempted to touch those break room donuts now!

HA! It's funny because I hear that alot! LOL! Some think my strategy is darn-near impossible LOL! But I've proved to myself that when I've regained control and power over myself, I can do it.

Yes I'm going to wait another 100 days....well, it's 93 days at this point since today's weigh in was a week late. What I'm learning along this journey about myself, my body, and my mind is what keeps me going.....the good and the bad.

Is it too late to post a committment to this thread? I'll do it anyway. I just finnished a 100 day committement to a specific plan. Here my focus is on time. I've never gone over 8mo. on any weightloss venture. I committ to write what I eat in my food journal everyday for a year. I committ to check in here and post at least once a week (except during my twice year spiritual retreats where there are no electronics) and even then post the Sat. after I get back, no matter how the healthy eating plan-lifestyle is going. I love this. The 100 day challenge really helped me, but then earlytimes are usually the easiest for me. I also committ to post once weekly for a year in my blog- this keeps me honest with friends far away who can't see how I am doing. This is a couple of dearly loved friends that I finally became honest with about me life as an obese person.

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!