Awww user, I know how you feel, also had alot of comments off my mum. Like 'you do really well, trouble is you don't stick with it' and she's said this over and over until I snapped and said 'so what are you saying give up because you won't stick with it and are destined to fail?'

It made me think maybe she has something to do with my lack of confidence to begin with. When I look back I remember being super fit, healthy and slim just couldn't get my head round being that way. Thinking this isn't me, I won't be able to stay this way and a bit of stress, well alot knocked me straight off the wagon and down to the floor with an almighty thud. I think back to how great I felt and that feeling didn't last long enough :-(

I want to lose the weight and gain back that muscle and more, then maintain for life!

Fera: NICE work!! 17 pounds is awesome! Makes you look forward to the next month!

Uber: Sorry about the bad day. It is so frustrating!!! Some days you feel like you can conquer anything and then things like that bring us tumbling back!

Ginger: It is hard to overcome negativity from someone who is supposed to be on our side. Glad you are working to overcome it all!

I'm so glad it is Friday!! It's been a tough week. I think part of my problem, other than work, is that I've been doing that squat and abs challenge in addition to my regular workout. Well, you add more each day and it is getting really tough. I've been really sore lately, so I think my muscles are holding on to water. I'm afraid that I'm going to not see much of a loss, if at all, at Monday's weigh in. I had thought about quitting the challenges and going back to my regular routine... which was working. I do think I'm seeing some good results, with muscle tone. I'll try to stay with it and be a little more patient.

Ginger - My mom told me the same thing a month ago. That she didn't think I could do it and shouldn't waste the money on a few tools to help (like my FitBit). I ignored her, got my FitBit and have been basically on plan for over a month now. I have a 34 day log-in streak over at MFP, and I've been logging my food religiously. Mama knows I'm contrary enough to push harder if someone tells me I can't. heh.

Diane - Sore muscles definitely hold water. Almost any kind of pain brings some water retention with it. Are you doing measurements? They often tell the story that the scale isn't. I do mine at the end of every month. Pictures every 10 pounds, too. Though currently they make me cry. It's good to have other measures of progress, and not only the scale. I do weight, measurements, pictures, and I have a body fat analyzer that I also keep track of (monthly). I also track how I feel during exercise. I'm finding it easier and easier to get through 30 minutes of light cardio and will have to bump up the intensity... which, to me, is as awesome as seeing a good drop on the scale. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On the home front here, this call process for my husband is driving me a little bonkers. I'm so anxious and nervous and my instinct is to snack away the stress. Normally the process goes:

1) first interview with call committee
2) second interview with call committee
3) call committee votes to submit candidate for council approval (requires a 2/3 majority)
4) interview with call committee
5) call committee vote (require 2/3 majority)
6) worship with and/or preach for congregation
7) congregation votes to issue a call

UGH. and a whole lot of waiting for phone calls in between. We are waiting, anxiously, for the phone call to set up step 4 (after a unanimous vote in step 3)... which is generally a good sign that things are moving forward. Then it's traveling to the church again. Oy.

Going nuts.

Diane: I'm sure that the frustration with your new workout will soon turn to pride in what you've accomplished. I think the really hard workouts pay off a ton in terms of how you look-- and I know myself that when I'm sore I definitely hold on to water and weight and also my weight loss slows as I build muscle-- you don't see the results on the scale, but certainly in the way you look and carry yourself!

Ginger: I hear you. I'm really sensitive and hate it when I feel as if people are expecting me to fail! But you are turning this around and you will have the satisfaction of proving her wrong.

Fera: I'm sure the whole waiting thing is very stressful! Good for you for doing so well when there is so much going on in your life. I like the idea that you are making all those measurements and notations.

As for me, today was a frustrating bump up-- I think it was water from eating salty food yesterday. Yesterday afternoon for the second day in a row I was feeling practically faint by 6 pm. Yesterday I thought I was getting sick or something. I was just dragging by dinner time and didn't even feel hungry. I made a really nice dinner of steelhead trout, brussel sprouts and portabella mushrooms. By the time I finished dinner, I felt fine. I decided that I'm simply not eating enough. Dropping 10 lbs in 2 weeks was awesome, but I can't feel like I'm going to faint by dinner time! So today, I added back a few calories at lunch.

We'll see if this afternoon goes better!

Have a good day everyone and stay strong!

Just popping in to say that today went much better because I upped my calories a little bit. I was so excited to be starting off with a quick loss, but I just wasn't eating enough-- yesterday and the day before I really crumped in the late afternoon. Today I ate a bit more at lunch and I was fine through the dinner hour. That's a relief. I didn't understand what on earth was wrong with me when I felt like I was going to keel over!

Hey everybody, Sorry to be a spambot. I seem to be the only one posting right now!

My mind is playing tricks with me right now, feeding me all kind of lines about why this isn't going to work. Here's a sampling:

1. What if your body just "refuses" to lose weight. (I know this sounds crazy, but I used to think this ALL THE TIME when I was losing the first time.)
2. What's the point? You gained it all back last time. It's destined to fail again this time.
3. What's the point? Do you really think a lifetime of restricting is going to work out?
4. What's the point? You're fat now. Is it really that bad?
5. Do you realize how hungry you are? Do you really think you can keep doing this every day for a whole year?
6. Why suffer? You're going to give up soon and this will all be for naught.

So if you guys have learned any good strategies for dealing with these negative thoughts (or if you have your own) I'm all ears.

Right now, I'm setting the one-month mark as a mini-goal. I think if I can make it into the second month, I won't feel so precarious. I DO remember that last time, after about the first 50 were gone, it really didn't seem that hard anymore. I was used to it.

Gah. I get all those same thoughts on a regular basis. Makes me a bit loony. But then my husband reminds me that I'm doing it so we can have a baby and I'm not getting any younger (he doesn't say that part, smart man that he is).

But then I let my logic answer them for me (these are arguments I have with myself daily).

1) Your body *will* lose weight if you use more calories than you consume. That's science. If you maintain a deficit, you will lose weight. Your body does not defy the laws of physics.

2) The greatest successes often come from repeated failures. I'm better prepared this time because now I know what *not* to do... and what works best. I'm armed and ready for my battle with fat this time, and I won't let it win.

3) I won't be restricting forever, and couple years of restricting will add years to my life that are not full of various medications. This is a learning scenario, and eventually practicing moderation and regular exercise will be habit.

4) Yes, I'm fat now. Yes, it's that bad. Do you remember how embarrassing it was to have to get off of the ride at the amusement park because the bar couldn't latch over your belly? How uncomfortable it was trying to squeeze into a seat on the plane? How out you just can't keep up when you are with a group of people? Yes, it is that bad.

5) Yes, I realize I think I'm hungry. I just ate. I will eat again soon. I will just chew gum or drink water until my scheduled feeding time. Stop whining, missing a meal won't kill me.

6) This is not suffering. This is being slightly uncomfortable with a change in your life to habits that will make your health much better in the long run. Giving up is not an option. People are depending on me to make this happen, and if I fail this time, I fail for them, too. I can't let them down.

It helps me to remember that when I'm feeling like I'm about to dive face first into a box of chocolate eclairs or something. I'm hard on myself, but it's the only thing that works.

I also keep a mini-goal outfit hanging on the back of my closet door so I see it every time I walk in to grab fat clothes. It's a pair of size 14 jeans I got at a Salvation Army store for 3 dollars, the other is a shirt my mother in law got for me... Size? Large. She thought I could fit into a large. Ha. Maybe one day. I'm determined to fit into that outfit some day.

Hey all!

Uber: I don't know how old you are, but I am 50, and the biggest thing to me to lose this weight is more about being healthy and not ruining the rest of my life by not being able to do things I want to do. Yes, I want to look better, but more so, I want to feel good and live healthy as I get older. I have been particularly inspired by my parents. They are 75 and both have stayed healthy and active. They still go boating and fishing. They can travel. They can maintain their house. They have wonderful, full lives! Then, I look at two of my cousins. One is older than I am, maybe 58, and she is terribly overweight. She uses a walker to get around. She actually lost her job because she is unable to get around the police department as a dispatcher. She gets help from her 80 year old mother, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to do anything outside of the house. My other cousin is a couple of years younger than me and is very heavy. She has had both knees replaced, but still can't walk through the mall. She uses one of those scooters.

I don't want to be that person!!!! So, if it takes awhile to lose this, then that's ok. Time will still pass. I have the option of giving up, or I can use this time to keep up with it and improve my life!

Remember! Motivation only takes you as far as getting started. Dedication will take you to your goal!

**** hope that helps!***

Feeling soooooo lazy. It's been such an effort trying to get up and move at all. And I just want to eat all the salty snacks in the kitchen. TOM must be coming and bringing all the yuck with it. :(

Hang in there Fera! Salty snacks won't change anything!

Mandy and Diane, thanks for the pep talk.

Diane, your post about people with health problems really got me thinking. I'm 52 and I can't imagine being immobilized... but the idea of your cousin being helped by her 80 year old mother really got to me. I have a 9 year old son (as well as some older kids) and I definitely don't want to show up at his high school graduation in a scooter.

My weight loss was ZIPPING ALONG but now I've been sitting at the same weight for almost a week. Reminding myself to be patient. I knew in my heart that my calories were unsustainably low, and so I've added some back and don't feel like I'm going to faint all the time.

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Uber - I'm facing a stall right now, too. Wednesday thru Friday showed a whopping .2 loss, and then today it's the same as it was on Friday. Though I can barely spin my rings on my fingers, so I'm assuming it's TOM related water retention, and should disappear as soon as TOM shows up.

I had a bit of a melt down last night, and it makes me so happy that my husband is as wonderful as he is. I was all "I gained 80 pounds EIGHTY after losing FIFTY THREE. I'm so gross. How can you even look at me? I'm so stupid. How'd I let myself do this... If I hadn't gained all that weight, and just maintained until a month ago when I started I'd be almost 100 pounds smaller than I am now.... etc." He just rubbed my back and let me vent, then told me "ifs" don't matter because what's done is done and I'm doing a good job now and I'm definitely not gross and told me he'd find ways to help me exercise when we got to where we're going later this summer.

He's a doll. :)

I hope you're feeling better about things, Uber! :)

Originally Posted by FeraFilia:
Uber - I'm facing a stall right now, too. Wednesday thru Friday showed a whopping .2 loss, and then today it's the same as it was on Friday. Though I can barely spin my rings on my fingers, so I'm assuming it's TOM related water retention, and should disappear as soon as TOM shows up.

I had a bit of a melt down last night, and it makes me so happy that my husband is as wonderful as he is. I was all "I gained 80 pounds EIGHTY after losing FIFTY THREE. I'm so gross. How can you even look at me? I'm so stupid. How'd I let myself do this... If I hadn't gained all that weight, and just maintained until a month ago when I started I'd be almost 100 pounds smaller than I am now.... etc." He just rubbed my back and let me vent, then told me "ifs" don't matter because what's done is done and I'm doing a good job now and I'm definitely not gross and told me he'd find ways to help me exercise when we got to where we're going later this summer.

He's a doll. :)

I hope you're feeling better about things, Uber! :)

Mandy, he sounds like a real keeper!

I'm doing okay. Just went out to lunch for Father's Day. There were NO good choices on the menu. I had a turkey burger with no mayo or sauce, just lettuce, tomato, mustard and ketchup. Was planning to only eat half the bun, but then thought-- whatever, I'll eat the whole bun. Fit into my plan okay, but more calories than I like to spend on lunch-- my own turkey burgers have so many fewer calories-- mostly because the bun is half the size!

Weigh in is Tuesday, and I really want to see the scale move.

Hi all! Ok I'm back. Coastal vacation complete. I ended up really trying to unplug from technology so I didn't check in here at all. Overall it was a good week in Bar Harbor. The inn was great, very relaxing. Breakfast (provided) ran a little sugary so I was conscious of portions. Lunches and snacks we brought from home so that was good. Dinners were out every night so that was the overage ( lots of fish and chips). We stayed away from alcohol mostly. We moved a lot averaging about 20000 steps a day (up band) and also spend a day hiking. Not a huge mountain, 1530 feet, but I've been off the trails for about a year so it was a good hike to start training on. Took us 5 hours round trip including stops/lunch and was about 6 miles. All in all no loss but no gain.... I'll take maintaining on vacation.

We got back Saturday and yesterday I did the shopping and filled us up with healthy food and prepped for the week. Today I'm off to a good start. Got up and had a good workout and sticking back to my healthy eating plan and I'm back here. I'm feeling really good. Aiming for my new increased goal of 15000 steps a day.... I was hitting 10k very easily so I bumped up the goal..., see how that goes when I'm back at the office today. I'm aiming for a loss this week!

I've got a lot of reading in the threads to catch up so I'll save any individual comments for now... To everyone new welcome! To everyone not new I hope you all had a great week!

Oh and a little self confidence win... I braved a bathing suit in public and swam in the pool... The heated outdoor pool on the ocean.... I don't care how fat I am I decided not to compromise my vacation and not enjoy the relaxing pool. I'm calling that an NSV win!

Fera: Well, if it helps, you and I had the same weight loss, the big .2 pounds. Mine is for a whole week. So, now I have to remember all of what I have said to everyone else about being patient and not letting it get you down. And, actually, I'm not really down about it. I just have decided to let the challenges go by the way side. I am sure that they are helpful in a way, with building muscle, but I'm not enjoying it at all. I can't do them in the morning, so there I am after work trying to get it all in. Well, it is using up too much time, I've been too sore, and I am not losing weight. What's the point? For now, I really want to get pounds off. Muscle building/refinement can happen later. I want to get stronger, but I was doing that already with my workouts. So, I'm going back to what was working before for now. There may be no correlation with the challenges and my lack of weight loss, but I don't want to keep going this way.

Uber: I hear you! That's the thing that is hard to keep in mind, but looking toward the future just makes me want to get healthier now. We just have to realize that time is going to pass, no matter what. Let's take this time to keep at it and TRY to stay patient!

SunnyMac: Good NSV! I am glad you had a good vacation and were able to enjoy your time! It's so important!

So, off to another week. Let's keep going!!!!!

Hi Sunny: welcome back! Glad that you had a nice relaxing vacation. Sounds like heaven! It is hard to stay on plan while eating out all the time, but I also think that no plan will work if we don't relax enough to enjoy our vacations. Bit win on the bathing suit! I love swimming!

Diane: If you are really not enjoying all the exercise, you should give it a break for a while. I know that when I exercise a lot I can see the difference in how I look but I don't see it on the scale, and sometimes we just need that scale to move!

As for me, yesterday was a good day! Since I went out to lunch, I ate more calories than normal for lunch, and I had to compensate by eating less for dinner-- which I normally hate, but it was fine.

Tomorrow is "official" weigh in but scale dropped a pound this am-- phew. I'm excited that today is day 21. My first mini-goal is to stick with this for 1 month, so I'm getting there. Since my big regain in early 2012, I've managed to lose 12 or 13 lbs on more than one occasion, but I've never gotten past that hump. Trying to take it one day at a time!

Good afternoon, ladies! :)

Welcome back Sunny! Glad you had a good vacation and kudos on the NSV! If the scale says you maintained, then you probably dropped a little, since I bet you're retaining some water from all the dinners out.

Diane - Isn't that stupid .2 frustrating? UGH. So ready to see an actual drop! I remember from last time that right around TOM my body just seems to hold on to everything for a week, and then I get some serious drops a few days in a row. The week before, maybe .2 loss, and then the week after, like 5 pounds POOF. So I guess it all evens out, it's just frustrating. And that's why I try not to weigh every day.

Uber - YAY for seeing the scale move! And you will make it to a month, or I will drag you kicking and screaming across the goal line. :P

My husband (who doesn't even like soccer, btw) will be wandering off to watch the World Cup (US vs Ghana) tonight, so the cats and I will be having a girls night. Exciting stuff.

We're also waiting for the phone to ring to schedule that interview with the church council because we really want this thing to happen. The good news is, he's gotten past the toughest part, and the rest should be fairly easy. I've got my fingers crossed :crossed: and prayers going up, like, every 5 minutes that this is where we should be and things go smoothly. I fell in love with that house as soon as we walked in the front door. I've already got plans for decor, and plans for a garden, and plans to turn the basement into a home gym. :P

Speaking of gym: I've been pretty good about going and getting at least a 2 mile walk in on the treadmill the last few days, even though I've had to climb through some fog to get into the exercise state of mind. It's entirely too hot to walk outside right now. And I've been feeling incredibly lazy. I just want to laze about and read or sleep or play games on the computer. It's starting to come back though, so hopefully soon I'll be back to normal.

Here's hoping for a good weigh in tomorrow! :D

Hi Fera, wow. I just realized that you live in Columbia, South Carolina. I just "spent the morning" there. (I'm a writer, and I'm working on a chapter set at Fort Jackson during WWII)

So.... let me ask you a question... since I've never been to South Carolina, what does it smell like? Are there any particular scents that you associate particularly with your hometown? Any flowers that are scented and especially prevalent?

Thanks much! Research!

I saw this tread & it is sooo me. :o
I DO NOT know what is wrong with me. I was in a job I HATED! I wanted to find something better, but in this economy...yeah, right! My boss was a total moron, without a clue as to how to manage people or a store. That led to a lot of frustration.
I however was "let go" at Christmas...I think is was in retaliation to me filing a sexual harassment charges against his GF who worked at the store, too. I tried to fight it, to no avail. So there's that stress of no job & having to look for work for the last 6 months.
H(ubby) had a stroke in late Feb. So me being unemployed was actually kind of a blessing, it allowed me to care for him. Take him to appointments & do physical therapy with him.
I crawled back on the horse on May 11th, Mother's Day, after spending the afternoon with Mom. She had this really concerned look on her face. I KNEW it was about me, even though she didn't say anything. I'm sure she's worried that I, too, will have a stroke or worse. And I KNOW that I'm playing unhealthy games with my health. To see it trough Mom's eyes was just too rough to take. :cry:
I'm walking nearly every day (4-6x/week) for 30-45 mins. Some times I do this twice a day if it's not too hot out. I've tried to revamp my eating to something more healthy. I've for the most part cut out all sodas..drinking more H2O, unsweetened iced tea.
Menopause also struck me in March. I really, really wish hot flashes (POWER SURGES) burned as many calories as it feels like they do! So my body is doing weird things & not dropping weight like it did 2x before. But I AM NOT GVING UP!!! Black Cohish, cool showers & cool bandanas have been a big help.
Well, I better see about getting something done. H has had an appointment today (physical therapy) & we have to go have blood taken again (anticoagulant level check) & then go pick up some meds. Love busy days.....NOT!!!

:drill: BE HEALTHY! TAKE CARE OF YOU! YOU CAN DO THIS!!! :drill:

Uber - lots of southern magnolia trees, at least around the campus here. And in Columbia, lots AND LOTS of old churches... many of them rebuilt after being burned down during the Civil war.

The folks here that are doing their religious training so they can do military chaplaincy do a lot of their work over at Ft Jackson. I think that's where they do a majority of the chaplain training.

Hello MrsTryingAgain! I, too, started over again on Mother's Day! Not for the same reason... I realized if I'm ever going to celebrate mother's day as a mother, I'd need to get some of this weight off my bones. My regain was also due to lots of stress including my husband's medical issues (he's got Crohn's and had a pretty bad flare up about a year ago). Welcome to this little corner of the internet, and make yourself at home. :)

SO, here's a weird NSV for you guys...

I just realized that I can take my rings off without struggling too much with it. When I was at my lowest of 247(ish) they were almost falling off and I could wear them on my middle finger instead of my ring finger. At my highest (330) I couldn't get them off, they'd barely spin. So I must have lost like a thin layer of fat from all over or something. We'll see what the weigh in says tomorrow. I'm less than 4 pounds away from a new book. :D

Fera: That is a great NSV! You are doing so well!!!!! I've noticed that with my ring, too. I had to get it enlarged a few years ago, but it was pretty snug at 294. Now it is easy to get off and on. I also took a link out of my watch because it was spinning all the time.

MrsTryingAgain: Welcome!! You are close to my age, I think. I turned 50 at my last birthday. To me it makes such a difference to look at it from a health point of view, rather than just wanting to look better. I hate that it is so cliché, but 50 makes you realize that you are so far past 30's and out of your 40's, that there isn't as much time to get it all together anymore. I do not want to be old and fat to the point where I lose all my ability to do things. It just doesn't have to be like that! So, glad you are joining us! We'll support you! BTW, love your avatar!

Uber: So cool that you write! Also glad you saw a loss! Always a good thing.

Not much new here. Went to Body Pump this morning. It was a new workout, so it was challenging. That's always good!

Fera: That is awesome about your ring! Isn't it bizarre that ev
en stuff like jewelry can get too small. I have this really pretty gold medallion that I wore all the time and when I had my big ole regain, I had to stop wearing it because my neck got too fat! Now, if that isn't depressing, I don't know what is...

Diane: Also awesome for you that you had to take a link out of your watch! I have a gold bangle that I can't get on and off right now. Fat wrists are really a bummer! And yep, I'm a writer, but I keep my ubergirl persona and my author name completely separated-- no need for everyone to know exactly how much I eat and what I weigh, LOL.

Mrs. Trying Again: Welcome! It must be very scary to have your husband have a stroke! And starting on Mother's Day really shows how deep your motivation is. Another member of the 50s club here-- I'm 52.

So, official weigh in today and down one pound for the week. So idiotic to be disappointed, as I'm down a total of 11 since I started and I know that's kick butt. I feel like getting the first 20 off is really going to be big for me. I've managed to lose this much on 3 or 4 occasions since my big regain in 2012, but i've never powered past that point.

Last time, I remember that once I started dropping clothing sizes it all got so fun-- I started shopping and experimenting with new looks, and best of all-- people started noticing. After that, it got much easier. So for me the trick will be to hold on until then.

Magnolia trees, huh? Thanks! That's perfect. Thanks, Fera!

Uber - Not just magnolia, southern magnolia. There's a more specific name for them, but basically they thrive in the hot and humid weather. The blooms are bright white and bigger than regular magnolia (which I think have a yellow tint to them). Here are a couple pictures I took (one at the zoo, one off my back porch)

http://i57.tinypic.com/2elzf9u.jpg http://i57.tinypic.com/30mvcz5.jpg

So... Mid week weigh in. I was gonna cry if I saw 313.6 again. Shocker, I saw 311.8! So, the scale is actually moving again... and I'm 2 pounds away from getting a new book. :D Guess I should do some research about which book I want that to be, eh? Oh decisions... If all goes well, I should have it next week.

WOOHOO!!!

Also, apparently I can now add links, and pictures and have a sig. :D

Postwhoring in celebration. :) :carrot:

Fera-- Woohoo to the two pounds, and the siggy! And to book shopping!

I know this might sound crazy, but I often take a shower before lunch and I've noticed that I actually usually weigh in a bit lower at that time than at my morning weigh-in. So I stepped on the scale again before hopping in the shower and in fact I was a pound lighter. I decided that since today is weigh-in day, I'm going to take the lower weight as my "official" weight, so that means I'm actually down 2 lbs for the week and 12 overall!! Hooray!

YAY! I don't eat until past noon most days... So I weigh in right before my first meal... Which is usually a small lunch. I don't get really hungry until dinner time.

Tonight? RAVENOUS. I made spinach pinwheels, which are absolutely delicious, and 73 calories each. I've already had 4 of them. I"ll probably have 3 more before dinner is done. I am glad I've got plans for the gym tonight because I doubt there will be leftovers.

To make, if anyone is interested:

1 tube crescent roll sheet (or just the regular roll, with the seams pinched together)
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and drained/squeezed dry
1 8oz block greek yogurt cream cheese
garlic powder

mix up the cream cheese, spinach and garlic, then spread on the rectangle of the crescent rolls. Roll up from the long side, and cut into ~18 pieces. Bake at 375 for 17-20 minutes until golden. And then try not to eat them all. :D

Afternoon all!
I'm pretty psyched for all if you! It sounds like everyone is having a good week so far!

FERA-awesome 2lbs! Congrats! I have a magnolia in my yard... It blooms white but is no where as georgeous as this so it must just be a plain old norther magnolia :)

Uber-11 is awesome! Keep it up and that first 20 will be gone before you know it!

Slash ( Diane?) awesome going to body pump and trying a new workout!

Misstryagain -welcome!!!!

I've had an... Interesting start to the week. Yesterday was perfect...today I'm struggling a bit... Mainly because a dumb woman and a questionably existing x boyfriend who supposedly ran away from the scene decided to crash their car along our property last night. No major damage thankfully... The mailbox didn't make it and she was going fast enough to relocate a 5000 lb slab Of granite slab from our wall 10 feet into my garden so needless to say it was loud enough to wake me up at midnight and dragged on with the authorities until after 3am... And I get up at 430 am on Tuesdays to meet my trainer. Needless to say I'm exhausted a from an hour of sleep, zombied out from an extra long hectic stay late day at work and stiff from an intense weight training workout.

I'm mostly on track for the day but I ate a bit extra. In come the trigger... No sleep = wanting more eats! I'm powering through the best I can. I should be home from work by 830 and think it's straight for bed.cant eat if I'm asleep and man I need to sleep! I'm also on the verge of TOM to add insult to injury. Anyway I'm gonna wait to weigh until Monday after a rest day from training and TOM being gone... That is always my best number day.

Ugh ok train coming to an end and time for the driving portion of my heinous commute. Wish me luck! More tomorrow hopefully without sleep depravation!

Me and my hubby at his graduation. :) It's part "aww" and part "ugh"

I love this man to pieces. But seeing this pic was one of the big pushes to get me to seriously commit to this after the first couple of weeks and the 'newness' wore off.

http://i62.tinypic.com/142e90w.jpg

Awwww this picture is very sweet. You look very very happy :)

Can I rejoin this thread? I have gone back a few pages and have been so inspired.

I have been back at the gym for about two weeks now, but my food is not good. I just got married, and my new husband is a very good cook. Worse than that, though, is that he hates to eat by himself. I knew this from when we were dating, but the fact that I'm living with him now puts constant pressure on me to either eat with him or risk hurting his feelings. I have been choosing to eat with him. I have been trying to create a plan where I save my calories for when I'm with him. But that's hard for me for several reasons. First, my willpower to resist high-cal food is lowest in the evening, and eating just a little bit of it tends to open the floodgates. Secondly, I hate feeling really full and bloated any time, but particularly in the evenings. And, pardon my potential TMI, but sex is much better for me when I'm not feeling weighed down by food in my stomach. Additionally, the feeling that I'm on plan helps me feel better about my body (easier to think of it as a work in progress than inevitably being heavy), which boosts my confidence, which makes the sex better for both of us.

Sorry for the introductory rant. I had actually planned on just saying I'm so excited to be part of such an active group that consists of both familiar veterans (Diane and Uber!) and dedicated people that I have yet to get to know.

And the graduation picture is amazing. I hate pictures, and have been trying very hard to do them anyway, and to do them well (not trying to fade into the background or have pained expressions). It's a gorgeous picture marking a great moment in your life. Thanks for posting it.

LaurieDawn: Yay! You're joining us! I'm so glad. Boy, if my husband cooked at all, I don't know what I would do!! That would be tough to stay under control, so more power to you! Good job on the gym!

Fera: Such a great picture! I know it is hard to enjoy pictures of ourselves, when we're not feeling positive about how we look. I'm the same way. But, this is absolutely wonderful and such a great time of life! Good job on the weight loss! Oh, and love the magnolia! I live out west in a desert area, and we just don't have flowers like that.

Uber: Also congrats on the weight loss! Nice! You're getting closer and closer to the 20 pound mark.

SunnyMac: What a crazy night you had. Hopefully you can survive the day and make it through! Get some rest tonight!


So, I was off and on watching "Extreme Weight Loss" last night. Pretty amazing what they can do with a trainer and one year of work. I liked the way that they had 4 3-month phases and established weight loss goals for that time period. Good to break it up like that, I think.

Not much else going on here. Just went to Spin class this morning.

Fera: thank you for posting the picture! If you don't like what you see, I promise that someday you will see what a beautiful picture it is! One weird thing I noticed when I lost 110 lbs? When I was thin, I felt love and compassion for my fat self. When I looked at my "humiliating fat" pictures I thought to myself "why did I hate her so much, she looks like a nice person and I would want to be her friend." When I look at your picture I see two beautiful people who are in love! You WILL lose weight because you seem to have so many reasons to be happy!

LaurieDawn: Welcome! I remember you! Congratulations on getting married! I agree that your situation has certain challenges, but I'm sure you can figure it out. If your hubby is like mine, then just mentioning that sex is better on an empty stomach will probably be enough to get him to forgo dinner entirely. ;)
Also, this might not work for you, as you said nighttime eating isn't so good for you, but I do actually find it really helpful to save calories for dinner-- somehow if I eat a nice-sized dinner with my family, I don't mind starving the rest of the day.
Another thing that I do is that I prepare meals with protein, veggie and rice or pasta and then I skip the rice or pasta and just eat the protein and veggie. The slim members of my family eat what I eat, but they add another 300 cals or so with the starch-- they don't even notice that they're being "deprived." Of course, you can also eat higher cal foods if you really watch portion size-- I find that a lot harder-- but that's me. And if you stress that it's for your health (or maybe to get healthy for future plans for kids...?) that might help him realize how important it is to support you.

Sunny Mac: your day yesterday sounded AWFUL. Losing sleep is the one thing I absolutely can't stand! Good for you for soldiering through it.

Diane: I absolutely love watching weight loss shows. I power watched episodes of Heavy when I first started out. Helped me get motivated! I have not been exercising, but I'm starting to feel like it's time to start!

I'm doing really well! Amazingly, the scale rewarded me with yet another lb this morning-- for a total of 13 down. Best of all, I seem to have gotten over the hump. For the first 2 weeks I was absolutely STARVING all the time. But now, I really feel like I'm in a groove. Plus, I made an interesting discovery about myself. I think going to food stores is a trigger for me. For the past month, other family members have taken over food shopping because I've been really busy with work. I suddenly realized that I hadn't set foot in a grocery store in about a month. At grocery store I grab candy and baked goods and all kinds of other crap-- stuff that I often eat by myself. If I don't go into the store I don't even think about that stuff. Lucky for me, my hubby and mom who lives with us don't mind going to the store. I think I'm going to plan to stay out of the store as much as possible.

Thanks y'all for the kind words about my picture... I just saw it and thought "omg my gut sticks out as far as my boobs!" and it was not a happy face I made.

Sunny - Yikes! Someone deciding to ruin my perfectly good lawn with their car in the middle of the night would definitely freak me out a bit. 3am isn't a good time for most people, so I hope the police were understanding.

Hi Laurie :wave: welcome back to our little corner of the internet. Congrats on your new marriage... I'm just 3 years into mine, so I remember it well. And I agree with Uber... Tell hubby that sex is better if you don't have a heavy dinner where you get super full, and I bet he'll lighten it up some. :)

Uber - It's always good to find those triggers! Personally I love going to the grocery store and just enjoying the smells of the bakery. About the only thing I'll still buy though, is a loaf of french bread. Yum. I tend to save my calories for dinner, too... But more because I know I tend to snack late at night, so if I eat a big dinner, I'm less inclined to snack all night long. It's a strategy. Really. :)

Diane - I have never watched that show. I watched Biggest Loser once, and it just depressed me. I felt like I'd never lose weight unless I spent days on end sweating it out on a machine. Though to have a trainer for a year? That would be awesome. And for you, here's another pretty picture of some pretty flowers. I have no idea what they are, but they are all over at the zoo and they are beautiful. :D

http://i57.tinypic.com/2vww74k.jpg

Oh. Let's hope this is true, shall we? :)

http://i62.tinypic.com/2vluwkm.jpg

(FYI, now that I can post pictures, they will happen frequently.)

Mandy - I love that meme. It's not exactly true for me. But I really love to exercise, and once I have established the habit, I feel tons of guilt when I stop. Thanks for your welcome and your thoughts.

Uber - Good call on the "you know, the sex will be better if.." talk. ;-) We actually have a talk scheduled to discuss this and "new stepmother" issues.

Diane - So supportive as always. Yay on the spin class! That's actually something that I have not yet even tried.

So, last night, I told the hubby that I was working late, then meeting a friend to work out and grab dinner. Thought I would avoid the whole "eat the food he cooked" dilemma. He texted me as I was driving home, "Just built the fire so we can start cooking s'mores." Not a big deal for me, as I get a post-work-out willpower burst that helps me say no, in addition to the fact that I had just eaten (a reasonable amount of chicken breast, thank you). He called me "the wizard of never eating anything fun." Then, for the rest of the evening, referred to my food choices, like my Starkist tuna packets, as "cancer in a pouch," and my supplements, like my fish oil, as "cancer in pill form." Dude!

He is the kindest, most supportive man ever. He isn't threatened by my career, he encourages me to get to the gym, he doesn't make unreasonable demands on my time, and we have great fun together. But he has got to back off the "jokes" about my food choices. =) We have scheduled time to talk about it tomorrow.

LaurieDawn: Yeah, he will learn not to go there on food choices! My husband doesn't say much at all. He knows it is dangerous ground. He only offers help/advice when I ask him, and usually that's about fitness stuff. But we've been married forever, so he learned.

Mandy: Yep, I would agree with that photo. I actually love the exercise part of this journey (well, most of the time). I think it helps me so much and I feel so good working out in the mornings. If I didn't have to watch what I eat, I would be better!!! Oh, and thanks for the flower picture. Just beautiful!! I love flowers and birds in the garden, I just don't do that well with my yard. I do have some pretty birds hanging out, but my flowers are weak.

Uber: It sounds like things are clicking for you. Glad to hear it!! That's good when you make it past the initial pains of starting a program.

Had a funny thing at the gym today. I had been drying my hair, so I didn't hear the song they had playing, so when I turned it off, I heard that it was one of Bon Jovi's from way back. I said something like, "Oh, I like that song! I haven't heard it forever!" Well, for some reason that set off these two women who are probably a little older than me. They didn't like Bon Jovi, which then brought them to some of his songs are lame, and girls these days are just so worried about their looks that they are losing their identities.... blah, blah, blah. I thought WHOA! Sorry I said I liked this song! Boy... old women issues!!

LaurieDawn: Let us know how "the talk" goes. Offering you food you don't want is one thing-- criticizing the stuff you actually do eat-- he needs to learn that's a no go.

Mandy: I like your photo. I'm in the non-exercising camp right now, but I'm the same-- when I get exercising, it's the best part of the day. I didn't want to throw exercise into the mix until I got a little more stable with food plan, but it's coming!

Diane: I'm envious of your awesome workout routine-- but too funny about the "old lady issues"! I'm gonna turn 53 shortly-- but I really don't feel like an old lady, and I don't really think I look like one (LOL) Good thing, since I still have a kid in elementary school!

Woke up this morning sure I was going to see a scale bounce this am, but I was actually down .02! I'm really happy with how I've set up my calorie distribution this time around. I drink coffee with steamed 2% milk in the morning, and I'm skipping breakfast-- the 1.5 cups of milk seems to keep me going until lunch. Then I eat a small lunch. No snacks. That gives me more food to work with at dinner. Since dinner is the one meal where we all sit down together, it makes me happy to be able to eat a bit more-- I feel less deprived. So far so good!

Good afternoon everyone!

Re: exercise - I"m working on it. I don't do *much* right now... just a 45 minute walk on the treadmill at 2.3 mph a few times a week. It's not a very fast pace, just a little faster than I normally walk. I'm thinking about adding some lifting to my routine, but I can't do the most common ones like squats or deadlifts because I can't put the weight on my ankle (partially torn ligament - been that way for YEARS - torn from the bone, scar tissue formed, surgical repair required), though I could do a lot of the upper body/core/seated leg exercises, so we'll see.

Laurie - good luck! My husband can be the same way sometimes, completely clueless that his humorously-intentioned comments can go a little far and needs a gentle reminder that that was a bit much, and please tone it down, at least on this topic, because what I'm doing is already hard enough on me. And he does. :)

Diane - LOL @ "old women issues"... Funny how a song or a TV show or a (gasp) favorite sports team (Ugh, how many times have I been called racist because I like the Redskins? That's a whole other rant.) can start a way-too-serious conversation? Sometimes people like things because they are fun... not because of some moral or political conviction. Geesh.

Uber - I set up my feeding schedule (yeah, hubby laughs when I call it that) in a simlar fashion. I'm not even hungry until later in the day, usually past noon. So I'll eat a small meal... like yogurt and fruit or peanut butter toast and milk, or a sandwich with lots of veggies. Then a few hours later I'll have a snack, most often one of those meal bars, or 1/2c fiber cereal + 1oz nuts for some sweet and salty. Then I prepare dinner... and I usually have 1000 calories or more available, so I can have a big full meal with my husband and not worry overmuch about calories... *and* it keeps me from wanting to eat all night long, which has always been a struggle for me.

I hope you all have a great day! :)