:coffee:

Hey folks. I am faltering a little - overeating a bit and struggling to drag myself to the gym. I had a few days of disrupted sleep. It is so interesting how being well-rested is the key to my well-being in so many ways. My mood, my ability to staunch depressive thoughts before they become overwhelming, my discipline, my focus, all become weaker when I haven't slept enough.

I slept better last night and I'm resolved to get back on plan this very moment.

Good luck and good strength to everyone, today.

Carter: You can do it! Get back to the gym and back on track with your food. You've done so well that I know you can get this back together. Hopefully getting some good sleep will help. I agree so much with you on that! I know that when I'm not sleeping well, everything seems more difficult and problems/feelings/anxiety are amplified. Keep strong!

Nothing new with me today. I went to Body Pump and increased some of my weights. I feel a little stiff and sore now, but hopefully it helps!

I had a really long weekend. I had exams and damn, I need to study more. Gave myself a cheat day yesterday and it was wonderful. I am happy to say that I'm back in the 190s. I hope that the 180s won't be too far away. I'd really like to be able to wear the summer clothes I had for last year.

I hope everyone is doing well :)

triptriptrip: Good job on the loss! You'll be sailing right down to the 180's in no time!

Carter: How's it going today?

So, a little unexpected angst for me on this weight loss competition here at work. I thought it would be way more fun than it is. I'm losing, so that's good, but I really don't want to hear from anyone else about it anymore. The one gal asked me for all kinds of advice, assuming that all I eat all day, every day are salads. No.... I just like salads for lunch. They're good, and I can put it together the night before. And then, why do you ask for ideas if you are going to tell me what is wrong with my plan?? Oh, and then there is the other person who has been sick with some kind of stomach virus, so hasn't been able to keep real food down, so she's eating jello and quinoa. And oh the weight she has lost! This has really helped her with the competition. :rolleyes: Seriously? And that is sustainable.... how? I just don't care to hear about it.

Must be a little crabby this morning.

slashnl I feel you. I hate office "diet talk". Nobody in my office knows about this because of how much I hate it. I won't be able to keep it a secret long, but still. Everybody has an opinion on how you're doing it wrong. And people think they are the food police. Its bad enough dealing with friends who do that.

carter I never get enough sleep. 4 or 5 hours a night usually. But when I do get enough sleep, every single aspect of my life improves.

Good morning folks. :coffee:

Slashnl, what you describe about the office chit-chat is part of the reason I avoided Weight Watchers at work and other similar scenarios. It sounds like a pain! Try to focus on the progress you are making thanks to the challenge, and just nod and smile when folks around you make asinine remarks. :dizzy:

As for how I'm doing - folks, I have to admit that I slid from "faltering" to full-on binge behavior the last two days - my first binges since that breakup (and, interestingly, we have started talking about possibly getting back together and trying again, hm). But whatever the underlying reason for those binges, I'm going to pull myself together. Yesterday I made a post on another thread about my "one choice at a time" tactic and how helpful that is when I am struggling to stay on plan. I'm taking my own advice today.

So I have a plan of action. One choice at a time, "not today," and stay off the scale for about a week (I don't really want to know how much short-term damage I've done).

Good luck and good strength to all.

Thanks for the support, all. I need to just ignore the office diet chat. This competition only goes through the end of March, so it won't be that much longer. If there wasn't such good money involved, I probably wouldn't ever do this again. But.... I could use the money!!! So, I'll keep focused and in my own little diet/exercise world.

Went to Body Pump today. It was good. I'm on a good roll with exercise. It feels good to be on track! Now, JUST NEED TO STAY THERE!!

Diane, the one time I took part in an office weight loss competition it was a similar headache. But hey, you're still losing! That will hopefully make it a little easier to ignore everyone else's issues.

Carter, good for you for getting the backslide under control. All we can do is keep trying, right?

TOM is finally over for me and I'm down a pound. Not much, but I'm hoping for more tomorrow. I've also started job hunting again, which adds its own stresses to my life, but it also (hopefully) means having to get into interview clothes and feeling confident eventually, so all the more reason to stick with it. I was really down on myself the last time I looked for a new job, so it didn't go well. This time I'm determined to be more comfortable with myself.

I had a bit of a falter last Saturday, at 11pm after a day of struggling SO HARD against the urge to binge. I finally gave in. The next day, however, I went right back to eating well and barely gained from it. Yesterday, the same thing happened...restricted to one meal. So I've decided to give myself one meal a week for a cheat, on the times that I just feel like I'm going to explode from the cravings. That way, during milder cravings, I can give myself that assurance.

Tonight, I'm having a drink or two, but keeping the snacks low carb/paleo friendly while DP and I are watching the season premiere of Hannibal. Great show, albeit a bit dark.

Carter - I'm proud of you for acknowledging what was going on and making strides to correcting it. I know it's not always that easy and you might slide again, but you WILL get this back under control. You've done it before, so you have it in you...you just have to access it again, some how, some way.

thistoo and triptriptrip - congrats on your losses! keep it up!

I was down to 230.2 this morning. Almost back into the 220's. Very happy about that. 23 lbs til my lowest and 25 til 100 lbs lost. Great things to look forward to.

I'm also a regainer. Though I lost 65 lbs. 11 years ago I didn't do bad keeping most of it off until about 1 year ago. Last year was when most of the damage was done. Though I'm being more realistic about losing this time and not expecting to lose as much as I did the last, this board really helps. I'm glad to be here. I know exactly what size clothes I want to wear and therefore that's my goal. Gonna do it! :carrot::carrot:

Good morning :coffee:

Thanks for the kind words, folks. I did stick to my plan yesterday, despite unexpected lunch out and planned dinner out. I also exercised. So: one day binge-free. I am focusing on one choice at a time. Right now I am trying to decide whether I need breakfast now or should delay eating until after an appointment I have this morning. Just sitting here trying to listen to what my body is saying about what it needs.

Welcome to the thread, Waterbunny!

Good luck and good strength everyone.

Good morning folks. :coffee:

Following up on myself here - I hope that means everyone was out having too much fun this weekend to bother with posting on the board.

I had a pretty good weekend - foodwise, not flawless, but not awful either. I accomplished a great deal, though I didn't exercise very much. And now it's Monday and I am about to get up and get myself to the gym although I am already running a little late.

Good luck and good strength to all today.

Hi all. Welcome to Monday!

I had a great weigh-in this morning. I lost 2.8 last week, which puts me down in the 270's now. I'm very happy about that. I had decided last week that I'm going all out for this stupid weight loss challenge. There's just some good money at stake, so I'm going to work extra hard for the next month. I told my family that I will be obsessive about it until 4/1/14, and then I'll quit talking about it all the time. If I don't win, that's ok, but I don't want to look back and regret not trying harder. It's all based on percentage, so I have to get lots of pounds off to get my percentage up, where someone who weighs less now, doesn't have to lose as many pounds to get the same percentage. I realize that they may have as much trouble losing a lower number of pounds, but sometimes it feels like I have the added burden. But, I am giving it my all. I am working out, going to spin class 3 times per week, body pump 2 times per week, and then working on weight machines with my daughter on Saturdays, just trying to help her learn them so that she can keep her trim, fit little 19 year old body. :) And, of course, my favorite.... I'm tracking calories obsessively.

Hey Carter, it sounds like you're definitely moving in the right direction! Good for you! Hope you enjoy the gym today!

Waterbunny: Welcome! I love, love, love your avatar!!! :D

Ello, joining in, I lost 70lbs but I've put back on 28, ready to lose that and then some. I put it all on in 7 months that's hard for me :( now I must get back on the horse

Hello. :coffee:

Glad you joined us, Thedollylala. Your post in the introductions area got me thinking about how regains often happen when life stresses take energy away from the effort of weight loss.

We can't keep life stresses from happening so we have to figure out a way to keep our weight loss or maintenance on track when they do. What are some strategies and tactics we can use to help?

I'm really not sure; I haven't figured this one out yet. The more we can make our on-plan behaviors into habits, automatic parts of our day, the easier it will be to stick to them when other things get hairy. But despite what the diet books and TV personalities tell you, it takes a lot longer than a month or two to make this happen. I can easily slip back into some of my old patterns after years of mindful eating, planning, and exercising.

What do you all think?

Welcome Thedollylala! Glad you've joined in!

It's so true about stress just overtaking your life and helping you choose poorly. That was where my regain came in, too. 2013 was so rough and I just lost my way. It doesn't help to get away from the exercising and eating on plan, but sometimes you just feel such apathy about those things when the rest of your life is blowing up. If you could fix your mind on keeping on plan and maybe even putting more of yourself into it, you might feel better and deal with things easier. But I know I have trouble choosing that path. It's a mindset that is difficult to change, but I think you have to be able to do it to keep continuous success.

Carter: You're so right that if you could make an automatic part of your day, and not just an option, it would be so much better.

Not sure what the answer is.

hi guys,

I know I don't post here much anymore, but I still pop in to see how you all are doing.

Re: stresses... I agree, It takes a lifetime. It does help to make the eating and exercise automatic/a habit, and learn different ways to cope aside from food... but yeah, it only takes one weak moment and you are back in a bad mindset. Hopefully those weak moments get fewer are farther between over time.

Hi all!

I am still on track with exercise and food this week, but it is just feeling like a really sluggish week for me. Per my normal routine, I went to Spin on Monday, body pump on Tuesday and Spin today, but I am very aware of my tired legs. I also looked over my food choices to see if there might be an issue. The one thing that is standing out to me is that I've had more V-8 juice this week that normal. I know there is a ton of sodium in it, but I've also looked at the low sodium one and it has a scary list of chemicals in it, so I don't want to go that route. I love the taste of it, but I'm beginning to think that I need to cut it. A friend told me to check out Naked Juice. I'll look at it, but I know it is expensive.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Hi guys. I'm back on this site after being away for quite a bit of time. I've been here under other names but due to changes in my life, I do not use them anymore. I am a married mom of 3 kids (8, 2, and 7 months) who delivered my son weighing at 247 and am now down to 232.1. I am working towards a goal of 175 but my mini-goal is 225

Good morning all. :coffee2:

Well this morning I am down to 173, about three weeks after reaching 174, and given that I had a few days of binge in there, I can't really complain. I'm hoping this loss is part of a whoosh (I tend to lose that way) and that I'll see a little more tomorrow.

I am really focused down to one choice at a time. I find myself thinking about eating off plan (even binging) and I make myself think, not now. Maybe later. Not today, maybe tomorrow. I started to think about setting a goal like "on plan every day until my birthday" (around two months from now) and even then I checked myself and thought "no, carter, just stay on plan today."

These are signs that I am still struggling against a powerful binge impulse and also struggling to find the rhythm of being on plan. But they are also signs that I am mindful of the struggle, and in it, rather than giving in.

Binging is the core of what caused my regain. I need to sort that out.

Welcome SummerRuth! Glad you are joining us!

Carter: I think that is a good approach, taking it one day at a time. I'm glad you got your loss and I hope you get more, too. :)

I'm doing ok. I am staying on plan and continue to exercise and track my calories. But this week doesn't feel as good as last week for some reason. I know I'm doing the right things, but it just is kind of a blah week for me, for some reason.

Hi all, room for one more???

I've been back for some time but I kind of feel like I don't really belong in the WW forum anymore for some reason. I've been watching this thread for some time now and decided to finally join in!

Slashnl- sorry to hear you're feeling this way. Hopefully you'll start to feel better soon or get outta this funk. Perhaps do something different and fun like a pedicure, massage, hair and/or nails? I don't know, just a thought.

I love your approach- one day at a time. Way to go in your loss, Carter!

Today's weight was 161, eventually I'd like to get to 140 but for now I'll just focus on getting in the 150s.

Hi Amandie, glad you're joining us!

Doing much better today. I'm not sure what the little black cloud was all about for me the last couple of days. But, I had a talk with a friend of mine and she helped. Then, I went to Spin today and the Friday instructor is really good. He still makes you work hard, but he is much more of an encourager than he is a drill sergeant. It's kind of nice to end the week with a little calmness to the workout... even though you're sweating like crazy! Ha!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Hi Slash:

Thanks for the welcome. Last time I was active here, I was around 260 and I got down to 231 when I found out I was pregnant with my youngest daughter in 2011 (after separating from my husband) and managed to only gain 16lbs while pregnant. I got remarried last year and we welcomed our son in July. My husband and I started going to the gym in the mornings before class (we're both full-time students); but this past week has been really rough. We lost my father-in-law on Wednesday evening after a month and a half battle with Stage 4 Small-cell Lung Cancer and have been gearing up for my son's visit with the pediatric neurosurgeon in Portland. He's been referred due to having Chiari Malformation at only 7 months old. So this past month and a half has been really rough and we haven't had much time to work out. This week will be different though. I am determined to make it to my goal weight by our 2nd anniversary, which is April 11th 2015.

SummerRuth: Wow. That's a lot to deal with. I hope for the best for you and your son. It's good that you have a good relationship now, so that you can support each other.

I had a good weigh in today. I lost 2.4 pounds. I have been very focused since I'm trying to win the weight loss challenge at work. It ends 4/1, so I need to stay focused after that because I still have a long way to go. It has been feeling good, so I think I can stay strong and committed.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Way to go on your 2.4 down, Slashnl!! You can do it, keep staying strong and committed!!!

SummerRuth- wow! That is a lot to deal with. So sorry to hear about your father in law.

I'm currently on my spring break from college so I'll be using this time to get started back up on exercising and some other stuff. So far, so good! I hope everyone had a good weekend..

Let's have a great OP weekend, everyone!

Amandie: Hope you enjoy your spring break. That's always a good thing.

So, I'm adding a new little bit of exercise to my day. I work in a four story office, with a basement, so there are four flights of stairs. I work on the second floor. So, twice a day, I'm going to go up two flights, down all four, and then up two flights. It just about killed me yesterday, so I thought it might be a good thing to add. I hope to get to where I can go down 2, then UP all four, then down 2. That will take awhile. :)

Thanks, Slash- Wow, you're awesome. I absolutely loathe going up stairs, my knees pretty much creak every time, haha. Every little bit counts, for sure!

Last night, I did 25 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes today, both on the "hardest" preset workout setting. I'm so proud of myself! I just realized/noticed that my thighs do not rub together any more while "cycling" on the elly, so yay for a mini-NSV. I don't know when I will get around to re-starting 30DS but hopefully sometime this week if I ever find my DVD..

I also finally decided to move away from WW. I definitely credit WW for getting me started on the right track, the skills, habits, and etc. but counting points isn't something I want to do for the rest of my life. I've been sort of doing mindful IE while sort of mentally tallying up calories for a long while now and so far, so good.

Well, I'm off to tidy up the house a bit, laundry and get dinner ready since the BF has dart league tonight. Have a great day, all!

Amandie: Nice! You're doing some great workouts! I think that sometimes we need something like WW to get going on a diet plan, but then if we can find a way to do it on our own, it is a good plan. We have to be able to sustain, that's for sure!

Not much new for me today. Went to spin and I was on a different side of the room than usual. I didn't like it over there.... :) There is this one woman who is always saying stupid stuff like "give us a kick a$$ workout", "we really want to work hard", and "we're doing great!" Ugh... Well, I was right beside her today. Funny thing is that she is such a slacker! She turns down her resistance all the time. What a phony! I don't really care what others do, but she just needs to shut up!

Everyone else doing ok???

Omg, I finally hit the 150s this am!!! Ooh, I'm so motivated to stay on track and keep going!!! Just wanted to share that with you all.

Lol @ phony slacker in spin class. Guess some people want to look good, wouldn't she crap if the instructor came over to her and looked? Hahaha.

Hope everyone else is doing alright.

Hi Amandie: Congrats on the loss! It's always so much fun to break into a new decade! Good job!

Not much going on with me today. Just went to Body Pump this morning, and then Spin tomorrow. Just chugging along.

Thanks, Slash! It sure is exciting. I cannot imagine breaking in the 140s?! :dizzy: What is Body Pump?

Hello and :welcome:, Easily_Amused! Good luck on your re-boot! You can do it!

Oops, I forgot to talk about me a bit, LOL.

I've got a busy day tomorrow- we are having our annual poker party as well as an early St. Patrick celebration. I'm making my brother a boob cake for the very first time. Making the cake will be easy but frosting is going to be the hardest, ugh! Wish me luck and I will share pictures of the cake if you'd like but it will be NSFW-type of pictures for sure! I'm totally gonna work out today, tomorrow and Sunday to offset the drinks from tomorrow, lol.

Have a great weekend, all!

Oh yay! Someone new is joining us! Welcome EasilyAmused! Just a thought... and I'm no expert... but I think you would be smart to increase your calories. I thought that the BMR was the lowest amount needed for regular activity, and then with working out, too, you may not be getting enough. As I said... no expert! I do think that posting helps, so we'll be looking forward to hearing from you!!

Amandie: How fun! Those will be some great pictures! Sounds like a good time. Body Pump is a class at my gym where you use weights and work all parts of your body. It has a lot of cardio to it because you are doing lots of reps to music. So, it isn't a "heavy lifting" workout, but you do get some strength training in. I like that it hits all of the muscle groups.

Today was Spin class with my favorite instructor. He's so positive! Such a good way to end the week.

Have fun this weekend!

Easily Amused: Nice!!! You have a great start going! Hope you are having a good weekend!

I had a really good workout this morning. I went to spin class which was surprisingly hard. Last week, on Saturday, it was way too easy. But this time, different instructor, it was challenging. Then, I lifted weights with my daughter for awhile. Tomorrow is rest day!

Hey kids. I'm sorry I disappeared for a few days. Last week was nutty, mostly in a good way.

I'm still struggling with binging. Continuing my focus on one choice at a time. I will pull myself back together.

I'll be here this week - posting on this thread each day helps keep me in line. :dizzy:

Carter! Glad you're back! You were missed!

Easily Amused: Way to go on your 10K steps streak!

I had a great weigh in today. I lost 3.2. I've been pushing pretty hard and I'll still push hard for the next 2 weeks. I want to make a really good effort for the weight loss challenge I'm in. I'm not really doing anything too drastic as far as my food plan, just counting calories and that usually falls in the range of 1600-1700. But I've been working out pretty hard, so I think that helps. I just want to win the money! And, I'm just not sure how everyone else is doing. Since it is based on percentage, I can't really judge how much I have to lose to be on top.

Hello everyone, and thanks. :coffee: I did manage to stay on plan yesterday. Sticking to that on choice at a time mentality - the only way to deal with binges for me. Not today. Not right now. It's tiring! :dizzy:

Slashnl, the drama is mounting as you come into the home stretch of your competition! I hope you win it. You have been working hard.

Hey guys,

It's been a few weeks since I posted. I'm hanging out at 229 right now, after losing what I'd gained after a couple of binges. I'm trying a new approach by going back to WW (which is what I used the first 25lbs of my overall weight loss) and instead of just eating to fill my points, actually considering the sugar and carbs as well as the points. I feel like this is less strict then what I was doing before, but at the same time still aware and efficient. Hopefully this will help with the whole 'urge to binge' issue.

I found the blog canyoustayfordinner.com and that has really inspired me, especially with the binging. To see someone reach their goals and maintain for so long is encouraging...especially knowing that they still struggle with regains but have good advice on how to trust yourself at that point and not let the binging come back.

Hope all is well today :)

Hi all!

Carter: Good for you, taking it one day at a time. You know, that's all we can control, what's going on right now.

Easily Amused: Sounds like you're doing well!!! That's great!

Not much new here. I had a really odd experience at the gym yesterday. The spin instructor for Monday is a woman, 50 years old. She's always been really good, but over the past few weeks, she's been saying things like she should retire, etc. Well, yesterday, she was in a bad mood, evidently. She taught the class, but it was a little short. The stretching barely happened afterward... she then turned on the very bright overhead light (never happens), and made a comment that it is like a bad marriage and she needs a divorce (meaning she doesn't want to teach the class). She then left. Well then, if you don't like it anymore...QUIT! I don't go to class that early in the morning to have attitude like that mixed in with my workout. I'm going to see if she is there on Monday, and if she pulls that again, I'm going to her boss. What crap!

My sweet 18 year old son said that I should try to be patient, that she might be having personal problems. I can understand that, but I can't have a meltdown like that in my job if I'm having personal issues!

Anyway... have a great day!