I have worked out 4 days this week 2 circuits and 2 walks.....The endorphins post workout are my best time of feeling good...it usually wears off 30 min post workout but man oh man they make me feel like I am on top of the world! I have to say there is something about lifting and empowering....I may on lift little but I sure do feel strong when I do lift!

Hey all!

My husband's parents, grandmother, and nephew are here for the weekend!

So... I'm going to be away from the computer, probably until Monday. Save my seat, will you? :)

Checking in 3x a day right now. Hope ya'll will bear with me.

It's bedtime and I was able to stay with my plan. I definitely still feel very much like I'm teetering, but I'm hanging in there.

Have a good weekend!

Ahhh weekend! Big walk around the estuary for me, think it was about 8km (sorry don't know what that is in miles. So nice to get out in the sun, by myself. My lungs held up so starting to get back to normal.

I'm starting to struggle with impatience, I want this weight off now! I think it may be because Christmas us looming fast, and the warm weather we have been having is making me think summer is around the corner. I know I should be grateful I have lost some weight, but kicking myself I didn't stick with it all the other times I started. I've also been thinking about my brother alot too, it has me thinking whats the freaking point! Just be happy live my life as I am and not be ruled by the scales - I almost wish something had shown up on my tests to give me a kick up the butt, but no I'm perfectly healthy! Obese me. My totally healthy normal sized brother is the one who has a random heart attack and dies!!

Sorry whawha me!

So uber if you find the solution to being in a funk, let me know, so we can head out of funkytown together.

Hey everyone! It's Saturday and I'm checking in!!! Ahhhhhh!!! AND the scale cooperated and dropped another lb. Today is supposed to be my official weigh in day but I forgot and had a yoghurt this morning before so I'll do an official weigh in tomorrow. But today post-yoghurt was 182.5 y'all which is the lightest I've been since May 1st!!! Squeeeeeeee!!!

Uber: Yay on a successfully on-plan day, yesterday. Everyone teeters. The best we can do is take it day by day and you already won yesterday so you can do it today too! Check in however it's going!

jenjenangel007: Yay on exercise being such good medicine for you! I hope you continue to feel better so you can get lifting again, Strong Woman.

MissLoud: I'm sorry for your loss. One takeaway I guess is that none of us are guaranteed forever so we need to make the most of the time we have and choose to be as happy and healthy as we can be and make the changes we need to rather than putting things off till a tomorrow we're not guaranteed. Which is why it's awesome we're on this journey now. Sure we could have all been finished and at goal now but life happens and we're not. And as the human condition dictates, we haven't given up or stopped, we're still trying and fighting. Fall down seven times, get up eight, is the true victory. Don't regret that you didn't do this journey since or you gave up in the past, rejoice that you're on top of it now and you're doing so well. And it's going to be worth it in the end.

I hope everyone has a fab weekend. I'm trying to figure out what to do for lunch that won't throw me off or lead me to park myself in the fridge since I'm I'm home all day today... although possibly I might go to the grocery store. #LifestylesOfTheBoringAndSingle

Scale MOVED good!!!! After over 2 weeks...uggg just glad its moving again 224.6....not loving plateaus!!

Toasted Hooray for hitting your lightest point yet! Good job!

Jen So fantastic that you have been working out. Good for you!

Mandy I know what you mean about getting nervous about setting specific time goals-- that makes me nervous too-- and yet, YOU DID IT! And what a relief to figure out your scale issue, too.

MissLoud I'm glad that you're healthy, but why put yourself at higher risk of developing problems? I'm sure it will take time to work through the loss of your brother-- that must be so hard! My heart goes out to you! I personally think that what you are doing is a beautiful way to honor his memory.

lulu tell me about how one little thing can just wreak havoc with the best laid plans! I am struggling to learn that even if I get off track I can still get back on... I haven't mastered it yet. It's a process.

As for me, I feel somewhat less vulnerable today. I weighed in this morning and I was at 249.4 which is just a pound up and mostly likely still has a little bloat in it. I've decided I'm going to try really hard to lose 4 more pounds. I'm pretty much sitting here at 248/249. Ugh. On the other hand, I am planning to rack up a second on plan day today. If I can make it through today and tomorrow, I think I'll be back!

Uber.....you can do it! I know it sucks. I was at 227 228 for over 2 weeks it sucked so bad! I started exercising and making sure I stuck to a calorie cycle and I managed to go down. Hang in there....you can and will do this!!!!

Hey everyone, checking in twice in one weekend, am I? :carrot: :carrot: I'm on a set supervising the production of a script my office did and it involves a lot of sitting around idly and waiting as the same thing is done over and over again and make up is reapplied and the lights are tweaked and basically everything I hate. On the bright side, there's nothing to snack on and I'm almost too bored to be hungry so I decided to come lurk on 3fC on my phone.

über: How went yesterday? Yay on feeling a little more solid yesterday. One on-plan day at a time, the scale will drop. Go you! You've got this! You can do it!!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.

Toasted Glad you're checking in on your phone! Love that you are too bored to eat!

I'm still teetering a bit. Had a great day all day yesterday, went for a long walk after dinner, was completely on plan until I decided to eat two popsicles and 5 jelly candies. This extra 200 calories bumped me up from a lose worthy 1200 to a maintaining 1400. I wish I could just keep that kind of thing out of the house but I can't my parents who live with me are sweets-lovers and my mom goes to Costco and buys it by the yard. I have struggled with the nighttime eating thing before and I was able to break it. NO EATING AFTER DINNER!

My weight was up a pound, most likely due to the bad eating.

Right now, I'm just focusing on not losing it entirely in the hopes that soon my mojo will come back.

Okay to after my teenage tanty I gave myself a bit of a shake up and went for a walk. I've got to stop focusing on the scales!!!!! Managed a really good day on plan and have sorted what I'm having today.

Weigh in was kind but I don't feel I deserve it because exercise was nonexistent because of my flu - 2.6 pound this week. Back to the rower today and have organised a 10km walk this weekend with some girlfriends.

Erg I hear you uber - no eating after dinner!! I have two little ones so we eat early! I try and leave a contingency of calories so can have some fruit and a herbal tea, fresh pinapple last night. I also try and keep my hands busy knitting or sewing as I like to eat when I'm bored. You can do this!!!!

Hi to everyone else!! and I apologize for my tanty the other day lol, my husband just doesn't understand.

Lack of sleep shut my filter down bit while hanging out with J last night. Said some slightly lusty/flirty things I might normally have kept to myself. Then I came home, quite worked up - if you know what I mean - and told my brother's fiance I needed a drink. So we split about half a bottle of vodka and cranberry juice. I don't regret anything I said, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit concerned about two things. 1) That I'm not sure I'll be able to look him in the eye the next time I see him without blushing and 2) That I might seriously fall hard for this guy. And the thought of that scares me a little.

evening check in.

Over calories AGAIN today. Logged 1640. I'm just not settling back into my good groove yet, but I'm NOT GIVING UP. I just have to stick with it. Right now my goals are:

1. log daily no matter what.
2. don't go off the deep end.

That's it.

If I can get through this rough patch without gaining I'll consider it a win.

Hey everyone!

MissLoud: Of course you deserve whatever weight loss you experience! Even if you couldn't work out, you were eating right. Whilst sick. And mothering little kiddies. And dealing with grief. And not only that, you then started exercising the moment you felt a teeny smidge better! You deserve every one of those pounds to the tenth decimal place. Are you kidding?! I mean.... Own it, woman! In any case, I've found that majority of scale weight loss is food-related more than exercise-related unless you're at a normal weight and have a low sedentary maintenance calorie level OR prefer to create a calorie deficit through exercise. You work so hard at this, enjoy every bit of success you get, okay?

garnetrising: Oops... Since you regret nothing you said, at least you put yourself out there, no game playing. If it's awkward next time then it's not meant to be. The biggest regret is saying or doing nothing because of fear. That's where I am. And maybe my heart is whole, but is my life richer? Big NO! Nothing ventured, nothing gained, eh? You've been through a lot this year and been brave, have courage and live life! #YOLO

ubergirl: Keep plugging away! You can do this. Yes maybe you're not where you want but none of us here regained because we ate 1600 calories a day. It may not have been exactly where you want to be but you're still winning 1.) Because you're still here posting and checking in, 2.) Because you could've given up and slid into binges but haven't. Even if you've seen a little gain, I doubt it's because of 1400 calories and 1600 calories a day of damage. Our bodies sometimes are confusing. Stay away from sodium- gain weight, eat sodium- gain weight, do nothing out of the ordinary- whoosh! Keep at it, don't give up! You're winning, whether or not it feels like it.


Okay so Sunday was a bust. Sunday is usually my "free" day. It has been from the very beginning of my journey. I usually have a huge Sunday brunch with family or friends and then have a moderate dinner at some point in the early evening. Well yesterday, I missed Sunday brunch because I was at work and I had grabbed breakfast on the go. Well I didn't eat again till I got home after 11pm and feeling gypped, let's just say I went to town! In a big way. In such a big way that I couldn't sleep lying down. In such a big way, that I'm still full and it's past noon the day after. I'm back to my senses and back on plan but yesterday wasn't well done of me. It was an awesome excuse to skip a free day and build in some extra deficit going into this week but I blew it. But it's okay. That was yesterday. Today is today. I'm doing alright and I'm super on plan. I'm doing 5:2 IF with my dad and today is a fast day. It's helping that I'm still sooo full and indigested from last night but again that's not stopped me from eating in the past. I go 16 hours without eating so for me, I'm not eating till 4pm in another 4 hours or so. I spoke to my dad on the phone and HE got up early to work out... My competitive side has been triggered. I can't let him outdo me. I must workout somehow today.

Anyway, I wish everyone a wonderful day. I'll check in later if I can.

Ok, time for me to catch up with everybody.

Toasted Missed brunch, felt gypped, ate way too much??? That is a pattern I'm totally familiar with. That happens to me too. At least we recognize it. Recognition is the first key to being able to avoid it. I'm glad you're back on track! Hope you have a good day.

Miss Loud 2.6 pounds gone even though you were sick is EXCELLENT! Good job!

Jessica When I don't get enough sleep that is exactly when I say all kinds of things I didn't mean to-- but hey, you dig him and you let him know it. I'm sure you feel vulnerable right now, but it's great that you are keeping your heart open.

Jenni Kudos on working out so much! The post work-out feeling is absolutely awesome.

Lulu Way to go on the loss!

Mandy Hope you had a nice weekend.

Diane Not sure if you're still swamped with work or on vacation, but hope all is well with you.

Martini I've been using your mental technique and it is definitely helping me! Hope the work situation is improving at least slightly.

Laurie Way up thread, I think I saw that your interview went well! This is FABULOUS! And you know that your tininess only helped you make a good impression. Let us know what you've decided!

Another day, another day for me to be on plan. I'm going to pretend that none of my off plan days even happened.

Super busy weekend. Drama at work. Had a battle with a coworker. I was right. But it blew up beyond my expectations and became a Pyrrhic victory. But it's a bit entertaining, at least. =)

I am having a struggle similar to Uber. I do really well during the day. I restrict calories. I work out (though I am having asthma-related breathing issues, so my runs are not as good as I would like them). Then I come home and want to eat the house. It started with a cupcake. I had actually brought it home from work on Friday for my husband to eat, per his request, and he wouldn't eat it! I begged him to eat it because it was burying itself into my psyche. If it were mine, I would have tossed it when it first started bugging me and been done with it. Or I might have eaten it, recognized they were empty calories, but not an overwhelming number of them, and moved on. But it just got worse. I ate chocolate and pop tarts to avoid eating the cupcake. But it didn't help. And he didn't eat it at all on Friday. And then, didn't eat it all day Saturday. WTH? I told him that if he didn't eat it soon, I would get rid of it, and he still didn't eat it. So, I finally ate it at 5:30 Saturday evening, and he came up looking for it within seconds of my finishing it. And then I felt overwhelmingly guilty. Days tend to be easy for me. Evenings tend to be incredibly difficult.

Toasted - I know that "ate so much I can barely function the next day" feeling. And the "I didn't get to consume these calories in a really enjoyable way, and I feel so deprived by that, I'll consume calories in a reckless way" thing too. Sorry. =/ I am very excited by your IF strategy, though. I can't wait to see how that plays out.

Uber - As I detailed above, I am struggling too right now. And I thought yesterday, "This is hard. Really, really hard. Sometimes, it seems easy, and there are points that are easy. But we're here because, at least for us, it's hard. But that doesn't mean we can't, or won't, do it.

Jessica - Yay for saying things that need to be said! Even if it's awkward, sometimes things just need to be said. Confession: I married my first husband at 19 without much prior dating experience. I dated a few people between my first and second husband, but was never interested enough to even kiss any of them. It took FOREVER for my husband, who was actually much more experienced at this than me, to kiss me. And we had some super awkward times. But we both knew how much we liked each other, and worked through the awkwardness. Hopefully, it will smoothly transition into romance for you, though. =) #TeamJ.

Oops. Forgot I had a lunch meeting. Ugh. I set them, but it doesn't mean I don't hate them. I will hopefully get back here to complete the post later today. Hope all y'all have a fantastic day.

Toasted, sorry you missed out on your free day and that it ended up leading to something of a mini binge. On the bright side, you're not trying to stuff your face this morning, too. And it's cool that you're getting to make this journey with your dad. Embrace that competitive streak and run with it.

Uber, yay for staying on plan!!

Laurie, I say don't feel guilty for eating the cupcake. The fact that it was "his" is moot. He didn't eat it and it was going to go bad if it didn't get eaten or thrown out. And yes, it's empty calories but every once and a while, it's nice to allow yourself to indulge.


I'm down to 195.5 lbs today. I say .5 even though the scale doesn't read tenths because it was sitting in between the 195 and 196 tickers. I can't help but think getting 8 hours of sleep the last two nights (off from both jobs yesterday and just working HD today) is playing a huge role. I'm not going to complain either way.


So we ended up going to this Mary Kay demonstration for an acquaintance. It wasn't all bad. There were snacks... But by the time we got home, the both of us felt like clowns and literally when straight upstairs and washed it all off. Neither of us wear a lot of bronzer or blush and it was crazy. I like just enough foundation to look fresh-faced and feel like my imperfections aren't quite so obvious. I don't need bold lip stick or bright pink blush. What I do use for color is eye shadow. That's it. And some times eyeliner. But like they're having me put on two different colors of mascara and I'm like my lashes are long enough, thick enough, and curly enough on their own. The few times I do use a mascara, it's clear. And I haven't used it at all in years.

As for J, it wasn't so much awkward that I was worried about as it was me blushing like a nuclear detonator for being that open about things that fall under the "slightly sexual" category. I'm not going to lie, I made a point to run around with Jamie (the brother's fiance) all day yesterday in order to keep my mind from focusing on how his perception of me might have been diminished. I know it sounds silly, and it is, really. I mean, the guy is 40, he's not exactly inexperienced.

That being said, I have been working really hard to keep myself for falling. I know how easily my heart breaks and it usually leads to me not opening it up at all in order to avoid the pain. But every once and a while I find someone who feels like they're worth the pain. He does. He makes me smile. And when we're together, we laugh. We can relate to each other. Even in the quiet moments, I'm content just to sit beside him. Especially when we're listening to some sort of music.

Anyway... where was I going with this (got distracted by a call from my mother). I remember. I've been worried that the potential depth of feelings I could end up feeling might not be reciprocated. And then yesterday, I fought to keep myself busy in case things did get awkward... I'm so used to finding myself in a position where I have to initiate conversations with guys that it's always a pleasant surprise when he sends me a text.

Well he sent me text. I really, doubly wasn't expecting it. Not given how awkward I felt. And the way guys normally don't start a conversation. I knew he had some school work to get done, too, so when he said he was craving cocoa I got all warm and fuzzy. And then when I told him I could go for a cocoa but too bad it was a 40 minute drive and he came back with he was good til 10 and it was just a question of whether or not the drive was worth it to me..... Needless to say, my next message was "leaving now".

Anyway. There was also the comment made during a conversation about how "you know I'm not supposed to be here with you, right?" ... I mentioned that only because he was promoted to DH and he said it was one of the biggest draw backs.... here's the thing. If we were strictly friends, I don't think the company would have a problem with it. The implication, made by him, that spending time with me suggests that there is the potential that he's willing to put his job at risk just to see me which implies that there is, at the very least, the potential for feelings of something more from him if they aren't there already. I'm a giddy mess now because of it. I don't like the idea that I might put his job at risk but I'd be lying if I said the thought of someone risking their job just to spend time with me wasn't incredibly flattering.

I just need to get enough money saved up and find a way to make enough on commission from Verizon to be able to put in my 2 weeks for Home Depot and still feel like I can get by comfortably while having enough extra income to continue to pay off debts. Then not only will I be right down the road (10 mins for example vs 45 mins), I'd also not be potentially putting his job at risk if someone found out. XD

Yes toasted you are totally right I do need to celebrate my successes and don't get down about the perceived slips. So I'm proud I am staying on plan with my husband away, usually it leads to me stocking up on junk food to chow down on when the kids go to bed to destress! Last night I had a giant salad and did my nails. Tonight I'm going to play round with halloween make up, technically halloween isn't a big thing here but it is fun!

Small steps lead to great strides

Oh Jessica sounds interesting! Such a long time ago my husband were in that, will he won't he does, he doesn't he part - those early days are so exciting!! Have fun with it - makes me feel old lol!

Hope everyone is doing okay :hug:

Miss Loud Yay for small steps leading to great things! I love how you are distracting yourself by doing other things!

Jessica195.5 is solidly below 200!! I like that you have such a good plan to move forward-- sounds fun and exciting and I'm sure you'll do it!

Laurie I wish that you weren't struggling, but I do understand where you are coming from. One of the biggest mysteries to me is why sometimes we struggle and sometimes we don't. I can dig deep and try to find reasons, but most of the time there is no discernible reason. I DO like the idea of just saying to yourself "this is really really really hard." And I definitely get the cupcake thing too.

So, for me, AT LAST I had what I would consider a pretty good day and stayed on plan. I was actually really hungry between lunch and dinner, which I guess shows me that my body was noticing that I was giving it less food again.

My big thing is that I'm TRYING really hard to learn new mental techniques for dealing with the binge urge. Some of them seem to work pretty well.

1. Put a frame around it: you think of the food you want to binge on and put a frame around it, as if it were a picture. Weird, right? I don't know why this would work, but supposedly it distances you from the food, making it seem less real.

2. Sit with the craving, feel it shrinking, and imagine that it's small enough to fit in a box. This is a version of something Martini said and the image really worked for me. If I just say to myself "sit with the feeling" and I think "this is what the craving feels like" it gives me a little bit of distance and my thought process can shift from this overwhelming feeling of wanting to eat something to realizing that really I don't actually want it that bad and could deal with the feeling.

3. Call it a hooker: I say to myself, you UBER have decided that you don't want to eat that, and the voice that is talking to you and saying you want it isn't really you-- it's the HOOKER. She is dressed in a skin tight red sequin dress, a hat with a little black veil, and she is smoking a cigarette in a holder... (she looks a bit like Cruella Daville now that I think about it...)

BOTTOM LINE: from the reading that I've done on the subject, it's all about breaking the BINGE BINGE BINGE urge by distracting yourself and giving yourself a moment to decide that you don't actually HAVE to do it.

So, does this stuff work? Imperfectly, but sometimes it does seem to work. The bottom line is that when I have the CRAVING to eat something it feels completely overwhelming and I feel powerless. Most of the time when I'm on plan, I stay on plan because I'm not plagued by cravings. But this past week, I've been craving every single day and so I'm trying really hard to retrain my brain.

I'll keep ya'll posted to see if it works.

Hi everyone! :wave:

I didn't want to just disappear so I'm popping in to say hello. Focusing on my eating isn't something that I have a lot of room to think about right now. Life is giving me an opportunity to learn and grow and far be it from me to say no. :)

Martini - You have such an amazing soul. I hope the learning and growing can be accomplished without too much pain.

Uber - I wish neither of us was struggling. I actually did well yesterday. I had a lunch, which is not my favorite, so I ate more mid-day calories than I'm used to. I then had a really light dinner after I lifted weights, and was satisfied for the day. It's just weird.

I love your strategies, especially the Cruella deVille hooker one. I finally broke down and exposed some of my craziness to my husband. I brought him dinner (nice of me, right? and I could then eat what I wanted to eat without guilt), but it came with a corn muffin. And those corn muffins are delicious! He asked if I wanted it. I said no, but it needed to not be in front of me. If he was going to eat it, great. If not, I needed to bag it up and put it in the fridge so it didn't occupy any of my brain space. And it worked. Last night. We'll see about what happens going forward. I really think part of the craving thing is physical, and I don't really believe the whole, "Your body knows what it needs" thing.

MissLoud - Making it through the sickness with a loss is AWESOME. Staying on plan when I'm not able to exercise can be really, really difficult for me. And yay for salad and fun distractions from food!

Jessica - Eating the cupcake would have been fine. If it hadn't been my husband's, I would have probably eaten about 1/3rd to 1/2 of it and thrown the rest away, and that would have been it. Having it sit there haunting me and eating tons of calories to avoid eating it = not fine. But a lesson learned. =)

And lovely having the infatuation with J. I'm so happy that you are enjoying the company of someone who genuinely cares for you. It's so much less soul-withering than trying to be with someone who is ambivalent. Remember telling us that you deserved better? And now you have it! Even if this isn't your forever guy, having these experiences are incredible. And you have taken up permanent residence in Onederland. I'm so proud and excited to watch your patient, long-term efforts pay off so handsomely.

I'm down to 201.4 again. And while I really want to cross into Onederland, I also am not feeling anxiety about it right now. I have actually enjoyed being a little looser about my eating. The binges make me unhappy because they make me uncomfortable and freak me out a little. But the times when I ended the evening with a single serve bag of chips that contain 150 calories -- that feels like a transition to "normal." Especially because I also had days when I ate fruit as a snack as well. I am not on the Weight Loss Express right this minute, but I am also not marooned in Fatland. And there have been so many times when I have coveted the 2-teens and thought how happy I would be to maintain there. Maintaining around 200 is a great thing. But I would also like to be in Onederland. =)

Have a great Tuesday, everyone! Had some weekend work drama that spilled over to yesterday morning, so looking forward to a more tranquil day.

I have been MIA. My husband was home for a four day weekend which was nice!!!!

Good news...I feel SO much better looks like the flare has passed hopefully for a long long while! I am inching towards the teens....hope to get there soon and I am keeping with the exercising with weights I give a lot to that helping me!

Hope everyone is doing okay I will start the personals tomorrow :)

Jenni Such great news on both counts! Glad your hubby was home and that the flare-up has passed. I really admire the way you hung in there in spite of the pain. Go you!

Martini Thanks just for popping in-- hope the learning and growing is in a good way! Even when you're not here, you're here in spirit, and I can't tell you how often some little bit of Martini wisdom helps me through my day.

Laurie First, let me just stop to comment that I forgot to mention that while I hate that you had a bad day at work and ended up with a Pyrrhic victory, I do love anyone who uses that expression! :-) How awesome that we have a bunch of word nerds on this thread. Second, I'm genuinely sorry that you are struggling; it is just SO HARD when we struggle. And HOORAY for having a good day yesterday! Hovering where you are, just one pound above that big 200 threshold is bound to be stressful, but every day that you are neither marooned in flatland nor riding the goal express is a good day.

Jessica I'm so rooting for you to get to a place where you only have to work one job.

So, for me. I'm delighted to report that I FINALLY had a fully on plan day. It was even more amazing because I ended up being put into a classic uber-binge set-up. After dinner, I had to drive to CVS to pick up a prescription for my mom. Now, I should explain that one of my most typical binge situations is when I end up doing a little errand alone, especially in a drug store, which is a place where I often buy candy. Second, my dad who has alzheimers, craves candy, so my mom asked if I could buy him some candy while I was at the store picking up her RX. So, it was literally the worst possible set-up for me. It was after dinner, which is the time I've been most struggling, I was going to a store where I've gone expressly to buy candy on many occasions, and I had to go down the candy aisle to get the candy for my dad. Yikes!

So, here's how it went down.

I. I thought, I'm going to this store and I'm worried I'm going to buy binge food.
2. I reminded myself that I was post-dinner and still on plan.
3. I thought about the fact that I was actually still a little bit under calories and could eat a "small piece" of candy.
4. I told myself that that might be a bad idea.
5. I practiced every single mental distancing/anti-binge strategy I could think of.
6. I realized that I could probably eat some dark chocolate which is not something I tend to over eat.
7. I walked down the dark chocolate aisle, read the package and realized that one serving was 190 calories, which seemed more than I was willing to spend, especially since I knew it really would scratch the "binge" itch anyway. I decided to leave it behind.
8. I came home with my dad's candy, my mom's RX and nothing for me.
9. I ended the day on plan.

Such is the interior of the UBER-BRAIN. Not a place any of you would want to visit. But, I chalk it up for the win and today I feel a lot more able to keep going. Hopefully, the week of teetering is now behind me and it will be more smooth sailing for a while.

Hello Everyone! I am sure you wondered if I fell off the face of the earth! I am still here. I have been SLAMMED at work and up until last weekend, still was feeling under the weather. I kept coughing and felt generally bleh, which was particularly hard given how much work I have had. I ended up going to urgent care and got some antibiotics and am feeling a lot better.

I haven't been to the gym in a couple of weeks, which is hard, because I was just starting to feel like I was getting my mojo. I haven't lost, but thankfully haven't gained.

I have thought about posting here so many times over the last two weeks, but just couldn't spare the time. I really shouldn't even be posting right now; I have lunches to pack and some work to do that I brought home. But, I just felt like I had been away too long.

I will try to read all the posts over the weekend and get caught up. Until then, I just wanted say hello and let you know that I am still here.

Also, Uber, congrats on defeating the binge. That is a huge success!

Lotus So happy to hear that you are hanging in there but sorry that you've been sick and over-worked at the same time. That is the absolute worst!

I'm just here for my nightly check in. No binges today and about 1400 calories... so above the 1200 but maybe that's just what I need right now. I had an easy day-- none of the awful struggles of the past week! Hooray!

Hey everyone, I typed individual replies and all and then was multitasking to check my email and accidentally closed the window I was working on! Wah Wah Wah... Anyway, this is not going to be as in depth as before because really... ain't nobody gats time et al but still,

uber: Yay on hanging in there and sticking it out and winning! Look at you now! You stuck it our through the temptation and now you're cruising through on-plan days! #Inspiration

MissLoud: I can be a binge eater when I'm alone as well but good job picking something handsy like doing your nails that doesn't lend itself to eating whilst doing it. I'm stealing that idea!

Laurie: I'm glad you're feeling a bit more "normal" with food etc. Perfection is over rated anyway. Who'd want to go through life with never a chip or a cake again? I suppose what we need to learn is having just a serving or just a piece of those sorts of treats as opposed to swimming in oceans of it. And you did it! Yay on being on the cusp of onderlandness! I'm hoping the oneder party is before the end of this week for you, I want to have some virtual 3FC celebratory champagne again! garnetrising is now an certified, card-carrying onederlander so I need your oneder party now! ;)

garnet: Please keep us updated about J and how that goes. #TeamJ for the win! And yay on moving further down the 190s. Excellent.

JenJen: Yay on the hubs being home AND on feeling better! I'm so glad!

martini: Life's opportunities for learning and growth are gifts that should never be ignored. Please keep checking in and letting us know how you're doing and what's up with you!

Lotus: So happy you're feeling better! Overworked and ill is a vicious cycle that I'm glad you're out of. I haven't been to the gym either in what feels like YEARS but is probably more weeks. Yay on maintaining through a difficult time. That's a win!


So work has been busy and hectic and stressful and overwhelming, but I'm still here. On plan with food if nothing else. During my regaining months, I was on plan with exercise and not food and now it's the opposite. I have highly improbably visions of getting back to goal and being a saggy, bag of bones because I'm not working out... I AM getting up early now... it's just the getting out of bed that is the issue. But one step at a time. A month ago, I was struggling to wake up. Now at least I'm up, now the struggle is to get out of bed. I got a shipment from Amazon yesterday. I love shipments from America because I don't do them very often so it's like Christmas. I re-ordered 30 Day Shred, which a friend of mine "borrowed" (stole) and some other random DVD amongst other things. I'm excited about 30DS because I've done many cycles of it in the past and know it's a kick butt workout especially if you follow the girl doing the harder version AND it's only like 20-something minutes, if I recall correctly... which means I don't have to find an hour in the morning before getting ready which is SCHWEEET for a lazy bones like me. One thing I do miss though, is running. I used to run at the gym but I've not been in a while. I whined about it to my brother and he suggested running outside but I'm spoiled... run in a climate controlled gym OR pound the uneven cobblestone stone streets of my neighbourhood in 80F heat (before sunrise) with humidity that never falls below 90%? Y'kno? Again with the excuses... I should alternate home workouts with going running in the morning. By the time I get back to the gym in November/December when work settles a bit, I'll be an absolute beast on the treadmill!

I'm beginning to ramble so I'm going to stop now. I had quite a heavy breakfast to the tune of 725-whole calories so no lunch for me today even though I packed one for myself. I'm going to have a black-eyed pea pottage and some grilled chicken breast for dinner and I'm thinking I can still be around 1200-calorie range for the day. I hope you all have an amazing day! Catch up later.

Martini...I hope life gets less stressful for you!! You deserve that!

Lotusmama...good to hear from you!!!

Toasted...good for being on plan! And good for wanting to keep on exercising...you can do this!!!

Uber...I am glad you had a couple on plan days! You can do this...sometimes we have to adjust through what our minds are giving us...if that made sense at all! I am proud of your perseverance!!!

Laurie...Onderland so close...you go this in your time. I am so proud of you sticking with it and coming to grips with it....I know you said you got to this place before and gave up so props to you for sticking with it! That is a HUGE success!

Jessica...hope work is okay and glad you are coming to terms with emotions with J!!!! Great job on losses!

Me saw 222.4 today.....the teens is in sight for sure just wrapping my head around this process!!!!

UBER! I think some virtual champagne is appropriate for this occasion, Toasted. And I have to admit, I look into your head and I see me. I can deal with a lot during the day. But evenings, especially post-dinner, kill me. And to put me in a drugstore AND make me go down the candy aisle when I'm just baby-stepping back to plan. Oh man! THAT is a recipe for disaster. I am so proud of you to have made it through that. And yes, I love the phrase "pyrrhic victory." It's so nerdy of me, but one of the things I love about this thread is that I can use phrases like that without feeling like I'm trying to impress people or make them feel stupid or whatever.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, UBER IS BACK!!!! Can I admit that whenever any of us struggle like that (including me?), I am genuinely concerned that I will lose a friend? It's so easy to just stop posting and then go into a genuine backslide. I am so relieved that you pushed through it. This is hard. But we are very much doing it!

Toasted - I love your posts. "Ain't nobody gats time et al.!" Indeed. =) You fit in so nicely with our nerdy culture here. I really do want to see that magic "1" on the front of my weight. And then keep seeing it for as long as you have seen it. You and I started at about the same weight. It is flabbergasting that you have maintained a 93-pound weight loss for so many years. But I'm totally with you. I would not run outside in that weather. Can't wait to hear about your 30DS adventures!

LotusMama - So glad to hear from you! I love your check-ins, however brief they may be. Life gets pretty overwhelming at times, particularly when you're trying to recover from an illness, catch up from being ill, and keep up with everything so you don't get behind again. To do all that and maintain is awesome. One of the weapons in the arsenal that will serve us as we try to maintain for life.

Jenni! - More good news! I am so relieved that your flare-up has subsided. AND that your hubby got a 4-day weekend. You deserve to see him, and you deserve to have some help with that crew of yours. And I remember when you were struggling to get out of the 230s, and now the 2-teens are in your sites. You are rocking this! And thanks for the encouragement. I don't know why this is such a difficult spot for me. It's like I just don't want to bust through it, judging by some of my choices the past few weeks. But maybe the extra time to wrap my mind around it might be useful in the long run. Who knows?

Jessica, Martini, Diane, MissLoud - Thinking of you. Sending good vibes your way.

I am 201.2 today. Even 200.x is eluding me! But I had a scheduled lunch Monday, and then I had a last-minute issue that I needed to discuss with my husband, so we had lunch yesterday. My plan really depends on my minimizing my calories during the day, so while I still did okay, I got thrown off. Yesterday, I had actually planned on boxing up my lunch order and eating it for dinner instead, and had eaten my spinach/raspberry combo right before I went to lunch to facilitate that plan. But the fruit and veggies really serve only to take the edge off the hunger, not to defeat it, which works out great for me when I'm at work (or court or wherever), but not when I'm sitting there with food in front of me and watching someone else eat. So, I ate the lunch there, then stopped to get gas, and bought and ate a donut too. I had a light dinner, so the day wasn't a calorie bust, but I need to get back to routine. So, today, I canceled my scheduled lunch appointment. I need to meet with this person, but for today, I really need to eat the way I prefer, and I can't do my afternoon exercise routine if I take time off to go to lunch too. So, for today, I am exercising my right to rearrange my life to make this weight loss thing work. I can't rearrange everything all the time for it to happen, but it is okay to prioritize it sometimes to get over humps like the one I'm facing right now. Oh, Onederland, will I ever reach you?

Hey ladies how is everyone?

I am back to posting in here as things had been a little hectic recently but I am down to less than two weeks until I leave my current job and start a new one from home. I am very excited for that because I will be able to expand my portfolio and stay home with our little baby! I cannot wait to take him to the park (walk/jog with him then play), and go to play groups and such like I did with all of the children I have nannied in the past and present!

I have been on plan even though my posting has been lax, and I am finally out of 290s for good!! :dance:

Good morning, everyone!

Pink Hurricane - Yay for leaving behind the 290s! I love to progress decades. And yay for new jobs, especially ones that can be done from home. I worked from home for years. It was really great and really challenging. Excited for your new adventures!

200.2. I am FINALLY on the cusp. I canceled my lunch yesterday to save my calories for dinner, as is my custom. My husband made chicken soup over brown rice. He told me it was something he makes a lot, but the kids contradicted that statement. It was absolutely what I prefer to eat most of the time. Lean protein. Veggies. And it was delicious. Odd that he didn't seem to want to admit that he was being incredibly supportive, but touching nonetheless that he went out of his way to do it for me, though he really doesn't know how to cook brown rice. =)

Board has been quiet for the last day. I trust it is because, like Pink Hurricane and Martini, everyone is too busy doing incredibly productive and wonderful things. Hope everyone has a great day!

Hey all...

I am back. After a MAJOR detour from plan... I swear I gained 10 pounds, and 5 of it water. I didn't weigh, because I didn't want to know. I just know my rings are tight and don't spin like they normally do.

My birthday was Thursday, then my in-laws showed up Friday, my husband's official installation was Sunday, the in-laws left Monday, and we were treated to Mexican dinner out on Tuesday. It's also pastor appreciation month. All of that combined to send me into a tail spin of snacking instead of eating meals (partly due to stress, my in-laws are wonderful and super generous but they are not very easy to host - they are pretty picky) and I kinda feel like crap. Physically speaking. Really sluggish and just can't get going. I haven't really ran into feeling guilty for it. Mad at myself maybe, because I worked so hard to hit and pass 280 on the way down, so I'm pretty irritated that I allowed myself to go off the rails like that BUT...

What's done is done. Can't be helped.

Back on track today, meaning mostly a fast day because we're going to a cook out tonight... Yes, someone else is feeding us, again, because it's Pastor Appreciation Month and they just love my husband. OY.

Now I just need to stay out of my freezer and pantry. Because in there is a delicious white sheet cake, an even more delicious carrot cake, pumpkin bread, ice cream, what seems like buckets of chili, a chipped beef cheese ball, leftover hamburgers, bags of chips, bottles of soda, white chocolate everything, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Wish me luck. *sips water*

Laurie Hooray and being well and truly on the cusp! And I want to virtually hug your husband for being so supportive. You are doing SO well and I love how you managed to prioritize and figure out how to make your day work! We are about to have our second member jump into onederland! So exciting! And you have absolutely EARNED it!

Pink Hurricane Congratulations on the loss. So excited for you to be working from home! I work from home and it makes me so much happier-- I always found juggling work schedule and kids' schedule to be agony and I love being there. I have four kids-- the oldest is 23 and the youngest is 9 and I cherish the time with my nine-year-old.

Toasted Thanks for the champagne! As for the exercise, what a great idea to get an exercise video that you can fit in before work without having to get up at an unsustainable hour-- that's thinking creatively. I don't think you will be a saggy-baggy bag of bones (LOL) if you get to goal without exercising enough, although obviously exercising is good for the body and the should. But you have to focus on what you can focus on and for weight loss focusing on food seems the more important of the two.

Jenni You are going to hit the two-teens!!!!! So happy for you! You are doing great-- and feeling better is only going to help the process more.

Martini, Diane, MissLoud, and Jessica Hope all of you are doing well.

Agree with Laurie that it has been a bit quiet in here-- I think it's getting to be a busy time of year.

My weight is still sitting at 249, which is about a half a pound above where I was before I started teetering, and still not going down....I'm at a total of 36 pounds lost since the end of May. I would LOVE to see that scale move down, but for the last couple of days, I've let my calories hover in the 1350-1400 range and I'm eating foods I really like and at least the binge monster is back underground for now...so I'm just not going to push it right now.... I did not get to 295 eating 1300-1400 calories a day, so I figure that eventually, my weight will go down, and meanwhile, I can prevent the horrible yo-yoing backslides.

This morning, I woke up with a headache so I had to take Advil. I don't usually eat breakfast, but I knew I had to eat something with the medicine, so today I will not have as many calories available for lunch or dinner, and I'm going to have to adjust accordingly.

I am incredibly relieved that I got through that rough patch though-- that's the second time since I started that I've had a really hard time but managed to get back on track-- which is a world record for me!

Mandy Editing as I realized that I ninja'd you. Oh my goodness, in-laws, meals out and a freezer full of goodies!! It's a miracle you didn't gain even more. I'm SURE you did not gain 10 pounds, even if you feel like it! But probably smart to wait a few days on the scale-- I'm sure it's bloating from salt. You really have a hard go with people constantly feeding you-- that just makes it SO MUCH harder. I have sort of the same problem in that I have to keep so much junk around my own house. I'm sure just the relief of having the in-laws gone will make your life so much easier (not that you don't love them, but in-laws are in-laws, especially if they're picky house guests!) Hang in there!

I'm back! I'm going to read through all of what I missed, but first wanted to share with you some thoughts. It is really long, so if you don't want to read it, you won't hurt my feelings!

There is always a debate about how important exercise is when you are trying to lose weight. I've heard that 75% or 80% of weight loss success is based on your diet. And, I agree. In my case, I have chosen to count calories. I feel that this is successful for me because while I do have to make better choices in what I eat and how much, I am not putting anything on the forbidden food list. If I really want something that is high in calories, then I have to make it fit. I honestly have felt that exercising/working out 6 days a week is important to me, just so I can eat a little more!!

Losing weight is important to me. Having dropped 65 pounds so far, I feel so much better, and can fit in much lower sizes. It is great! But, I found out on our recent hunting trip just how important exercise and working out is to me.

Backing up... last year's hunting trip for me was a disaster. It had snowed about 2 feet, I was sick, and I was in really awful shape. I had intended to try to do better and get in better shape, but I didn't make it happen. So, there we are, up at hunting camp and all I could do was stay in the tent. There was no way I was going to be able to walk around the mountains. My husband went out by himself... and, he was successful! So, we needed to take the horses up the hill to get to where the elk was so that they could pack it out. Well, we could ride up there, but had to walk back. I can't tell you how many times I had to stop to catch my breath. It was awful. And, of course, I needed a boost from behind to get up on the horse, anyway.

I did a lot of soul searching and looked at my life and how limited I was by my weight. I wasn't happy looking or feeling like that. I knew that I was shortening my life and that as I aged, I may be putting limitations on what I could do. So, finally, starting in January of this year, I set up my calorie goal and my tools to track that... and I went to the gym. By this time, I wasn't even afraid to go to the gym anymore. I just needed to start. I told myself to really dedicate myself for one full year and make something change. The sign on the gym door is so true: The most difficult part is just showing up. That first week, I felt a victory just opening the door and finding something to do for even a little bit of time. I rode a bike, I walked on the treadmill, I used the weight machines. The next week, I had a goal of making a certain time of working out. I think it was 20 minutes to just keep pedaling/walking. Things started to improve, and I knew I needed to keep setting new goals. I went to a spin class and called it a victory to just stay on the bike until the end of class. I went to a body pump class and used very little weight, but called it a victory if I was still there at the end. Each week, I tried to do a little more.

Now, I go to spin class three times a week, to body pump two times a week, and on Saturdays I'm working on running on the treadmill and then going to a body flow class. Sunday is a rest day.

So, what happened this year at hunting? Ok, the weather was so much better than last year. But I was better than last year too. I was able to keep walking, to climb, to step over fallen logs... all without having to stop and rest. I can now get on my horse easily, without the boost. And I think she noticed the difference as well. Rather than just plodding on the trails, she was all perked up and even trotted up some of them. So, good news/bad news, she even threw a little fit at one point and tried to buck a little bit. I don't think she could do that before!! The most sore I felt all hunting season was after riding. Now, instead of just sitting on the horse, I have to hold on, my legs have to be tight and I actually have to ride. I'll take that soreness! But for the rest of it, I was able to walk and keep up with my husband who kept saying time and time again that I was doing great and he didn't know how to handle the new energy. He was fortunate again this year to shoot another elk. We used the horses to pack the elk out, but we ended up just using my horse, which meant two trips. We had to walk up this one road to our camp and it is steep. Well, horses can pack out the elk, but they aren't particularly comfortable with it. I knew I had to keep moving. In the past, I had to stop several times on that road to catch my breath. Not this time, I made up the road... breathing hard, but not stopping. As I was walking up the steepest section, my inspirational song popped into my head... "This time, I'm gonna be stronger, I'm not giving in." I made it!! I almost cried at the top. Well, ok, I did cry a little at the top, but I also couldn't stop smiling!

My point in this? Losing weight is important. But being able to live is what it is all about. Getting up at 4:30 every morning is tough, but the benefit is so big. I'm going to keep it going. I'm not going to stop setting new goals. Fitness is key. Will I still obsess over every weigh in and every pound? Yep, I'm sure I will. But the weight loss is only one part. I love feeling stronger and I can't wait to see what it will be like next year.

Diane - Decided to take a peek again while I ate my lunch, and saw that you had posted. I anticipated a quick check-in from you, as I knew you were away hunting, and I suspect you're pretty busy at work. But no. Your post was EVERYTHING I needed to hear. Counting calories (or even just being calorie-aware) and fitting the gym in on a consistent basis can get to be such drudgery. But it really is worth it! And it's not just looking good in a dress. For those with vanity pounds to lose (And bless them! Every pound is really challenging for them!), maybe it's not so much an issue of being able to live. But for so many of us on this thread, our sizes have in the past, or may in the future, hindered our ability to do important things. In fact, I want to send your post to my husband, and say, "See? I know my weight loss thing can be annoying and inconvenient, but it matters. And it will continue to matter more and more as we age." Thank you for your amazing post.

Mandy! - You know the Psycho music when the killer is attacking Janet Leigh in the shower? I imagine that when I picture your pantry. I'm not a fan of carrot cake, but that would NOT save me from the world of calorie-dense temptation that is your pantry. For me, this is the worst of all possible worlds. To be stuck in a house with so much delicious food. Is there any way you might could have a "Please help me clear my house of all this delicious food before it goes to waste?" party? Otherwise,Id be pretty ruthless about throwing it out (though you seem to be much better with those things than I am). But with that much food, even I might feel a bit guilty. For me, it feels way more responsible to toss it than to binge on it, and I am very much prone to binges. How about things that will keep you busy out of the house and away from the food? I know that when I worked from home, I often worked at a cafe or restaurant. Ordering food is not nearly as tempting as being able to walk in the next room and get it. Maybe there are enough non-house-related tasks you need to do that you could set up camp elsewhere for a bit? At least until you are more comfortably on track? The past week is done, and we all know you didn't gain 10 pounds of fat in that week. We all have weeks like that, and yet we all have had and are having great success. Whatever your strategy, I am sending the strongest of willpower vibes to you. But I know if anyone can handle this, it's you. Go, Mandy, go! Or maybe the partridge will sully all of the food and it will then be a non-issue.

Uber - I am so proud and happy for you! Another day in your string of on-plan days. Sorry about the need to spread calories to include a small breakfast. I resent stuff like that more than I should. But you gots this. You've gotten through two major crises, and are still on track. Maybe not the Goal Express, but maybe this train is the one that deposits us safely into Forever Maintenance Land. (Yes. I know that this is a fantasy land. And I am trying to gently introduce thoughts and habits that will allow me to be successful in "You've made it, but it's a struggle to stay here" land. But the thought of Forever Maintenance Land can be comforting from time to time.)

We had a flu shot clinic yesterday at work, and I asked the nurse if I could lift weights right after getting the shot. Later, I jokingly complained to our HR manager that I was disappointed that I asked my question, then bared my bicep, and the nurse didn't say, "Wow! It's obvious you lift weights!" I may have even questioned the professionalism of the nurse. ;-) In the course of the ensuing conversation, the HR manager said, "Is the lifting weights the reason you look so good?" Hard to say if it was technically a spontaneous compliment, but I'm registering it as such. 39.6 pounds gone since July, and still not getting many comments, but getting some. Occasionally, I want them. Occasionally, I expressly don't want them. But even when I don't want to talk about the weight loss, it's nice to know that it's become noticeable.

Laurie - I have a bunch of family coming over to visit next Saturday, and I'll bring out a lot of the stuff for when they are here. I'm not tempted by stuff if it's not in front of me. Just knowing it's there doesn't lead me to snack on it. I've had a basket full of Halloween candy that I haven't touched in over a week (since I filled it) because I put it away out of sight. The stuff I have trouble with are the things sitting out on the counter, or in the fridge that are easy to grab and go. All the snacks are in the pantry (which is in the basement, behind a closed door) or in the freezer (crammed in so tight I'd have to fight to get it out) are not tempting for me. Well, except the carrot cake. It was made by a professional baker in the congregation, and it's got this rich delicious cream cheese frosting, and the cake is perfectly moist and dense... and so very good. But carrot cake is one of my favorites, and they sent me half of a large sheet cake home for my freezer. It's currently filling two 9x9 food storage boxes.

Diane - So glad you had a successful trip, in so many ways. I'm always amazed and inspired by your dedication to the physical fitness side of weight loss. I manage to exercise about every other day, and it's getting easier, but nothing like what you're doing. You are awesome!

Uber - I took a day after they left and sat in my living room on my comfy new couch and stared at the TV just to decompress. They had me up and going from 7am on both Saturday and Sunday, and I'm not used to being up so early. I'm a "get up around 9 or 10, slowly wake up and finally be at full speed some time around noon" person, after years of working 2-11. And the constant "so... grandbabies?" comments were a bit much. I very nearly snapped. You'll get your grandbabies when you get them, shut uppp already! *Snack snack snack* Ugh.

Laurie...I just love reading about your days...you have such a positive light it inspires me and I totally know how you feel...I have almost 30 pounds gone and no comments either! So here it is for you!

Laurie you look amazing I can tell your dedication...
Laurie your looking HAWT
Laurie you are amazing and look so defined (now I know I have never seen you but just by your words you deserve the compliments :))

Mandy...Guess what??? You may have had a bad few days but your back at it and that is what matters! You girl rock...you may not feel like it but you do!!!!

Uber...you amaze me also you are sticking with it no matter what...and guess what that weight will come off!!!!! You are a strong woman and you will get through this rut!!!

Diane...I am so excited to have you back :) And you are amazing I love reading your stories and I am so excited about your hunting trip that inspired me and I am so happy you can come out of feeling so great...just imagine next time!!!!!!

MissLoud, toasted, Pink, Jessica, and anyone I missed...hope you are all doing well :)

Hey everyone! Sooo tired, my kids have caught the cold I've had and my husbands away so its all on me at the moment. I've managed to stay on plan but TOM is coming up next week sometime so scales aren't being too kind at the moment. Might have to go to the doctor to get an inhaler, my chest us still super wheezy. So yeah not feeling it at the mo :)

Uber - you are super great for white knuckling it through, you should be really proud of yourself!

Diane - your hunting trip sounds wonderful! Were are a hunting family here too, have a long weekend fishing on the boat this week coming. I've included more excercise to my life lately too and I never thought I would say it, but I love it!! To have so much more freedom to do the things you want to is so wonderful, and I don't think you realise how much you are limiting yourself until you get those things back.

Laurie - so close to 199! Unbelievable! !!

Mandy - so good that going off the rails hasn't damped your resolve! I'm like you if thing are out of sight I'm okay, but if I know there is a packet of chips open in the house I'm hopeless!!!

Off to have a coffee with some other mums! Might have to have it intravenously :p

I am finding excuses to come down here and be on the computer instead of upstairs with all the food I'm avoiding. This time, I'm down here to share with you a picture of a non-food gift we received from a member of the congregation. She made the runner, the napkins, and the coasters. Perfect for fall! So, I have a pretty place to sit and eat all the food!

http://oi59.tinypic.com/11j3tyg.jpg

Hi all! Ok, now I read through everything. So much happens when you're gone!

I have had a really lazy day. After all that talk about exercise, here I am taking it easy. But, it was a really physically active 5 days, so I am indulging a little bit. I lost 6 pounds while we were gone, although I'm not sure if it will all stay off or not. I'm going to try to keep it off! I still have off until next Monday, so I'm taking advantage of it a little!! Doing a lot of laundry, but I should be doing better on getting other stuff done. Oh well! Tomorrow!

Mandy: Wow! What a beautiful table! And how nice of the lady who made it. It is nice when it isn't food related. I did want to say how impressed I am with you and your weight loss. You're going to have a whole library of new books showing on your signature!

MissLoud: Sorry you're not feeling well. It makes it so much harder! Spending time on the boat fishing sounds pretty darn good!

Jenni: You are rocking the weight loss too! You'll be out of the 220's soon! Awesome!

Laurie: Thanks for the support! I know my husband was just really happy to see me have a better time. We could just really enjoy ourselves, so it was fun. He actually said that last year, he was afraid that I wouldn't make it back to camp. He was afraid I might have a heart attack or something. Ouch! What a burden for him to have, too.

Uber: Glad to see that you are doing better. I could tell that you have been going through kind of a rough time, and it looks like you're coming out on the other side! Hang in there!

Pink Hurricane: Good to see your post!!

Toasted: Glad you're staying on plan! Good for you! The exercise will come and you'll do great.

LotusMama: Glad to see your post too!

Sorry if I missed anyone. I can only go back so far while doing this message.

Hi everybody,

I'm just doing my evening check in right now. I'm sorry to say that today wasn't stellar. I added up all of my calories before dinner and I would have had to stop and not eat dinner in order to meet my goal, but I ate dinner, so I topped out at 1800 calories. I'm not quite sure what got me off track today. First, I ate breakfast when I usually don't. Then I went out to lunch and decided to eat something much heavier than I usually eat, although doable calorie-wise. I find that when I feel like I've overeaten, I'm much more likely just to keep overeating. Still, not a binge. Not a disaster. I'm still here.

Diane, I can't thank you enough for writing that long post. It is so inspirational to me, and it really got me thinking. When I decided to lose all the weight back in 2010-2011, I exercised a lot and it was truly a transformative experience for me. I went from being so out of shape that I used to get winded just taking short walks, to being able to run 4 miles. After losing all the weight, I went on a 20 mile bike ride with my kids, and it was simply incredible, I thought about all the things I had missed out on when I was heavy for all of those years, and all of the things I was suddenly able to do-- horseback riding, bike riding, running, getting in and out of boats, etc. etc.

Now, the good thing is that I have never gotten as out of shape again as I was when I started out at 295 back in 2009. But on the other hand, I'm not anywhere near as able as I was in 2010 and 2011, and I'm back to where I do miss out on things because of my weight. I keep saying to myself, "I'm going to start working out soon..." but I've been afraid of starting again because I associate working out with getting super burnt out and starting to binge again. But I also know that working out made me feel awesome about myself, and the fitness was probably more important than the eating... and also, now I'm struggling with eating, and the fitness can help me deal with stress better.

In short, I am going to follow your example-- I've been where you are, and not so long ago, it was only two years ago, and I REALLY want to get back there, so THANK YOU for reminding me.

I'm so happy your hunting trip went well!!!!