Back-to-back posts for me! I am at work just cleaning a bit of stuff up for an extended break, and thought I would articulate my goals for the break.

1 - Access the gym on ship to maintain my 3 days of running a week, but don't worry about lifting if it doesn't fit.
2 - Enjoy whatever foods I want, but don't eat so much I don't feel comfortable.
3 - Enjoy the more active activities to maintain a decent calorie burn, but don't neglect doing more sedentary activities just because they don't come with calorie burn.

Have a great Christmas, everyone!

Laurie: Hope you have a great time on your cruise!! If you do go over on food or whatever, I hope you don't have a lot of guilt about it. Just enjoy, and then we're back at it!!

I'm back from all the vacationing stuff. We have a 3 day weekend, so that's good. I'll be doing some goal setting this weekend, and I'll share with you next week. I do plan to get on the scale on Monday, no matter how scary it is. It is a place to start. I went back to body pump yesterday and then did some stuff on the treadmill today. I still have a few issues with my back, but I'm carefully getting back to it all. No spin or yoga for a while.

Happy New Year everyone!

Good morning!

Diane - Hope the weigh-in went well yesterday. I plan to jump on the scale tomorrow morning. I won't weigh when I only got about 3.5 hours of sleep, so I didn't weigh this morning as scheduled, so I have a touch of scale anxiety as well. But better to know than not to know. So glad your back continues to improve. Can't wait for it to be 100% healed. I am really, really looking forward to seeing the goals you are setting. I intend to do that soon as well.

It's good to be back! I miss the warm weather and the "do whatever I want" atmosphere of vacation, but it is nice to be back to routine. I did overindulge a few times. The worst day, ironically, was yesterday, when I was out-of-control on road trip food, as we had to drive about 15 hours back from the port. But I had some great experiences, made all the better by the fact that I am fairly fit right now. The elevators were hard to catch, so I walked up a lot of stairs without worry about getting super winded. Did a lot of walking and swimming without worry. And maintained my 1/2 marathon training schedule, albeit with some adjustments, one of which was running Sunday instead of Monday, as yesterday was a car day. But I was able to run three miles! I did it on the jogging track, so I don't know what my pace was, but it was less painful than the treadmill has been lately, so I may look at options to run that don't involve treadmills. Maybe. I also created a new running playlist, which should be helpful as well.

Hope everyone made fantastic holiday memories! I am actually looking forward to stores being fitness-oriented for the next month to six weeks. It will be nice to have other people focused on it instead of being unintentional, but effective, sabotagers.

Have a great day! It's going to be a fantastic New Year!

Ok, full disclosure time and then I'm moving on. I have put on a lot of weight since November. But, I'm going to own it and move on. Just a general lack of effort and then lacking the workouts put me on a path of not watching what I was eating. But, that's done. It is now a starting point for me.

My back is getting better and better. I have only one more PT session and she thought I should be done. I think so, too. I went to Body Pump this morning and it went well, but I had to keep my weights low for now. I'm going to put off going back to spin class for another week since that was painful to lean over the bike. I'll probably try going back to that next week. They have new spin bikes, so I'm kind of anxious to try them out.

Anyway, I'm shooting for a pound of weight loss per week. I am hoping and expecting that I can lose more than that here in the beginning as I just need to get back into the 230's. So, I'm hoping that it means that I'll be in onederland by November.

I'm going to keep up my workouts and work on getting them back to the level that they were before I was hurt. I really am not interested in running any races, but I'm going to plan a hike soon that will be my goal this year, just have to figure out where that will be. I do plan on going back to do the Manitou Incline at some point, but probably not this year. I need to go back and do much better than I did before.

And finally, I am going back to what worked the best for me back in 2014. Full out dedication to recording what I eat and commitment to keeping under my calorie goal. Of course there will be times when I'm over, but discipline is key. I plan to get that back. Now!!! I can't keep giving half effort.

I didn't come this far to only come this far. :)

Um ... *taps mic* ... uh, hi. It's been a while. Also, :coffee:

I went back and read some of my old posts last night. I haven't been here in two years! I'm thrilled that the little regainers' corner that I started even longer ago than that is still here with some new faces and some familiar ones.

I've put on another 20 pounds or so since two years ago. At this point, though, I've still regained less than half of the 120 pounds I took off between August ~2009 and ~August 2012 (which now sounds like a frighteningly long time ago also). In fact I'm sitting right at 200 this morning, which is not the worst it's been over the past two years but which I'm also not terribly proud of.

So, here I am. Reading my old posts has been helpful because I used to know how to do this: One choice at a time. And that is what I am doing right now.

Good morning!

Carter!!!!! - It is so good to have you back! And starting at around 200 pounds? That is a great place to start. By the time I got serious again last spring, I had regained to 263, only 15 pounds short of my highest. You are exactly right that we know how to do this -- and it starts by starting. Can't wait to start reading your daily posts again. Gonna be a great year.

Diane - The holidays are really, really hard. And the normal holiday challenges were compounded for you by your injury. But look at you. You had a slip-up, and now you're re-committed. So many people maintain commitment from January 1 to January 15. You have been committed the entire year, and are now re-focused that commitment. Like Carter, you and I know how to do this. You've been successful with the daily tracking, and will be again. Today's the day. As is tomorrow and the next day. We got this.

I weighed in this morning after my cruise. I am pretty much even with when I left - about half a pound down. Altogether, I'm okay with it. It's a testament to the whole "you can't outexercise bad food choices" truth, though. I made generally good food choices, and got tons of both intentional exercise (I was a regular in the gym and jogging track) and recreational exercise (climbing pyramids, snorkeling and swimming, walking through town, etc.), but I also ate two too-heavy meals and snacked too much on the ride home.

New day. New year. I got the left-over road-trip junk outta my house. I am stocked with healthier choices at work. I remain committed to my 1/2-marathon training schedule. And I weigh less now than I have since 2008. Another 12 pounds and I'll be down to what I have had on my ticker as my goal weight for about six years now. I know I see more than 12 pounds of fat on my frame that I would like to lose, but for now, I'm just going to try to focus on hitting the "I have no idea what I want my final weight to be, but I know I have more than 100 pounds of work to do, so 160 sounds good" goal weight I set so long ago. I am going to try to hit that by March or so, then make some longer-term decisions.

Ignoring the delicious-looking candy some well-meaning soul brought in to work today. In January, when work temptations were supposed to disappear as the country goes into its four-week commitment to health. And work is actually reasonable right now, so should have no problem sneaking out for my running. I am going to run a full 5K today. It's 3.1 miles, and I hit the 3-mile mark on Sunday afternoon on the jogging track. The treadmill might be tougher for me, but I know I can do this.

Have a great day, everyone!

Carter!!! Welcome back! So good to see your name today. And, you did pretty well while you were gone. That's not too bad of a gain, so you're on it! Looking forward to hearing from you again.

Laurie: You did awesome while you were on the cruise. It definitely could have been much worse, so kudos to you!

I didn't go to the gym today as I was feeling pretty achy and tired. I figured it is ok to ease back in to it. Not ok to ease back into being on track with food, and I've been good about that at least!! The scale showed a slight decrease this morning, so that's good. Nothing too big, but at least it was down some. I am anxious to get back to spin class. I just don't enjoy being on the treadmill like I do spin class.

Onward!!

Hey everyone!

Finally settling back down around here after some craziness, some sickness, and unexpected out of town visitors. Still fighting with the scale after a little holiday bump, and leftover treats sitting around the house, but I'm getting it under control. The biggest problem I've re-developed after a week long free-for-all, was snacking after baby bed time. Now that all the treats are out of sight or just gone, it will be so much easier. I will be drinking some herbal tea in the evening if I'm getting snacky after putting the kiddo to bed.

Good news though! I've decided to reward myself for hitting 50 pounds lost (well, 48 so far) from my super highest weight, even though it's taken 2.5 years and giving birth, with a pair of running shoes and a Fitbit Charge 2. (Thanks mom and dad, and in-laws for some Christmas cash and gift cards!) I am serious about completing the c25k program... even though I am currently 280 pounds and I keep thinking "you're too fat to run!" I can do it. I did the first day, again, with almost no pain afterward. I *need* to do this. I am seriously craving that freedom of movement that being so heavy has taken from me. I am also eyeing a treadmill if we can swing it financially, to add to the basement gym. I refuse to cave on this. I finish my step bet challenge on Sunday, and Monday I start running and/or using the elliptical. I need the increased challenge, because an hour of walking - while I'm sure it's good for me - does nothing much for my heart rate or respiration.

So, this week's goals are get some good running shoes (I have a brand/style in mind) and stop snacking after baby bed time!

I hope you all are recovering well from the holidays. :)

Diane - I know we can't take things for granted, but I am super confident that you will do very well at getting your fitness activities back on track, barring any further injuries. It's something I have always admired about you. The food, though, seems to be more of a challenge. So, it seems like your trajectory is exactly what it needs to be. Easing back into the work-outs and keeping on track with food. I'm super excited to cheer you on as you progress.

Mandy - C25K is such a great program! I just officially "graduated" yesterday. I was supposed to run an actual C25K, but I just ran 5K on the treadmill yesterday. I started when I was about 25 pounds lower than you are right now, but I am also much shorter than you are, so our starting points are pretty much on par. It took me a lot of starts and stops and actually took me committing to my half-marathon training plan before I made it through, but I think your commitment will provide you with great results. Walking is fantastic, and I've always admired your commitment to that. But I love love love that I can run now. Slow as molasses in January -- but lapping my former pre-C25K self and loving that. I, too, have a Charge 2 Fitbit, and that helps me get all of my steps in daily. Hope you're able to secure that treadmill. I like to escape to the gym, but I am not tethered to a toddler any longer, so I know the value of an "in-home" option. I am excited for you and your commitment.

I ran my 5K yesterday on the treadmill. NOT an impressive run, but I finished it. Tomorrow, I start on C210K. It has intervals again, and I'm excited about that. But I'm also intimidated. It goes based on time, not distance, and assumes a 10 minute mile. I run slightly faster than a 12 minute mile. But I can afford the time. I had a training program that was based on distance, and that might be better for me. But I struggle so much with treadmills, and it's really too cold for my lungs (I have asthma) to run outside for a few months. So, I'm doing the c210K and embracing the progress.

I am on Day 2 of my No-Sugar January. I am struggling with feelings. I love the sugar so much. Confession: Though I have been successful at losing weight and my progress has been fairly rapid, my diet sometimes resembles the "Twinkie diet." I will decide I can have one small mini-candy bar (available in the ever-present candy jar), and end up eating five (or six or seven). Then, I will feel really sick to my stomach because all it has in it is sugar. And I know my calorie intake is too high. So, I may eat a slice of cheese or something to settle my stomach, but will essentially skip dinner because I've eaten so much junk. I don't do it often, but I need to save the sugar for occasions where I will actually enjoy it.

Have a great day, everyone.

Good morning. :coffee:

Thanks, Laurie and Diane, for the kind words. It's helpful to remember that I could have done worse - that I have done worse in the past, had gained weight faster than I did over the past 2 years. I'm also glad to discover I'm right at 200, because it means that getting below 200, the first milestone and quite an important one, will be relatively easy and quick.

Anyway, I'm humbled. Looking at my old posts, I used to deal out quite a bit of advice. When I was mostly maintaining a 120-lb loss, perhaps I had some standing to do that. Now I feel rather different, and want to shut up and listen for a while.

Mandy: Loving your attitude about it all. I think it is great that you want to take care of this now. Waiting until you are older just makes it harder, and then you look back and wish that you would have done it sooner. Glad you're tackling it now. I can't remember how much I weighed when I did C25K, but I think if you work through it, you'll be fine.

Laurie: I downloaded C210K, but I haven't started it yet. I am not worried about making any certain time, but I do like how they build up and you can work through the levels. I hope to start it soon.

Carter: I remember your great advice from back then. You are definitely capable of giving positive words!!

I went to work out this morning. It seemed to go pretty well, but now my back hurts some. I hope that it isn't from that. I was hoping to gear up a little more too. Tired of babying this!! :) I'm doing pretty good with staying on track for food. It seems hard to get it back, but trying to train my stomach to be satisfied with less!! Ha!

Just doing a quick check-in to say -- Sugar-free January is HARD. Especially at this time of the afternoon.

Fun thing: I downloaded the app "Charity Miles" for my phone, and it uses your phone's GPS or pedometer feature to log your walks/runs and the sponsor will donate to the charity of your choice (out of 37 available) based on the distance you walk/run (or bike outside with gps). So far, I've logged 10 miles and split it between National MS Society, and Operation Smile. I like it. I even started a team (that literally means nothing except I started a team) called @GetUpAndGo for the fun of it. It's pretty nifty.

I did an hour or so of walking today and I felt totally fine. I later did just 6 minutes on the elliptical and felt like I was going to die. I guess it's good that I'm stepping up my exercise game, because I need it!

Carter - I agree with Diane. Losing a battle (or in your case, I would say it was more like breaking even) does not mean you have lost your expertise in how to win this war. Weight control is not a one-and-done thing. If you win the state championship one year and lose the opening match the next year, that's a setback, not proof that you are not an expert chess player. I have internalized your advice so deeply on some issues that I don't always even credit you. When I was on my cruise ship, I ate the Oysters Rockefeller (at least some of it) because it was a rare opportunity. I chose not to even go to the breakfast buffet because nothing there would be unique enough to justify eating it just because it was available. I think this attitude came from something I read from you -- that it's not necessary to eat the cookie because it's there. I will have other opportunities to eat cookies. I am so glad you're back, and hope that you do not hesitate in sharing your wisdom. None of us is where we want to be, but I know I prize reading what everyone on this thread has to say.

Diane - Woot on the food discipline! That's the hardest part, and the most important part. Glad you're getting back into the gym, too, even if it's frustratingly slowly. Just hope that back injury heals completely, and heals soon. Sounds like we're both about ready to leap in the C210K. I am excited about doing it with you.

Mandy - I love the idea of Charity Miles. I am going to look into that. Our high here today is going to be in the negatives, so I am not doing much walking outside, so I probably won't log many GPS-trackable miles any time soon. But something is more than nothing. I still park far enough away from my building that it takes about 700 steps to make it inside, so I guess that's something.

Really glad I have made the "sugar free January" commitment. It is a good reset for me, and a good reminder that I can continue to say no to foods that have been in my face for days. (You may think that a 3-day-old treat would lose its appeal because it's getting stale, but only if you don't know the extent of the crazy in my head that screams for me to consume that treat for the entire three days.) I have been watching the box of candy someone brought in on Tuesday morning slowly decrease, and only my commitment to "sugar free January" has saved me. I also threw away the leftover pie in my fridge, and am consuming fewer calories overall as I increase the number of nutritious calories I consume.

First day on my C210K app. Jog for 10 minutes. Walk for 1 minute. Repeat four times. I cannot wait to tackle it this afternoon! I am pleasantly surprised at my own enthusiasm.

Have a great day, everyone!

Good morning. :coffee:

Laurie, I appreciate your comments. Some of the notions that used to be my refrains - to pass up eating opportunities when there is nothing particularly special about them, or to stick to plan one choice at a time - are even helping me this week as I get back into my groove. In another week or two I will need to consult my own wisdom about patience and weight fluctuations. :dizzy:

For now, though, I was happy to dip below 200 this morning. When I got on the scale on Jan 1, I was expecting worse than I got - I was expecting between 205-210. I'm very grateful that it wasn't that bad. Every time I get below 200 I want so much to never, ever see that number again. Will this be the time? I hope so.

For both you and Diane, best of luck with the 10k and 5k training. I did a C25K program earlier this year, and found it very satisfying. One thing I really appreciated about it was that I could repeat a day or week any time I wanted to. And I did, when I needed to. It was good for pushing myself but not pushing myself so much that I broke, or that I started to hate running.

Mandy: Cool idea on the walking for charity. Gives you extra motivation to keep walking!

Laurie: Yeah, I have to kind of work back into running, but I thought that having a set plan of using the C210K would help keep me moving forward. I don't really care about actually running any more races, but I'd like to be able to make it that far.

Carter: And there you go! Back under 200. That's awesome! Glad you're back here. I love seeing your coffee drinking smiley face!!

For me, I didn't go to the gym this morning. We had quite the storm yesterday, even to the point that we were sent home early. A drive home that normally takes 20-30 minutes took an hour and 15 minutes. I decided that I didn't need to fight the ice and cold just to get on a treadmill or elliptical. :) But, it has been a good first week. Just need to keep on track through the weekend to keep on a good food plan.

Laurie - You can set it to indoor walk/run (pedometer) and it will track your indoor walks/runs! That's how I've been doing mine, mostly. Since it's been low teens and single digits here with negative wind chills. And the snow.

Carter - I was that way earlier this year, only it was 300 instead of 200. I will do a little dance if I ever get below 200!

Diane - We had some yucky winter weather here yesterday, too. But I couldn't use that as an excuse seeing as my gym is in my basement!

Yesterday was good, and I'm finally seeing some of the water weight come off! I still have a pound to go to hit my pre-holiday free for all, but it is coming off, so that's something to be happy about. I got my armband to keep my phone in when I'm exercising, and I'm still figuring out the best way to wear it. I also got some good gloves with the fancy finger tips so I can use my phone with them on. I got one of those fleece headband/ear warmer dealies, and a nice warm hat. My new Fitbit will be arriving today. I was supposed to go get my running shoes today, but weather didn't cooperate so we'll probably wait until Monday when the high is forecast above freezing to go out. I'll just do elliptical work until then.

I have my food planned out today, and I managed to not snack after baby bed time last night, though it was tough going for a little while. It's crazy how easily it is for an old habit to come back even after weeks of staying away from it. So hard to break it again when you've allowed yourself to go back to it for a few days. So, yay for getting back on track!

Stay warm!

Good morning all. :coffee:

There is something satisfying about the first week back on plan after being in complete hedonism mode - I always shed a few pounds of bloat very quickly. So after weighing in at 202 the morning of Jan 1, this morning I am already down to 198. I will enjoy this while it lasts, because soon - as soon as next week, I will be in the familiar drop-bounce-hold cycle that has always dominated my weight loss. That is, I shed 2-3 pounds quickly, bounce back up by 1 or 2, and then sit there, or fluctuate there, for about 3 weeks before repeating the cycle. Have you observed patterns like this?

This pattern is the main reason another of my refrains is that plan success is best measured in months, not days or weeks.

FeraFilla - Getting new gear is fun and provides a nice little motivation boost doesn't it? I love running or walking outside when the whether is crisp and cold. In fact I love cold weather - not so much the damp kind of cold that makes your bones ache, or winds that bite and sting, but crisp cold sunny air, I do love it. When you have the right gear for it, I find, being outside in it is very pleasant.

Good luck and good strength to all, today.

Carter - I love being out in the cold, too! But when the cold hurts my face, it's just too cold. (Current temp here is 8 degrees with a windchill of -5 lol). If it was 38 I'd be okay to go outside in it, but single digits with negative windchills is just *too* cold for me even though I'm naturally insulated to handle the cold weather. ;) As for weight loss patterns, I seem to have 2-3 days of decent losses, then 2-3 days of hovering around the same weight, then another 2-3 days of drops. With occasional bounces up for water retention during TOM and ovulation weeks.

So, this morning my husband was wonderful and took care of the baby so I could sleep off my nyquil hangover. I was feeling pretty crappy last night. All congested and sneezy with a bit of a sore throat and a cough. Nyquil works really well for me, but it also knocks me out for a solid 12 hours. When I weighed in this morning, I was back to my pre-holiday craziness weight. So a week's worth of craziness, plus a few days of "why are all these snacks here, go away!" munchies, took me a week to shed. I know it was mostly water weight, but the early week issues of snacking around bedtime didn't help with that. I always retain water if I eat carbs before bed.

Still feeling a bit under the weather, and drinking lots of hot tea with (measured amounts!) of raw honey to help with the sore throat, and taking care of the little one who got some of the yuck too. He doesn't seem to be too badly affected by it though. I'm getting my exercise chasing his snotty nose lol. He just wants to play! Tough little dude. He's congested with a runny nose and some coughing, but no fever. Tis the season.

I hope you all are having a good weekend!

Good morning kids. :coffee:

My scale was having a laugh this morning - or maybe there was a piece of cat litter caught under one of its feet - because it told me 197 (after having shown me 198 yesterday) on the first reading and then after that stubbornly refused to give me anything but 200. So, 200 it is. If the "true" number is less than that it will show up soon enough. And I can't really complain, as it's only been a week back on plan.

But it has been a full week now, and I have stuck to it like glue, and that in itself is an achievement, because it's not something I've managed to do for quite some time.

Yesterday I indulged by spending the entire day - literally the entire day, except for some walking - working on my leisure project, and I shall pay for it today with a long list of chores I now need to do plus some catch-up work on the actual day job. Change the cat litter, take out the trash, shovel out the car, grocery shopping, pick up my partner at the airport, cook some food for the week... some of this stuff obviously could not have been done yesterday but some of it could have, and I'm kicking myself a little for the indulgence. Alas.

Good luck and good strength to all today.

Hey everyone! :)

I've been doing pretty well, in spite of the sick, and my scale rewarded me with a new (this round) low of 281.4. I'm almost back to the weight (275) I made it down to the last time I worked my butt off to lose weight (from 330 to 275). Then all the craziness of moving and then holidays hit (and that is from October 1 through Jan 1 in this family) and I gained back 20. In 4 months. Because there was that much food and eating out and NO wasn't in my vocabulary after the stress of moving. Then I got pregnant, had the baby, nursed for a year. Saw 315 on the scale (and a picture of myself at my son's baptism), and started over again in July. From mid July until now I've lost about 35 pounds. Not the most astonishing loss for 6 months, but still not horrible considering it includes the part of the calendar where I normally gain, and 2 months where I just didn't try at all because of dental issues.

I should be going out to get groceries and running shoes tomorrow. I'm hoping whatever demons that have possessed my sinuses and my son's chest disappear soon, because I'd rather not spend tomorrow at the doctor when I've had it planned to spend it shopping! I'm determined to start my C25K program SOON. I've even got my eye on a treadmill that will be a new addition to our basement if we can swing it after taxes. :crossed:

Have a good day!

Good morning!

I love seeing so many posts since the last time I posted. And so much good news about sticking to plan and being rewarded by the scale for it.

Diane - Ugh on the icy roads. You can't catch a break on the exercise front. When you're finally healing enough to be able to hit the gym consistently, the weather fights with you. Glad you're still feeling better, though, and especially glad you're finding the magic formula to stick to plan.

Carter - My pattern isn't nearly as definable as yours, but I do have a pattern. I will lose fairly consistently (and fairly quickly), then just stop, maybe even gaining a few pounds. Each of these phases can last weeks or months. But when I start gaining, I do so very quickly. For some reason, my weight is just very fluid. Ugh on the 200. It's such a psychological thing. 199 always sounds hugely better than 200. But you are not like the newbies. I would have been talking them off a ledge if something similar had happened to them. We may be a bit battle-weary, but at least we know to not freak out over the setbacks. And a huge shout-out for sticking to your plan like glue. That first week may tend to bring scale rewards, but it can be the hardest to stick to.

Mandy - Sorry about the demons taking over your sinuses. Hopefully, it goes away quickly and you can enjoy your escape into town to get your new gear. Excited that you have gotten back to your pre-holiday weight, too.

I am dreading my run today. Not the run so much, but the treadmill. I can't believe how much I am dreading the treadmill. I never used to have this issue. Carter - I appreciated your description of the cold. It is appealing to be out there in the cold, as you describe it. But, I am afraid, like Mandy, we are facing single digit temps with wind chill below 0. The 30s, I can embrace. This cold, I cannot. It bothers my lungs most of all, and there's no gear for that. So, it's the treadmill for me.

Also, January is supposed to be geared to weight loss! My division at work did not get the memo. We still have candy canes, which were joined by cookies today. Ugh! Sugar-Free January wasn't supposed to involve this level of "in your face" temptation. But I am less than ten pounds away from my ticker goal weight. If y'all can stick to your plans, I can stick to mine.

Good morning :coffee:

Laurie and Mandy, I acknowledge the vast difference between the 20s and the 0s when it comes to enjoying the cold. :) Also, all bets are off when there is wind. I don't even like being outside in the 40s when it's windy.

That said, I cannot bear treadmill running - for whatever reason, I feel so ploddingly aware of myself on the treadmill, and each step seems to take an age. On a treadmill I just can never reach that pleasant state where I am moving and I am in my thoughts and time is going by. I was thinking of it this morning; I have done a lot of running this past summer and fall (a lot for me, anyhow) but I suspect this winter I will shift my focus to strength training more, except on the days when the weather is fine and there isn't too much ice on the ground.

Good luck and good strength with the sugar-free plan, Laurie. I've never tried anything quite like that. I did realize this morning that I have not yet had a drink in 2017. In the past, passing on booze has been a good sign that I am in the groove - that I am thinking carefully about what calories are worth it and what are not. I do love my dirty martinis or a brandy in the evening. I wonder how long I will go without one this time.

Hi all. We are having a day of freezing rain. Made it to physical therapy and then work, but my back and shoulder are in a lot of pain. I'll be back and post more tomorrow.....

Bonus reading for the regainers crowd: While going through some of my old posts, I came across this fantastic post by ubergirl, who also was a part of this regainers group a couple years back. I found this post so wonderfully insightful and resonant. Here are ubergirl's thoughts on how regains sneak up on us.

Carter - Thank you for posting the link to Ubergirl. It might be a good investment to spend some time reading her old posts. And others, too. Like yours. She's exactly right, too. I hadn't read that one before, but all of her words apply to me. You're also right about the treadmill. I never used to feel that way before, but with training for my 1/2 marathon, I dread the treadmill so much for long runs. I like it for intervals and as a warm-up for strength training, but it's becoming torturous for the long runs. (Clarification - my "long runs" are still only about 3 miles.) I am desperately searching for an indoor track that I can afford. Sounds like you are totally in the groove - and I love love love having you back here.

Diane - That is so crushing that you are still experiencing the shoulder and back pain. Hopefully, it's the good "I'm healing because of the physical therapy, but it hurts" kind of pain. Hope you feel much better very soon.

Yesterday was a food catastrophe. I should not be trusted to make dinner. With a relatively small calorie budget, I tend to save much of it for the evening meal, but that also makes me pretty hungry by the time I am cooking. So, I sample here and there until I have used up most of those calories, but feel like I still need to eat with the family. Blah. When I'm working with raw ingredients, things are usually okay. But I made cheese fondue last night because my husband had never had it and it seemed like a fun date night dinner. And I ate so. much. cheese. Before it made it into the pot. This also tends to happen when I hit a milestone. Cuz my mind seems pretty perverse that way. I weighed in at 169.4 yesterday morning, so of course, I need to sabotage that progress.

**sigh** But I am so grateful I have established habits. I will drink my food hangover away this morning with water and herbal tea (nothing added, so no calories). I will eat the healthy options I have stocked at work. And I will not be foolish enough to think I can cook cheese fondue any time soon. Tonight is also strength training night, so I am already committed to that. I am terrified of walking the path that Ubergirl described so well, so I'm not giving up on this.

Have a great day, everyone!

Good morning :coffee2:

In fact it is no longer morning here, but no matter. I just poured a fresh cup of coffee so it counts.

Laurie, after complaining about treadmill running yesterday, I had to do it today. It was a lovely crisp morning, but it was 10 degrees, and I just feared it wasn't safe with the gear I had, so I played it conservatively and HATED it. :lol: I'm even listening to a lovely book and still found every second was a trudge.

But, I did it. Oh, and I was down to an astonishing 197 this morning. As I've said already, I don't expect this pace to continue but boy am I going to enjoy it while it lasts.

I hope everyone is doing well today. Diane, especially you - I hope the pain is better today.

Well. Weather and sickness have prevented me from going out to get my running shoes. My sickness, baby's sickness. Super cold temperatures. Snow and ice. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was a conspiracy on Mother Nature's part.

I did go out grocery shopping solo yesterday which wasn't horrible (and I stuck to my list!), but I haven't shopped by myself in literally years. Hubby always comes with me, because we rarely go out and do things together. And we've gotta do grocery shopping, so why not do it together and try to make it a pseudo-date? Of course, as I was driving the 30 minutes to the store, the yellow service engine light came on. My car is 16 years old. I freak out anytime a warning light comes on thinking "this it, she's gonna die for good." I got that car for my 18th birthday in 2001 and she's taken me all over this country. I'm not ready to retire her yet. So, hopefully it's something simple and fixable.

One more rest day to heal up and ditch this sickness, then I'm getting back to exercise. I'll eventually get out to get my shoes.

Carter: Thanks for sharing that from Ubergirl. I remember reading a lot of her posts and she had a lot of good info and insight. And good for you for going running on the treadmill even though you hate it!!

Mandy: I've got an SUV like your car, too. It is old, has been through the grief of teenage drivers and is now back in my hands, but it has so many miles on it. Every time something goes a little wrong, I think that it is probably going to just die. But not yet!!

Laurie: I think one night of fondue is ok. I'm sure that was a tough one to get through because... cheese! But, you're back on track today, so you'll be fine!!

The weather is still nasty here. The ice is kind of all over the place. It makes it challenging in the mornings to get to work. I'm hoping the sun comes out today to take care of some of the ice.

My back is just stupid. It got really sore on Friday and was sore all weekend long. I went to PT and she tried to work out some of the knots that had accumulated, but it still was sore last night. My husband is helping by trying to rub it all out too. It is still sore today, but not quite as bad. She said that there will be ups and downs with this as it heals. I'm pretty much over it. But, I just need to keep trying to get it better.

Hi everyone! My name is Nancy and I'd like to join your thread. I consider myself an expert regainer, although I'm not proud of it. Just off the top of my head, I can think of 8 regains, half of them being full plus regains and the other half just being partial but a regain just the same. Yesterday, the Mediterranean diet was mentioned on the Today show and something just clicked. I did some research, joined this site and FitDay. I've used MyFitnessPal in the past but I just wanted something totally new. So here I am!

carter I also want to thank you for posting the link to ubergirl's post. It was excellent and so correct! Thin people don't understand how difficult it is but they don't HAVE to think so hard about it! I swear that's the biggest difference between being heavy or thin! Losing weight takes a lot of mental time and effort along with physical time and effort! It has to stay first and foremost in your mind! Food is a necessary part of life! Quitting smoking was much easier for me! No one HAS to smoke but you HAVE to eat!!

Diane I don't know how you injured yourself but I do know first hand about back and shoulder pain. I had a solid 2 years of physical therapy for my shoulder along with 2 surgeries after an injury. And years ago, I fractured my back after a fall. I think physical therapists are amazing! However, I prefer to stay away from them if all possible! Good luck in your therapy! I hope you get over your injury soon!!

Here in northern Michigan, we're having a winter storm today! It just stopped snowing, we got about 5 inches of new snow today. It's getting windy, we're supposed to have winds up to 60 mph. Then it's supposed to rain before it starts to snow again tonight! The news has warned us of possible power outages and icy roads. Lucky for me, I'm retired so I'm staying inside. The wood stove is going, I have candles out and ready and if needed, we have a generator. I'm all set, so let it snow!!

Have a great day everyone!!

Morning, all!

Nancy - Excited to have you join us! If you are an expert in regains, you must also be an expert in losing. It's just the maintenance part you struggle with. I think that's probably true for all of us on this thread, and probably 95% of people who lose weight. Glad you found a new way of eating that appeals to you. Hope you have fantastic success with it. Yay for retirement and avoiding winter storms too!

Diane - Ugh. Your back/shoulder pain just needs to go away already! I am glad that you are getting treatment, and yay for your hubby for helping out with backrubs! But it just needs to be healed already.

Carter - Yay for the 197! Wouldn't it be great if this time were different and every week was a four or five or six pound loss? Good for you for tackling the treadmill running. I have scoped out options for an indoor track, and I think I have a few temporary solutions, but they will not get me through the remaining winter months.

Mandy - Sorry about the sickness. You, too, have grappled with far too many physical ailments over the last few months. Hopefully, you will get those running shoes soon and feel well enough to put them to good use. I predict your car has at least two more good years in her. Might as well match the 18 years you were alive before you got her, right?

And. . . I am feeling totally out of control with food again. I go to the gym at 6:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I was going to grab a snack when I got home from work so that I wouldn't be starving at the gym. I am talking like a 4-almond kind of snack. But I just could not stop eating, and I felt too full to work out when we got to the gym. I had planned to lift weights, but I couldn't even be parallel to the ground without inducing heartburn. So, I did the stationary bike and then did "hillwork" on the treadmill, varying the incline from a 5% grade to a 15% grade. When I got home, I was still full from my pre-gym food, so I planned on drinking some water and herbal tea. As soon as I walked into my house (I have to go through the kitchen), I wanted candy and cookies and all the food, even though the cookies were from Christmas Eve and stale. I ate one small stale/gross cookie, wanted more, but walked upstairs with my herbal tea, took a bath, did some stuff in my room, and went to sleep. I knew I couldn't trust myself in the kitchen.

This is the rest of my life, I know. I will never be rid of the urge to binge, often at unexpected times. But I am going to white-knuckle today. I am going to continue my training schedule and do high-speed intervals as my run this afternoon (less awful for me when the treadmill is my only option). I will renew my commitment to sugar-free January, and see if I can find a way to reestablish my footing. As on Monday morning, I was fewer than 10 pounds away from my ticker goal. Maybe that was what triggered this? Regardless, I am done pretending that I don't need iron discipline to keep myself from eating everything I can possibly stuff down my face.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Good morning all :coffee:

So, I just bit down on the bullet and ordered some new clothes, which is something I have found myself doing in the past right when I buckle down for weight loss. It seems funny - if I can just hang on for a few months, then maybe my good clothes from my lower weight will start fitting again, right? But I think what's going on is that renewed attention to weight loss comes with renewed attention to how I look, and the fact is that having clothes that fit me now will make me look better now. And so I've invested in a couple of new trousers and new blazers and new shirts. Which, if all goes according to plan, I will only get to wear for one season before they no longer fit... but perhaps it is prudent not to count on that.

Laurie, do hang in there with the slip-ups. It doesn't sound like you spiraled into any full-on binge; you still have this. You are getting back on plan with your very next bite which is the best way to go. Sometimes I have to stay out of the kitchen in the evenings, too.

Mandy, good luck with the car, and I hope the sickness is on the mend.

Diane, sorry about the back. I've heard that about PT, that it can make you feel a little worse before you feel better. Hang in there.

Nancy, welcome! I love what Laurie said about expert regainers being expert at losing as well. Always interesting to turn one's perspective around that way. Good luck and good strength as you pick it up again.

Nancy: Welcome to the group! Looking forward to getting to know you. Just to catch you up on my back issue... since I whine about it daily... it isn't really from a specific injury, just seems to be a strain. But it is getting in the way of my workouts. So, makes me cranky.

Laurie: Darn it. It is such a battle, isn't it? I think it is good that you are aware of those tough times! Just keep trying to overcome it!!

Carter: Good for you and the new clothes! It is frustrating to keep waiting for the smaller clothes to fit, and you still want to look good as you're going through the process!

For me, just fighting through the back issues again today. I don't know... it is hard to be patient with this. I want to hit the gym and get back on track, but I don't feel like I can do what I want with this nagging pain. The good news is that the weather cleared a little!!

Quick check-in. Using this site as my crutch.

I am struggling. At work, my safe place (generally, when people don't bring food in). I only have "approved" foods here, but I stock up rather than bring in a daily lunch, so I can eat and eat and eat those foods until they're gone and I feel horrible. I am here to refocus and to remind myself that if I give in today, I will struggle more tomorrow. If I fight it today, tomorrow will be a little bit easier. I need to stay calm and focused, and I have a lot of work to do (like actual, this-is-why-they-pay-me work), so I have plenty of distraction. I have a meeting at 1:30. After that, I will sneak out and go for my run, so that will carry me until 3ish. So, it's really the next half-hour that I need to beat. I can do that! And when I'm running, I will figure out a plan for the next two or three hours until I go home from work. Then, I will figure out a how-to-be-home-without-eating-the-kitchen plan.

Thanks for letting me rant. I feel like this is a moment of truth for me. If I can nail it, things will get better. I may have to do it again tomorrow and the next day, but eventually, it will get easier for me.

HI Guys! I don't know if anyone remembers me from a while back, but I managed to drop a crap-ton of weight (that's a Canadian metric measurement, eh!) thru some therapy (nothing scary!) and getting a handle on WHY I was such a big eater. I've managed to gain 17 lbs. back, not a huge amount but scary enough -- just goes to show you never really are "done" with this...it's a lifelong journey :)

I'm getting my butt back in gear, physically and mentally, and getting back to my fighting weight ...one of the biggest factors in my big loss was having a place to vent, and to read inspiring & struggling posts from so many going thru the same things.

So HI again!!

I posted this on MFP today:
I have to tell myself "I CAN DO THIS" over and over and over again. And I have to convince myself not that the work will be worth the effort in the end, but that I am worth it. I am so very bad at being nice to myself. And that mean voice is particularly loud when I am not being 100% successful at staying on plan. I treat myself like this is pass/fail. It's not. It really isn't.

So, since I am at home, I am having to fight with myself constantly to keep from going in the kitchen and grabbing the various treats that I know are in there because I put them away after Christmas. There isn't much in there (especially after my snack fests recently), but there's enough to be tempting. I would just throw them away but my husband likes them. I might ask him if he'd be okay with tossing it so it's not in there to tempt me. But if I'm honest with myself, it wouldn't really matter. I can create comfort food from all of my baking staples and I'm not throwing away the flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla.

I am just going to have to micromanage for the next few days and focus on one day at a time, one hour at a time, until I get my brain working right again.

I can do this. I am worth it. (on repeat)

HEY! I remember you. :D

I don't know if I was using this ID or not when you were on here before, but I used to log in with the ID of konfyoozed for a while (back in 2011/2012). Then I got married moved, moved again, changed my email address because I changed providers, tried to come back because all of the moving screwed with my weight loss efforts, but couldn't remember my password and couldn't reset it because I didn't have the email anymore, and so just made a new account.

Glad you were able to get a handle on what was wonky in your relationship with food, and that you are back with only a 17 pound regain, instead of all of it! (like I did, plus some, twice!) Welcome back. :)

Good morning. :coffee: I am still adjusting to being back on plan but the scale is being very kind to me and helping that adjustment along. 196 this morning.

Trazey34! I do remember you from my previous go-round on 3FC. I find myself envying you at the moment for getting yourself back in here at a 17-pound gain. :dizzy: I wish I had done that. I'm impressed with your vigilance. At a 17-pound gain for me, I was in the denial phase of Ubergirl's post which I linked to a few days ago - I was still "trim carter" and it was so easy to ignore the warning signs. You are on this.

Laurie, I hope you managed to hold on yesterday and get your run in. You mention work as a safe place where you can control your environment and what food you have available - I have a similar feeling about my office. I've been eating late-afternoon snacks at work the last couple of days (around 5; I've been staying past 7 this week so I know dinner is going to be late), and I've been wondering how much of that is just because I have the snacks on hand - would I be able to comfortably hold out until dinner if they weren't? I haven't gone over my daily calories or anything, and it's things like yogurt or kashi, so it isn't really a problem. It's just something I've wondered about.

Diane, it is worth being patient, so you don't reinjure yourself or make it worse, injuring something else by favoring the sore parts. Hang in there.

Mandy: Thanks for the quotation from MFP. You are so right about the process not being pass/fail. Consistency over the long haul is what matters. Not only that, but something I reminded myself by reading my old posts, is that you don't have to get all the way to your ultimate goal to start seeing the benefits of all your hard work. You can do this!

All right folks, on with my day. Today is the last full-day of work before my twice-a-year deadline, which is tomorrow at noon. I have a small number of things left to do but nothing too stressful, I think. Then the clock resets, but my next cycle at work has a few big projects in it that are going to stretch my abilities and my concentration...

Trazey: Yep, I remember you too! Glad you are back here after just a slight regain!! You've done so well, and I know you can get it back on track. It definitely is a lifetime process!

Laurie: Sorry you are struggling. It is such a difficult process, isn't it? I totally get it! Work has been good for me, we don't have a lot of stuff here and I don't keep much for snacks at all. But, there is always going home! Or not packing a lunch... again... :)

Carter: You'll have to reward your scale somehow for helping you out as you get back on track! Just say, "Good boy!!!!" :)

Mandy: I like what you posted, too. We need to remind ourselves to be nice!! We've not been perfect, but we've made some progress!! That's something to be proud of!

For me, I have a call into the doctor to see if I am just being impatient, or if I should be more concerned that this back thing isn't over yet. I figured I should at least check on it.

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Laurie I admire your strength! You see your cheese fondue night as a sabotage but I see someone with strength. Someone who knows life happens and also know what to do to compensate. Someone who knows themself well enough to know they could eat all the healthy snacks in one day and still over do. Someone who knows what they need to do to get through the next few hours. You deserve to be in Onederland! Pat yourself on the back, girl! You've got this!!

Mandy YES!!! You ARE worth it!! I have the same problem as you do. Mine stems from my childhood. As soon as I get down on myself, my eating slips too! In the past, I was successful by putting notes up all over the place...inside my closet, inside the medicine cabinet, inside my makeup bag, on the rear view mirror of my car, etc. All the notes had short positive notes to myself. I kept changing notes and changing places so they didn't become "invisible". It helped. I was the only support I had at the time. My current husband isn't very supportive. He isn't non-supportive either. I may use the note idea again myself!

Carter Congrats on your weight loss!! I notice you love your coffee as much as I used to!! I still love the smell! Unfortunately, severe acid reflux has me down to one cup in the morning. There was a time I drank about a pot a day!!

Diane I'm so sorry to hear your back isn't any better. Please let us know what the doctor says!!

Yesterday I spent most my day looking up new recipes and then made homemade marinara sauce with homemade meatballs with high fiber spaghetti for dinner last night. I also made whole grain garlic cheddar biscuits and I made a peach dessert. Yes, I ate dessert. It was low in over all calories really. Anyway, I do not feel guilty. I was within my calorie range and until I go grocery shopping, there are things I don't have to make this diet easier. The book I'm following anyway suggests only changing one meal a week instead of full force. I'm still fluttering around on this diet. My brain is geared at counting calories, so I do but the diet basically wants to teach you to stop eating when you feel full. The key is to never feel hungry. Anyway, I also attempted baking "hard boiled" eggs but I need to refine that, I don't have the timing down right. After 4 hours straight in the kitchen, I could barely move. I don't know what I was thinking! I had in my head I could do all that, and 3-4 years ago, I could! But not anymore! The pain and the spasms didn't settle down enough for me to sleep until 2am. Needless to say, I'm taking the "day off" today. Fibromyalgia sucks!

Well, now that I got that off my chest...LOL I'm hoping everyone is having a nice evening!!