Down 7.6 pounds for March. I'm soooo ready for April.

Uber - Does your doctor want you to come in to talk about your options? My understanding is pre-diabetes can usually be controlled with diet. Which you are already doing. Maybe there are specific diet things that will help.

Slash - I hope we both get a break in the weather soon!!!

Dread - did you make 258? Fingers crossed!

Laurie - well, I'm glad that craving is out of the way! But I totally totally understand where you are. You said: "It is not nearly as exciting to maintain weight loss" but maintaining isn't just easy coasting from here on out. It's always a constant battle. I know you can figure out how to get it in perspective. Personally I'm counting on your insights so I can use them when i finally get to maintaining.....

I am having the CRAZIEST day! I have skimmed through the posts, and am feeling more motivated today than in some time, but work today is unmanageable. I am going to try to sneak back here after my 3:00-4:00 meeting (seriously! on a Friday afternoon?), but if I don't make it, please know that even just spending five minutes skimming insightful posts means everything to me.

Good morning

Posting a lot these days! :-)

Vlada I did not talk to my doctor-- yet. There was apparently some kind of screw up as I know that these results were in the office more than two weeks ago-- and I've seen her since then, so I don't know exactly what happened. I just got a message from her assistant that I could just recheck in 6-8 weeks, or come in if I wanted to start meds. I guess I'll make an appointment to go in and talk to her. She knows I'm trying to lose weight. I had already dropped 13 between my first visit with her and the follow up, and I've lost another 5 since then...I was doing the bad thing for the past few years, which was worrying that I was putting myself at risk for diabetes and so avoiding the doctor like the plague so I didn't have to face it-- so in that sense, I'm lucky to be only pre-diabetic, so there is still room to reverse it. My mom was diagnosed about 20 years ago, and they didn't diagnose pre-diabetes then, so her first diagnosis she was already in full-blown diabetes. But my mom was only moderately overweight, never obese, so I figured that I was a prime candidate.

So, all well with me. Woke up this morning to find that my mother had made a full breakfast-- bacon and biscuits-- for my college daughter who was going back to school today. Such a sweet gesture, but the smell of bacon, eggs, and biscuits is overwhelming for a person who tries to stick with coffee with milk only in the morning. I resisted, and ate a boiled egg when I got home from the airport to stave off any additional cravings.

I'm frustrated with a minor workout problem I'm having. When I push the incline or speed on the treadmill, the muscle that runs along the outside front of my calf starts to cramp-- just on the left. It's been happening on and off since I started exercising in late Jan, and it doesn't happen every time. When it happens, if I slow way down or stop for a minute or two, it goes away, but yesterday, I pushed through and completed my workout and then it still felt a bit sore/tight after. Planning to do day 3 of C25K today and worried that it's going to do same-- I suspect it's something about my gait that is affecting left side only.

And, the good news? 278 today, so firmly into the new decade. My first mini-goal is 262, which was my maintenance weight before the GREAT GAIN OF 2016. Diane, Amanda, Carter, and anyone else, hope you guys are having a great day.

And Hi Laurie. Looks like we were posting at the same time! Hope your day calms down!

Oh my gosh.... so slammed at work. I thought I came back on here yesterday to post, but I never did. Not a lot of time today either... so shoutouts to all the good stuff going on out there. Uber: sorry about the diagnosis. I hope your doctor can help you with working through that. Keep us updated!

For me, not much to say. I'm planning to take a little time this weekend to get my head back on straight. I think if I set some small goals on my workouts, weight and diet, I can keep the frustrations away. I was hoping to get back to normal much faster than it is actually happening, so need to think about it a little bit and calm myself back down.... Injuries suck!!!

Uber: I'm so sorry to hear you got diagnosed with pre-diabetes (and thank God it's pre and not actual diabetes!!!). We're always here for moral support! You're doing so great with this weight loss, and I'm glad you're going to be checking in with your doctor on what's going on. Hopefully the weird muscle gait thing resolves! I've got the same issue with my right foot getting more sore than my left foot while walking.

Vladadog: Ha, no! Although I did almost make it back down, just not quite. More on that below.

Laurie: Hope work doesn't drive you too batty! Glad you're feeling more motivated :)

Diane: Work is driving everyone crazy today! Glad you checked in :) Small goals are awesome!



Alright, guys. I haven't been exactly good this week and did NOT reach my goal of 258 today. It's alright, though. I'm still floating around the 261 mark, which is still a decent loss from my starting weight, and I'm definitely noticing my fitness level getting better at the gym. I've been indulging in small things here and there (some chicken nuggets at work and a small cup of sweet tea, a big pickle the other night, last night I ate a lemon with salt, as examples) but nothing super calorie-filled or too crazy. Mostly salty things (I LOVE SOUR SALTY THINGS) but I've been trying to drink lots of water and minimize damage. Tomorrow, we're having steak for dinner, and then I'm going to commit myself to a *perfect* week next week. Just one week! Seven days! I can do it, I know it! Starting this Sunday, seven on-plan, perfect days.

I'm...surprisingly disappointment-free about my weight right now. I feel good, I'm looking a tiny bit better, and my fitness level is improving. The stairs aren't horrible, and I'm increasing my speed and incline on the treadmill every day. I'm eating about 90% on-plan, and I'm doing extremely well with saying "no" to most of the food and drinks offered to me. Overall, it's going well. Which is why instead of focusing on my weight goal, I'm just going to focus on saying on-plan from Sunday thru Saturday next week.

March totals: 7.6 pounds down, 70.4 miles walked
I'm committed to walking more in April. I'm fine with my weight loss staying in this range. Mostly right now i'm focusing on feeling more healthy and I know exercise will help with that. I'm also just feeling *blah* about everything... 6 new inches of snow last night did not help with this feeling. But I'm hopeful about April. Exercise should help with the blahs too.

Here's wishing us all an excellent April!

Amanda I love salty-sour things too, and I really love pickles! Especially good ones! Luckily they are super lo-cal. HATE waiting for the scale to move, but it will!!! Never fear!

Vlada 7.6 pounds and 70 miles is AWESOME! Six inches of snow. Wow! That's Vermont for you.

Bit of a frustrating day today. I live in very beautiful area and it is JUST GORGEOUS right now-- lots of wildflowers!!! (sorry to those still dealing with snow) but it is hilly and so I dont' get out and walk much but instead stick with a treadmill in the garage. Not too lovely, but it gets to the job done. Have been very steady on the treadmill since January. I've really upped both incline and speed and finished day 3 of C25K-- slowly, but without any trouble. So, I get it in my mind to go for a short hike with my son today. I live on top of a hill, so if you hike down, the entire way back is UP. I warned him that I might have to take breaks on the way back... well, I mean, I REALLY had to take breaks. Walking down was fine but on the way back up, I had to stop every 30 yards or so to huff and puff and that included 3 longish breaks where I actually sat down for a while. Now granted, it's uphill, but we're not talking climbing a mountain here. By the time I was within a 10 minute walk from home I was so exhausted I was not sure I was going to make it up the last hill. I ended up taking a nap afterwards. This is the same thing that happened to me a couple of times on the treadmill, about ten days ago. So, I don't know if I was dehydrated again-- it was pretty hot and sunny and I didn't take water with me-- or if I should have eaten breakfast, (I just drank coffee with milk) or if I'm just so unbelievably out of shape that exercise just is beyond me. So weird.

278 even this morning, so I'm hoping to see 277 soon, but went out to dinner for a family birthday-- had fish, salad, baked potato, so nothing too crazy, but more than I would normally eat.

Happy April to all!

Warning - Super long post coming. TL: DR - I need to write out what I'm thinking to help "this time" become the "last time" I lose significant weight. Don't feel guilty about skipping my rambling. It's mostly for my benefit. Then again, the same could be said about all my posts, really. But first - personals. Cuz I love you guys!

Amanda - First, the pickles. My (unsolicited, and easily discarded) advice - Eat as many pickles as you want, as often as you want. Unless you have sodium issues or serious water retention issues, pickles are a great weight loss tool. They are pretty close to ZERO calories, and they are filling. I also despise them, so much that when I order a sandwich, I always ask the server to make doubly sure they get nowhere near my plate, as the pickle juice ruins the sandwich for me. But what a great food for those who enjoy them. Secondly - I am loving this attitude of yours. Taking imperfection in stride is pretty critical, IMHO. It's also good that you're committed to 100% on-plan week. This seems to me like the recipe for long-term success. And finally - Yay for the fitness improvement! I get so tired of the assumption that fat people aren't fit. Let's keep proving them wrong, eh?

Diane - I kind of feel like you and I are in the same place right now on a couple of different fronts. I, too, am feeling slammed and overwhelmed at work. And I, too, have committed the weekend to recalibrating and getting my head back on straight. I don't think it's coincidental that being overwhelmed at work often coincides with difficulty staying on plan. Sometimes, it's just really hard to fight on two fronts. Glad you're taking the time you need to figuring out how to make it work for you. I also totally agree that injury frustrations don't go away when the injury improves. Hope work gets more reasonable for you, and hope your weekend is productive for making the day-to-day of weight loss easier.

Vladadog - You are such a fantastic addition to our little group! So glad you decided to join us, even with your challenging internet issues. I love, love, love that you seem to just be plugging along day after day, with significantly less drama than I bring to the process. You keep saying that you are looking to me for an example on how to maintain, but I hope you know that I absolutely count on your input in figuring out how to do it. Clearly, I still need to figure out how it's done, but I am still in the fight, and hope to be able to emerge victorious on the other side of it.

Uber - OOF! The pre-diabetes diagnosis is a killer. Not that it, in and of itself, means terrible things. Just that it's a strong signal that a serious illness could follow. I am so proud of you, though, both for going to the doctor to get a bead on where you are and for taking those steps over the past few months of doing what you need to do to improve your health. Not for nothing -- gastric bypass surgery is considered a cure for type 2 diabetes. Please know that I am not encouraging you to get the surgery. Just reminding you that it is a viable option. Too often, those of us who have been fighting the good fight for some time (and having success with it) think of surgery as giving up. It's not. It's making a difficult decision that may be the right one for us. But I also have every confidence that you can accomplish this without surgery. I can pass up a lot of foods, but bacon is one of the hardest. I also kind of love biscuits. It's pretty indicative of your determination that you were able to do so. Finally, the cramp issue. I don't have good advice, but thought it might be useful to share my experience. A couple of months ago, I started to cramp on my left side, and while it wasn't excruciating, it was definitely painful. I just ignored it and tried to "push through it." Since it wasn't excruciating, I could still run with it, and I actually finished my longest run (10 miles) with it bothering me a bit the entire time. Don't know if it's the right thing for you, but when I asked a few of my runner friends, I was told that it just happens sometimes, and as long as it didn't feel like "sharp injury pain," it would probably go away. And it did after a few weeks. So excited that you survived Day 2 of C25K! Hope Day 3 went well.

So, I felt much better and more motivated on Friday than I have been for some time, and posted to that effect. Almost immediately after, my paralegal brought me a cookie that she had snagged from a food day they were having upstairs. I took it and ate it without much thought. After all, cookies are no big deal. I also knew I had a meeting scheduled at 3:00 by the food array. I thought about it for the few hours between the cookie incident and the meeting. I intentionally left a few minutes early for the meeting so I could snag some of the foods. I ate a piece of cold breakfast pizza (that had to have been there for six hours or so), some cookies, and intended to go back for brownies. I got ready to leave for the night at about 5:30, and decided to stop by and see if anything was left. There was a box of donuts there, and I knew everyone else had gone for the night. So I took the donuts home. And proceeded to eat portions of them until I finally threw them away for the evening. Yesterday started out pretty solid, but deteriorated beginning at about 6:30. By the time I weighed in this morning (despite not wanting to), my weight was up to 159.6. Just short of the 160 that I had vowed never again to cross.

So many thoughts have been going through my mind lately. I listened to the book The Blood of Emmett Till, finishing it a few days ago. It was an exceeding well-written book, IMHO, and I have a lot of thoughts about it that aren't pertinent to this conversation. But the part that is relevant hit me harder than I would have imagined. The author (who is no sprite) described Emmett as 14 years old, 5'4", and 160 pounds. He said, roughly, "Emmett was what might be described as "stocky." Ummm... I'm a woman, so have less muscle, and those are roughly my stats. And it hit me, once again, that I will never be "normal." And, of course, as Uber mentioned, I likely eat far, far less than even the women who share these stats with me. I honestly was a little shocked at how hard this hit me, and part of me wanted to just wallow in despair. I believe that it might have contributed to my lack of discipline over the past few days. It's really ease to sink down into the "I'll never be able to maintain a normal weight, so why shouldn't I at least enjoy eating the food" attitude that often overwhelms me. (Also, please don't think that this random comment was my primary take-away from the book. I am not that shallow, and obviously don't consider my weight issues to be even remotely as serious as the problems people of color faced in 1955 and still face today. But it's been on my mind because weight is genuinely a serious issue for me.)

So, I am doing a couple of things today to try to get back on track before the 160 barrier is broken. First, I am going to map out an exercise plan and stick to it. I will commit to three runs for the next four weeks of at least five miles each. The long runs are the most difficult to schedule, so I am not committing to doing one each week, but I'm going to make an effort to do one. But I am also going to acknowledge that my marriage needs nurturing and my work needs my attention, and the long runs just don't priority right now, even though I am in my last four weeks before my half-marathon. But my goal is just finishing, and finishing does not require the long runs, just the consistency.

Secondly, I purchased pre-cooked lean proteins (chicken and beef) in various flavors, and portioned them out. I never portion out, but I am tired of tuna, and I know that I am inclined to want to finish a portion even if I am already full. I also purchased a few protein shakes and bars in the event of an emergency, and will keep a few at work and in my car. Finally, I purchased and portioned spinach, sugar snap peas, and blueberries. I don't have any binge issues with any of these foods, and they're so low-calorie that I wouldn't be concerned if I did. But sometimes, I find a big container pretty overwhelming. All of these pre-portioned foods are in the fridge at work right now.

Finally, I am creating a new mini-goal to get down to 150. Losing is more familiar to me than maintaining, and I am just going to embrace it, at least until my tummy tuck surgery, scheduled for May 10. That way, I have less chance of having loose skin if I decide to go to a lower weight. I am hyper-aware of what you said in another thread, Uber, about always staying in loss mode and feeling like a failure even at maintenance weight, and I am absolutely vulnerable to that. But I feel like, right at this moment, it's pretty crucial for me to get a handle on all of this, and I am not doing particularly well at maintenance. After my tummy tuck (not sure how far after, as I will need recovery time), I am going to try to figure out a good calorie range to maintain between 150-155. Even though that weight, apparently, makes me something more than "stocky" to certain authors. ;-)

I also came in to work today to try to get a handle on all of it so that I could be able to escape during the work week, as that has been pretty crucial to my success as well.

Carter and Mandy - Even though you haven't posted lately, know that you're still in our thoughts. Hope you're continuing to build on all of the success you've had. And if you're struggling, I know you know that we've all been there.

Almost forgot to report that I did, actually, get in a "longer" run today. I ran 8 miles in 84:30. So, my pace was 10:34 per mile, or 5.7 mph. And the biggest obstacle was the to-do list beating in my head. Physically, I felt pretty great, and I tried to savor the fact that I can run. It was a hard-fought battle to get to this place, and I need to spend more time enjoying that I am here.

I am out of control! Three entries in a row.

Since I overposted yesterday, this will be quick. Apparently, one day of being on plan and pushing water caused an overnight drop of four pounds. Since it only took two days to push it up those four pounds, I'm going to hope that this number is more "real" than yesterday's number. But who knows? The scale is so fickle. I have been flirting with 153-155 for about a month now, so it's time for me to push down to 150 and see if I can keep the scale number around there. I am super excited about my pre-portioned foods in the work fridge. I have started my water consumption for the day, and I have my gym clothes packed. I have a hearing and two meetings today, in addition to the mass of projects that I still have in the queue. I also forgot my Fitbit today. But. . . today's goals will be to escape after my final meeting of the day for a late afternoon run, and focus on just working diligently to get through my projects.

Hi. I'm Lilion. This is kind of a cross post from the 300+ club...hope you don't mind. I was here a thousand years ago. Well, okay...looks like I joined in 2005 and stopped posting February 10, 2011. I wonder why? I truly don't remember stopping, but long and short of it is this:

I lost 100 lbs. I weighed 228 at my lowest and was 28 lbs from my "goal" of 200. It took me two years to lose it. Then, it was over. It was like a switch flipped and I just stopped trying. I maintained for a short time and then slowly (though much more quickly than I should have) I gained it back. Now I'm back to 305 and starting over. A while back I found a letter I had written to myself that mentioned 3fc and I thought, "I wonder if that site even still exists?"

And here you are.

So...any old-timer's remember me? Probably not.

It doesn't really matter, because as of now I'm back on track. I'm happy to be here!


Lilion

Lilion: Welcome to the group! I love your dogs, btw! Cute little faces! I am not sure if I am thinking of a different person, but I do remember a Lilion. Did you have a picture of yourself at that time? My weak memory is thinking that you did. Anyway, welcome!!

Laurie: Well, there you go! Sounds like you had quite the weekend, and quite the revelation. I'm glad you're getting a plan together. I think that is always a good thing. It sounds like you won't have too far to go to get to a new goal weight. I do think that the eating off plan that you had wasn't too bad. Well, it wasn't great, but it didn't last long. So, that tells me that you haven't slipped as far as you thought. You should not keep feeling guilty about it, but I am glad that you stopped it and regrouped. That's the thing we all have to learn, how to move past the slip up and get back on track. And yes, I totally agree that being overwhelmed at work can lead to ignoring staying on track. It is so much easier to let it all go when you're trying to deal with stress at work. It certainly has taken me off my track a little.

Uber: Hills are hard!!! I'm sure it was disappointing to you to not be able to make it back up the hill without stopping. But, I wonder if you took smaller walks and started working on building up your stamina. I know that I improved so much over the summer with hiking 2-3 times per week. It was hard to get going at first, but at the end of the summer, it was going really good. Hang in there!

Vladadog: Congrats on the weight loss and the walking you did in March! Very nice! I think it is great that you're hoping to add more in April. Fitness is a great goal.

Dread: Love your attitude! You can see the good things happening without focusing on the scale. Feeling better and doing well with the stairs are huge!!! Those are awesome things!!

As for me, I didn't get as much planning done over the weekend as I wanted. But, I am going to try to put it down on paper sometime this week. I went in to work on Saturday to try to get caught up. It helped, but we're still busy. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to get a hike in, but the weather wasn't great and I just didn't have time. Oh well. I ate some stuff on Saturday that I shouldn't have, and that was disappointing, too. HOWEVER! I read something about someone who was coming back after an injury and they had also gained a bunch of weight, actually more than I did. They talked about how long it took to get back to the level that they were before the injury, so that made me feel better. I just have to keep trying and I'll get it back... someday... So, very much focused on getting my workouts in, and logging my meals.

Good morning!

Lilion - Welcome! I am trying to place you. I think I may remember you, but I am interested to see as you post more things. The things I think I remember are kind of personal, and if you are the same person I am thinking of, you may or may not want to share them at this point. Regardless, I am thrilled to have you join us! I think all of us on this thread have lost significant (at least 50+ pounds) amounts of weight and regained all or some of it, but also have the benefit of long-term experience to rely on as we tackle it yet again.

Diane - Glad you were able to get some perspective with reading about someone else working to recover from an injury. It is easy (and sometimes maybe even important) to push ourselves and then feel like we fall short, but it is critical to remember that we have limitations beyond our control. The one critical thing, IMHO, is the thing that I always most admire you for -- your persistence. Sorry you didn't get all your planned planning in this weekend, but it sounds like your plan to get your workouts in and log your meals is solid. Sorry that both you and I ended up going in to work on the weekend to try to get caught up.

As for me -- I'm pretty much back on track for now. Yesterday, I really wanted candy at work. I ate, and completely enjoyed, the pre-portioned blueberries I had brought. Not that I was 100%, but I felt really good about my food choices, and I wasn't white-knuckling. Enjoyed another small drop on the scale.

It is nice outside, so I am going to try to get an outside run in. I may try to run about 8 miles again. I have a lunch date with a friend, which I always sort of want to cancel, but I love this friend and I am looking forward to having a little bit of time with him. It's just that I could really use the time to catch up on work and leave myself plenty of time for my run.

Hope that everyone has a great day today!

Laurie: Glad you are having an easier day of it! That's always a good thing. I know what you mean about meeting someone for lunch. It is good to be with friends, but you also lose a little time to do the other things you want to do. Congrats on the small loss!! Small is good!

For me, I went to Body Pump this morning. It was a new "release", so new moves and music. It was pretty hard, but I liked most of it. I kept getting a cramp in my hamstring on the one move, so I'm going to try to get more water today. I thought I did ok yesterday, but it wasn't as good as it should have been. I am planning to go running tonight after work, too. I need to make it there today so that I don't lose too much progress. Staying on my food plan fairly well. I didn't make a lunch yesterday, so had to go get something. I think my choices were good, but I do better when I bring my own lunch. I have it today!

Hey All

Lillion Welcome! Just want to say that I totally and completely know where you are coming from with the flipping switch. Honestly, that is how I would describe what happened to me too. Between 2009 and 2010 I dropped 110 lbs. Kept it off for about two years-- long enough to get completely used to my new life, buy an entire new wardrobe, take up running, etc. etc. and then it seriously felt as if one day the switch flipped and I ran out and ate every single thing I had passed up during the weight loss. I gained back about 2/3 of the weight and then managed to stay there for another 3 years, until once again I went on a six month long binge that got me back to my original weight. So, Since then, I've dropped 19 (as of this morning)In the meantime, my weight, which had never affected my health in the past, is starting to take a toll on my health. So frustrating, and yet, we do what we can. So welcome!

Diane I'm glad you are feeling a little better about your recovery from the injury. It is frustrating to work really hard to get something only to realize that it can slip away so easily. It seems like the fight to get back to where we were should be quicker the second time, but it isn't! And I'm sure the fear of reinjuring yourself is also coming in to play. But I think you are doing great! And the great thing about exercise is that if we do our part, our bodies will respond. I appreciate your hike advice. I decided that since the trail is right behind my house, I'm just going to go down it every single day and just go a little further each time. So, yesterday, I walked down for about ten minutes and then walked back up, which made me a normal type of tired. I'm just going to go down a little further every day until I can do it!

Laurie I really have to smile that after reading a book about Emmett Till your take-home was about his height and weight. LOL. That is SO ME!!! But, I really need to caution you here that a neutral outsider might suggest that you not take your maintenance weight goals from some offhand comment about Emmett Till being stocky. :-) Did the author actually know how much he weighed? And even if that's accurate, you have got to remember that height and weight are so arbitrary-- the same weight can look really really different on two different people. I don't know your best weight, but I suspect that however you picture yourself in your mind, it is fatter than other people would perceive you! But GOOD FOR YOU for working through your issues. The worst thing in the world is to go through all this only to gain it back. Also, thanks for your thoughts about WLS. I do know that it can reverse pre-diabetes, and that gives me food for thought. What bothers me is that they simply can't give me good data about long-term outcomes because they don't have enough years of data. I know what DM looks like long-term bc my mom is 82. She is on insulin and has been really good about managing it, and so she has staved off the complications-- she outlived my tall, thin, athletic, non-diabetic father. I absolutely DO NOT want to get full-blown DM, but I don't know what downsides of gastric sleeve they are going to discover start cropping up after 15 or 20 years, and that is my dilemma. I'm trying to keep an open mind and see how my blood levels do after more weight loss.

Vlada and Amanda Waving! Hope you guys are doing well!!

So, as for me. I'm doing fine. Of course I'm frustrating that I finally started to show some of the obesity-related health problems that I had managed to fight off so far, but it also is good for me to face reality. I've been kind of going along thinking, "well, I'm fat, but it's not really affecting me, maybe I just won the health lottery." But, it figures that having a BMI of 42 at age 55 would not exactly be healthy! So, I'm dealing with it and moving forward as I contemplate my options. Forgot to weigh in this morning and hopped on the scale later-- where I was happy to see 277! One more pound and I hit the 20 pound mark! Hooray! Really looking forward to getting out of the 270s-- when I get into the lower 260s I start fitting into some of my smaller clothes.

Hope ya'll are doing terrific! Have a great day!

Ack, lots of posts to catch up on. I love it when we have lots of posts!

Vladadog: Always glad to here from you :) Man, I can't even imagine like an inch of snow, let alone six! LOL Hope that "blah" feeling abates and that healthy feeling continues, and congrats on the weight loss and miles!

Uber: OMG, walking around outside is soooooo different than walking on a treadmill. It's so much more intense. Everything always seems way more exhausting to me. I think it's the sun that does me in lol. Also, yes, you need to drink more water, and yes, you probably should have eaten breakfast lol. I'm glad you got outside, though. Just think, this is the hardest it's ever going to be, ever again! Congrats on your weight loss, here's hoping you get out of the 270's soon!

Laurie: Yeah, I can't be too mad at the pickles. They're so delicious. I do have real problem with salt, though lol. I love it and I get so easily dehydrated. Congrats on the weight loss! Congrats on getting in a longer run! Congrats on portioning out your protein and foods. :) I'm glad you're not having to white-knuckle it through the day, and I'm glad you're settling into the routine again.

Lilion: Welcome back! We're glad to have you :)

Diane: Sorry the injury set you back so much. :( I'm glad you're not letting it get you too down, though.

Hey, everyone! It's been a minute since I've posted, wanted to check in.

Diet is going pretty well, I think. I'm definitely more relaxed right now, mostly because I'm not tracking my weight and my rules are pretty lax. No fast food, no soda, nothing too sugary or salty. I'm eating baked chicken breast and baked fish for meat alongside various combos of fruit, veggies and proteins. If I eat bread or pasta, it's whole wheat (I know it's still bread and pasta, but it's a tiny step closer to healthy). I also may have eaten about three handfuls too many cashews just now...although, honestly, if my binge consists of cashews instead of french fries, I'll still take it any day (and not count it as really cheating). I'm not counting calories in or out, mostly because it seems super intense and I'm still trying to focus on not picking up food from the Whataburger I have to pass to and from the gym and work.

Exercise is also going well. I've gone twice this week - 45min on Sunday (which consisted of 30min on the treadmill and 15min on weight machines) and again today (30min on the treadmill). We're slowly upping our time at the gym, and have been doing 30min 5x/week thus far. Starting this week, we're doing 45-30-45-30-45, with the extra 15min being spent on weights. I'm also upping the speed and incline while on the treadmill (my butt and calves are FEELING IT right now).

Haven't weighed myself in a few days. I'm curious about it but the goal is to hold out until at least Friday or Saturday. I want to see what a week of this kind of dieting and exercising will do for me. I feel good eating and exercising like this and I can see myself getting a tiny bit stricter and more intense at the gym week by week. It feels more natural and not so dramatic and forced for me...all that being said, I hope I manage to hit a new low lol. If I don't hit a new number Saturday morning, I'm probably going to start food logging on Sunday.

Thanks for the warm welcome. �� I don't think any of you actually do remember me...but that's okay. It was a long time ago. It's funny...I allowed myself to just get lost. Hubby did too. We had some trials with our son...turning 22 tomorrow and still causing stress...but we had no excuse.

But no more dwelling on the past. I'm finally back on track. Every morning, up and on my elliptical. Walking a mile at work. Logging every bite on my fitness pal. Cooking more healthy food. (You'll find a number of my recipes on a sticky post on the 300+ group. Tickled me that they're there still.) I have to admit, I feel better alread and it's only been a month. As of Sunday, Im down to 299.6.

Funny, I wrote a letter to myself in 2008...I guess I knew I'd backslide and gain. I'll post it if anyone wants to read it. I suspect anyone on their 2nd time down the scale will relate.

Welcome back Lilion! I thought i recognized your Boston Terrors (as "VladaDOG" I always notice the dogs first...). nd welcome back to the 200's!

Uber - Back in 2010 my brother, 12 years my senior, was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. And I was MUCH fatter than he was so that was a wake up call for me and one of the things that brought me to 3FC and my first time round losing 100 pounds. He lost a little weight and never developed diabetes. Boys are different from girls (in soooo many ways) and we're all different but I refuse to see your current diagnosis as predicting anything as inevitable.

Dread - I'm a big fan of once a week weigh-ins. I may hop on the scale in between times but i don't let it fuss me. Part of that is cuz I work the graveyard shift so 4 mornings a week mornings are the end of my day and the worst time to weigh in. And a bad weigh-in can just set a rollercoaster going... I hope this weekend brings some positive results for you!

Slash - I admire you keep on keeping on despite work and injuries/soreness. Work is a big cause of my regain and still something i have trouble setting boundaries around. I feel so lucky to a) have a job and b) have a job I genuinely love but finding a balance is also sooo important. And hard. But i have hopes yours will get a bit easier soon.

Laurie - aiming for 150 makes sense to me. And I only dream of being a stocky 160 pounds. Last time my goal was 160 but i hit the 100 pound down mark and never lost the last 20. I'm still aiming for 160 this time hoping that "100 pounds down" will be my magic mantra. Getting back to my dog theme - a 60 pound Greyhound and a 60 pound Labrador are about the same size and yeah, the Lab is "stocky" by comparison. But the Lab is a Lab and is supposed to be stocky. Maybe you'll never be a greyhound but I bet you are a really great Lab!

For me.... I'm over the blahs, the rains have come, the snow is melting! I'm doing the Wii fit during my lunch break at work to work on my balance and core muscles. Not a real work out but last time I found it very helpful. I packed up a couple boxes for the town rummage sale and put my old "fat" jeans in the boxes!

Good morning! Good morning! Glad to see so many new posts. So much energy and forward momentum, too. It's fantastic!

Vladadog - I love it! Who even wants to be a greyhound? Glad that you are progressing toward nicer weather, and glad to hear you're over the blahs. And yay on your Wii fit workout! I need to do more for balance and core muscles, especially as I grow older. Ain't nothing better than getting rid of clothes that are too big, and as someone who almost exclusively buys clothes secondhand, I hope that someone who has struggled to find jeans in that size finds yours and loves them. Even more, I hope it's because she is also losing weight, and doesn't want to pay full-price for transition clothing. =)

Lillion - I would love to read your letter! I am on my fourth or fifth serious time down the scale, and any perspective would be much appreciated. I also completely agree with you about how amazing it is just to be on track. Especially when we're at the beginning of a new effort and see all the distance left to go, it is so gratifying that our bodies react so quickly and favorably to eating well and taking care of ourselves. So glad you're reaping those rewards. They make it so much easier to continue this very long journey. And so cool that your recipes are still where you left them.

Amanda - Check you out. Chilling and making it work. I hope the scale is kind to you. If you are having success and able to be as relaxed about it as you are, that's the ultimate! Not that you will never struggle again, but the struggle is so much easier when it's not constant and when you don't feel like only misery will lead to success. And I freaking love cashews. I buy them periodically. If I kept them in the house consistently, I would eat all of the calories in cashews. But I agree. So much better to get some great nutrition out of your indulgences than a big mass of grease and salt and simple carbs. And you're rocking those work-outs too! Full disclosure -- I'm a little jealous that your bf works out with you. My guy will sometimes, but I have to plan gym time around him so often that it can be frustrating. In fact, my biggest challenge to getting in my runs/work-outs is often squeezing it in so that I have plenty o' couch-sitting time with him.

Uber - I have actually thought a lot about the "health lottery" and the connection between obesity and health issues. I have read a number of studies on the question of whether obesity is actually a cause of these issues, or whether it is a symptom of other issues. For example, there is certainly a correlation between obesity and diabetes. But, is diabetes caused by obesity? Or are diabetes and obesity a reflection of some poor eating habits? I know the question seems pointless, but I have semi-concluded (in my own mind - not anything I could defend in court without some real digging) that my long history of making consistently good choices over extended periods of time have helped insulate me against some of the health issues associated with obesity. In other words, are you sure that you just got lucky that you are only developing health issues now? And, thus far, only a single, still-relatively-minor, health issue? Or is it that your focus on good nutrition and exercise have assisted with preventing some of these health issues? And, ironically, this spins back into the question about calorie-cycling. The thickness of our bodies may be largely related to our metabolisms rather than our food and exercise decisions. This is my very long way of suggestion that your "luck" in the health lottery might just be a manifestation of your determination to offset your lack of luck in the metabolism lottery. Regardless of the reason for the new diagnosis, however, the reality is that you have the tools and the experience to make this work, and to make it work long-term. Thank you for sharing the value of that experience with me as I, too, struggle to make it work long-term. And thank you for relating to my superficiality about the offhand weight-based comment in a powerful and meaningful book. If you have not read it, I would recommend it. And know that whatever you decide about surgery, know that we are completely in your corner.

Only managed to squeeze in a short run yesterday, and I have countless meetings today about countless issues that are all "urgent." Starting to feel a bit burned out on work. It 's hard to recapture the magic of wanting to succeed at work for the satisfaction of a job well done, something that I am geeky enough to love when I have and chase when I don't. But between kids and a husband who really needs a hobby that is not watching TV with his wife and a demanding job and marriage counseling, scheduling exercise time is making me crazy. But getting that exercise time really helps reduce the crazy.

Good Morning Ladies!!! :D I'm in a great mood. I weighed today on my home scale - AND lost another pound since Sunday! :woohoo: It's been a LONG time since I didn't see the dreaded EEE when I stepped on that scale. It's SO motivating to actually see the weight coming off. Not even the nasty weather and the fact that I'm probably getting a parking ticket in the next hour can bring me down. lol

So...LaurieDawn and others, here is my letter. Some background: As my avatar shows, I joined 3fc 12 years ago. It took a while but I lost 100 lbs. Apparently, in 2008, when I was close to that 100 lb mark, I wrote myself this letter. I promptly forgot about it, but last year I found it on my office computer (tax dollars at work - I work for the state) :p . Here it is:

********************************************

You did it, didn’t you? You’ve ditched the plan and fallen off the wagon, haven’t you? You’ve maybe gained back some (a lot?!) of the weight you lost, and you’re feeling out of control right now. You can’t help but war with yourself over the food you feel you shouldn’t have and you quit exercising. Or worse, maybe you’ve just given up, again. In fact, I know you pretty well, and I bet you’re feeling kinda sorry for yourself huh? Poor thing…

But I have to tell you that attitude will get you nowhere. QUIT IT!!!!!

You. Can. Do. This!

I want you to think back right now about why you started this whole journey in the first place. Recall, if you will:

• You weighed 328 pounds. That’s a lot of you! You couldn't breathe during sex. You couldn't walk up a flight of stairs. You couldn't ride a bike, or even cross your legs!

• What about being able to do the things you want to do, go where you want to go and buy the clothes you want to buy? What about just weighing less than your husband?

• And while we’re at it, let’s talk about food. I know you think that those burgers and fries and especially that ice cream and candy give you comfort, but they don’t. No one’s saying you can’t have them – you will have to moderate them. And believe me when I tell you that you LOVE fruit! And yummy veggies, and Fiber 1 bars!!! You’re not giving up foods you love, you’re finding new food friends. And I bet you miss that feeling of control you had about those trigger foods too. Remember you could walk away from the candy on the secretary’s desk EVERY DAY?

• And exercise! You didn’t always like starting, but you really liked releasing some stress, feeling what you body could do! It made you feel ALIVE and AWAKE and just more HERE! You didn't move fast, but I bet you got better before you fell off the wagon.

• Oh, and what about how you feel at the end of the day? Are you tired? Taking naps again? Well, do you remember how when you ate better you didn’t get so many low blood sugar dips?? You can be that way again!

• You’ve been in control of your health before and loved it! You can love it again!

Okay, I know, it’s not so easy. The problem is you think it’s all insurmountable. Something little happened, and you got off track, and then something else, and then it snowballed and pretty soon there went all the good habits right out the window. I know all about it, because it’s happened before!

So, how can you get it back? Baby steps! Remember?

• If you’ve stopped journaling your food – get back to it ASAP! Remember how it helped you learn good habits? And quickly! Get back to counting calories and fats and all. It’s easy and you actually liked it!!

• Take back your attitude about food. Keep asking yourself: is this worth it to me in the long run? Sometimes the answer will be yes, but often it will be no, and you’ll feel proud of yourself because of that!

• And get moving again. You may not love it all the time, but it helps you so much!!

• Remember, you don’t have to make changes all at once. Gradually build in more healthy behaviors. But don’t wait for some mythical “better” time in the future. Take control now!

• Finally, go back to reading 3fc and WW! You were inspired by those stories, and talking about your story helped keep you going too! There’s support there for you.

Remember your pledge to yourself: to be healthier at 50 than you were at 40. That’s what’s important, not the taste of that food or the TV shows you're probably watching too much of.

And you can do it. I, more than anyone else, know you can!!

**************************************************

So...I guess I knew myself pretty well. I knew there was a pretty good chance I'd gain and need a kick in the pants.

Here I go again.:)

Lilian I love Love LOVE that letter!!!!!!

I'm actually kind of embarrassed...I just found a copy of almost the exact same letter on a sticky on the 300+ club. Weirdness...I guess back in 08, I copied that lady's, changed it to suit me, and kept it for myself! I didn't even remember doing it. But, I guess, that really doesn't change the fact that I needed the kick that letter gave me. :/

Lilion: Thanks for sharing that letter. Whether it was an "original" or not doesn't matter! It is helpful! Oh, and I think that Laurie and I had the same Lillian in mind (I think she spelled it like that, not sure). I believe that the issues she had were huge and maybe that's why we remember her. Glad you are here and that you don't have those issues!!! :)

Laurie: A small run is better than no run! Glad you were able to get a little bit of it in!

Vladadog: Way to go with getting rid of the fat jeans! That's awesome! I also loved the greyhound and lab analogy. That's a great way to look at it.

Dread: Nice to see that you're increasing your exercise time step by step. Very good way to do it!! Sounds like things are going well for you, and with snow melting, all the better!

Uber: So close to the 20 pound mark! You'll get it soon, I'm sure. It's always nice to see the scale go down!

For me, went running last night after work. It seemed a little difficult, but it also seemed like I could push it a little more than I have been able to for awhile. I was pretty tired afterward. I live quite a ways from work and the gym, and by the time I got home last night, my legs were so stiff. It took a while to get it all loosened up to walk! Ha! I was a little stiff again this morning, but I went to spin. It was so hard!!!! But, I think it helped overall with working out the stiffness from running. Getting there!

I passed on going out to a business lunch today. I just didn't want the temptation of ordering... especially when someone else is paying! Keeping food in check and staying on track for the most part, but it is a delicate balance, and I need to stay disciplined.

LILLION I really enjoyed reading your letter. Lots of truth in it. Woot! Woot on the loss of a pound. I think the first few pounds are the HARDEST and as more time passes it's easier to get in a groove. Totally great that you don't have to look at the EEE on your scale! That's an awesome milestone!

Diane Stiff!! I'm right there with you on the stiff. I don't love being stiff but there is something I like about it-- because it reminds me that I've been doing something. Reminds us what it feels like to be jocks! And so terrific that you were feeling some progress on the run! I always find that a little progress at first usually means I'll start to notice big gains soon. And smart move to skip the lunch. Sometimes eating out is just more temptation...and eating your own food always makes the scale move quicker.

Vlada Fat jeans in the rummage bin? Woot! Woot! That is really awesome!!!! What a great feeling! You are really doing great. Regarding letting work stress be the weight gain factor-- I hear you on that!!! So important to find a way to treat yourself and give yourself little breaks when you feel like life is pushing you too hard.

Amanda I totally love that you are able to hold off on the scale. I am a serious scale hopper-- sometimes more than once in a day. I've made it work for me by becoming acutely aware of the inevitably of the day to day bounces, but I have always wanted to have the pleasure of waiting and seeing the scale drop! Hope you have an excellent weigh in!

Laurie I guess I know that I'm lucky with my health. I'm the "strong as an ox" type. Rarely sick, no serious aches and pains, lots of stamina for what life throws at you, four healthy babies, including one in my forties. I've been reading up a storm about the pre-diabetes thing and it does seem that with careful dietary control and weight loss you can beat it back. Everyone in my family besides me is slim and I didn't pass out of the "overweight" BMI threshold until I was over 30, so I'm not convinced that I was metabolically destined to be fat-- I think I force fed myself to obesity. Sigh. And I just looked up The Blood of Emmett Till-- looks fascinating. Sad. Did you by any chance read Devil in the Grove-- about Thurgood Marshall's early work in Florida? I thought it was brilliant and I passed it around to everyone I knew. With your legal bent you might find it interesting!

I'm PRETTY EXCITED because I finished C25K week two day one! I did C25K as my way into running last time, and I found it really difficult as I had zero background with running, but this time, even though I'm heavier and less in shape when starting, I'm doing it on a treadmill (easier) and I'm really moderating my walk speed enough that I can fully recover in between runs-- and so far so good! I remember last time I took up running it just made a rapid difference in not just how fast I lost, but also how I looked! Hoping that will be true this time too. I feel like a baller! On another note-- I'm having trouble sometimes feeling compelled to eat BIG MEALS even if I stick to my calorie goals-- I actually eat past my satiety point. Today for lunch I had chicken and tomatoes and two cups of bean soup. Chicken and tomatoes or bean soup would have been enough. Calorie-wise, I can get away with it bc I only eat two meals a day-- but what is driving me to keep eating when I'm full? I feel like I get sort of weird during meals and want to make sure I eat as much as possible-- famine mentality. A few weeks ago, I noticed that being over-full is sometimes a trigger for me to eat even more-- it's like the full feeling keeps my mind focused on food. So, I'm setting a goal of STOPPING when I'm full. I could always add a snack later if I actually got hungry again!

Lilion: Life happens! That's what this whole group is about, supporting each other through the loses, the regains and the losing again. I'm glad you're getting back on track! That's a great letter, super inspiring. Congrats on the weight loss!

Vladadog: I'm excited to see if my week pays off, but I'm kind of nervous too. We'll see in a few days! Congrats on getting rid of the fat jeans, it's a huge step to let them go. It's like getting rid of a safety blanket!

Laurie: I hope it's kind to me too lol. This is the first time around that the boyfriend has been willing to go with me all the time to the gym. It's taken a looooot of work for both of us to get on the same page but now that we are, everything is so much easier. You get ALL the kudos for being able to do it without Hubby going with you! Hope you get to fit some exercise in!

Diane: Congrats on pushing your run a little further! And major kudos on having any self control with the business lunch lol. Good job!!

Uber: IT'S SO HARD NOT TO GET ON THE SCALE. Like, stupid-hard. It's not good for me, though! I get disappointed and start giving up with the day to day fluctuations and I need to focus on the big picture instead. Congrast on your moving forward with C25k!! Stopping when full is definitely a great goal. I have the same problem where I get into these moods of just wanting to eat everything in sight and nearly make myself sick in the process.

Today was an alright day. Had half a bowl of oatmeal for lunch, a bacon and egg taco and part of my pasta and chicken dish for lunch (I couldn't resist the taco), and fish and broccoli for dinner. Didn't go to the gym because stayed late and work and was exhausted (did over 9000 steps at work, yay!). Going back tomorrow. If I can push through three days in a row at the gym, I'll hit my goal of 5x this week. Drank a decent amount of water. So...not great, but alright day.

Amanda - Woot! Double lunch yesterday! (JK - pretty sure the oatmeal was breakfast.) It all sounds so routine. Not white-knuckling. Not super thrilling. Maybe how we want our days to be? Since this is the rest of our lives? Maybe? I don't know if my hubby and I will ever be on the same page. I wasn't able to sneak out of work for an afternoon run yesterday, so I wanted to try to run when I got home. I always invite my hubby and kids to come with me for my evening walks, and sometimes they agree. I invited them to come with me for my run, and they both agreed, so it turned into a walk. Disappointing that I didn't get to run. Good that I got them out of the house for exercise. So many things to juggle. Really, really glad you were able to get on the same page.

Uber - Thank you for the book recommendation! I have put a hold on it at my library. I have the same problem with eating past satiety, particularly at dinner. It's the one meal that I give myself permission to eat almost whatever I want, as long as I eat relatively small portions if it's something that's calorie-dense. Last night, we had chicken soup over rice. I made the decision to bypass the rice and eat a few crackers instead. I almost never eat crackers, but eating those few opened up the floodgates, and I did not want to stop. Even after dinner was over, I kept wanting to just open up a sleeve and eat it until it was gone, even though I was full. I have several strategies that are sometimes successful, sometimes not so much. I try to start eating later than everyone else -- allowing everyone else to serve themselves first, making sure everyone has everything they need, etc. It kind of feeds into the mother as martyr trope that I try to avoid, but in this case, it's self-serving. I try to stop eating before I register that I'm full. But I absolutely know what you mean when you talk about famine mentality. I do it at dinner. I do it sometimes when I slip up and eat something off-plan. I know that I am going to reign myself back in at some point, so it's almost like I'm trying to sneak it in when my inner authority figure is feeling more lax. It can be so frustrating! And your recollection of eating a whole sheet cake as your first step out of maintenance? That is exactly something I would do. I am not sure I am being helpful, cuz I haven't figured out a way to corral it yet. But I absolutely relate.

Diane - I love how you work our your spinning stiffness with running, then work out your running stiffness with spinning. =) It sometimes feels that way to me too. Too often, trying to escape the post-work-out symptoms, and sometimes wondering if my body would feel better if I didn't exercise. But I know it wouldn't. And, hopefully, once you're firmly into your routine again, the stiffness will be only a small nuisance, if it's present at all. I also have made the decision to pass up free lunches quite frequently. I even tend to skip the potlucks we have at my work when I bring something. It's so hard to be in an uncontrolled environment, and novelty and variety of food is linked to overeating. Sounds like you, Missy, are making the hard choices and staying on track. Awesome.

Lillion - I loved that letter. And, honestly, I loved it a lot more when I found out that you borrowed and modified it rather than composed it originally. I think it shows realistic optimism. "I know you pretty well, and I know you're feeling sorry for yourself. QUIT IT." I LOVE that part so much! And so much of it applies, whether just starting the re-losing effort and well into it. I balk at exercise too, sometimes. I get tired of the routine, or stressed about the time, or just plain don't want to do it sometimes. But often, just starting and then pushing through the first five minutes brings some renewed enthusiasm. I see why you pulled and saved the letter. So much great advice. Although I don't know if I will ever be fully capable of ignoring a candy jar, unless it was filled with Starlight mints. I can leave those alone.

I popped back up to 155. Probably due to the sleeve or so of crackers I decided to eat at dinner, despite a pretty virtuous day of eating overall. I did get in about 17K steps, but didn't actually get in the run I had planned. But. My hubby and I had a pretty serious disagreement last night, and I wanted to go downstairs and eat. And I didn't. I was having trouble sleeping, as I often do when I am upset, and I told myself I would just go downstairs and read. I didn't admit to myself that I was going to dive deep into the ice cream, but that tends to be my M.O. in the middle of the night, by myself, and emotionally unstable. So, I developed a plan. If I felt like I had to get up, I would go directly down both flights of stairs so I wouldn't be on the same floor as the food, but I would not get up until I had counted, slowly, to 200. Amazingly, I fell asleep, so I got both sleep and an escape from the nasty heartburn that comes from a binge that occurs right before I go to sleep. Maybe I will figure out a way to maintain the weight loss this time? Maybe?

Today's plan: Get in a run, at least five miles. Go to the gym in the evening with the hubby and do some relatively mild strength-training stuff. Stick to my pre-portioned deliciousness for lunch, or if the hubby decides to invite me for lunch after our therapy session, and I decide to go, I will order something sensible. Be very careful about dinner, and don't eat anything but my Arctic Zero (low-cal, doesn't cause me heartburn because it's essentially liquid, and gives me something to put in my mouth) after dinner.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Uber: Way to go on the C25K. I love that program! I think it works really well. And yeah, I get what you mean about enjoying the stiffness a little. I noticed in the last couple of days that I've felt a little stiff, but I also feel like I've done some work as I sit at my desk. Hard to describe, but I can feel my muscles when they are a little sore. Good feeling overall.

Dread: Ok, the taco sounded really good! Love bacon and eggs! Glad you had a pretty good day! They don't all have to be stellar!

Laurie: Sounds like you made some good decisions when you were upset instead of caving in to the food for comfort. I think that's great! Hopefully you can get a run in soon, but it is nice that you can get your family out for some exercise too!!

For me, went to Body Pump this morning. Getting better all the time, even though I have a ways to go. I would like to go running after work. It should be possible. I'm not feeling totally exhausted! ha!

Hey Eveybody!

Diane I know just what you mean about the little bit of soreness/feeling your muscles. I've been feeling like that a lot lately, and it makes me remember how much stronger I am. I'm not yet up to two a days like you-- but I'm thinking about it!

Laurie Argh with the sleeve of crackers! Argh with your inner reptile trying to sneak food while your inner cop is distracted! We obviously struggle in a similar way. And hooray for figuring out some strategies for a trigger situation! And i LOVE that you FELL ASLEEP while counting! Isn't that just too much? Here you are, engaged in a white knuckle battle with ice cream, and then you conk out, LOL!!! Counting and setting a timer are two strategies that work really well for me. I set a timer and I tell myself to hold on for just ten minutes and reassess. It almost always works! The problem is when I don't even care enough to set the timer in the first place. Sorry you missed your run, but 17k is A LOT OF STEPS!

So, for me, I'm happy to report that I'm really starting to see some NSVs!!! 1) I was starting to have some "booth" issues in restaurants. Not exactly not fitting, but not having much room to spare (I should explain that I'm one of those fatties who is just ALL BELLY. My legs, arms, and even face aren't too bad. I pack all of my extra weight on my trunk. When I'm standing up, I don't even necessarily look that huge, but when I sit, there is just a lot of belly to contend with.) So, tonight at the local restaurant I was already seated when I suddenly thought, WOW, I fit again! 2. Went for a long beach walk yesterday. Used to do it a lot last year but haven't been out in a while. Really noticed a difference in my fitness. Was able to keep a much brisker pace When I got to the end, there is a steep ramp to climb, or a walking ramp with switchbacks. At the end of the walk, I decided to go up the ramp, figuring I'd have to stop a few times to catch my breath, but I stopped exactly zero times. When I looked at my phone, I realized it had registered as 5 flights of stairs! So, today, coming out of the restaurant where I fit in the booth, I walked up all 5 flights in the parking garage instead of taking the elevator. So, UBER is feeling FRISKY! And it just makes me realize how much faster we reach fitness goals than weight loss goals. I'm still wearing the same pants as I was 20 lbs ago, but I'm already feeling so much stronger! Had a good food day today, and muscle soreness gone, so I'm hoping I might hit the 20lb loss mark tomorrow.

Want to see something funny? My exercise report - calories burned - on My Fitness Pal. Can you pick the Saturdays? LOL Clearly, I have chosen my day of rest.:beach: Except for the 27th...I was home sick that day.

Good morning! Quick check-in.

Diane - Body Pump and running! You really are a committed fitness goddess! So glad that you are regaining your fitness and that you are able to do two-a-days without being totally exhausted.

Uber - Check you out! Fitting in booths is SUCH a huge thing. And being able to conquer that steep ramp without even pausing--I love, love, love that you're seeing such great results. The scale is such a bother, and though the numbers can be rewarding, sometimes it's hard not to focus on how much farther we have to go. These accomplishments are done. You are going to be able to fit more and more spaces more and more easily, and you are going to conquer countless new fitness goals, especially now that you are well on your way with C25K. But you now fit into that booth, and that's not going away. The timer tip sounds like it would be effective. Interesting that you and I seem to both struggle with this, too. I don't know if I have insomnia per se, but I do lose patience when it takes me more than a minute or two to fall asleep.

Lilion - LOL. They say it's important to get a rest day. Glad you're taking the advice seriously. =) But bravo for being consistent in getting in both your exercise and your rest!

I did run yesterday, but just managed to do some intervals for about three miles. I am going on a real, actual run today. It is supposed to be nice outside. Food was pretty well under control as well. And, I hit a new low for my weight. I was 153.2 about three weeks ago. I am now 153.0. And I am getting more and more random guys hitting on me. Yay?

Uber: That's so great to see the other benefits of getting fitter, rather than just the scale! It's amazing when you start feeling better and can do so much more.

Lilion: Yep, that's kind of how my Sundays are, too! We have had a wellness challenge at work and it is step based. I do well on all days but Sunday. That's when the steps drop to practically nothing.

Laurie: Congrats on more weight loss! Not sure if the new guys attention is great, but at least you know you're looking hot! ;)

For me, I didn't go to Body Flow today. Yes, I should have, but I was feeling so tired and worn out from the week, I just chose not to. I did go running last night. :)

Laurie Look at you! Officially maintaining, yet still going down? That is the sign that something has really changed for you! Way to go! Attention from guys... hmm. I know that can be both fun and ultimately kind of confusing when it's the result of weight loss.

Diane It's okay to be tired sometimes and need a rest! Respecting your body means sometimes pushing, but also knowing when to scale back. And awesome for running! You are obviously gettng back in the swing!

Lillion Everyone needs to kick back sometimes, but what I see is a lot of activity! Good for you! And if you rest sometimes, that is good too!

Woke up this morning SUPER HUNGRY and thought I'd see a nice payback on the scale. Sadly, no. I'm still waiting to hit the 20 lb mark. . On another note, many moons ago when I was a graduate student, I slipped on the ice and hurt my knee so badly that I was on crutches for six weeks. The brilliant student health plan told me that it was just a bad sprain, but a few years later, an orthopedist told me that I had actually fractured it-- he said I could do surgery or do nothing. I chose nothing. It's a weird type of injury because it hurts if I sit in one position too long, or with weather changes, or going down stairs, or if I kneel on it, but it has never really bothered me walking or running in the past. So I'm a bit worried as it has been kind of sore lately, more than usual. I'm really loving running because it just amps up the fitness so much faster than walking, but I'm wondering if running at this weight is just a mistake, even if it's not that much running and only on a treadmill. I wish I could alternate walking with swimming, but I've been reluctant to shell out for a gym membership as the gym with the pool is just insanely expensive... any way, just musing...

Have a good day everybody! And waving to Amanda

Good morning! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Uber - I, too, find that hunger in the morning tends to have a parallel to lower numbers on the scale. Disappointed that you didn't see it on Friday, but hope that you found it sometime this weekend or this morning. I believe you're not a just-weekly weigher? It's so frustrating when a milestone is within your grasp, and it just keeps barely eluding you. I wish I had some wisdom to give you about whether to run at the weight you are at. I intended to wait longer to run than I actually did, but running is so much more of an efficient calorie burn, and you're right - it amps up t he fitness level much more quickly. On the other hand, I am injury-paranoid, and agree with you that protecting yourself from injury is critical to staying on track. Stupid student health plan anyway.

Diane - Glad you were able to get your run in! That's an advantage of planning two-a-days. You can skip one, and still be heads and shoulders above not doing anything. Hope you're feeling better rested and that you were able to jump into whatever crazy fitness class you had scheduled this morning--spin, Body Flow, Body Pump, etc.

I saw 153.0 on the scale again yesterday morning, and stayed fairly close to plan yesterday, until I ate just a bit too much before bed last night, and saw a jump to 154.4 this morning. But I just don't care. I feel like the jump was more related to the proximity of food than it was any real gain. I did want to finally see a 152.x on the scale, though. Running was okay. I ran about 5.5 miles on Saturday, and plan to run 5 miles outside today over real terrain. I left my running shoes at home, though, so I may try to run in my old running shoes rather than wait to run until I get home, which doesn't always happen.

I saw someone for the first time in about seven months. He said, "Wow! You look like a tweaker!" And my husband said, "You act like a tweaker, too." My husband has made similar comments in the past, and I know what he means. I tend to want to be up and doing things rather than just sitting down, so I will grab empty dishes, for example, and run them upstairs or volunteer to run back in the store for the item we forgot, etc. Or if we are just talking, sometimes I'll get up and sweep the floor or do some other chore. Sometimes, these type of comments are closer to the mark than the friends who gush, and on something critical, I would try to consider them seriously. But you know what? I don't care. I'm still overweight, by the BMI chart, though only by about five pounds. And I love having energy and getting things done.

So. Just going to ignore the useless chatter and focus on the fact that I feel good and I am learning, ever so slowly, how to maintain my weight loss. 95% of people's comments to me are highly complimentary, and I will not let myself focus on the few negative comments.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Uber: Hmm. That's a tough one with your knee. It is so beneficial to run for fitness, but you would hate to risk a big injury that might take you out of the game completely. Having anything sore makes it hard to continue with workouts at all. Oh, and I hope you see your 20 pounds soon. You deserve it!

Laurie: I don't get people's comments sometimes. Why say anything at all if that's the best you can do? Anyway, I think it is great to have the extra energy to get stuff done. That's definitely a good thing. Looks like you are getting closer and closer to your new maintenance goal.

For me, I am having trouble with my scale. It is fluctuating like crazy, so I think it might need a new battery or something. I thought that it put "LO" on the display when it is low on battery, but maybe not. It might be wearing out, too. Who knows.

I didn't go to spin this morning as I overslept. Not sure why that happened, but oh well!!

Diane Sorry you overslept. It happens! And doubly sorry about the scale jumping up and down. Mine definitely starts to give me inconsistent weights for quite a while before it actually shows up as "low". Trying changing it. It plays with me head to see weird numbers on the scale-- I'm sure it does you too. Re the knee, I ended up taking two days off as I was very busy over the weekend, and on the last run, my knee didn't bother me at all. I've noticed for whatever reason, and weirdly enough, that the running gait tends to bother my old-agey aches and pains less than a brisk walk. So I'm going to keep going, but I'll watch it and if it starts to hurt again, maybe I should get it looked at by a professional.

Laurie Jeez. People are just awful, aren't they? I know that when people are jealous they will let you know in strange ways, but Im sure you look healthy and beautiful at your weight and if you run around doing stuff all the time that makes you sound dynamic, amazing, and energetic-- not like a tweaker. Jeez. And a big WOOT WOOT to you for sticking at 153! Clearly your body is not done shedding.

So, as for me. I FINALLY HIT THE 20 LB mark!!!! Hooray!!! Going to do C25K week 3 day one today. Generally feeling pretty good and doing well sticking with my very loose plan. As always I do find that minimizing carbs by sticking to one piece of fruit a day and avoiding bread and starchy stuff most of the time does seem to help me. I think I was just so good and terrified by the doctors and the health issue that I'm really not struggling with craving bad stuff at all. Last night, I didn't eat very much dinner because my son came home unexpectedly and we had to stretch out the food-- and after dinner I was really still hungry-- and then again this morning-- so hungry!!!! Sometimes that means I'm going to see more loss. I HOPE SO.

Good morning!

Diane - Sometimes sleep is more crucial to loss than cardio. Glad you got some in. The scale fluctuations also make me insane. I hope that a new battery fixes it for good. We have to contend with so much stuff that naturally messes with our heads. It would be nice if the scale would just do what it's supposed to do. Hope you feel well-rested, and that you crush it for the rest of the week!

Uber - WOOT! 20 pounds down! That's such a huge milestone. Sounds like you have a better tolerance for hunger at night than I do. I'm impressed that you just accepted the hunger and didn't seek out other food. Sometimes, I need to remind myself that hunger doesn't kill, and I am not at risk for starvation. =) So glad, though, that you've found your stride and are not white-knuckling the food right now. Relieved that your knee issue has subsided. Can't wait to hear how Week 3 of C25K goes! And thank you for substituting some positive descriptors for me. I have been too focused on "tweaker looks." I'm going to try to embrace "dynamic, amazing, and energetic."

I have had too much drama around my runs lately. I ran about 5.5 miles last Saturday, but it took forever to force myself to get dressed, then to drive to the track, then to get out the car, etc. Yesterday, I got out of work a bit later than I planned, but I vowed to get changed as soon as I hit the door. I changed, checked in with the hubby, then hit the street running. 4.4 miles later (end of my route), I stopped. There was some self-talk in there - "This is hard, but I excel at hard." "I can conquer this hill. After that, it will get much easier." - but I did it without drama, and I conquered an outside (not on the track) route with a very steep hill at an average pace of 5.7 mph. I just want to fold the exercise into my day without even thinking about it. Yesterday felt like a step on the right path.

I stopped myself from snacking last night, after a very on-plan day with food. I dreamed of food, and woke up at 3 a.m. starving. I am going to try to do some chicken or beef broth with protein powder tonight to avoid that happening again. But I was hoping to be rewarded on the scale. Not so much. I am 154.0. Down from 154.6 yesterday morning, but still up a full pound from the day before. Nonetheless, I am staying below the 155 mark, and slowly making my way a wee bit lower.

Dynamic. Amazing. Energetic. These will be my new watchwords.

Hi guys. Quickly checking in to say hi. I'm busy at work, so I'll write more later. Just wanted to keep in touch!!

Laurie I just have so much respect for runners. I don't run. I've never run. Even as a child my parent's told me that I didn't run...even if I tried, I would just, "squat down and go fast". Apparently, my body doesn't understand how to run. LOL Really...that bothers me a lot to this day and I was likely 9 or 10 when my mom and dad said that to me. I know they didn't mean to be cruel - it was just true. And really....I don't WANT to run. I'm a lazy person by nature. If someone sees me running they better run too...something is chasing me. :p

I didn't get up and do the elliptical today - I was BEAT. With the hiking both days of the weekend plus the gym plus not getting to bed at a reasonable hour...I just didn't have the energy. I did do my mile at work, and I'm parked almost 1/2 mile from the office...so there's that.

Sunday showed me a tiny bit down on the scale at the gym. We'll see what mine has to say tomorrow. Wish I could remember if I was dressed at all last time.