Laurie: Wow! A morning run! That's a great way to start the day. I'm sure there is a little more energy available in the morning for you. I do like working out in the morning. The only class that is somewhat harder in the morning is the body flow class with the yoga. Hard to get those old joints to be flexible that early! Anyway, I like your time and that you didn't have to stop. Stay strong with the cookie dough rule!

For me, I plan to go running after work. I will be stopping though! I am sure there will be a lot of stopping and starting for me since I'm not in good shape for it... yet! I did go to body pump this morning, so that was good. I got up late, but decided I could still go and be just a little late to class. I missed most of the warm up, but I think that's ok. Tomorrow is spin class.

I've been doing well with food - for the one day and so far today. We don't typically eat dinner very early at my house, more like 7:30 ish. I was struggling after work to not have a little snack to make it through to dinner. But, I didn't cave. Little victory. :)

Onward! Hope everyone is ok!

Hey ladies!

Not sure how well my "regroup" went. Went to a family get-together for hubby's family Saturday and that was a fairly fattening day. Then we went on to Bass Pro and of course ate out. All things considered, at the end I didn't even try to count calories, I just added 3,000 to MFP and called it a day. On the up side, I got a lot of exercise.

Sunday we had all that work to do around the house, laundry and cleaning and yard work. I planned to shop and food-prep.

We went fishing.

So...yeah. LOL No work done at all. We didn't even go shopping and we suddenly realized that it had been 9 hours since breakfast and we were STARVED. So we ate out. You'd think I'd stay under calories that day, with the not eating all day, but no...over by almost 900. And I still got a lot of exercise.

Monday then...Was okay and stayed under my calories and managed to get the shopping done, but still no food prep. Hubby wasn't feeling well and stayed home from work that day - but didn't do a thing - so tonight I'll be doing laundry...or food prep...or something.

It's a process.

At least I did actually walk today at lunch. I've still not managed to get up and get on the elliptical in the morning but that's because I'm still going to bed at like midnight and oversleeping. I HAVE to start getting to bed sooner and get up earlier.

So that's me. Sorry I don't have time to reply to anyone. Got to get back to work! :wave:

Good morning!

Lilion - The food is the most important part, so it sounds like Monday was a good day for you! And the lunchtime walk is a great habit to have. I know what you mean about getting to bed on time and getting up early, though. It's just not something I am typically capable of doing, so I totally admire those of you who do it regularly. I am really glad that you got some relaxation in, though. It's just good for our souls.

Diane - I love that you did not let getting up late throw you off course, and that you killed it in body pump. So happy for you that your regroup has inspired you to have a good first couple of days with food. It's the first couple of days that are often the hardest. Hope your run went fantastically well.

I had thoughts of getting up early and hitting the gym before work this morning, and did get to bed early, but my husband is sort of a night owl, and often chooses this time to talk or otherwise interact ;-), so I didn't get to sleep until after midnight, and was unwilling to give up that hour of sleep. So, gonna have to try to find a time this afternoon to sneak out to lift weights.

Yesterday was bad -- real bad -- on food. Ate pizza and cookies and candy, oh my. Weighed 149 this morning. Back on track today.

Goals -
1 - 20K steps
2 - Lift weights, and do it for real, not this go and "warm up" for 20 minutes and then just do a few weight lifting exercises.
3 - Back to making smart eating choices. For today, this means no sugar. Again. *sigh*

Have a great day, everyone!

Lilion: Sounds like you did pretty well, all things considered. Makes me laugh that you went fishing instead of doing all the work. We do that all the time, so that's why my house is rarely completely clean and yard work completely done. There's always tomorrow!! Ha!

Laurie: Well, hope the "bad" food tasted great anyway! It probably caused you to gain from salt intake. Typically, I'm good at getting up early and I just can't make it too long at night. My family are all night owls, so they tease me about my schedule.

For me, I'm having a pretty good week. I did go running last night and it was a little better than I thought it would be. Still hard, but I did pretty good. Little by little, I'll get that back, and my lungs won't feel like they are going to explode. I also went to Spin this morning. Not going to lie, it was tough. I was not great, but I think it is just that my legs were still tired. Made it through, so that was good. Body Pump tomorrow, and hopefully running after work. I want this to be a good week at getting back to my routine!

Food has been on track, so happy about that. I've actually lost just under 3 pounds this week since Monday. I really want to get below 260 again, so I've been updating my ticker. I'll probably go back to updating just once a week once I get there. I almost made a mistake and looked back to my weight last year at this time. Made me want to kick myself, but then I just moved on. Whatever. I let the weight come back on and now I have to work to get it back off. Next year, I need to be able to look back and be proud of my efforts. Staying disciplined will work again!

LaurieDawn, ack! Sorry for the delay! So this is my absolute favorite:

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/20...anana-muffins/

I hate bananas so I sub in raw pumpkin puree. I use raw honey. You could use carob chips instead of chocolate. Seriously, this tastes like real chocolate cake!

These are amazing:

https://www.stylesweetca.com/blog/20...t-banana-bread

I used coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil and left the butter out of the frosting. Cream cheese + raw honey = :val1:!!

Let me know if you try them! Quick update here. I bit the bullet and hired a personal trainer through my gym...just 4 half hour sessions to get me going. He measured me and took my body fat % with some machine...OUCH. 43%. Okay, it's a starting point. He totally rearranged my nutrition. He wants me to eat 1800 cal per day (I struggle to get 1600!), MORE carbs (up to 160 g!), MORE protein (125 g), moderate fat (70 g), much less sugar (around 40 g). I ordered my first tub of protein powder...fingers crossed that changing up my "macros" will help! He said that putting the #s higher now will give us more wiggle room as I lose...we'll see!

Slashnl and Lauriedawn, running! Wow! I've heard that's so good for you. I stumbled my way through Couch25K and never went back. Keep up the good work!

Lillion, sounds like you probably needed a fishing day. Haven't you been totally swamped lately? No pun intended. Fishing--->swamp...ahem. Anyway, I truly think it's miraculous that you just wrote in your 3000 calories and moved on. It's so easy to get derailed there - "I've totally blown it..." I think it's great that you just took the calories and were basically back on track.

Okay, running late. Hope everyone is doing well!

Frances: Good for you, hiring a trainer. I think that it is great to get some guidance, to see if doing something else helps out. You'll have to let us know how it goes and how the new diet plan works out. Sounds like you can actually eat more calories, but just structuring everything differently. Cool!

For me, I went to Body Pump this morning. Another tough class, and I think I'm a little worn out, so it made it a little tougher. But, we also had someone cater breakfast burritos this morning at work. I knew it was coming, so I've planned accordingly, but still. It will fit in with my calories, but I do plan on going running to make sure I'm not messing up my progress. I do think I need to try to work out some of the stiffness/soreness.

Tomorrow is Body Flow. I'm going to try to make myself go. I have been feeling so stiff, I just need to go do it. It will be so hard to start, but I need to go. Definitely, need to go. Ugh........ Can you tell I don't really want to? I'll keep talking to myself about it.

Thanks. Being able to just say, "Eh...today was a fat day, tomorrow I'll start again." has never been a problem. Let me repeat: Being able to SAY that isn't a problem. Actually starting again hasn't always been that successful. :p But usually I'm okay though. In this case the next day I was over again, albeit by much less.

I'm good today. Yesterday I went home early and just vegged out in front of the TV and ate fried chicken. I did go over ... by less than the weekend though ... but I'm still okay. Today I'm back on track once again.

So...the week has been hit and miss.

I really am having problems getting back in the exercise groove again though. I've managed only two walks this week and no elliptical. I want to...that's a lie. I don't want to. I need to. I've just been so tired lately. Not sleeping well and not getting up. More exercise would likely help that. So would a vacation.

I really think that's what I need and, as luck would have it, I have a LOT to burn. We're only allowed to bank a limited amount of vacation time and I am over by more than two weeks that I have to use by October 31st. So I have to schedule some vacation time. Now if I only had enough money to actually GO somewhere. :beach:

Lilion: Being so exhausted makes it difficult to keep up with exercise. Hopefully, you can schedule some time to just be away from work. Day by day!

For me, this has been a pretty good week. I did not make it to Body Flow this morning, but I'm ok with that. I went running last night and my legs are feeling it. I am pretty sure I would have been awfully stiff in the class. I will keep trying to get there. Someday it will happen!

Food has been good this week, too. I have trouble on weekends, so I'm a little worried about it. I just need to be mindful!! I'd like to go on a hike, too. We'll see how it all goes. Finding time and energy is hard!!

Well...I was somewhat shocked to discover I'd lost 2 lbs this week. I've been popping on the scale every day and seeing it drop from the high this past weekend...but I really didn't expect it would go down below 279. So...surprised. And pleased.

Still going to get my exercise stuff together, but apparently my lazy week was not a bad thing after all!:D

Hi Everyone! I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Or wandered from the healthy eating path, either. Life just gets busy and getting logged on doesn't happen as often as I'd like. But I am thrilled to report that I've been tracking on MFP for over 200 days and I'm still eating well and losing weight. Historically when life gets busy and especially when i stop checking in here regularly I usually have gone wandering in the Land of Bad Food Choices. But this time I'm doing good. Don't want to jynx it but I really feel like I may have actually learned new skills or broke bad old habits. This time it just feels different.

I'm still fighting wanting to eat all the sugar all the time. And I'm not sugar free like i probably should be. But i'm finding the "sweet spot" when I get to have some chocolate but not jurt living on junk food like the old days.

I still need to get up and move more. I'm not a runner like Laurie but I'm still having trouble just getting up and going for long walks. Which i used to d much more often. Its some psychological thing I'm sure and I'm working on that.

But I'm eating well and still slowly losing weight so all is good.

I'm glad to see most of the regular crew is still here. I hope folks who haven't checked in for a while are still doing well!

Vladadog - So glad to see your check-in! So happy you are finding a way to win, even though the journey isn't 100% smooth. It's amazing to me that you have a 200+ tracking streak for logging your food. That's commitment, and the commitment is showing in your continued success. Hope you find your walking mojo. Honestly, I don't love running, but I do love walking. If I could walk for four or five hours a day without feeling guilty because of the tug of other responsibilities, I would. I can get lost in my own world while listening to a book or listening to music, and I don't have to feel the constant demands of my paralegals or my spouse or my children. (Yes, I'm whining about the people who make my life better, even though I'm eternally grateful for them.) And I love just being outside. I hope you find some joy in it soon. Or find some other activity which brings you joy.

Lilion - So happy that the scale is continuing to reward you for being vigilant about total calories (for the most part), even if your macros are not exactly where you want them to be, and even if the elliptical continues to elude. You're proving that perfection is not required for progress. Having a lot of vacation time is not the biggest problem in the world. =) I have this "ideal staycation" in my mind that involves a lot of reading, a lot of long walks, some recreational gym time (read - stretching and low-key yoga instead of running and trying to lift more than the last time), and maybe some movies that have been on my "should watch when I have time" list for decades. Maybe you have a version of this that solves the "I need to take vacation, but don't have the funds to travel" issue?

Diane - So glad that your reboot has taken hold, and hope that the weekend went well. I am a little jealous of your hiking habit. Colorado is so beautiful! I have dropped off with the running the last week or so, so I am glad that one of us has been doing it! I hope to join you soon.

I have had some really terrible food days, and I am not recovering from them. I designated yesterday as a "get it back" day. My husband's family invited us to see a movie with them at 10:30, and I decided to take a short walk before that, then go to the movie, then try to run eight miles. After the movie, though, they invited us to go back to their place and play Pokeno. It's like Bingo, only played with playing cards instead of the balls to tell you which space on your card to cover. We played for FOUR hours, y'all. A game that's exclusively luck-based. For FOUR hours. Followed by dinner and a leave time of about 10:00 p.m. Bottom line is that I didn't get to run, and reacted badly to it by eating everything I could, to the point where I felt like my stomach was stretched to the breaking point.

This morning, though, I got up, still almost puking full from last night's binge, and left the house without eating anything. I am avoiding candy at work and planning on running this afternoon. I am still way too resentful that my entire day was stolen from me yesterday, and my husband was pissed that I took an hour away to get in a walk. But I can't fix yesterday. I need to just take today one decision at a time. I can totally do this.

Goals -
1 - Run five miles. No excuses. No whining.
2 - Be careful about food today.
3 - No candy, cookies, etc. None. Cuz I can't be playing with my self-discipline today.
4 - Get a total of 20K steps at least.

I can do this, y'all.

Lilion: Good news! Glad to hear about your surprise weight loss!

Vladadog: Sounds like you are winning for the most part! Glad for you! Like Laurie said, it doesn't have to be 100% smooth, as long as you're sticking with it most of the time.

Laurie: Ugh! That was a tough day! But, you're back at it today and can undo some of the lost time over the weekend. Looks to me like you have a good plan for the day, so I have confidence in you!!

For me, well.... it was a weekend. I didn't do as well as I would have liked and ended up with only a 1 pound loss for the week. I know that 1 pound is good and for the most part, I'm happy with that. But, I also know that I was down much more than that by Friday. I still struggle with food choices and drinking enough water on the weekends. So, that's what I need to work on now.

For today, I went to spin class, and I am on track with food. Body Pump tomorrow and hopefully some running!

Oooh! A double post for me.

Not much to add. Had a decent day of food yesterday, so that was good. I ended up with some pain in my legs and some general aches that made me miss body pump today. I just knew it would be so tough to do it. So, maybe running later, depending on how I feel.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Good morning!

Diane - Glad you had a good Monday. Looks like you have figured out the formula for the weekdays. The weekends shouldn't be far behind, right? Hope your leg pain is gone and that you were able to get in a good run.

I skipped work yesterday for the first time ever to have a "mental health day." It felt like a good idea, but today, I'm feeling unexpectedly nauseated. I am hoping it's temporary and I'll feel better soon. Lots of work to do, and I really want to get in a run today. I have not been meeting the goals that I set, though I did weigh in yesterday morning, and discovered I was 155.4 pounds. I am going the wrong way still! Need to get back my mojo. So, goals that I NEED to meet today.

1 - Get my run in. I will leave the office at 1:15 and run five miles outside.
2 - Eat no candy today.
3 - Weigh myself tomorrow morning.
4 - Continue to wear form-fitting clothing. (The minute I start wearing baggy stuff, I mentally give in to gaining weight. I can't let that happen.)

Hope everyone has had a good start to their week and that Hump Day is awesome!

Laurie: Sometimes it is good to just take a day off, but other times, it just doesn't do what it is supposed to do. I feel like sometimes it makes me feel lazy and uninspired, which is such a waste!! Hopefully things will go better today and you'll meet those goals.

For me, I didn't go to spin class today. We needed to take my daughter's car in to the shop. I decided that there is a spin class after work that I want to go to. I don't need to skip days right now.

Good morning!

Diane - Totally love your flexibility and your determination. You can continue to be a great mom without sacrificing your self-care. Hope you are able to get to spin class this evening, and that it is fantastic.

I met three of my four goals yesterday. I did eat some candy, but that was because I literally got stuck at my office until 8:30 p.m. I had stayed late (until about 6:30) to make up for my day off, and they closed off the street I needed to exit to from the parking lot where I was parked. I did allow myself to eat some candy, but I also went for a walk after. All in all, my Fitbit told me I walked/ran 15.04 miles yesterday. And the scale is headed back in the right direction.

So, goals for today:
1 - Sneak out to the gym to lift weights.
2 - Work hard when I'm at the office.
3 - Get my 20K steps in.
4 - No candy at the office. I will allow myself candy tomorrow, though. Maybe my compromise will be that I can have candy once a week late Friday afternoon. Maybe that will stop my constant sugar roller coaster.

Hope everyone has a great day today!

Laurie: Yeah, I think it was ok to have a little candy! Glad you made most of your goals, and the ones for today look good.

For me, I did take the spin class last night. It was tough, but the instructor is fun. She makes you laugh while you're sweating!! I went to Body Pump this morning. I won't be running tonight because I have stuff to do at home. But hoping I can make it to Body Flow in the morning. I need to stop talking myself out of going!!

Diane - Just you and me, baby, for the last few days! Hopefully, that changes, but I love reading your daily posts. Glad you rocked it at spin class Wednesday night, and Body Pump yesterday morning. Hope you were able to make Body Flow as well, and that you have a plan in place to conquer the always-challenging weekend!

As for me, I ate pizza last night, but only a (smallish) slice and a half. The bigger problem was the frozen waffles I consumed waiting for the pizza. =) But I didn't go out of control, and was restrained the rest of the day. This morning, I woke up hungry, and really wanted to eat more waffles. Instead, I opted for some raspberries and have consumed about 25 ounces of water, as I think dehydration triggers hunger pains for me sometimes. Feeling better overall. I hit "goal" in January, if "goal" is defined at 160 pounds. Since that point, I have been 160 or under. Sometimes, I feel like I should be where I want to be and have maintenance figured out. I am not anywhere close to that point. I am still yo-yo'ing. Still feeling out of control with food. I am still thinking about resuming therapy. For now, though, I think I am just going to stick to 3FC accountability and logging daily goals. I did not get to the gym yesterday. Got a last-minute invitation to a happy hour with "important" people, so I went to that instead. However, I did hit 24.5K steps yesterday.

On a side note, someone told me about a law school classmate of mine who lost over 100 pounds "just by walking three miles every day." Ummm... I don't know if I actually believe that, but even the thought is incredibly frustrating. I can gain weight very quickly, even if I consistently walk 5-10 miles every day, which I do. But I am resisting the urge to fall into the self-pity trap again. All of us have our challenges. I would much rather be challenged by my food addiction than a heroin one. Right?

Goals -
1 - Make good nutrition choices. Husband and kids are otherwise occupied this evening, so should be easier.
2 - Go for an early afternoon run. Try to get some weights in too.
3 - No candy until 4:30 p.m.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Yeah, Laurie, it looks like it is just the two of us right now. Hopefully we'll have some company soon. It is interesting to me what you've been going through, even with getting to where you want to be weight wise. You always think that once you reach that point, you're going to be so happy and life will be great. But I can also see that what has happened with me - from regaining weight even from just a brief relapse - I'll have to stay diligent forever, when I finally get to where I need to be. So, at least take comfort in that I am trying to learn from what you're doing. I appreciate your insight so much.

For me, I'm hoping for a reasonable weekend. I have some company coming, but I'm going to keep myself from losing all control. That is the plan!

I just noticed that the two daily weigh in threads in the 100 lb Club channel are also pretty dead this month... I only hope people are managing to stay on track while busy being busy...

Wow Laurie, I am amazed at your high daily steps amount. Getting 10k is hard for me, even if I do over half of those on work time. These days I'm not wearing the fitbit (I hate it in hot weather) and I think the phone grossly undercounts (and the fitbit tended to over count). And compared to Diane, too. Both of you guys are so good about getting exercise. I'm such a slacker compared to you guys.

Right there with you on the sugar battle though. Good days, bad days. I haven't had all out binges but every day is a challenge.

Sugar aside, I'm really happy with my overall eating. Even though I want to lose about 50 more pounds right now I'm staying focused on just eating "normal" - eating like I think I will eat for the rest of my life. Saying no to ice cream, cookies, chocolate, or potato chips will always be hard and i need to reinforce that "no" is normal. So starting now seems to be helpful.

I'm having issues with my arthritis these days, probably because of my new gallbladder-less life. Walking is pretty painful right now but I'm starting a simple exercise routine which is supposed to help plus I'm taking a bucket load of supplements every day. I've lost 70 pounds without really getting much exercise but I think exercise will be essential to lose the next 50. So painfree walking is really really key.

Keep holding down the fort here and fighting the good fight. I bet in the month many of our prodigal sisters will rejoin us!

A rare weekend check-in for me, but I'm super glad I did. I will admit, though, that I am mostly procrastinating getting some actual work done. I have a project I want to just get done this weekend. There's no impending deadline, but I am tired of having it on my to-do list.

Diane - I am just really glad that all y'all aren't kicking me out, even though I am super whiny and angsty. I gotta say -- I got no patience for 150-pound women who ask me for "weight loss tips." I actually feel guilty about it. The struggle is real for all of us. But women who are thinner than me asking me for guidance? No. I got nothing figured out, except there is no "secret" or "end date." Gotta fight every day, and sometimes, other things are more important than this fight. I am super grateful for your example of diligence and understanding of the work involved in this.

Vladadog - So glad to see your post pop up! It's interesting about the step count issues on different technologies. I think you're exactly right. Phones count low. Fitbit counts high. So long as I am consistent about the technology I use, though, I find it helpful to continue to track. I am having irresponsibility high step counts. I am neglecting other things to get additional steps sometimes. But I really, really love walking, and am glad that I can run. I hope your health issues resolve themselves. But I am also super inspired by your ability to conquer the food thing. . . pretty much. I know you struggle sometimes, too, but you are able to have great success even without the aid of exercise. I love both your signature line quotation and your observation that saying 'no' to garbage frequently is normal. It is, for lots of people. Just like I don't drink unless I want to drink, I am hoping to reach the point where I don't eat unless I want to. Maybe it will never happen, though.

As for me, I did well until after 10 p.m. last night. Then I ate cookies. Then I ate more cookies this morning until my husband--bless his heart--hid them from me. So, I went for a walk, came home, ate a reasonable lunch, and now I am working (with this little side trip) and pounding water. Ugh. Another day of trying to get back on track, I suppose. But I'll weigh tomorrow, assess the cookie damage, and get on with it.

Hope everyone's weekend is going well.

Hey, y'all! I had to had a tough talk with myself this weekend, and I'm going to recommit myself starting tomorrow morning. I think I've gained back about five of the 18 pounds I'd lost, and I don't want to back slide all the way and lose all my progress. So I'm charging up my fitbit, and tomorrow starts the stricter eating with taking the stairs and drinking ALLTHEWATER. See y'all tomorrow!

Quick check-in: I'm at 253.8, which isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Small miracles! Much rather catch myself now, though.

Vladadog, Laurie and Diane: y'all are all so inspiring! Even when everyone else is dead silent, you're all hear plugging away. It always gives me hope when I come back after a few weeks of silence and y'all are still here.

Good morning!

Amanda - So glad to see your post this morning! Regain is so frustrating. It's great that yours has been so limited, though. And the beauty of having done this before is that we both know how to do it and know that the battle is long and sometimes frustrating, but can be won.

I had myself a total up-and-down day yesterday. I got woken up unexpectedly at 6, so I chose to go downstairs and eat some cookies before going back to sleep. After chiding myself when I woke up at 9:30 (I was up late and it was the weekend - don't judge!), I then proceeded to eat more cookies. Ugh. I finally broke away from the food and took at walk, so I got me a little reset. I didn't eat terribly badly aside from the cookies, but I felt like I was craving food all day, and I will admit to searching for and finding the cookies, indulging in yet another one, before my husband found a better hiding spot for them. Bless him. I did manage to go for a run, though. I didn't want to run, but I kept talking myself into not stopping, and managed to run 4.25 miles in 45:45. And it was ALL psychological. I wasn't having difficulty breathing, and nothing hurt. I just did not want to continue doing it. I wonder how long before it becomes routine. **sigh**

I am tired of working really hard on both nutrition and exercise a majority of the time, and getting no results from it because of momentary indulgences. So, I am going to try to avoid that this week and see if I can dip below 150 again.

Goals for the day -
1 - Run for 5 miles. I have meetings / hearings much of the day, so I am going to try to leave for a run at about 2:30.
2 - Be smarter about food. Know that I am not good at stopping at one.
3 - Get 20K steps today.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Laurie: I agree with your sentiment about being tired of working hard on exercise and food planning to have it compromised by momentary indulgences. I am with you on that. But it also sounds like you have a good plan ahead of you. Day by day, that's what we have to do!

Dread: Not so bad! Glad you didn't have too big of a scare when getting on the scale. That's never a good thing! But, you're back and you'll keep moving downward on that scale now!

Vladadog: Yeah, I think you're right. As we get past the end of summer, more of our group will come back and have more time to post! Good for you on getting the eating figured out (other than sugar!!). That's my biggest struggle.

For me, I didn't get to spin class this morning as my niece was visiting this weekend. I think I'll try to go to a class after work. Eating over the weekend wasn't horrible, but could have been better. I didn't get on the scale this morning for some reason, but I will tomorrow.

Hey all! Wow it’s been a long while since I posted. I haven’t really been busy, just kind of blah and with nothing worth reporting.

First, I’m just so impressed with all of you on the activity! Vladadog said she has problems getting steps in – I don’t even have a 10K goal…mines 7,500…and I don’t get that! In fact, there are days I barely exceed 2000 if I don’t REALLY work at it. Right now, I’m not working at it. It’s noon and I’m below 700. That’s my job…sitting at a desk for hours on end is SO easy. There are days that if I didn’t have to eat, get coffee and pee, I wouldn’t move for 9 hours. My Fitbit sure doesn’t count high. In fact, my husband and I can spend literally the entire day together, doing the EXACT same thing, and he’ll have 2,000 more steps than me. It’s infuriating.

I had a serious plan to get on track starting TODAY. That derailed when I overslept and missed my morning workout, then chatted with my boss at the start of the lunch hour until I realized it was too late to take my walk! At least my lunch is low-cal Zoodles (vegetti?) today. Dinner tonight is also reasonably low-cal. I will try to take at least a short walk after my afternoon hearing.

Even though I’ve been a slug with the exercise, food has been okay…mostly. Enough that I seem to be losing. First, last Friday I showed I gained ½ a lb, but within two days that was showing a drop of 3 lbs…I’m not logging again until next Friday. Let whatever is going on there even itself out. But even with the lack of exercise I’m clearly losing, not gaining…so I must be doing something right.

On the non-weight side of things, I’m planning a short vacay come Labor Day and I’m so excited! We’re going to visit my son, who I haven’t seen in nearly a YEAR! He’s 22, my only child. For various reasons, we’ve had a bit of a strain since about age 17, to the point where we finally had to do some “tough love” which about killed mom….probably much harder on me than him. But last Sept. he moved two states away and while we’ve been in touch, I haven’t seen him in person since. I’m SO happy that he’s finally settled and working and I get to go visit! My only worry is my little dog will decline in the upcoming weeks. We’d have to cancel if that happens and it would just break my heart!

Anyone in the path of the eclipse? We’re in THE place to see it in Missouri apparently. That’s a matter of some excitement around here too.

Gotta run. Work to do. :wave:

Hey, y'all! So I officially committed myself to healthy living again today (I refuse to call it a diet, because I'll go crazy if I think I have to be on a DIET the rest of my life). Breakfast was a fruit and yogurt protein shake, lunch was some ham and cheddar cheese, a granola bar, cup of yogurt and a small slice of coworker birthday cake. Dinner was baked BBQ chicken with corn and beans. I'm one bottle of water away from hitting my water goal for the day, and overall, I gotta say I'm pleased with myself. Days like today I can see myself spending the rest of my life doing, eating 99% healthy and allowing myself a taste of something sweet as a treat (but not half the cake like I used to do).



Lilion: I can *totally* relate to just not moving for nine hours. In fact, it's still what I mostly do on my days off. I still on the couch and day dream about how active I could be if I could find the motivation. My condolences again about your fur-baby. :(

Diane: I pep-talked myself all morning into getting on the scale to be ready for a big jump up! LOL

Laurie: For sure, I think the biggest problem is getting burnt out by the daily grind and knowing that it will LITERALLY never, ever end. That's a tough pill to swallow lol.

Panda you started off with a bang! Good for you!

I got up and got on the elliptical today. Only got in 15 minutes, but that's 15 more than I've done for over two weeks now. And dinner of wild mushroom and venison ragu (mostly mushroom) is waiting for dinner tonight. So...on track there.

I took the opportunity to measure myself this morning since I was in the clothes I ususally do that in and I haven't since June. I was down 1/2 inch in the bust, 1 1/2 inches in the thighs, 2 inches in the hips! :D ...and UP 1/2 inch in the waist! :mad: WTH is up with THAT?

Good morning!

Amanda - Yep. You've hit the nail on the head. It will never, ever end. But I think your description of your new commitment to healthy eating is a perfect example of why that never-endingness of it all seems worse (at least to me) than it actually is. I am not miserable when I eat healthy food. I tend to be uncomfortable, even nauseated sometimes, when I make bad food choices. And being active is 1000 better than getting winded when I walk up a flight of stairs with a colleague and have to pretend that I am out of shape. And having better clothing options is not a hardship. Hmmm... Maybe you've talked me into optimism? =)

Lilion - My job twinner! I know exactly what you mean about it being easy to not get many steps in per day. Especially when things are cranking up, or litigation is on the close horizon, I tend to want to just punch out work and have to talk myself into doing anything more than eating junk food and pounding out legal work, which can be both challenging and enjoyable. Sometimes. But you know how to do this -- to sneak steps in when they're not entirely "necessary" to function, and you'll get back there. If you want to, that is. Seems like you're doing the more important part right, and you're losing the weight. Excited you get to see your son! I have a 21-year-old that I am worried about currently. I know we romanticize about how great it is to be young a lot of the time, but, honestly, I think that age range might be the most challenging to endure.

Diane - Hope you got to spin class yesterday, and that this morning's weigh-in was fantastic. Closing in on hunting season, and it's great to see you continuing to get yourself back to "fighting shape."

Yesterday was actually pretty good for me. I just wasn't tempted to eat stuff that I didn't need. Even at dinner, where I am traditionally starving, I had no inclination to overindulge. I did get completely frustrated over running, though. I intended to go in the afternoon, but when I went to my car for my gym bag, I realized I left it at home, though I had packed it yesterday morning. Re-set to going right after work. Got home, got dressed, then got a text from my ex-husband's wife, who needed to drop by to pick up some stuff for my daughter. Okay. I postponed it, then my husband suggested we go out to eat right when she left. I insisted on still running, but agreed to go for 2 miles instead of 5. A mile in, my son called me with yet another emergency. Ugh. I did get a total of 27K steps in, though, and a reminder why it is important to grab every opportunity that presents itself.

Goals for today -
1 - Run for 5 miles. Leave work at 1:30 to get it done.
2 - Focus in and pound out work until that point.
3 - Make good nutrition choices.
4 - Lift weights with the husband this evening.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Lilion - Went to post and realized you Ninja'd me! Ugh! on the increased waist measurement, and woot! on the elliptical and the good measurements elsewhere. Is it possible you're a bit bloated today? Water goes away pretty easily, if so.

LaurieDawn, Knew you'd understand the work thing. It really is hard sometimes to just get up and around at work. My Fitbit helps, with the nudging every hour, but unfortunately I'm usually in the middle of a hearing when it goes off and then I forget when it's over 1/2 hour later. I'm a hearing officer, so more like the judge only without the power and respect :lol: so I can't just stop the proceedings because I need a little walk. That would be kinda fun though. "We're going to take a short recess at this time and walk 250 steps." :p

As for the waist...I don't know. One thing I do know is that if I were in a commercial it would be for a totally embarrassing product for irregularity. Part of the reason I never stress a 1/2 lb gain seemingly overnight. So could be many types of bloat. :o I'll just keep plugging along.

20-somethings...Ugh. Mine has been "difficult" for several years and I've been SO worried about him. When he chose to move two states away...lets just say, it's been rough. I haven't seen him since last September and I can't WAIT to see him. Love him to pieces...but boy has he made my hair turn gray.

Keeping with the trend of daily posts! One of my goals is to post here EVERY DAMN DAY (or as close to it as I can get) to remain accountable. I've noticed that when I'm behaving badly, I tend to stay off the forum. So I'm going to stay on the forum and hopefully use that as another reason to behave well. :)

Today was a day off from work for me. Here are the highlights and lowlights of my day:

Good:
- Mental health day to veg out on the couch and do nothing
- I exceeded my water goal for the day
- Ate relatively healthy (only exception being a dip into the tortilla chips and salsa/guacamole in my fridge, but could've been way worse)
- Made a definitive budget for the next month to afford our beach trip in September

Bad:
- All I did was veg on the couch, which I've been doing an awful lot of lately (mostly due to depression)
- I ate WAAAYYYY too many chips
- I drank a Redbull for no other reason than it tasted good

I need to start moving more, and I'm not even just talking about exercising (even though that's next on my list after getting my eating habits straightened out). Simple things like cleaning up dishes and washing clothes and basic housekeeping have all suffered from my lack of desire to do *anything*. Some days it literally everything I've got to get up and go to work and not call in. People depending on me helps motivate me, but just barely. The Boyfriend has been a total God-send and has picked up the slack as much as he can, but it's not fair to let the burden just fall on him. My depression seems to has lessened recently, so I think I'm going to start telling myself if I can just do one or two things a day, I'll call it even. And then maybe 2-3 things, and then maybe more. Slowly but surely, get myself back to normal again. Today, I'm going to wash the dishes and wipe the counters.

Edit update: I did it! I did things! I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but getting the motivation to do *anything* has been impossible, so this is the most proactive I've been in who knows how long. Yay, me ^_^


Lilion: Congrats on getting moving again! Baby steps all around :)

Laurie: I think you also talked me into a little bit of optimism :)

Welcome back Lilion and Ms Dread!

I had a rough day yesterday but I'm forcing myself back onto the path today.

Tuesday started with some unusual disruptions at work. Nothing really exciting but once things were sorted out I sat down and stress ate the brownie I'd packaged up to leave in a co-worker's office. Man, that brownie was really good. So I ate the other one (they come in a two pack from a major national coffee shop chain - we get the leftovers and no longer good enough to sell stuff donated to our program at work... I am constantly tempted but usually strong. Not this time though...). I had a yummy stew in the fridge for "lunch" but I wasn't hungry, thanks to those brownies. And they'd also set off a sugar craving as well so the rest of the day all I wanted was more junk food. I did track everything and in the evening I made a healthy meal the day wasn't a total blow out. But when i got in to work tonight I caved and ate two cookies. Big cookies. Ai yi yi!

But today is a new day and since midnight I've had a healthy meal and no cookies. It's gonna be a bit of a struggle for a couple days I bet. But I can do this!

Lilion - A hearing officer, eh? Sounds like an administrative law judge. Yes, that would make it much trickier. I have a lot of hearings, for an attorney, but I imagine that you are bound much closer to your office/hearing room than I am. I have had judges, though, announce that they have physical issues (most often back-related, actually) and either take extra breaks or explain that they will be pacing at times during the hearing, but that doesn't mean they're not listening. =) LOL on the bloat commercials. Yes. I think you're probably exactly right.

Amanda - Depression is sssooo challenging. I completely understand what it's like to feel intimidated by the need to do anything. Sometimes, I break tasks into itty-bitty steps. "Okay. I will not wet the bed. I need to start by moving the covers, then swinging one leg over the side of the bed, . . ." I am so proud of you for getting some stuff done yesterday! It amazes me just how heavy my limbs feel sometimes. Who can accomplish anything when it's such an effort to even lift an arm? At least for me, every task helps beat back the depression just a tiny bit. Hopefully, you can emerge from that dark cloud soon.

Vladadog - I totally feel you on the "I'll just have one brownie and stop" and then not be able to stop mindset. I am also right there with you on the "twinkie diet" thing -- where I skip the real food because I feel so bloated and gross from the junk. Glad you're back on the path! You tend to be so consistent with such regularity that I am confident you will recover quickly from this blip and be back on the straight and narrow starting today.

Diane - Can't wait to hear the daily scoop! Hope work isn't too crazy.

I had a rough day emotionally yesterday, and I did medicate with sugar some, but then I also decided to medicate with walking. A lot. Not triumphant strides, but more like trudging around for a really long time. I planned on running, but just wasn't mentally up to it. While I still didn't feel great, I avoided finishing the entire apple pie on the counter and topping it off with the chocolate muffins sitting next to it. I also ended up at 35,000 steps for the day. I hit the shower at about 10:30, and came out to see my fellow Fitbit contestant's comment, "I bet you could hit 40,000 if you really wanted." So, since I am both competitive and unable to resist a challenge, I hit the street again at about 11 p.m. and got those 40,000 steps yesterday. Fitbit tells me I walked 16.98 miles yesterday. And yet, because I also chose to stress-eat, I gained 0.2 pounds. (Okay - I know it's way more complicated than that, but still a net gain after a heckuva lot of walking.)

So, today, I am going to try to focus and be purposeful. I seem to be pounding water like a madwoman, which is not a bad channel for the compulsiveness I'm feeling, but I am also peeing way too much. =)

Goals -
1 - Good nutrition.
2 - Deal with the emotional challenge I avoided yesterday.
3 - Go for an actual run, not just talk about it.
4 - Finish the brief that I have been working on for days before noon today.

Have a great day, everyone!

Hi all. Yep, work is busy. I've deviated a little bit from the good path of working out, so I need to get back on track tomorrow. It is Body Pump day, so I need to get there!

More tomorrow!

Good morning!

Diane - Glad to see the check-in. Hope you were able to get back on track this morning with working out. Body Pump, baby. I have not lifted weights in some time, so I need to do that today as well.

I did pretty well yesterday, but ended up staying up until almost 4 in the morning, so didn't weigh today, and am going to have to fight the exhaustion and the related desire to eat everything in sight. **sigh** Maybe I'll try and sneak in a nap this afternoon and lift with my husband this evening.

Goals -
1 - Finish my work project by 11:00 a.m.
2 - Get my 20K steps in.
3 - Don't eat the house down.
4 - Get some decent sleep.

Laurie: 4 o'clock! No way could I stay up that late! Hope you get a nap in.

For me, I didn't go to body pump this morning. My husband was going out of town, and I wanted to see him this morning. I got on the scale, though, and it wasn't too bad. I was expecting an increase, but it stayed the same.

Good evening, everyone! So today was a decent day.

Pros:
- Worked hard, stayed a little late, felt good about how much work I did
- Took the stairs twice (I can feel it in my legs from taking them yesterday too)
- Drank a decent amount of water and am one bottle away from goal
- Ate decent meals and snacks
- Washed all the dishes and cleaned the counters

Cons:
- Did *not* get decent sleep (mostly due to thinking I was scheduled two hours later than I actually was and realizing my mistake at 11pm last night)
- Drank not one, but two Redbulls because of no sleep (y'all, the addiction struggle is real because Redbull is delicious for me)
- Have not done any other housework

Weighed myself this morning but I'm not counting it because sleeping like crap always bloats me up. I'll weigh for real in a couple days. It's also pre-Shark Week, so bloat galore for that as well.



Vladadog: Ack! Sugar cravings are no joke, dude. Good luck with getting back on track. I have faith in you :)

Diane: I always count no news (no gain) as good news, so congrats on no gain lol. I'll take that as a win!

Laurie: Why were you up till 4am??? I can only stay up that late if it's been a good hard night of partying and even then, I'm in a coma for like a week afterwards.

Good morning!

Diane - Staying the same weight - that's not bad news at all! Glad you got to see the hubby off. Hopefully, you'll find some time and energy to make up the Body Pump class. Or maybe you'll enjoy the short respite and hit the ground running on Monday!

Amanda - I actually went to bed early Wednesday night because of low sleep the previous night and some soreness from excessive walking, but the dreaded marital argument commenced shortly thereafter. I can't sleep, usually, until everything is resolved, and it wasn't getting resolved that night, so it just took me a while to get settled again. Stupid, I know. I also have a (thankfully sugar free) Red Bull addiction, though I had gone without one for about a month. However, I indulged twice yesterday. Maybe I didn't need it, but I pounced on the excuse of sleeplessness. I love your pros and cons list, BTW.

I have not eaten dinner with my husband for the past three nights. Different reasons each evening, but it makes calorie budgeting so much easier! I am within five pounds of my lowest weight in 20 years -- almost down to my pre-June-cruise weight. Things are going well on both the food and exercise fronts, though I admit that I walked instead of lifted weights yesterday. I need to either be more serious about doing the weight lifting as scheduled or just adding some body-weight strength-training that doesn't require the gym.

Today's goals -
1 - Eat reasonably. We are having a Defenders-watching party this evening, so this might be tricky. I think maybe I'll get me some fake ice cream to enjoy during the party rather than indulge in whatever is there.
2 - Run 5 miles today.
3 - Do some push-ups and planks today.
4 - Quit eating the donut holes someone brought into work today. (I ate one. It wasn't good. I don't need any more, but kind of want more, which is always a dangerous sign. Even though I can still feel the grease in my mouth from the first one. Ugh.)

Hope everyone has a great Friday and an amazing weekend!

Dread: I also like your list of pros and cons. Good way to be accountable, but to also give yourself a little praise for what went right. I also have a little addiction to an energy drink, Xyience CranRazz. I have one every day. It is 0 calorie, so I figure there are worse things I could do. :)

Laurie: It is amazing how much easier it is when you're cooking for yourself. I feel the same way. And yay for you for getting the weight back down. That's the way to go!!

For me, I think I'm going to shake up my workouts some. I still want to go to Body Pump on Thursdays, but I think I might do some other weights on Tuesdays. I feel a little stagnant, so that will give me the one day to do something else, and then the other day to do some other things. I also might cut out one of the spin classes to do some other kind of cardio. We'll see, though, because I'm not a huge fan of treadmilling or ellipticals. Anyway, just seeing if a change would be fun.

Diane - I love your plan of mixing it up! You've been pretty consistent for years about Body Pump, Body Flow, and spinning for your gym time, with hiking and running for your off-gym. I am just as guilty of sticking with my constants, but I totally loved doing yoga the one time I did it a few weeks ago. I don't know how you feel about cardio classes, but my husband will occasionally get the kids downstairs to do a stump marching video, and he did a Billy Blanks video with them last week. I like Zumba sometimes, and I keep telling myself that I will teach myself to be a minimally-competent dancer. If you're looking for change-ups with weight lifting, I like New Rules of Lifting for Women, though I have to admit I'm feeling a bit burnt-out on that lately too. Maybe I'll find a Body Flow class here and you and I can switch work-outs!

I had a super rough weekend with food. I reached that stage where if I was in any type of close proximity to food, I was eating it. And feeling like crap because of it. I thought I had it licked on Sunday when we went for a bike ride and stopped for ice cream, and I watched everyone eating the ice cream without a trace of envy because I had eaten pancakes that morning, and it was enough indulgence for me. But then we got home and I ate some chicken (good choice) and followed it up with bad choice after bad choice. And I barely got in 11,000 steps. I did go for the bike ride, but my heart rate barely cracked 65 bpm on the most challenging part of the ride, and stayed at about 60 bpm for the rest of the ride. Not really scorching calories there. That's the bad part of working on fitness, of course. At the fitness level I have achieved, I really do need to do some intentional intense exercise to make a difference. Of course, I could also kick some teenage butt when we got into a race, so there's that. =)

I've also been having body image issues with the way I perceive my husband is perceiving me. I don't know if he really means the things he says, or if he's just trying to "take me down a peg" to reduce the chances that I will cheat on him, but it's hard to hear them from the one person who actually sees me naked. **sigh** I know he's super paranoid about cheating. His ex-wife cheated on him and ended their marriage to live with someone else, and he says all of his previous girlfriends cheated on him. But none of that gives him reason to suspect me, and certainly doesn't give him reason to say those things to me.

Okay. Reset today. I am going to feel better about myself. If my husband can't get on board with me feeling good about myself, then that's a marriage problem, not a "too skinny" problem.

Goals -
1 - Get 20K steps.
2 - Run for 5 miles.
3 - Get work done.
4 - No sugar today. If I do eat it, I will not enjoy it, so why bother?
5 - Weigh tomorrow morning to assess the weekend's damage.

Have a great day, everyone!