I think those are the correct dates!

Wow- another week down! Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday!

I am very happy to report my 2 lb loss this week... Whew! I didn't think I would have any because good ole' TOM is here for a visit, and boy I did I look and feel like the Pillsbury Dough Boy this morning. As I tip-toed my way to the scale this morning I had such an anxious feeling going on in my stomach! Unbelievely, the dial on the scale managed to find it's way down to 165.

SO... I am thrilled! I had some icecream tonight, that is becoming a little too familiar these days. I think its time to cut out the ole ice cream shop! What can I say TOM always wins when visiting! That's my excuse for this week anyway!

Awright Gretchen!! That's terrific loss!! I'm so impressed by your stats. Are you following a formal plan? Your own plan? Hope you don't mind me being nosy--you and I started at the same weight but I'm only a couple of pounds down so far. Any motivational words appreciated.

Barb
224.5/222/150-ish

THE VACATION DID ME IN!!
Im up 2 pounds this week...b/c of all the lucious dinners and skipping the gym. My DH went back to work today, so I'll have the house to myself today to recollect my thoughts and get back on track. (not to mention CLEAN this pigstye!) Great job Gretchen! You are melting away! Good luck to everyone else this week!!!

Hi Barb!

You're not being nosy at all! I love sharing! I am not following any formal plan, I formulated my own plan. Basically I am doing around 1000 calories per day, I have cut out all regular soda, and I eat no fatty/fried foods. I eat lots of chicken, turkey, turkey burger (extra lean) and very seldom have red meat. I have really taken on a positive attitude and I fully believe that is what is helping me be successful! Exercise is key, I try and get at least 20 min of cardio in per day and some weight training for toning. Occasionally, I will have a treat of DQ icecream, but I always make sure that I have the calories budgeted for those days. I'm having a great time! Good luck to you and please feel free to ask questions any time.

Congrats Gretchen on your loss!

Amy Jo - those pounds will come off quickly. You'll have a loss to report next week.

I am down 4 this week (1 that I gained last week + 3 more) to 238.

Go Raelynn!! That's a great loss for you!! I had a "maintain" and I'm ok with that.

Good job, guys!

I'm down 2 this week, but I just got home from a weekend with my boyfriend which included a bit too much food and alcohol. Ah well, 2 days won't totally kill me.. and I did much better than I thought I would.

I am down 2 for the week. I am happy with that since I had knee problems and couldn't exercise most days.

Hey guys - congrats to all you big losers! You are doing so well!!!

Amy Jo - well, vacations are just like that, somehow....don't worry, you had the guts to get on the scale, and those extra lbs will soon be gone.....

I'm up 1 pound this week (haven't corrected the sig yet) but not quite sure how, as that would mean I'm eating 6000 more calories over the week than I ate when I lost a pound? I had a weekend out (and a 10-Nutter-Butter grazing incident) and expected to maintain, since I still was only over my target for about 800 calories that one day, so not sure what's up with that.

My scale's temperamental, though, and moving it an inch or two to the side can throw off the weight by a pound or two, so who knows. And my pants are feeling looser, so I'm not going to worry about it and assume it'll all sort out eventually.

Don't worry Jennifer you may not have even gained. Sometimes I think we would all be better off just weighing once a month. Especially you ladies. It seems like so much can affect your weight that once a month would be a much better choice. So even if you do keep weighing every week it might be better to look at it in months instead of weeks.

Howie, I couldn't agree more. I think that's a great suggestion/reminder. Or maybe don't assess your success solely by your weight, but instead by inches, or body fat percentages. I like my body fat scale for that reason; I can see the scale weight remain the same, but see my body fat percentage go down -- and then I know that I'm just retaining water for whatever reason.

It's just so easy to get discouraged by simple, straighforward poundage when you're really counting on seeing improvement. That whole, "I want what I want when I want it" thing. That said, I just got back last night from an extended weekend holiday (rented a cabin in West Virginia with my sweetie and our dog,) and this morning I did weigh myself, but not without preparing myself for the worst beforehand. What I saw was that I didn't gain any weight -- didn't lose any either -- but I saw a percentage point reduction in body fat. So, while I'm not thrilled that I didn't see the weight number move, I'm happy with the BF% reduction, and know that I'm probably just retaining water from the few small splurges that I enjoyed over the 4 days.....I'll get over it. I'm just so happy that I have this scale, because I have more information to give me a broader perspective on where I really am at any given point.

Great job to everyone on their losses!

Howie, that is a really good point. I'm not sure if I could do it just once a month, but I think I could certainly manage twice a month as opposed to every week. I just sometimes need to see that number every week to keep myself accountable to what I am doing. But, yes, many things can certainly affect the number on that scale.

Gretchen, you are getting so close to your goal weight. If you start dropping only 2 pounds per week that is still great. You are still steadily losing. Keep up the hard work!!

Amy Jo, I'm like you. When having to face a change in the normal routine I don't do so well. I have to really work on that or else I am doomed to fail. I'm sure you will get right back on track. Doing the housecleaning is wonderful exercise!!

Raelynn, Wow, that was a really nice loss!!

Barb, I have to congratulate you on maintaining. That is so much better than a gain!!

Dana, for having a weekend out you did wonderful. Maybe you did not overdo it as much as you thought. Great job!!

Kimberlie, You did excellent for the week!! I'm sorry that you have knee problems. I really don't have to many problmes with my knees but my mom does and she suffers horribly. She wants to lose weight, but she can't exercise very much. I've told her just changing her eating habits will give her some results on the scale. I think maybe I am starting to convince her a little bit. I know that since I have been losing weight that I am not so stiff in my joints in the mornings anymore.

Jennifer, I bet next week the scale will reflect the loss of that pound and then some. Since the scale is tempermental I would not worry about it to much. Howie is right, us women have so much that can be going on with us at one time. Water retention could have been your problem this week.

Sarah, I want a scale like yours. Where did you get it?? I've always said I would not purchase a scale, but I really get sick of trying to track down a scale to weigh on every week and when I am on vacation it's not going to be easy either. I think I might try to start weighing only twice a month. If I notice that I'm not keeping myself in check I will go back to once a week. Great job at maintaining!!

boy everbody is doing so great. CONGRATS to all of you. i am happy to say i am down another 4 lbs. for this week. i am now officially lower than the weight on my drivers license.

Wow- Audrey---- what the heck are you doing to get those lbs off!!

Congratulations to everyone this week.

Thanks for your encouragement about the 2 lbs Tammy.. I have been anticipating this "slow down" and am ready to tackle it head on. I've added a 2 mile walk at lunchtime to my exercise program. Today I did the 2 miles in about 30 minutes which I think is average. Id like to shorten that time but the problem is that I AM at work-- (and in suits) while doing that so I can't get too sweaty and gross!

Sounds like we all did pretty ok over the 4th holiday!! Congrats!