Hello all!

It's December! Which means Christmas and New Years. Perhaps the worse holidays ever for us weight losers! I know that my family brings in the mountain of chocolate, biscuits, cakes and drinks weeks before Christmas is even here!

I'm hoping that December, for me, brings me the consistency that I lost in November. I now have 2 glorious weeks off work to achieve this in. So I'm really excited to start a new chat thread, a new weigh in thread and participate in the many other threads to get support and stay accountable!

Yesterday was a terrible day, I was at work for most of it since I got asked to work early because Wednesday's are always busy (2 for 1). I really wasn't in the mood, and I felt like I was at the end of my tether since I had worked really long shifts for the last 5 days. I started to feel like my life was being lost to my job. So these 2 weeks have come at a great time where I can reclaim my life and get excited about hobbies again!

Hello December,

I haven't been posting much recently because it has been a crazy end to November and I fell off and on the wagon. But December is a new month!

So as an update, I got pretty down about gaining weight between midterm papers and Thankgiving Holiday... Because I went back up 4 lbs, but I am happy to say I threw that back off and am back in the 140's now. If I can just keep losing that would be amazing.

I do have a confession though... Even thougH I as super busy over Thanksgiving, part of the reason why I didn't post is because I knew I was gaining, not eating right, and not exercising enough. I felt a bit guilty about writing my lack of effort, which I now see is quiet silly and I probably should have posted just because I know it would have given me support to only have one plate of food or no pecan pie. So I am making it my goal to make sure during my finals week, which is two weeks away, and Christmas, that I continue to post, even in the bad times. Has anyone else felt like this? Or the opposite, you post when you are having bad days more often?

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To everyone from the November chat, thanks for the food suggestions and support. Instead of going back and responding to all the stuff I missed on my hiatus I think it will be good to start anew in Decmeber, but all of you guys who contined losing in the end of the month, great job!!!

Rie- thanks for starting the thread and I am sooooooooo excited that you hit 163! You are doing so well... And during this vacation you have, ifnyou and Shaun T still work it, you are gonna be losing like crazy. When you see all those delicious Christmas dishes (my family is the same with sweets and fatty food and all that) just remember your goals for when you see your bf! You are gonna knock his socks off! I hope posting really helps keep you OP

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Well today should be an ok day. I have been good on my diet, have plenty of time for an awesome workout today, and am gonna hit the store to restock on veggies and such. Prepping for a healthy weekend even though my brother in law is visiting from Russia. He will just have to understand I am on a diet! Oh and by the way I have been playing the wii fit each morning and it tells me the healthiest Bmi is a 22 (I know BMI is a hit or miss for some people and measurements are much better to be accurate) so that is where I am going to set my goal, because I have never been this small in my adult life and so with each few pounds I am just seeing how the loss looks on me before I move further ...

Good luck in December all!!

I can't believe it is December! Let's all hope it's a great month for everyone. Hopefully, I survive my law school finals *crosses fingers* On December 15th at 1pm I will be halfway done law school and until then I just need to pace myself and breathe!

Well I'm not starting December off too well at all. I'm sick, like really really sick....and for the past three nights I have slept a total of MAYBE 8 hours because I just cannot get comfortable and I feel awful and I just toss and turn all night. I'm miserable, and I stayed home from work yesterday to go to the doctor (which means I'm now taking antibiotics but they haven't started working yet)...so I can't stay home again today. My boss would kill me. I'm just so tired and I wish I could sleep...Hopefully the rest of December doesn't end up being like this.

I think one of the hardest things for me right now is not having any warm clothes that fit. It's not usually cold much down here in Texas, so I have maybe 3 pairs of pants and 2 or 3 long sleeved shirts. I had to go out yesterday and buy more pants and a coat...and I ordered some cheap long sleeved solid colored shirts online that I can layer for warmth. I have tons of nice warm clothes folded up and put away in my closet....because last year I was 50 pounds lighter then this. It sucks so much having those clothes in there and knowing that I'm not going to be able to wear them. I feel like such a failure for letting myself get this big again....and I'm honestly not even really on track. I haven't been watching what I've been eating at all (for like a year), and I may lose a little bit but I always end up gaining it back. I think that's why I'm joining the daily weigh in thread this month. I don't usually join them, but I think maybe once I see what the food I eat each day does to my body, maybe I will be a little more aware when I'm eating those foods....instead of just shoving them down without a care in the world.

I'm tired of being big, but I don't know if I'm tired of it enough to really get all the way back on track. Just thinking about all the work I put into my diet to lose 70 pounds without any exercise....it's exhausting. I exercise now, but not as much as I should. I know that's probably the only thing keeping me from breaking 260 pounds though. I am already so exhausted all the time....and I just don't know how to convince myself that this is all worth the work.

I don't know. I'm really struggling right now.

And now I weigh myself and I've got a gain! Talk about frustrating. I didn't even eat badly yesterday....not enough to account for a 3 pound gain. I'm back up to 255, my highest weight ever. I'm hoping that it's just the antibiotics making me retain water, but I don't know...

I don't even remember what I ate yesterday, That's how bad I've gotten. I need to get back to tracking everything and writing it down...

Hi guys..I'd like to join this thread! I'm trying to lose weight to conceive. I have PCOS and my Dr. wants me to get my BMI under 30 before I come off of BCP. So far, lower carbs have worked for me. No cravings and more energy. I'm supplementing with a multi-vitamin, chlorophyll, and Ultimate Omega. I'm also on Metformin for my PCOS. I need somewhere I can join back in and be held accountable. In the past, I did Metabolic Research. but I can't afford it this time and I seem to be doing better with slightly more carbs and less fat than MRC - so I didn't want to head back to that forum. I'm excited to be back "on the wagon" and I love that I have such motivation this time around. I lost 70 lbs in 2008, but gained it all back after meeting my hubby. Here we go again!

Hi guys!

I'm sorry I haven't been online in awhile. I have gotten really busy lately between work and school. Not to mention the holidays in general, which for me means I have to buy gifts. The only party that I really have is the party for the newspaper I work for (my second job). That'll be fun but I have motivation to watch my eating. I have always felt self-conscious in the past because I had always gone to grab extra food long after everyone else had stopped eating, and even though I doubt anyone really notices, I always felt all eyes were on me. So now that I'm in a new place and starting afresh, I refuse to let that be me again.

I found out that going into finals my GPA is a solid 4.0. I was offered a scholarship from the newspaper, and I will apply for a few more and see what happens. I am so excited about it, especially since I have worked so hard.

Jamie- I spent an entire year away because I felt so guilty for gaining weight. And I have spent periods of time away either because I was busy or feeling guilty. Either way, I totally understand the way you feel about posting sometimes. I have just learned that eventually you have to own up and usually it is not as bad as you think.

Divine- I hope you feel better soon and you are always welcome here. Don't think of it as a failure but a new opportunity to kick even more @$$ then you did before on your last weight loss.

SweetPeach- Good luck on finals!

MSTeacher- Welcome to the thread! We're glad to have you.

namaste984 - You're right. It's just hard to think of it that way because last time it was so easy for me. I barely even had to think about it and I was dropping 2.5 or 3 pounds a week, at least. Now I feel like if I'm not completely focused all the time, I'm actually ending up gaining. It's just so much harder this time around....and I can't seem to figure out why. It probably has something to do with being happy (last time I was in a miserable relationship with a miserable guy and wasn't happy at all, now I'm dating the guy that's been my best friend for 8 years and as soon as we started dating all the weight started pouring back on...), but I don't think I should have to be miserable to successfully lose weight.


Speaking of my amazing boyfriend, he's buying me a Nook Tablet tomorrow! I'm so excited!!! I'm definitely a book nerd, and I've been wanting an EReader for a long time. I usually have one or two books in my purse at all times, and this thing will be so much lighter. I won't have to pack 5 or 6 books when I go on a trip anymore either! Books take up so much room in a suitcase....lol. I made a cover for it, because I didn't want to spend money on one and I wanted something more personalized. It's not perfect, definitely looks home-made....but I like it. It's unique. It's black felt on the outside, and a blue tapestry fabric on the inside...and the pockets are light blue felt...and the flower and the name on the back are made with craft foam. I used a rubber band to loop around the flower to hold it closed, and it's got the front and back covers of an old book on the inside of it to make it stiff. I'll attach pictures.

How was everyone's day? =D

Divine- I am actually in the same boat as you are, ended up in a dead-end relationship with an abusive boyfriend and I stopped eating as much, mostly just due to stress. Naturally, I lost 50 pounds. When my current boyfriend, who is the love of my life and will be my fiance in a few months, came along I let some of the weight come back on. Luckily, he is really supportive and has helped me get some of the weight off. But like you, it isn't coming off easily. I've done diet for 2 months now and only lost about 10 lbs. So I can totally relate.

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As for me, did very well on the eating over the last few days but TOM has come back with a vengence so the scale is showing a slight gain. I reckon though if I stick to my exercise I should be doing okay.

I don't really have too much to say tonight. I will come back tomorrow and fill you guys in on my Zumba class, lol. Take care.

Hey everyone!

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day. I did Insanity and kicked a$$!! I was so in the zone and I was sweating like crazy and just felt really proud of myself afterwards. I went shopping for a dress for the Christmas party and I found one in the first shop I looked in (which I had a voucher for so WIN!). It's black, has a loose fitted chest (PERFECT for my huge boobs!) and then there's elastic that sucks in underneath the boob arena with a little belt to go with it and it just flows down nicely. It's perfect for my body, conceals my boobs and shows off my small waist. On the back there is a lace detail, so I got some lace tights to match it and bought some wedge shoes. I never buy fancy going out shoes, so this was like an all time first for me! I can't wait to put it all together and hopefully look awesome. I'll be sure to post up a picture when I do!

Trying on the dresses was amazing. I just felt so confident with my body and even if something looked a bit weird I didn't care because I knew I would find one that would look good and I did! So bit of a NSV for me there. My friend who came with me was really awesome, she gave me loads of compliments and I just accepted them instead of saying "noooo!"

Today I'm going to do another Insanity, then I've got to clean up all the house then I get to play a bit of Uncharted 3 with my bf. I got to talk to him on Skype on Wednesday too, we talked about my weight gain (I couldn't help but to show him my old skinny jeans and how massive they are now) and he was really good about it. He pretty much said he noticed that I was gaining weight, that I was getting a bit of a double chin! but he had faith in me that I would do something about it. He also said it was hard sometimes when I would try, lose weight and then give up. So it feels amazing that this time I haven't given up, that I'm past the halfway mark and I'm NOT stopping here. But he said he didn't care how I looked because I would always be beautiful to him. Talk about best boyfriend ever! He's so excited to see me, and I can't wait for him to see me either! 70 days to go!

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Jamie - CONGRATS ON LOSING TURKEY DAY WEIGHT! I knew you could do it quickly, probably just water retention. I, too, had a November slump, I know a lot of others who had one too. So you're definitely not alone. And I don't even have Thanksgiving as an excuse! I know what you mean about posting, I try my best to post but I do end up lurking a bit. But when I do post I get loads of support so it really does help. We're not just here for the good times but the bad times too. Thanks for all your encouragement, it means a lot to me! I do think about my bf when I'm exercising and when I get offered treats. My Mum was eating chocolates at like 10pm last night and she offered me one and I declined. BOOM!

SweatPeach - Good luck on your finals!!

Divine - First of all: . But I'm going to deliver some tough love now because I want to see you succeed. Weight loss is never easy. It's really friggin' hard! You've got to commit to it, it has to be an entire life changing experience, and it is tough both mentally and physically. But if you're going to start this journey thinking like you are, then you're not going to get anywhere. This is your life, this is your health and your future - you CAN take control of it and you CAN do this. Life is hard without trying to lose weight, so it takes someone who is made of pretty amazing stuff to attempt it. But you have to dedicate to this, you can't get down on yourself for being who you are now. It sounds to me you're living in the past and the future but not the present. You're dwelling on the past and how you got big and now you're dwelling on the future and how hard it's going to be to get there. There is no better way to say this, but there is no point thinking like that. You're wasting time and energy beating yourself up and worrying. Losing weight the right way is going to take longer. I've been losing 1 lb a week since I joined here in April, sometimes I would stall but I just had to keep going. Weight loss is simple on paper. You stop eating so much junk and you exercise more. Mentally it's like climbing a mountain, but there's no point in standing at the bottom of it analysing how high it is you just gotta start climbing and keep going.
Think of yourself at your goal weight, how happy you will feel, how HEALTHY you'll be and how you'll be rid of serious health issues. Because as much as we all say how we don't feel beautiful and we want to fit into cute clothes, we ignore the elephant in the room sometimes that being obese means you could die younger. When I found out I was obese I friggin' ran for my life (literally - I started running!) and I'm now just 13 lbs away from being healthy. You gotta find that drive, that inspiration, that love for yourself and your future to drive you. But again - you CAN do this!! Head over to the Goal section of the forum and just look at some of those success stories. They were just posters like you and I who just stuck to it and got there. We can and WILL be those people one day!

MST - Welcome! Perhaps you should start trying some exercise on top of your eating plan? I'm sure you'll get some amazing results that way!

namaste - Wow, congrats on your scholarship! That's amazing! Sounds like life is pretty awesome for you right now, I'm happy for you!

Riestrella - Thank you. I needed to hear that. For me it was never about feeling beautiful and fitting into smaller clothes, not REALLY. Those things are nice. I just don't want to end up like my mother. She has all SORTS of health problems due to her obesity, and she's had to have 8 knee surgeries, and 4 spinal fusion surgeries...she's got fibromyalgia and she's just miserable all of the time. My main motivation for losing weight has always been to not end up like that when I'm 45. I've already had two foot surgeries, but those were because of a birth defect where my bones grew wrong...so it's not really obesity's fault...Anyways, I did need to hear that though. I don't think I realized how much I have been focusing in the past. I just need to worry about right now, getting by day by day. Setting goals was never the best thing for me because then if I didn't meet them it completely messed me up. I just need to worry about TODAY. TODAY I will not get fast food, and TODAY I will drink lots of water. Those are my goals for today.

I posted this in the BL Challenge thread at like 1am or 2am last night because I couldn't sleep....and I feel like I should share it here.

"It's amazing to me what the human body can recover from. I mean, just think of what we have done to our bodies by being overweight...and how we CAN change it. We're not destined to live this way forever. If I got into a car accident today and passed away, I would not be happy....because I would have never known what it was to live a healthy lifestyle. Not truly. I think I am just beginning to realize how much I really am damaging myself with those things I eat. I don't want my life to end like this I need to do this for me, so that for once in my life I can be healthy AND happy, not one or the other. I think i'm just starting to realize it IS possible to have both."

Divine - I'm sorry about all your Mum's medical problems, that's such a shame. It sounds awful, but you can use your Mum as inspiration...if you keep going the way you are it could be like looking in a mirror. You do have to inject a bit of carpe diem in your life and take things one step at a time. You're not going to start eating just vegetables and fruit and run 5 miles a day, you've got to slowly make changes and push yourself physically more little by little.
I set goals based on my BMI. Every goal I have is a BMI landmark (borderline obese/overweight, borderline overweight/healthy) then I put halfway points in there too to achieve. I also added a few side ones, like reaching the weight I was when I was a teenager etc. The important thing is to not set time limits for your goals, because then it messes up your flow! Life happens, and we can trip up, but those goals aren't going anywhere and they're there for you to reach whenever you can.

I hope you don't mind but I just worked out what a few of your goals could be based on what I did. So based on your height, being 204 means you'll be on the borderline for overweight, which means 230 is your halfway point to that goal. My BMI calculator might be a bit different, but you see what I mean! I think saying "I want to lose 10 lbs by ___" is stressful, so why not have goals that are more set in stone and you can achieve them when you get there?

Ahhh...it's December already!! 1 more final exam and 5 months until graduation!! The countdown is on!

So, it's time to get back to focusing on me. School stressed me out this semester, BUT I did not gain any weight so yay! I stalled between October and now, but DID NOT gain and that is what is important.

Rie - glad you found an awesome dress! Can't wait to see some pics!

Divine - cute cover! I said something to my DH about a kindle and he just laughed and said I didn't need that because one day the world would not be able to run on electricity and I would have no way of charging it. Bahahaha! He's a nut case sometimes. LOL!

Welcome, MSTeacher! Just join right in.

Hi guys! The scaled didn't move today, but that's OK. I know I was a bit high of the sodium yesterday, so I have been drinking gobs of water today and hope to see it move tomorrow morning!

Riestrella, I do have an exercise plan going right now, although it will constantly have to be adjusted based on my increased energy levels. I'm starting with walking 2 miles three times a week and going to Zumba (dance/salsa arobics class) 2 nights per week. I know I need to add strength training but I'm trying to finish up finals (I'm in grad school and teaching full time) so that will have to come ina few weeks. I love my plan - I'm hardly ever hungry. My biggest obstacle so far has simply been IMPATIENCE!

Riestrella- That's actually a great idea. I think later tonight (after homework and stuff) I'll sit down and figure out some goals for myself.

sgregg- That's just odd. Lol. I've wanted an EReader for a long time. I'm just sick of hauling books with me everywhere. My purse gets really heavy...and I can never have a cute small purse either. lol