Zelma -- SO sorry to hear about your dad!! I know what you mean about wanting to know and pushing people for info. Good luck!

Jilly -- I am SO not surprised you lost over the break! You've been doing awesome!



I got on the scale this morning and am up 4 pounds. It's still TOM, so I don't think it's all fat, but this has to stop. I declare my "eating holiday" officially over. Now. Last night's tapas dinner was great -- not too much food, and I didn't eat dessert, mostly because nothing appealed to me. But the last hurrah.

Last year I handled the holidays by indulging only a little and like Jill, I lost over the holidays. I didn't want to do that again this year. I had some fun events planned and wanted to see how I could handle them differently by relaxing my eating more. I am not surprised by the gain. I don't feel too bad about it, as I did tell myself it was okay to relax, but now I need to see how I feel about dealing with this 4 pounds...

But I do feel like I've lost some control over the past couple months and need to show myself I can get back to the "conscious control" that has been so important to me in this journey...

Well, one day down, and I survived on "just" 2300 calories. I realize that is more than most people in the world get on a daily basis, but at my size I burn more calories with a good burp than most skinny people burn running a marathon. I have found it interesting that I settled in Florida at 1800 a day for a good 1.5 pound a week loss while doing 6-8 hours a week of water aerobics, but here in Canada I have to get at least 2000-2500 calories to function and still lose the 1.5 a week. I don't know if it is the increase in altitude, or latitude, or the extreme change in humidity. It could also be that for the first time in my life since I was 15 years old, I don't own a car. I ripped a set of wheels off a grocery cart dragging it through the snow last spring, so I now use a large internal frame backpack for my grocery trips. I may not be burning calories in hunting or gathering, but at least I'm expending some energy in acquiring my calories.

Now I’m off to finish cleaning up from Christmas. We had a Christmas Eve party that killed many trees worth of paper plates, and other paper type products. I have to put on 4 layers of clothes in order to make the trek with dog sled teams to the dumpster out back. And Then On To The Pole!

WELCOME back, Catherine. I am sorry about the problems you're encountering, I HOPE the doctors are keeping an eye on you & trying to find out WHY you miscarried. Oh those scans, humiliation!!!! 'umm, it's because of your..um... size....' Yes, really??? I am glad you're back and the New Year brings you sucess in losing (weight)AND gaining (a baby).xxxxx
Sandy, thanks for missing me & Ammi,xxxxx I had family over- my parents, their dog & bro-in-law, so things have been REALLY hectic. Food has been lots of rubbish, little veg & no fruit, looks like I'll be changing my ticker UP..ooops!! Still another few days of this & crisps (chips) & cakes & biccies will start to look bad & all those veggies will look & taste GREAT!!!! Had an email from Ammi, she's been VERY busy too, but is ok & enjoying a little 'break' from w/w plan over the holidays.
Sorry no more time, but Nancy, big hugs & love sent to you, I hope something happens soon to help you decide what you need to do.xxxxx
xxxsharon

Hi there everyone!
I am taking a day to try and get my house back to normal again. The christmas tree is down and most of the gifts are put away. I am going to start making some healthy stuff for lunches next week and maybe even make a clam chowder (my favorite!) for dinner tonight. I have been craving so much that before I start back full force next week that I want to make it one more time

I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish over the next 6 months. My year will be brokendown into 2 halves. The first 6 months I want to get down to 285. WOW. 285lbs. <sigh> That is 60lbs of weight. That is 10 lbs per month. That is 2.5lbs per week. Hey, that is DO-ABLE!!!!

Well, off to try to get more housework done. Hope you are all having a wonderful day.

Brenda

Xena - YAY! for staying OP. Why does it seem much easier to stay OP when you've done it for a couple of days, but so daunting when you've gone off plan?! It's not fair, I tell you.

Nancy - I hope things are going better by now. Holidays and depression seem to go hand in hand for some people. It's understandable with all the stress and worry you're going through right now. If you need someone to talk to, please PM me.

Flawless - I don't think I welcomed you before, so WELCOME! This is truly a wonderful group of ladies (and men now!). Congrats on being down another 3lbs.

Annie - I am SO happy that you were able to meet and beat your goal for the month! You're doing awesome! I'm sure you're looking forward to getting back to the pool. That's one thing I really miss about summer!

Mona Lisa - Welcome to you too! Congrats on being able to stay OP for the last few days. I am going to have to eliminate my trigger foods too, I think. If it's not there, I can't eat it, right?

Catherine - I'm so sorry your MIL is so toxic to you and DH. That makes matters much worse. It's hard to focus on other things in your life when it's a constant battle dealing with someone like her. I love your saying - "You can't die from embarrassment, but you can die from obesity." That's something I really need to start remembering! As far as needing more calories - perhaps it's the weather? I know that's weird to say, but your body is trying to stay warm and it's working harder between the altitude change and the temperature change and it's probably not quite used to being there yet. Going from FL to Canada is quite a change!

Zelma - I'm happy you had a great time being back "home", but am sorry to read about your Dad. Please, by all means, keep questioning the doctors and keep trying to get them to test everything possible and check on everything possible. It seems you're your Dad's biggest advocate right now since the others really don't want to rock the boat, and that's the best thing you can be for him. So many people don't realize their rights when they're hospitalized. It helps when they have an advocate to stand up for what's right!

Colneen - Stress really doesn't help with lifestyle changes, does it? Sorry about the gain, but at least you know that you have to get back on track! You'll get those 8lbs back off, and send a few of their friends packing too!

Jilly - Congrats on the loss! I think it's great that you've been so on the ball when it comes to changing your lifestyle lately. There are many people who are inspirations to others, and you are definitely one of them!

Lilion - Sounds like you did great last night. Eating out is still one of my biggest challenges. Have fun at the party this weekend!

Heather - Good for you for standing up and saying enough is enough. I think it's great that you were able to let yourself go, not because of the weight gain, but because now you definitely know your limits and what you will or won't accept. I think that's a big part of succeeding - letting yourself go, but knowing when you've passed your comfort zone.

Sharon - glad you stopped by! Hopefully your holidays are going well!

Brenda - I'd never really thought about breaking the year down and doing goals for every 6 months. I'll have to consider that! Good luck with the loss! You can do it!

Ammi - Glad to hear you're "just" busy. Happy holidays and hope to see you back soon!

Nathan - Welcome back to our group. It's always nice to have guys around! Stick around - we don't bite!

I am trying to catch up and actually do personals more frequently, so if I missed you this time around, please don't feel bad. I promise I will respond to everyone soon! I had forgotten how much time it takes!

Hi all

Just a quickie .;. I have to get to work lol ... speaking of ... this is my last week ... Im a little annoyed that they waited this long to tell me my contract wont be getting extended when other staff knew last week .. I could have lined up another job by now hopefully .. grrrr ... so Im just going to do this weekends shifts and then say goodbye ... not going to do the last shift at the end of the week .. hopefully by then I will have got another job and my loyalty will be to the new employer.

On the up side .. I havent gone up! I didnt go completely off the rails in regards to staying OP at Xmas .. I didnt even really limit myself .. I just wasnt very hungry .. I dont seem to have much of an appetite lately, but I had toast this morning so am getting back to eating regularly after this job fouled up my eating regime with the weird and erratic hours. So even tho on last weekend it looked like I had gone down a couple of pounds .. as it wasnt official weigh in day that I saw that I chose to ignore it lol .. but I suppose I gave myself extra liberties over Xmas and just hoped I stayed under the official weigh in loss ... happily .. I have! I am half a pound down .. and Im happy with that esp at this time of year .. must be the first where I have actually gone down at Xmas instead of up lol ..

Im not gonna set a NYR .. I rarely stick to them .. I just decide when Im ready rather than have it as a thing to do at the beginning of the year .. I do have a goal of another 30 pounds down by my birthday tho ... so that is 16 weeks .. I should be able to do that

Okee .. gotta get ready for work .. have a great day all .. and hopefully I will be able to catch up with everyone properly later when I have finished work.

Oh .. just wanted to say a BIG HI to Nathan .. lovely to see a Rooster on the boards .. hope to see a lot more of you too!

Love and Laughter everyone!

Sharon. So nice to see one of our chickadees from across the pond popping in. Now that the holidays are behind us I am sure you will get yourself back on track.

Oh yeah, I am feeling that today, TOTALLY!

That's a great way to put it, thanks! I hope I will learn my limits, but don't think I'm really there yet. Ultimately, I think that's my goal -- figure out my limits, especially on vacations and holidays.

Ammi mentioned not staying on plan over the holidays and not wanting to. I need to figure out over time what my threshold is. I do want to indulge a little, for sure, but I'm going to have to decide how much "damage" my indulgences result in, and then how long it takes to make up for that damage. I hope to have many holidays and vacations in my life to figure it out!

Thank you for all of the warm welcomes! It felt great!

I realized that I didn't tell you anything personal about me. So here it goes ~
I am a divorced mom one of a 17 year old son. And yes, I am very proud of my star child. He received letters from more than 90 universities, including six of the eight Ivy League schools. Were are in the middle of the application process now and it is very daunting. He listens to hip-hop like other kids, but he also is concert master of his youth orchestra so he knows about the composers too. And he works 15-20 hours a week at a part time job.

I worked in higher education for 8 years and then became bored, so I left. I am in a transitional phase right now. Now I am a freelance makeup artist, which I absolutely love. Actually, this line of work is the reason that I must get the weight off. You basically stand for long periods of time in one spot and the last time that I worked, I had to ice my knees for a good portion of the night. I also work in a call center.

But my ultimate dream job is to be a writer. Once I get my son situated in college, then I plan to really pursue this dream.

I haven't had time to develop many hobbies because I work a lot of hours each week. But, I like the movies, writing stories and reading. My favorite television show is Law and Order: SVU. And I love cats, but I am allergic to them. So I don't have any.

I did well with my eating today. My mother made this awesome caramel corn and insisted that I taste it. I tasted one kernel so that I could tell her that she did a great job and that was all. But, it further impressed upon me that my decision to stay away from sweets was a good one. I thought I was in heaven with that one kernel.

When I came to work though, I faced a greater challenge. I passed a table that had a pie covered up. Why did I think that I could lift the aluminum foil to see what it was and think that I would be okay? Unfortunately, it was my favorite - sweet potato pie, which I can only get on special occasions. One of my coworkers recommended that I only take a slice, but I stood firm and held the course. Didn't touch it at all. The hard part is that I agreed to work third shift tonight in the call center, because someone called out, and I have to face that darn pie all night long! I'll just treat it like a man I'm not interested in!

Wyllenn ~ You can do it. When you are ready, you move forward on your own terms. I think this is what you are trying to do now.

Lilion ~ Great job on demonstrating strength and willpower at the restaurant.

Jill ~ Congrats on the weight loss. Don't diminish your accomplishment because 14 pounds is a big deal.

Colleen ~ I hope that your brother and great niece get well and that you have a better week entering into the New Year.

Anna~ Sending love to ya!

Zelma ~ I found your pictures to be inspirational. Thanks for walking the journey so that others can have hope regarding their own weight loss. I am sorry to hear about your dad and I understand what you mean when you expressed how difficult it is to watch your parents undergo the aging process. I feel the same way about my mom.

Nancy ~ Baby, hang in there and don't let that depression get the best of you. I battle with it all the time. In fact, I struggled with it this morning. But then the sunshine came in (my son) and I started feeling better.

Xena ~ Great job on the good choices that you've been making.

If I missed anyone in this post, I am sending strong weight loss vibes to you!

I see all of the colors didn't go through on everyone's name on my last post. I'm new to this so I haven't worked out all the kinks yet!

Hi there all you wonderful people,
I had 2 peices of fudge today but was able to work it into my calories so not a total loss. It was good, short lived and wow I have a long way to go. I had binge cravings for hours today and ended up drinking almost 120 ounces of water and more broccoli than I think I can handle to try and curb that. Found these great llittle portion sized frozen fillets in the grocery today. 3-4 oz servings at a 100 calories that I will be trying for dinner tomorrow. Lemon pepper fish sounds so good with out going to a restaurant and getting enough to feed an army I am really working on eating issues right now and why I over eat. Have done it for years and realize I am trying to consciously eat now. I am journaling daily in fitday and attempting to be more aware of where my calories are coming from. Everytie I feel like I am slipping I start reading all the nsv stories and success stories.
Okay I am starting to ramble here. Have finaly worked out a variation of the medifast plan and it seems to be working for me, I don't seem to have the sugar crahses I used to and it works out to be about 1400 calories a day on avergae which is doable. though bday is coming up soon and I want cake but will wait until then and maybe have my favorite peanut butter chocolate pie instead .

MOna LIsa welcome and Yes I am still trying to figure out the color thing also.
Jill wtg on 14 pounds, I would be jumping for joy also. YOu deserve the kudos you have definitely worked hard for it
Wyllen You are such and inspiration to many here , when YOu are ready your plan will start again and You will rock.
Ammi, I like your idea of treating yourslef over the holidays. The new year will be here soon enough.
Brandnewme thanks and yes I don't know why it is so hard to get back OP after falling of the proverbial wagon. Guess that is what I have been asking myself so I know how to get back on faster in the future.
Well sorry I am cutting personals short I really have to get ready for work. Sleep well everyone and take care
ANna

Hi all. Just a quick check in and happy new year's wishes. (I HATE this time of year! Too many parties!!!!) I've been off plan -- I always have an excuse Lost three pounds, gained back four, and lost them the past few days, so it's basically a wash. (Bad cold, mild eye infection, recurrence of a nasty intestinal disorder I wrestled with in November and early December and I thought was gone.) I did manage to walk every day except for three of the bad cold days -- it didn't help with the weight, but I do feel better.

I restarted today and am determined that this is my Last Restart Ever.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Colneen: Hope that your brother is doing well. Sorry that you are up 8 pounds but, You will take it off afer the New Year. hang in there.

Jillybean: Yipee! So proud of you for loosing 4 more pounds! You are rockin it girl.

Lilion: Great job staying on track when you went out for dinner.

Wyllen: Sorry you are up 4. I know that you will take it off soon enough too. Enjoy the rest of the holidays cause it's a long time before they come again!

Catherine: Yea for day one! You can do it.

Sharon: Hi sweetie. Glad to see you posting. Hope you have a great rest of your Holiday!

Brandnewme: Hi girl.

Brenda: GOod luck to you on your first 6 months.

NightKatt: so sorry about your job. That stinks that they didn't let you have more of a notice. Good luck finding a new and better one.

Ammi: Hi sweetie. Have fun on your New Years.

Zelma, Patty, Melissa, Amanda, Xena, Val, Nathan, all you chickies and roosters Hope you are doing well. I am doing pretty good so far. I had a small piece of a treat tonight and feel good about it. I haven't endulged in much of anything this Holiday season. I am still exercising and trying to continue on my path to better health! I have two more days of exercising for 2006 and I certainly want to make it count! lol.

Blessings all,
Annie

just checking in to say hope everyone is doing well! things are slowly getting back to normal here. i am more or less getting back OP and my treadmilling will resume on monday! have a very happy new years and thanks for all my cards. i am late sending out a few so please forgive me!