Heh. Yes. I was pretty much able to keep wearing the same pants from 370 to 330 lbs. I had to drop some of those pants when I got to 320 (but I was still occasionally wandering around in them and hiking them up repeatedly). Then a couple of weekends ago I went and bought new pants for work. The pants I 'officially' retired were 32s (admittedly, I hadn't worn them for a bit) and the new ones were 26s.

Oh, but. My bras. I am wearing the same size from 350 to 300. I guess a few of them are a bit big now, but not enough that I can go down a size yet. (OTOH, am definitely down from consistent 4 or even 5x to a consistent 3x. So clearly I have lost some inches from the chest, but I think that is mostly the stomach.)

That is what I'm doing, too. I don't record everything (anything). I know I should, and if my loss stalls again soon I will probably make the effort to record, but I am better if I feel like I am eating normally. Am a bit of a foodie, so summer is a great time for me to lose weight with all the fresh vegetables from the garden and farmer's markets. The thing is, when I'm not paying attention, erm, I have a tendency to lie to myself about the calories in food. And now I refuse to do that. And I don't buy junkfoods, watch high-calorie stuff like cheese really carefully.


Sort of a fly-by. I had an okay night given that I was housesitting for my folks. Avoided the ice cream. Ate some smoked almonds (my FAVORITE) then hid the can in the china cabinet. Et cetera.

charliefan - I think that's a great way to break up your goals, congrats so much on your loss!

zoesmom - my folks moved from the northeast to GA back in the 70s (and I was born there.) They were full of stories about the culture clash, sometimes seen in the simplest things (like calling an automobile accident a "wreck"). I've not made enough cakes to think about oil versus butter, but I would probably default to butter. Yum. Now I stick with the spray version.

mnem - culture shock indeed! I moved here when I was 15. I had lived in Sacremento until I was 10, then we lived in Reno until we moved to a little tiny town called Mt. Airy, GA. I about had a heart attack when my dad (who was born there) took us to the town square and announced, "Here you go girls! Here is big downtown!" It was a church and a post office!!! THEN, to make matters worse, he drove us out to Tate City, which literally had a sign that said, "Population +/- 32" and a barn that had a sign that read, "Church/City Hall/Courthouse". I thought I was in H###, being 15 and all. And everyone wants to talk to you in the south. Man, if you did that out west, you'd get locked up in the looney bin or something. And pass a car, they all would point one finger up as you drive by. It took my mom and I a good 2 months to figure out they were waving "hi". and the humidity! GAH! Give me 115 degree weather any day, just keep that humidity away from me! 73 degree days here feel like 200 to me, and my hair is always frizz because of it. To this day, I still don't know what "yonder" is, still can not properly pronounce "ya'll," hate biscuits and gravy, dislike fried food, and roll my eyes at the amount of loose slang that is used around me. But, despite it all, this is now my home. I love the people around me. I met my wonderful husband here (ironically, he is a transplant too, originally from Michigan.) And even if they are nosier than I would like, they are well intentioned. This is my home now, and i don't know if I could ever go back out west. I did have to move closer to Atlanta though, you know, to get away from the barns that were also courthouses and all.

Per Kinky Friedman: Remember: Y'all is singular. All y'all is plural. All y'all's is plural possessive.

The word I love is "fixin'". As in, "I'm fixin' to go to the grocery store."

charliefan - you just made my day!!! That is awesome!! LOL. I do hear "fixin'" a lot. And it can be a side dish, running errands, or doing up hair. I always thought it was, you know, repairing something. I have apparently been wrong all these years.

Ugh! Bra's staying the same size... I did an 78 lb window in the same size. I'll be very interested to see how much it will take to actually shift me a little.

CUTER ~ you can do it "your way" all the way. Many of us are doing what we need to do to succeed. The best plan is the one that works for you! So, your way is the best way.

Most of the times I lost weight, I never counted a calorie or carb; actually, those were the times that I lost the most and stuck with it the longest. I keep track now to see what meals work best for me and to change things up a bit. I do have to make sure to eat enuff to keep my blood sugar levels up too. PLus, I didn't weight myself all the time either.

It's not as easy as it was for me when I was younger becuz I started out at a much higher weight this last time, and it was a new experience for me. I have had to find different strategies this time, but they are working. I am losing slower this time, but have kept it off longer too.

I am slowly working my way back to my old strategies (mostly at dinner right now). I think when I get closer to onederland, I will be able to change things even more; and I am looking forward to that.

Eating has gone well for me this week; very pleased about that. Been keeping busy around here. I hurt my back a bit earlier in the week, so really had to watch it carefully, but I am feeling really good today.

MNEN ~ I have to steer away from the flavored, smoked, and salted nuts or I eat too many. I find plain almonds don't seem to do that to me though (well, any plain nuts really). At Christmas I do splurge and buy some and put them out for the guests as well. If I am gonna enjoy myself, some nuts are probably a pretty good choice anyways, just as long as it isn't very often.

to everyone else; you are doing great! Just keep plugging along and you will see some results. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend too ...

Justwant2Bhealthy -- You're one of my inspirations on this board! You've done really well, and you're very informative.

And hey y'all, I am from Kentucky and am guilty of most of those phrases! LOLOL

I'm really proud of myself...I started walking Tuesday and promised that I would do it every night this week (the week days)...and I did! I even threw in a minute or so of jogging here and there (when I wasn't gasping for breath). It's so weird how a couple days can really transform you. It only gets better the more you keep at it. So I'm hoping for a good week next week, too!

hi y'all. how's everyone doing? I'm good. Worked out for 3.5 hrs today so I'm pretty tired. Diet is going pretty good. I'd just about kill for a massage right now! (I think a professional massage should be my treat to myself when I lose enough that I get below 300lbs.)

So i'm still out of town.. just checking in!

I didnt have to worry.. feels like I lost 10lbs yesterday.. LOL was out walking and in the hot sun all day.. So I MUST of sweated off 10lbs at least.. HAHA.

As far as food goes.. I really have not eaten much.. at all. so that's good lol!

Yeah imnotperfect! Keep it up!

Chubbygirl - you are my hero! 3.5 hours! I can barely do an hour! AMAZING!

watchoutfor that car - keep it up and you will go far.

Justwant2Bhealthy -sorry about your back. IMO that is the worse injusry one can have. But at least you had a good day...keep at it!

And BOO to me. Had Hibatchi last night for date night (it had been planned for months and is the first time we have been kidless for 6 months.) I started off good, ordering the scallops, asking not to have too much junk added, the whole nine yards. Then came the rice. I love rice. My weakness is rice. I can turn everything down. Rice is my kryptonite. I gorged on the rice. I am very ashamed. Today is a new day, but it doesn't excuse last night. Now I have to work twice as hard to not ever do that again. AND to top that off, I just got back from the doctor. I have bronchitis. Again. Stupid asthma that worsens simple symptoms in less than 10 hours. And I was prescribed steroids. Again. Sigh. I always gain weight on steroids. It can be minor, such as 2 pounds, or it can be major, such as last time with a 19 pound gain. I am feeling so bummed right now

zoesmom - Oh no! I hope you feel better soon and that you won't gain too much with the steroids. Focus on your health and try not to let you fall of the wagon because of that. You'll pull through eventually. Even if you gain weight (I know it's not fun) you can lose it again. Take care of yourself and big hugs to you!

zoesmom omg I feel for you! I call it the Predni-zone (sort of messing with it because it is the twilight zone for my arse size). I also gain on it as well. I was very upset of have had 150mg into me in the past 2 weeks and I wasn't even having breathing issues. It was to make sure I didn't have a major allergic reaction to contrast dye. *sigh*

What dose did they stick you with?

zoesmom -- Don't beat yourself up so much! Harder said than done I know. I think the more time we spend punishing ourselves in our mind when slip off plan it's easier to slip off plan even further. That happened last night, today is a new day! Another day to stay on plan. I'm trying very hard to think of it this way.

Tomorrow is my official weigh in. Tonight is meatloaf night. I am a meat and potatoes type of girl...so it's gonna be hard to stay on point. But I'm gonna try my hardest! If I happen to fail...I'm gonna have to move on, because if I start feeling sorry for myself I'll manage to eat the whole pan of meatloaf! LOLOL

zoesmom- thanks! I'm pretty proud of myself for really pushing myself through these workouts. Today is my light day of the week and I still did 95 minutes. Not easy because it's hot out. Well, hotter than we usually get around here (Tacoma, WA) in the mid 80's. Guess I can't complain because it seems to be unbearable in the rest of the country. And stop beating yourself up about the rice. Today is a new day, hun!

watchoutforthatcar- I know that single serve portions are easier for me than being tempted by a whole pan of meatloaf. One thing I found with meatloaf is that everyone I make it for tends to like the crunchy outside with the baked-on ketchup topping more than the inside. So I started making my meatloaf in a muffin pan which makes 12 individual little portions and I just top each one with ketchup before I bake it (like icing cupcakes) If I make it that way I'm less likely to over-indulge because it is portioned out for me. Just an idea I thought might help since it's one of your weaknesses. For me, my weakness is either goulash or pot roast with potatoes and carrots. If I make one of those I have to package up the leftovers quick so I don't keep going back for more.

Ladies-thank you so much for the support. Lord knows I needed it, and you were just the right boost. Thank you so, so much!

Cuter w Curves I had the shot at the doc office (not sure of the actual dosage ) and was sent home with a fairly light dosage of pills to take for the next couple of days (4mg per pill, but today I got to take a nice 7 pills, blegh!) The shot is the main culprit of the weight gain as I will have to go back in two days to get another boost. The pills are just an annoyance really.

Chubbygirl I LOVE that "cupcake" meatloaf idea!!!!! Now you have me wondering what else I make I can do that with. I am over here pondering up if I can do mini chicken pot pies for my daughter or mini mince meat pies for my husband. I swear, I am going to take on an unnatural obsession with you if you keep up the amazing 3.5 hour workouts (heck, even your 95 minutes beats my best!) and the awesome cooking tips! LOL