I racked up another day on low-carb. Did my leg exercises. Still haven't started walking, but I did locate my walking shoes. That's something, isn't it? =laugh= Drank too much coffee and got over-caffeinated for a while. I'll cut back on caffeine some day, but not during the long hard push of big-time weight loss. Ditto with the diet soda: I'd be lost without my diet ginger ale.

I hope the rest of y'all are hangin' in there OK.

I sure am looking forward to finishing my first 20 postings, so I can have my ticker!

So tell us more, Stephanie: what are your plans, hopes, fears, etc.?

My hopes are be comfortable and loving of my body, to be active, not afraid to go to theme parks in fear that i won't fit and feel like I'm going to die of embarrassment, i want to be healthy and fit. I want someone to look at me and say damn she looks good without the "for a big girl" following.

My fears are that this is unattainable, that I'll be fat forever, that nobody will truly love me in my current state, that I'll be fat and won't be able to provide the childhood my future children deserve because I'm too out of shape to play with them like they deserve... My biggest fear right now is that I'm not getting hired because I'm fat

As far as a plan, i haven't really established one yet.

Welcome Stephanie. I feel many of us have those fears. One thing I notice about people who lose the weight and keep it off is that they learn to push through the fear. They face it and decide that fear is what is between them and their dreams. I always used to back down. I was afraid it was going to be to hard. Duh! It is. I am strong. I can push past my fear. I've done many hard things in my life.
Fiona, good job on another low carb day. I hope to join you today.
Larry, nice loss.
Fiona and time4me, I understand the not letting others know. Now, that I have lost enough for others to notice I do not like all the attention about my body shape and size.
How are you doing Jane?
Betsy are you out there?
Silent, care to join us?
I have had way too much food the last few days. I figured out why and am moving forward and down!

Good morning all. I'm back from both a camping trip that was immediately followed by a trip to visit with friends in Arizona. Great trips, lots of eating and drinking and mysteriously I ended up losing 2 pounds. I'll definitely take it. Now I'm rushing around trying to get things back in order after being gone. This weekend I'm driving over the mountains to pick up my new puppy. So excited about this. I had to have my Golden put down about a year ago due to cancer. I'm getting a Golden Doodle puppy -- same personality traits but with less hair/shedding and lower chance of cancer risk.

Off to the gym. I may have to use the GPS to find it again!

I have a recommendation for those of you on low-carb diets: macadamia nuts. They have very few carbs, much less than other nuts, and just a handful of them makes for a filling treat. And they're not as expensive as they used to be: my grocery store in Maryland sells a generic brand.

I wish I could say I were going to walk today, but I doubt it. Oh well. At least I'm doing my leg lifts every day: they make my muscles strong enough that it's way easier to climb the stairs than it used to be.

Hi Everyone!
Betsy, I googled Golden Doodle they are so cute! I'm glad you are back and had a nice vacation.
Fiona, thanks for the macadamia nut idea. I love them, unfortunately all my life I have been loving them in cookies.
I am feeling like I may have a little more will power today.
Have a good day!

Stephanie - These gals are good if you stick around they are great to vent to, to motivate, to share successes with.

Ubee - Trying to get back on track!

Fiona doing fab!

betsy congrats on doing well while camping!

I need to kick it back to low carb again had spaghetti for supper at a friends. awesome but... not good for my self control. I need to cook for myself for the next little while. All these dinners out and non measured portions are not good for this gal.

Fiona -- thanks for the hint on macadamia nuts. I LOVE them......wish I could use getting them as an excuse to go to Hawaii!

Ubee -- laughed over loving your macadamia nuts in cookies. A girl after my own heart.

Kind of struggling to get back on track, but tonight is the last of the birthday meals out and then I'm determined to get back to it tomorrow. I am pleasantly surprised that after two weeks of just eating what was presented, I've kind of missed my salads and veggies. I even passed up having cheesecake for my birthday cake this year. And I want cheesecake put in my coffin with me just in case it's a long trip.

Peek a boo! Guess who?

I haven't checked in a very long time. I've been off track, and feeling hopeless. Today, I finally decided to pick myself up by the boot straps and get it together. So, here I am. I've walked today, tracked my calories (well I'm about to do that now!) and so I decided to check in and see how everyone was doing! So, how are you all?

Hey all

Loving reading your updates... and love the idea of Macademia nuts, just wish I could find some here that taste good (ones I bought before tasted stale)

So I am kicking my behind everyday to stay on plan....dealing with TOM at the moment, and not sure if it's just me but sometimes during TOM I get starving.... and other days so nauseous I barely eat.....well yesterday I was 'starving' and almost ordered in take out (not the worst food, grilled chicken, rice and veg) but I would have also included 1 or more desserts.... but I canceled the order and forced myself to stick with what was here.

I ate... and then I snacked on pop corn (made on the stove with just a bit of |EVOO so it won't stick) and a hot chocolate (instant made with water).... today was a much better day, I DID order take out and have meals for tomorrow from it but I ordered healthier options (in Egypt almost all restaurants deliver) and NO cakes!

Feeling so motivated after a 2 hour chat with my mum....... and she is losing weight too, we are both glad to be starting while away from eachother though (we so enabled each other).... and are making good plans for when I am home at Christmas...

Not depriving, but making choices... I plan on doing a lot of cooking, but we will also pick a couple of restaurants to eat out at... and a couple of desserts to enjoy over the holidays.

I am also giving up McDonalds... I haven't had it since August and last year I probably orderd it once a week (insert embarrassed face here).... I am trying NOT to think of anything as banned, but I really am trying to give up fast food chains. And pizza (well pizza at least for the next 9 weeks)

Workinghard -- welcome back and you're in good company......I have gone through the same getting off track since getting home from vacation where I stayed on track. I'm beginning to think that my house is some sort of danger zone for eating problems. We'll just have to encourage each other to get on track and stay there.

Time4me2change (I hope I got your tag right as I didn't write it down). Can't imagine both the excitement and challenges of trying to lose weight in a different country. Good for you. It sounds as though you're making all the efforts to eat well and give up the fast food. That's hard to do when it was such a habit.

Today I'm starting over. After a rousing start at the beginning of the year, I have sort of slip slided along with doing a lot of yo-yoing. So, I'm getting back on track. I know what I need to do, I still have time left in the year to make this a very successful weight loss/new life year. I just need to still work on the mental side of things and accept that my days of eating whatever I want are over. Actually, they've been over for at least 40 years, but evidently I'm a slow learner in this area!

betsy - We can do this, I think you are doing fabulously. I really had the intention last year of doing something active on my birthday but ended up just having chinese food, and a sunday and... a ton of stuff because it was my birthday. :-| So I applaud your will power.

working - welcome back, I know I'm struggling to get back on track too. I figure this place can help me!

time4me - Go you! It's great you can talk to your mom about these things too. I need to kick it up a notch at this point. trying to find that fine line where I don't feel super deprived and can live like that "forever" vs maintaining a calorie deficit enough to lose/maintain is hard for me. The ever struggle... Some things like sugar/creamer in my coffee I've just nixed on an almost permanent basis. Not that I never have them EVER but... not daily anymore. coffee daily, sugar and creamer in it? Once in a blue blue moon.

Up today - Boo its weigh in day with one of my BFF's and we're both cursing small gains. I have my work group weigh in tomorrow and I'll definitely be up from last week hoping some of this is water weight that will drop off by tomorrow AM. Had an appointment with the doctor about smoe issues and we did talk about my weight its not like I don't know that I need to work on it. I am very upfront about that... have supper plans at a friends. Sticking to a SINGLE persons portions is my goal.

Hi Everyone!
Silent, I so understand the needing to cook and eat at home. How is it going?
Betsy, you are right there is lots of time left this year to get more off. This is not the time to store our fat and hibernate! I laughed more then a few times yesterday thinking of you wanting cheesecake in your coffin.
Working, how is it going? We can all relate to that hopeless feeling. It is a lie we tell ourselves. You can do this!
Time4me, I think it is very exciting you and your mom are doing this together.
I am hungry today. I like how I feel after I eat a large amount of food. Wish I could get rid of that desire. I will try for a BIG salad. Anyone else have that problem?
Have a good day!

Betsy and Silentarctic thanks for the support!

workinghard you can do it!

And Ubee I just came off a day where I was 'starving'... fighting the desire for food will be probably my hardest battle.

I love food... I really do... and unlike smoking or drinking let's say (please note I am not saying these things aren't addictive or are easy to quit) we need food to live... .we can't just stop eating completely....

Hey guys! It's going to take me a while to catch up on back posts, but I thought I'd say hi.

I had a mini emotional breakdown this past week. Basically, I got really frightened that I wouldn't be able to lose the rest of the weight, and so I sabotaged myself, and this is by far the worst I have ever behaved since I started to diet. I went to Mcdonalds twice in a day (When I haven't been there more than once in the last 15 months). I started buying drinks, something I never do, I stick to water and tea. It was bad.

What triggered it was that my mom went out to the coast to see her brother over thanksgiving, and two of my aunts were there, and they picked up Paleo dieting from me this summer when we were at my cousin's wedding. They were all bragging about how much they've lost (and they didn't have much to lose) and here I am, fighting my way out of a stall and facing at least two more years of losing. I know this sounds really selfish, but I felt like my hard work had been completely wiped out because they made it look "easy". (I know - drama queen much??)

I have no idea what pulled me out of it, but yesterday was my first day back in the saddle and perfectly on plan. I lost 5 pounds of water weight overnight, and I'm hoping there are a few more there. I should be due for TOM soon though. I'm feeling much better. Mostly because no matter what size I am, I feel better when I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, which is what counts in the end.