Sum -- are you possibly responding to true hunger? Just a thought. If you are on-plan for a few days (but on the low side of calories during those days) you may actually be getting truly hungry and then BAM, you have to eat and it feels like self-control slips away and you end up overeating.

I have, in the past, fallen into that sort of pattern, always with the best of intentions. My on-plan days would be low in calories and in the back of my mind I'd be thinking, "GOOD, I need to be lower than normal to make up for last week's overeating".... but I would only be able to sustain the under-caloried on-plan eating for maybe a few days or a week and then inevitably I'd have a day where the hunger would cause me to go crazy (usually followed by several more of the crazy type days).

I broke this cycle by upping my calories overall for on-plan days using really healthy foods, then hunger never caught me, I stopped overeating, and the average calories I was taking in for the week was far lower than I was getting with the restrict/binge behavior pattern. Real hunger is NOT my friend, I make sure I am NOT hungry.

This of course may not be YOUR problem at all, but I thought I'd throw it out there since it took me a long time to break the cycle...

Sum, I share your exact same struggle / pattern. I don't think the label is what's important (disorder, laziness, etc) -- it's the recognizing the pattern and getting back to it that is important. (in my opinion) Okay - 4 days off for me. I'm back to it. Ugh.

Kelijpa, I'm so envious of your planned half dome hike! I'll have to put that on my bucket list... I remember in my early 20s, my boyfriend at the time had done it once on his own (with a brother? or a friend?) and then once with his middle-aged father who slowed them down but made it. Ha! We *are* that middle-aged parent now. Time warp... Just got to keep doing this stuff; it keeps us going.

:wave: everyone!

Here, as I wrote above -- 4 days off plan, now I'm back at it. Enough said.

Sum: You can be my bowling soul sister any time. On your on point days do you still give yourself some sort of treat? Something to satisfy your craving. I try to give my self something salty or sweet or sometimes sweet and salty as my treat during the day. My latest treat I like is Salem baking company Moravian cookies they make multiple flavors. I usually have 4-6 which is between 40-90 calories and I sandwich either frozen yogurt or sorbet in between them. I limit the sorbet/frozen yogurt to under a 1/4 cup to cut calories. The salty I have been doing pretzels with dip.

Keli: your trip sounds awesome.

Penguin: your trip to Tennessee sounds great. I can't wait to drive their to see my sister.

Zumba: :hug:, hang in their. Relieve your stress with exercise. Enjoy the planning for the new house.

Love: yes real chocolate covered bugs. I am sure they were freeze dried.

Mrs Snark and Heidi: :wave:

Went out and exercised. Did week 5 of C25K day 1 and then continued walking a half an hour. Now to watch a movie, sort bills and papers and make husband lunch before running errands and taking the princess to see her Rheumatologist.

I went to Bible study this morning, then out to lunch with the group. I had seafood gumbo with rice, which was very good. My brain is telling me to eat a candy bar, but my stomach is saying 'where will I put it? I'm FULL" so I'm trying to listen to my stomach. We have some candy left over from our trip so I'm trying to ration it out.

Carma, which part of TN are you going to?

Sum, I have the same problem. I can be 'good' for only so long then I feel like a dam breaks and I'm eating everything in sight.

Thanks for your input ladies!! :grouphug:

Mrs. S I was thinking about that. -- But I think I am not hungry. For instance today I am having my typical day; I had Green Tea for bfast. I loathe bfast, therefore I don't even eat it any more. I had an apple with peanut butter (a hefty serving of PB) for snack at 10:30. I felt full. I had my chicken/lemon/rice soup for lunch at noon and I was definitely full after 1 1/2 cups of it. I just had some trail mix and watermelon for an afternoon snack. I know I will be hungry at dinner time, but I have over 600 cals allocated for pasta w/meat sauce meal. And I will have a huge serving of grilled veggies to go with my pasta, and I know I will be stuffed. -- So I don't think it is hunger. I think it is just mindless eating, and out of boredom eating :(

I have been sipping tea all afternoon; that gave me something to do and something to put into my mouth :D

On a yucky note; I think I am getting sick. My DS had a cold all weekend and he shared with me. I have loaded myself up with cold preventing meds. -- When I am sick, what do I do...EAT! Other lose their appetite, I eat out of boredom. Too sick to do anything, and too bored.

As I was getting dressed, I took a hard look at myself and I really don't like how I look. -- I should go on front of mirror each time I want to eat...maybe that would keep me from mindless eating :D :D Or better yet, eat on front of the mirror and make sure I am sitting and seeing my huge belly sitting on my lap...lol...that should curb all mindless eating.

Well one meal at a time. I have been OP for a few days now, I can not do anything about the past, perhaps my future will be a healthier one.... Just breathe!

Ahhh boredom eating, a whole 'nother problem (I have that one also). Sounds like you've sussed out the situation.

I am trying to work my way back into a pair of Guess jeans I've had since college (I'm almost 46) and sometimes when I feel the urge to snack I go put them on and try to wear them for a few minutes. I can just now get them zipped (though I can't sit down in them and I can't take deep breathes -- oh high-waisted college jeans, how you school me!). This usually cures me of wanting to snack at that moment.

It even seems like skinny, high-waisted, pegged jeans are making a small comeback, so who knows! If I can finally squeeze back into those suckers they might actually be in style at that point -- everything old is new again!

Ah to fit into old school jeans again. I had a pair of aqua leopard spotted ones from merry-go-round. I loved that store. Good day today. Got that C25K run in and walked that extra half an hour in the morning and just came back from another 30 minute walk.
Expensive day though. DD has been complaining her feet hurt for a while now. We went to see her Rheumatologist for her yearly check up 6 months late. Mentioned the feet hurting thing. She said no swelling in her joints but she is definitely stiff in the ankles. She also appears to be flat footed so off to the new balance store we went to have the custom foot measurement done. 64.99 for a pair of sneakers that will be shipped to us and 60 dollars for a pair of orthotics to go in the sneakers and any other shoes. She has a definite pronation of her feet. I explained that she now has to wear only those shoes 6 days a week. For now we put the 60 dollar orthotics in her old sneakers. Thankfully we didn't go shoe shopping at the beginning of her school year. I postponed it because I knew her feet would be growing. Hopefully they don't shoot out of the shoes we just bought. We went one size up. Next size will be adult women's though. I did just order her some sparkly slip on shoes but think the insert would come out. Maybe she can wear those on days she doesn't wear sneakers. We will see they were only 16 bucks.
Had to eat at Taco bell for dinner as we were on the run to get home. I ordered the chicken cantina bowl and ate only half took the rest home for lunch. I will mix it with my lettuce I have and some more chicken breast should work out. Managed to get 600calories of exercise so hopefully good scale in the AM.
Penguin: My sister lives in Lewisburg which is south of Nashville.

CArma- I love the cantina bowl @ Taco Bell, a treat every few weeks or so. Sorry to hear about DD's foot probs. I had to use heel cups for awhile, always have to be careful of the arch when buying shoes, otherwise I get cramps in the instep, sux. Congrats on the c25k, tomorrow I finish up week 3, should be able to get week 4 in before vacation, then just try to maintain that til I get back.

More later :sunny: sorry battery issues...

I have one old pair of jeans I never want to fit into again, I saved them from one time I lost weight and then grew back into them, I heard you should keep one article of clothing for a reminder of where you were, now those jeans are really a reminder!

I am definitely sick. Today will be a couch day... After the million errands I need to run at first, sigh. And then I will have time to respond to everyone's posts :)

I had another OP day, need to celebrate those. TOM is nearing and I can "feel" water weight on me. My boobs are like full milk jugs. :D Scale was up a bit. (We also had dinner super late because of son's crosscountry meet, that usually reflects on my scale as well).

My day was

Meals
B Green Tea
L Chicken/lemon/rice soup, crackers
D Pasta with meat sauce, assorted veggies
S Apple w/PB, trailmix, watermelon

Exercise
4.7 mile walk

Weight this a.m.
159
Up 0.8 lbs

Morning, all! sum I hope you feel better today.

Not much going on here. Trying to take the focus off the scale and on food and exercise. General well-being. I weighed myself for the first time since Saturday, which is a LONG time for me! 154. Not awesome, but fine.

These 5:30AM mornings are hard for me, but I'm adjusting.

Morning Heidi! I am a morning person. I am usually up by 6; This morning, I woke up 4:47 am because my throat was killing me and I could not go back to sleep. So I have been sipping tea to soothe the ache. -- Good for you for staying away from that scale. It would personally kill me, if I could not do my nightly and morning weigh-ins. I am such a slave.

My throat is so sore that I can not eat anything. I only had some soup yesterday and apple with peanut butter, the rest of the day I just sipped on some tea. Scale was kind to me, though...lol One way to drop some pounds, I guess. -- Naturally no exercise.

Feel better Sum, sore throats are the worst -- along with fevers, migraines, nausea, and stomach flu (yes, I'm a baby about being sick at all!)!


I used to be a wicked morning person -- jump out of bed at 4 am and run 6 miles. That's before the chronic back and hip pain which caused chronic insomnia. Now I know why people used to find me so totally annoying in the morning. I still get up at 5 am most days, but I'm usually a miserable zombie, nothing like the peppy, freakish, energy ball I used to be. Those were the days...

Sum: Hope you feel better soon. I take a vitamin d/zinc/c supplement every morning. Haven't been sick in the 9 months I have been taking it. Knock on wood. :hug:

Heidi: I am doing surprisingly well in the mornings. Never thought I would say that. I hardly have coffee ever. The exercise first thing really keep me energized all day.

Kelli: yes it was yummy definitely. I only at half that night and half the next day for lunch.

Slightly up today. Pre run I was 203.2 post run 202.6. Saturday's :running: is 20 minutes of straight running. My friend Jeff said that you should be able to do 4 times the amount that you have run in the week. So the fact that I ran 5 minutes 3 times means the 20 minutes should be doable. Not pretty but doable. :(
I may run 10 walk 1 then run 10 more. We will see. There will be no hills involved as I plan on going to the track. :D

Carma-you're doing great, thanks for the peek at what's ahead for me, good to hear what your friend said as well.

Sum-feel better soon, being sick stinks.

Penguin- seafood gumbo sounds great, good to be in tune with feeling full and not eating, I hate when I'm stuffed and shove something else in anyway...

Best to all :sunny:

Thanks ladies!

DD and I went to Ikea yesterday. I was too sick to enjoy it at its fullest tho. But we had a fun little outing. DD needed some smaller furniture for her room. This "new" house we are in, is so much smaller than the "old" one was.

I stayed OP, woot...5 days in a row now and scale is down 3 pounds. Fingers crossed that this will continue; one meal at a time, right? I have been eating on a lighter size because of my sore throat and I don't have that much appetite. I did go for a walk, dog was going nuts. I just walked at a slower pace than usual and did not get sweaty. I think I will skip my walk today, I don't want to push it too much whilst sick.

Meals
B; Green Tea
L; Chili with 1 oz of cheese and 2 TBLS of sour cream
D; Swedish meatballs, french fries, butternut squash/onion medley
S; none, still too sick to eat too much

Exercise
4.7 mile walk

Weight
156.4
Down 0.8 pounds