Sum have you had your thyroid checked lately? Just wondering. That can sometimes stump weightloss efforts.

Zumba my mom was definitely the start to my issues with food but I also had a romantic relationship in my mid 20s with a control freak that did the most damage. Why do we let others affect our self image/food choices? No clue but it definitely happens. Oh, and please don't leave!

Shannon, yes, I am on thyroid meds and get it checked every 3 months. I am perfectly medicated right now.

Well darn, I thought I might have a magic answer!

Cattails, I love this thread and the people here you all are great (I think I've said that before but since it's true I have to say it again :grouphug:) I will surely start the new thread. No problem just let me know what you all would like the title to be :) LOL I thought these threads were supposed to be for support also but like you said you are gonna find indifference where ever you go ;) thanks ---> doing whatever you can whenever you can is enough - consistency is great, but isn't always possible, you know? good to hear :) Glad you're feeling better :hug:

Zumba, :hug: I hear you on Mother/Daughter relationships ... my Mom and I are getting better and that's because I no longer allow her to get in my head. She use to constantly hurt my feelings and because I'm an only child and I thought I should be treated like a star but nothing I did has ever been good enough. ANYWHO, I listen and smile if we are face to face and if we are on the phone I tell her ok gotta go, have a great day/evening, I love you and I am done. I refuse to allow her to stress me out or feel bad. Thank goodness I have positive people around me that tell me when I done well knowing I'm doing the best I can. .... ok really done now :D ... I have done a few crazy things to lose weight also so trust me you are not alone ;) ... phentermine will the docs prescribe that to you at your weight? I personally think your size is great. I'm not as tall as you but I would love to be 152. I know it's all in what we see and how we feel so do what you need to do :hug: If I had the money I'd probably be on phentermine again also though the last time it didn't work after two weeks of taking it :shrug:

Sum all I can say is WOW! I don't walk at the pace that you do consistently, I do 3.7-4.5 most of the time on inclines that the treadmill changes to and I am a sweaty mess when I'm done also. I now wear black sweats because otherwise it looks like I have used the bathroom on myself, lol. Not a whine at all, I wish I could do half of what you do, YOU GO GIRL :high: and so focused and goal oriented :high:

Shannon :wave:

I am now trying to do and up down day calorie wise. I am never consistent so I don't know if it is working or not. Today I am fasting, hopefully I can stick with it until dinner before church. I am almost down to where I was before my birthday. Today I weighed in at 162.0 a pound down from yesterday which was a higher calorie day and I caved into pretzel sticks ... which are calling my name now but I am not going to get them :D

SUM Im not buying what you're selling lady!!! Sorry...but not only have you exercised like crazy you have also not been eating too many calories, I think your success is the combination. Diet is 80 percent of weight loss....just exercising when and if you are consuming too much is not going to do DIDDLY. I k now plenty of group fitness instructors that teach tons of hard core classes a week and still have weight issues...becaues they aren't eating well...the end.

LOL Zumba!! But if I stop exercising, my weight loss would stall even at 1200 calories. -- I know what you mean about the chunkier instructors. We have a lady who gives a HARD class at the gym each time she teaches and she teaches I think 14 classes per week and has quite bit of padding on her. She must eat a ton though. She must get super hungry after teaching 3-4 classes per day. -- So calorie restriction and exercise combo what seems to work the best for me.

I took a delightful nap! I just felt so drained. I skipped my walk and napped instead. I love being able to do that! I am very lucky to be a stay at home mom (with older kids)!!

I was talking to my DH how I am approaching this weight loss journey as my "job" right now. I feel that have have zero excuse for being fat, considering how much free time I have at my hands. So I volunteer, do the mommy duty and lose weight; those are my jobs.

Since I am only 14 pounds away from goal (I lowered my goal from 125 to 122), I need to start thinking about maintenance. It really scares me, terrifies me! Will I succeed...will I give into "just this once" attitude and gain it all back? Will I eat enough calories in fear of gaining.... The biggest question is, will I ever be happy with my body? What if I get down to 122 and still feel miserable about myself?

I think I will go through a tummy tuck. DH is on board as well. My tummy got so stretched out when I was pregnant with my babies, esp. with my son who was 10 pounds at birth. Even at my lowest weight, at 108 pounds, after the birth of my son (yeah this is no baby fat that I am carrying around :lol:), I had loose skin and my belly hung, plus I got so many stretchmarks... it would be nice to get rid of those and put the bellybutton where it belongs. Plus the muscle split and that needs to be addressed too. The surgery scares me, though. A GF just had it done and she was in so much pain afterwards for 6 weeks. I guess beauty does not come without pain; no pain, no gain :) BUT, how nice would it be to be able rock a bikini at the age of 47!!!

As I am shrinking, it appears that I won't have loose skin left (but my tummy). Arms, thighs and butt, the skin seem to be shrinking nicely along with the weight loss.

Sorry I am rambling... :dizzy: Just so many thoughts and fears are running through my head.

SUM you hit the nail on the head. Teaching alot of group fitness classes makes you ravenous...it is the body's way of making up for lost calories.....i'm surprised the same thing hasn't happened to you with all the exercise that you are doing.

Oh and a TT is very invasive, I have two friends that haven't had good experiences...and remember, there is going to be a time frame that you can't work out, so you may have to quit your "full time job"

Sum, you are wise to start thinking about maintenance now, being so close to it! I totally understand the anxiety and terror it brings, I was there too. What I did was gradually transitioned to a few more calories/carbs around 120 lbs. - this last 5 pounds has worked off over the past 5 months, without a particular effort to lose more weight, only get my body in a stronger, healthier state. I monitor my calories to keep them within a range of 1500-1900 per day, I try to briskly walk at least a mile 5 days or more a week, and aim to strength train at least 2 times a week. I do yoga routines as often as I want to and can, sometimes 3 or 4 times a week. Basically I do the same thing as I did while losing, with just a few more calories here and there and somewhat less intense exercise than before. It's all about finding a balance you can live with that works for you, IMO.

Question for you, Sum: are you miserable right now? You have made such great progress in this effort and have been sounding so happy and proud, and you should! I'd suggest not placing so much stock in one particular number, but see where your body settles happily - maybe that's at 125, maybe at 110, who knows? Anyway, feel free to work through this here with us! :) It's quite the process, isn't it?

Hi, friends. Sorry I just have been so bad at keeping up. I'm feeling motivated though and still hanging in. Today makes 100 days with no candy... Looks like a lot has been going on. Will have to read back to catch up.

Heidi :congrat: on 100 days of no candy :high: good to see you :)

:hug: and high fives to those who need them. I did go back and read...

Last night I was talking on the phone and my computer switched into screensaver mode, cycling through all the photos on my PC. I saw candid photos of me at all different weights, and I saw a photo of me at my highest weight. I don't want to go back to that, ever. I saw a very unhappy Heidi looking back at me. I want to go back to the thin Heidi. I feel on track again.

Hi all,

I've been away for about a week I guess. Our camping trip was ok, but since there were client issues that I had to deal with, not really the break I had hoped for, and then we ended up coming home early. That worked out ok as I was able to make the car club breakfast and then go for a drive with some of them on Sat., and the washed/waxed/detailed my car on Sun (after church) in prep for this weekend's big show. (yes, Cattails, I'll take pics).

Been eating mostly op, but up a few lbs (128.5 this am, because we had Mexican last night), so obviously not perfect. The weekend isn't going to be real great with the show either, I'll do the best that I can. I'm going to take OP snacks with me at least. I'll try to stay as much OP tomorrow and Friday, and today was good too. If I can get through the weekend and be back in my 124-126 range by the middle of next week again, I'll be happy.

I'm nearly 4 months gluten free...unbelievable! I bought 2 dresses today as a reward.

Sorry the camping trip wasn't all that you hoped for marlene.

Congratulations abbi!

I weighed myself this AM. 168.2. Not happy about that, but I do believe that the rolling photos was what I needed. The one of me at my highest weight was in my exercise clothes posing for a before shot. No hiding it. I was fat. And then to see thin me and various stages of heavy me? I know what to do...

NEWLEAF Yes you DO know what to do.....looking at those pics was the eye opener...we all have those moments I think ;) You went 100 days with no candy, that is a BIG DEAL. :carrot: Congratulations....

Fatabbi congrats on staying gluten free!!! Rock those dresses girl!!!!:D

MARLENE waxing a car is the hardest upper body workout EVER....I can't wait to see pics.

Heidi :hug: I was missing you! Nice to have you back! Sorry about the weight gain, but the old pictures are a good reminder where you don't end up at. -- I have our family photos streaming as a screen savor as well; it brings back memories :) -- Interestingly, I have a VERY few fat pictures of me; I managed to run away from the camera successfully. And the few I have makes me shiver. I looked so gross. -- I have one that is the greatest motivator; I had just rebroken/chipped my front tooth, my hair was way too long (I don't look good with long hair; makes me look old), I was laughing and my fat face with triple chins was the center of the picture.... I looked so ugly and fat. I never want to look like that again....SHIVER! -- Anycase I am happy that you are back!! I hope your job is going well.

Marlene Sorry that you had to cut your trip short and that your trip was not quite what you had hoped for! -- I think you did fantastic on your vacation what came to your weight!

Abbi Did you go GF because you wanted to or because you had to? Do you eat the GF free "flour" products? -- I am GF because I can not stomach gluten, but I don't eat any of the GF items either. I gave up all bread and pasta. Hubby gave them up too, DD still eats the "fake" products.

Cattails Am I miserable now? Miserable is such a strong word. I guess I am not miserable but still a bit unhappy with my appearance. I know I won't get the body back I had in my 20's :) -- I just hope that I feel happy about my body and proud how far I have come. I hope that I won't stare at my imperfections too much. -- I used to hate my hips, even at 96 pounds; I fear that I will hate them at 122 pounds. I fear that I am not going to be friends with my cellulite :D And I fear that I won't embrace the 47 year old body. -- I need to remember that I have put my body through **** and back. I have not been kind to it. So it won't go back to being a perfection. I won't look like Christie Brinkley looks at the age of 60 (well I guess if I had her money I could :lol:).

Glad you had a nice birthday celebrations Rennie, but it is time to go back to work, and you have! 162 is great...you should see the 150's soon.

Zumba If I go down the TT route, I will make sure that I am under my goal weight; I don't know if I could emotionally handle gaining a whole bunch of weight while in recovery. I think I would make sure I would be between 115-120 pounds. That would give me a buffer.

I did not have the best of days; I slipped into my old habits and did a whole bunch of mindless eating. Scale jumped a bit, nothing too drastic. -- I have hovered around 137 all week; I think this week is the first week this month that won't yield a loss, maybe a small gain. Perhaps my body is regrouping and taking a break. 7-8 pounds this months has been a great accomplishment.

I have a party to go to tonight. I have not come up with a game plan yet. I think I will eat normal (minus mindless eating) and hope that I will be satisfied enough that I won't eat too much tonight. I am still alcohol free, so no calories from drinks, which is a bonus.

Finally my friends are feeling comfortable with the fact that I don't drink. A lot of our social life is surrounded by drinks. I usually order tonic water with lime; looks like that I am drinking :) It was weird at first though.

I have a really sore big toe. I lost the nail :( UGH...just for the summer. I keep losing the big toe nail all the time, I think I just keep dropping so many things on the poor thing. -- Anycase half of it was ready to come off the other half was not, and it is screaming mad. I hope I can do my exercises today...if I can put my shoe on. The darn toe was throbbing all night and kept me awake. -- I am hoping that once it heals a bit my nail girl can put a fake nail on it. I would hate to wear sandals all summer long with ugly nail-less toe.

Plan for today is to eat sensibly and do my heavy exercise day (2 walks, swim and weights).

Sum you are doing so well; I am so happy for you!! What a great start to the year! I lost the toenail off my big toe after damaging it somehow on my Patagonia trek. It has been growing back, but twice I've had to go to the podiatrist to get it cut back because it was coming in ingrown. I think I'm going to have to deaden the portion that keeps getting ingrown; not looking forward to that. But if your toe is throbbing and you keep having problems, maybe you need to see a podiatrist? They give you shots so you don't feel a thing, and then once the numbing is gone, the pain is magically gone, too... Just a thought :hug:

Just packed my lunch for the office today. A nice garden salad with kale instead of lettuce, no dressing. And homemade hummus that I threw a couple kale leaves into, too. Yum!

Work is going fine. It's got its good and its bad, but I'm glad I decided to take the job. I'm working about 25 hours a week, some of it at home. With lighter weeks during the summer, along with 3 weeks off. I'd like to morph the job a little bit to get rid of some of the crummy stuff and take those extra hours to focus on landing grants. I've planted the seed...

Here's to a great day, everyone!

Good day today. Had an unplanned trip to the store, and walked past the huge Twizzlers display right in the doorway. That makes 101 days for me!

Hi everyone, haven't posted for a while but all is well. I'm eating too much ice cream and chocolate but overall my diet is healthy and my runs are going well. Hope everyone is good, long weekend here

Too much ice cream and chocolate at 148???

Today was a really BAD day for me. Major binges....

Sum, I'm eating them every day! Like you though exercise makes a difference for me and I've been running a lot. I'll accept that food is more import at than exercise but I've never lost weight without some form of hard exercise.

Heidi, good to see you here and so motivated too!

Have a great show, Marlene, looking forward to some pics. :)

Sum, I think you're on the right track - trying to appreciate ourselves and embrace our 'imperfections' rather than hold ourselves up to unrealistic ideals is really important. And Christie Brinkley is a goddess! LOL

Sorry to hear about your toe. Here's a thought: steel toed sandals! :D

Zumba, sorry you had a tough day. Hope tomorrow is better. :hug:

:wave: to everyone.

chubbyMummy your weightloss is very impressive, you are doing so well! And setting such a good example for your daughters.

zumba :hug:

catTails Thanks!

Chubby mum I so jealous that you can eat those and still lose weight!! I seem to gain weight even if I smell them :D

I did not weigh in this morning! I went to a Pampered Chef party and the hostess made a full meal; it was all gluten free and really yummy. I over ate a bit. So I skipped the weigh in. I will drink loads of water to flush out those carbs.

I was utterly exhausted last night. My day was filled with exercise and errands and the party at the end of the night. I literally collapsed into bed. I think I may need to ease up on the exercise front a bit....I felt I was delusional. But I got a good night's sleep and feel renewed.

Today I will only walk the pup and do an aerobic class.

I was really happy about my size 6 jeans I was wearing last night. -- I also received so many compliments about my weight loss. People said that I was glowing :)

Zumba I am so sorry that you are so down. Sending you BIG hugs!! :hug:

sum it sounds like a great day and a great night last night! You are rocking those size 6s!! Delusional? Not so good...but I'm glad you are listening to your body...

166.6 this AM. Chugging away over here. I'm not going into the office today, and plan to catch up on some clothes shopping. Now that I've completely "settled" from my reconstruction, I feel like I need some new bras... And I need some new spring/summer tops for work. It's a pretty casual office, but I feel like my tops are too low cut... So, hopefully a nice day. Thai curry chicken with brown rice on tap for tonight.

Scale is still moving in the right direction...yay! Not much else going on over here. I had a really good dr appt Monday and was "high" from that a couple days but now it's back to same ole same ole. I've been reading a blog that highlights doing alot of food prep on Sundays and trying to figure out how I can make time for that, it would surely help!

2 more lbs to hit the goal I set... I sure hope I make it !!!

taught a very high energy aqua class.....then i lifted weights for a while, focused on lower body. I contacted a trainer this morning and signed up for some personal training sessions...noone can say that I'm not trying.

Last night was a horrible night, I binged, I was really lonely and depressed. Having to hand my kids over to that monster effects me more than I let on. I ate until I thought i was going to explode. I have a nice two lb gain this morning to show for it.

Going to drink some water now and start cleaning...house has gone to seed....seeing it clean may lift my spirits.

I know the effects of binge eating on the soul and spirit. I definitely empathize. Feeling out of control and unable to stop is truly the pits. Cleaning always helps me. Hope you feel better by end of day! :hug:

I appreciate your kind words Shannon.....you would have to experience it yourself to truly understand the feelings that are involved in an eating disorder like binge eating.....someone from NEDA is going to be calling me soon bout it, i reached out for help last night. coming on here and seeing everyone making strides makes me feel worse, so I"m not sure if I'll be logging in as much.....but I do appreciate your support.

Zumba, I used to be very active on Sparkpeople and led a great "binge free" team/group on there. I stepped down when I had my daughter but it was such a great group. You may want to look into it. I tried some similar groups on MFP but did not find them to be as helpful/encouraging/understanding. The section of the forum here on 3FC is also good. There are some great literature recommendations in a thread there. Feel free to contact me separate from this thread. I don't consider myself to have beaten BED by any stretch of the imagination but having endured it for 14 years I've read gobs of books and been in lots of counseling. I can certainly provide a listening ear if nothing else.

Hugs to you Zumba, as a fellow binge eater I definitely understand what you are feeling!

And I'm thrilled to know that you led a great binge-free group Shannon -- maybe we can have a little mini- binge-support group here in the 40-something section? I know I'd like that!

Wow i felt so alone, didn't know there were so many other "bingers"..it started when i was in college and i managed it off and on over the years.....at one point i was so bad I was also purging and that is what led me to go to therapy about it. I thought i had a grip on it, but the past few months tell me very differently..The past few weeks have been especially bad. ..I find that alot of time eating support threads are filled with teenagers, I really can't relate to them and vice versa...a 40's binge group would be a big help to many I'm sure.

From what I've read, you are so not alone in this struggle, Zumba. A 40-somethings binge thread is a great idea; someone should definitely start one. :)

Awww, :hug: to my friend zumba! One of the things that constantly amazes me in life is that when I open up about something, I find out that so many people are experiencing or have gone through the same thing. I'm sure it's comforting to know that even in our little 40-something slice of the world you have people who truly understand...

Got a couple new bras today. Tried on so many to find the right band and cup combination. My tape measurements said I should be a 34 D and I ended up in 38 B, so you can imagine how many trips back and forth I made... I'm still not convinced that they are the right size, but given my history it's hard to know for certain. I'm trying so hard not to break down and go to Nordstrom's for a fitting. I hear they have a lot of expertise with women like me, but I don't want to shell out the money. Aaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhh!