Thanks for getting us started CAT! Welcome to all of our newbies! It will be interesting to hear a male perspective on this journey we're all on : )
My crazy home scale is still showing a bit of a loss so I'm going to get on the scale at gym this morning to see if it's right. (wish it was REALLY right since it's showing 160.8 but I know it's at least 3-4lbs off) I was soo off plan and minimal exercise on my four day vacation. Back to work and on on track as of yesterday. Walked the parking lot on my lunch break - 70 and sunny at last! Hoping that the frigid weather is gone for good, my heat bill was through the roof! Did my stretching this morning and plan to hit the elliptical on my lunch break. I hope everyone has a great Monday, and a great week!
Happy MLK day! I'm just waiting for the flooring guys to get here. Hope everyone has a great Monday. Welcome Evan! We're glad to have you join us!
Think Thin Thoughts!
WLW - Having the freedom of a car again will be great. There are so many things I take for granted and a car is one of them. I did not get a rental this time and there has been a couple times I want to escape my Mr. Attitude.
Hi Evan - Welcome to the group. We have another guy David that recently joined (we just need to get him posting over here in the weekly thread). We all need the support of others and I have found 3FC one of the best places to get it (especially here with the 40-somethings. BTW - Love the dog, many of us here are also dog lovers.
LC - That is awesome you are running again. I so wish I was a "runner" but it's always been difficult. When I did C25K on the treadmill it was OK but when I tried to move to the streets it SUCKED so I stopped. I might have to try again, I really want to experience that runner's high.
OMW - Great news about the floors. Did you take before pictures? I too love Wii boxing, I also like the aerobics. I just wish there were more routines.
Jasmine - Welcome back
PeanutsMom - I have found that my Wii fit weighs me a little higher that my own scale. It also seems to be a bit sensitive.
Did you start your "Mom" group? I would love for Brooke to get involved in something like that but she hasn't been able to find one. Any suggestions for getting one started?
Natalie - Fun doesn't even begin to cover it. Yesterday we went to WeeJump and it was a BLAST!! I was surprised what a workout it was to jump in one of those things. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to wet my pants. When I was here last November there would have been NO WAY I would have gotten in one of those things. Congrats on the 3lbs. Hope your son is feeling better today.
TuningIn - Excellent Job.... 3lbs. is GREAT!! Not unusual by the time I get home on the 26th the storm will be long gone. Seems most of our rain comes when I'm gone, which is a shame because I LIKE rain. Which Mexican restaurant do you eat at? In the five years we've been "up the hill" we haven't found a place we like.
2time - Do you log your food using FitDay or Daily Plate? I have found that is the best way to keep track of my calories. Here is a link to help figure out how many you should be getting: http://nutrition.about.com/library/b...tion_guide.htm
I agree with everyone here, this is a life long journey and it doesn't have to be "all or nothing" (something I still struggle with). Just because I may over eat at one meal doesn't mean I have to continue to the next. The most important one for me to remember is exercise even when on "vacation".
Marie - I couldn't agree more; losing weight doesn't make one happy but it has enabled me to do things that make me happy. Although I have do desire to ski I do envy your trips. I love the views the mountains have to offer, love going FAST, but hate the cold. I too had a food coma day this week.
Well Brooke is up but getting ready to leave so I need to hope in the shower. Hope you all have a GREAT day.
Happy Monday everyone. I wish I had off. I think they have a bunch of patients lined up for me to see at our outpatient day program this morning. Should be pretty busy.
2times2much-you said you wanted advice so be careful what you ask for My first and what I think is most important piece of advice is that you need to look at this as a way of life and not a "diet". Most of us have lost and regained weight repeatedly for that exact reason. We "go on a diet" to lose weight and they we go "off our diet" when we lose some weight and then guess what happens? The only way to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight for life is to find some kind of eating program you feel you can do for life. This is different for everyone. We have calorie counters here, I am a mediterranean dieter, I'm not sure what everyone does maybe they can tell you-but if its not sustainable, you won't be able to lose and keep it off. Is your plan to eat eggs, lean cuisine, fruit and soup, something you can do forever? I'm guessing you are leaning toward the calorie counting idea?
Something one of my friends from med school recently sent me was a little thing about happiness and how some people need to be able to moderate to be happy and some people need to abstain to be happy. It made me think about how some people here find they can have a little cake or a little sugar now and again and not have it ruin their weight loss and allow them to not feel deprived. There are others of us who cannot have any or we just don't know when to stop and then we end up beating ourselves up over it. May be something hardwired into our personalities. Only you know which one of those two you are. I'm an abstainer.
Petra – it’s so much fun reading about your playing around with the Wii!! My boys have one, but in all honesty, it holds no interest for me… I played tennis on it once, got creamed, and that was enough. Wow, I loved the bit about categorizing life as moderating or abstaining to be happy. So succinct, and so true. The funny thing is that I fit into both camps, some things I can moderate (Girl Scout cookies), other things I must abstain from (kettle corn). So I think the trick for me is finding out which things fit into which buckets…
CruiseCAT – you’ve done it!! You’re living the life that you dreamed of when you started this journey; how motivating is that?! I’m glad you are having a wonderful trip.
WeightLossWanted – I hope it all works out with your car this week; I hate feeling dependent on other people like that… Good luck with the scale numbers; I’m crossing my fingers for a nice loss for you!
Evan – welcome! Looking forward to getting to know you on this journey…
LambChop – look at you, a runner!! Congrats! Now there’s a great NSV (non-scale victory) if I’ve ever heard one!!
OnMyWay – I hope your photo organizing is going well… I hate being without a kitchen; I’m glad you can still access yours… I hope the floors come out great!
TRCcard – I 2nd OnMyWay’s suggestion of VBRO.com. I found a fantastic rental house in Virginia for a week last summer; it was stunning; incredible. DH was in awe of the locale and wondered how I ever found it…
PeanutsMom – Good job with the Moms group… oh, I miss those days! That’s great that you sent the food all packing again at the end… Sounds like some good learned behavior!
AZManatee – I miss seeing “you” but love seeing the manatee! Do you have a fascination with them? My parents live in Florida and once saw one out in the bayou behind their house, which was pretty cool. We saw one once in a culvert next to the road, on the NASA property (which doubles as a wildlife refuge) which was, frankly, really weird. I hope your DD is feeling better, and congrats on your 3 pounds!
TuningIn – Congrats on your 3 pound loss; that is awesome! Good job exercising restraint at the Mexican restaurant… I find that hard to do; the chips with their salt are just so addicting!
2x2much – Easy?? No. This has been my biggest learning this time. It never gets easy. It’s a lot of work. It takes a long term outlook. It will never stop being work. This is a job. I will always struggle with my weight. On the one hand, that’s all a bummer. But on the other hand, it’s actually rather freeing. Knowing all this keeps me going, even if I have a bad day, bad weekend, or – as I did – a bad couple of months. Now I recognize that having relapses doesn’t mean failure; it doesn’t mean I’ve ruined everything. It just means I need to keep going. Fun?? Well, not in the day-to-day sense. But the elation of putting on smaller clothes is unbeatable. Being able to walk up an enormous hill without breaking my stride or getting out of breath is fantastic. Having excellent blood work come back is rewarding. But actually watching what I eat each and every day, (almost) every day? No, that part’s not fun. But, it’s part of the job. As for places like Subway – you know who has a good salad? Quiznos! But there are a lot of places that I just won’t go because their healthy offerings are depressing; I don’t know if Subway falls into that category since it’s never been a place on my list. But I guess my point is, search out the places that have scrumptious healthy food so even when your DH is eating something that may be tempting, at least you can still feel like what you are eating is a treat, too. I have found I’ve lost the desire to eat out a lot because so many places that we go are depressing. I can make better healthy food at home for a lot less money. I LOL’d (laughed out loud) about your weekend plan and the bacon. I think we’ve all been there and can relate.
Marie – so we’ve worked our way into your brain! I loved that you were thinking of Petra while you were racing down the slopes! I love it, they left off the “…r hips” LOL!! So far, so good in that department. Valentines Day is still a month away so I still have a lot of work ahead of me… It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend… sorry about your stomach ache… Yes, lesson learned.
Petra – I hope your weather is improving! Here its warmer (high 30s) and the air is very damp. It actually smelled like spring this morning, but DH (dear husband) reminded me not to get my hopes up… It still being January and all…
ICUWishing - I remember that you were looking forward to MLK Day -- well, it's here! I hope you are enjoying your day off, and that your DS (dear son) is happily gearing up for his new school adventure.
As for me, because I was under my weight target for next Friday already on Saturday morning, I made the conscious decision to have Thai food for dinner Saturday night and a donut for brunch (that was my full breakfast and lunch, coffee and a donut = 400 cals, ack!) on Sunday. Other than those 2 treats, I ate well. I didn’t exercise this weekend (which is usual) but I did go for a walk on Saturday up the huge hill in our neighborhood. Wow, has the stairmaster paid off!! As I said above, I went up this huge hill without breaking my stride, which is very unusual, even when I have been in good shape before. I think the stairmaster focus has made a big difference, compared to my previous elliptical focus. So that was rewarding. So, yes, the scale was up today, but I still have all week to chip away at my pound, and my mental state is still “on plan”. That’s an achievement, right? To introduce some treats but not have them throw me under the bus… I’ve seen the underside of the bus before, it wasn’t pretty.
Last edited by newleaf123; 01-18-2010 at 09:54 AM.
Morning Gang - went to see Princess/Frog yesterday and it was adorable. We really enjoyed it - also went out for a nice lunch. Sitting at an angle in the theater -- NOT FUN! LOL - ouch! I did find a great song to add to my running playlist from the movie though called, "Almost There".
I ran a mile last night again and seem okay - so I'm bumping it to 2 miles today. If all goes well, I'm going back to my full schedule again. No changes on the scale right now.
--
OnMyWay - finally your floors! Funny you've always thought of me as a runner - I never have until I fell and missed it! LOL Good job on staying on track and hope you get those photos organized.
Jasmine - where in PA are you? I grew up in Bucks County. I've over in Jersey now.
Peanut - good job on being careful with choices and working it out. Smart move having everyone take stuff home to keep it out of the house.
Natalie - I hope your daughter is feeling better soon. Congrats on the 3 pound loss!!
Tuning In- glad to hear your getting work walks in, and good job on the loss
2x2much - welcome - can you plan your weekend meals before he is home, so you have safe choices? Your dad/grandmom story - I can relate - my mind set changed a lot after I lost my dad...only for me, it was more like - don't wait for tomorrow - enjoy life now, in the moment. I travel a lot more often these days.
Petra - glad you're enjoying your wii fit so much! Sorry work has been sucky - but hopefully brighter days will be ahead, along with better weather for you too!
Marie- I'm glad you enjoyed your skiing so much. Glad you found some runs that weren't as crowded - and 2 thumbs up for driving home safely! LOL Awesome change for your DGS and water on his face. I remember when my oldest was little and his fear was diving...LOL, how many times he tried and could not go in head first until one time it just clicked...once they get over a fear, bam, it's gone! Satisfaction vs. full - i have to mentally tell myself that after a run! Don't use it as an excuse! Live and learn, right? LOL
Cindy - glad you're enjoying time with your Noah! So nice you're getting the time with him, and have the energy to keep up! I'm following a run/walk thing right now from Marathoning for Mortals, so you do something like run 3 mins/walk 2, and build up endurance with longer runs...run hard for 2 shorter runs, run long and slow down for the long one...for my 1/2 marathons, I'll be using a 3/1 pace - good for leg recovery/breathing and you can push a little harder on the 3, with the 1 in between - great book
Kathi - 70 and sunny....color me jealous! Good job getting moving again - walking, elliptical, stretching, etc.
Heidi - that's huge going up the big hill without breaking stride..that canyon will be a piece of cake with all the effort you're putting in! Yes, it's an achievement in my eyes..to be able to not be so restrictive you can't enjoy some things...that's my goal in the long run - enjoy some treats mixed in with regular stuff but understand moderation and maintain - minus any silly guilt we pile on ourselves!
Hello everyone! I'm reading back thru week 2 and trying to catch back up. Bear with me!
pres - same here - it's terrific to have so many new folks bringing their enthusiasm, but wow! Lots of posts!
Chubster (Karen) - congrats (from 1/11!) on beating the desire to chew when stressed. Exercise is always much more effective - a double bang for the buck! I love green teas. Can be a little like drinking grass sometimes, but there's a bunch that are really tasty.
CAT - I also wonder about the 3FC'ers who've left. Are they keeping the lbs off, or will they be back in another year? I've been looking through the Facebook pics - Noah just keeps getting cuter! Congrats on reaching such a great goal of having the energy, the body, and the outlook "positivity!" Keep inspiring us!
WLW - agreed, going outside under less than ideal conditions should burn extra cals. Glad to hear about the car - it will make a HUGE difference!
LC: I can relate to a busy week. Can't believe what a wild ride this month has been so far! I hope your tailbone is healing and you can hit the road with your regular enthusiasm!
Petra: It's scary to think that even the medical profession is beginning to see work overload. I mean, if I get something at work that doesn't fit with my experience, we might make some bad parts, but nobody dies! DS10's testing was enlightening, and the idea that a pediatric neuroscientist is working with the teachers just makes sense! They don't see it as "disabilities" so much as they see it as "weak learning muscles" - they'll educate him the way he learns best and fastest, but will also provide him with training to get the visual comprehension up to speed. Re the X-ctry skiing, I have one of the original NordicTrak Pros ... and it's still my favorite exercise "machine"! Nothing makes me sweat like that thing! I'm a big fan of target shooting, too! DS10 is just about ready to start hitting the range, so I figure it will become a good family activity. Spouse likes it too.
Heidi: I am in AWE of your Hershey Kiss victory! I'm with you and Marie on the challenges. I'm now down to a rate of a pound a MONTH, so patience is enough challenge for me! And 3 lbs last week is incredible! Hang tough on the Valentine's candy. I'm doing much better with that now that I have confirmation of what the artificial colors do to me, but like Marie, chocolate just makes me drool and overcomes my willpower. Hope DS8 is better by now!
PeanutsMom: welcome! CO sounds like psychotic weather like MI - "if you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes." Shouldn't allow swings of 80 degrees in 1 week ... that's just weird!
AnnieDrews: welcome! FYI - there's a few of us out here that are actually following a pretty high-fat plan. I"m one of them. Something us veterans have learned the hard way is that there's nothing that works for everybody. As Meg, a veteran Maintainer says, "We're all laboratories of one". I know I've tried and failed for years and what works for me freaks a lot of people out. Don't categorize foods as "good" and "bad" this early on - just watch what they do for you. Takes about 3 wks to see how a plan will affect you ... this is a huge patience game! Food scales ROCK. A must-have tool.
Marie: You're right about the time investment. I'm just pouting because it's crossing paths with my sudden uptick in busy-ness! I'm working from home today (holiday!) just so I can catch up here and hopefully set a better precedent for next week. Being here at 3FC is probably the #1 reason that I'm getting close to my goal ... and I started posting almost exactly 1 year ago. On the ellipticals discussion from last week, I'm thinking about getting one for DH in the spring. I am very open to recommendations on models if you love yours! I have a French-door fridge too - just the GE one ... and I think the design is terrific. So easy to organize food!
Kim - I'm with you on the "just do it!" I have to tell the brain to "just shut up" and stick to plan.
Kendle - The "groove" of good choices comes with practice. Don't be disappointed with the process - just keep at it! It WILL come.
Natalie - I also love your manatee - they are so cute! Journaling was another big part of my figuring out how to lose. It really opened my eyes as to how I ate and why.
djo - welcome! I too was a multi-year New Year's resolutioner. The Weight Loss Support threads always have somebody who asks "what was your lightbulb moment?" They make interesting reads because it's so different for everybody.
OMW - I think one of the greatest uses of the internet is being able to browse a restaurant's menu ahead of time, and get into the mindset of looking forward to a good choice! I've also learned to stop clearing leftovers by shoveling them in my own mouth, and that was a surprising discovery of extra calories. (Thanks, journal!)
swtgila - I create my own stress too! One of my things to do this year is to spend more time figuring out how to quit doing that. I'm finding that to-do lists make me crazy cuz they get so long - I'm trying out a method of just making a top 3 priority list.
trcard - welcome! I really wish I'd thought to take a "before". I do have the measurements - but the pics speak volumes! I'm 5'7" too and my goal's been a moving target. I'm in a place now where every pound makes a change, but I'm a dense medium frame with a lot of muscle. I think a year ago I had 135 as a goal, then 150, and now 145. I still don't know where I'll be when I'm done.
Evan - welcome aboard! Always great to have a male perspective!
Jasmine - welcome back!
2times - welcome! And post ESPECIALLY when you're grouchy - that is when you need us the most! The journey isn't that easy OR fun, but it's something we all decided had to be done and we're learning our way around a new lifestyle! It does get easier with practice ... but don't ever expect yourself to be perfect. What you have to be perfect at is recognizing that there will be slips, and that a slip is a single event that lasts only for the duration of the slip. The very next meal (not the next day, the next week, the next month) can be back on track.
I've seen 147.5 five times now, so I am claiming it. Neck is settled back down and I'll get the pool workouts back up to speed. My GF and I are starting to make plans for meeting in Atlanta, which is really exciting! Many hours in the water between now and then ... I'm thinking about putting my piano lessons on the backburner til after Nationals. Just overloaded, y'know?
Oh ... new recipe! This is a good place to start (I boost the heat up with white pepper, extra jalapeno and a habanero) and it's filling and yummy on these cold days:
White Lightning Chicken Chili
6 chicken breast
2 heads of garlic cut in half
1 cup onion, chopped
1/3 cup jalapeno peppers, chopped – seeded as much as you like
3 cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp olive oil
3 cans chicken broth
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup lime juice
1 tbs cornstarch
1 tbs cold water
fresh cilantro
cook chicken and heads of garlic in a 375 degree oven until juices run clean
using two forks shred chicken
squeeze 10 garlic cloves from skins and mash together with one can of beans
heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add onions and jalapeno's cook until onion is
tender
add chicken, mashed bean/garlic mixture, rest of the whole beans, chicken broth,
cumin and lime juice and as many remaining garlic cloves as you want. Bring to
a boil, reduce and simmer 25 minutes.
Combine cornstarch and water stirring until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to
chili bring back to a boil and then continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes.
I'll be back later, but just a quick drive by post to say hello, welcome to the newcomers and to report that the scale is finally my friend again - down 2 lbs for this morning's weigh in. Woohooooo!!
(plus I've been around 3fc long enough to get a signature now, which makes me a little too happy! lol!)
Hello to all. Hectic morning, just now checking in. I don't always have time to comment on each individual, but read your posts and am cheering you on.
Today's weight at weigh in: 188.2 (2.8 pounds gone!) So happy!!
I did pretty well over the weekend, even with starting my period. I think drinking my 64 oz. of water daily helped me flush a lot of the fluid weight.
ICU-I do plan to get a food scale. I think it will help in planning portions, etc.
I belong to another (not weight loss) support board where I blog and keep track of calories/servings/exercise. So I did that this weekend and was aware of what went in my mouth.
Happy MLK Day - thank goodness MLK was part of our history!
Colleen, the post might not sound like you – but maybe you’ve hit the point where you’re ready to lose the weight. Being from the Midwest, I understand the food focal point of life. You live in dairy land, where butter is the first ingredient in any recipe. Undoing the damage of food obsession isn’t easy. Getting rid of the bacon would have been better for you if you’d thrown it in the garbage. Now it’s added more to your body and that’s actually more expensive. Keep trying to reframe what your thought processes are about food and make it about whether a choice is healthy or not. BTW, it isn’t fair what some people can eat and what we can’t. It is easier to handle when you accept that we (the overweight) aren’t the same as the thin (people who eat without thought). Acceptance of that difference really does make watching them eat easier.
WLW, can I offer a piece of advice??? Use one scale and stick with it. Don’t weigh on other ones. Even my dr. said never to weigh on different ones because the yo-yo of numbers plays mind games. It's defeating.
Cruise, I love that description – food coma. Too wonderful. It sounds like you’re having a blast. Have you had your mocha and watching the sunrise for me yet??? I want pictures.
Petra, cool thought on the moderate or abstained. You and I seem to have so much in common but that idea we’re totally opposite. I’m a moderate for happiness. You’re an abstainer. Perhaps you are right about hardwired in for that success. I very much agree that if you can’t sustain the “diet” for life, then regaining is inevitable. Also, have you contacted the American Red Cross about volunteering for Haiti? Maybe that's a way to get an answer. My DS just told us this morning he'll be deployed (75% chance) to Haiti for June, July and August. I'm very proud of him.
Newleaf, yes you all are in my brain. It’s part of my job as I’m so focused on healthy living. You all are my friends whether or not we’ve met. In so many areas, you all know more about me than my local friends. Spring – we’ve had unseasonable warm temps the last month and last week after a drizzle, there were worms in my work parking lot. I half expected to see Robin Redbreast out collecting them. Then I remembered it was only January. “On plan an achievement” – without a doubt because you keep getting on track after small splurges. That’s the point, IMHO. If we can’t occasionally splurge, then it’s hard to say whether it’s worth it. By learning to get right back on track is the biggest reason I know I won’t regain. I never learned how to do that in the past and you’ve learned it as well. That’s the real victory, scale or not.
Lamb, I ituned listened to a bit of Almost There. I can see why you’d like it on your playlist. Very upbeat. I’m glad you’re running again. I paid attention to your struggle being away from running and that has me the most scared about the plastic surgeries in February. Pain??? Who cares. Not exercising terrifies me.
ICU, Congrats on the 147.5!!! It is yours. Next month 146.5. I know it’s coming your way! Check out the site treadmillsensei.com It is where I did most of my elliptical reviews. I settled on the Sole E55 and I bought it from Amazon. Free shipping and this month they have $100 off. I bought it last year when they had it. I remember from my research that the Sole E55 is the elliptical Hilton Hotel chain uses. It’s durable, smooth and has a longer stride than most home elliptical machines. Basically I learned that the next step up was a commercial grade and that was so out of my budget. I haven’t had one second thought about it since I started using it. It was very comparable to my physical therapist commercial one. It was worth every penny. But check out the link I put above because you’ll learn tons about the construction and pluses/weaknesses of all the machines. BTW, the piano – every time I play for a long period of time, I break my wrist, sprain my thumb, cut my fingers, etc. So today on m top 3 list (I really like that concept so I’m stealing it) is to dust it off since the doggie tooth injury to my hands at Thanksgiving) and get back at it. Maybe you can just play occasionally for relaxation after swimming and the such.
Annie on the weight loss. You're doing great!
DH and I hiked with the doggies this morning and as we crested the biggest hill I thought of how I used to huff and puff my way up, conveniently having the doggies take a potty break so I could have a break (how’s that for honesty – never told DH but I bet he figured it out). Now the doggies remind me to stop. I’m enjoying a lazy morning. I bought online a grain mill attachment for my KitchenAid mixer and now have to figure out where to get the wheat to make whole wheat. My sister is a pro at that stuff and said that milled wheat goes bad really fast and that’s why I didn’t like whole wheat bread. She mills her own so now I will too. Merry Christmas to DH and me from his sister (partially from her and her gift card). After I do the dusting, vacuum the floors and finish the laundry (one load left to dry/fold) I’m going to work on my quilt and listen to my audiobook. A lazy day and I love that. See my top 3 on the todo list.
Marie
Flooring guys here as planned,very noisy but that's to be expected. Won't be done today as originally planned, so I'm taking a sick day tomorrow. Also scheduled the furnace to be serviced and inspected. Tech found a crack in the heat exchange and now I have no heat. New furnace ordered and will be installed tomorrow. In the meantime with flooring guys going in and out it's just a bit cold in here! We'll be huddling under lots of blankets and being grateful that it won't be in the teens tonight. I'm thinking soup for dinner!
I'm proud to report that I resisted the hearts today. It wasn't even a strong pull. I just saw them sitting there, looked wistfully at them like they were an old friend that I don't really know anymore, and moved on. Yay!
January Week 3 40-Something Chat
My first and what I think is most important piece of advice is that you need to look at this as a way of life and not a "diet". Most of us have lost and regained weight repeatedly for that exact reason. We "go on a diet" to lose weight and they we go "off our diet" when we lose some weight and then guess what happens? The only way to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight for life is to find some kind of eating program you feel you can do for life. This is different for everyone. We have calorie counters here, I am a mediterranean dieter, I'm not sure what everyone does maybe they can tell you-but if its not sustainable, you won't be able to lose and keep it off. Is your plan to eat eggs, lean cuisine, fruit and soup, something you can do forever? I'm guessing you are leaning toward the calorie counting idea? 
I never have until I fell and missed it! LOL Good job on staying on track and hope you get those photos organized.
Glad to hear about the car - it will make a HUGE difference!
but maybe you’ve hit the point where you’re ready to lose the weight. Being from the Midwest, I understand the food focal point of life. You live in dairy land, where butter is the first ingredient in any recipe. Undoing the damage of food obsession isn’t easy. Getting rid of the bacon would have been better for you if you’d thrown it in the garbage. Now it’s added more to your body and that’s actually more expensive. Keep trying to reframe what your thought processes are about food and make it about whether a choice is healthy or not. BTW, it isn’t fair what some people can eat and what we can’t. It is easier to handle when you accept that we (the overweight) aren’t the same as the thin (people who eat without thought). Acceptance of that difference really does make watching them eat easier.
