I didn't weigh myself this morning because A) I spent the night at the boyfriend's abode, and he doesn't own a scale. (whenever he dares to step onto mine when he spends the night we me, he's always mortified to find that the number went up, so he doesn't want one. ;) ) and B) last night I ate more food than anyone ever should ever, ever, in any one sitting due to the wonderful restaurant that his employer took us to.

Can't wait to get back on TRACK today! TMI, but my TOM is totally weird this week, I technically started on Monday, but it was barely there. And it was like that for 3 days, I didn't even need any coverage because it was so light, I just noticed it when I went to the bathroom. But it kicked in hardcore yesterday (almost too much, gah.) SO weird. I am almost glad, because that could explain why I was sooo up on the scale until yesterday!

I just want to know what I weigh!! I won't even get to weigh myself until Sunday, official weigh in is Monday, so I have to stay on track until then to see a loss!

Good morning...:D

jigglefree 2 workouts a day!?!?! I'm barely eeking in the one and I'm exhausted, you go girl!!! And I'm sorry you're feeling so sad today, is it sunny where you are? Go and sit in the sun, studies show the Vitamin D boosts your "feel good" chemicals and you you'll feel better :hug: HUGS!!!

Missjessica Right? Today's a new day and we can still end this week with a bang!!!

Ariesgirl :welcome3:

Northern Exposure WTG!!! Kick that goals a$$ :kickbutt:

MrsMomOrtiz:welcome2: to the Easter Challenge

jdonato I have relied on frozen meals in the past and box things like Rice-A-Roni or Hamburger Helper, but the trick my mom taught me (as a busy mother with 6 kids working up to 70 hours a week sometimes) is to add too them; she would add skinless chicken, canned and fresh vegetables and water to cut the saltiness. Lot's of Lean Cuisine and Kashi meals have Low Sodium recipes...and to me, as long as you're going the healthier route then who cares if you don't have the time right now, just do it :D

ohmydogs It will get better, I like cycling, it gives me high days and low days, so I can "cheat" on certain days

Dorian5 :lol3::lol3::lol3: at your boyfriend not wanting to get a scale (although I mildly understand) and you've got 3 days, you can make some headways by then...


Today I am Super Excited b/c I weighed in at 240.6 today!!! :yay::yay::yay: that's half a pound past my Easter Goal, but I am going to try to contain my real excitement until Monday, official weigh-in. The key this weekend is to keep that loss or lose more and by Monday I'll really have something to be excited about!!! Okay, off to walk...Happy Friday Ladies!!!

Tried an interesting experiment yesterday. I completely disregarded my calorie intake and burning yesterday. I let myself eat whatever I wanted (polished off the cookies from the night before from breakfast, HUGE bowl of pasta for dinner). And you know what? I basically felt like crap all night! :barf: My heart was racing, I woke up in the middle of the night because my body temp is off, etc. I stuffed my face because I gave myself permission to do so, not because I was hungry. I missed eating veggies, I didn't feel satisfied after snacking and after a while, nothing in my house even sounded good. I came to the conclusion that while sometimes, the odd item that I typically don't eat sounds good, for the most part, I love what I typically eat! :drool:

I'm still thinking about my food future. How to stay on track, how to lose to my goal, how I want to live my life for the rest of it. And in doing so, have decided to stay on my little break of not logging calories eaten or burned. But only the logging, not the crazy eating. I plan on eating reasonable, typically sized meals and keeping up with my exercise. I think maybe all my craziness may just stem from being burnt out! :stress: I mean, I've been at logging and having my calorie intake and burning at the forefront of my brain for 18 months. It might be time to chill for a bit! And I know how much things add up to, about where I'll be, etc. that I'm not particularly concerned about blowing my calories on a daily basis. So today begins my that experiment. I don't know how long I won't log stuff in but for right now, I don't have a set time that I will restart.

I'm hoping that this break will do me some good both mentally and on the scale. I would be nice to get down close to my challenge goal, or even hit it, by the 24th. :crossed:

Thank you! The funny part is that I didn't even think about the binging potential until I was at the stores. I so had it in my mind that I have to get stuff for dinner and for my business that I didn't even think. But I was able to resist the temptation to run to the store yesterday and pick up more junk. :cheer2:

Did a quick search and found Amy's make some low sodium items. Hopefully they are available at your grocery store.

FIT4LYFE! :bravo: Great job! You might need to make a new Easter goal, huh? :D

Manders01 I've been thinking about not logging my calories for a little while too, my life is completely ruled by them. I'm eating numbers now, not food, so I'm barely enjoying myself. I'm thinking that maybe at the beginning of May I'll try my hand at eating intuitively.

P H A T It's beautiful in my neck of the woods as well, I'm definitely thinking that the dog and I need a loooong walk outside when I get home from work! Great way to start the weekend off right. Hope you have a relaxing day!! :cloud9:

OhMyDogs: congrats on getting back on plan! I think it's the weather that's been making ppl feel off of everything. I wish you good luck on keeping to 1400 calories...you can do it!:D

Dorian5: I know your pain on the bf's not having a scale. When I first dated my bf, he didn't have a scale in his apartment for the same reason...then when we moved in together that was the first thing I told him we were buying! lol I catch him on it here and there checking. I know me not checking my weight often was a problem for me gaining back my weight. Good luck, and if your bf's employer took you out for dinner..then you can brush that one off...lol it's a free meal and you can't be rude ;)


Fit4Lyfe: Congrats on making your goal! :carrot: Thanks for the advice, I am adding veggies to all my meals, and I add more to my frozen meals cuz there is normally plenty of sauce. I'm sure i'll have more time comming up, i think it's the weather that's got me so tired, and I have a hour drive home with traffic so when I get home I just want to shut the world out! What do you consider to be normal for sodium count for frozen meals?


manders01: Amy's is available at my grocery store, so thanks for the tips and making the effort to search it! :) About your posts, from what I read, which I could be wrong, are you a binge eater? I only ask cuz of what I got from your posts, I was for the longest time and I joined the binge free challenges on here, great support group. It's good that you gave your self that free day and really got to see how your body reacted to it, now you can feel good about eating healthy. It's a daily process and just take it slow. I went through the same thing about a year ago, and I took a little break from logging, it was ok for a while because I was eating healthy and kept to a consistant routine...but the minute I noticed I was slipping..I didn't start logging and I should have. It got out of control and here I am today 24lbs heavier. So take a break if you feel like you have a good routine and if you notice your slipping, keep track for a week to see how things go, and if you need to tweak. Hope you feel better and keep fighting! :)

P H A T: I'm gald it's nice where you're at, it's rainny and crappy here and it's supposed to be opening day for us michiganders...I'm a Detroit Tigers fan so it's hard to enjoy the festivities when it's bad weather.




I'm about to leave work here in a few, enjoy my hour drive home :( and then figure out what i'm making for dinner. I was going to make fish and asparagus with veggies, but I will see about my leftovers too. I have my calories pre logged for the day in MFP and I have to tweak them a lil to be at my goal. It's hard to stay on track tonight, the bf is working late so it's just me for dinner and part of me wants to get some good carryout and vegg but I know that's not going to be healthy and I will regret it when I step on the scale tomorrow. So I will do my best to stay on track tonight and hopefully be rewarded by the "Scale Gods" tomorrow morning!

manders- I've been counting calories & logging exercise for almost 3 yrs. I'm getting darn sick of it too. I did stop for a few days a while back because my computer wasn't working. I estimated and stayed on plan, I gained weight from doing it that way. So I don't plan on stopping again!

I'm getting fed up with keeping track of everything that goes in my mouth! For the past week my weight has been fluctuating by 1-2lbs everyday. Up & down everyday is driving my nuts. It's like i don't know what to do anymore, I've been dieting & maintaining for 2yrs & 9 months. I still don't have this figured out, I've just about had enough. I was thinking that if I just stick to healthy eating, cause I do love everything I eat( don't miss fast food, frozen meals or anything unhealthy I used to eat), except some sweets, not all, that I will be ok. I still don't trust it even after all this time, the fear of gaining all the weight back won't let me stop counting calories. I'm so confused! My calories have been over limit everyday for 2 mo. straight, I can't get back to staying in my range. Maybe I'm getting lazy & weak, not having as much control as I used to, maybe not caring as much. Usually when that happens, weight gain happens too. I've done this 2 times before, when I get close to 2 yrs maintaining I blow it. I have to get my mental strength back! Today I went over my limit again, 1676( 276 over) Rode the bike for 23min. & I saw a 9oz. gain this morning. I'm slacking big time!

Sorry for the rant, had to get this off my chest.

Phat- Isn't it amazing how the weather can change your mood? I was so happy to see the sun last week!Today it was rainy all day and it made me a little grouchy....

Way to go Fit4Lyfe and Northern!

I got on the scale and it has not moved :( Oh well! I think I can still make my challenge goal if the scale moves again next week!

Manders (and others talking about needing a "break" from CC):
I know how you feel! Last summer I actually took about a 2 month break from CC. I have the summer off and am naturally more active and tend to eat lighter (all the yummy summer fruits, etc.) Anyway, I pretty much ate intuitively with some "spot checking" for cals here and there. Still did my weekly WI's to make sure I wasn't going too far off track. By the end of the summer I had lost about 10 lbs. Definitely a slower rate than what I had been losing at (remembring I started at 274 lbs that January and it comes off easier when you're that big), but it was really nice to know that I didn't HAVE to count caloires and I could still lose.

I'm thinking about doing it again this summer. I'm hoping to get to 174 (100 lbs lost) by the end of May, which would really set me up for a nice psychological break. I'd be happy with a modest loss by August, but even a maintenance break would be OK. On the other hand, I really do want to get to my final goal sooner than later....but it's a tradeoff I'm seriously considering.

Dorian: I'm glad I'm not the only one with weird TOM issues! (TMI WARNING)...This last cycle I had a few days of "pre" TOM....very, very light and thought it would come the next day, then it was another day, etc. Finally got the real thing and thought it would be over by about Wed night/Thursday morning, but it lingered (lightly) until Friday. Really long and drawn out for some reason? At least I seem to be getting it about every 4 weeks (like normal) lately. For several months I seemed to get it every 3 weeks. UGH!

Phat: It's finally nice up here today too! Definitely a boost to the spirit :)

GOD@MMNIT!!! I was doing so well and today I blew it. Big time. I ate over 2,000 calories today, including an ice cream sunday, BBQ chicken wings and a d@mn turkey sandwich I ate purely out of boredom...like WTF??!?!?! I am so mad at myself right now, this is why I am still overweight because I set myself up for failure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UGH!!!

I just had to vent, big time. I am just upset I let myself pig out like that. I feel like...like a pig, really. I'm sorry if my swears offended anybody, I'm just upset at myself.

:hug: Fight harder next time. Everyone slips up every once in a while, I know I definitely do. You can do this if you really want to. Hang in there!

Fit4Lyfe: Its ok to vent that's what we are here for. Just pick yourself up and continue with a new day today :) I'm sending you hugs :hug:

Good Saturday Morning. Not as jubilant as last Saturday but feeling good. I only lost a 1/2 inch off my stomach area. Which made me feel good because it has been the most stubborn part of my body. I was hoping for a loss any where because my week wasn't stellar. So we have a new week approaching and we will get it done.
Ekicna - I agree with you. We all have times we fall off the wagon.
P H A T - Don't get angry with yourself or stay angry with yourself because it will get you discouraged and you'll quit. By my estimation I should have been at goal by now but I'm not even close. However, I'm closer than I was last year this time. There's a quote I used to hear when I first started...next year you'll be glad you started today...so start today doing your best and the results will come.
Norhtern - I think I didn't do the whole break thing right because my weight stayed the same. Not bad but not good because I'm farther away from goal. It could be that I wasn't eating the right food.
K15g15 - As long as the scale didn't move you aren't having to make up for a gain. So that is a victory as well.
Fruitlady - Get it off your chest and you won't reherse it all day. Makes it easier to move on.
JD - What's going on...Long time no see. What did you end up doing for dinner last night? Glad to hear life is good. The cool thing is once you get your rythum back you can get it done.
Dorian - My cycle is PSYCHO. I will have a light one for a few days, get a day off and then it cranks up with a vengence. Sometimes it's a light one for a few days and it's over. I never know what to expect. So I just ride it out. It was never regular (like onece or twice a year) until the year I got pregnant in 2007 after that it went mad.

Well now that I see how important it is for me to workout EVERYDAY and eat within my calories range EVERYDAY then I know what to do...so let's have a good week this week so we can get back to the losing streak.

jigglefree: HI! :) congrats on losing a 1/2 inch that's awesome! From what I see you've been doing amazing and i'm so proud of you :hug:. Things are going good in my life and the only negative thing is my weight. It's a sad price I had to pay but with how everything else is I can't complain, I just count my blessings. And thanks for the encouragement, I'm really trying to get back to how things were for my body and health wise.


So I did great last night! I came home and I baked salmon and asparagus, I used the Gorton's grilled salmon (in the freezer isle) and put it next to fresh asparagus (not frozen) and baked it, then I grilled in a pan, no butter or salt, fresh spinach and added to the Green Giant Healthy Vision veggies (microwave). There was enough sauce with the green giant veggies that I was able to add fresh spinach to it, and not eat all the sauce. All in all very healthy and easy for me to make. I was craving something sweet last night so I had a sugar-free fudge pop and that was it!

The "Scale Gods" rewarded me this morning...141.0! Still way above what I should be but a 2.4lb loss, 3.2lbs overall and 2lbs to meet my challenge goal. I'm going to do whatever I can to get back down.

today we have a very busy day, we are going to my sister's to help her hang up stuff around the house...her bf isn't as handy as mine so she asked us for help. then off shopping looking at some new bedding and maybe a food processor for smoothies and stuff! Then tonight we are having dinner with the bf's parents, which i'm a little nervous about because they may want pizza or somethign not healthy so i'll have to try my best to stay on track.

I hope everyone has a great day and I will check back in later!

Phat & Jiggle: I too feel your pain about not being at goal when I had hoped. My first 50 lbs came off so fast that I thought I would have lost the first 100 within the first year and I would be at goal this coming summer.

As I mentioned before, I chose to take a break last summer, so I knew I would not get to goal quite as fast. I got back OP in the fall, but after I hit onederland back in November, my weight loss has really slowed. 1lb/week is my new reality. I *knew* it would slow down as I got smaller, but for some reason I still pictured myself at goal (or at least in the healthy BMI range) by
this summer.

Now I'm shooting for 100 lbs lost by summer, which would still leave me another 35-40 lbs to my final goal. Don't think I'll even make that by the end of 2011 at my current rate, even if I don't take a break. But it is what it is. As Jiggle said, I think about where I was 16 months ago and my life has changed SO much. However long this takes, it's worth the effort. My only real regret is not starting sooner.

Phat: can I come down for some BBQ? That sounds SO good! Enjoy :)

Thanks everybody...luckily the scale Gods we're gracious to me and I weighed in at 240.8 this morning, only a 2-ounce gain, so I know if I'm good today and tomorrow (which will be hard since it's the weekend and I have a babyshower to go to today) Monday's weigh-in will be pretty good, just hoping to good at 240 even. Today is a beautiful day...so go out and play! (sorry, commercial I just saw)

Hi all- thanks to everyone for your advice! It has given me the motivation I needed.

Rode the bike for 21min, walked for 30min. and did some hills along the way, it felt great to get out again. The sun was out this morning, now it's cloudy again, glad we got out while it was nice. Doing good with calories, had a smaller breakfast finally. I'll be between 1250-1350 by the end of the day if I don't mess it up.

Good luck to all this weekend!

Thank you all for your comments. I appreciate the feedback as it helps me reflect upon myself.

There were two things that happened yesterday that I feel may help me move back to the right direction...

1.) I planned my lunch based on my need to get to the gym about two hours after eating (instead of the typical 4 or more with a snack thrown in). I had a broccoli and feta egg substitute omelette, light toast with spray butter and sugar free strawberry jam, light black cherry yogurt and an orange. It was delicious, satisfying and helped my have one of my better workouts in a while. It felt great to make the decision about what to eat almost instantaneously instead of planning, that I created a meal that was healthy but was still sooooooooo yummy and to know even without counting that I had selected something that I would not feel guilty for eating regardless of the amount of calories (even though I knew the approximate calories and that they would be under a typical lunch).

2.) I went out with a girlfriend last night and decided to dress casual. I decided to wear my favorite top. It's a horizontally striped top but somehow the stripes slim me. It also has a boat neck which shows off my collarbone (after being VERY self conscious of it when it first became prominent, I have come to accept it as a great feature). I looked like CRAP! :mad: My gut was bulging out. I ended up wearing a zippy hoodie over it to cover up the bulge. :(

I don't want to have to go clothes shopping for bigger clothes. I don't want to have to look at a photo from the past 6 months and wonder if I'll be that thin again. I want my workouts to kick my butt in the good way. I want to hit my goal. I want to look at myself in mirror and think, "I LOOK HOT!" Unfortunately, I don't think my brain has quite clicked yet being able to identify and work towards those items. But I think I'm close. :)

I also can't help but wonder if my letting myself be lax in the weight loss department is because I'm stressing about other parts of my life. Does my overwhelming need to fix those areas have my brain pushing weight loss to the back burner in order to not drive myself insane? Just another item to ponder for me. :dizzy:

PS Looking forward to my yummy dinner that I've been trying to make for several days but keep get derailed for various reasons: Lemon-dill baked fish, sauteed cabbage and zucchini fritters. :drool:

You're welcome! Hopefully you find some yummy options.

I could be but I don't think so. This is a very new occurrence. Even when I was overweight, I didn't do this. I would graze on Sundays when I stayed in all day being lazy but other than that, this didn't happen.

I feel like I can hop back on tracking soon, even as early as Monday or Tuesday. Just need some time to clear my head. I've already kind of accepted that I will be putting on some weight because of this detour. I'm sort of okay with that.

No need to apologize for the rant. But I wholeheartedly agree, it's my fear as well. And I know I'm not fearless enough to stop tracking for any extended period of time. I have a feeling that after a while, it would just mean the my thoughts, energy and worry would shift to not tracking.

Wow! Definitely kudos to you! I wish I had your strength but alas, as I mentioned above, I think my not counting would just become the thing I worry about instead of what I was eating. I need the strictness in my life. The problems of an anal retentative personality! :D

Thanks ,Phat and Jiggle!

Fit-You're on the right path even if you stumble.

Holy crap! Has anyone else cut sod before with just a shovel? I about just passed out on the lawn when I got done! :)

Going out to eat tonight, but I think I will be ok since I have only had 480 calories so far today.

Everyone have a great evening!

I havent updated in a while but I cant talk long, Hang in there everyone, congrats on the wieght loss those of you that are losing. I hate how I hit stand stills in my wieght loss, it can be very discouraging. But I decided to start running, I ran(jogged) 2 miles yesterday non stop, so very hard for me, then I got on the scale today and was 177.5. :) I have also been doing jillian Michaels at least every other day, Level 3!!! I will talk to you all later, try to keep all your easter goals in mind as will I.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that had a seriously wonky TOM. :dizzy: Northern Exposure, that is exactly, to a T, what happened to me this week. I was also HIGHLY emotional this week and had cramps -- I'm one of those women who has never had a symptom along with her period, so it was all very bizarre.

Since mine is FINALLYYYY drawing to a close, I'm not longer retaining water or anything. I ate a good amount of junk yesterday, but I stayed within 1300 calories easily. So this morning I weighed 132.2. Yay! I get to adjust my ticker! :carrot:

I'm still hopeful that I can pry these last 2 pounds off, I would just like to work extra hard. Even if I see 130.9 by Easter I'm calling it a WIN. :D

Fit4Lyfe - you are doing SO well, I wouldn't let this one slip up throw you off your game. :hug:

Hey ladies! I have to do a quick update then go to my softball practice. I'll be back on later to comment on your posts. So this morning I was 140.2, another lb loss. I only have 1 more lb to meet my challenge goal. I made a small goal for the challenge cuz I joined late but we will see afterwards.


Last night had dinner with the bf's parents, we went out and had ribs, i had 4 small babyback ribs, lobster bisque soup, no fries (left those alone), and one brushetta. I enjoyed just a little to have it and skipped the rest. I didn't even take the leftovers home.

For brunch I had spinach, chicken, and mozarella quesadilla and a grapefruit. I made fresh spinach, grilled the chicken breast, and use low fat mozarella on La Tortilla Factory tortilla, the whole wheat ones, they are only 80 calories, low carb and 12 grams of fiber. Because of my sodium intake I'm trying to eat as many natural dieretic food as possible. I know Asparagus and Grapefruit are ones, so if anyone knows any other foods please let me know.

Ok off to softball practice, the bf is taking me on the bike! wahoooo!

Jiggle: congrats on the 1/2 inch!

Fit: glad the scale was kind to you.

Manders: I am always impressed by your introspection here! It's amazing how much we not only learn about nutrition, etc. on this journey, but also about ourselves.

K15: sod bustin' sure sounds like hard work!!

Phat: congrats on your loss...woo-hoo!!

Tired: I'm kicking around the idea of trying running (jogging) now that the weather is getting nicer. Just not sure if I'm ready to take the plunge yet. Good for you!

Dorian: I hear you on the 130.9! My goal is to get out of the 180's. I will TAKE 179.9, lol! Glad you're finally over your TOM. I'm hoping for a better week this week now that mine is finally over too!

As for me: DH and I did some shopping yesterday to replace clothes that are once again too big. Mostly work clothes to get through the end of the school year, but I also found some great deals on shoes...3 new pairs! I love shoes :) I will need to buy a whole new summer wardrobe soon. We have 6 bags of clothes for the goodwill ready to go. I own like 3 T-shirts that actually fit. One pair of baggy capris that I kept just so I'd have SOMETHING if it gets hot and NO shorts. Thankfully summer clothes are cheaper than winter ones at least!

Okay, I've made some decisions. I snacked well more than I should have yesterday early afternoon and then proceeded to make myself two Flat Out pizzas for lunch. I was stuffed afterward. But later on in the afternoon, my sweet tooth reared up. I had two options...give in and add more unneeded and unwanted calories or say no. I said no. :cb: And I made the decision right then and there, no need to wait till Monday morning or some other random yet "significant" time to restart being good, that changes will be made.

First, I printed this and put it up on my frig: "Are you actually hungry? If the answer is “Yes”, please make a smart choice when choosing your snack. If the answer is “No”, turn your *** around. Whatever it is you want isn't worth it. If the answer is “I don't know”, drink 16 ounces of water and go back to what you are doing or go clean something. You can ask yourself the question again in 30 minutes, not before." I hope that just this small reminder will help keep me on track. In fact, it already has. Last night after dinner, I wanted something sweet again. But I asked myself several times, "Are you actually hungry?" When my response kept coming back as no, I skipped the snack and popped in a piece of gum to knock out my craving.

Second, I will restart logging calories consumed today. I will not restart logging calories burned except for my actual workouts. Instead of tracking my calorie deficit, I will track my net calories. I have a general idea of how many calories I burn with normal activity so I feel like I can cut that out and maybe that will prevent future burnouts. I'm looking to be around 1200 net calories.

Third, I will give my self permission to "go overboard" without guilt on my days out. Now, I'm not saying eat and drink 3000 calories and that would be okay. I believe I mentioned in this thread that I have made a commitment to myself to go out at least once a week to put myself out there and make myself approachable (not really that approachable in my living room :p). But I have been less than eager about my go out days because I feel guilty about money spent and calories consumed. No more. I will allow myself to do both within reason.

Fourth, I will add mini goals to keep me striving toward my ultimate goal. I know that my ultimate goal should be to feel great and like what I see in the mirror. But it's does revolve around a number. Unfortunately, that number means little to me anymore. So I need to give something some power that I can strive for. Mini goals it is! In my signature I note my three weights that I feel are obtainable but not easily and my three "prizes" that I want but have previously said no to myself due to the monetary implications. I have also created one maintainence goal. Once I hit 150, I will allow a window of acceptable weight, 145 to 155. Every 6 months I will review my weight for the previous 6 months. If I have remained in that window the entire time, my prize will be a weekend trip within my budget. If I jumped out of the range no more than 2 times (weight must be out of the range for 4 weigh in days straight to count as out of the range), I will still treat myself but it will be something on a much smaller scale. My hope is that these goals will give me something to strive for again.

Fifth, I will move when I and what I eat for lunch in order to facilitate a great work out. Lunch will no longer be at noon. It will be two hours before my workout. My afternoon snack will move to noontime or thereabouts to get me through until lunch. And I will select food that will help power me through my workout. My choices were never bad but I will be more diligent about more carbs, less fiber.

Lastly, I will continue to let myself eat anything as long as it falls within my calorie allotment. I think I've been restricting myself lately and that has helped promote the binges. If I'm all about needing cookies, I will turn to a 100 calorie pack, go to 7-11 and pick up the individual wrapped cookies, bring some business cookies home from the kitchen, etc. I will not go to the grocery store and buy a whole package of cookies. I will find smart ways to have the indulgences I want.

Sorry for the length but I think finally writing them out instead of letting them swim in my head has really helped. I don't think I've set anything forth for myself that is unreasonable. I think with these guidelines, I can get back on track and make it to my goal. :cloud9:

Thank you all for continuing to be the cheerleaders I need to get me there. I promise I will be yours too! :hug:

Never cut it just laid it and that totally kicked my butt! :D

Congrats on the losses ladies! :cheer2:

I love softball! I really need to find a team to join this summer. Exercise and fun? Yeah, that sounds like a good deal! ;)

Thank you and congratulations on needing new clothes. I never used to like clothes shopping because my options were Lane Bryant, Lane Bryant and Lane Bryant. But now that I can shop anywhere, I love it! :D

Way to go Phat and Dorian! WoooHooo!

Manders- I think you have a really good plan! Good Luck! I really think it's important that there are no off limit foods as long as you keep to your calories. Otherwise cookies start calling you in your sleep!:)

Northern- Yah! New clothes! I bought two pairs of dress pants to get me to the end of the school year...I'm counting the days until school ends and I get a couple weeks off before teaching summer school. Come to think of it, I don't think I have anything to wear for summer...

Yard work again today. Edging the lawn and pulling out bushes! Then a walk to the park with the bassets. :)

P H A T OMG, I totally understand about your dad's BBQ, my dad (and 2 of my Uncles) are grilling machine and one has a homemade bourboun/brownsugar BBQ sauce that has won at 2 state fairs! Needless to say, it's hard to control myself! lol Here's some :dust: for you!!! And CONGRATS on your :goodscale

k15g15 Thanks for the kind words...hope you had a good time eating out!

Dorian5 Glad that evil :devil: is over and thanks for the hug!!! You guys are so awesome!!!

jdonato WTG on :goodscale I think both of us may need to make new goals

NorthernExposure Thanks!!! And I can't wait to have to buy new clothes, I love shopping!!! You are sooo lucky, summer clothes sales are about to get really good!!!

manders01 Sounds like a great plan! And you've lost so much already, you can totally do this...


Good morning and happy Sunday CC'ers!!! Today I weighed in at 240.6 which I'll take since I have been kind of OP since that ice cream on Friday (I had KFC yesterday!!! But I managed to stay under my calories for Saturday, think I came in at 1,456 but waaaaaay too much sugar and fat) and come to find out the Baby Shower is actually today, so there will be lots of tempting food and drinks there, I'm just going to try and make good choices (only a small plate of a few things I really want) and only ONE sliver of cake, and only if its a kind of cake I really like.

jdonato- I eat lots of strawberries, grapes & any citrus fruit as a duretic, they are high in water content, watermelon is good too. They make you run to the bathroom all day!

Yesterday was an eating disaster, I did good til after lunch. I found hubby's peanut butter he had hidden( which wasn't hidden that well) he was too lazy to lock it up in the safe. I ate the whole jar except for a few servings he had eaten. Then I ate 5 Reese's eggs. I do good for 6 days then I blow it everytime! Gained 2 lbs already, now it's back to struggling to lose it again.

Today I did good, was still full from yesterday. Had 1350 calories, rode the bike for 22min, walked for 20min. & ate all clean food. I'm fed up!

~OMG ~I am so bad at checking in this challenge~I am one worn out lady...My kids run me from one place to another(boys have new friends ~daughter has a boyfriend I adore~so far anyways) & The nice weather coming in makes me wanna be outside as much as possible (it was 82 today)since I was stuck indoors all winter due to my stupid asthma~I hope y'all forgive me.


Jdonato~So glad to see u again girl!


Welcome to all those that are new to the challenge



~Again so sorry for not checking in very much~

My todays weight was 127.8 (at my bottom of my maintaining number~Must be where I am more active in the better weather) It's so scary to be in the 120's for me for some reason.....I think I am nuts ~honestly~LOL

Anyways I will try to check back in more often & ASAP~Got a gardners flower trade to go to Saturday (I Love it This will be my 3rd year going) ~i also gotta pick my daughter up from boyfriend house & drive him home from here all week & take the boys to do things all week too & Remember to eat lots of calories~1800 aint doing it. I am too active right now~ LOVE U ALL!!! TAKE CARE!!

Just popping in to say hi. Haven't had time to read due to lots of homework but I hope everyone is doing well. I'm hoping to see a loss tomorrow.

Woke up this morning and saw that I gained 2lbs. I was under calories and I played softball yesterday. The only things i can think of is i'm a few days before TOM and since i was exercising so much i may be swollen and retaining some water...eitherway not to happy about it. Still keeping OP today.

Ekicna: I hope you get a loss too! :)

Lori259: I missed you soo much! I'm glad to see you too :) and btw you are sooo skinny! congrats, you have done so well ;) Are your kids on spring break? Alot of ppl at work here have their kids on spring break and have been busying running around.

fruitlady: Thanks for the help! I coudn't pick up watermelon yet, the only ones they have are the small individual size, and it's not worth the price, I'll wait until they big ones come out. I'm forcing as much health food as possible right now to "flush" out my system. And sorry to hear about the hubby's peanut butter...i hate it when they keep their bad foods around, especially when they know it's a temptation of ours. Today's a new day and beginning of the week, so you can start fresh.


Fit4Lyfe: Thanks for the congrats, though it was as if it never happend when I weighed in this morning :( I hate how the female body works. Men can eat anything and lose so much...grrrrr...anyway I hope the baby shower went well and keep up the good work :)

k15g15: way to go on the yard work! I hate yard work but I know it's great exercise.

manders01: i'm happy you are finding your balance, it's good to get it all down on paper and the sign on the fridge is awesome! We are all here to support you so let us know what you need :) Softball was great! I'm so sore and realized how out of shape i am lol so back to the gym I go!

NorthernExposure: Congrats on the new clothes! And I love shoes too! I can't wait to go shopping for summer shoes. I'm very proud of you, it's the best feeling having to buy new clothes cuz your others ones are too big, and it's very nice that you are giving your old clothes away to goodwill.

So far, so good! :) No snacking yesterday because I was able to identify that I wasn't hungry when the desire to eat overcame me. I think sometimes that isn't always going to work. There are going to be times where I'm going to want dessert after dinner and as long as I have the calories available to have it, I will decide on a case by case basis if I have it. However, my day wasn't totally a success cause I was feeling totally lazy and didn't go for a walk. :o So my net calories was higher than I was aiming for but I'm actually okay with that.

Aiming for 1520 calories today (no evening snack planned) with weights and cardio that burn approximately 460 calories for a net of 1060.

Thank you all!!! :hug:

PS Glad softball was fun jdonato! I've been searching online to find a team. Hopefully I get lucky and find one.

Have you ordered some PB2 yet? The reason I ask is because I find not only does it's being low-cal help me out overall, but the fact that it's powdered helps with the binges. I find that most of the time when I binge, it's not about preparing things, it's about instant satisfaction. So I would always reach for the regular PB over it. Now that the regular PB is gone, I'm not going to buy more. Maybe if the hubby likes the PB2 you can ditch the regular PB altogether.

I think it's great that you got back on track just like that. I know you can stay there! Good luck! :hug:

Good morning ladies!!! Today I officially burst through my Easter Goal and weighed in at 240.4 this morning...so I moved my goal to 239 now (only because Lily$lim won't allow my "current" weight to be outside of my "goal" weight) and I am super excited!!! That is all, off to do my walk!

Congratulations!!! :cb:

Congrats fit4lyfe!!

I saw no loss today. In fact, I gained 4oz. I haven't exercised like I need to because I am so tired lately. I did get in a 1 mile walk yesterday.

Good day ladies.
I'm having a great day. I got up this morning walked a mile on the treadmill and did my kettle bell workout. I been eating good healthy vittles and took a 1.5 mile walk around campus for lunch. Of course all that working out has made me extra hungry but I have been sticking with lots of protein. Feeling good!!!

Let's make this week a good for your body week.

I ended last night kind of poorly, the boyfriend was soooo excited to cook dinner for me. I got to his place to find the patio set up with tiki torches and the grill was going, and he had my favorite light beer in a cooler full of ice. He drug me over to the fridge and showed me the "super healthy" turkey brats that he bought just for me. I looked at them and, instead of pointing out that they had just as many calories as regular brats, a RIDICULOUS amount of sodium, AND that they were filled with pepperjack cheese... I just kissed him hard and told him he was so damn wonderful. What else? ;)

So I was up again this morning from heavy night-time calories and sodium, but I wouldn't trade it for anything, because our little grill-out/date-night-in was worth it. :yes:

I'm feeling GREAT about this week, SO looking forward to seeing a big loss next Monday. I've been feeling awesome today after my healthy oatmeal breakfast and my big, fresh salad for lunch. :carrot:

PS - P H A T - LOVING your outlook on life, congrats on the awesome loss! :D