Just wanted to say thanks to all of you for being here and doing this. Having a group to share with really helps on the accountability front!

Takingcharge - that's interesting that you found running outside harder than on the treadmill. Did you run along a hilly route? Hills can make a HUGE difference. I have the opposite issue - when I travel for work and run in the hotel fitness center on the treadmill, running the same amount of time I do back home seems absolutely endless!!

Blueridge - That must be great to be so close to a mini-goal! I'm impressed by your greens intake - I can deal with spinach but haven't been able to cosy up to kale and collard greens. And that dress will be fitting before you know it!!

Fat pants - thanks for sharing your schedule - it looks like a good one. I'm going to try to have two rest days a week (at least, no running) which looks roughly like what you're doing and seems like it gives your body a chance to recover.

Madison - I'm sure you'll be right back on schedule in no time!

I'm going to keep a running list of the week's exercise at the bottom of my posts to keep myself on plan, at least for a while until it becomes a habit.

Exercise this week:
6/8 - 90 min walk
6/9 - 45 min jog

Better get back to work : )

That's so interesting! I guess I've heard different things from different people, but it's prob all about what you're used to. My route was pretty flat, with a few inclines and declines along the way, but nothing extreme at all. Being able to run outside is so nice! You can just take a pair or running shoes with you anywhere you go and have access to free exercise! I'm so tired this morning and am gonna cut myself some slack and skip the morning workout, but with a plan to work out when I get home from work (I really hope I will!).

I keep seeing the scale slowly going down. Just a little bit everyday. I'm going to keep up what I've been doing. Thanks for the motivation and accountability!

Gatorgirl - keep up the good work! That's awesome.

I'm a little frustrated - nothing's happening scalewise and I'm keeping exactly to plan with more exercise than usual. So frustrating! I know I just need to be patient but that's not one of my strengths : )

Any tips for coping when the scale won't budge?

Dancer, I actually wanted to jump online and share my frustrations, too. Lately I've been mega-bloated, feeling like someone is inflating a balloon inside my abdomen. Which of course means that the numbers on the scale are going up (today I stepped on and it said 218! AAAAAACKK!) And of course the bloat doesn't help in terms of smaller clothes fitting me, either. I know I'm not gaining fat, and I know that I'm doing things right and sticking to my plan, but it is still disheartening. I tell myself that it's not all about the number, but some days it is hard to convince myself!

I think the cause of the bloat is metformin, which I take for insulin resistance, and which can cause bloat, gastrointenstinal issues, etc. I'm on 2000 mg/day, and since I've lost 20ish pounds, I'm now wondering if I'm having side effects that I didn't before because there is less of me for the meds to impact on, if that makes sense. I'm seeing my endocrinologist on Monday, and am hoping a) that he will be impressed with my weight loss and b) that he can help me to address the bloating issue. Beyond changing the numbers on the scale, it's also just plain uncomfortable.

Okay, I'm done with my pity party, just had to air my frustrations. Thanks everyone for your support.

dancer- I wasn't seeing much of a change for a while and got frustrated and started eating a little more. Surprisingly that caused me to lose more weight. Sometimes your body just needs you to shake it up a little. Maybe try something new for a week and see how that works. These are the times that make weight loss difficult. Its easy when you see it working, but when that scale won't budge, then you feel like its all for nothing. Just find a way to make it new. That will help you stay on track and maybe it will kick your body into gear. Good luck.

Blueridge- Maybe check your sodium intake and possibly reduce it. Also, carbonated drinks. Sodium and carbonation make me bloat more, and since the med your taking is prone to it, then maybe reducing those will help. The best advice is what you are already doing: check with your doctor. Hope you feel better.

blueridge - it must be incredibly frustrating to feel like your medication is working against you, if only temporarily (I hope). You are definitely entitled to some healthy venting!! I just googled metformin and bloating and it looks like there are a lot of ideas out there, besides whatever your doctor tells you, of course - including eliminating caffeine and processed carbs, which might be worth a shot if you haven't tried it already. In any case, I feel for you - hope you figure out a way through this tough patch!

Gatorgirl - Thanks for the thoughts - I'll see if I can mix it up a bit : )

I seem to be having the same problem with the scale. So frustrating!! My plan is to eat fewer of my calories at night/after dinner (200ish instead of 400ish) and really cut down on processed snacks, like sugar free pudding or 100cal packs. I think, for me, the kind of food is as important as the number of calories, but I keep "conveniently" forgetting that part! Keep on truckin!

Hey guys, I had joined the challenge and then went on vacation to hawaii and then came back 1 1/2 weeks before finals and had to catch up. Not sure how the 20 year olds party work and school, I have a hard time just with family and school!

To say the least I almost forgot my name much less to come check in! Everyone still going strong, are check ins still on Monday? I hope by Monday that my weight gain from vacation (I am allergic to gluten and had to eat a bunch while there so lots of bloat from that) will be gone, if not I may be above my start weight :(

Gonna try to catch up a bit on the forum, keep on keepin on!

Thanks, everybody for your commiseration - I skipped two doses of metformin and feel somewhat less bloated, and today the scale was at 216 which is moderately less discouraging, even though my plan was to be at 212 or 213 by this week.

Taking Charge - my experience is that the 'lite' or diet foods like the 100 cal snack packs and lite pudding really don't do it for me and don't leave me feeling satisfied. I find that a square of dark chocolate and a few almonds leave me more satiated, plus then there's the benefits of protein in the almonds and antioxidants in the dark chocolate. I also find smoothies (w/ fruit like berries, fat free organic skim milk, fat free organic plain yogurt) to be a filling and healthy snack - although my portion size can get away from me sometimes...) I also agree that cutting down later-in-the-day calories is good. I try to not eat after dinner, which is usually at about 6 pm for me. I've heard the rule of thumb to eat a relatively big breakfast, a moderate sized lunch, and a lighter dinner which is what I've been trying to do and have been fairly successful.

Edzard - welcome back, good to have you with us again.

Hey blueridge. Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better. Bloating is an awful feeling!

I really love your advice and will need all of your help sticking to it! I ate a good dinner last night and then an orange about an hour later, and no snack packs, and that was it, and the scale is down this morning, so I think that works best for my body. The problem is that my meals are usually pretty low in cals (salad with chicken 200, chicken breast with veggies 250), so I'll have calories left over at night and will just eat some little snacks even though I really don't need them. So today, I'm having a big lunch, which I know will seem like a lot of food, but it will leave me with fewer calories for the evening so I can't have more than one snack. It's more mental than anything for me, as I'm so used to snacking at night, but right now, I just need to steer clear! Thanks again for the advice!

It's almost the weekend! Woohoo!

Takingcharge - You are way ahead of me on this weight loss thing so you clearly know how to do diet better than I do but according to some of the stuff I read it might work for you to add a few healthy fats to your low-cal meals (staying within your limits) like some sliced almonds in your salad, some olive oil in your dressing or some avocado slices with your chicken and veggie dinner. Those kinds of healthy fats tend to make you feel full too.

Scale still isn't budging for me despite lots of exercise and sticking to plan. I'm hoping for a good day tomorrow : ) Keep on truckin', ladies!

I agree about eating at night. I had been great until last night. All day was good, but then I had a small snack right before bed. Today was the first day that the scale went up (.2) in a while. I am going to try not to snack at night and see if it goes back down.

Good luck everyone!

Thinking about eating at night...if you think of food as fuel, well, you wouldn't fill up your car to have it sit in the garage, you fill it with fuel when you are going to be active. Same sort of deal, I think. I started a new job in December and I find that I go to bed earlier and get up at bit earlier (usually in bed by 10:30 or so, and up between 7-8 am) and that makes it easier to avoid night snacking...can't eat while you're sleeping LOL.

I think that eating 5 times a day: breakfast, am snack, lunch, pm snack, and dinner are the best way to go, at least for me though I will admit I don't make that goal every day, or even necessarily most days. It definitely takes planning - carrying around nuts and seeds in my backpack, or arranging my schedule so I can stop by my house to make a smoothie, that kind of thing.

Dancer - and everybody else! - keep up the good work.

Hey everyone. Thanks for chiming in! I tried to have a bigger lunch today but was too full, so I had 2 afternoon snacks instead of 1. New favorite snack: 1/2 whole grain double fiber english muffin (they're so good!) with 1tbl PB and SF Jelly. I cut it in half and folded it over so there was PB and jelly spilling out the sides...yummm!! So filling and delicious for 155 cals.

Dancer - you're doing great so keep up the good work! The scale WILL move eventually.