I'm starting the thread for August because this has really helped me in the past months and I'd like to keep it going.

Boatingmommy and Kfunk: I hope you ladies continue too.

My goals this month are to track daily in eTools, workout at least 4 times a week and avoid too much snacking on the weekends.

Here is to a great month!

Hi Ladies,

I hope you all are doing okay.

Had a good day. No binges and down another pound. Focusing more on tracking every bite this week.

GettinFit - Hey chickie! Glad you started a new thread. I didn't see any response and feared that you weren't interested. I am here with you! Well, my month of forsworn alcohol is over so I went and had margaritas Thursday. HUGE MISTAKE!!! I felt like crap, and of course the scale went up today. We are heading to the lake in a bit and I am going to go work out as soon as I get off of here. Think I'm packing some tea and some water. Just not feeling the beer and the bloat. I need to work on tracking everything. I usually track breakfast and lunch really well, but then fall off in the evening. I don't typically eat after dinner time, but I should be tracking dinner more strictly. I'll work on this with you.

Okay, I hope you have a great day. I am trying to get to 179 in August. You keep cheering me and I'll cheer you on, too!

kfunk - Sending you hugs and hoping that you see this and come back to us! Hope all is well!

I am so glad to see that you guys kept this thread going!! I missed you guys!!

gettnfit - congrats on being another pound down and another no binge day!!

boatingmommy - I peaked in the other thread and it looks like you made it the whole month alcohol free and made it to the 185's to end out your month!!!!!

I didn't intend to disappear.. my husband was out of town for work all last week and I was so wiped out from work and the kids that I went to bed by 8 every night. Training has been brutal because I teach the class all day and then still have all my regular work to catch up on. I am just taking a little break and will have to get back to it. Luckily, the weather is rainy today so I am not missing out on a nice day. My mood is much, much better after being on my medication for a couple weeks. As for my diet, I had a 4 day string of good choices but then Thursday and Friday were awful. Today has been good though and I am hopeful that I can get back to a normal routine. I will have to adjust my ticker again tomorrow after I weigh in. This time I am positive I will see the 170's. It is super frustrating to have been so close to my goal to undo so much of my progress.

i'm still stalking this thread - because you're all interesting posters!!!
kfunk - super happy to hear that you're getting more positive and are getting back in to it. I know your weight gain must be really frustrating, but looking in from afar, it's a really valuable bit of experience if you can get back to the normal routine now - you'll be able to look back any time in the future and say 'well I did it then, I can do it again now'. I keep searching out for these stories for my own motivation because too many times, someone is going super well, then things start to drift, then you never hear from them again, and there's not enough stories of people hitting a rough patch, but then getting back on track quite quickly. You're the exception!!
boating and gettin' - nice work the both of you

Well hello chickies!!! It's Sunday Funday...but first I have to do my posting and get my house cleaned. The kitchen floor has enough grass on it from coming and out out, you'd think I planted some inside!

Well, boating was pretty good yesterday. I took two Michelob Ultras with me and that was plenty. I also took some tea and water. We stopped on the way home and had dinner (yummy burger which was not OP) and I had one more beer. Then I was done. We sat on the patio and my husband had a few more...I think he misses his drinking buddy, but I've got to draw the line somewhere.

GettinFit - You are getting closer and closer to onederland! Just wait until you change that ticker!!!

kfunk- So happy to know we didn't lose you along the way. Sound like work is really brutal right now. That stinks! How long do you have to teach? I am glad you are feeling better and the meds are helping. I know you had a few days of slip ups, but at least you had the 4 ahead of them! You'll find your way back to it. I'm thinking I need to mix things up a bit. I was losing like gangbusters, and it's kind of stalled.

Ange - Stalk us anytime. We welcome everyone's input!

Okay, I'm supposed to start breakfast! Have a great one ladies!

Ange - Hiiii!!! I miss you! Based on your ticker it seems like maintenance is going well for you!! This is scary for me to be in such a vulnerable position; just 6 weeks ago I felt so strong and knew this time was different and there was no way I would go back to where I was, but I will always have an unhealthy relationship with food. I really appreciate all of your support, it helps to remind me to keep my eyes on the prize.

boatingmommy - great job on the boat yesterday!! Its awesome that you can bring a couple beers with you and feel satisfied with that! Training will be done on Tuesday and then my involvement will decrease quite a bit. Stay patient and consistent and it will keep coming off.

gettnfit - I hope that you are having a great weekend!

I forgot to weigh in this morning, but I had a had a good day yesterday. I am hoping to increase my water consumption today and continue to make good food choices. I have to clean the house, pay bills and log back in to work.

Hello! I am having to post tonight due to chaos at home this morning. Had a sick kiddo (who is 20 and still needs her mama). I also had a Dr. appointment myself at 8:00 a.m. so I didn't have time to post.

Tomorrow is one week down for August - Not seeing great progress so far. I did well with the minimal drinks while boating on Saturday, but sat with hubby and had a few drinks yesterday evening while working on finalizing some vacation plans. Not a wise choice. The scale didn't notice this morning, but I bet it will tomorrow. I am going to go and put a workout DVD in as soon as I'm done posting.

kfunk - Sounds like you had a super busy day yesterday. The housework never ends! I usually get up on Sunday mornings and do a run through with the vacuum and mop. I wish it burned more calories! I know you will be glad once training is over and you are less stressed. It's almost Tuesday! Hang in there!

GettinFit - Hello Lady! Whatcha been up too? Hope you are doing well.

Today's weight: 184.6

Okay, I've got a date with the VCR! Talk to you all later!

boatingmommy- I hope that the scale was kind to you this morning!! I hope that your daughter is feeling better today.

All day training is finally complete, yay!! I will still have to spend a couple hours per day with individualized training but that is so much better than it was. My scale broke after less than a year, very disappointing! We replaced the Taylor brand scale with a WW scale and I will finally hop on it tomorrow to see where I am at. I am a bit nervous, I feel heavy and my clothes are tight. It is amazing how noticeable a 10-15 lb. gain is at this weight, I can really tell that my thighs have filled out.

I forgot to post yesterday but had a good day, today was also good. I need to drink more water though, I have been really slacking.

I hope that everyone had a great day!!

kfunk - I saw your post and wanted to drop in to say hi. Nice to see you. I haven't done a weight loss challenge since May. I signed up for the August weight loss thread so I'll see how things go. I managed to maintain since May so I'm glad about that but really want to get this last 10 lbs off. In July I was working on increasing my activity and I've been doing well with that but my weight hasn't moved much. I read about your struggles and I can so relate to the problems with depression. It makes weightloss so much more difficult because so many of the drugs for depression cause weight gain in addition to other side effects. It's tough to deal with. I struggle with the same thing and find that exercise does help somewhat but it's something that I have to do at least 5 days a week. I can really relate to you as I struggle with major depression on a daily basis and it's a very challenging illness to deal with.

ange, boatingmommy and gettinfit - waving hi

Good evening ladies!! Hope you all had a good day and are relaxing for the evening. We just got back from some shopping. Trying to get things ready to head to the Lake of the Ozarks tomorrow. We are staying with friends and we always take them some gormet popcorn and snacks...none of which I should eat! They have a gorgeous condo on the Lake so we try and do a little something for them when we go. The scale didn't budge, which is a blessing after the drinks on Sunday. Usually it takes two days for it to show up on the scale, but not this time. Working out till I thought I would die Sunday morning and Monday night must have helped. I am dreading this weekend, though. I packed my Turbo Jam DVDs and plan to tell our hosts to go to breakfast without me at least two days so I can work out and have my light breakfast. I'm not saying I won't drink this weekend, but really hope to stick to moderation levels.

GettinFit - Hope all is well with you and you are sticking to your plan!

kfunk - Thank you, my daughter was better today and made it to work. Sorry your scale died (taps playing in the background). I have a WW scale and I like it, except that it saves your weight and sometimes i have to step on and off a couple of times to get the correct weight for the day...but mine is really old. It is amazing that just a little weight can make you feel different. I am struggling with the whole packing part of going to Disney. I have shorts in various sizes. I have about 6 pairs in size 18 and about 6 pairs in size 16...(and in size 14 and 12 Why I hang onto all those tubs of clothes instead of staying the same size is beyond me). I am just wondering which ones I will get to take to Disney. Hoping the 16s, but then have to pair them with tops!...it's a crazy dilemma.

flower1 - Glad to have you stop in here! I am on the August weight loss thread, too! Good luck to you!

Okay, I am heading to the shower and then to read until bedtime! Nighty-night!

Hello ladies,

I didn't mean to dessert you but I have been super busy this week. I will catch up on reading your posts later tonight. I'm excited to see everyone back and posting
to all those joining in the challenge.
Kfunk, I'm glad you are feeling better!

Boatingmonny, enjoy your trip.

I've had some minor struggles this week with snacking. I had too many Pop Chips, too much popcorn and too much cheddar rice cakes. I need to not bring any of that stuff in the house until I can get control of snacking.

Have a great Wednesday everyone.

Flower- It is SO nice to see you, I am really happy you popped in to say hi!!That is awesome that you have maintained since May, because that is such a difficult part of the weight loss formula!!!I think that I will join you on the August challenge thread, I have been away from that thread since the end of June and I have gained 15 lbs. back.Great job increasing your activity!!What have you been doing for exercise lately?I am sure that working out would help me feel better, so I need to stop making excuses and just do it already!!It is really nice to hear from someone who understands what it is like to be depressed so your words mean more than you know .

Boatingmommy- I am so happy that the scale didn’t bump up for you!! Awesome job pushing yourself to the max the past couple of workouts!It sounds like you are going to have an amazing time at the Lake, it sounds like you have a great plan in place!I am glad that your daughter is feeling better; it is so hard watching your child not feel well, no matter their age.This WW scale registers my weight so fast, I am not sure I like that!!It has me heavier than the old one did despite me doing better lately… You have about 6 weeks to go until your Disney vacation?That is so exciting!! I also had a variety of clothes in every size under the sun!!

Gettnfit- I hope that your week starts to slow down soon. I think that keeping your snacks out of the house for a while sounds like a great plan!!!I weighed in this morning at 170.9 which was higher than I had expected, but it is what it is. Time to get it off!!I felt SO much better when I weighed 155 so I am excited to get back down there again.

kfunk - I live in an area of British Columbia that has so many beautiful hiking trails and mountains so I often go hiking on one of the trails. I find hiking on the trails in nature to be very relaxing and the scenery is stunning. I belong to a walking group and also a hiking group. This weekend I will be going on a 4 hour hike on one of our mountains. Some of the hikes have many steep hills so I manage to get cardio on these hikes too. I was going to try to add in some weights as well but I think I will wait until the fall. I like to be outside as much as I can in the summer months and in the winter I spend more time in the gym. I'm glad you're starting to feel better as this will help with getting back on track. And remember that overall you've lost close to 90 lbs! That is fantastic!

boatingmommy - I hope you have a great time at the lake.

gettinfit - I like your idea about keeping snacks out of the house for a while. I have to do the same thing.