Hi everyone!
Sorry I've been missing for a while! The day before I was going to leave for Colorado (Wednesday 12th) I got some stomach issues. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I ate an egg sandwich and then suddenly was on the toilet so it could have been bad eggs. I felt run down and nauseous for most of the day, which again, could've been food related but it also could have been pre-travel jitters. I think I have an over active mind and can easily get sick, especially when a flight is involved. It's so annoying because it's not like I choose to feel like crap!
Since I arrived I think I've been fighting off one heck of a cold that I might have been developing before I left, but probably made worse by the flight. I've been taking some vitamins and my FIL offered me a probiotic pill to take and I've been taking that once a day. It definitely has helped with my stomach problems, especially since the morning after I landed I woke up in a cold sweat feeling nauseous again. I've noticed since taking the probiotic my appetite has gone way down, which could be the cold I'm fighting off? I dunno, my health overall has been a bit freaky for almost a week! I won't know for sure what happened until enough time has passed, but today I'm definitely feeling a cold is brewing. I kinda want to just stop taking vitamins and let it ruin me to get it over and done with, but I'm also on vacation and don't want to be stuck inside with a cold!
The wedding that I'm here in Colorado for was really nice. I got to get my makeup and hair done, which was awesome, and the day went by without any problems. On a personal level, I really hated seeing myself in pictures that I saw. It made me realise that I have to keep working hard and make sure that the for the next wedding I'm going to I won't feel as self conscious. My in-laws haven't said anything about my weight gain, they've treated me like normal which I appreciate, but obviously it's easy to see that I've ballooned a bit since they last saw me. Especially since my MIL has lost about 15 lbs and is tiny now. Seeing her eat so well and exercise has actually been kind of inspiring, because even though she was always thinner (maybe on the cusp of overweight but not by much), she's worked really hard to be healthy. Also, I think being in CO in general and seeing people eat a lot healthier is another wake up call! Even though it is kinda upsetting that I'm back in the 180's, back to obesity, I feel like I've got a lot to prove to myself and the people who know me. Even though my weight loss is for me and me alone, I can't deny that there'll be immense satisfaction from having people see the result of my hard work!
I'm gonna fill out my chart the best I can, since I haven't been weighing consistently, but the positive about being sick/lack of appetite is I've managed to lose weight while being here!
Week Two
09/10:
183.8 lbs
09/11:
184.6 lbs
09/12:
183.9 lbs
~Vacation to Colorado~
09/13: 182.4 lbs
09/14: 182.4 lbs
09/15: 182.4 lbs
09/16: 182.4 lbs
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Avg Weight for Week One: 183.9 lbs
Avg Weight for Week Two: 183.2 lbs
Total Loss for Week Two:0.7 lbs
Week Three
09/17: 181.9 lbs
09/18:
09/19:
09/20:
~Home~
09/21:
09/22:
09/23:
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Avg Weight for Week Two: 183.2 lbs
Avg Weight for Week Three: 181.9 lbs
Total Loss for Week Three: 1.3 lbs
RunningRedHead - I'm following the Hal Higdon 5K Novice training kinda. I do 2 runs a week instead of 3, just so I can fit in more cross training! So I do the medium and long distance runs for the week and skip the short distance ones. Wow, huge congrats on your coat fitting you with room to spare! I can't wait for old clothes to fit again!! I'm too poor to buy new ones
somedaysunny - So sorry about your health problems! Hope you feel better soon!
Chunk - Woohoo, so glad that your new workout routine fits in with your needs! I think taking a break will be great for you both fitness wise and for your studies. Have you found a routine yet or are you still figuring out the nitty gritty?
skittles - Hi there, so great to see you back! Good luck with getting to your goal!
curvy - Eep, sorry that your work left you feeling drained! I'm glad you managed to maintain in such a tiring week, I know I probably would've turned to food for help! Good job!!
Lacerta - Glad to hear you're starting the contest off strong, keep it up!
MorningGlory - Great to see you and I'm so sorry that you're feeling out of sorts after your gain. Weight loss is as much a mental journey as it is just tweaking what we eat. Sugar is so dangerous, because it does release a rush that can become addictive. For me sometimes it's not so much my body needs sugar, but my mind wants it too. After regaining weight since my last Halloween challenge, I honestly just had to go back to basics. I had to forgive myself first and foremost that I had regained. Starting again with anger, sadness, regret is not a good way to start a weight loss journey. I don't want to say that I tried to forget that I lost weight before, because the skills I learned a beneficial to me, but I also had to learn about myself in a new way. I'm different now than who I was when I first joined 3FC, my life is completely different, so my goals and my techniques need to be different now too. It's sort of like working with a blank canvas and using your past work as a reference point, but you don't want to copy and paste what you did before, because this is a completely new painting. I do enjoy metaphors, sorry if that doesn't make sense
I always always tell people and you can take it or leave it - don't start a plan that you can't keep up for the rest of your life. Weight loss has to be a lifestyle change, and what might work in the short term might not be sustainable for the long term and can cause people to regain quickly.
You can do it, let me know if you need any help figuring out your new plan of attack!
Cattails - Congrats on seeing 128 lbs! I think if you did start exercise, you probably will see a gain because of your muscle increase, so I'd highly recommend to make the switch to measuring from the scale to the tape measure. It's amazing how many inches we can lose and not see anything on the scale! I'm so sorry you experience migraines, I had my first one last week (I don't know what caused it) but it was horrible. Thankfully it was mild enough that paracetamol took care of it, so I can't imagine how much of a struggle it must be to live with them!
I'll definitely make a habit of it. I have a lot of reading to get done before a 2 pm class tomorrow, so I'm not sure if I'll have time to take a break for exercise. I should be able to if I wake up early. I've been getting up at around 7, but I'm going to try pushing that earlier. The only problem is I don't want to wake up so early that I'm all tired out by the time my evening classes roll around. Decisions, decisions. 
Some food habits can be so hard to give up. Good luck! For me, my brain wants cheese, Marcona almonds, and dried figs. I'd eat that nearly every day if it weren't so many calories! 
There have been a few times when I didn't care about gaining weight, and all of those times had something in common-- I didn't weigh. So I know what you mean about trouble starting when you stop. I can also do fine not weighing though. It doesn't lead me to gaining weight, but it makes it easier for me to gain weight if I've already decided not to care. So I think if I get hit with that "giving up" feeling, I'll make myself weigh! That way, I'll at least see the damage very clearly and maybe that'll encourage me to care again.
!
. Eating and exercise has been non-existent so I'm grateful that I've managed to maintain my starting weight instead of gaining. 
to those who are seeing progress and never surrender for the rest of us 
but was really expecting more. Hopefully I can break through this plateau soon and get the scale moving downward again.
