tkm - No fear - I'm here holding the fort for you. I never lose that it doesn't go back up and down for awhile. :dizzy:

I have been writing down everything I eat, plus my weight everyday since Dec. 5, 2009. So I can look back and see the progress that I have made and also how I went up and down so many times - also how often I stayed the same for so long. But the whole picture shows a downward trip. So anyone just starting please stay with it. :)

Some days are easy and some days are hard - but in the long run it is all so worth it. I know I have only reached one goal. I wonder if it will be even harder to maintain. The journey continues......:spin:

Took a week to get back down to 121.6. LOL. I know, I know. Not a huge difference, and my scale probably has that much error.

Today I was in a funk. For some reason seeing a 2 pound loss on the scale demoralized me. It means I am succeeding and I need to keep going. Isn't that strange that success would freak me out. Well, it does.

Anyway, I couldn't make myself exercise b/c I felt pressure to do it. It felt like an obligation rather than a pleasure. So, I skipped my run. My eating was fine today- actually better than usual in that I ate more vegetables. And had more fat in my diet. I tend to eat very low fat, not on purpose but do to my food choices.

Tomorrow, I'll probably feel better and more used to the idea that I am about to break the 140's. Being a featherweight is taking some getting used to. :)

chickie - I know just how you feel. Everytime I get on the scale and I lose, I feel a burst of joy that is soon followed by a feeling of near panic (I always figured it was the fear of being able to stay at the new low weight).

I am glad to know that I'm not the only one that gets the strange double feeling. Since I usually go back up before I go back down maybe I feel like; "oh no - here goes the rollar coaster ride again." Anyway that's why looking back over my 4 month log helped me see the long term progress.
Hope you have a Terrific Tuesday. :)

Yesterday was a really tough day emotionally. Work is really stressful and I think I am getting scared about approaching my goal weight. I'm used to failure, not success and I feel pressure to continue the progress. I gave myself permission not to exercise and ate a very healthy dinner. I'm glad I skipped the run- exercise should be uplifting not drudgery.

And this morning, I had a shock... I weighed myself at work and it said I was 138.5. I weighed myself multiple times, but same result. That is simply impossible. I am losing weight, but not at this rate. Friday I was 142, yesterday 140 and today 138.5. According to the scale, I lost 3.5 pounds in 4 days. :eek: The scale must be broken.

Oh well, I need to stay on plan despite the fact that I don't know what I actually weigh. I'll buy a scale today & recalibrate my weigh ins.

Having Indian food with a friend tonight. I want to stay on plan today. I'm ordering the food so I will do some Googling and come up with a sensible meal.

That's my lengthy update. How are you all today? :D

MC -- Take a deep breath, you can do this :yes: AND continue a healthy lifestyle... I think you're just going through, what I call, a WHOOSH :lol: I wish I would get those downward Whooshes more often...

Here, same ole, same ole... Yesterday food was on plan, ran and made it to the gym... Today, food WILL be on plan, my exercise today will be raking the lawn...It's gorgeous out...

Hi Feathers!

I am at 126 today. The weight did a little drop this week. About 3 weeks ago, I actually did see 125 on the scale, but the next day I went out of town and gained 3 lbs over the course of a few days. So, I've been hovering around my goal of 125, but haven't hit it solidly just yet!

Just got done running and it does feel great! Now that I finished the Couch to 5K program, I'm trying to work in ways to keep up the running. So far, I've just continued to run for 30 minutes 3X a week. I haven't used my elliptical machine in a long time, though, so I need to maybe incorporate that back in somehow. Right now, I walk 1x a week with a friend for about an hour, and sometimes I go to a step aerobics class, but it's been inconsistent due to my crazy schedule. I'm trying to keep myself on track with exercising regularly.

My food choices are just all over the place. I'll do really really well for days on end, then I kinda blow it by eating silly things like my kids' candy/goldfish crackers or handful upon handful of peanuts or cashews. I always lose it either right after the kids get home from school or after dinner. Those are such danger times for me. After school, it's stress out time, with me trying to get the kids to finish homework, get dressed for baseball practice or get dinner on the table. Also, they raid the cabinets after school, eating everything in sight and it makes me want to eat too! It's tough. After dinner, it's like I finally want to relax, watch tv and have a snack. This is okay, except I over-do it on the snacks quite often. One bowl of popcorn can turn into 2, and so on. So far, it hasn't hurt TOO much in the weight loss, but I really need to break this cycle of eating.

The crazy thing is, I went out to eat a few times this weekend, and was able to completely resist things like appetizers (which others at the table were eating), sips of my kids' milkshakes (which were just sitting there calling my name), and french fries. But then, I'd get home and eat some Cheez-Its or Goldfish crackers. WHY???? It's silly!

The weather is gorgeous around here, too! I'm going to get out and enjoy this day. And hopefully resist these silly snacks that seem to have a hold over me!

Kellost, I find the same thing -- being around the kids and all their eating makes it very hard to stay on plan. Yesterday I realized just how much of my day I spend feeding people, and how our staggered mealtimes and many snacks mean I'm prepping/serving/clearing food all day long! My youngest is 15 months old, so he eats all the time -- small meals and lots of snacks -- and then when I add the girls, who get home from school at different times, it means there is a constant flow of temptation. :( I think I will start planning my whole food day and writing it down in advance, so that when a half an apple or a few bites of PBJ pass by me, I can say, "No, that's not on my menu for today!"

I am inexplicably at 132.4 this morning. Why is it when the scale goes up, I think, "Oh no, I've packed on the pounds again, what was I thinking?" and when the scale dips down I think, "Probably just dehydrated. I'm sure it will be up tomorrow." Hopefully this number will hold for a couple days and not bounce back up!

I'm at 122.6 this morning. It's so annoying that 1 day of not exercising can cause you to gain 1 pound. It sucks that once I reach my goal weight, maintenance is the exact same thing as trying to lose the weight, because it's a constant battle to not put on weight.

DH said that I may be able to go to exercising every other day or 3 times a week, once I'm in awesome shape. Not so. I gain weight in the blink of an eye. I may as well be maintaining now. I need to do 30-1 hr of exercise to just not GAIN.

Kellost :carrot: 126 :carrot: Way to go! You have made such amazing progress - nothing can stop you now. Just keep on going. :)

Lab - I agree. Maintenance will not be magic. It will be just as much work as losing. It may even be harder if we start thinking we can eat anything we want to.

Hey all! Doing alright after a rough day...food was okay until tonight when I ate an unplanned snack, but it was less than 200 cals...no binge this time. Exercise got screwed up, but I snuck in a little during the evening but it wasn't the same. Time for bed now and here's to a much better day tomorrow!

I finally made it to the gym yestereday after 2 weeks. boy am I sore this morning. I was really hungry yesterday - but only ate the good stuff.
125.5 this morning - so I'm just hanging out in the neighborhood of 125.

We have company coming (2 sets) so there will be eating out.
On Sat. we will be out of town for a for a Dinner/Dance. (more eating out).
I know one meal out can put on 20 pounds - but the last time I ate out, it triggered 4 days on overeating. I must conquer this :devil:.

Hope your Wednesday is Wonderful! ;)

Yesterday felt like I was off plan because I didn't get a run in (walked instead) and ate Indian food for dinner. I felt like raiding the leftovers and last night was the time in two weeks I felt out of control. I didn't binge, logged onto 3FC and a woman had just posted about resisting her mother's brownies. I thought if she can do without, so can I.

At my official weigh in, I had held to 138.5 pounds. That 3.5 pounds for the week and 10.5 for April. My goal had been to be be 141 by the end of April.

I'm fussing about losing weight too fast, but my eating is healthier than it ever has been. Plenty of veggies, protein and enough fat. And I've had some treats like beer, pizza, and "buffalo pretzels" (my favorite).

I hope everyone has a good day. :hug:

*sigh* the rain is pouring today...after a week of sunshine, it's hard to be motivated to do anything when it is a dull grey day!

Down 3 lbs in the first week...getting weighed at lunch today again...scared that it will be lower and scared that it won't! Definitely can agree with the whole double emotion thing!

It's so nice to hear that other women have the same fears and issues that I do! 3FC site will definitely help me to reach my goal!!

Thanks to all the ladies on this site (and in this forum especially!)

Mc - I just read that the 2nd week is harder than the 1st week. So make sure you hang in there. The whole journey will be a lot of ups and downs - but the end goal is worth the work.

:goodluck: on the weigh-in and let us know how you did. :smug:

Rain Rain Go Away! But I'll run anyway...
 

The rain almost sabotaged my run today. It really started coming down when I was about a mile from home. I don't mind running in the rain so much but I had my son in the jog stroller and he was getting quite wet -- I'm sure the grannies in the neighborhood were aghast! But my son fell asleep so I stopped back at my house, covered the stroller in raincoats and went back out. Ran into a friend at 3.5 miles and ran with her for 3 more -- can't believe it! I haven't run that far since I hurt my hip last year.

It also reminded me how much, much more fun it is to run with a friend. I will have to make a better effort to run with some of the other women in my neighborhood.

Does anyone here watch the Biggest Loser? Last night Gabby Reece (the volleyball player) was promoting her line of activewear and talked about how when you're not motivated, a cute workout outfit can perk you up a bit. Amen, sister! Just went to Target and got a bunch of their C9 clothes. :)

Scale is at 133.4 today. Feeling good!

Wow, lots of you guys are doing great! Congratulations on the lower weights!!

Ugh, I'm not doing that well. I have gotten better about planning great menus and having really healthy food on hand. The execution not so great. I am starting to figure out the reasons behind this and how to get better at this - so hopefully I will get it sorted out soon.

Also exercise, so-so. I've gone hiking a few times, I walk whenever I can and I now do yoga about 3x/week - but haven't managed to get back into the running thing. It's a real hurdle for me. Oh well, one step at a time I suppose.

Someday I'll get it all together.:dizzy:

Seriously, it's great to hear about all of you who are doing so well. I hope to be one of you soon!!!!

Had a huge amount of food (in the form of snacks and Combos) today (sort of a stress/boredom-induced binge), and I have like 50 calories left for dinner. Ouch!

YAY!!:carrot: My first 5 lbs gone!!

Very exciting day for me! It makes all the weighing and measuring worth it!

Great McMommy! Congrats on your success. :carrot:

LabMonkeyGirl - Combos are a temptation of mine too. Hope dinner goes ok.

As for me, I am tired and burnt out at work. It's too busy here and I want to sleep for 24 hours straight. I want this month to end and have work get back to normal.

I need to force myself to go to bed at 9 pm tonight. Caffeine is not cutting it for me anymore. :(

Mc- :congrat:

Lab - you sound down today. Hope tomorrow is better.

Emma - This time around I am really trying to do things right and a big part of that is figuring out what my triggers are and learning how to get my head on straight. Some days I win :D --- some days he does :devil:.

But I am learning and the biggest change is not letting a detour get me so far off track I can't come back. If fact now; I can't wait to get back.

I know the dark force will return - but I think he is getting weaker and I'm getting stronger. :strong:

Here's an update. I felt stressed and depressed from work yesterday. I came home and used the rain as an excuse not to run. That's 3 days in a row. I ate an overly large dinner and then tried to raid my cabinet for a binge. Since I don't keep anything triggering in the house, I didn't binge. I thought about the bananas, but left them alone.

I tried to tell myself that a large meal is not a binge and to not worry about it. I went to bed very early and woke up at 5:30 am. I decided to get my run in early, so I trotted for a little over 3 miles, did some house cleaning, and walked 3 miles to work. I feel really glad I did that.

My plan today is to get out of work in one piece & I am think it might be nice to go for a leisurely bike ride.

Now that's how you get back on the wagon :yes: and :bravo:

Ilene - love your new picture.

Thank you danni it's at a wedding this week end just past... I you look at my profile there's a nice pic of the fam at home before leaving...

Ilene - nice family pic.

I have been cleaning all day. Company coming tonight and more company coming tomorrow. I will crash next week when everyone is gone and work on getting back on plan. ;)

Hi Feathers!

My update is basically that I keep doing great with running, and keep doing poorly with over-snacking! I'd like to blame it on running...that maybe I'm just hungrier. While this may be "sort" of true, I've over-snacked way past the point of satisfying hunger. And hunger would be better satisfied with other foods!

So running then snacking, running then snacking. That is my pattern this week.

Congrats on the losses MC!
Hang in there Emma!
Cute family, Ilene--looks like a fun night out!
Have fun with your guests, Danni, and stay on track when you can!
7lbs...wow, jogging in the rain with your son?? Amazing! Kudos to you!
Lab....you can do this!!!!!

kellost - when I was having a problem with over snacking at night, I finally was able to stop when I starting eating a huge salad around 4 in the afternoon. I have finally figured out that if I get too tired (I have usually been too busy to eat properly) and then I want to treat myself with some TV and a few snacks ----- well the ole :devil: was just waiting for that one. It happened again the other night after I had been working in the garden all day. I did over eat that night - but it was a big break through to be able to recgonize the pattern and break it the next day.

Good Luck figuring out your trigger --- but here's for the running. :carrot:

I went overboard on shirt shopping yesterday. I guess my new size made me greedy for pretty things. When I went to the Gap and saw a shirt I liked. I could tell from looking at it, that I would fit into an XS. It fit. Then I went to a store with more European sizing and their large shirts barely fit me. So I was brought back to earth. Curse vanity sizing.

Today my plan is to be as active as possible, despite no time to run. Today is a walking day. I've already walked 3 miles to work. And then I'll be doing another 4-5 miles of walking after work. I am tired of public transportation so walking is a relief.

I have a BBQ tonight and plan to have dinner there. I'm looking forward to it because I don't get nearly enough protein in my diet. I will fix a sensible plate and not get seconds. (I hope). I plan to have a beer there too. Then I'm supposed to hear music & maybe some dancing. A nice Friday night.

MC -- Your BBQ sounds like fun!! Shopping is fun too :lol: ...

Going to a pizza/bar tonight...

kellost - someone was just telling me that runners tend to reward themselves with food. Maybe that is what you are subconsciously doing with your snacking? My thing is coffee - I ALWAYS reward with a coffee of some sort. But good for you for running and recognizing your snacking "problem." Sometimes chewing gum helps me - you can't just mindlessly put food in your mouth when you are chewing gum. Maybe that would help.

Today is a good day for me. Got a good workout in and so far eating on plan. But it is my daughter's birthday today - it is hard to think of not having treats. Birthdays are always mega treat days at our house. But my goal is to be at goal by June 1. My goal is 130 and I am at 138.



Have a great day everyone.

Tonight we're grilling out. I can't wait! I'm making homemade fries...we'll see how they turn out, but should all be good. I love grilled foods! :D

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I don't use my computer on the weekends...too much other stuff going on, so I'll chat with you all on Monday!

Kellost, grats on hanging in with the running!

Gahhh, sounds like everyone is grilling out, hehe. Gotta love summer coming in :)

I'm doing well with my weight loss--down to 163, even after my weekend home with my family. I'm getting ready to lower my goal to 145, but I just can't handle it psychologically until I at least get to 159, lol.

I overdid it jogging and hurt my foot. I was able to do my 5K with my dad with the help of some Aleve, but I'm having to take a week or so off running right now which is really depressing since I've been doing so well!

I ate really well tonight even though I went out for Chinese, most of the contents of my stomach are liquid (tea, water, etc.). I had primarily vegetables with my protein being one shrimp and some pork. The only serious carbs I had were a (literal) forkfull of buckwheat noodles and a vegetable (steamed) dumpling. I then felt no guilt going to Red Mango afterward :) Plus I ran today, and I got a load of compliments from family members who haven't seen me in a while.

Start: 157
Current: 144
Goal: 122

Stella, I feel your frustration with your injury! I got tendonitis in my hip last year, and I couldn't run for months. It is finally almost 100% better and I am running again, but now my knee is giving me trouble. Grrr!

I am noticing this week just how quickly stress leads to eating for me. Thursday was tough -- a busy day with a sick, cranky baby -- and I indulged in snack after snack. Healthy snacks, but too much nonetheless. Then last night, after I had too much dinner (because it was just so good), my husband got called back into work, which ramped up my stress level b/c he is already working so much this weekend, and then leaving for a conference next weekend. His work hours are becoming an issue for us, and when he left I went right for the pantry. ~sigh~ Today is another day (albeit one where he is working all day and I have been up since 4 with the baby) and I commit to eating more carefully and making more conscious choices.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Same7, it's good to hear from someone who's come back from an injury! I think my ankle is better, but it's hard for me to tell until after work (eight hours on my feet).

Sorry you're having a rough time with the baby--hopefully he'll feel better soon!

Did not exercise Friday or Saturday, and I weighed 120.6 this morning. The lowest I've ever seen. But I was bad - I had 3 pieces of stuffed-crust pizza (over 2 days) and a huge ice cream cone. Then I did an hour of plyo and for fun, weighed again, and I was 119.6. All water, of course. I attribute it to already losing muscle from not working out 2 days, LOL.

Getting back on track now. :)

The weekend has been pretty great after my splurge on Thrusday night. Honestly it felt good to indulge a bit. I was SO disciplined so far this month, I almost needed it to keep me on track in an overall view if that makes any sense at all.
I did another long run Saturday and have kept my calories VERY close to 1500 since Thursday, so that's wonderful. I moved my goal back to 129 since it's the top end of my goal range. I think I was feeling like I should try to get to the low end of my maintenance range before I felt it was official, but now I've decided Goal is Goal and I won't diminish it by worrying over whether it's the top or bottom initially. I will be totally celebrating at 129.0 or lower and I will work my way into the 120's so a little indulgence here and there doesn't knock me back into the 130's. I want to be a 120-er for life!!! Geez, I was blabby there!

:) Three days of company.

:( 3 days of overeating and the scale is up, up, up.

:^: Ahhh - Monday and a chance to begin again.

Anyone else need to get back on track today?