Ah, I've missed four pages worth of posts! I see a lot of people have been doing well, coping fantastically with setbacks, and doing this step by step the healthy way!

As for me, well, there's a reason I went AWOL. I have not been coping well. I'm about to lose my job; today is the first day of my last week. I've known it was coming for a while--some time in February the library coordinator called me into her office and said they could afford to keep either me or the books =/ But knowing in advance didn't help much because I haven't been able to find a replacement job, and have to put the search on hold until we come back from overseas at the end of May.

My nightmares are filled with dollar signs. The bursar is breathing down my neck to pay tuition for my first semester of grad school, which is three times the amount it should be because I haven't been cleared for in-state tuition yet. This, and not knowing how we'll pay the bills when we get back, has prompted me to indulge in some, um...white bread and butter "therapy."

But I've been working on coming to terms with it, and the damage isn't too severe. As of this morning I'm 127.00, which is a far cry from the post-TOM loss I was hoping for, but no disaster either. I also feel pretty strong physically--maybe all those carbs helped rebuild my muscles eh?--so I plan to get back on the treadmill before I take a deep breath and go in for that final "green mile."

TKM- I hope you keep posting and I am sorry that the recession has taken your job.
_____
My program was all over the map this weekend. On the good side, I got plenty of exercise- running, walking, biking (a little), dancing, and even hula hooping. There were hula hoops at a festival I was at & used the hoop for over 20 minutes. My arms were tired from having them raised that long.

I binged at a BBQ on Friday- endless helpings of potato salad. I felt embarrassed afterward b/c my friend saw me do it. Then I binged last night on rice & fruit after being "good" at a birthday party. After the binge, I skipped a concert I had tickets to. It's old behavior to use food to isolate. :(

This morning, I put myself on the scale at work. The scale said I was down 1 pound from Friday. I'm a little surprised, but my binge last night had no salt in it so I didn't retain water.

This week, I have our major annual event at work. This means long hours, boredom, and lots of stress. But I must take care of myself and stick to my plan. I hope we can help each other through the week. :)

I've been OP, but apparently the scale is still punishing me for my mis behavior last week. I'm holding at the point I was at before I had my wonderful treats. I usually go down a few days after..like I was 133.0 the morning of the day I overate. So typically after 3-4 days I'd be UNDER 133.0 and moving on, but I'm still waiting to get under 133. No worries. I've long since hit my goal for the month. I was just hoping to get closer to the 120's than I am.

MsP, way to get back on track. How long are your long runs? Anything long makes me sooo hungry all day, so I'm super-impressed you can stay at 1500 cals.

Tkm, so sorry about your job. I was just telling my husband how white bread with butter is such a comfort food for me... probably because my mother considers it the bottom row of every child's food pyramid. :) Where are you going overseas? Somewhere fun, I hope!

Stella, how's the ankle? Hopefully not slowing you down. I'm off Advil and feeling pretty healthy for the first time in months!

I had a small victory at the gym today -- when I went to bust DS out of the child care, he was not crying! Yea! Usually he cries when I leave, perks up for a bit while I'm gone, and then crumbles by the time I get back. But today he was playing and having fun. This is so encouraging b/c his troubles there were really discouraging me from going (or I was using it as an excuse -- depends on the day, I guess). No fun to be 10 minutes into a class or the stairclimber only to be called back to get your child.

I will need extra willpower this week with TOM coming at the end of the week, plus DH leaving for a week. Like MC said, I hope we can help each other through!

Same7, glad the baby is doing better! I remember long hours spent tending church nursery holding my cousin's crying baby--now of course she's very outgoing!

I can't decide what's going on with my foot--at first, it was all classic plantar fasciitis symptoms, pain in the heel worsening after rest. Now, it's like I was walking funny because of the pain and I've hurt my ankle. It's really swollen, and the back of my foot (achilles tendon area) hurts when I roll my foot. That being said, it is BETTER than it was! It just looks awful and I'm having trouble with shoes for work (dress code calls for dress shoes) because of the swelling. I should probably go to the doctor, but I just don't want to cough up the copay for them to tell me to rest/ice it.

I am making friends with the elliptical and the pool at the gym!

It felt good to get back in control on Monday.

Scale went down to 126.5 so here's to losing the same ole pounds again.

Party to go to tonight - will really try to not overdo it.

Stella - hope the foot is better. I am having to get up each night and take advil for the knees and legs. The weather here is giving everyone the big sinus head - feels like a hangover - ugh. Can't wait to wake up and feel peppy again. But love the warm weather so I guess I will be positive about that.

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

Scale went up for the first time in a month. I want to blame the jeans I was wearing or TOM, but I must remember that weight fluctuates & not always in the downward direction.

I don't feel too badly about it because I was on plan yesterday and this morning I got up at 5:30 am and did my longest run yet (4 miles). Serenity now. :cool:

thesame7lbs-My long runs are 7 miles right now. I run about 3 miles my other running days, then do 1 long run each week. It's getting really hard to fit some of my "short" runs during the week with the kids' soccer schedules now in full swing, but so far I haven't missed more than 1 a week. Yay for DS not crying at the Y!! I've been there!

stella-Here's to continued improvement with your foot and finding shoes that'll work until the swelling is gone!

danni-Way to go getting back on track! Hope the allergies improve soon.

motivated chickie-Yep, normal fluctuations. But isnt' it great when you can say, "Eh, it's okay. I know I was OP, so no worries."

I'm down to 132.8 this morning inching closer to the coveted 120's. I hope to drop down to at least 132.0 (preferrably lower) by Thursday morning, so I can go into my family reunion weekend knowing I kicked April's butt! Then comes May which will be awesome as well!

Thanks for the encouragement guys!! I really appreciate it :) Still pretty rough today but I'll power through it. I have yoga tonight, lots of nice stretching and I'm off so not much time on my feet. Should help!

Danni, I hate allergy season too! It'll get better very soon and then it'll be beautiful and sunny too :) I hope your legs and knees are better by then so you can get out and enjoy it.

Ms P, you've come SO far! I hope you go into this weekend with a huge sense of accomplishment that you have not only lost almost 70 lbs., but you can eat what you want without going overboard. I'm happy for you and jealous at the same time, lol.

Motivated, I remember my first 4 mi. run--I was just smiling for the last two laps. It was the most amazing feeling!

Only 2 beers at the party last night (new bud 55).
But way overdid it on the snacks.
So the scale is back up - again.
Hope the month of May is going to be my rush to the finsh line and my beginning of maintaince. :^:

Danni, you're so close! You can definitely make it this month.

For some unknown reason I'm having an awesome whoosh!!! I've lost almost THREE POUNDS in THREE DAYS. I have NEVER lost this fast, not even really when I first started. It's like my body finally decided, "Oh, we don't need this weight anymore." I'm wondering if I should keep eating a little more, since this huge loss is coming after a few days where I went a bit over my calorie count. Our bodies are so confusing!

Ankle still hurts. *sigh* I'm getting kind of used to that first walk from bed to bathroom being painful. It was a HUGE exercise in willpower not to just take some Aleve yesterday and go running with a friend after we went out to lunch.

I had a real surprise on the scale this morning: 126.0!

Of course, I was pretty dehydrated. As soon as I hopped off I went into the kitchen and chugged two big cups of water, which probably brought me back to my normal 127. Still, I can pretend :D

tkm, I had one of those weigh-ins this morning. A nice number (131.2!) followed by the realization that my morning coffee had probably dried me out a bit. But it was fun to see those numbers on the scale!

I also got excited b/c I didn't get that low even last summer when I was very fit. But then I remembered I was breastfeeding then and I had great boobies. ~sigh~ They're gone now. :(

Stella, take it easy on that ankle! You are smart not to dose and run -- just found out a friend of mine is on crutches for 6 weeks due to a stress fracture (same thing I had last year but hers is worse). She was running a 1/2 marathon and they pulled her off the course at mile 11 b/c she was limping and crying... and still running... sometimes we women are too strong and stubborn for our own good!

stella - :carrot: 3 pounds - WOW!

tkm - glad you saw 126 - I will get back there again.

the same - 131 was a big number for me. I remember when I was so upset when I got as high as 131 and then there was the day I was so happy to see 131 again on my way down the scale. You will soon be in the 120's.

Hey feathers :)

I'm holding steady at 127 which is nice for a while.
I've seen 126 but that was after a morning run, can't seem to hold on to it.

hi all, you're all doing so well. I've been struggling....that's all I'll say. But posting again is a step. So--Big Joan is BACK!

:carrot: 126.5 again. It's been a up and down ride this week.

Today all the company leaves - so no excuses.

Now to get the icebox cleaned out and get all the veggies cut up.

Goal for today: eat clean and get to the gym.

Joan - Welcome back. It is hard to post when you're down but that is the most important time to stay in touch.
Everyone here understands the struggle.
Hope you have a great day. :hug:

Today is going to be a crazy day. We have our big event, Dining Out for Life tonight and I am wondering how it will go. FYI: Dining Out for Life fights HIV/AIDS and is in 50 cities. I work in the city where it was founded- Philadelphia.

I think it's funny that I am trying to lose weight and part of a foodie event. But no problem there, I will be running around so much, I won't have a chance to overindulge.

I have one worry. My friend talked me into buying this thigh high boots with stiletto heels. They were only $10 so I snapped them up. The problem is I have no idea how I can run around in them. I have regular shoes, but switching back and forth is going to be a pain. These boots are absurd- I can't believe I am going to wear them.

Got on the scale today at work and realize that I can't be precise about my weight because my clothes and shoes were different. Normally, I weigh myself with my very lightweight shoes, but didn't wear them today. Today without shoes 137, with shoes 138. I guess I'll take the middle ground- 137.5.

Have a good day everybody. :smug:

Hey Feathers....

Well, I've been slipping. Nothing TOO horrible, but actually, I've not eaten so healthily since last Saturday. I start out eating well for breakfast and lunch each day. Most times, even dinner is very healthy and on-plan. But I lose it in the late afternoons and evenings, consuming way too many snacks. I've just been a slave to my snack cravings lately, and I can't figure it out. I don't think I've caused too much damage, weight-wise, but the scale is moving up rather than down, and it's totally my fault for over-indulging.

I think I'm realizing that candy is my enemy. I really can't stop at just one piece. I've always had a problem with candy, even as a child. I mean, I love Halloween and Easter, but it's because of the candy. Eating handfuls of M & M's, several peanut butter cups, packs of Skittles, you name it. I am thinking of banning candy from my life. I don't think I can stay in control when I'm around candy.

I keep exercising, so that's a good thing. I'm just kind of stagnant right now, regaining and re-losing the same few pounds. I need to crack down and get a little more serious. And I need to reign in the snacking, big-time, or I'm going to start gaining.

mc you are gonna rock those boots, just think of the calf workout you will get while wearing them!!

Kellost, Candy isn't my problem...it's popcorn...with butter and lots of salt...my kids were having it last night and I couldn't not have it. Managed to stop after one handful even though I had to leave the room to do it!!

The joys (and pains) of weight loss!

In the six or seven days since I last posted, I lost about two pounds! Yippee! My mom says that 1-2 pounds a week is okay, and not to push it, but I'm going to need to rein in HARD tomorrow at my cousin's bat mitzvah party. Eep. Too much fried food!

Three-fourths of my day was great - then I blew it with beer and snacks.

Will try to do better today. I made the salad but didn't eat it - that's what went wrong. Today I will eat the salad around 4:00 pm. The last time I tried that I was too full to snack the night away. Another day - another chance to get it right. ;)

Good morning ladies! I'll post this twice, since I also joined the May Day Challenge.

Here were my stats at the beginning of April:
Weight: 127
Waist: 27"
Hips: 37.5"
Right thigh: 21.5"
Left thigh: 22"
Right (upper) arm: 10.75"
Left arm: 10.5"
Neck: 12"

Now the End of April report. [Drumroll....]

Weight: 125.4! (it went down to that yesterday but I thought it was a fluke so I didn't post...but it held steady today!)
Waist: 27"
Hips: 37"
Right thigh: 21"
Left thigh: 21.5"
Right arm: 10.5"
Left arm: 10.25"
Neck: 12"

I can't believe I actually shrank! I've been chasing the number on the scale for a while, but I thought they were just vanity pounds and wouldn't really make a difference in my size. They're teeny tiny changes--a half inch in the hips and thighs, a quarter inch in the arms--but they're significant to me!

tkm - :carrot: Way to go! Throw me a rope and pull me along. :D

May will be my month. We go on vacation in June so I need to get with it!

April was a good month...lost 12 lbs, multiple inches off my body, and was able to fit into some clothes I've had stashed away including a mini-skirt.

I have about 10-15 left to lose and I want to rework my exercise program. It has gotten way too easy. So I am going to try to mix things up & add some strength training and speedwork in.

I don't expect big weight losses in May, but I want to see big gains in physical fitness. We'll see how it goes.

Great job tkm! Every half an inch makes a difference, especially in how we feel about ourselves!!

I should measure and keep track as well....scared to see the initial measurements though, however I have been able to wear a couple of things that I haven't worn in like a year...they were just too tight for me to wear them comfortably and now I am in them with no bulges hanging out!! Just waiting to fit into my skinny jeans again!

Slow but sure!

Wow, lots of you did really well in April! :broc:

motivated chickie - 12 pounds in a month?!?! Wow. I wish. It has taken me 3 months to lose that much, but then I promptly gained 2-4 of them back :( By the way, you look GREAT in your boots (saw your photo in another forum).

I haven't "officially" weighed yet, but I peeked (with clothes on and after just eating) and I know it's not good. I think my April 1 weight was temporarily low, so I probably set myself up for a more difficult challenge of losing 4 pounds in April -- what a joke.

I have decided to give an all-out push in May and see if I can get the scale moving in the RIGHT direction or see some inches disappear. If that doesn't work, I'll be back asking for advice. I'm still 10-15 lbs away from what was my normal weight until about 3 years ago.

So, on to the May Goals:

1. 1 hour (or more) exercise/day, for real, no excuses. This does include walking though, and I make it an *energetic* walk.
2. Develop a schedule for exercising.
3. Get back on my routine of daily push-ups (trying for "real" ones) and sit-ups.
4. Stick to my plan for eating. I've gotten pretty good at planning. Also gotten good at improvising additions to the plan throughout the day.
5. NO WHITE BREAD. This has been my downfall recently, my husband bakes French bread and well, I eat it. With abandon.