Hi Featherweight Chickies....

I'm finding it to be so hard to post in the summer. I don't know if it is the kids being off, extra activities or what, but I need to find more time. I continue to cycle through days eating off plan, days where I'm on plan. I gain a few, lose a few. It's tough. One day I am just "on my game" and nothing can derail me. The next day, I take one look at my kids' ice cream and I order myself a hot fudge sundae. LOL. I continue to run 3 times a week, and I've been swimming pretty often also. The clothes are still fitting, but they go from a bit snug to fitting just fine. I'm at a weird stage, where I swear I can see the pounds coming on and off by the way my clothes fit.

I think I'm going to struggle with food issues my whole life. Part of me was hoping this would get easier, but it's always a challenge. I can still gobble down food like there is no tomorrow, so I need to stay careful. I know the right things to do, and I do them most of the time. But lately, I have days where I just know I'm going to overeat. I need to watch it, and just stay focused. I REFUSE to gain the weight back. I never want to go there again!

Hope you feathers are having a great summer and stickin' to it maybe a little better than I am!

kellost - I hear you. I am having those same ups and downs - good day, bad day thing. Posting keeps me being honest with myself and not throwing in the towel.
Positive: at least they are not all bad days and looking back at the progress and certainly not wanting too go through losing it all again keeps me hanging in there.
:hug: hang in girl!

Shasha, did you enjoy the "wow you look greats" or were they a little embarrassing? Were you overweight for long?

I ask because my 30-pound weight gain was fairly recent and sudden--like the past two years--and is a big part of my embarrassment and why I've been hiding and less social lately. Like, what's wrong with Joan?

So far no one has said much. My mother offered a cautious, "Well, you have put on some weight...." The big thing I've noticed is that in the past when I'd complain about gaining a few pounds (back at 140, sigh), people would scoff, "oh stop it!" Well, now they don't say a word!

I'm almost embarrassed to lose the weight, because people would then openly acknowledge how fat I'd gotten. I want to pretend it never happened, that I never got that out of control. I know that sounds bizarre, but has anyone else had similar feelings? Sometimes I wonder if that's how I self-sabotage.....

Joan, yes the few compliments I got were lovely! No one hinted at the fact that I was big before; a few just said that I looked great. I'd lost about 20-25lbs since the'd last seen me, but it was like no one could quite put their finger on what was different about me.

I was (and still am, let's be honest) embarrassed about being overweight, despite having been such for almost 10 years. I was embarrassed when I first gained the weight, which was sudden like you, and because of that I didn't go out to see people socially. I even had a friend call me a bunch of times trying to see me, but I always made up an excuse to not get together. He died shortly after, and I've always regretted that. But I've remained embarrassed, trying in vain to pretend I don't see anything wrong with myself. I've literally said to myself and to others, "I'm fine, I don't really think I need to lose weight." My weight loss journey didn't officially begin until I owned up to what I'd secretly always known: I am not OK with how my body looks and feels. I want to lose weight and get healthy.

That being said, it still embarrasses me that I ever let it get so bad, and I'm still well aware that I have another 20lbs to lose. But I'm slowly getting better about it.

BamaGirl, I can't believe your cat passed away. :hug: I'm so sorry.

You mentioned willpower re: exercising on vacation. Often, for me exercise requires little willpower -- I really want to do it! Right now, I'm deriving a lot of self-esteem from running. I am proud of every mile I run, whether it is fast or slow. I find that being a SAHM provides very little positive reinforcement on a day-to-day basis -- no report cards (for me), no "job well done!" from the boss... I try to take pleasure in the little victories (children being polite without prompting or being kind even when no one is watching, little girls discovering a love of bugs), but setting running goals and achieving them is important for me and my sense of self right now. Also, my run/workout is often the only alone time I get all day; even if I'm pushing the stroller, at least my very curious/active toddler is strapped in and not destroying the house!

Then there are days like today when I really don't want to go... then I have to remind myself (many many times) that once I get out there, I will enjoy it, and once I'm done, I'll feel really proud of myself for doing it. And today, I also reminded myself that 4 of the last 5 days were really horribly off-plan. I don't mind if I don't lose weight while I'm on vacation, but I will be very disappointed if I gain.

I have to say, being in Ocean City is very motivating as well. You see both ends of the spectrum here -- people who are very fit and look so very fabulous in their bikinis, and people who are quite overweight and obese. In fact, I'm a little shocked at how many people are overweight. I heard the other day that 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese (i'm guessing based on BMI?) and I thought, that can't be right. Most of the people where I live seem to be pretty fit. But here, I see that statistic borne out. I guess where i live is not typical.

Back to 127.5 this morning. 2 days at the gym have helped. Will try to do some walking today and make good choices - I seem to be in a better frame of mind and that helps the will power/motivation thing!

We are looking at 99 degrees here in the South today - hot baby hot! :cool:

hi feathers :) i'm on track and doing well! eating within calories, and doing my back exercises. scale was even a little down today. woohoo!

Hey, ladies! Hope everyone's having a good day! :)

132.8 this morning... Ridiculous whoosh. Yay, even if it's water weight! I might actually get out of the 130's by the end of the month...

:bravo: BamaGirl! Aren't whooshes the best?

Looking back at my last post, I just wanted to clarify that I am not judging/making fun of/looking down upon the overweight & obese people I am see here (or anywhere). It is just interesting to me, I guess from a sociological perspective (my major in college), how things vary by region, socioeconomic level, etc, and how that affects our expectations and experience.

I'm getting nervous about weighing in on Sunday. I normally weigh every day, so going a whole week would be strange anyway, but a week in which I've been eating horribly (and drinking liberally), well, that just adds to it. I also wrenched my back yesterday, so running is out of the question today. Hopefully it will feel better tomorrow but it is not looking promising. :(

Hope everyone has a great Friday!

same7, no worries-- I don't think you were saying what you said in an offensive or judgemental manner-- I find the differences interesting as well. There's not even a huge distance geographically between my hometown and the town in which I am currently living, but there is a huge age difference as my current city is a college town. There are a LOT more active, healthy(?), thin people here than there are in my hometown.

And yes, whooshes are awesome! I had another one last night... 131.2 this morning!

Don't be too nervous. Even if you do have a bad weigh in this week, you can dust yourself off and get right back on track! It sounds like you know how you've been eating and whatnot, which means you know how to change that for next week. :)

How is everyone doing today?

128.5 again today. seems to be where my body wants to stay by just eating normally. I could go into "diet mode" and be a little hungry and lose but I don't seem to be in the mood - and if I do that will the scale go back up when I start adding extra treats back in? - just thinking out loud. maybe 128 is close enough - ?????

Danni, I think any weight that allows you to eat "normally," with a touch of restraint, an occasional indulgence and moderate exercise is perfect!

At least it's where I'd like to be....

Thanks Joan - I'm in the frame of mind to set 129 as the goal I won't go above. I seem to be able to do that. I read the other day that instead of one number you should have a range that you stay within. I would like to be in the 125-120 range ---- but for now I will accept the 129-125 range and see what happens over the summer. I still weigh everyday so I keep a close watch on the ups and downs. Have a good day.:)

I maintained over the weeekend. Woooo. That's usually what I try to do because I give myself a bit more leeway on the weekends anyway. How's everyone doing today?

I had a good day, really on plan for two days now post-vacation. Had a pretty good treadmill run and then did the lifting routine the trainer showed me two weeks ago. I wonder if I will be as sore this time? Probably, since it's been two weeks.

Scale has not budged since I added a few vacation lbs but strangely I noticed that my hip and thigh measurements seem to have gone down. This is very welcome news since I am pear-shaped. My waist has not gone down, but maybe that will follow (hope springs eternal...)

I need to get to bed because for some crazy reason I am going to see Eclipse (the new Twilight movie) tomorrow at MIDNIGHT. I think it is more than two hours long, so I will not be home until nearly 3. I am a suburban, stay-at-home mom of three -- I do not often stay out until 3 am. Especially not to see teeny-bopper vampire movies! But I have to admit I loved the books. :o

(As an aside, our 18-month-old son is named Cullen, which is the family name of the vampires in the Twilight books. We had NO IDEA about that until after we named him. And yes, occasionally people ask if we named him after the vampires.)

Well I have been awful this last week. I am really going to try to get back to a better place again today. Don't know how or why I went so out of control.
Try, Try, Try --- again. :(

Yay, last day in June! This summer has gone by crazy fast. 130.6 today... yay!

Hi Feathers,

I did really well yesterday right up to the Eclipse pre-party, where I ate too many sweets. BUT, I have to say, they were delicious, homemade things. So often I overeat foods that later I look back on and say, "It wasn't even that good. Wasn't even worth it." This food was worth the calorie indulgence, so I'm not going to beat myself up.

I didn't get to bed until after 3 and had too much caffeine in me to sleep well. Tried to take a nap after swim team this morning but only dozed. I have to be vigilant today because I often overeat when tired, and tonight I will get to bed before 10 so I feel better tomorrow.

Yay BamaGirl! You'll be adding another devil any day now!!!

same7-- Yay for the occasional indulgence! Sometimes it is so worth it. :) How was Eclipse? I plan to see it eventually but didn't want to go out in the huge crowd and then have to wake up at 5:30 to go to work in the morning... Haha.

I can't wait to add another devil! :) I might go see a doctor, though, soon to make sure that the fact that my fat is melting off isn't due to some underlying health issue, since it's not very logical considering my calorie intake. Over 5 pounds in a week is a bit much. :P

Anyone planning anything fun for this weekend?

123.8 this morning! :carrot:

I keep pinching different body parts, trying to assess whether I'm ready for maintenance. I still have some spots I'm not happy with, but I think I'm pretty much where I want to be. I think I will try to slowly lose a few more pounds and maintain under 125.

For some reason, I feel like my body is kind of "happy" here. Other times, when I've lost weight, I've felt like my body was just dying to put the pounds back on. Maybe I feel a little more stable now because of calorie counting and also having a better concept of carbs vs protein. Before I was recording my food, I think I was probably eating 75% carbs.

It is beautiful here -- sunny, dry, low 80s predicted for today -- unheard of in DC in July! I had a great run this morning in the 60 degree weather. Now I'm taking the kids to pick peaches and blackberries. Yum!

See you in July thread everyone