I have yet to figure this out. Sometimes I gain 2 pounds overnight from a good weight-lifting session (retained water in the muscles from the inflammatory response), drop one of the two pounds the next day, and the day after that I'm down 2 more, only to gain one of those back the following day. Net change over a 4 day cycle - 0 pounds. Except that maybe it'll be 0.2 pounds down from the initial session. Then repeat with the next weight session. Add in ups and downs of a pound due to "waste products" not being eliminated, and I can't tell ANY DAMN THING about my weight at less than 1-week intervals.

Glad to see all of my fellow Feathers plugging away in December.
Are any of you doing any other diet program besides calorie counting? It seems like pretty much everyone on this site is using that system, as have I for the last 6 months. But I used to be on Weight Watchers, and just went to a meeting that introduced their new system. It's still based on points, but the points are calculated somewhat differently now. It seems to emphasize a higher protein/lower carb ratio than their previous method, and still emphasizes fiber/fruits/vegetables. I'm considering going to it for awhile, to see if it gets me any further than my current method.

neurodoc, I'm doing WW. I think everyone is going to be eating more eggs, cheese and meat on the new program since those point values stayed the same and everything else went up. I've done it for three days now and am still figuring it out. Apparently I eat a lot of carbs, and I'm not sure if I want to change that or if I want to just fit my way of eating into the new point system. We'll see.

I did have a sort of ah-ha moment today: I was struggling with hunger and my points were all used up after lunch. Then looking over what I'd eaten, it occurred to me that I hadn't sat down and had a formal meal - I'd just been eating things to try to make hunger go away. I think I do much better when I sit down and eat a formal meal rather than grazing, even if I'm counting my points. I ate a formal meal for supper this evening (with the family, as usual) and I feel so much better. I had all sorts of formula meals I'd figured out on the old plan, but now they're really breaking the budget on the new plan so that's part of why I was grazing (trying to eat things that fit better with the new plan though they working for getting rid of hunger like I thought they should be). I think the grazing thing does not work for me. Nor does eating to my hunger. From now on I shall stick to eating formal meals.

Tomorrow evening is the one and only holiday party involving food that I will be attending. DH works for a small company and they go out for dinner as their "Christmas party." Tomorrow night is the night. My husband is planning on ordering the most expensive items on the menu, whatever they may be. He's gonna have wine, and prime rib (or equivalent) and dessert and the works. His boss is really cheap. Like they'll go to a meeting four hours away and leave at 6 a.m. in the morning and get back at 8p.m. and they'll get lunch only all day because the boss is too cheap to stop for supper and feed anybody on the company dime. So I understand why my husband (and everyone else) is indulging. And we rarely go out to eat, and if we do, never at a nice restaurant like we'll be at tomorrow evening. So on one hand I want to indulge and enjoy the experience, and on the other hand, I really don't want to overeat and have to pay for it later. Saving up calories (or points) doesn't work for me as it only leaves me famished and I really pay for that. So it will be interesting once I see the menu what choices appeal to me. I'm thinking I will indulge a little, but not to excess.

Because of my bad eating habits and lack of self-control, I gained 1 pound yesterday.

I was only tenths down - weighed in at 141.2 this morning. The scale hardly moves at all for me anymore...i don't really even feel like I am losing weight. I mean it's moved from 143 to 142 to 141 in the past month, but it's soooo slow, I don't even feel like I should be posting here.

I keep my calories at 1500 and I know I need to go lower but find it so hard. I had a few 1300 days this week. This week sucked because I got sick so while I made it to the gym Monday, the other days I was pretty much sleeping a lot and working from home in my pajamas.

Next week I am travelling for work 2 days and in all day meetings 2 other days, which means no working out at lunch and eating weird food for lunch 4 of the days. I can't work out after work because I have school Tuesday/Thursday so lunch is my only time.

Sigh. I really just feel like giving up today. I don't even know why I am keeping my calories at 1500, I am pretty sure I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain anything, it's just how my body works. I don't know how others on here stay to 1200, espcecially people who say they do the eliptical for 90 minutes a day and weigh so much more than me. How do they do it? How can I be so much hungrier than them?

I guess this should have gone in the Whine and Cheese thread.

I know, I feel like that sometimes. I've been on a plateau for over 2 months now, but since I still want to lose I hate to go over and start participating on the maintenance board because I'm not really in that frame of mind.

Hang in there! Sometimes we loose in steps rather than a a gradual slope.

thanks pageta. This stalling is soooo frusterating, especially since my first month dieting I was losing pounds a week. Wish I could "start over" at this weight and see the same loses. I had high hopes of that this week after eating extra for Thanksgiving weekend, but Monday I was still at 141 and have stayed there all week...

I think I need to do some research on all this plateau stuff.

There is a thread over under WW called Platea busting ideas and the 2nd post is loaded with information. I'd start there...

Thanks! I read through that thread just now, lots of intersting info. Still researching online too. I think the key for me is going to be cutting calories down even more, exercising more and maybe calorie cycling. I tried the calorie cycling before when I first started dieting and found the low days way too hard...maybe now I can do the low days without as much problem, since my appetite has decreased a lot.

I have been at 121 exactly for last 3 days. I know... this is better than going up but I am getting impatient now! I really want to see 120.x on the scale.

Also because I have been so on plan I am really craving a pizza or something. I don't want a binge per se, but some melted cheese would be just luverly.

How are we all? Have you over the pond recovered from Thanksgiving yet?

Hi ladies,

Just checking in -- a little NSV -- 24:28 in a 5K this morning -- and I won a prize! I was 3rd place for women age 35-39.

And now begins a one-week break from exercise. I've been talking about taking a break for months, and finally decided (after a discussion on the exercise forum) that it was time to do it. I'm starting a half-marathon training program January 5 so I wanted to get it in before then. It might end up being a 6-day break, because I really want to go to Athletic Yoga on Friday. I went yesterday and it was great!

Happy Weekend, everyone!

I overate on the weekend AS ALWAYS and I'm pretty sure I will spend all this week yoyo-ing. Like last week, and the week before that, and the week before that. This is just embarrassing.

I bought a backless dress for New Years Eve (it's kind of frontless too, good thing I don't need to wear a bra). I want my back and shoulders to look good. Going to step up the pushups action. 122 (my birthday/Christmas goal) is so, so far away, but maybe I can at least get to 124. Sighhhhhh.