This is SO true. I've never been "overweight" but have always had tons of vanity pounds to lose -- and terrible fitness habits. I'm tired of yo-yo-ing and determined to put a stop to it, to be fit for the rest of my twenties, and if possible as long as I can into mid-life. That means good habits and a support group like 3FC so I can lose weight healthily without anorexic crash-diet neuroses or self-loathing. It's harder to be healthy about weight loss as a featherweight, I think, than even as someone seriously overweight/obese. You have to reality-check yourself all the time.

My NSV of the day: just now, getting lunch, I turned down (1) brownies, my major weakness, that were SITTING RIGHT THERE, (2) the second half of my grilled pesto chicken (which was DELICIOUS) because I noticed that I was feeling full. I went back to my room and looked up the calories... and was amazed to find they were twice what I'd assumed. I'm so proud of myself for listening to my body and being able to say no because I was full, and "naturally" eating the right number of calories for lunch even though I didn't portion the right amount into my bowl. It's so heartening that I've apparently become less hungry after starting this new lifestyle just over two weeks ago.

Day 2 of "mission: chill the F out" completed successfully. No binges or urges to binge. Great run. Ate when I wanted to eat, calories ended up around 1340.

krampus - that's awesome! WAY TO GO!!

I've been eating more than I wanted to for the last few days -- about 1300-1400. Burned through 450 on breakfast alone today: oatmeal plus turkey plus beans plus melon plus a banana, so much healthy food but SO MUCH food. It's my first time eating breakfast in a week, I think, so it'll be interesting to see how long it keeps me full and whether it means I'm able to stay on-plan better for the rest of the day.

No scale movement today, but that's expected after yesterday's whoosh. I'm just hoping TOM (tomorrow or so) doesn't kill my efforts.

ETA: Had a fantastic day in matters not related to weight loss -- finally meeting with my academic dean and working through a plan to finish my thesis in the next month. But then I decided to use my American Apparel Groupon... wow. It was SO dispiriting to realize I still don't even fit properly in a size M. I was so disheartened by how I looked in comparison to the sexy thin models that I couldn't even convince myself to buy leggings. Only ten more days before the Groupon expires... :/

Thanks lackadaisy!

I am freaking out a little about going to Korea. I've been in the airport and on plenty of Korean Air/flights to and from Korea and I know that not everyone looks like Jessica Jung, but I am pretty concerned that I will get there and just feel hideous and whale-like, in the same way a lot of people see models and go "agh what's the point" - like lackadaisy's experience in AA.

It's good for me to get out of my comfort zone I guess. In the West I am petite compared to everyone and wear small sizes so I hardly think about it. I don't compare myself to Japanese women much because I'm taller than everyone, but since Korea is my birthplace I feel like I'll wind up taking it very personally every time I see someone who is my height and 20-30 pounds lighter.

It's silly because it's not a contest to see who is the thinnest. Yet getting out of that mentality is harder than it would seem...

Lackadaisy, American Apparel is an awful un-motivator! Not only are their clothes designed to fit lanky skinny chicks, but their whole attitude towards healthy body image is downright mean. Once I was in a shop looking at an item when a salesperson came over and said snidely (and very deliberately) "Oh, are you looking to buy something for your little sister?" and then walked away. Awful!

Anyway all that to say I hope you are able to stay motivated and proud of your body in the face of some of the crappy expectations of womens' bodies out there!

Haha, a friend of mine who wears a UK 8-10 (US 4-6) went into an AA in Japan and the clerk said "MEDIUM? REALLY?" to her.

If I had a lot of money, I'd burn down all the AA stores in the world.

I can totally relate to the mentality that dieting is taking over your life. I have felt this way for the past few weeks so I have stopped tracking and I am trying to ease up on my slips-ups. I figure if I don't feel quite so guilty about skipping the gym or eating a cookie (or 4) then it may make them less tempting. The idea that I am doing something bad and secretive is part of my problem.

I have struggled with secret eating for years and I find that it happens more often and the binges are a lot worse when I am also dieting. I really just wish I could get back the will power and drive I had before Christmas. I did briefly see 149lbs on the scale this week but between stress, tons of work, and seasonal depression it has gone back up. I think I need to stop focusing on weight loss and start focusing on making myself feel better over all. I think for anyone feeling this way this is perhaps the best method.

For me to feel healthier, happy and improve my mood I need to... eat clean, get more sleep, cut out dairy, wheat and processed soy (allergies and in tolerances lead to bloating and all around unpleasantness) and go to the gym.

Strangely enough the same things I need to do to lose weight so really if I can just focus on my health and well-being I think weight loss will come along with it. I think this is my only goal for February!

indiblue and krampus, thanks, that made me laugh and feel a ton better. Rational me knows AA is both unrealistic and also just an antifeminist hot mess (you know what I'm talking about with those ridiculous advertisements), but sad/may-be-PMS me just wants to be a hot toothpick in a bandage dress. Time to stare at sportswear ads instead... so I can dream of muscles instead of unattainable legs.

Veela, I hate the feeling that dieting is taking over so much. When I'm eating, now, I start thinking about how I'll log it. What's the carb/protein ratio in this? Is it one portion or 1.25? I've been trying to find other goals, like being as close to the Zone ratio as possible -- and running a 10k in 10 weeks. Tips on getting in shape definitely welcome. I ran three miles today (not at once! ha) and felt so exhausted... this is going to be quite a project.

THIS SO MUCH! AA is just awful. Here's how I feel better when clothes shopping somewhere a little less-than-female-friendly: try on things at Old Navy. Their sizes are vanity-ied out the wazoo, but try to forget that when you're there. I would never be able to fit into anything at AA just because my muscles and skeleton alone just don't fit their supposed "ideal," but at ON, mediums are XS, their 8s are more like 12s or 14s in the real world, and I could walk out with a bunch of inexpensive, cute weekend casual stuff that FITS and makes me feel GOOD. Granted, it'll all fall apart in about six months, but hey! In that one brief moment, I am a goddess.

As I've been losing weight, I've been gauging a lot of my progress by how this one pair of ON pants fit. They're listed as 8, they were snug but comfortable when I was in the 140s, and now that I'm in the 120s I just can't even wear them anymore and had to get the same pants in a 4 instead. I kind of love their messed up sizing. *hee*

I track my weight with a pair of size 4 ON skinny jeans -- if they fit tightly, I know I'm a bloated mess and about a size 8. If they fit loosely, I know I have to get them washed.

Serious note, though: Just weighed in at 124.6, a 0.6 lb gain overnight. I've been super clean the last few days, so I know this is just water weight from running a lot yesterday and/or because it's about time for my menses.

Ugh, I hate overnight weight gains! They are so demoralizing. Good for you for being rational and recognizing that sometimes it's due to water retention/TOM, etc. I need to keep this in mind instead of freaking out.

Haha, I'm definitely freaked out. But I also have a paper due at five and meetings all day... so I'm prioritizing my freakout. So many sources of stress, all I can do about my weight gains is just hope the math works out in the long run, right?

wow- I connect to this so much. I live in Vietnam and look like a whale compared to all the Vietnamese teachers I work with. I am so embarrassed to take a motorbike taxi because the drivers always have such a hard time with my weight. I am normal to thin in the states, but here I just stand out like a fat blob. does a number to ones confidence when you walk into a store and they just tell you they can't help you...I guess it spares me the embarrassment of struggling to try stuff on.

I guess I should re-introduce myself. I recognize a few of you from December when I attempted to start back up here, but failed to fully get back on program.

I lost 12 pounds this time last year with the help and support here. Gained 2 back just before my wedding this summer, and have managed to gain back the other 10 in the past few months. I really want to get back on track, but it is hard. I finally am settled into my new home found a gym, and am getting back into cooking, which is one of the ways I lost last year.

I am loving all the talk about binge eating. It is such an ugly thing to talk about and often ignored and too embarrassing to admit to. I have been a binge eater on and off for my whole life, even leading me to 8 years of bulimia. I consider myself past bulimia, but still fight urges to eat and eat and eat from time to time. Such a strange thing for our bodies to do when we are mentally uncomfortable.

It looks like alot of you are taking control of your feelings, good for you! Good luck and I hope to see you around this forum!

Good morning ladies! I made a thread re-introducing myself, but I'll say hello here too! I stopped coming in september because graduate school was too demanding for me to even touch my computer at home! But I also realized that I need this support, even if it means that I don't visit until the weekends! Luckily I've been able to maintain my weight with the chaos that school has given me, and I've been able to exercise every day so I can burn off my daily stress!

I had a nice bowl of cereal with a banana and now I'm sitting here digesting and waiting for the student rec center to open at 11.
Yesterday at 7pm I weighed in at 134. I'm normally a morning weigher, so hopefully the scale will be lower today!!

maenad: I agree how great it is that everyone's talking about binge eating. It's good to talk about especially since it's a picky subject for us all. I know personally for me, if I admit to my binging, it makes me less likely to do it again because it's out in the open. Now it's come to the point that I'll be bored, open the cabinets and then say "what the heck am I doing? I'm not hungry!" and just grab a cup of water.

and to everyone talking about the fact that dieting can take over someone's life, I agree!! I borderline obsess over dieting every day. It's a bad thing, but on the other hand, if I don't think about it and be conscious about what I'm doing, I don't live a healthy lifestyle. It's a win lose situation