I don't know but I'd be sad if it did! I finally got myself below 120 and am getting close to goal! Definitely going to need maintenance help soon. :)

All last week I had been under 120, but today I'm right around 120. This weekend was my sister's wedding with lots of drinking and eating and I feel really bloated and gross. I'm hoping after a few days of clean eating I'll be back under. We have colds here now so exercise will be at a minimum for the next few days too.

I bought my lululemon yoga pants last week and they better still fit! Ha!

Oh, I'm sure they will! Gosh darn it, I want some lululemon stuff but it's so pricey. Maybe I'll pick out an outfit from them when I hit my target, though, as my reward to myself.

Yes please keep this thread alive, I need something to look forward to in eight or so weeks :D

Well, I'm 118.5 this morning (sig tracker won't do 1/2 pound increments, it seems), so I've busted through yet another mini plateau and am ever closer to my goal!

I'm starting to peruse the maintenance forum a lot to get tips for when I'm really in the mode of trying to maintain and deliberately NOT lose. I do think my upper body looks awfully scrawny now, so once I've hit goal, I hope to develop a little more upper body musculature to balance out the boniness. Ah, the perils of being an apple with a LOT of lower-body fat stores. That's always the last place to let go of fat, so of course my lean upper body is where I see more loss all the time. *eyeroll* Not ideal, nature! :P

Despite my rough week and increased snacking I'm down .2 today (official weigh in), which I'm happy about since it's not a gain! I think I lose in fairly small increments, and then when my TOM starts I get a bigger whoosh. I'll take it! I'm mid cycle so this makes sense.

For the last several weeks I haven't been logging my food as I felt it was making me a little obsessed and maybe encouraged more snacking. But yesterday I felt a little out of control and thought logging would be a good idea. I definitely don't want to log my food long term, but maybe to get to 'goal' it will be necessary. Any thoughts for those with the last few pounds to lose?

I'm meeting a friend for lunch today at a burger place (her choice). I'm hoping I can talk her into splitting a burger, but I might just have to be strong and only eat half of mine! Which is more than enough food as you know.

I do this a lot, halve restaurant food. A few weeks ago, DH and I went to Panera for some coffee. I went ahead and ordered a cinnamon scone, too, but then looked up its calorie content and was thoroughly dismayed to find that it was over 500 calories. I dutifully ate only 1/4 of it, saved the rest, and had the other 3/4 for breakfast for the next three mornings. Thrifty AND calorie savings, while still getting to have a treat! :D

ainsleymom I feel the same way. I am a bit below my original goal of 115 right now and want to lose 4 or 5 more pounds. As I get closer, I want to figure out how best to maintain and I am finding the daily logging to be tiresome. I feel lazy saying that but it's sort of true. So tired of counting every. single. almond.
kat way to go!! i think i busted through a plateau, too, cause I've lost a lot the past couple of weeks (a lot being relative to ME). let me know what they say on the maintenance boards and I'll look into it for us, too.

I'm hanging in at 117 now. I still feel a little bit weirdly chunky in my hips/thighs area, but I know darn well this is self-sabotage talking, a negative voice in my head trying to say things like, "Well, you still look terrible, so why don't you just give up and go get some ice cream?" Fortunately, DH is patient with me and when I tell him I'm feeling perceptions like this, he encourages me that that is NOT what I look like, that I look great and am getting healthy, which in turn is encouraging him to get healthy. I just have to stop looking in mirrors and seeing funhouse distortion staring back at me.

It's funny, I tend to only get this strange dysmorphic feeling when I'm smaller. Somehow when I'm larger, I misperceive the other way, which causes me to wait forever to actually do something about a weight gain. Why can't I believe something quantifiable, like the scale, and not my neurotic little brain? ;)

Jumping the gun a bit by posting in the 110 forum (I know everyone is welcome but I need something to keep me motivated :D) but geez I can totally relate to this. At my highest weight of 134 I totally overlooked the physical signs of my needing to lose weight. Not only does it delay a process I need to undergo by dropping lbs, but it also doesn't help me realize how far I've come even when I do lose the weight, because I always thought I looked fine even when I didn't. I am generally pretty happy with the way I look when I'm heavier, which is bad, and not satisfied when I'm lighter, which is also bad! So I can totally relate. It's hard to find a good middle ground where I'm at a healthy weight and confident with my size.

Thank you for reassuring me that I'm not alone, indiblue. I guess we just need to be more mindful of this phenomenon. I'm just not sure how to curb it, unfortunately, other than to believe other people and the scale rather than our eyesight. :)

I seriously think I need to have someone take pictures of me or something because I feel exactly the same way. I work from home so I tend to wear sweats a lot. Maybe they gave me so much wiggle room that I thought I looked okay when I was heavier. I keep tightening the strings around the waist but when I look in the mirror I still see me at nearly 127 pounds, not 12 pounds lighter. And to add insult to injury, my cellulite seems to be much more noticeable now. I am constantly looking at other women and asking my husband if that is what I look like. Drives him nuts. I truly have no perception of myself. I have seen beautiful women who are clearly heavier than me and I think they look great and I can totally appreciate how attractive they are, but I can't see it in myself. It's very frustrating.

I'll be back later, but I wanted to push myself to post while I still could manage. Haven't been sure what to say, but, since 3FC has been really helpful these last few months, I don't want to just fall away from here and lost accountability. So I hope everyone's doing OK! I'm holding steady still...had sort of been maintaining just because, but I think I'm ready to try and lose some more... I would just feel more comfortable with that buffer, so I can decide what's best for me in terms of exercise with the season changing and such.

fivestone, congrats and continued good luck maintaining and good luck, too, if you decide to lose a little more for a buffer!

For everybody who's feeling like they don't see the weight loss yet (me included :D) I do think we have to go by quantifiable things more often, maybe bolster each other by taking objective stock and reporting that these changes are indeed real.

For example, the Wii Fit (which I only play with about once a week; I don't use it as exercise so much as just playing games) has been telling me for months now that I'm already smaller than my "recommended BMI." The balance board acts as a scale. If that scale and my bathroom scale say the same thing, and they say a weight on the small size, then me seeing a 160-pound person in the mirror is NOT ACCURATE.

If I'm fitting into tiny, old pants of mine from pre-weight gain days (sized 3 to 6) that ten months ago I couldn't even fit one leg into, then the idea that I'm still a size 12 is NOT ACCURATE.

If people are now offhandedly saying things about me being "skinny," then my perception of myself as being chunky in any particular body part is NOT ACCURATE.

If the YMCA body fat estimator tells me my measurements qualify as "athletic," then the idea that I'm still "too fat" for anything is NOT ACCURATE.

We are our own worst critics, ladies. :hug:s to you all if you're feeling like this.

I've been seeing some lowish numbers on the scale this week. This morning I saw 116.2. My official weigh isn't until Wednesday so I won't log it, but I found that exciting. I haven't felt that I've been particularly strict with my diet either. This week though will be trouble. I have a few lunches out planned, and DH's bday is Thursday so I have to make some yummy things (he has requested deviled eggs, macaroni and cheese, steak, and rhubarb pie! - yikes) plus dinner out. I can eat whatever I want, just not as much as I want is my mantra! But the food has to be *worth it*.

Hi everyone! I'm at 119.6 and my goal is 110. I'm hoping to make it there within the next 2 months.

Welcome Ekicna! Hi everyone else! :wave:
What kinds of eating plans are you guys using? What about exercise?

I just got back from a nice run... I needed to de-stress.

Sorry I've been so MIA, it's been one thing after another here, and I've been really stressed. My uncle died, and then a few days later I had to rush my husband to the hospital because he was in so much pain. He ended up having emergency surgery and he'll have to be in the hospital for another couple of weeks. He's also on a special diet now, so we've been meeting with a dietitian and I'm basically going to have to change the way I cook. The focus of it should be mostly vegetarian, and it's been years since I was vegetarian/vegan so I'm going to have to find some good ideas. And if I do meat, I will mostly focus on fish and chicken, I guess, 2x a week at most, if that.

Weight loss is happening without me really trying, I know I haven't been eating enough... I haven't had to cook a normal dinner or whatever so I just haven't really bothered. I'm not sure I need to lose anymore, but right now that's kind of secondary concern... just want to get hubby well and back in working order.

Hope you guys are doing well. How was your week so far?

Hi girls -- I'm finally joining you in this thread! 119.0 this morning. I'm kind of in shock that the weight is melting off so quickly. It seems like all the workouts and the steady calorie level of 1300 are finally making a big dent... I've lost over 3 lbs in the last week. CRAZY.

Since I hope to never be over 120 again in my life, I'm looking forward to settling into this 'decade' in as much of a nice, easy, way as I can -- definitely okay with slowing down my pace a bit. Might even skip a "real" workout today in favor of some pilates and recumbent biking.

I'm sorry for your loss and your husband's medical issues Fivestone. Try to take care of yourself, but I know it's tough.

I've been staying around 117-119. DH's birthday pie is gone so I'm going to try to stay away from sugar for the next few days. When I have it I just want more and more and more. I need a detox! I went to pilates yesterday and it felt really good. I'm going to be working for the next several weeks (temporary contract) and I'm not looking forward to being so inactive. As long as I maintain during that time I'll be happy. I will definitely need to plan for healthy meals, otherwise it will be too tempting to have takeout and other junk.

Congrats!!! Welcome!

How are you finding the calorie level of 1300? Do you spread it out with mini-meals or do 3 meals a day?

I know what you mean... I want 120 to be my absolutely upper limit redline weight (in fact, maybe even 119.9, ha!) Hope that you can ease your way to your goal.

I saw in other threads you mentioning about your career and it being the last year in school for you. Is graduation coming up next month, or have you already graduated?

Thanks, ainsleymom. The thing with my uncle is tough because he's in America, and I'm not going to be able to be there. But his wife and son (who happened to get married a few days before his dad died) seem to be holding up OK.

And, you're so right about taking care of myself. In fact, what I should do is what you mentioned in the end of your post -- planning for healthy meals. Sitting out, taking a pen and paper and planning out what I need to eat. I'll try for it this weekend.

How long does it take you to feel the effects of a detox? Hope it goes well. I'm sure you'll do fine with at least maintaining during your working time... like you said, planning is a good key.

**

I woke up after sleeping for 13 hours and lying down resting for another hour. I was feeling stressed and annoyed, though. Everything is still taking its toll on me. So I went for a nice long run, and it's sunny and pretty outside today, and I felt better. Haven't really had enough to eat today, and I haven't felt motivated to cook dinner, nor do I have the appetite for it. But I think I'm going to try and make stir fry veggies later. I took out some beef pieces to defrost to put in with the stir fry, so I'm going to try and push myself to do that.

Last week I went climbing on some friends' climbing wall in their basement, and then today I tried climbing on some pull up bars on one of the little exercise equipment things along the running trails... um, yeah. Either my upper-body strength is going, or I need to lose more weight so it's easier to pull myself up. Or, maybe I just need to lift weights and build up muscle.

My husband has agreed to join a gym once he's out of the hospital and physically cleared to exercise, so I can lift weights there! I'm excited. I like running on my trails and all that other good stuff, but I'm happy that he's wanting to join a gym, and that he's committed to exercising WITH me. That, and the dietitian referalls are some of the best thing to come out of his illness. Our dietitian (he has to be on a special diet from now on) wants to include us in a research paper she's writing, so that means we'll have to see her more frequently, but for free. I love it!

My husband's new diet is a bit stricter than what I've been doing for myself. I want to do it with him, so I will stick to it as much as I can, and maybe during the day when he's at work if I want to have some extras and stuff, I can, so I'm not eating it right in front of his face, you know?

fivestone, it's so sweet of you to share your husband's diet!! I would struggle with additional limitations so much, I really admire your ability to make it work.

I almost never exceed 300 calories in a meal and snack every 2.5 hours or so without fail. This hasn't been true of me in the past when I wasn't dieting, but it's what works for me now... too many carbs ingested between meals, and dining hall meals of mostly protein + veggies. :) When I start to cook on my own, I hope I'll be able to reverse it to munchies of veggies and meals with good, whole carbohydrates as well.
Peru
I have about 5 more weeks of college including finals, and then I'll have a month off in June, and then I start work on July 13th! It's a little terrifying (I will be traveling and eating out daily, very often on the company's dime at swank restaurants) but also very exciting. I'm 80% sure I'll be traveling in June -- I think I've settled on either northern India or Peru -- and I plan to be hiking. I hope to be a small-but-mighty athlete at 110 lbs by the time I return home :)

Hi Daisy! Good to see you here! If you can believe it, I am down to 112 - 113 for the past week. A lot of it has been due to stress, however, so it hasn't been due to any real work on my part. Congratulations on your breakthrough!! You deserve it!

I was splurgey this weekend but wound up only going up by 1 lb., up to 117. Unfortunately, this also might signal that I might not make my April 15th goal of 115, but hey, I'm close! :)

It looks like you made your goal Kat, great job!

Just checking in ladies, I'm slowing losing weight. I'm down to 118.4 and hope to lose another 8.4lbs by the time I'm done.

Made it a couple of days late, but yeah. :) I still want to get down to ~113 but that's a cushion, really. 115 will be my "red line" weight, and I'm just about ready to go into more of a maintenance mode. My exercise regimes are going to shift a little, too, toward less cardio and more strength/flexibility training to tone up rather than shred fat off.

Sounds like a great plan, I get wait to get to maintenance mode.

Just checking in here -- I'm a little frustrated with the fact that it feels like I haven't really lost in almost 3 weeks -- I've been down to 118 and then right back up to 120. Fluctuations are tough on the psyche -- they make me doubt I'm making any progress at all, and I hate that.

Right now my hope is that Eat-Stop-Eat style intermittent fasting -- straight-up starving myself for short bursts to hopefully trigger those evolutionary adaptations for fat-burning -- will make a difference. It feels more sustainable than struggling to stay at 1300 every day, as well, since a few slip-ups to 1500 will be fine with the deficit I create on fast days.

I'm hoping that the calorie cycling I'm doing unintentionally will also be better for my metabolism and for preserving muscle. I REALLY don't want to lose any more muscle mass dieting -- my butt already looks sadly deflated (it's where the fat goes first). I have so much toning to do!

I hope you see a loss soon, good luck!

I'm down to 117, for the most part. It seems like the scale fluctuates if I weigh myself a few times in a row.

Hi everyone.

I haven't posted on this thread in a while. I've been struggling recently, mostly due to overwork and stress. The lab I work at is rapidly moving into its super busy summer course season and my workload has increased dramatically. According to my pedometer I am now walking an average of 15 miles a day, mostly while pushing, lifting or carrying something heavy. Kind of makes it hard to stick to my calorie limit of a thousand calories.

That would be stressful enough but in addition my union is deadlocked in contract negotiations with management. Management wants to have the right to lay people off with no bumping rights and the union says no way. Our contract expires May 1 and management has refused to extend it. In response to that the union is talking about a possible strike. So I may soon be walking a picket line or without a job altogether and this is the time of year when I can least afford to be in that kind of situation.

Consequently I've been eating more than I should be. I haven't gained anything but I haven't lost either. When I think I feel hungry I try to tell myself it's just stress but honestly lately it's been hard to tell the difference.

Magrat, good luck with the job stress. I'm so sorry all that's happening. It sounds like you need some relaxation time in your life, which may help with feeling like you can't count calories. Even if it's just going to bed 30 minutes earlier than normal and reading or something, you need a little restorative break in your day! :hug:

Thanks for the support. I'm still counting calories but the amount has gone up to around 1300 which is too much for me to lose on. With all the moving around I do and the little I eat I would think that I would weigh around 90 pounds by now.

I do read and relax before bed which is nice. But that does me no good in the middle of the work day when I've hauled twenty bags of trash to the dumpster, cleaned eight bathrooms, swept and mopped four stairwells and eight enormous hallways, dusted, swept and mopped 75 labs and still have another 77 labs to clean before I can go home.

Great job Mini!!

I'm down to 117 even, I have 7 lbs to go to make it to my goal!

Congrats to all that are still losing weight and getting closer to goal.

Now, with that put of the way I have to admit that lately I've been feeling envious of everyone else's success. My weight has been stuck again for three weeks and I'm feeling really down and discouraged. I can't eat any less than I've been eating and still function and work has gotten so crazy busy and stressful that I'm too wiped out when I get home to do more than walk my dog, have dinner and crash. I'm still doing my kettlebell swings in the morning and of course I walk all day at work, but it's not helping.

I think the reason you are all doing so much better than me is that you are all younger. I mentally kick myself every day for not starting sooner. Then again I started over five years ago. I have no idea why this weight loss thing is taking so darn long.

:hug: I'm sure you're doing great, and I'm sure you will see a loss soon.

I'm sick so I'm down to 115.6 now. 5.6 lbs to go and I hope I can lose them quickly.

Is anyone still around? I'm down to 111.2 and I may change my goal from 110 to 108 or possibly 105.

I'm still around but I don't post much since I have been maintaining at around 107-108. My original goal was 113, then 110, but I have to say I like being below 110. However, I am about 3 inches shorter than you, so you would be fine at 110 and may find it easier to maintain in the long run. I would love to stay at 106 (saw it once last week!) and give myself a cushion. Meaning, if I hit 109, time to start getting stricter with the diet and exercise. I think you look great so my advice is pick a goal that won't be too tough to maintain. Especially in the summer. I know I tend to go out more and see friends and it's difficult to count every darn almond!

Thanks for the advice Lisa!

I'd love to join in, I've been struggling to maintain. Last summer I weighed 106-108lbs, i was maintaining that for a year. Over the winter I gained, was up to 122lbs. until recently. Just dropped 10lbs., knew it was time to diet strict. I really want to be at 108 again by August, that's my 2 yr. maintenance anniversary. I'm trying hard and not giving up this time, 4 lbs to go!

fruitlady, your loss and maintenance is truly inspiring! Good for you!

Hey fruitlady!!

I made my goal today ladies! I'm at 110.0 lbs. I don't know if I will adjust it or not but I definitely need to start exercising.