Hi folks... I'm up a tad over 130 this morning. My power was out for days (Snowtober) and my family camped out in my brother's basement. I did pretty decently eating despite the conditions, but not perfect. Last night was a long pre-planned celebratory meal for work, and I did not try to eat on plan. So, I am up about 3 or 4 lbs since the power went out.

Hopefully today will be back to normal and I will be able to get back completely on plan and back out of the 130's soon. I can't allow any backsliding with the holidays just around the corner!

Good luck with your goal Amarantha!

yoyoma- I feel your pain! I need to get back on plan, too. Sorry about the electricity..we have hurrican seasons here. Ugh!

Yesterday was my 30th birthday, and it capped off a week of eating not-so-great and not writing down in my food journal. I've written down everything since May 15th, but it started to feel like I was obsessed, so I tried not writing it down. Sigh. I'm sure I could maintain like that, if I was careful, but I just don't think it is for me. Tomorrow I am starting 1400/day average calorie cycle until the end of the month. I need a new Challenge that I can force myself to stick to.
I feel so good and love my new clothes, etc, but if I want to lose these last pounds, I need to buckle down again. I need to focus more on what I'm eating, and less on working out like crazy.

132 this morning! Soooo close. :carrot:

Ugh. I had a mostly on-plan day yesterday, but blew it last night after we got home from a late movie (ate a bowl of kashi cereal) and as a result, I am up to 131.0. Sheesh, it seems like if I give the scale any excuse to go up it takes it. Well, of course it doesn't even need an excuse. So, my goal for today is to get back perfectly on plan. I can't force the scale to cooperate, but I can control my actions.

Congrats, Shrinking! You may be out of the 130s before I get back out again.

Chichi, happy birthday!!! My birthday was near the end of October, and that marked the start of some sloppy eating on my part (although it also coincided with my meeting my goal, so that wasn't a big surprise). I guess the scale uppage means that I do need to try to build up a bigger buffer so that a few days of weirdness don't throw me out of range. No surprise, but a little reinforcement.

At least I have my treadmill back, so that is a relief!

yoyoma - you're so close to your goal!! What are your plans for maintenance? Do you have a top weight that you want to stay underneath from now on? Do you want to lose more so that your current weight will be your top weight in future, or are you done really and you're top weight will be early 30's?

Great work shrInk - you'll be in the 120's in no time.

Good luck with the new calorie challenge Chickiechicks. How's Day 1 been? What calories were you on before?

I was 123lb this morning, so i really should be clearing out of this thread!! (Although i think the scales are flattering me and i'm a bit dehydrated so i'm not moving the ticker just yet!).

Back on the wagon!! :)

ange- I was doing 1200-1400 all summer. The last 15 pounds I lost (over almost 3 months) was doing 1400-1700 cals. I'm going to try calorie cycling for the rest of this month, hoping to average 1400 cals again.

yoyoma- I want to see 129 badly, but I know if/when I hit that, I'll still be going up and down to the low 130s. That is why I really want 125 to be my goal weight, so that I have more of a buffer, like you said. I don't want to see the 130s at ALL once I'm there. :)

So I got a late start....gained 2 pounds since the last weigh in, but began an exercise routine this morning, right after I fed the kids. This worked out okay, so I'm going to try to keep this up.

Day 1 of the 30 day shred!
Weight: 137

Here goes :)

Had a good day yesterday, down to 130.2 this morning.

Ange, I don't yet have a successful strategy for maintaining. When I first got to goal (again) I tried to eat more of the healthy foods the rest of my family was eating. That didn't seem to be working well (unknown calorie counts, higher carbs from legumes and grains). So, I will have to be very careful if I try that again. Alternatively, I suppose I could continue to eat separate foods during the week and then eat out more often with the family on weekends (I've been a wet blanket for a long time). But that might also backfire and I certainly can't do both (been there, failed at that).

Congrats on reaching 123! You are *so* in the 120's that you are almost out of them!

Chichi, good job getting back on the wagon! It's funny what a huge difference a single pound (from 130->129) makes in my mindset.

Just joining you all! I was 151 in January 1, 2011. It was such a struggle. You can see it here:

1/28/11: 152.0
2/05/11: 150.5
2/12/11: 153.5
2/17/11: 151.5
2/28/11: 151.0
3/07/11: 152.0
3/14/11: 151.0
3/24/11: 150.0
4/04/11: 151.5
4/11/11: 151.5
4/18/11: 154.5
4/25/11: 156.5
5/02/11: 154.0
5/09/11: 155.0
5/16/11: 156.0
5/23/11: 156.0
5/30/11: 155.0
6/06/11: 155.0
6/13/11: 155.0
6/20/11: 153.5
6/26/11: 155.5
6/30/11: 153.5
7/07/11: 152.5
7/14/11: 151.0
7/21/11: 149.5
7/28/11: 149.0
8/04/11: 148.5
8/11/11: 150.0
8/18/11: 152.0
8/25/11: 147.5
8/31/11: 145.5
9/08/11: 145.0
9/16/11: 144.0
10/18/11: 141.0
10/28/11: 140.0
11/4/11: 140.0
11/8/11: 137.5

Now I am happy to be in the 130's, but would LOVE to be 125!
Get me outta here!

Talk soon!

Welcome, Beila! Great job with your weight loss.

I had an almost-on-plan yesterday (except for a handful of unplanned mellowcreme pumpkins = 150 calories at work. When I looked up the calorie count, I was mad that I had eaten them and of course they are about as unhealthy as it gets).

Despite that, I was down to 128.4 this morning! :) I know that I'm going to pop back up into the 130s unless I make a concerted effort to move into the lower/mid 120s (and very possibly even if I do). So, I'm planning to go there.

I'm not ready to change the goal on my ticker yet. I'm so enjoying feeling like I've reached goal. Maybe I won't update until I reach it!

Originally Posted by yoyoma:
Alternatively, I suppose I could continue to eat separate foods during the week and then eat out more often with the family on weekends.

this sounds like a reasonable idea since you're already used to that routine. I know what you mean about not being able to eat normally though, as eating the main meal of the day at 6 in the evening doesn't work for me either.

CONGRATULATIONS on getting to your target!!!! (Even though you haven't officially moved your ticker yet). Are you going allow yourself any sort of reward for that? Are you feeling really good? How long have you been losing weight for ?

Originally Posted by yoyoma:
Hi folks... I'm up a tad over 130 this morning. My power was out for days (Snowtober) and my family camped out in my brother's basement.

Ditto - I slept on the floor of my brother's one bedroom apartment with my daughter until my friend's power came back and we slept in her guest room for the last three days of my ten day outage. I weighed in at 3lbs less than last weigh in (almost two weeks ago from loss of power) at 127.4. I think it was from not being extra diligent and upping my calories slightly for those days that made the scale finally move again! :carrot:

I'm probably going to modify my goal when I get there, but the lowest post pregnancy adult weight I've had was 120. The lowest semi-adult weight (college) was 112, so I think 115 will be perfect. I can't wait!

I have never worked out for 30 days continuous in my entire life, so I don't know how much weight I can lose with exercise, so this will be interesting. I usually lose the pounds with calorie counting alone.

30 day shred video:

Day 1- weight 137
Day 2- weight 137
Day 3- weight 136

30 day shred video:
(level 1)

Day 1- weight 137
Day 2- weight 137
Day 3- weight 136
Day 4- weight 135.5

I finished the 30DS about a week back and finally got around to taking some 'after' pictures. I was dissapointed that I lost 1.2 lbs in the whole month while cutting calories, but was so excited to see the results in pictures. My stomach is a whole lot flatter (I think I lost 2 inches around my waist - 27", woohoo!).

I started a job that has me working 3PM-9PM most nights. It's really shaken up my eating habits, and I've found that I've only been eating 800-1000 calories a day. The weight is dropping now, but I'm worried about how permanent this will be. I guess I can always aim to eat more on my days off, with low days during the week, kind of like calorie cycling?

Scale was 133.8 this morning, but I feel very bloated and haven't "gone" in a while, so I'm hoping it's even lower. So close to a normal BMI! :D

I am back at 131.8 this morning, so I think I might finally be past my little hiccup and on my way back down. I suspect TOM is coming, which is unusual since I almost never have periods any more. But I think that's why I stalled, I always used to stall a little at mid-cycle. At least I hope that's the case, because that means that when TOM finally starts, I'll get a whoosh (which is how it always happens for me).

And then I can finally be out of this thread! :)

I am at 129.0 this morning. Reasonably good on the calories and eercise yesterday, but it was on the carby side. Not surprising, as it turns out TOM arrived today. I'm perimenopasal and so irregular that I don't bother tracking any more. My weight fluctuations tend to be smaller now too, so I'm not expecting a big whoosh.

Shrinking, congrats on making recent progress! Hope there is a good whoosh headed your way!

Fayve, that 30DS sounds awesome! I really hate intense workouts, but maybe I should go there. I spend a lot of time doing low intensity walking on my treadmill desk, but I don't do anything to really get my heart rate up which may be why I've still got more in the middle than I'd prefer. Kifli, good luck with it!

Munchy, big congrats on losing weight while camping in someone else's house! You may not have lost as fast as normal, but keeping in the right direction is awesome!

Originally Posted by ange82much:
CONGRATULATIONS on getting to your target!!!! (Even though you haven't officially moved your ticker yet). Are you going allow yourself any sort of reward for that? Are you feeling really good? How long have you been losing weight for ?

Well, I am really just getting back to goal. I've been losing again since about March, I think. Nasty winter weight. I got back to goal at first in mid-October.

This time round coincided with my 50th birthday and I've been very self-indulgent. I am trying to make sure it feels like all this effort is worth my while. I've bought lots of new pants and I just got a Brazilian Blowout (keratin hair treatment). The biggest thing is I am also getting Exilis on my tummy and inner thighs (spot fat reduction and skin tightening). It does seem to improve matters but I am not done with the treatments yet.

yoyoma - we've all got to be self-indulgent to succeed at this game, and of course it's all worth it!!! Good on you for getting stuck in and getting back down to target (this is what i'll have to do after a big holiday planned over christmas and i'm worried about getting the motivation back). And well done on planning all the 'extras' to go with your success - bet you feel fabulous now!!! And it gives you even more motivation to keep on maintaining.

30 day shred video:
(level 1)

Day 1- weight 137
Day 2- weight 137
Day 3- weight 136
Day 4- weight 135.5 (missed the workout today, due to a sick kitty)
Day 5- weight 135

130.0 again, still...

I have had a rough November so far. It's been so awful with trying to stan on plan, trying to figure out what PLAN that is and trying to have enough energy to work out as hardcore as I prefer. It took me a couple of weeks, but here is attempt #87 at figuring out this new phase:

I need to EAT. Like really eat. I'm simply not eating enough, which is why I feel faint working out and have no energy or motivation. I keep trying to remind myself that I need to eat enough to get the energy I need to LIVE MY LIFE. And right now, my life is lovin' working out and maintaining around 130.

No idea about how that translates to a majic calorie number, but I just keep eating healthy things all day until I don't feel ravenous. I pay special attention to before and after workouts.

It seems to be working so far, b/c I haven't gained any weight and I'm eating ~2000 cals/day. And I just finished a 5-day workout spree which I haven't done in so long, b/c my energy was so low.

I also signed up for a Nutrition/Counseling class at my Y and I hope to get some answers there.

can I join you guys?
I am so frustrated. I am losing nothing this November after a decent September and October. I don't know what I am doing differently (in fact, I'm exercising much more now than I was before). I have got to get out of the 130's.. slowly move through them...be accountable to someone...

30 day shred video:
(level 1)

Day 1- weight 137
Day 2- weight 137
Day 3- weight 136
Day 4- weight 135.5 (missed the workout today, due to a sick kitty)
Day 5- weight 135

So I got crazy busy the last two days, with a big birthday party last night for my little one (pizza and ice cream cake), followed by early Thanksgiving dinner with cousins tonight, then I have a restaurant dinner tomorrow :( Will be driving 4hrs out of town and staying overnight until Tuesday. So diet and exercise is terrible right now. Will try to get back with eating better tomorrow, but won't be able to do the shred until Wednesday.
I'm not giving up the fight!

Catgirl: welcome :)

I'd like to join in, too. I started at 145 in May, and by daily swimming and sensible eating (mostly Mediterranean diet) I got down to 129. But now it's too cold to swim, and my teaching job takes about 11 hours a day, and I was back up to 134 at the beginning of November.

I do not want to regain all that weight!

OK, today is my first "up" day of JUDDD and I am terrified. I am really stuck, stuck, stuck at 132 -131. I have lowered my calories again and again since July, until I am ridiculously limited in my choices and clearly eating an unsustainably low amount of food. I can't get ALL my nutrition from supplements! I was down to 350 - 400 calories a day (weighing food on a postal scale), and I still hit a plateau. That should not be possible, according to BMR calculations, if I still have a heartbeat!

So today I am increasing my calories to lose weight. Scary, for me. But I went so low I was clearly shutting down my metabolism. I am hoping JUDDD will help me re-set my metabolism to more sane/healthy level.

I plan to add more exercise - but this week I am remodeling my daughter's bedroom so I have no time at all for the gym. Just the remodel itself is more physical activity than I am used to, so that will help some. Plus I walk about an hour a day several times a week.

I haven't been wearing my Skechers Shape-Ups either; I think I will break them out of the closet. Every bit helps!

Shrinking- what is JUDD? I, too, get terrified of upping cals. It's been a roller-coaster emotionally. For the past 2 weeks, I've donw around 1900 and not gained, so I'm hanging here for a while and continuing to work out.

Today marks 6 months since I changed my life with counting calories and exercising! I've lost 24.8% of my starting weight since then and 30% since my highest weight last January. :)

Originally Posted by ChickieChicks:
Shrinking- what is JUDD? I, too, get terrified of upping cals. It's been a roller-coaster emotionally. For the past 2 weeks, I've donw around 1900 and not gained, so I'm hanging here for a while and continuing to work out.

Today marks 6 months since I changed my life with counting calories and exercising! I've lost 24.8% of my starting weight since then and 30% since my highest weight last January. :)

JUDDD stands for Johnsons Up Day, Down Day Diet. It's a technique of calorie cycling which is supposed to activate a sluggish metabolism. For induction your DD calories should be 25% of your UD calories. Mine are 400/1600, respectively. My average is 1000 calories a day, but it is accomplished through a near-fast one day and a higher calorie day the next.

I just started two days ago, so we'll see how it goes. It is a HUGE increase in overall calories for me compared to what I have been doing, though, since I have been on a VLCD (very low calorie diet: <400 a day) for several months.

Now we will find out if it's true that increasing your calories can help you lose weight when you are in starvation mode.

I have learned that starvation mode is not a myth and calories in/calories out is BS, as a hard-and-fast rule, anyway. Because I am still at the high end of my healthy BMI range, I am moderately active, and I managed to hit a plateau at <400 calories a day. Which isn't even supposed to be possible unless I am 99 years old and bedbound, assuming I have a heartbeat. I mean, if you even HAVE a basal metabolic rate, you should be losing weight at <400 calories a day, if calories in/calories out was 100% true. Metabolism is EVERYTHING!

Which is why I stopped starving myself and switched to JUDDD. I still have 16 pounds to reach my goal, which is not an extreme goal at all; 115 pounds is right smack in the middle of my ideal weight range. VLCD worked for a while, and I was really, really careful to get enough protein and nutrients so I didn't lose muscle or get vitamin/mineral deficiencies, but even starvation eventually stops working. And then what do you do? Where do you go when you are already <400 calories a day?

Answer: you go UP. You build a metabolism.

And congrats on your amazing achievement! :carrot:

Good eating and exercise the past couple days and I am down to 128.0 today. :)

I still need to lose a few more pounds to have a bit of a buffer. It's very easy for a fluctuation to push me back into the 130s.

Good luck everyone. We are starting to face a tough time of the year!

Congrats Yoyoma! I completely agree with the buffer. That's why 125 would work best for me, if/when I can get there. I want my "high days" to still be under 130.

I saw 129.0 today!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO! Doin' a dance! :D It really stinks losing 1/2 a pound every 2 weeks!

Oh MY!!! I just saw 130.2 on my scale!!! Now I just need to stay here for 48 hours until my official WW weigh in on Sunday to make my goal!!!

Great job kidjng! I am 2 pounds away and I can't wait to get there!

Oh my goodness -- 128.8 this morning on an empty stomach, 129.4 after a cup of coffee.

Weigh in in 3 hrs! I know the scale at WW is about .2 - .4 lbs higher than my home scale so no matter what it says I should be at or below goal weight!

Woot! Good luck with your weigh-in Kidjing!

You're almost there Chichi!

I was at 127.6 this morning. Holding pretty steady around 128 these past few days. Would like to nudge it down a bit more before I get side-swiped by the holidays but T-Day is only a few days away now!

In addition to holiday eating, there's winter blues and slacking off, and I'm usually looking at a mess in March. So, now that I have my treadmill, I'm really hoping to make it through Spring unscathed.

But, I need to get through the holidays first!

GOAL!!!

I WEIGH 130 POUNDS!!! So excited!!

Now the hard work begins - maintenance!

I hit a plateau for two weeks in spite of being Low-carb AND VLCD. Come on, this is totally not fair!!!

So I changed it up; increased my activity level, added a bunch of protein and went on a JUDDD (Johnson's Up Day, Down Day Diet) plan. Though my overall caloric average is still very low, I am eating a virtual fast one day, and then lots of calories the next. Guess what? It worked!

The scale inched up for a week, but now I have finally broken through my plateau. I went down .2 pounds from 131.2 (my previous low) to an even 131. Doesn't seem like much, but it's a lot when you have been on a plateau for two weeks.

Still not out of the 130's though. :(

SOON.

Looks like we hjave some ladies that will be int he 120s VERY SOON!

I keep going betweem 129-131 now, but that is what always happens. I hit a new low number, see it briefly and then go up 1-2 pounds for a smidge until I get my woosh back down and it sticks. :) Keeping my fingers crossed. And TOM should be showing up soon. It is HILARIOUS that for the first time in my life, I love getting my period!! B?c I know I will get that post-period woosh and I LOVE IT. PLus my weight loss has slowed to a crawl, and it seems I can't lose anything anymore except for that once monthly woosh.

Measured in at 130.9 this morning. I'm so so so close.

30 day shred video:
(level 1)

Day 1- weight 137
Day 2- weight 137
Day 3- weight 136
Day 4- weight 135.5
Day 5- weight 135
Day 6- weight 134.5

Accidentally took a hiatus when we went out of town...but I'm back now :)

Honestly, I'm so jealous :) in a good way ... I'm still at 137.4 again. It seems that I've plateau'ed here for a little while and with Thanksgiving tomorrow, I'm not sure if I'm going to see 136 by the end of the month (the original goal was 135)... I hope I just get it down there and do okay on Turkey Day.

Good luck to everyone eating turkey. Here's to moderation in all good things.

:)