Happy Valentines Day!

My eating has been crappy for a couple of days, I admit it. But, I'm back on track! I've gotten an early start on my spring cleaning - waxing wood floors, painting decks, etc. Unfortunately, once I get going I either don't eat for long periods and end up eating garbage and a lot of it OR I nibble all day long as I go (those BLT's we've talked about) and end up eating more than I realize. Those aren't excuses - I could have done better and I know it - just an account of what went down. Funny that the worst eating I do these days is better than my best eating a year ago. My gosh, as bad as it seems for me now, the total of what I ate yesterday would have just been breakfast back then. *Shudder*

Ah, yes, the after holiday candy bargains. As it happens I made homemade cinnamon rolls this weekend. I never actually ate one, but I nearly forked the pan to death. The idea of anything sweet is rather unappealing at this point so I should survive the chocolate markdowns.

Well, it is back to work for me. I've one more floor to finish downstairs and then upstairs to clean I go. Today's eating should be much better since I won't be walking in and out of the kitchen all day. And I'm setting a timer so I know when it is time to take a break and have lunch!

Floor wax as a weightloss tool ... hmmm!

Today's plan did not go nearly as it was supposed to...wayy too much snacking on junk and I didn't get in my second walk during lunch break. I ended up having my last appointment end at 4:30 and it was an hour's drive back to the office so that didn't make it any better.

My boyfriend did make a wonderful filet mignon for dinner and steam some squash and zucchini (with just herbs and salt-free seasonings) PLUS no sweets whatsoever for Valentines, just some beautiful flowers--I didn't even have a spoonful of his ice cream for dessert. This weekend we are headed to San Antonio and staying on the riverwalk so I'll just have to keep myself in line. Should be a beautiful run if the weather stays nice...

Have a good night ladies.

Had a really busy day today. Last night after my dd ballet class I was informed that we had to make their costumes for the end of the year recital. So I spent most of today getting it done because I was chosen to do the first one. It turned out great, if I do say so myself. Hope everyone had a great day!

:wave: Had a stupid migraine type thingy yesterday - and I just read Tuesday's post that says I was feeling crook, so maybe I had a slight bug, since after I got rid of my migraine I started to feel mighty sick! Went out for dinner anyway though! Had lovely risotto and HUGE chunky chips and bread and olive oil! :D I'm not complaining, since the :devil: scales were down a pound or two this morning :D Still feeling a little dizzy this morning though.. very slow on the old grey matter! :lol:

Got double kickboxing tonight - I get to do takedowns WOOOHOOOO! I hope the nasty man is there, then I can "ooops" do it wrong (painful!). :devil:

Have been looking at honeymoon cottages in scotland. There's one that is built like a signal box. DF is not impressed! He is very into transport and things but he says he's not telling people that we're staying in a signal box for our honeymoon! :rofl: He'd better come up with something better and 10x more romantic then! :yes:

Oooh weight update!

I didn't post this here, BUT when I was 12 years old, I weighed 12 stone 4lbs. (that's 172) I'm now (as of this morning) 11 stone 8 1/2lbs (162.5 :eek: ).

That's one mighty strange feeling!

Oh and I had Mum check, I weighed 10 stone 6lbs (146) when I was 11, so a way to go before my 11 year old weight! :rofl:

What's a signal box? I have visions of you staying in a traffic light ... red, yellow, green .... pull the shades!

:lol: Ah in the Olden Days of steam railways, a signalman used to work in his signal box (a two story small affair) and change the signals on the train tracks. He'd work in the upstairs bit so he could see the trains coming and going, then pull levers to change the signals. :D I didn't think it would translate over the pond well ;)

I think here he'd be a switchman.
Hey, Jenfrus! Your post in 'what are you looking for at 3fc' was really wonderful!

Finally, I can post! I've attempted a couple of times in the last 2 days and keep getting that darned busy server message. I'm still spring cleaning plus have DH to contend with - he was home yesterday with strep throat. Needless to say I didn't have a lot of computer time.

I'm having a hard time exercising. I'm doing it, I'm just not enjoying it like I usually do nor am I pushing myself as hard as I should. I expect I might have a little bug as well that is making me sluggish.

My scale hasn't moved but that is no surprise. I've been doing okay but not exactly what I need to in order to keep the weight dropping at a steady pace. I have got to clean up my eating a little more. I can do it, just have to put my mind to it!

Hope everyone is having a great week.

Hi lucky-lucy-Tricia. We missed you!

Really frustrated with the weight loss this week. I've been on plan every day and have managed to gain 2 lbs. :mad: (hopefully it's just due to my cycle) Plus we're going away this weekend so that usually means a slight gain as well. ARGGGGHHHHHH!! Any advice??

Just keep up all that hard work, getncontrol! usually it's when you relax a little on calories (like, going away for a weekend?) that you see an unexpected drop. Don't give up, you are so close!

lucky - I'm having one of those kinda weeks too! I need the rest though! We're having chinese tonight and pizza tomorrow - we have friends over 2 nights in a row! :crazy: I am going to restrained both nights. I usually buy little flapjacks and brownies for visitors, but I've decided I either won't buy them, or if I do buy them I won't eat them... *ahem* remind me I said this!

getncontrol, if you've been as good as you can be then that's all you can do! The scales will show it in their own good time! As you say, it's probably water. :hug:

Susan - thanks for starting that "what are you looking for..." thread, it was really interesting.

I'm black and blue from flying across the room at kickboxing and kicking people HARD! :lol: Going back tomorrow for more abuse! :rofl:

lizz and 2frus Thanks so much for the support! My weight was the same this morning so I'm going to chalk it up to my monthly friend. Have a great weekend ladies!!! 'See' you Tuesday!

Gaylyn

getncontrol, I gained this week too so you aren't alone. I didn't eat as well or exercise as much as I could have but I didn't do anything that would have caused a gain either. It is just one of those things that happens and is beyond our control. Everything will even out eventually.

2frustrated - I am sure you'll do fine this weekend. Just remember that having a good visit with your friends is what is important - Chinese food and pizza are secondary.

Susan, I'll have to go check out that thread of yours. I'm finally done working around the house and have a little extra time on my hands.

I'm finally back into the swing of things. My eating has been fine but it has been hard to keep it that way. I've faked it long enough that things are getting easy again. I'm still struggling with exercising though. It is partly this little bug I've got but I think it has more to do with our weather. It has been cloudy and the temperature has been up and down - I never know whether to put on a sweater of throw on my shorts. And now we are supposed to have rain for a week. Anyway, we've had the kind of whether that makes me lazy and I haven't tried hard enough to overcome that laziness. I keep setting my alarm for 4:30 so that I can get up and go to the gym but I find myself crawling right back into bed. The good news is that I suspect DH is going to kick me out the door himself if the alarm wakes him up that early for no reason again. He's one of those that once he's awake, he's awake. He doesn't mind if I actually get up and go workout but I think he's annoyed that I fall right back to sleep when he can't. Poor guy.

I'm working on a plan for this afternoon. We have a birthday party to go to this afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese. It starts and three and normally wouldn't be much of a temptation but the stretch from 3-5 is when I get the munchies. I'm going to eat a late lunch today and probably build in room to have a salad while I'm there. Since the kids will be eating pizza that late in the afternoon we'll end up with a late dinner and so it is really the time between when we get home and eat supper that could be a problem. I don't want to get the mucnchies, come home hungry, then have to wait for supper too. That would be a recipe for disaster.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

The party went off without a hitch, I didn't even get the salad while I was there. Yay me. I'm convinced tomorrow will go just as well, and the next day, and the next. Why can't EVERY day be like this? I've started a nasty cycle of a few awesome days, then a couple of lousy ones (lousy being relative - nothing horrible just not necessarily "on plan"). I've been so wishy washy lately. I have a day like today where I eat well, exercise and feel great and I can't imagine NOT making sure that every day from here forward is exactly the same. Then out of nowhere I lose that drive. I apologize in advance for contradicting myself while posting. LOL. But, for now, things are going great and I am positive I'll have this 20 pounds knocked off in no time. Do I have a choice...swimsuit season is just around the corner!

:cp: Yay lucky! You can do it! I have the same problem. But I build my bad days in. If I over-indulge one day I try and reduce the calories the next day by a little bit, to try and even things out. It kinda works! ;)

Oh and yesterday was really horrendous, but today is promising good things. Especially when I know what I did wrong yesterday! Ie, try and save calories for dinner, then ended up way too hungry and had to eat before dinner and ended up eating the wrong things! I'm sure if I'd eaten a small healthy meal in the afternoon I would've worked out just fine. Anyway, I was carbo loading for kickboxing this morning :yes: that's my excuse anyway! :rofl:

Where's everyone this morning? Did y'all have an "off" weekend like me and scared to check in? Well I admit I didn't make the best choices but this morning has started off great and I am going to keep it up. Let's keep this thread alive, it really helps to have people in similar situations, weight-wise.

Okay, I am confident that I am back on track for good. The last few days have been great and I am no longer content with where I am. I don't know what clicked but I got a glimpse in the mirror the other day and I DID NOT like what I saw. And I don't mean that in a negative way. I mean I think I am finally seeing myself as I am rather than as I am in comparison to the 214 pound me. I guess I've been hanging out in this weight range long enough to have gotten used to it and to be certain that I'm NOT regaining this weight. So, the light bulb went off that THIS is me now and there are a lot of improvements that I want to make. I honestly haven't felt this way since December 26, 2004 when I finally thought to myself, "Enough is enough."

And the best part is that the scale has already started to move. I hate to admit it but I am a scale addict. I don't get emotional if it doesn't show me what I want it to but I do enjoy watching those numbers go down! I had forgotten how much fun the anticipation of waiting to see if I'd lost was. Ohhhh, I'm excited again and that is just the kick in the pants I needed!

How is everyone else doing today? Where are all you skinny minnie's?

:wave: Hello!

Yes I had a terrible weekend, but I'm back on track. :D Although I did deadlift 100lbs on Sunday :D :D

Went for a really horrible run yesterday, my MP3 died, my GPS didn't work, I got lost, I dropped my phone, got shouted at and it was really windy! :rofl: But I'm doing it again tomorrow ;) Then taught kickboxing class which was ok, but it depresses me when the tiny kiddies just show no improvement, they are :censored: HOPELESS but then they are only kiddies - but they just dont listen or do anything you say :tantrum:

Had a good food day yesterday, planning on having a good day today, I have lots of goodies packed and I'm feeling optimistic. I really must drink more, I've been feeling really thirsty for the past few days. I think I will shelve the Pepsi Max for a week or two to see what happens.

Kickboxing tonight, hoping to practise my new sparring technique, which is fast and sharp and contains many hook kicks and hook kicks with roudhouse kicks (which are so fast you can hear my trousers whip in the air :D ). :hyper: But I'm still aching - it hurts to sit down! :rofl: It will go once I'm warmed up.

I hope no one minds my posting here; Tricia told me about this little corner of 3FC, and I have to admit I was thrilled to catch up with other people who are in the same boat I am (though I'm probably a bit farther away from goal than most of you).

I have been losing weight for over a year and a half and have lost about 116 pounds total (Like how I say "about," as if 116 is rounding off? Ha!). I am still s-l-o-w-l-y losing (with myriad small ups and downs in between), but I must admit that I'm getting inpatient. My initial, rather arbitrary goal, which I made back when I had no clue what I'd look like even 20 pounds thinner, was 145. I know now that I'm going to want to go lower, but I'm having a terrible time even getting to *that* goal. I'm only 5'2 (or 5'3, depending on whether it's to my advantage to add or subtract! :devil: ), so this is definitely still too high a weight for me, but I AM thrilled to be where I am and proud of my accomplishment. As far as size goes, I'm hovering between an 8 and 10 at most stores. I'm pear-shaped, so my pants are always larger than my shirts, though I *did* buy my first size 8 skirt a couple of weeks ago. :D

Anyway, like many of you, I've gotten slightly more complacent about my exercise and eating. While I used to go to the gym AT LEAST six days a week, I feel good if I go 4 or 5 now, and I'm realizing that it's really not good enough. I've also gained 2 pounds since my husband got home from Alaska last week (ah, "celebration mode"), so these things combined add up to BACK TO BASICS for Jen.

Today I had my first "leg day" (weights) in a month. Somewhere around the millionth lunge :), I thought I would pass out, but it feels good to be getting back in the groove. I know most people love leg day, but I hate how immobile I feel long afterward. The difference between my upper (pretty darn good) and lower body (pretty lame) strength is pathetic.

Anyway, that's my story. I hope you guys don't mind another face around here... this forum seems like exactly where I need to be right now. I look forward to getting to know you better!

Jennifer, I'm glad you found us! I didn't realize we were the same height - we really ARE in the same boat. And I'm also trying struggling with a 2 pound weight gain. In my defense it wasn't because I was totally off track (although I wasn't exactly "on" either :o ). I have been playing around with my maintainence calorie level and things got a little out of hand. I had upped my calories and didn't gain an ounce for a couple of weeks then all of a sudden on came this extra weight. I'm not going to let it stick around though. I'm afraid it will invite friends!;)

I've gotten my eating under control now but I've got to start pushing myself in the exercise department. I absolutely love to work out and I feel so good afterwards so I don't know why I haven't been able to make myself get up and go in the mornings. I'm eating anywhere from 1500-1800 calories and I really feel as though I can lose these last 20 pounds at that level if I just kick my butt into gear and get back to exercising 5-6 times a week. For a long time I was getting up at 4:30 so that I could be at the gym by 5:00. It was perfect because I got my day started on the right foot and got exercise out of the way so that there was no chance of it getting put on the back burner. But, the weather has gotten cold (okay, cold in Mississippi is relative, but it is cold to me!) and I just haven't been able to roll myself out of bed. Tomorrow might be the day, though. I've got my water bottle in the fridge, my clothes and shoes out, and the MP3 player charged - and I'm going to bed by 9:00 tonight. I'll miss the Daily Show and the Colbert Report but that is a small price to pay to get myself up bright and early.

Okay, I'm facing two challanges. First of all, Girl Scout cookies were delivered today. I'd forgotten I even ordered the stupid things. Obviously, I was feeling very much in control when the little girl across the street knocked on my door because I bought 6 boxes. Second, my son's school is doing a fundraiser selling "World's Greatest Chocolate" (chocolate covered almonds and some sort of carmel chocolate swirl I've never heard of ). Here is the thing. I don't really care for any of it. So why I feel so tempted by it is a mystery. Maybe because they are both the kind of thing that you can walk by, grab a couple of, and not really count it? I don't know. But the cookies will only be opened one box at a time with the others kept in the freezer so that access isn't easy and those damned almonds (which I do kind of like) are going to work with DH.

How is everyone else doing? A little better than me, I hope! Anyway, I'll pop in tomorrow and let you know if I made it to the gym. No, let me rephrase that. I'll pop in tomorrow and let you know how great the gym was since I KNOW I'm getting my lazy arse out of bed and going. Hope y'all have a great night!

:wave: Hello Jen!

I had a good day yesterday. BUT the scales are still being my biggest pain! I've gone UP 3 1/4lbs in a few days :tantrum: And I KNOW I didn't eat that much! :tantrum: I think I'm a bit bloated and I'm feeling thirsty... I think I might drop my cals a little lower this week. The trousers I'm aiming to fit into for a week on Saturday are still tight. I will have to go shopping...

I'm with ya, 2frus. I'm up another pound (!) today, but I've been really careful this week. Body fat looks lower usual on the scale, however, so I think I must be retaining mad amounts of water (don't they say "never weigh after leg day"?).

Here's to a massive sweat-a-thon (or something) to get rid of these weird extra pounds!

Lucky, thanks for the welcome, and I expect a full report on your early morning gym-going. :) (I've been having more trouble with that myself -- I swear it is the cold and lack of light... it's OK if you go later in the day, honest! Just GO! :p )

Ah :yes: Never weigh after a leg day... That might make a slight amount of sense, since I've been having DOMS since, er half an hour after my leg weights on Sunday! :rofl:

I know I need more water, I'm thirsty! I'm almost never thirsty! The cold and lack of light is getting me too! Ugh ick! I need lunch, look out chicken and bacon, here I come! :D

I did it. 45 minutes of cardio and a 30 of weights. The alarm went off, I turned it off (along with DH's by mistake - OOPS!), went to the bathroom, got back in bed, got out of bed, stood by the bed trying to decide whether or not to put on my tennis shoes or crawl back in, then realized how silly it was for there to be such a huge production JUST to go do something that I know is going to make me feel good. So, off I went and I feel so much better. There is no reason in the world that I shouldn't get back to doing this every morning.

I've been thinking about the way those extra pounds sneak up on us. I know our bodies don't metabolize food instantly and that I may be able to go on a real bender for a couple of weeks without the scale ever showing a gain only to get back on track for a couple of weeks and then wonder where the heck those 2 pounds came from (becuase of course that two week bender is now long forgotten!). It is so irritating.

I've got my meals all planned out for today. For the first time in a while I feel like I'm actually trying to lose weight again. I've been going back and forth for a while. It hasn't hurt but it hasn't gotten me anywhere either. I suspect that I needed time to mentally/emotionally to catch up with the progress my body has made. I needed to get to a point where I felt like these weren't the last 20 of my original goal but the first 20 of a new goal. I knew a couple of months ago that what what needed to happen and I even tried to talk myself into being in that place but it didn't really work. I just wasn't ready. I think I've finally stopped thinking of myself as a 214 pound woman who has lost 70+ and instead see myself as a 140ish pound woman who needs to lose 20.

Everybody else doing okay today?

Doin okay Ma'm! :D

I'm feeling the need to beat something up, after wasting IMMENSE amounts of charity work time reading about Ms Skwigg (skwigg.com) and her freaky martial arts. I will go home and train like the :devil: I might even go out for a run as soon as I get in, if this Pepsi Max high continues :hyper:

2frus - Ah, the DOMS. It's soooooo painful this time since I've missed my leg days for a month. I know it's a good thing and means I'm making progress, but OW. I am walking like Frankenstein!

Hey, good news, all. After being VERY disappointed on the scale this morning (I'm still inexplicably 3 pounds up from my low last week, which really doesn't make any sense - in terms of calories in, calories out), I decided I would take measurements for the first time since early January, in hopes that the news would be good. My friends, the news was even better than I expected! I'm down 2 inches in my chest (eep, I wouldn't have chosen that as a priority, but hey ;) ), an inch and a half off my waist (only one more inch until I'm in the 20s for the first time EVER), one inch from my abdomen, an inch off my hips, and a half-inch off my thighs!

I know I'm feeling smaller and my clothes are looser, so this little gain blip is baffling. The scale is sure the :devil: sometimes!!!!

Hope everyone is well today! Lucky, congrats on making it to the gym. When I'm not feeling it, I always remind myself that I've never once regretted going, but I've regretted NOT going plenty of times.

WOW! Jennifer, those inches lost are impressive! I wouldn't worry about the chest measurement going down - those inches may have come from the back and sides and not *ahem* THE chest. Or at least that is what I always tell myself! I think you've just given me my new mantra. You are absolutely right - I've never regretted going to the gym even if I've gotten there and exercised without enthusiasm. I have a step class tonight and I always look forward to them so today shouldn't give me pause.

I probably need to have my measurments taken too. I last had it done 12/28 and I've been too scared to do it since then because I haven't been exercising like I need too. Even with the scale moving back down I'm afraid I may have added some inches. It would probably do me good to face the music. I think I'll to that tonight before the step class. I'll let you know how it turns out - admitting any gains will do me good too!

Have a great day!

Hello everyone. Sorry I haven't been around but my computer has been giving me grief.

Welcome Jennifer and congrats on your weight loss. You're a true inspiration!

I'm still struggling with these two extra mystery pounds. I refuse to change my ticker though because I KNOW that they'll come back off. Plus my meausurements haven't increased. I have 5 more ballet costumes to make so that'll keep me occupied. Not to mention the fact that I've had to shovel 3 times in the last 24 hrs. Exercise is exercise though. ;)

Gaylyn

We are getting a sneak preview of spring today - beautiful sunshine and a high of 70 degrees. We've had nothing but rain and cold for so long that I knew it was affecting my mood (and weight loss efforts!) but didn't realize just how much until today. Unfortunately, we are expecting more rain tonight and for the next several days. So, we are outside enjoying it while we can. I'm deciding what vegetables we will plant next month and looking forward to visiting the blueberry farm that is near by. We pick our own each year, the kids love it, and we get a ton of berries for a ridiculously low price. I've got my mouth watering for fresh fruit and vegetables now!

So, the weather today has me looking ahead to spring and summer. I'm not putting my efforts off until then but I do think things will get much easier once nicer weather is here. First of all, we are much more active in general. I still go to the gym, but the kids and I are moving around much more - swimming, tennis, etc. Plus, I eat much lighter when the weather is warm. Not less, necessarily, but lighter. Not to mention that I drink a lot more water. It is a strange feeling to actually look forward to summer - I used to dread swimsuit season.

Gaylyn, I'm glad you aren't worrying too much about those extra two pounds. You are right that they will come back off. Of course, that doesn't make them any less irritating. I know, I've been losing and gaining the same two pounds for a few weeks now. I have a feeling, though, that this will be the week my weight stablizes and I'll have a better idea of where I REALLY am weightwise. I hope the same happens for you!

:wave: I'm burnt out! :hot:

I'm taking this week off kickboxing and running and weights. I am going to need a straight jacket to keep me from exercising! Although judging from yesterday's performance (20 hours sleep) I'll probably enjoy the rest!

Eating over the weekend has been apalling, but I'm not too worried, since I was tired and needed energy, in the form of cakes and bread... :o Never mind, I am back on the healthy wagon today, I'm just not obsessing about things so much this week, I'm going to try and have a "normal" relationship with food this week! :lol3: Ah you shouldda seen what I ate yesterday - NORMAL it was NOT! :rofl:

The scales are still in the cupboard! I'm going to go by how clothes "feel" and how much energy I have for my kickboxing and really not worry at all about things. I think I'm going to practise maintenance for a while and forget stressing about having a bad day/weekend! ;)

Meanwhile, my immune system has taken the week off too! Bah! I'm all snotty! At least I have plenty of fruit with me to counteract the snot! :rofl:

Just found this thread and I think it is somewhere I may need at the moment. I know I have come a long way in just over 2 years of new lifestyle, but I am getting very frustrated with how long it is taking to lose the last 15lbs. I really want to be able to say that I am in the "Healthy Weight Range", and that is just sitting out of reach. I actually only have to lose about 7lbs to reach a healthy weight I think, but I want the other 8lbs off so that I have a little bit of breathing range, especially around TOM. THAT is what caused this slow down to start with I think. I went off the contraceptive needle towards the end of last year and my cycle started again. From then on, I have struggled back and forth with the weight. I lose some, then I gain some (which I didn't do for over a year solid), then I lose more, but gain some around TOM again. I know it could also just be slowing as I am nearing my goal weight. Not really sure. I have a friend who is a dietitian who is helping me out, so hopefully we'll be able to kick start things again soon.

It is great to see that there are many other people who are just as frustrated as I am at the moment.

Take care all,

Zelma

:wave: Hi Zelma - snap on many things ;)

I really need to remember that I'm looking after myself rather than punishing/building/ripping muscle and/or body fat! It's a lifetime thing and I need to get my head around being kind to myself all the time, not just to reach a specific goal... That's March's goal! :D

Ah, Zelma, I know your pain all too well! I lose/gain during my cycle much the same way you described. Right now, though, I'm having an even worse problem -- I'm still gaining for no reason at all. This morning I was exactly 4 pounds up since the 15th. My eating has been slightly off since my husband recently returned from a 5-week trip to Alaska, but I've definitely been in the "maintenance" zone rather than the "gain five pounds" zone.

It occurred to me this weekend that the culprit actually MAY be the generic b.c. pill they had to give me this month. I know it's the same medicine, but even if the doses are slightly different it could make a difference. I gained exactly the same way when I first started taking this pill. So... keep your fingers crossed for me. :crossed: This week is going to be all about getting the eating back to its previously pristine state, so if I'm *still* gaining, I will KNOW it's something else!

2f, I think taking a break is a good idea. Your schedule always makes me tired just to hear about it, so I'm not surprised you need a breather! Come next week, I bet you'll be raring to go with even more energy!

Off to the gym after work today. Should have gone this morning, but it was SO cold out there. Thought it might be better after the sun has had a chance to warm things a bit.

Hope everyone is well today!

Welcome, Zelma! Your before and after pictures are amazing! Isn't it funny that we can lose so much weight and then get this frustrated with a lousy 10-15 pounds? I remember being so annoyed by people who complained about having 20 pounds to lose and would talk about it like it was the end of the world. Little did I know! Like you, I plan on losing a little more than necessary so that I've got a some elbow room. Once I really get comfortable with maintaining I don't expect to need it. But, when I first start trying to figure out what my calorie and exercise levels will have to be to maintain I want a 5 or so pound allowence to work within.

2fustrated, sounds like you've got a plan. Everybody needs a break now and then. At least I think so. And with all of the exercise you've described in your posts I'd say your a good candidate for a little rest and relaxation!

Jennifer, I think the fat fairy must be making her rounds because I had an unexpected gain yesterday too. 142.4 - BLECH! I've been doing everything right, though, and I know it will come off. I had a really terrible couple of weeks last month and I suspect they are just now catching up to me. I have nobody to blame but myself and all I can do is commit to doing better from here on out.

This week is off to a good start. My eating is under control and I'm back into an exercise routine. I am trying to decide whether or not I should bite the bullet and drop my calories down a bit. Right now I'm in the 1500-1800 range. I maintain at this level without exercise and lose very slowly if I do exercise. I think eating 1200-1300 would make a world of difference but that is WAY outside my comfort zone. Of course, that is probably the best indication that I actually need to push myself there. We'll see. I'm going to keep everything as is this week and decide based on my progress when I weigh in Sunday.

I have a question. Do you guys find yourself less driven at this point? I have never depended on being motivated to stick to my plan. I knew from the beginning that I wouldn't be able to count on always being excited to eat right and exercise. But I had so far to go that it was easier to talk myself into doing what I had to do. I was plagued with health issues and I hated what I saw in the mirror so making the right choices, even when I didn't want to, seemed much easier. Now, there isn't quite so much at stake and it seems more difficult to force myself to do the right things when I really don't feel like doing them. Things like these extra two pounds always slap me back to reality so I know I'll never let things get completely out of hand. I feel as though I have so few things propelling me towards my goal these days. I'm relying the "Just Do It" mentality at this point and I know that will get me to where I want to be. Still, I wish I had a carrot to dandle in front of the horse so to speak. Okay, enough rambling from me.

Have a great day!

My drive has completely gone! I think that's the main reason I'm still stuck here!! I do what I know I should, then after a few days I feel like I've been good and blow all the hard work out of the water!

I can look in the mirror and look nice in my clothes, sometimes see my abs, see muscle definition and it's all good. So the motivation to look better, well it's not as strong as the motivation to sit on my lardy arse and eat cookies, obviously!

I wish I had something that would push me to the edge, like if I couldn't do another belt before I lost 7lbs or something. God that would be irritating, but you know what I mean! Maybe it's time to be happy where I am for a little while and concentrate on other things, concentrate on not stuffing my face all weekend, every weekend!! Concentrate on treating myself with small things every day, or just concentrate on eating a little less.

I have things I want to do when I get to goal, like professional pictures and bikini holidays and the like (I've already bought the bikinis and they look ok), but it can't be a good incentive, because the incentive of instant gratification is winning at the moment!

"The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want the most for what you want now."

So there you go... Now if only I could remember that, and all the other stuff that I have in my sig! :lol:

I've micromanaged my diet and exercise for more than a year now. It has worked for me so far but I think it may have run its course. I've noticed over the past few weeks that I eat LESS if my eating plan is a little less structured. I don't mean not having a basic plan or idea of what I'll be eating for the day but just less routine. For instance, I'm staying between 1500 and 1800 calories right now. Having that set limit leads me to eat when I otherwise wouldn't because, "I have 400 calories left." Like everything else about weight loss it is a mental thing for me. I'm starting to think that this lifestyle is ingrained now and that I can afford to relax a bit and just follow my instincts. I'm going to give it a shot for a week or so. I still intend to enter everything into fitday, but not until the end of the day. I will still measure and weigh my food, etc. But, I need to lower my calorie intake to get these last pounds off. Micromanaging every bite is making me miss those extra calories. On days that I've just winged it though, I've come in right between 1200-1300 calories. I suppose it boils down to trusting myself. Up until this point I haven't. I think I need to prove to myself that I can so that I can truly get out of the "diet" frame of mind. I know that I'll never be able to quit paying attention to how I eat all together. But I think it is time to start following my body's signals more and use fitday as a check and balance system.

Of course, this might fail miserabley. LOL. But, I need something new. The grind of using the same approach for so long is starting to get to me. I expect I will eventually get back to how I've been doing things. For now, though, a change will do me good!

Yes, yes yes!!!!! Even though I am still faithfully following plan, it's a daily struggle within my mind to stay on track. Plus my free MEAL on Saturdays has turned into a free DAY. I went back and added up what I ate a couple of Saturdays ago and it was well over 3000cals!! I usually take in slightly more than that over three days. So this Saturday I'm back to my one free meal and I will NOT go over 2000cals for that day. That's my mini goal for this week and hopefully I can get away from 155. I tell ya, these last 15 lbs are going to kill me!!

Welcome Zelma and what amazing pics!!