I haven't posted in a while, because I was getting very discouraged with the f*&$#@g scale... doing what I needed to be doing at least 85% of the time but not seeing any scale movement at all -- except occasionally UP! I find that it gets roughest for me when I'm actually on plan, exercising regularly, but still seeing nothing on the scale (and I'm not talking one day here -- it can be *weeks*, as I'm sure you guys understand.) That's when I feel like throwing in the towel and really have to watch myself.

Yesterday morning I stepped on the scale to see a whopping 152. Today, of course, I step on the scale and see 148. What the HECK is going on with my body?

Anyway, this is another wake-up call for me not to depend on the scale to give me the constant positive feedback it once did. I'm going to have to find new ways to measure these things, especially once I do hit my goal. Is this what maintenance is like?!

Anyway, I've been getting a lot of wisdom from your posts. Keep 'em coming!

That's why I threw my scales in the wardrobe! :yes:

I think Susan, there should be a Z in your abcds! For the extra sleep! :yawn:

Everything else is going ok for me at the moment, lifting down to one full body sesh a week. I'm trying to concentrate on kickboxing and not burning out! I'm not too bothered about cutting back my weights since we do a lot of body conditioning in kickboxing classes, like push ups and crunches and plyometric leggy things.

I'm badly wanting a danish pastry! When our buying dude goes to Costco we usually get pastries. I was looking forward to resisting one and being good, but he hasn't got any and now I want one! :crazy:

I really struggle with the need to see some "measure" of my progress. The scale has not moved lately. I feel slimmer. There's not much of an inch to pinch. But I find measurements to be as fickle as the scale. I can change my waist by about 5 or 6 inches depending how I stand.
I wonder if we belong to some personality type that needs factual affirmation. It's not OK that I just know I'm doing well. I want a percent or number or letter or something concrete.

I also think it's that the # on the scale is so loaded with associations. I love that my measurements are still going down, down, down, but that stupid scale number still means that I'm "overweight." And most of all, it still means that I've not hit even my initial goal after almost two freakin' years. I feel like a failure and I've lost over 115 pounds!

I wonder if that's true about our personality types? For what it's worth, I'm an INFJ on Myers-Briggs ;) .

I'll have to look that up. I'm Choleric Sanguine on whatever that one is ... oh but I wear a Melancholy mask. :dizzy:

Hang in there gals....we are all getting there no matter how slow the progress may seem. Just being here and working on ourselves (even with the slip ups and occasional gains) is a positive thing and nothing to sneeze at.

I am trying to adopt the mind set that even if the scale doesn't always show me what I want to see, I am working toward a healthier me! That philosophy seems to help me when it comes to making decisions about what to eat. Sometimes I just don't care what the impact will be on the scale but if I keep the "healthy" factor in mind I am more prone to make choices that are better for me. (Did that make any sense? lol)

Anyway....Happy Tuesday...please let me know when Friday arrives :)


http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/tulip-...0/129/137/.png

ISFJ .... what's the difference between the N and the S?

You've lost me completely now!

I'm with daisi - wake me up when it's Thursday (a cheeky day off for me :D)

Oh you people and your TGIF! On Friday I start three day shifts. I just don't get the Friday thing at all :)

I did a quick personality test here .... http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

The other one is a book I read years ago. Fun.

Susan, my a,b,c and d are the same today as they were yesterday - stay at or under 1500 calories, make those 1500 calories count, exercise, and to work towards getting my mental/emotional gumption back. Yesterday was great and renewed my faith that I will reach my goal weight.

Jennifer, I don't know what to tell you. As much as I advise against it, I am a scale watcher. It isn't the ONLY thing I gauge my progress by but I'm not one of those people who can give it up all together either. I hate to admit it but the number on the scale IS important to me. Part of the deal for me is that when I started losing weight it was strictly for health reason. Physical appearance was secondary. But, I've met my health goals and, frankly, it is all vanity from here on out. As silly as it sounds, I just want to be able to say I'm 125 pounds (or less!). Inches lost are cool, but it isn't like I'm going to the doctor's office and having my measurements put on the chart!

Daisimae, I like your "healthier" me philosophy. It is true, I know. Lately, though, these extra pounds I've put on have made me feel unhealthy. That is okay though because I'm doing something about it. It the long run I suppose that is all that matters.

2frus, When my weight loss first started to slow but my measurements were still shrinking I put my scales away. There is no telling how many calories I burned pulling out a chair and climbing up to get it then climbing back up to put it away again! Finally, I made my DH hide it from me. It was like a movie when someone locks themselves in a room with the monster/bad guy and instructs the others not to open the door no matter what they hear going on in there. I told him not to give it back to me for 1 month and after about a week and a half I was begging him for it. He'd just laugh at me. That was probably the closest we'll ever come to divorce!;)

Well, here is to a great day for all of us!

ENFJ... if you gals know what that means! :dizzy:

I weighed this morning for the first time in 4 weeks! I thought it was longer... It felt longer! Anyway, I'm 165, which is fine by me! It's 2lbs under the stinky plateau still and just 1lb higher than "normal" and 2 1/2lbs higher than my lowest weight. I'm also 23.1% BF, which is great, since I was 23.8 last time I looked, so the 2lbs I've lost since the plateau is 2lbs of pure fat! Yeah baby!

Speaking of babies, my arch nemesis :devil: at kickboxing is preggers! :faint: Actually she isn't my arch nemesis, but she is my competition for first female black belt in the club. So... I might well get that black belt first, even though she is 1 belt ahead of me! :D Is it evil to be pleased that she's had a "set back" in her training, even though it is a lovely thing to happen?? :lol:

Oh and I resisted Maltesers last night and got a big fat-free yoghurt instead. :D

Sprinkle me with :dust: for the weekend though....

Hey Frus .... congratulations on breaking your plateau. Just where does one find this magical will power dust??? I'd like to have a truckload delivered to my house!

Seriously...went out to dinner last night with a friend to meet the people that we are going on vacation with (12 days in the Galapagos Islands (should lose a few lbs there between hiking & swimming for 8 days) and Ecuador.

I was pretty proud of my food choices...I wasn't too bad (but I wasn't too good either lol). Opted for grilled shrimp and 2 itty bitty grilled lamb chops over plain rice, also half a pita bread with yogurt sauce but that didn't seem too unhealthy. I splurged on a bit of wine with dinner but didn't go overboard on that either, so I am feeling pretty good. Greek food is one of my favorites and I did manage to stay away from the gyros and the oily dips so I consider it a victory (even if only a little one).

Anyway...off to check my e-mail and then into the shower. Have a great day!

Well done! That's something I don't do well - eating out! I'm working on it!

Can you order me a truckload when you find the :dust:? :lol:

dasi, I am so jealous that you are going to the galapagos....you will have to give us many details. My boyfriend and I have always talked about going there but he didn't think it was affordable.

Things on my end are going all right...better food choices and keeping up with the exercise, as always. I have started going to bed earlier to make sure my sleep habits are healthy too.

Good Morning! It's very encouraging to come here first thing in the morning and hear from all of you!

I think I'm back! Yay! I've managed two days in a row of good, clean eating and plenty of exercise. It doesn't sound like much, I know, but I'm feeling that mental "click" too so I think I'm really, really, about to lose these blasted 20 pounds. Don't go back and read any of my previous posts because I'll sound like a broken record. But I have that feeling that I think most of us get when we know for sure we've made a REAL commitment. It is the feeling of control, ya know?

I've been letting these 8 pounds I've gained bring me down a bit. But, last night while I was working out I was thinking about them and trying to give them a postive spin. Here is what I came up with. I felt exceptionally thin during the couple of months that I spent weighing 134 pounds. We just got some pictures back taken during that time. Imagine my surprise to see that I WAS NOT exceptionally thin. Now, I liked the pictures and I could see that I looked "normal" but I felt better than normal at the time. I think that is why I became complacent in the first place. So, here I am 8 pounds heavier than the weight that I felt so grand at. And I feel fat. Not just plain old fat, but the mental fat that makes you uncomfortable in your own skin (and favorite jeans!). And that is what has me going again. Not self hate, but that fearfulness of what I know comes next if I don't get back on the ball. I believe it would have been very likely that I would have lollygagged around 134 for the rest of my life had I not gained back these few pounds and gained a new perspective in the process. I always knew I wanted to go lower than 134 but I don't think I would have actually done it. All of the weights between 214 and 134 are sort of a blur so all I could compare were the two. And, let's face it, chubby or not, 134 seems a heck of a lot better than 214. These 8 pounds have given me an opportunity to compare 134 to something a little less drastic and I'm able to see that nothing in between is where I want to be. None of it is good enough and I know I can do better.

Dasi, your vacation sounds wonderful. We won't be able to do that kind of traveling until our kids are a bit older (read: GROWN lol) but I really look forward to the days that we can. And your dinner out sounds very reasonable. Good for you. We have a Greek place that I just love. They have a huge outdoor deck with lots of vines and plants and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons they have someone playing really laid back music out there. And the food is awesome (especially washed down with an ice cold beer). It is one of my favorite places to go in the Spring when the weather starts to warm up.

2frus, I don't think you have to feel guilty about your competition having a set back. I mean, it isn't like you wished she'd break a leg so you could get the black belt first. At least I assume you didn't. LOL!

Hope everyone has a successful day!

I'm exactly the same way. I've really been struggling this week. Even though I've been totally on plan and exercising every day, I'm not seeing any movement. Scale or measurements. So, here I am totally frustrated and ready to have a minor binge. So far though I've managed to avoid all the temptations. GIVE ME STRENGTH!!

2frus~~Congrats on the red belt and the red shoes too!! I don't know how you avoided the scale for a whole month. I couldn't do it.

lucky~~Glad you've found your motivation and have managed to find the track again. 134 sounds like a dream to me. I've really been feeling like I'm going to be stuck at 150 for the rest of my life.

daisimae~~Vacation......what does that word mean anyway? lol Sounds like a dream trip.

lizz~~Glad things are going well for you.

teapotdynamo~~You are definitely NOT a failure! I have days when I feel like that too. I've lost 75, yet it's the last 10 that are going to defeat me.

Gaylyn

It's a bit shocking to see myself quoted! But I'm glad if it helped you Gaylyn.

I kinda fell asleep this afternoon. Missed a couple of snacks but I'm running out of exercise time too! I'll go do back and biceps in front of the TV when something starts at 8 pm.

Hello! Hello! What new this week gals?

I'll tell you what's new - I've lost 2 pounds! Hip, hip, hooray! It is almost as much fun losing them the second time as it was the first. LOL.

Ah but you're so much wiser about keeping them off this time too! Congratulations.

Well done lucky!

I had a double kickbox last night, which was fun. Spent most of the day making flapjacks (healthy ones!!) and feeling sick from Splenda overdose :barf: it doesn't say on the packet that 1oz splenda does not equal 1oz sugar!! :tantrum: So I overdosed the Splenda by about 4 times... :chin: :eek: I sorted it out ok for the second batch though!

Hoping to just take it easy and have a rest day tonight. I was going to go to a ballet class, but I hurt my foot at kickboxing and probably couldn't take an hour and a half on my tippy toes. I might go next week just to see what it's all about...

Then it's kickboxing tomorrow morning, wedding dress trials in the afternoon and Brussels on Sunday! What a hectic weekend!

Great googly, moogly, frus! Kickboxing, ballet, running, wedding planning - is there anything you DON'T do?

You know how sometimes you can't see the trees for the forest? Well, this week I've realized that when I eat better I want to exercise and when I exercise I want to eat better. You would think that after almost a year and a half that I wouldn't need to remind myself of such things. After a few months of maintainence then a slow but sure gain, this week has been like taking a brand new look at weight loss.

So now I'm taking a fresh look at maintaining this weight loss too. I think I've come a long way given that at no other weight loss attempt did I stop gaining once I started but, clearly, I have a lot to learn - mostly about myself. After all, I understand the basics of maintaining it is applying them that I don't have much exeperience with. I am wondering if I am not one of those people who NEEDS to be losing weight (or at least in that mindset) to keep what I've lost off. I've been talking to and thinking about all of the people I know who have never been overweight. They are forever complaining of wanting to lose 5 pounds or so. It always drove me crazy. But I'm beginning to think that this is a part of their maintaining a healthy weight. Maybe it isn't that they really think they need to lose 5 pounds but that focusing on these imaginary 5 pounds is what keeps them from gaining. I'm all about healthy habits, and lifelong positive changes. It is true that this is not a diet but a lifestyle change. Perhaps, though, a slight "diet" attitude isn't so bad over the long haul. After all, it was when I became satisfied with myself and my progress that I became complacent and gradually put on these 8 pounds. While I am certain I can reach my goal weight and stay there perhaps I'm not mentally/emotionally capable of letting go of the "high" that losing weight gives me. Or something like that!

Oh, and Susan, I don't really get the whole TGIF anymore either. I kind of miss it! But, now that I stay at home with the kids instead of working there isn't any difference between Monday and Friday or Tuesday and Saturday. Heck, I usually don't know what day of the week it is! Still, happy Friday to the rest of you!

:lol: yeah tgif, but I'm all thrown because I took yesterday off anyway :dizzy: I usually don't know what day it is, but I try to keep track so I don't end up kickboxing when I sould be at home or vice versa!

Lucky~~Good for you on losing two pounds! I've often thought about how I'm going to maintain also. I think I'll be one of THOSE annoying people saying that I still want to lose 5-10 more lbs to keep myself focused. I definitely do better with boundries.

2frus~~You sure sound like a busy lady! I envy your ability to take all your classes. I'm stuck with home exercises. Maybe when the kids are older.....

Susan~~Sorry to shock you!

Today marks 10 months since I started. So the grand totals so far are.....
75 lbs lost
8.25" off my bust
10.5" off my waist
14" off my hips
4" off each arm
7" off each thigh
For a total of 54.75"!!! :yes:

For today I'm going to be content and proud with the progress I've made. Tomorrow I'll worry about the last 10. lol

Gaylyn

Well done gaylyn, what an achievement :D :cp:

Roll on home time - I'm going to nap when I get in, then wake up when DF comes home and have some quiche! :D

I'm trying to get motivated by wedding dresses, but I hate shopping! I like buying stuff that I see, but I want something specific and I can't find it. That's when things get annoying! :tantrum:

So no more creme eggs for me, since I'd like to be a size 12 for the wedding (us 8)... Will it happen? Do I REALLY care? These are the pressing questions! I suppose it would be NICE, but I don't want to get all stressed out about it and worry uncontrolably that I won't get there! Ah if only things were easy! :lol:

Oh Gaylyn! That is awesome!
I got off work at 11 am so today I'm going to act more like someone who is 'almost there' and excited about it. I'm going to do cardio, weights and get groceries! With enthusiasm and vigor!

Well gals, I'm back in that foreign land (the 120's) that always seems to want to extradite me back to my home land of the 130's.
It's a bit early in the morning for deep thought but ... I'm absolutely convinced that I must maintain my a,b,c and d's to stay here. And that I will most likely have to do that, in some shape or form, forever.
I'm a bit trepiditious (is that a word) to say the least.

Good for you, Susan. And I agree - the a,b,c,d method seems to be key and I know I'll have to get used to the idea of sticking with mine as well. Right now, I am focusing on cleaner eating. I know it is important and I have always included clean food choices in my plan but I have never FOCUSED on it. I am guessing that is going to be the key for me getting to 115-120 and staying there. I'll have an "official" weigh in tomorrow and I am hoping just to be a little closer to the 130's. Baby steps, you know.

Gaylyn, your inches lost chart is impressive! I haven't measured in a while and probably need to do that soon. It always seems to be a much more accurate reflection of my progress.

I must go and plan out a brand new menu for the week. After planning, shopping, and prepping what I'd bought, my oven went out (it is only 2 freakin years old!). A part has been ordered but it will take at least a week to get here and then we have to wait on the repairman (which shouldn't be too long). So, I have to rethink everything and figure out how to cook it all on the stovetop, grill, crockpot, or microwave. This is going to be a REAL pain! Wish me luck because it will be very tempting to just say, "screw it we are ordering out!" Nothing like having an excuse handed right to you, huh? Serisouly, though, I intend to stay right on plan it will just take a little more forethought than usual. I managed to lose weight the week Katrina hit and we were without electricity for a week - surely I can survive a week without an oven!

Hello all!

I've been wedding dress shopping - they were all size 12!! (US 8!!) :chin: Anyway, I could do with getting rid of the little pot belly that sticks out in some of the dresses :lol:

I was reading American Shape yesterday and there was an article in there about 21 top tips or something for losign weight and it said - "Are you interested in losing weight or COMMITED to losing weight...?" I guess that was the crux of the matter! I stopped stuffing my face with chips right then and there and I've been asking myself if I'm commited... And low and behold I want to be commited, so I AM going to commit myself. I've decided that I'm going to run little and often - every weekday lunchtime as well as everything else, and just hold on to the COMMITED thought at the weekends. I'm breaking my goal down into 5lb increments too... That was another thing it suggested. So by the end of April, I would like to be 5lbs lighter. That's a pound a week. Possible. Everything's possible!

I'm going to post my wedding dresses I tried on Saturday in the UK chicks thread if you want to have a gander!

I need to go find a quote I saw the other day about commitment and obsession etc ...

Today is shaping up amazingly. I am home. I have no reason to go anywhere. Nobody needs me. Even DH may not be home at our normal supper time. I have food. The weather is fine.
The good news is that how 'nearly perfect' my day is ... is absolutely up to me.
The bad news is ... that how nearly perfect my day is .. is absolutely up to me.
Personal responsibility again. The freedom to do whatever I want. The freedom to do good or the freedom to do badly.

Oooh do share your quote ;)

I am doing ok, I am still COMMITED! To the looney bin if nothing else :crazy:

Must go and get porridge in a mo, fuel for kickboxers you know ;)

"Obsessed is a word the weak like to use to describe the dedicated."
- author unknown

I stole it from Lorena Funks page. She's an absolutely lovely figure competitor.

I am stalling again, seems every 10lbs my body says that is enough for now...but that is ok, as long as I dont gain. So I figure by the end of April I should be within a pound or two of my goal.

Yes that's in the Maintainers thread about obsession, dedication etc... I like that too! I saw that Lorena Funk page, she's a bit on the skinny side ain't she! I would think a strong wind would blow her over!! Even WITH her muscles ;)

Gonna - you can get to goal, slow and steady wins the race!

Spoken like a taller person Jen! We small gals have to stick together, ya know.

Attachment 22522
I'm not much good with pictures ... did this work?
I wanted jen to see the resemblance LOL!

Susan, you look great!

Oh yes, very much the Ms Funk! ;)

You skinny thing you!

Well not much happening in Frusland yesterday, ate clean, worked out twice, went to bed early :D

Today, eating clean, working out twice... will try and get another early night! Oh and I've got a little white chocolate bunny rabbit just waiting to be smashed to bits and gobbled up! :rofl:

Perception again. I'd love to just rip that picture out of there! Look how big my legs look! And I thought I was developing a waist!