I am right here with my coffee too. Just a little late though I am on the west coast.

Congrats Jay on month one and Susan too.

I have been away from home for a few days. I am a bit anxious to get back to my scale cause you know how travelling is. I hope I haven't done too much damage.

Happy monday all.

Hello all!

Lillybelle!!! I'm writing a novel too! I came up with the idea last week, went out and bought a composition notebook, and started. I'm writing as I go through my weight loss journey given I'll be feeling the emotions first hand as oppossed to thinking back on them once I reach goal. However, I'm sure they'll still be just as vivid if I choose to write the novel once I reach goal.

I've been dreaming big for mine as well, I keep seeing myself on Oprah's couch, LOL.

Also, I forgot to mention for my dedication page I included 3FC.

Also, I've offically hit the 20 pound mark (22 lbs. to be exact). Check out my post.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=119744

See, there's a REASON why we drink our coffee:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070806/...QdmwjmVYME1vAI

Love it! Guess that means we're going to be spending our mornings together here for a long, long time. Cheers!

(did you see how it doesn't work for MEN?)

Okay, I'm on my 3rd now, so any from here one only increase the effect right? I do love me some coffee.

Does anyone else have this irrational fear that the weight will just start coming back out of nowhere? I know logically that as long as I continue to eat properly, with portion control and exercize that my weight should stay off, but I just have this totally irrational fear that it will come back. Very strange. I REALLY don't ever want to fight this battle again.

Oh, you're definitely not alone on that! I think it's a normal state to be in at this point.

Jay

Hi, folks. I can't believe I've been such a slacker in keeping up with writing here. I'm only working 60-65 hours a week, but I just seem to get home and have just enough energy to eat, watch tv, and read a few posts. 60 hours is nothing compared to the 120 hour weeks I used work, and I feel like I should be able to do more. It's only been the last couple weeks that I've been able to work out after work again. I'd only been working out on weekends for the past few months. I don't get home until around 8PM, and I leave home at 7:15AM, and I just want to get something to eat and relax. I've even quit speaking to my parents daily because it takes up so much of the short time that I have before I have to go to bed. Sigh...

Sometimes I wish I had one of those jobs where you go in at a certain time and go home at a certain time. I can't help but feel a little jealous of people that have that kind of job. I'd like to have a job where I felt like I could go out somewhere on a weeknight (not that I have anywhere to go or anyone to go with!). Right now, I feel like I would just be exhausted and overwhelmed if I did. So, I just stay home. Sigh...

Food is going ok during the week, as usual. The last couple weekends, I 've been having pita chips and fresh salsa for lunch and dinner with some fruit interspersed. Not exactly the best nutrition in regards to protein, and definitely quite a calorie load. They are also pretty salty, so I'm pretty sure the 4 pounds I put on in 2 days was related to that. The weight went up similarly last week. I think it might be good if I can find another treat to have on the weekends instead.

I've been feeling sorry for myself lately, but on the other hand I realize that my life is a lot better than other people's. Just because I have no friends, spend all of my time outside of work alone, and feel stressed and overworked shouldn't mean that my life sucks. I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and a car to drive -- I should appreciate it. Sigh...

Sorry for this rant, I'm thinking it might help me to get it out and get over my stupid thoughts. I need to take responsibility for my own life -- My life is the way it is because I made it that way. I have to learn to accept and like it or get over it and change it. Sigh...

Kim Renee, good luck on your book too. Congratulations on the 22 lb. loss too. WTG. BTW, I kept a journal during my wt. loss and maintenance so I have easy reference to my life throughout this journey. I definitely will have acknowledgements to the help I've received from 3FC's. For the past 2 yrs. this place has been awesome for me and I have every faith it will continue to be.

Tara,, I'm sorry your life seems so mundane right now. It sounds like your life is very busy with work and I hope things slow done some soon so you can get out and meet people. When I was single and didn't really have any close friends I joined a Christian Group for Single Parents that helped to give me a litte bit of a social outlet. Don't feel bad for the rant, sometimes it helps to just get it out. Hugs.

Have you ever dropped a jar of marbles? Ya know how they all skittle away? That's what the pieces of my plan seem to be doing the last few days. I hardly know where to begin to pick them all back up again.
This is a sad pattern of behaviour, for me, nearing maintenance.
I'm sincerely hoping that this week of evening shift kicks my butt. I can walk each day before work and I can pack a nutritious lunch.

Good morning, Coffee Club! I'm keeping my brain cells sparking right along here.

Oh boy, Sleepy, I had that same fear! Right after I reached goal, I'd lie awake at night and worry that I'd wake up weighing 50 pounds more. A totally irrational but very real fear!! It's just going to take time and experience for you to realize that your weight is completely, 100% under your control and the weight can't come back on without a lot of bad choices. No one and nothing can make you fat again except for YOU! And I know you won't choose to do undo all your hard work. Like you said -- who wants to do this again?

Tara, sending you a huge . Rant on any time you want to -- we'll always be here for you. Please don't sweat the four pounds. They can't be real "fat" pounds and I'm sure they'll be gone in a few days.

How exciting! Two authors here in Maintainers! I'm going to be first in line to buy both books, but I want autographed copies. Lily, that was so smart of you to keep a journal of your weight loss journey! Mine just seems like a blur now (old age, huh?) It's funny, but I even have a hard time remembering the old me now. (but I will NEVER forget how it felt to be obese!!)

on the 22 pounds gone, Kim Renee! You are on your way!!

Susan, the best thing you can do is just what you did -- make a commitment to positive action. Now go do it and come back and tell us about it.

Time for another mug of coffee!!

Good morning everyone.

Lily, I'm so excited for you. That's one book I would grab in a second! Good for you too Kim Renee. I think it's a great idea. And good luck to you both!!

Yup, Sleepy, I've got the same fear. Hopefully it will stick around and I will use it to my advantage. I'm hoping that fear will make me that much more vigilient. Cause' I too never, ever want to go back to the morbidly obese woman that I once was. Or the obese one.

Tara, oh how I hear you about those weekends.

Susan, good luck gathering up those marbles. We all know you can and WILL do just that.

Seems I'm the odd one out since I don't drink coffee - at all, never, ever and that could ..... wait a minute, I forgot what I was going to say.

I hope you all have a great day.

Hi everyone,

(Trying to remember what the heck I was supposed to do today - I don't know if the memory effect works on me )

I have started this week off a bit more tired than usual, despite normal amounts of sleep. My friend suggested that I might be anemic at this time of the month, certainly a possibility, so I will be sure to eat lots of iron. My out of town trip last week went really well, health-wise. I visited the hotel gym every day and ignored the pastries and cookies (oh those cookies looked good!) they gave us to snack on.

See, I was so worried about my business trip that I forgot to worry about the weekend...that was my mistake... I arrived home Friday to find my roommate a) about to go on weight watchers monday (yesterday), and b) making double chocolate cupcakes for our friend's birthday and she had to eat them all weekend "since she was starting weight watchers monday". And I let myself be tempted, despite being totally able to blithely ignoring the scones and cake that were in the office for the past two weeks. *sigh* another cycle...so since Friday I have been dealing (and dealing badly) with sugar cravings...and I am embarrassed with my behavior once more. I don't really feel like I can say much more about it, since I feel like I do this so often. I am feeling very out of control right now, since when I find my control it never lasts more than a week or two.

I'm trying to focus on Meg and Sleepy's thoughts - why would I want to do all that hard work over again???

Tara, sorry you feel down right now. It is definitely hard when you feel you have no energy to go do something after work. Like Lily suggested, perhaps you could join a group or club - check your paper or the bulletin board outside of stores, etc. There are tons of groups out there - I've been in a walking/running club and still do community theater. I've even made friends at the gym (despite the disapproving glares I shoot to people when their cell phones ring 6x within half an hour). Even a little change in my routine can help me feel up when I'm blue. Perhaps a morning or evening walk in the park on your way to/from work.

Lily and Kim, let us know how those books are coming. I want an advance copy!

Hi everyone else. Hope your weeks are going well.

Robin, I don't drink coffee either, you're not alone!

Megan, welcome back. Sorry to hear about the cupcakes, but at least you didn't indulge on the business trip AND on the cupcakes, right?

Tara, welcome back to you too! 60 hours a week sure sounds like a lot to me, what do you do for a living? 40 hours is plenty for me, I am exhausted with just this much!

Lily and Kim, good luck with the books!

I had a food mishap yesterday. I wanted to supplement our dinner (corn and steamed potatoes, pretty boring), and we had some zucchini from the garden, so I thought, I'll make half a recipe of Cooking Light zucchini muffins, since I think I have just enough zucchini to make 1/2 C shredded. Well, after shredding the zucchini, I had 1 1/2 C, so instead of making half a recipe, I made one and a half recipes.

If I had made the half recipe (6 muffins), then splitting with my fiance I could have no more than three muffins (150 cals each, plus I made them with whole wheat flour for extra healthiness). However, since instead of 6 muffins I made 18 muffins, I ended up eating 4 of them before I had to have my fiance pack them away and actively prevent me from eating any more. If they had just been sitting out I would have eaten at least 6.