This is the truth!! i lost 100 lbs and have kept it mostly off for about 5 yrs, i allowed myself a "free" day once a week ONLY and i absolutely binged that day, thousands of calories and i managed to keep it off by being strict the rest of the week. However PERIMENOPAUSE has changed things up, i now weigh about 7 lbs more and i have cut out that Friday BINGE.

I still eat differently on that Friday and what i want but it's no longer an all out binge and it's slowly but surely going down from that. I will never as i see, give up my free Fridays and i don't feel any guilt about it and i enjoy it but yeah, it's not the free for all anymore.

Also what has worked for me is limiting choices until that Friday. It's just THE WAY IT IS for me even if it's dysfunctional to others. I eat the same menu every day but Friday (all very healthy, low calorie, filling food that i enjoy) and that's what keeps me on track and i happy about it, if i am given a free choice i spin out of control.

Susie I too eat the same food all week. All meals and snacks except I vary the dinners among about 10 different ones that all have specific calorie counts. On the weekend I cut back on breakfast and lunch and have only one snack so I have some "wiggle room" for dinner.

I find not having to constantly make food choices makes it much easier to maintain. Not so much work figuring out the food!

Dagmar :dizzy:

I did exercise Thursday morning, got up and got it in before getting the boy to school.

Remember my fall in November? Broke some teeth, and I found out later did break my nose? When I went to the dentist I discovered I was going to need about $7k I need dental work long term to fix everything. Two incisors were broken in half (left central and right lateral) and needed repair immediately, my left lateral has been loose and damaged my entire life with barely any root so it has been just hanging in for years so has been on a plan for implant for a while, right central was pushed back in the gum and chipped a little. We talked about pulling the left lateral and putting in a three cap bridge using the canine and the broken incisor as the bases, which led us to plan putting caps on the other two incisors so they would all match and be straight. My front teeth have been crooked and bothered me for years. We realized then right canine is mostly all filling and will have to be replaced eventually, so made a canine to canine plan. I couldn't afford all that in November, so we put fillings on the broken ones to buy some time. In the last month, the loose tooth had begun to hurt, as did the fillings. They were huge and awkwardly placed, so figure two years max anyway. DH says to me Tuesday "you should call the dentist about getting your teeth fixed, I'll pay for it for you with the money from my raise. I know you hate your teeth and they stress you out and make you feel bad about yourself, let's fix them." (He got promoted in Dec and a raise and a cost of living increase in Feb. I forget that lots of companies actually do give raises.) It made me cry. I do hate them, and they do make me feel bad. So called Thursday. Find out it is a 9-10 week progress, with the first appt to extract, shave down the teeth and put in a temp bridge, the second appt in 7-8 weeks after the gum heals to measure and get the fit for the permanent, then 2 weeks after that for placement. And that they had a cancel the next morning at 7:30 if I wanted to come in. I took it, less time to think. Six hours later, I had an extraction and a temporary bridge. And my mouth hurt like heck. Still does. But I can already tell how much better it is going to look. It is going to beat me down first though if I let it. Yowza. She wrote me a prescription for hydrocodone. It makes me feel yucky,after today I'm not taking anymore, whether it hurts or not.

I also got up at 4:30 on Friday to exercise before the dentist. Whew!

My parents adopted two chihuahuas today. One has only three legs. More on them later.

Oh Shannon! :hug:

Sunday morning, with my old preprogrammed alarm clock springing forward, because it remembers Daylight Savings Time from the Bush administration.

I'm at 156.5 and still determined to make better use of this weekend than last weekend.

Shannon, that's love, which isn't what many people imagine it to be. And you have the fortitude to make it through the various appointments and delays in that long dental reconstruction project. "Under construction" is the sign to hang there, mentally, but also with some kind of artist rendering of the good future you're working toward.

Congratulations, Shannon, for taking such a huge step forward.

yoyoma, thanks for posting such interesting ideas. It's good to know that they work for you. Not sure if I could pull it off, at least at this point.

Please post any time - everyone is welcome here.

Shannon You are now definitely a "work in progress" and you've taken some huge first steps toward being much happier with yourself. :bravo:

Dagmar :cheer2:

Hey Shannon! This is great! If a whole hydrocodone bothers you, take half. Pill cutters are available in any drugstore. Good luck to you!

Shannon, congrats on taking that first step to improve your teeth! It's a big one and you will not regret it! Your DH is a sweetie. If you can function pretty well without pain meds, then my opinion is to skip them. We live in a pill-crazy time. First hydrocodone, then laxatives for its side effect, then this, then that. Then anti-depressants because you get depressed about all the side effects of the pills. I'm not saying that pain pills are never necessary, just that it's better to do without.

Hi Yoyoma. I did the One Meal A Day at one stage in my weight loss adventure. It is a good strategy when nothing else is working. Now I eat when I'm hungry, small meals. And when I have to make a long drive I keep veggies in the car to munch on.

Monday morning, after a very good day yesterday on the West side, going to two different movie theaters consecutively to see "Personal Shopper" and "The Death of Louis XIV." Also mingling with the crowds out walking in the bright warm sun. Now comes the season of sitting outside at cafe tables and people-watching.

I'm at 155.6, a drop in weight which is directly connected with walking around and enjoying myself and remembering the considerable pleasure in life which has just a little to do with food.

Yoyoma, I'm also glad to see you posting here. What a relief for you to have found what works for you. For me, I have to remember, it's got more to do with my state of mind than with what I don't eat, whether I am diving into food for oblivion. Eating healthily helps mitigate the effects but it does not stop them. It's the relationship with my life and how that's reflected in my relationship with food.

When I had my surgery last November, they gave me hydrocodone. The pharmacist suggested taking only half to see if it helped and then I could take a whole one if half wasn't doing the trick. I had an Rx for 30. I think there are still 27 in the bottle. Hate that stuff.

Good luck on the rest of the procedure, Shannon!

Thanks guys. I stopped the hydrocodone after Saturday night and am doing okay. Not comfortable, but not terrible either.

Tuesday morning, at 156.5. Trying not to feel discouraged, as I thought I made good choices yesterday and did not take excessive portions. Some of it may be salt.

I also have at least two bottles of unused hydrocodone, dating back to my leg injury and some dental work. Half a pill does it for me. I found I like the woozy feeling way too much. I understand why it would be a controlled substance.

We've got some left over, too, and there are times when a half tab comes in handy. Like when you've pulled something or sprained something and can't sleep.

Pain is a stress on the body. The reason pain relief is important is that the body heals better without that stress. Circulation improves, for one thing. Blood pressure lowers. And so even though I am against overuse of pain relievers on general principles--because of addictive qualities--I think it's important to stay out of pain in a case like yours, Shannon. You need to be comfortable, not just bearable.

My partner was on oxy for weeks while undergoing radiation treatment, and she did have to wean off of it afterwards. It's a physical addiction for sure. But she was on a very high dose for a long time.