Good morning and how did everyone do with the four-day festivities? In my family, at least, the eating and drinking went on until the last relative cleared out last night and it was all pretty much to excess. Fortunately, the scale stayed the same for me, but I was very careful with food other than at Thanksgiving dinner itself. I only made it to the gym two out of the four days, but every little bit helps.

So as soon as I got back from the last trip to the airport last night, it was time for ... the Christmas lists! All you fellow list-makers know that this is the holiday that requires the most lists. We've got the present lists, the menus, the baking list, 'to buy' and 'to do' etc. My goal for this week is to be done Christmas shopping by Friday and to do all the wrapping over the weekend. And stay away from the malls for the rest of the month!

How's everyone handling holiday baking? I used to be the champion cookie baker (and eater, of course) - like 17 kinds of cookies. This year I'm going to cut way back, but can't cut it out entirely if I want to stay married. So I told DH he gets four kinds of Christmas cookies and they're going to be kept in the basement freezer (hopefully I'll be too lazy to go after them there ). Life would be easier without cookies in the house, but that's just not an option here.

My exciting news of the weekend is that I got a kitten! Our 20-year old kitty died last winter and even though we still have a 13-year old, the house seemed too quiet with only one cat. So all my sisters (who were visiting) and I trooped down to the Humane Society and adopted the sweetest little girl - she's three months old and gray, tan and white tortoise-shell. We named her Sophie. The two cats are getting along fine - the older one is quite timid, but the kitten is so little that she's not threatening to him. She likes to sit on my lap while I'm typing and chase the cursor on the screen!

So onward to the most challenging month of the year, IMO. We can do this - with some thought and planning, we can get through the parties and baking and food and drink everywhere! My focus is on what I want the scale to say on January 1, 2005 - it's a visualization thing like we've talked about - I picture myself standing on the scale and know what I want it to read. I love all the strategies and ideas that everyone's come up with to deal with parties and festivities - keep 'em coming; we're going to need all the suggestions that we can get in the weeks to come.

Hi Ho and Happy Monday!

I had the very best Thanksgiving! We went to my wonderful MIL’s, and my brother came over from Louisville, and we spent the day eating turkey and playing dominoes. The day after, DH and I drove to St. Louis – one of my absolute favorite cities – where we spent the weekend. We went to a couple of terrific restaurants, and we shopped some. It was just great.

But what really set the weekend apart was my reading of a book that has been mentioned several times: Fit From Within by Victoria Moran. For me, this was *exactly* the right book at the right time. Moran, a motivational writer and speaker who has maintained a 60-pound loss for several years, divides her book into 101 very brief chapters (e.g., 2-3 pages each) in which she gives 101 tips for weight loss and maintenance.

I suppose one could say that much, if not all, of the ground she covers is not new. But her take on things is exactly what I was looking for at this point in my life. She draws strong connections between one’s spiritual, mental and physical aspects, and I found her approach gentle and loving. I also found lots of parallels between her practice and my yoga practice, in which balance and breath assume preeminent roles. This won’t be a book for everyone, but I recommend it very highly if such an outlook has any appeal.

And the proof is in the pudding: by putting some of her tips into practice, I came home from Thanksgiving weekend (including two fabulous restaurant meals) down half a pound

Meg (congratulations on the kitten!), I’ll join you in visualizing a stable scale on Jan. 1. But before I get to Christmas, I need to make it through a board meeting at the end of the week.

As some of you know, board meetings have been a real challenge for me, so this time, I’m strategizing in advance (as you all recommended ) Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

I’m *not* going to drink endless cups of coffee, which just jack me up . I’ll have my usual morning cup, and then switch to water. I will not pass the time with mindless eating; if need be, I will set the timer on my Palm to let me know when the next meal is due. I will visualize myself remaining calm throughout the meeting and remind myself that even if all **** breaks loose, a bagel/doughnut/cookie will not resolve the problem.

Since the food is pretty terrible at this particular hotel, I’m going to take steps to augment the menus. I’m going to buy some blue ice and pack an insulated bag, into which I’ll stash apples, raisins, individual packs of Kashi multigrain crackers, carrots and celery sticks and cheese wedges. At dinner, I will eat the salad, the roll and the chicken breast, passing on the rice pilaf, which is usually like lumpy wallpaper paste. I will order poached eggs from room service for breakfast, and skip the buffet, which is a minefield of French toast, pastries, sugary cereals and omelets that are swimming in fat.

And I will remind myself to breathe. When I do so, I pull myself into the moment. I center myself. I calm myself. And I reinforce the connection between my mind and my body. Great stuff, breathing.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve decided on so far. I’ve never come up with a real plan before, and I’m feeling pretty good about it. Anyone have any thoughts?

Oops … gotta run. Talk to you later.

Last week turned out to be tough for me, and I'm crawling back on the wagon with a more regimented week--details on the 'starting over' thread so I won't belabor it here.

What great news about the kitten, Meg! And best of luck with your baking. Can you bake the kinds of cookies you don't like so much and trade with someone else baking your danger cookies?

Airegrrl, I'm so glad to hear you had a great Thanksgiving! It also seems like you have a very sound plan for dealing with your meeting. I especially like remembering to breathe. I'm going to have to try that one tomorrow.

I'm gearing up for another race this weekend, this time a half-marathon. I ran a lot last week, and somehow my running got much better by training on my bicycle. Life is a mystery. This race is gearing up for the BIG GOAL. I will finally get to do my marathon on January 9 in Phoenix if all goes well. It is a bit too close to the bike race for my taste, but it was a major goal for 2004 and I'm going to do it, even if it will be just barely 2005. I trained for the Los Angeles Marathon last spring, but managed to get a stress fracture in my foot the week before, so I couldn't run. That was a huge disappointment. After the marathon, I'm taking a break from the long-distance craziness for a little while to give my body some time to recover.

Hope everyone else is doing well! It's been so quiet the last week!

Anne

Good Tuesday Mornin' Girls ....

Mel ~~ I'm starting my lists, and checking them twice! Tourtieres and a casserole are on the list to do today!

Anne ~~ I sure hope I get to the point of competing like you do, I may try it next summer...

Robin ~~ Great post... I'm going to the library to look for that book today... Yes, breathing, smelling the roses, living in the moment ALL great ideas that I will try to think of this Holiday season...

Yesterday, DH and I went to Ottawa and we're almost done our shopping! We also went to the Running Room, a great store for running gear...DH bought me some new Nike runners, gloves, socks and a baclava for running...... I'm sooo excited to wear them, but NOT thill Christmas dang!! Food was so-so and there was no workout except lots of walking...TODAY is leg day and maybe some cardio depending on how the legs feel...

Well, TTFN, I'm off to make a list ...

Let's be careful out there!

G'morning all.

The day has started well. Put in 40 minutes on the treadmill, and managed to get to work on time, possibly because the snow that is threatening to fall hasn't done so yet. Now they're saying it will arrive tonight. I can't imagine there will be much accumulation, but who knows!

Anne, good going on the training and the upcoming race. I wonder if the bicycle training was effective because it allowed you to rest muscles you'd been training hard while revving up a different set of muscles that don't get as much work when you run? Possible? In any event, I think it's great to have a goal and I bet you do fabulously!

Ilene, I think you'll like this book but I had to laugh when I read your post; I thought *you* had recommended it. I wonder where on earth I read about it? The same author has a number of books, including two journaling guides, one of which centers on yoga. I may try to find it this week.

Two interesting incidents have occurred this week, both involving meals that I have opted *not* to eat. I don't know about you, but if a meal is set in front of me, I usually dig in. Like Pavlov's dogs. After more than a year at 3FC, I might not eat as much of said meal, but I usually eat some of it.

Well, yesterday, I had a mid-morning protein shake before heading into back-to-back meetings, totally forgetting that the second meeting was a lunch session. When the box lunches were put in front of us, I dutifully opened the lid, even though I was still really full. Interestingly, I knew I didn't want to eat then, but the force of habit is so damm strong! But then I paused and told myself to breathe. And then the solution occured to me: I simply told folks I'd had a late breakfast, and that I'd eat my lunch later. They couldn't have cared less whether I ate or not, and just kept their attention on the subject at hand. As for me, I was physically there, but mentally, I was Talk about an object lesson. I had made a conscious decision and followed through on it. I had not fallen into auto pilot. My head and my stomach were in sync, which meant that I was in perfect balance. It was an awesome moment.

Incidentally, I eventually ate that sandwich yesterday afternoon, and it was very good. And I was hungry.

Then, this morning, after the threadmill session, I realized that I wasn't feeling quite right. Sometimes, when I'm tried, I fall out of sorts and I particularly notice it in my gut. This time, although I drank a cup of tea, not a single solitary thing sounded appetizing. So, instead of eating something then, I just passed on the whole thing. By the time I got here, my appetite had returned, and I had a bite to eat. Right now, I feel good. My water pitcher is full; I have fruit on the credenza; and I'm nursing a cup of coffee. I'm tired, but I'm aware of being tired, which means I'm aware that I must guard against falling into the nearest muffin. Today, I can do this and that's all I need to think about. Today.

Once you get into it, this listening to oneself is incredibly powerful. And on that happy note, I've got to fix my website. All the fonts are wrong this morning. Sheesh.

Have a happy everyone. And hugs and love.

Hello Maintainers--

We took a 4 day trip to Montreal, city of wonderful food and lots of opportunities to walk. We didn't celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving, but we did have a relaxing and wonderful time together. The kids (ages 12 and 7) were in a separate hotel room right next to us--we thought it would have a connecting door, but I was pleased to have the break from them. I valiantly trotted out my high school French (from 20+ years ago) and was able to order a cafe au lait every time I wanted one! I went to some good museums, tracked all my food, used the hotel exercise equipment and weighed in on Sunday down 1/2 pound.

My next challenge is when my parents visit at end of December. Hanukkah is over by then, but I think my mother will bring some of her cookies and/or want to bake a lot when she is here. Some things about food I can control, especially on my own turf, but family can always make these issues more complicated. I told my parents to bring swimsuits and exercise clothes so that all of us could go to the Y together. Plus I'll do a lot of the cooking, in my delicious yet low-fat way. I like having an audience to cook for, and I am looking forward to their visit.

Does anyone own a workout tape/DVD for weights or stability ball? Any particular title you would recommend?

Have a good week.

Hi, everyone,

Even though I am in Canada, I ended up eating turkey this weekend, as SuperStore was giving out as free item. So we took one. Since we do not eat read meat, it is nice to have the whole turkey for free...

My last three weeks were very hectic - I was transferred to work in customer support and I've lost there 2 pounds. Now I am back to my normal working environment and I try not to gain them back (after all I know I've lost them doing customer support, so I know where to find them).

My family also got a new addition - one of my coworkers wanted to put his puppy to SPCA and puppy was so nice and sweet, so my first intention was - "no" - you do not take puppies to SPCA and put them in cages. So a day later new addition arrived to my house - his new name is Blake and he looks like beagle but he is twice as big - height is about Lab's. He is very sweet and definitely was abused before. He is 10 month old and we are going to the first obedience class on Thursday. He is still not getting along with two of my cats, but it is getting better. I mentioned that since he arrived I stopped using treadmill but just walk outside and it gives me a totally different fealing - I not only feel like I've exercised but I also get good feelings to be outside and take long uninterrupted walk - you know, with 3 kids and 1 job and 2 cats and now one dog it is almost impossible to have time for myself. I had dogs as a child and teenager and now I am kind of going back to those years...


Sandy.

Well I'm back from my trip to Cleveland to visit the grandparents for thanksgiving. I survived!!! I ate a bit more then I planed but I didn't go crazy like I feared I would. All in all it was a good visit and I was able to look at my family and their eating and lifestyle habits and evaluate some things through new eyes. One thing that this trip taught me is that I'm so thankful for exercise! There are many mornings that I have to talk myself out of bed and onto the treadmill...but after 4 days away from my treadmill I was having exercise withdrawals. I can't do that ever again! There wasn't anywhere for me to really go to walk outside let alone run. I felt like a rat in a cage or like I was on a long car ride and needed to stretch my legs.

I am also truly thankful for is my health. My grandmother is 77 and my grandfather is 81. I am very glad that I was able to visit them this year because I'm not sure that there will be many more thanksgivings with my grandfather. He is one of those people that has benefited greatly from the advancements of modern medicine. He has had more surgeries then I can count and could start his own pharmacy from home with all the prescriptions that he has. The crazy/sad thing about it is that had he just eaten a bit healthier, exercised, and not smoked he would be a different person. I don't want to end up like him. Visiting him and seeing him in the condition that he is in made me all the more resolute to maintain the healthy lifestyle changes that I've made. Looking at my grandparents eating habits and lifestyle was a big wake up call for me. Suddenly I see what I could become...what I don't want to become. I know many older people that are living into their 80's and are very active. That's how I want to be. I don't expect to be running marathons when I'm my grandparents age...but I do hope that I will be able to go for long walks with my grandkids. My life my be cut short by an accident or an unpreventable disease. Even if it is, I still want to know that I made the best of my life in this body. I want to know that I took care of it as best that I could and treated myself with the utmost respect.

I admire you all for being so strong over Thanksgiving. I wasn't. I've been back to my routine for the last three days so I already feel better. My plan is to lose my Thanksgiving weight by Christmas!

Something Mel said in another thread really got me thinking this morning: Since we all aim to make this the LAST time we go through the diet part of our lives, we darn well better learn how to live here happily. The scenario started kicking around in my brain about ‘what if’ I woke up back at 257 pounds and faced the prospect of dieting it all back off again. Honestly, it’s hard to put into words what an incredibly depressing thought that is - I can't imagine anything much worse than sitting here with all that weight back on again and facing having to lose 120 pounds all over again. Just even THINKING about being back there gives me the shudders and puts a black cloud over me. And it makes me realize all over again that regardless of how tough maintenance can be (and some days can be hard ), it's so totally worth the effort.

Maybe Mel’s remark really hit home today for me since we’re now well-launched into the holiday season with all its challenges. It seems like everywhere I went yesterday there was nothing but FOOD! I felt like I was running a food gauntlet at the mall and Starbucks and grocery store, all carefully designed to get me to eat crappy food I didn’t need (well, I guess it’s done that way on purpose, come to think of it - marketing). I don’t know about you guys, but I seem to have a little voice inside of me that likes to say things about how it’s OK to give in ‘just this once’ and how I could start again tomorrow and everyone’s else is giving in and it’s the season, blah blah. I stomped that sucker flat yesterday but actually felt mentally exhausted from the constant stream of NOs that I had to yell at the . I need to finish up my Christmas shopping and stay as far away from that commercial madness as possible for my own sanity.

Sandy, congratulations on the new puppy! Good heavens, it sounds like your life is hectic! Our new kitten has come down with an upper respiratory infection and conjunctivitis (not unusual for shelter cats), so I’m supposed to give her that lovely bubble-gum pink amoxicillin and eye drops twice a day. Who knew that three pounds of kitten could turn into such a holy terror? After each bout, she stalks away while I’m covered in pink stuff and little kitty scratches. Now I’m trying wrapping her in a towel while I dose her, which is working a little better, but if anyone has any ideas for getting medicine and eye drops into a kitten, I’d appreciate them.

Robin, I think that you can’t help but succeed with your plan – it’s carefully thought out and you’ve come up with a way to work around the potential pitfalls. Be sure to let us know how it goes for you. And think about how good you’ll feel when you’ve made it through one of those dread board meetings unscathed - I’ll bet you’ll feel like you’ve conquered Mt. Everest!

And thanks for the book recommendation – as we all get further along in our lifetime weight maintenance, the books that speak to us seem to be more about the ‘head’ stuff of weight loss rather than the nuts and bolts of dieting (we’ve all got that down pat, right? ). It would be great to get a regular discussion group going to look at other books after we've gone through Thin For Life in January.

Wish I had time for more, but I’ve got a date with an elliptical! Have a great day and -- we can make it through the holidays, one day at a time.

Meg ~~ Ah Maintenance! I'm not quite there yet and I've lost only 18# but I agree 1000# that regaining scares the beegeebees out of me! The last week, I didn't THINK was so bad, I didn't have Thanksgiving to deal with afterall, BUT as I look at my calendar it's been awful food wise 2 out of 7 days have been NOT good . POOR PLANNING is the reason, I didn't make my batch of chicken on Sunday and since then every time I turn around I have no decent protein to eat so I've been eating that dreaded PB along with cheeseand with the PB well I've got to eat my WW bread, and with the cheese, the WW crackers...then the vicious circle begins with the carb cravings. I even went into a "carb coma" on monday night when I ate too much WW pasta... Ok, everyone will say it's all WW bread, pasta, and crackers BUT for MOI it's food and sends me in a "I want more mode" ...

Oh dang !! I have to gooooo shower time... Oh Meg BTW congrats on the Kitty, as you know I kitties... I have no suggestions with the meds for your Sophie except close your eyes or wear goggles, you don't want to get any pink stuff in YOU eyes ...

TTFN... I have to listen to my own mantra : "Let's be careful out there!"

Ilene - in my book, there's no such thing as 'only' losing 18 pounds or 10 pounds or whatever. Ten pounds or a hundred pounds - we're all fighting the same battle, right? I have so much respect for anyone who's lost ANY amount of weight and managed to keep it off, so please don't ever say -- ONLY 18 pounds!!

Hi guys!

The week is going fabulously. I'm now on day 5 of the 'new start' monitoring. After a couple of rough days, it's getting easier again--I'll be posting the gory details on the other thread just after this. But my binge weight is all gone, plus a little extra, and I'm back near the bottom of my maintenance range. Perhaps, now that I'm re-establishing some better habits, I'll try to push on and conquer those last 15 lbs I've been moaning about for a while. I'm feel like I'm back in a place where instead of wishing and hoping the scale will be nice to me, I've reacquired the power to make it happen. Amazing what fear of regaining can do your resolve.

I've been thinking about this in the context of the fear discussion above, I find it very interesting that it is the conflict between two negative emotions, fear and stress that started me back on the narrow path, once fear won that battle, I could beat stress into submission. But what will keep me here on this path is happiness, with my ability to be strong, to do something positive for myself, and to be happy with my body and my progress. Already, the desire to keep that kind of happiness is becoming the driving factor in continuing on, and it is so much more powerful than either fear or stress. I'm thinking this is the key for me--I have been remembering that kind of happiness, but hadn't been experiencing much of it recently.

I had an absolutely spectacular run last night, and that is also contributing to the good mood. Not to mention a lunch date today with DH to go bicycling!

You guys have given me a lot of good ideas to ponder as I'm stuggling this week. Thanks so much!

Ilene, I think you and your 18 lbs are fabulous! I'm proud of you! And of all of us who keep off so much as a single pound. How hard it is, what heros we all are in this battle. And here's looking forward to the day when we reach MrsJim's 'it get's easier' stage!

Anne

Hi all,

Afraid this has to be quick as the dreaded board meeting begins today and I have yet to shower, pack a bag, collect the papers blah blah blah ...

But I couldn't go without saying to Dee, Amen Sister. It was watching my mom in her last decade that sealed my decision to be as healthy as I can be. She was miserable and I felt desperately sorry for her. The awful part was that, like your grandfather, she brought the worst of it on herself: she smoked; she rarely got so much as a walk; and she refused to acknowledge, let alone seek treatment, for depression. She actually succumbed to lung cancer, but I believe she died a little bit every day for 10 years out of sheer unhappiness and inertia, and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

Thus, I am determined to do whatever I can to prevent a similar fate. Let's face it, I share her genes, and there are probably some things that are beyond my control, but I can certainly eat right and keep moving!

Do we have a sticky for book recommendations? I went looking at the "Maintenance Library" sticky, and it seems to be largely (fabulous) articles. Perhaps we could have one for just book recommendations? Or do we already have that somewhere that I haven't looked?

Sandy, bless your heart for scooping up that puppy! I am involved in Airedale Rescue, and I'm generally appalled at how some people treat animals. I'll never understand it; I'm just glad I can do a little something to help.

Meg and Ilene, you are NOT going to regain that weight. I hear you when you worry about your worst nightmares and dipping into those carbs, but somehow, I think you've crossed your own personal Rubicons, and having done that, it would be almost impossible to swim backward. I believe Anne Fletcher when she says that successful Maintainers have a "click" moment -- a trigger that leads to permanent change. All I would add is a strong recomendation to breathe. When the cookies/candy canes/plum puddings call out to you, stop stock still for a moment and center yourselves. This can be done in 30 seconds and can save you a heap o' trouble. Breathe in, become aware of your bodies, and relax. Oh oh, I've done it again ... climbing down off the soapbox now.

Karynlee, you're going to be just fine. Look at what you've accomplished!

Greetings to Anne, Elana and everyone yet to post. Have a Happy!

Anne, you and I were writing at the same time. Fabulous post; thanks!