Susan, you look amazing!! You are inspirational :)

Apolline ... thanks so much!

Maintainers? Ilene is being brilliant again. See it here .... http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85213

Hi everybody! Just checking in again to try and learn about all of you. Loved the pictures! Everyone is doing so well. Seeing those tickers at the bottom of the posts really does my heart good.

Still struggling here. I have a lot of stress in my life right now from a variety of sources. I am acting out by eating. I can SEE and FEEL myself doing it, but I have not gotten the kick in the pants to take it head on. Stress is a bad thing for weight loss AND maintenance. Sometimes, I've found, when a person is under a lot of stress from other areas, that person can channel all her control needs into something constructive and good, like losing weight or meeting exercise goals. I want desperately to do this!

This week, I want to start to channel my stress into things I CAN control, like the food that I eat, the way I move my body, and the attitude that I have about the way I look and feel.

Ah, back to work. Hello to everyone!

Back at -100!
 

Happy Birthday to me! The scale this morning says I'm officially back down to 100 lbs below my all time high weight. :carrot: Well on my way back to my maintenance weight! I've been doing really well on my eating after my epiphany last week. Now I just have to lick this nasty cold so I can get back to running. I have a race next weekend, an Olympic-distance triathlon, so I really need to get healthy.

Diamonda, I agree completely about stress. But I'm really impressed with how you're recommitting yourself! I think you are taking the right steps and it will all come together for you soon.

Anne

Happy Birthday! Glad you gave yourself a good present ;)

Happy birthday, Anne! :balloons: And congratulations on getting back to the 100 pound mark! :cp: You're working your way back, slowly but surely, and you'll get there. That's fantastic about the triathlon - you must still be in awesome shape to be able to do that. Be sure to come and tell us about it. :)

Ah, Diamonda, I hear you on stress. :hug: It would all be so much easier without stress ... but sometimes it seems like life is nothing but stress. Do you find that exercise helps? It's an de-streesor for me, a notion I would have had hysterics about a few years ago. :rofl:

Question for you - when you stress eat and you can see and feel yourself doing it, like you said, what message is going through your mind? What are you saying to yourself? Is it 'I know what I'm doing and I just don't care' or more like 'I deserve this since I've had such a rotten day'? I think the messages we give ourselves are so powerful and maybe there's a way to counter the tape that runs through your head during the bad times? I know that postive affirmations can seem really hokey, but sometimes they work. We had a thread once upon a time about personal mantras and it was amazing some of the things we say to ourselves to try to stay in control. :dizzy:

I went back to my shoulder doctor yesterday and was told that I need to take it easy for another six weeks and then can pretty much do what I want. Everything is healing on track. :carrot: I'm back to regular workouts, but am very weak in my chest and shoulders. He said that the important thing now is just to fire the muscles as frequently as possible and not worry about the strength issue yet. So I work out with the little DBs ... it's a humbling experience! :lol:

Can you believe it's Memorial Day weekend already?? The start of summer, in my mind. :sunny: No big plans here ... I want to plant my herb garden and really clean my car inside and out. I keep collecting empty water bottles from the gym under my seats!

What's everyone else doing this weekend? :D

:wave: Coooeee! I'm just muscling in on the maintainers bit for a while. I'm maintaining in my attitude - 2000kcals and doing what I've always done with a few treats. I'm hoping it might relax me!

Meg - about the stress eating thing, My response to my good arguments in my head about why I shouldn't be eating what I'm eating is always "I don't care" I've had bingey moments where I've had a HUGE argument with myself over eating and not eating, it's amusing but I usually always end up giving in to the "don't care" attitude. I think next time I feel an argument coming on with myself I should just run away, and down the street for a jog! Thankfully I haven't had many "don't care" moments recently! ;)

Meg's question ... I think I have a fat head about binges. I know how to lose weight. So what if I eat 3 cups of trail mix ... I can handle it. I suppose I also have that little notion about averages in the back of my mind. Oh it'll average out over the week.
I read Jenfrus' comment about "I don't care" with interest. Yesterday, I thought I didn't care. I thought I was just having something I wanted, right now. But this morning as I'm surfing here (I'm supposed to post in Calorie Counter KISS about my deficits each day) I find that I had a scurrying day yesterday, rushing and putting out fires, juggling family resposibilities with the want to read, our house showed again .... I realised that I probably was stress eating. And this morning I find that I DO care!

Hi everyone!

About the stress eating . . . I usually end up thinking "I am bored, so I want to eat, and I know it." But then I end up eating anyway about half the time. Or a while ago I had a particularly rough day and was dying for cookies -- I knew very well that the only reason I was craving cookies was because I had a crappy day! That time I managed to avoid it at least.

I'm so excited that it's almost summer! This weekend I am continuing my quest to buy my first ever bikini. Yesterday I went to a bunch of stores, but since I am a 34DD it is nearly impossible to find a bikini top that fits. I'm skeptical of ordering from a catalog though, I hate not being able to try stuff on! And of course I can only look at the ones they sell separately, because if I need an XL on top I sure don't need an XL on the bottom (M fits the bottom quite nicely). Why oh why don't all bikinis come in bra sizes?

Oh, and one more thing . . . this Sunday is my 6-month maintenance anniversary! :)