SUM: Every year Halloween candy starts me on a roll that lasts through New Years !! This year I bought little bags of chips instead for the few trick or treaters that we get, and my son told me that he is not going trick or treatng this year (he feels at 12 he's too "cool" for that)....So although I'm sad that my baby is growing up I"m kind of glad his candy won't be around to tempt me.....Good for you for putting it in the garage......You'll have that bloat off in no time.....

SEEMYFEET: I totally get how personal problems get in the way of us working towards our goals, I"m going through that now an in a bad way. Don't ever feel like you do not "belong". All of us here are trying to face our demons.....You're back and you sound focused...you're gong to be okay!!!

SHEILA: your life sounds pretty exciting with all that travel...but even with that you sound focused...way to go!!

We are preparing for the hurricane here and i'm starting to get a bit worried. I'm not looking forward to being without power and my big worry is a tree hitting our house. I'm hoping they cancel school tomorrow as we all wait for it to hit us.....The store shelves are all EMPTY and the lines for gas or super long and some gas stations have ran out of gas.......People are panicked and acting like it is the end of the world.......

And even with threat of natural disaster I woke up thinking about my weight and was hoping I lost weight after yesterdays dance class and low carb day. I lost very little. It was hard standing there with all the "skinny girls" in front of the mirror....I didn't like what I saw..and I wonder....do I REALLY see what I look like or am in my own head am I exaggerating certain problem areas? I wonder......People tell me that I'm not overweight, but I feel that I am......somethiing to think about.........

Taking a friend with cancer to her special personal trainer today......one that specializes with cancer patients.....makes me feel guilty for missing a workout..if someone going through chemo can get the strength to work out then what the hades is my problem?

have a good day all!

Well...Day One of stepping on the scale, after hitting the re-set button. (Some will say daily weigh-ins are a bad idea, but I need lots of little goals and accountability.) Yesterday's number was as high as back in Aug--but artificially high from drinking too much water and tomato juice. Today, 2lb lower. Yay! Easy water weight, I know, but I WILL NEVER SEE THAT NUMBER AGAIN!!

I'm focused on logging consumption. I did some web browsing and found helpful tips on gauging portion size. (I don't have a scale at home, because I don't like clutter in my kitchen.) 3oz of meat: a deck of cards. 1oz of cheese: 2 nine volt batteries. I need to do a better job with exercise.

Zumbachica--I do appreciate the kind words. Battling demons is exactly it. Internal demons, and walking-around demons that use evil words to get ahead and put down. I have a 12yo son as well. They do grow up fast! From your numbers, I would not say you are overweight, but I remember being at that number and feeling the same way. Let's just say, it will take a lot of effort for me to get back to that point. Hopefully, Sandy will get tired before she reaches your place. Good luck weathering the storm!

Seemyfeet: thanks for understanding....just becuase i don't have 100 lbs to lose doesn't mean i don't have any mental torture that i is self inflicted. You are doing great...two lbs down already.....keep it going !!! ))

SeeMyFeet - YAY!! Congratulations on your re-set and those first two pounds!! That's gotta feel good Are you logging with a program, website or notebook? I've been trying to find a good program but haven't clicked with anything, yet.

Zumba - sounds like you are maybe being a little hard on yourself. Just from your posts, I 'see' you as a vibrant, active, energetic and motivating woman. Sending you an empathy hug about not getting the results you deserve for all your hard work, but patience and persistence will get you to your goal so just hang in there!

We had trick or treat here last week, so I'm dealing with all the piles of candy sitting around the house <sigh> I know if I cave I will not be able to stop, plus I keep telling myself how crappy I'll feel if I eat it...no matter how good it tastes, the effects will last for hours, and I don't have hours to waste these days... But it still smelllssssss soooooo darnnnneeed gooooood aiiieeeee!

The race was cancelled due to weather and I was very disappointed (like, tears and all disappointed). It would have been so much fun. I've been planning for over a month, figuring out coverage for all the kids' activities with friends and other favors called in, wardrobe, packing food, getting house cleaned and school stuff ready for Monday, etc. I got the cancellation late last night, just after I finished a call with my running partner to discuss the morning pick up (it's a 2 hr drive to the race). Sigh. I did NOT rush over to the fridge to take solace in the cake that's sitting in there! Not that it wasn't tempting. Didn't have to fit into those running tights, after all. haha. But, I stuck to low carb, had a diet soda and treated myself to a few hours of tv time on the couch. Today, we're into storm prep, so that took up most of the day. I think we're okay, though you never know how it's going to play out. Kids have school pictures tomorrow, but they may get out early if the rain looks like there will be flooding - after last year's disaster, they're a little sensitive about things.

Hope everyone stays safe and dry!

Checking back in!

Last week started out great with 3 OP days and on Wednesday my weight was down to 144.2, but then my birthday celebrating started and turned into about 4 days of my daycare kids bringing me treats and my kids made me a cake. Then an evening of too much wine. The end result was back up to 146.4.... So back to OP days this week for me. I'm very worried about the sugar cravings being hard again but just have to deal with it. I have not opened the Halloween candy here yet. Our trick or treat is on Wednesday so as long as the bags are not open I'm safe. I may try your trick Sum and put it out in the garage once trick or treat is over!

Grace - I'm so sorry your race was cancelled!! Great job not letting the disappointment pull you off plan!

Zumba - Keep hanging in there girl! Definitely give yourself credit for all you do. Your hard work will pay off. Your body also with all the stress you are under can make weight loss a bit more difficult. The exercise and dancing you do are so great because they can help with calorie burning and stress relief!

SeeMyFeet - Welcome and great job on that 2 lbs!! I'm sorry you have been going through a difficult time! We can all help each other stay motivated and give a .

Sum - Spike days turn into multiple days for me all the time! Its so frustrating. Sending you back some Willpower Dust to get back OP!!

Hello ladies!

I hope all my east coast friends are staying safe from this crazy storm.

I was able to find a WW meeting close by here yesterday and found that I was down .4 pounds for the week. Nothing to brag about but since all I have done all week is sit in hospital rooms and waiting areas reading magazines and goofing around on the computer I am happy it isn't a GAIN!

seemyfeet - I am with all the others on this forum who welcome you back with open arms and an understanding shoulder to cry on. Don't worry about being judged here.

My MIL should be released from the hospital tomorrow and will be taking her home. Then comes the long process of healing from the surgery and getting ready for the chemo. **sigh**

First of all, Zumba and all of our other east-coasters - I am thinking of all of you and hoping you are all safe!

My eating over the weekend was not great. I went for a walk this morning, and it felt good to get out in the crisp air. I have a winter event coming up in a few months that I would like to lose weight for. I even started "window shopping" on the internet for dresses, but I had no clue what size I should be shopping for. 12 would fit me right now, but dare I be so bold as to buy something in an 8 or 10? I haven't lost any significant weight for months, so I am not that optimistic about the next few months. Bad attitude, I know. I'm still trying to figure it all out.

In the meantime, I have started to slowly go through my closet - but mainly it's been old shoes and a few shirts (1 outfit that was still hanging in a 1X). I haven't seriously started to sort through the main clothes hanging, but I really need to, because I have no more room for the smaller sizes I have purchased! I do think that I will donate the shoes/shirts, but pack up and keep around the clothes in the basement for now. If my weight goes down significantly in the next 6 months, I will donate the bags. I am so terrified of a major regain. I have never been stalled at a weight range for so long since I started this journey.

My daughter bought some Edy's ice cream on Friday, and it's calling my name right now! I caved in yesterday and had some, but I really want to stay away from the sugar and fat today and the rest of the week. My only saving grace is that I eat on plan on weekdays - my weekends are a mess. So, if I cave on a Monday, it doesn't bode well for my Friday weigh-in. Right now I am telling myself that the ice cream will still be there in an hour, or this afternoon, or this evening. I don't have to decide to eat it right now. I just finished my morning omelet with sauteed spinach, onions, and garlic. Now I am sipping coffee and trying to hold off caving into eating ice cream at 10am! It's all psychological because I'm not even the least bit hungry!


Good luck to all of us today!

Hope everyone in the path of Sandy stays safe!!!

I actually had a good food weekend. I did not eat a ton of junk and did not binge. This is huge for me. I started a binge last night but luckily caught myself so I did not get crazy. Stepped on the scale this morning and was still at 165.2 which was my weight on Friday. So happy I did not see my usually Monday morning gain.
Took my DD shopping on Sat. Ouch, she is expensive. I found a pair of jeans I really liked and felt good in but I left them at the store. They were a little more than I usually spend on my cloths plus I am going to MN this coming weekend so felt guilty spending the extra money.
Went to the strides walk on Sunday. Luckily the weather was decent. We only walked the 1 mile course because my mom and sister did not feel up to the 3 1/2 mile course. It got my blood moving so I could go home and finish cleaning house and working on laundry. Ugh, mommy's work never ends.
Stay safe everyone! Hope you have a wonderful on plan Monday!

Mind if I jump in? I'm on Day one of Phase 1 of South Beach. Did SB about 3 years ago and lost about 10 pounds. But back then my starting weight was about 20 pounds less than it is now. I've noticed lately that when I eat too many carbs I get bloated big time so I'm hoping that this plan will help me out with that. Plus my dad is getting married in 5 weeks and I'd like to trim down before the wedding. Looking forward to chatting with everyone!

Hope every one in the path of Sandy is safe this morning! Sounds like NY and NJ really took a beating.
SUM - Hiding the candy would not have worked for me either. I sometimes have this voice in my head telling me I know where it is and I HAVE to eat it. I am so glad I did not have to buy any this year.

Welcome HeyWife the more the merrier!

I went slightly over calories last night. We had breakfast for dinner and I ate 4 sausage links. Man those thinks have a lot of calories for how small they are. Yikes, did not realize it until I entered them into MFP. Will not be eating those anytime soon.

I stepped on the scale and was down just a little. .8oz. I will take it and use it as motivation to stay on track today.

Happy Tuesday all! Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday!

One on plan day yesterday. Working on two in a row today! Stress is still high with my daughter. She is intent on making everyone miserable. And unfortunately even when I try very hard not to show it to her, it is still working. I don't know how to not let her get to me.

cbigsis - good job staying on plan! I have a teenage son who really stresses me out, so I can totally relate to "big kid" issues.

I went to the doc today for a follow-up visit for some back issues. The nurse took my blood pressure, and it was 150/97! I can't tell you how sad I feel about that number, because one of the main reasons I got serious about weight loss was my high blood pressure. I had an auto bp cuff that I used to use to track my blood pressure every few days, and I had gotten back to a normal blood pressure range without meds as soon as 20lbs down. Well, my cuff broke a few months ago and I haven't been tracking anymore. I was assuming since my weight is so much lower than when I was doing regular blood pressure checks that for sure I was in the normal range. Apparently not. Of course, it might have been nerves or a spike from a cup of coffee I had before the visit. However, I am more determined than ever to get these last 20+ lbs off! It could make all the difference. Just feeling really down about my progress lately. On the upside - I don't need back surgery right now! Woo hoo!

Good luck today, everyone! Send me will power dust!