Thanks guys for all of the love. You guys are right. I am the best person I can be, and the medication just helps my true self shine. I never really looked at it that way before. I just always thought I was just some crazy girl who has to take medication so the crazies don't come out. I took a full dose of my medication last night and today was a better day. I've moved on, and so has DH. Like I said before, he understands because of his own mental illness. That's probably why we get along so well because we balance each other. Fi it means a real lot that you took the time out to do a personal just for me. I really needed it. Dean you too!!! I'm feeling like my happy self again today. I guess I just thought that I was on such a rush and a high that maybe this better, healthier life was making my moods better and I could go without the medicine. I had to go without it completely one day right before Thanksgiving a few years back because I had ran out and the pharmacy was closed due to the holiday and I tore my MIL a new one. I had decided I was never going to stop taking my meds because I need them, I guess for some reason I thought this time it would be different. But you are right, and DH said the same thing as Fi. It's just like a diabetic taking insulin to survive, and there is no reason for me to be ashamed for having to take medication to help myself.

I just finished my HIIT core training with my balance ball. I am super worn out. I'm hungry so I think I'm going to get ready to make spaghetti squash leftovers from last night. I also finally got my measuring tape and took my measurements. I gotta say I am not happy with them, and would really hate to see what they were in the beginning when I was almost 28 lbs lighter. But at least now it will be a good thing I can check to see where my progress is there. How often would you guys suggest measuring?

Have a great night! PS: I did have another OP day Love you all so much!!

Hey gals I will catch up soon. I've been back in the country a couple days and doing okey dokey had a fab time. maybe a little too fabulous. I'm not ready to start accounting to the scale yet. The food was way better than I expected at our resort, which was good for the enjoyability factor but not so good for the waistline. I am sufficiently sunburned due to stubbornness, i was good up until my last day and then my love of the pool led to me not getting out to reapply/not taking enough breaks from the sun enough so now I pay the price. :-|

Vacation NSV's before the trip, I bought new swimsuit bottoms in 2x since 3x were seeming loose. I am still in 4x for the tops though. (I love tankinis for this... since my body shape is so random... a one peice generally just looks odd on me now.

I also was able to buy bras at additionelle, which made me happy they fit perfectly (they're a little snug post resort though, hopefully afew weeks will rectify that). Normally I can't even buy them at the plus size store and have had to buy specialty ones so it will be nice if I can shop there as well. It makes life easier.

Onwards time to get back into the groove no more vacation as an excuse to indulge or be lazy.

Good Morning!
Silent I am so excited we had a good vacation! Details please! I read about your not needing a seatbelt extender! All your other NSV are so great too! Just think of how much better this vacation was because of your weightloss. I am so happy for you! Heck I am so happy for all of us! Just a little here and there adds up!
Sam great job working your way through this. You are a great person and you're so encouraging for us all. Thank you!
Fi your post to Sam also helped me. Since our daughter is non verbal she is not able to let us know how her medications effect her. It is good to hear that they can have a positive effect which I think hers do. (I always hear so many negatives.) Enjoy your Magic Muesli!
Betsy I so agree with the coming here daily helps prevent a regain, giving up,... I was really taken a back when I realized it has been 73 weeks of losing or maintaining within a 10 pound range. That is success in my book. I am so jealous of your weather. We have snow and wind today BUT I heard we may get into the 50's by the end of the week! As for the whim eating, sometimes I just eat out of habit. Guess it is the same as bored eating. I am going to work on a budget today. That should keep me busy!
Dean so true the simple little things make our life worth living.
Jane That is a lot of good days. I want you in ketosis also. When you are losing your energy is contagious!
Have a peaceful day!

Down 2 more pounds of water weight and back into the 70's!! I've also got pms from ****, so I'm hoping when that nasty little visitor skidaddles there might be more water weight gone with him! I fasted until 6pm yesterday & swam on my lunch break. I felt fine, but by end of day (I spent my evening doing food prep and thus was on my feet), my legs were a little achy. I do love that my cravings are so blunted. I was able to make my bf a bowl of fruit with some cream when he came home and I didn't even want any.

Ubee Consider yourself infected!

Silent Congrats on all your NSVs! I remember how excited I was when I could finally by ANYTHING at additionelle. Now I can only get pants there because I'm so long in the torso that none of their shirts fit me.

Betsey I'm jealous of your weather! It got chilly here again this week!

Good afternoon....since I totally missed it being a Good Morning greeting! I'm sitting here totally full from lunch and fighting off the urge to go snack on something. Aaarrrrrgggghhhhh! Hate these bad eating habits that have been in effect over a lifetime of bad eating.

Jane -- Good for you on 2 more pounds down. Getting back to a previous weight feels so good and you're well on your way. Weather here is back to normal today -- rain and wind.

Ubee -- Staying within a 10 pound range is stupendous. And I chuckled about eating out of habit.....see my intro note on wanting something even though I'm not hungry.

SilentArctic -- So glad you had a great vacation. I'm with Ubee -- details please so we can all live vicariously through you. Glad you had a great time and glad to see you back and posting. And no extender needed -- what a great NSV!!!!!

Sam -- Glad that things are back on track for you and you're reporting another on plan day.

Fi -- The addition of some carbs really does make a huge difference. I can tell when I'm too low as I have no energy whatsoever. You sound as though you're going to have a very productive day -- can hardly wait to see you next collage.

The news out here continues to focus on the catastrophic landslide north of Seattle. The count is now up to 14 known dead and 176 missing. My niece called this morning and said that one of the kids that my grand nephew went to pre-school with is missing along with her 2 siblings, parents, and grandparents. Her family was visiting with the grandparents and no word of them so far. Explaining it to a 6 year old is definitely challenging. I'm not comparing this in any way, but it certainly made me realize that getting upset over dieting failures are really pretty far down on the importance scale. Sorry for such a downer -- just feel so sorry for these people and their families. Will be more upbeat tomorrow.

Betsey, I totally know what you mean. It really puts it in perspective when you're obsessing over the scale and there's well.... THAT happening.

Good Evening Everyone,

Had another OP day....I'm really starting to think I have this eating thing under control....But I am still taking it one day at a time. I will admit that if something arises like wanting a cookie, which is rare, I have ONE cookie and leave it at that. I still consider this on plan because I believe everything is ok in moderation, as long as it doesn't cause you to fall off plan. My want for something sweet is has diminished dramatically so most things that contain sugar are almost too sweet for me now, so it's hard to fall off plan even though that doesn't mean that it won't happen.

I know a lot of us are coffee drinkers out there and I was curious to see if coffee aids or makes weight loss harder. I only drink 1 cup a day, and usually only during the work week. Up until last week I had only been using coconut milk creamer because the sugar is low and it is still "clean". I don't add any sugar. From what I am reading, though the caffeine can sometimes help you if you are doing something such as a workout, coffee contains cortisol which aids in the storage of fat in our abdomens. I don't know if I drink enough for it to really do much for me, but most of my weight is in my belly (a symptom of PCOS too) so anything I can do to help aid in the weight loss and especially in my belly, I think it's worth a try. I think starting Monday I'm not going to have any coffee in the mornings like I have been just to see if it makes a difference in my weight loss for the week. I don't know if I should do this for a few weeks or not but maybe just try it out for one week and see where I am. I really don't need the coffee to wake up anymore, I take a Super B Complex in the morning that is in liquid form and it really helps me if I am feeling sluggish. I just really like the taste of coffee lol...

Tonight was leg night with my work outs. I'm still doing the Turbo Jam plus a targeted area at night, though I switch up the different TJ videos I do. I did an hour tonight, I wanted to do more with my legs but they told me no, so I listened. The last time I pushed through it I ended up walking around my office like a toddler learning to walk :-P.

Silent Great job on getting in the 2X bottoms. It sounds like our bodies are kind of reversed. I am bigger on the bottom than I am on the top, but I'm still big all over :-P

Ubee Thanks for the love. You all encourage me more than I could ever encourage someone, but this is why I love coming here and make a point to post at least once a day, no matter what. This place has really helped aid me on my journey, and I am proud to say I've made some wonderful friends along the way

Jane Awesome news on the 2 lb loss! Even if it is water weight its still a loss!!! You go girl!!!

Betsy I know the feeling about wanting to reach for something even if you aren't hungry. That was one of my biggest problems growing up and is probably part of the reason I've been obese my whole life. I would get bored and go to the fridge...sometimes I'd even stand there and look at food even if I didn't eat it. Of course my mom would yell at me for keeping the fridge open lol...I've gotten pretty good about my eating times or how often I eat...If I get a little hungry and it is getting close for me to eat lunch then I just down a big glass of water until it's time to eat. It has really helped.

I'm waiting on some chicken breasts to finish thawing as we speak. Tonight I'm going to make BBQ chicken, brussel sprouts, and either some cauliflower mash, or I might make me and DH some sweet potato wedges in the oven. I hope everyone is doing well, happy, and healthy!!!

HI guys..
It has been a hectic couple of days. My mom ended up in the hospital and she's out now, but on oxygen and still not doing good. She is not even 60 yet and I'm afraid that I will be taking more care of them allot sooner than I think. Very depressing though. I'll tell you what though it is an eye opener because they kept telling her she might be able to get off the oxygen if she loses some of the weight. She is getting heavier and heavier and I'm afraid for her life.

Even though I was there at the hospital I stayed on plan I didn't eat out at all. So I call that a win. I did gain a pound, but I think it's Tom visiting. I feel like that will go away as soon as he does..lol..

I hope everyone is doing great.

Sam I am right there with you. I don't like to restrict any foods because then I feel like I just want them more and more ya know. So if I want a cookie I just have one and call it good. I still consider that OP because I didn't over eat on them. It sounds like your doing good. Good for you!!

Betsy, it's such a struggle isn't it. I am such a habit person and when I'm sitting at the computer I want my snack like I normally do and it's so hard to just bring a glass of water with me.. These habits I feel like are going to take a lifetime to get over.. Blah!!

Jane, Oh I wish I could swim on my lunch break. That sounds so awesome.. I don't think I would be so uptight at work if I could do that. Your doing great!!

Ubee ~ That would be cool if we lived next door to each other LOL. Im glad you decided to walk. I got 3 walks in yesterday and 2 walks in today.

Just checking in...I'm trashed tonight in a good way—that is, I'm very, very tired because I made two collages today, from blank cardboard all the way to finished product. Since Betsy said she was looking forward to seeing my next collages (makes me kind of bashful, like "aww....shucks" when people say that) I'll give you the links: they're called homage to italo calvino and year of the horse (for the fact that it's the "Year of the Horse" in the Chinese calendar). In both cases, there are descriptions underneath that give some background info.

It seems unfair that all the different creative activities that everyone here does, whether in their jobs or their hobbies or their families, etc., can't be easily linked so that we can appreciate what each other do. I mean, it seems unfair that I can just show y'all a picture that is the end product of many hours of work, whereas most creative activities aren't so easily displayed. Oh well... If y'all like seeing my collages, I'll keep posting the links...

And now I'm off for some much-needed sleeeeeeep....

Hi guys,
I'm kind of discouraged this morning. I've been on plan for almost a week and I was down three pounds now I'm up 2. My body usually doesn't do this. The only thing I can think of is it's stress. I feel like I'm handling it ok, but who knows I guess. I hope everyone has a great day. I have to go grocery shopping for my mom, do some laundry, and hopefully get some tv time in. I feel like I haven't watched t.v.in ages.
Fiona I love the pics. Your very creative.

Good morning!
Angelia sorry you are having a rough time but hang in there! Try to keep doing it for your health and not the scale. Your family needs you to be healthy and happy. They go hand in hand. It must be very hard to watch your mom struggle. Things like that scare me because I know I will always be in danger of getting heavier and heavier.
Fi once again, love the collages! Thank goodness no one has to witness my creativity other then my poor family!
Terra I am so happy to see you! I miss you when you don't post. Have you done any mall walking lately? How is your nephew?
Sam please keep us posted on your coffee findings. I agree that staying on plan is staying within our limits not being on a super model diet.
Betsy the landslide is so horrific. I feel so for all those affected. As to bringing up how it puts our weightloss journey into perspective it does. However Angelia's post about her mom was an alarm going off for me about how difficult it is for our families when our obesity cause severe health problems. When I am ill it tosses my family into a tizzy. Everyone has to pick up my slack. As mama ubee that is a lot of slack!
Jane when I read your post about preparing to be infected I threw both arms up and yelled "YES!"
My breakfast today is an example of how I reached my heaviest! Yikes you would think I was a lumber jack! Will really have to watch it to save the day. Yesterday was a striped day for me. How about everyone else?
Have a peaceful day!

I'm with you SassyAngies I've been sooo good, and I only lost .1 today! In my head I know that it's because of TOM and excess sodium, but I get so afraid every time that darn scale slows!

Ubee Keep it up! It's sooo tough, but we can do this! I'm dreading the weekend when my bf is off work and thus home to encourage bad eating. Think I can power through!

Good morning all. How did it get to be Wednesday already? I'm moving slowly this morning as Toby had an upset tummy during the night and got me up twice to let him go out -- just happy he got me up. He seems to be doing better, so hopefully he'll be back to normal quickly.

Jane -- I'll join in with you and Angelia about the extremely slow pace at which the weight comes off. Of course, it's healthier for us to have it come off slowly, it's normal to have ups and downs, hormones do impact us (ok, some of us are past that), etc. Mentally, I understand all of that. Emotionally, I want to wake up some morning and see the scale be 5 pounds lighter than the day before. I have other pipe dreams, but don't want to worry you about my thinking being a little (or a lot!) off center.

Ubee -- Or do you want us to refer to you as Paul Bunyon this morning? Hey, you've got the right attitude -- as long as you watch it the rest of the day, having a big meal is ok. And, eating a big meal at breakfast is supposed to be much better for us than one for supper. And, yes, I agree that our health issues surrounding this journey we're on are important. My reference to putting it into perspective because of the landslide was more tying it back to struggling all day with wanting to mindlessly eat even when I wasn't hungry. I was having a pity party for myself that I couldn't be one of those people who eats anything and never gains an ounce and one little bag of Pop Chips wouldn't hurt, etc., etc., etc. Then the news came on that more bodies have been recovered and I realized how silly my pity party was.

Angelia -- Hang in there -- I'm sure a little swing up is from stress. You've got a lot going on including dealing with the emotional side your mom's situation right now. We're here for you if you want to share.

Fi -- LOVE the collages and continue to wonder where you get your ideas. Thanks so much for sharing them. Hope you got some much earned rest.

Sam -- You are doing so well, and I totally agree that not having anything be off limits but being able to control the portion size you allow yourself is key. I'm really good with the allowing anything, but am so struggling with portion size.

Terra -- Your walking is an inspiration. Keep up the great work.

I've been watching people who are seemingly naturally thin. Two observations: they don't eat much (OK, that may be a little too simplistic) and they move a lot. In terms of not eating much, they don't seem to be focused on eating based on what time it is, but eating based on if they're hungry. For example, the guy who came to do the maintenance work didn't eat lunch at all -- and I offered to share my soup and make him a sandwich. He said he wasn't hungry. It got me to thinking that I eat because it's TIME to eat, not because I'm hungry. And then, of course, there's the whole mindless snacking thing that I'm also battling. And naturally thin people move a lot. It's not necessarily doing exercises, but just moving -- they don't just sit and watch the tube or read or whatever. They're kind of in constant movement. Not sure what those observations mean, but thought I'd throw them out there.

My latest trick on filling in the day on the calendar is to color it in solid right after supper. Evenings are my worst time for going off plan, so if I have already colored it in, I tell myself that I would have to reprint the page, recolor it, etc. It's totally a mind game, but it's working.

Have a great day -- sorry for the long ramble today.

Hey Gals,

So a little more about the trip. It was decent weather most of the time, only had rain on the one day. The wedding was, of course beautiful. We had a blast, there was a mini disco at our resort so we spent quite afew evenings dancing up a storm. That's they type of gals we are heart on the dance floor. For those of you that know that holiday we had some ST Patricks day celebrations on the monday. Dressed in green, temporary tatoos, hats. And had a blast, apparently some people thought we were crazy but honestly we were not wild, we just had a little fun. Same with the next night bachelorette party, we stayed on resort. Watched the magic show, and danced a lot at the mini disco... we all wore tanktops that were decorated with glitter glue anchors and the like and had cute little white sailor hats and glow bracelettes. It is so wierd to get attention. I mean I love theme parties but I guess I'm use to them being at someones home it was odd people outright STARED at us. Well mostly at the other girls I would notice peoples heads turning as they watched them... so wierd lol.

We did a catamaran tour one day , and there was the wedding of course. The food was way too good so I didn't lose any weight as I had hoped. (I know thats a wierd thing to hope for on vacation to hope the food was bad...) but I am back and ready to try and get my appetite back under control. I drank way too many sugary drinks as well! Enjoyed beach time and pool time. Came away with a nasty sunburn the last day its been years since I've done that. It's still healing, though for the most part I just look tan. Just the spots where my swimsuit straps must have rubbed off my sunscreen look particularily nasty. :-|

As for getting back into the swing of things, I "phoned it in" at aerobics last night putting in a half effort but I did meet up with another friend at the gym last night and did a little more low intensity cardio and did some weights to work my muscles a little harder than I did at step-n-sculpt class. My eating has been meh, I really need to grocery shop to get some veggies into my house.

Still not ready to talk about the scale in detail, although my coworkers all think I lost weight while I was away but I haven't (i did step on a scale). I think (sorry boys) its just some new bras, and my slight tan that are giving me a slightly more shapely appearance.


Ubee & Betsy - <3 Hope that was enough for you lol

Jane: Thanks, and congrats on getting those 2lbs off again.

Sam - Yeah I'm big all over, but I have that darn apple shape which is not so good for the health. You are lucky your a pear shape!

Fi - Glad you had a creative day. I can't check out the photos from hereif I have the energy I'll try and remember to check in tonight, not sure I will though if I do make it to the gym i'll probably be wiped.


Angelina - You know you've been on plan so stick with it. That is something to hang onto.