Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I'm still alive and maintaining my weight!

I don't know how, but I am.

Even with a tootsie roll binge as I hand made our invitations.

It's 5 am and I gotta start heading out for work *dies from exhaustion*

I envy your restraint xty, I have to make a pretty conscious effort to eat under 1500 and only manage to do so twice, maybe three times a week! O_o

paperclippy, call me whatever you want! On the poo horizon, I had a big dump this morning and am practically foaming at the mouth to weigh myself tomorrow morning. My weekend involved deep fried cheeseburgers and peanut butter/cream cheese/Oreo pie, yet no gain as of Monday (I don't weigh at weekends because I often deviate wildly from my "plan").

Hoping to sneak below 127 this week. If I put my mind to it I can do it, but like saef said, maybe we just don't want it badly enough to get super serious and that's okay.

Ditto for me! At least, roughly maintaining. I was pretty proud of myself last week. I was working long and erratic hours as opposed to usual M-F 7:30-4, but I packed my OP food and a gym bag and got in my workouts when I could. A local festival, friend visiting town, and working Saturday meant I indulged a few times (no excuse, I know) and I'm feeling a bit poofy this morning as a result. But I'm right back OP - headed to the gym now and I've got that healthy food packed.

Silver, congrats on getting in your pants so easily this year! Would a belt help? I know belts don't work with all styles of pant but if it would in this case, a tailor could easily add belt loops. Or, a tailor should also be able to nip in the waist if you explain the waist/hip problem.

xty, I love revelations that let one eat more food! Let us know how adjusting your calorie levels goes.

saef, I hope your introspection leads you to a happy solution. :

Hi Clarabr!

Off to the gym!

Good job maintaining Stephanie!

Kramp, you crack me up!

Weight is back up 2lbs this morning but that's standard for a Monday. I'm finally at a point where I don't have any more weekend commitments until Thanksgiving. Somehow I ended up with a one-two punch over T-day weekend though -- Thanksgiving on Thursday and a baby shower Friday at lunchtime. Who schedules baby showers for the day after Thanksgiving?? I'm guessing we'll be eating leftovers?

Hey guys!

Krampus, I only go every other day or less, so I understand your excitement at tomorrow's weigh-in

Paperclippy (Jessica, right?), we're almost stats twins, from what I've seen of your posts.

I've been seeing my long lost friend, the 136, the last few days. I hadn't seen it in 6 years! I hope to be seeing my other friends 135, 134 and so on, in the not so remote future.

Have a great week!

Good morning, everyone. May I join you? This is such a supportive and interesting thread, and I'd love to chat with you as I work my way through these last 10 pounds and work out how to maintain.

Happy Monday! Welcome, clara and dingo!

saef - been there with miscalibrated, unprofessional lab equipment. My profession has the quote, "In God we trust, all others must bring data." (W Edwards Deming). The qualifier on that is, OK, what did you collect the data with, and can you trust it? I've experienced a reading of 340 total cholesterol at one of those "health fairs" - the level where you can just about see the cholesterol floating in the tube. While the severely obese technician was trying to load me up with pamphlets and dire warnings of my impending death, she mumbled something about "everybody she'd tested that day was SO high!" Ummmmm, yeah .... Trust yourself. You're good at this.

Silver - major congrats on the pantsometers! I remember last year's efforts - bravo! I have the, er, "low ratio of waist to hip" as well. A waistband nip with a professional tailor is worth the money. I'm also seeing more and more clothing manufacturers producing "curvy" styles, and they do indeed come much closer to closing that annoying back gap.

I'm way, way, way behind on catching up on this thread. Work has been utter ****, and will be again this week. We traveled 7 hours out to WI for a baptism on Sat, and came back last night. I was at 151.5 this morning, deservedly so. I too need some mojo/discipline/desire/willpower/give an eff. Tonight's requirements: spouse is going to complete the preventative maintenance on the treadmill while I GO SWIMMING. "House" will have to be relegated to the rerun pile. The TV is getting squeezed out by more important things, as it should be.

Pantsometer! Terms like that are exactly why I hoped to join in on this thread. Thank you for the both the chuckle and the welcome.

silverbirch - can you have them altered? I have to get the waist taken in on almost all pants (no matter my size), pretty cheap and easy work to have done.

megan, stephanie - glad to hear you are doing well

monday weigh ins should be ignored! agreed upon by all, hehe

I upped my cals to 1500-1600 and am up to 124.8 this am from the low of 122.2...but I just feel bloated. Pondering how one knows what weight is too low anway (other than energy levels and hormonal function, which of course are great).

Had a bit of a food issue last night! Those are prettttty darn rare these days. Almost funny if it wasnt a flashback to the terrorizing nature of those moments when they were constant years back.

I often live off apples and peanut butter, but every now and again I get too compulsive about them. Happened last night. As in, I had an apple and 2 tb of pb (after a whole dinner btw) and Im full, like really full. No desire for more food in my belly, yet I feel utterly compelled to eat more pb and apples. So I recognized the crazy feelings, let myself eat anothe...and then threw out the rest of the pb! Wont be having any of that in the house for a bit, though at work it should be fine to snack on once in awhile. Sheesh.

All my excitement to weigh myself was quashed because I had some McDs fries last night. Not enough calories to warrant a gain and stayed under 1800 for the day, but DAMN was I bloated! I am going to post photos of my gigantic bloat-belly later - it was so uncomfortable and I looked ready to give birth. Doing Tae Bo with the gigantic bloat was humiliating too, and I was alone in my living room with all the curtains drawn.

Today is Banana Split Tuesday as well. It never ends. I have packed a pathetic lunch, got up early and did Tae Bo and pushups before work, and am planning a run between work and dinner. Even if it doesn't actually work this way (which I am certain it doesn't) I'll feel slightly more sane and justified in having my banana split.

xty, my mom loves peanut butter and apples! She has one every night before bed. She's diabetic (not due to weight issues, her pancreas just shut down one day) and she loves it.

Welcome dingk8!

Krampus, I hate the 'bad food bloat'! We haven't been able to grocery shop in a bit (money is transitioning all over the place for wedding stuff) and we are low on healthy options. My lunches are pathetic, and now that I'm out of eggs my breakfast options are worse! Good news is we're going tomorrow My weight is the same but my tummy is puffy.

Pleased to report some progress - I have "met" my new pool, paid for a 20-swim punchcard, and snagged a lap time schedule. Last night's open time was only 8-9pm, and I had an unanticipated trip to UPS to pick up a package (fixed time window). Not a total loss.

Question for those that own treadmills - my treadmill's owner manual says to use silicone spray to lubricate the belt. Spouse says WD-40 would be fine - it's silicone with a fast-evaporating petrochemical propellant. But they didn't recommend WD-40 by name, so I'm really leery. I've submitted the question to the manufacturer (Smooth). What do you use?

I've always used WD-40 and I've never had a problem.

to all newcomers.

This thread can really work! I am here to tell the tale. It's a bit of excitement and, I hope, some encouragement.

I've lost more than 5lbs since we began this thread on 3rd Sept. Actually 6.75lbs. So hurray! And I've only got 1.25lbs to go before I hit the target on the left. That'll be ... you're right ... 8lbs!

Then I'll set a new 5lb target.

Amazing.

Good going, SB! Must be moving all that firewood. It was 10F (-12C) here this morning - firewood=warmth.

Life is going along quietly here. Trying to keep the food under control, working on projects for Christmas, etc.

Jessica - I had a flat tire on Sat and I don't advise it. Mine was actually caused because one of my snow tires apparently wasn't sealed correctly when I had them put on earlier in the week. They didn't charge me to fix it, but it was a PITA nevertheless.