Thanks for the encouragement. Today, I've been working on being rational. That was my goal. Here are my conclusions:
1. I need to keep going. I'm not where I want to be and I therefore can't give up.
2. 3 lbs in a month isn't a bad thing. It's still a loss.
3. I need to accept that as I get closer to goal, my weight loss will slow down. I figured out that if I lose 1 lb a week, I might need 20-25 weeks to get to goal. I can do this for 5 more months and that means I'll be at goal by Nov/Dec ish. Nothing sounds bad when being at goal is part of the equation.

So, that's where the rational part of my brain is at. The emotional side of my brain is still nagging at me, but I'm trying to let the frustration go. I did have a little NSV today which I'm mentally, trying to get the most out of. I had to video tape myself teaching and you know what? I didn't hate what I saw. I was actually surprised by how small I looked (which I don't really perceive in mirrors, etc.) and my first instinct wasn't to look at negatives. I was actually thinking more about my teaching and what the kids were doing than about how weird I look, sound, etc. on camera. So that was encouraging.

zephyr, I was thinking about your question, if I could change anything in my plan. I think the thing I need to change is to have planned, higher calorie days once and a while. I never plan them in, because it feels like I'm not getting anywhere if I eat more calories. But inevitably, they just kind of happen and I go off plan with calories. I'm thinking if I plan a 1600 or 1700 calorie day once a week or so I might have more control over it and my body won't freak our about the calorie deficits. Thanks for the question, it really helped me think ! How was the yard sale?

sotypical, I feel ya girl! When I lost weight a few years ago I got completely stuck at 165 ish, gave up and ended up putting about 35 lbs back on. I think for me, it was more of a mental plateau than a physical one, but it was something that I ultimately couldn't shake. I'm doing what I can not to let that happen again! You can lose weight. I can lose weight. We just have to get our asses in gear and do it. Whatever that it might be... we'll figure it out eventually (story of my life!)
Hope you enjoy yourself and have a relaxing day at the spa. Lord knows we could all use a little relaxation!

Kruez, congrats on 153!! And you are so right about the hormone stuff. From what I've read, testosterone has a TON to do with weight loss. Obviously males have a ton more than we do and this is one of the reasons they are able to shed weight more quickly. Very interesting... When is that vacation to Florida?

I've been putting in really long hours at school trying to get report cards going, so I haven't gotten in workouts the last couple of days. I started to type "so I think I'm going to..." Screw that. I AM going to go for a run now. Whatever it takes...

Wow. I'm so behind. This is what working full time gets me. Haha.

Blegh week for me so far. I didn't balance my till right away on Tuesday (we were craaaazy busy and didn't close until later than we should anyway) so I didn't get home until 6. I was supposed to run with my sister and that didn't happen. Monday I didn't workout either because I just didn't feel like it, and I ate a looot of salt (for me, I guess?) on Tuesday night. I'm sooooo bloated right now. I've been trying to pound back some water all day. Ugh. My stomach is grossss right now. I did workout tonight though (my own little made up circuit routine because I couldn't bring myself to do a video. Burned about 500 cals, I'm happy ) and I only had around 1200 calories (which normally wouldn't be enough for me, but I'm not hungry right now).

Hopefully tomorrow goes better.

tuende - 3lbs in a month is great. That's what I lose in a good month. Don't get discouraged. You probably have great muscle tone and look really good anyway. It'll come off...it'll just take longer the closer you get to goal. Like you said . And yay for doing a half marathon! That's so exciting! I'm officially registered now! So's my sister.

sotypical How was the spaaaa? It looks awesome. I'm jealous. Haha.

I'll try and be around more tomorrow guys. I hope you're all having good days/nights. I have to hit the hay now or I'd write more. I'm just beaat.

tuende~I'm glad that you are able to look at the picture a little more clearly. I think it's a great idea to add in one high calorie day maybe once a week. I've noticed that I lose better when I do that. For two reasons I think. Mentally because I'm not depriving myself of the food that I want and then also because it confuses your body with the high calorie day(or so I've been told)

I don't have alot of time right now to sit on the computer. The yard sale is going great. I've gotten rid of alot of stuff..more than I was anticipating! It's going on until tomorrow. I'm really hoping to get rid of alot more and make a decent amount of money. The money so far is paying for my carpets to get cleaned, which I'm sitting at home right now waiting for them to get here. We got a puppy in the fall and he killed out floors! I can't wait to have nice clean carpet again!! I'm trying to make the most of today because I go back to work tomorrow.

Well, I hope you all have a great day! Keep chugging along!!!

rockstar, how's the job going? Have the customers been nice to you? If not, you can always use some of Jillian's punching moves on them! I like the elbow one, myself . Hope you had a better day food-wise today. I hate salty days- they make me feel gross too! And yes, I'm pretty excited about the half marathon idea. I'm hoping to hold on to that excitement for a few months until I can really start training. I did have a great run last night. I have no idea how far I went (I take weird short cut paths in between streets), but I ran at a good pace for I think 55 minutes. Must've been farther than last weekend, I think. I'm hoping I can hold on to that endurance through the summer!

zephyr, congrats on the yard sale! That puppy thing must be rough. I mean, they're cute, but adorableness can only go so far when they're destroying the carpet . That'll be so nice to have nice clean floors and be rid of a bunch of stuff.

Been having a good day today. Took my class on a field trip and we got to go on a boat in the sound. Sadly, this was probably as thrilling for me as for my kiddos! And all the kids made it back to school and everything, so I'd say it was a success . I've been really determined to be on plan the last few days and I'm getting ready to go out for Mexican food... and I'm telling myself I CAN make good choices!

tuende It sounds like you are getting your mind and emotions sorted out. I think I do a freak out everytime I feel like its taking soooo long. I started in Oct and there have been some months of going nowhere because of travel. I am back in the low 160's and am forcing myself back into weight loss habits. Right now I think 3 lbs in a month is awesome! I know you can't feel it right now but you are doing great!

rockstar87 your little made up rountine burnt alot of calories! 500 ?! that is nice. I know it is such a bummer when I dont get my exercise in!

zephyr524

Kruez2 hmmm thai! way to go on loosing more!

sotypical sorry you are having a rough time. It is easier for men but you have lost so much and are still loosing! I hope you see a nce drop soon.


Well I have started swimming for the summer. My neighbor lets us use his pool anytime we like so I have started by swimming 40(small) laps and will work up to atleast 60 to 80! It feels so good. I can feel it in my whole body. Even my sides feel tight Eating is a lot better. Still have the munchies at night and think I need to just have a shake and not try to substitute it with crunchy stuff. Hope you all are doing good,

tuende - I do think I a big part of it is mental for me. I see your ticker is no longer in the 150's!

zephyr - we totally need a yard sale! it's crazy how stuff just stocks up. Hope you made lots of money.

rockstar - hope you are feeling better.

sun - I love swimming!! Have fun! I started swimming earlier in the year but I got so pissed I wasn't losing weight so I stopped going, lol. I even bought an underwater MP3 player, it's cool. I should go again since I pre-paid for some swims that I never used.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. Unfortunately I still managed to throw myself down the stairs this past couple days and my scale is back in the 160's. Seriously, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? It's a new day, I have a day planned at about 1300 calories. It is not super healthy, but in calories and some fruit and veggies includes so not too bad. Hopefully I can just stay on track this weekend and keep going. Get in some exercise too I hope. My week was so bad I should be able to eat good this weekend. Tomorrow I hope to make a crockpot full of chili.

The spa was awesome. We took a dip in the pool, got a pedicure and then spent 3 hours doing endless tapas. Not because we at a lot but because they only bring out a mouthful at a time, lol. It was a lot of fun. A co-worker and I have decided we are going to go back for "therapeutic massages" so we can get them covered my our medical! haha

I think I might change my weight in to Saturday. I dunno. This is totally cheating, but, if I change it Saturday there is more of a chance of seeing a lower number on the scale since I can weigh in later in the morning. I know, I know bad - but I really think I need to see lower numbers. I get so frustrated not seeing the scale go down that I end up eating more and making it go up.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. We have this store here called shoppers drug mart and you get bonus points for shopping there. I have been hanging onto $150 in points for at least a year now, waiting for something good to buy. Starting next month they are making the points worth less - and this weekend they have a bonus day, so my points are worth $170. Anyway, time to spend them. I don't want them to lose their value. So I am going to go stock up on lotions, makeup (the expensive stuff haha), maybe some perfume and household goods. Anyway it's gonna be fun to just shop and not spend any real money, lol.

This is long enough. TGIF everyone!

Hey girls! Well, I put in another 12 hour day at school, but I am now on the couch, in my sweats, watching Roseanne. What could be better on a Friday night? Haha... I'm not always this lame. Had a pretty good day today. Didn't get a workout in, but ate well. Even planned ahead with food for a long day at school. One of my kiddos brought me a box of cupcakes and funny little Asian bread things. I don't really know what they are. I'm not intending on eating them, but it was still sweet.

I've been thinking of other changes I could make to kind of re-boot here and I'm thinking of weighing in every day. Not to be obsessive, but I'm hoping that doing it will take some of the power away from that number. It may be a bad idea, but I think I'm going to try it for a bit and see how I feel. I also know that I won't do it forever- in fact starting in July I won't be able to weigh myself at all for 2 months! Any feedback on this idea?

sun, swimming sounds so fun! I grew up practically living in the lake all summer and I just love it. Lucky to have such a nice neighbor. Seems like that'll be a fun way to workout!

sotypical, isn't the mental part the hardest? To answer your question, nothing is wrong with you, girl!! You are human like the rest of us; humans have a funny way of having great intentions that they can't always carry out . It's OK though, if it's important to you, you'll find a way to do it! BTW, "free" drug store shopping sounds amazing!!! I could spend hours in a drug store buying lotion and bath stuff and make up and all kinds of things I don't need but are really fun to have. You'll have to tell us about all the goodies you get. RE my ticker... I've been sticking to 149.something so I did change it. The scale's not moving much from there, but I've decided not to dwell on that anymore . The spa sounds wonderful!

stargzr, so glad to see you back! Hugs to you too!

Back from Chitown! I'm hanging in at a steady 150, so I've upped my carbs in the form of fresh veggies and fruits. Hopefully a switch will prompt my body to drop a few pounds! I'd been eating mostly salads all weekend, as opposed to a stricter low carb, and it seemed to do me some good (No weight gain despite 3 days of drinking and 1 Chicago pizza splurge!).

Went grocery shopping today and got loads of fresh fruit and veggies, some cheese, yogurt, and SF pudding. Typically, these are foods I'd limit (other than cheese), so we'll see if a low calorie, high GOOD carb week will put me in the 140s! I'll catch up on the few pages of discussion I missed later on today

Hi all I just want to start by saying I am no longer in the 170s..no longer in the 160s...and I am so proud to be saying I can't wait till I am out of the 150s..I am at 157 as we speak. Also, I just want to say 3fatchicks is awesome for support! ;D Thanks!

Nicole... chitown, ha! Glad you are back and at 150! Interesting plan, going higher carb for a while. I think the idea of keeping your body guessing seems to work for people. Do you normally do low carb? I'm thinking of going low carb for a week or two and seeing if that will help me drop a few. What are some of your staple foods when you are going low carb? I'm not a big meat eater, so I think it might be hard for me.

mickletoe, welcome and congrats on 157. You'll be out of here in no time. 3FC is awesome for support but the ladies in this thread are especially wonderful ! Glad you joined us!

sotypical Luckily my heart rate monitor works underwater so I can actually see how much I have to push myself. Right now I am upto 50(small) laos and am burning 300 calories. I want to get to 500 burned so maybe around 80 laps. And who cares if you need to change it to sat so you can see a smaller number. Its a mind game with number to keep motivated.

stargzr I hope you have some time to yourself soon!

tuende I weigh in everyday and I am sure it has its drawbacks but at the same time you really kick yourself when you see a bad number even for a day and it guides me through that day's temptation.

ValentineNicole Sweeet for the no weight gain.


mickletoe welcome! and 3fc its such good support!


So i am truly on a swimming kick! I really enjoy getting my exercise in everyday again/ I fell off the wagon for 2 months and now I am ready to get into the 140s. I want to start looking a little overweight versus oh you look so slim compared to what you used to be!

Oh my, where is everyone?! I hope this is just a symptom of being incredibly busy. Me, I have a lot of free time on my hands as the school year winds down and I am getting less and less work. I just phrased that sentence like a Kenyan starting with the me...

Anyway, a quick update on what I'm doing. I decided to try going low(er) carb. I used to track macronutrients and try to have a pretty balanced ratio of each. I stopped doing it because it was a pain in the *** and because I got pretty good at it. Apparently, it's good for me to do it again, because even though I am usually within my calories, I probably eat way more carbs than I think I do. I do get in my fats and proteins, but these are calorie dense and I usually go for volume with my food. Besides I love fruit and I usually start my day with oatmeal or Kashi cereal. I'm not sure how low carb I'm going to go, but I think I'll try and get the ratio a bit more in check. In any event, I'm hoping this will be good for me and it will definitely be a bit of a re-education. After just doing it today, I feel like I've eaten really heavy things and feel a little... bleh. I don't really have much of an appetite, but I'm going to try to stick with it for a week or so and see if it makes a difference on the scale.

sun, your swimming kick sounds fun! I wish we had the weather for that here. I also wish I had a HR monitor that worked under water- that is pretty awesome. I've been doing the every-day-weigh-in thing and I agree with you; the accountability really seems to help me.

tuende~ I hope going lower in carbs works well for you. I've never really tracked anything I've eaten other than calories.


I had a "bad" couple days over the weekend. I really didnt watch what i was eating at all and ate very very bad! I'm back on plan again today though and just had an awesome workout. I really hope I can end the week with a nice loss! My weigh in yesterday put me at 153.8. I'm going for 152 next week...

Yay! As I suspected after flushing my system with tons of water I am back to the 150's, 157 to be exact. I just hope that cupcake I ate today is not going to crash my great start I was having. I think my co-workers are trying to sabotage me..they bring in cupcakes and candy and ohhh the doughnuts. hahaha I am doing fairly well at resisting, just the one slip up today. Tomorrow is my actual weigh in day so I hope to see a descent amount of progress. Guess we will see.

Going to Vegas on the 19th. Anyone have any suggestions on where to eat and not blow my diet to shreds?