Do whatever it takes Iris! I'm in the same boat as you. I feel just horrible in the bigger clothing I had to buy. It really feels much better to be slim.

Iris and SusanB It really is hard to get back on track. Distractions and unhealthy foods are everywhere in our face at all hours of the day.

But you're both here posting and that definitely is a step in the right direction. Get the brain back on track and the body will follow (isn't that brilliant ?). Seriously though, you both have proven to yourselves that you can do this.

Just start taking those steps forward again and gaining momentum. There will be steps back (did I mention my body is about 25% mini chocolate bars right now) but YOU CAN DO THIS!

Dagmar ( for Indian summer)

hahaha mine too! working on that. today i did NOT "help myself" to any of roomie's halloween stash!

Hey there Ladies!

I'm a long time Lurker, occassional poster who is feeling a little lonely in this journey. Nah, thats not right. It's more like... a one sided friendship. Meaning I know all of you ( look at my join date! ) pretty intimately after all these years. And your WONDERFUL! I root for you , I cheer for you , I give you mental hugs when need be. Truth be told... I've even given you ( Once or twice I swear ) one of these . Thinking geeeez you know better, what are you doing??!!??

It's time to step out of the shadows and give back what I am getting or get what I am giving!

A brief synop of who I am; I am an American from the Great Lakes State Michigan living in Austria once again. ( I bebop, more on that as you get to know me. ) I was doing WW but found Calorie Counting traveled better for me. My In-laws are the President's of the Austrian branch of Yad Vashem. I only bring that up because through out the year we are extremely active. Like this coming Saturday... LOL No worries there though. ( whew )

I am more worried about the mini vacation my Husband and I will be taking at this Wellness Resort from the 23rd to the 26th. I know it sounds extremely healthy and they are, for the most part. But they have a dark side. All you can eat breakfast buffet's, free coffee and cakes in the afternoon, followed by 5 course dinners in the evening. All inclusive of course. This one has the added bonus of tour & tasting of their Wine Museum. God love this place! I am going to thoroughly enjoy my stay!

Thanksgiving won't be as grandiose this year due to the mini vacation right before hand. So I will living it vicariously through all of you, while mentally planning my Christmas dinner to make up for missing my Thanksgiving. Oh what a tangled our minds weave, eh...

Oh, I almost forgot, I had lost 70 pounds while living in the States. Gaining 10 back upon moving back to Austria. Flirted in the 160's and am back to losing again! : I had pulled a tendon in my knee this past Sunday and I can alomost walk like a 44 year old again. That'll teach me not to jump right back into exercise mode from sloth mode again. Which is how I tweaked it, by doing jumping jacks. Yeeesh.

Okies thats me in a nutshell.

I go from saying nothing at all to writing books.

I look forward to living, learning, and laughing along with you all as we go along this journey.

Sincerely,

Sassy

Sassy Looking forward to getting to know you!

What I know about Austria - Arnold Schwartzenegger and some of the most delicious pastries know to (wo)mankind ae the two things that come to mind. You'll have to give us some brief "travelogues" about how it is to live there.

Hope your knee is better soon. It's so much harder to get everything moving the older we get. I find yoga every other morning has saved me from a lot of pulls, tears, etc.

Dagmar

Oh Sassy, don't lurk! Participating is fun!

Morning Dagmar!

I had a good day yesterday. Walked, did some bands, eating was fairly clean and within a reasonable calorie range.

I really need to take a decent walk while the weather is so awesome. Where's abbyin???? Shall we walk today?

sassy!!

Whereabout in Austria are you? I have visited Vienna a couple of times - beautiful city!

I am still at 140.8 this morning. I was hoping to get down by just sticking to the maintenance diet, but I may have to drop back to the 'losing' level for a week or so. *sigh*

Doing W1D2 today. I am still a bit stiff from Monday but the only way out is through!

Good morning everyone, I am a long time member at 3FC. Many of your names are familiar and your stories sure are. I'd been a yo yo dieter since I was 12. I would compulsively exercise and not eat one thing wrong and drop 30# for each spring and summer only to regain it all every fall and winter. When I turned 40 I said enough is enough I need to learn to love me. Over the course of the next year and a half or so I did a lot of journalling and praying and did not diet or exercise at all. I did learn why I am the way I am and have a great relationship with myself for the most part. I also gained more than 40# during that time and started to have some real back issues due to lack of exercise. In May 2006 I started getting healthy. I added good for me things. Fruits, veggies, water, exercise and tried not to take anything away or make it off limits. I have slowly lost 33#. That was 39# until I slipped into old habits in Sept and Oct. Eating what was easiest or maybe a couple glasses of wine to relax rather than a good walk. I've been back on track the past couple days. (Notice how "on track" started on a Monday!) Anyhoo, I came on looking for support and SusanB was kind enough to invite me here. Featherweights, me? So, here I am. I hope I can give and get support here. Thanks for listening.

Lovnmom ... you're certainly more feathery than I am right now.

Would any of you agree that featherweights seem to be those who can and have lost weight but struggle for the final pounds -or- to maintain? It seems to me that that is what we have in common.

I thought I would never lose those final ten pounds and almost settled for a higher goal weight, but I persevered and was rewarded with reaching goal. I was actually surprised the day I stepped on the scale and saw I was at goal. I am now working to maintain my loss, and that takes perseverance, too.
It is all worth it !!!!

SusanB, Feathery is not how I would ever describe myself. I've come a long way, but still don't think of myself as thin. My body image isn't all morphed or anything. It's just thin isn't a word I would use in connection to Kristi. I hope some day to. I've read so many of your posts over the years. You always give such good advise and seem to be available to your on-line buddies. I really admire that. The whole struggling for the last pounds and troubles maintaining certainly describes me. I think this time I'm actually afraid to hit goal. Every time I've hit goal and decided to maintain it goes well for about the first month. I start walking or riding my bike for the little errands and eating mostly good foods and my weight does stay pretty level, but then about the 5th week the wheels come off. I find myself jumping in the car no matter how close my destination. Sure enough it becomes allright to have cake and coffee for brkfst and the kids can't be home for supper? I guess I'll just have some cheese and a glass of wine instead of cooking. Then of course the wine activates my hunger and I end up having chocolate and chips and salsa or even worse chips and sour cream dip!!! Being 44 the good night's sleep goes right out the door if I'm not exercising....just a viscious cycle. Thankfully, I have you all to turn to before the bus is actually sunk in the ditch!
bargoo, I've read your posts all over 3FC in the past years. You have done so well and are a terrific inspiration.

I suppose I should have been thankful, but instead I was a bit miffed. DS had a munch fest Monday night and ate all the rest of the Halloween candy (3 mini bars) which included my Tuesday night's designated dessert (the last Butterfinger mini bar). Instead I had 10 Trader Joe's espresso pillows. While they are wonderful (and fewer calories) I really had my tastebuds set on that Butterfinger!

Welcome lovnmom and sassy!

Feathers, I have gained 5.5 pounds in one week. Now, yes, some of that is water retention but quite a bit of that is real poundage.

Here's my deal (this is a highly abridged (sp?) version):

I reached goal in August and continued to follow weight loss cal. level with weekend splurge/treat meals and exercise and found myself going below goal. - which was very ok with me!
I felt great about everything.

Although, I must admit to a good deal of panic regarding maintenance.

This past Friday, yup- Halloween, I ate some pizza. I ate it in front of certain people who have been doing quite a bit of about me. Not nec. mean spirited talk but verbal discourse regarding my weight loss. And... everyone likes a drama, y'know?... is she too thin.....that sort of thing.

So, I wanted to prove that there is no trouble here. (Keep in mind I do have a long history of trouble and this is the ONLY time I have ever lost weight w/o meds or hurting myself) :

No prob, right? I can eat one slice of pizza. And I did.
Then out to dinner Sat night, much sodium.
Then craved hot and sour soup on Monday-- had 1.5 quarts and then started in on the kids Halloween candy.
Out to dinner last night, made poor choices....onto the candy.

I literally felt like I was spiralling out of control. I crafted help me posts in my head as I was driving around last night (I took candy with me for the ride ) trying to find on sale clothing for my boys. (, I did- at least there's that)

Now, it's today. I had a nice run this am. I came to featherweights trying to put together a thread that will allow me some accountability in getting myself back on track.

Maintenance forum doesn't feel right for this. Maintaining is a foreign feeling to me right now.


Can you beleive this is a shortened version??

everyone. thanks for

Oh, how this is too true!!

Hey Allison, I want to be an elementary school teacher probably grades 1-3 but I'm not sure yet...Wow, music education and computer science, that's an interesting pair hey? And ughhhh butterfingers are hard to beat, was it a blessing or a curse?

Iris and Susan, I definitely know the feeling of having the temptations that other people bring into the house around...It's so much easier to stay on track without the option of eating poorly.

Hi Sassy!! I'm glad you're coming out of lurkdom haha that place you're going sounds amazing. And very hard to diet at. And of course you had a lot to say, you're just making up for lost time Good luck with the exercise, I hope you don't hurt anything again!!

Robsia, what's W1D2?

Lovnmom, 33 pounds is great!!! I'm glad Susan invited you in, I have always really liked this little board in here. Once you reach where you want to be sometimes it's hard not to think you can cheat all the time, but then the weight starts coming back....

SusanB, I definitely think that most featherweights fall into that category. Because while I wasn't posting for quite awhile I got down to 128 and now here I am back at 136. Not trying to suggest that every pound isn't hard to lose, but the last few seem the most stubborn to me.

Bargoo, congrats every once in a while I think, I should just settle with this, and then I think......nooooo what i want isn't unrealistic or unattainable, I'm just being lazy.

Kittycat, drama is exhausting I'm glad you can prove to those people that it doesn't get to you. Maintenance is such a struggle, just keep posting, we're all glad to lend an ear.

I have two midterms tomorrow and convinced myself that playing around with my fitday custom foods was a better thing to do than study have a lovely day girls!!