Workinghard - WOW you rocked the post vacation weigh in... I need to know the secret to your success... ... so happy that you are almost under 300... you can do this!!!

Thank you for noticing my avatar... I am steady plugging away!!! I have had an off day food wise here and there but I am able to get right back on track... so that is the main thing... AND I do make sure to walk every day even if it is only for 30 minutes and not my usual hour... that is the glue that keeps my Lifestyle Plan together... I am shooting to be under 300 by October 1...

Good morning all. Lots of things going on for all of us.

Garnet -- WOW! Your neighbor sounds like maybe she has a loose screw some place. I'm so sorry what was a pleasant walk ended up being such a disaster. I understand the drinking and food -- I'm running into the same problems only I don't have any reason to be doing so other than I am out of control. Do you think she would appreciate the one finger wave (that would be the middle finger, of course!)?

April -- The walking 1.4 miles is a tremendous accomplishment. And on steep terrain makes it even more so. Good for you and glad that your meds are helping you so much.

PJV -- So nice to hear someone say that had a nice day when they spent it with their mother. And your comment about being able to get back on track if you've had an off day -- please bottle it and ship it to me!

Workinghard -- YOUR LOST WEIGHT ON VACATION? You are my idol. Congratulations and what a great sense of achievement you must have. Good for you.

Beachgurl -- Welcome and yes you will find the support and understanding that you need at our weights. I think that once someone gets over 300 pounds, there's a whole set of problems that people just can't relate to unless they share them. And there's lots of encouragement when something goes wrong or you just have a question.

I went to the town Arts Festival yesterday and actually walked from the car to the park, around to see all the booths, back to the car, and then came home and did a whole bunch of work around here, went grocery shopping, and didn't sit down until supper time. Does anyone else get terrible leg cramps in your thighs when you've overdone it? I have poor circulation in my legs, and when I've really done a lot, I will get these terrible leg cramps, and I got one in my left thigh last night. Sucker hurt like the devil for about 10 minutes.

The RV is almost all packed up. Got the beds made up yesterday and put in the groceries for the upcoming trip with my grandnephew. I'm going to try hiking some of the short trails to the water falls down on the Columbia River -- if everyone is willing to go slowly, I should be able to make it.

Off to do more yard work. I discovered a ground wasp nest when I slammed my wedding fork into a plant I'm trying to dig out -- not the best way to spend an evening with trying to get the swelling down from the two stings I got.

Betsy - My mom and I are already planning our next outing. We talked tonight about going to a good farmer's market on Friday. I am hoping to get some fresh peaches and maybe some good melons.

It sounds like you got in a lot of extra exercise at the art festival. I love those but we don't have many in this area of the country. Sounds like you have some more walking/hiking planned for your getaway so there's even more exercise. I hope you have a wonderful time.

Good morning all!

Yesterday, I went for a two mile walk. It felt good and I did it! But, I need to go buy new shoes before I do it again. My feet were burning after I finished. I'm hoping to be able to buy some today. I took my daughter with me and she rode her tricycle while I walked. Boy, did she fall straight to sleep last night.

pjvw- no secret that I know of. I think it was just a change of my routine! I walked the beach for 45 minutes every day. Made sure to eat a sensible breakfast and lunch, since we ate our for dinner. Most places we small hometown type places and there wasn't much healthy on the menu.

Betsy- can I stow away in the RV?

Went to the Dr today to get checked-out as I start this journey. The Dr.'s scale was only 3 lbs heavier than mine -- that was a relief! She is very supportive and recommended portion control & counting calories.

Both require self-discipline... I've never been good with self-discipline.
Then again, I've rarely been an average weight in my life, so it's time to try something different.

Lass- I do calorie counting (well somewhat). I'm not very strict with my calories because for me the more I focus on it, the more I want to eat. So, before I eat a meal I try to figure out the calorie count. I make sure that I get my water in. To me water is the most important part of the process. I am getting better with portion control. It helps for me to eat a salad with every meal. It helps to fill me up, it also helps to drink a glass of water before a meal. Actually, anytime I feel hungry before I eat anything I chug a glass of water. It helps me to eat less. Right now I'm working on bulking up on veggies. I don't feel that I'm a good example for my daughter food wise, so I am trying to do better and focus on nutrition for the both of us.

Workinghardatlosing - I want to tell you a story before you go spend a lot of money on shoes. Back when I started seriously walking in May I was wearing Dr. Schools sneakers and my feet would burn and hurt until I got home from my walk and sat down. So in early June I got a new pair of Brooks shoes and walked in them. My feet still burned and hurt in them. I walked all of June and half of July in them. Then I started rotating out my walking shoes with the Dr. Scholls. It was toward the end of July I noticed my feet didn't burn so much. Honestly, I think it was the fact that my feet were not used to the walking 2-3 miles per day. So I didnt necessarily have to go spend that much money on shoes. I just wanted to tell you that so that if you have the same experience you won't be surprised. Right now I am thinking of adding to my shoe collection with maybe some reeboks or skechers just not sure yet. Also I found a site that you can put your information in to and it will tell you the kind of shoes based on info you put in. Message me and I will send you back the link.

Lass - I have been counting calories and watching portions since April 30 and it has make all the difference in the world. A lot of people use myfitnesspal but I use myplate on the livestrong website to track them. I know you will do great whatever you choose.

Hi beachgurl! I am new around these parts, too, but so far it seems like a great place to be! I am so sorry to hear about your accident, but kudos to you for committing to losing weight in a healthy manner and seeking out support. I've always found I do better with support, and keeping myself accountable, than the opposite. Now if I can just stay with it and be consistent!

Thank you for the warm welcome, pj. =) And yes, I know exactly how it feels to ask for a seatbelt extender on an airplane and about avoiding booths! I haven't had to avoid booths lately, which is nice, but some of them are definitely more comfortable than others!

Thank you for the welcome, and look at you losing FOUR POUNDS on vacation. That is AMAZING! =)

Hooray for you on the walk! I've experienced the burning feet syndrome, too, even with expensive shoes that were fitted for me. It typically tends to get better once I get my feet/shins, etc. used to it again. The last few times I've done long walks, I haven't had the burning. I'm not saying that will be the case for you, too, but it's something to think about as you experiment with what works for you.

Hahaha Lass - I think we've ALL had issues with that self-discipline thing to some extent, whether it's about eating, portion control, exercising, or all of the above. That's great that your doctor was supportive and positive. Hooray!

***

I am doing great with tracking my WW Points and exercising lately, but it is getting really hard watching my grandfather going through his terminal cancer right now. He is the main inspiration for my getting super-serious about getting this weight off this time. I mean, if a 75-year-old man who has had agonizing arthritis in his back for years and now has tumors on his back and a compound back fracture can uncomplainingly go through physical therapy each day, I have absolutely NO excuse not to do at least 20 minutes of exercise a day. And once I get back in the habit again, I inevitably do at least 40-60 because it feels so good and satisfying. =)

Pappy is the main inspiration this time, but I am also doing it to honor my mother, father, and baby nephew (who we lost at 11 months old to SIDS this past November); all of whom died way too young (my father at 23 and my mother at 53). Thinking about all four of them when I am tempted to flake out for no good reason makes it way easier to focus on what I need to do for my health and JUST DO IT (as Nike would say ).

Okay, now that I'm done blathering on, time to go put my money where my exercise mouth is!

Kasey - sorry to hear about your grandfather... will keep him in my prayers... I do admire you for your motivation to improve your health... in the spring my father was in a bad accident where he broke multiple bones including both hands, neck and ribs... that really made me realize that life can change in the blink of an eye and that was my motivation to get healthy... if he had not been so healthy he would probably not have recovered like he did...

Hi everyone, I'm back from vacation and playing catch up. Hope every one was good while I was gone!

I hit one year of dieting on August first, and I'm digging around for some good progress comparison photos. All in all, I think I've done pretty well! Our trip was amazing, I was sad to come home, but I leave for Montana in a little over 3 weeks, so I have another trip to look forward to.

where'd you go again? glad you had fun, I could use a vacation myself. seriously, I hate summer classes more than I hate anything, and that's saying something.

ever since I found out the truth about my weight, I've been super depressed and feeling incredibly restrictive. I guess that's getting me somewhere because I've lost 5 lbs since Saturday. I went for a walk with all the tall people in my house yesterday and felt like death, but hey, I did it. 23 minutes and it was roughly a mile. my legs were on FIRE. and I was 700 calories under for the day. =/

We went to Wisconsin. Yay for progress, but boo for depression. I remember what a kick in the pants finding out I was bigger than I thought was. It's tough. But, onward and downward!!

Jane - great pics... and in the same clothes... that way you can really tell the difference... I wish I had the forethought to do that... what a difference a year can make...

Good morning everyone! I bought the new shoes, well I only spent a little. I just bought some Dr. Shoals. But, they still made my feet burn and now I have huge blisters on three places on each foot! So, I'm taking today off from walking to let those heal.

Lass and Kasey, I think I will just tough it out and see if I can get used to walking. One of the reasons I think it's the shoes though. Is because I walked on vacation barefoot on the beach and not an ounce of pain, unless I stepped on a shell. But, as soon as I got home I put my shoes on too walk and it was so painful. Yesterday, I walked in my flipflops because of the blisters, and my feet didn't hurt. I think it must be that either the shoes are rubbing in the wrong place or it could even be socks. I guess though that it could be that my feet aren't used to wearing anything but flip flops.

Lass- my doctors scale weighs me usually about two lbs heavier. I just still go with the weight from my home scale for consistency.

Jane- those pics are great! You are just a great inspiration! You've done a great job!

Wheezy- I hope you are able to break free of the depression soon!

Jane, I love your pics! What a difference.

Today I'm pondering when and how I moved from, "When will people actually notice that I've lost weight?" to "When will people stop noticing?" It's funny because I'm not actually losing weight right now but everyone around me swears I've lost like 10 pounds in the last 2 months. Nope, I've been eating a maintenance for a month and I'm actually up from my lowest weight of the previous month.