Jodie,
I remember you from about a year ago--are you still dancing? Congratulations on your new baby. Boredom eating is my nemesis as well, and, frankly, I found infant care boring. Fortunately, they get more interesting!

Are there moms groups where you are? Maybe giving your day more structure would help. AND be sure you are keeping your food journal.

Best of luck.

Jodie,

I'd love to go back...If I did, I'd offer to watch Alex while you went to the gym (or you could load baby in a stroller and we'd go for a run)! BTW, is it frustrating for you to be in Malaysia given that they don't have the weight problems we seem to (at least, I don't think they do)? When I would walk the streets in Singapore I felt soooo awful. First off, the women are soooo beautiful and tiny. (In my head I called myself "The BIG American Woman".) Secondly, when I would sit down to eat with them, I would be amazed at the quantities of food they ate. Of course, what I didn't quite realize then (but do now) is that their diet is very high in fruits/vegetables, and seafood (not to mention all the walking they do).

Anyways, I'm glad you're doing better. The longer I live with this maintenance "thing", the longer I appreciate the fact that it is our attention to detail that will keep us from slipping too far. I don't think anyone can maintain "perfectly" forever, but if you catch yourself in a lapse and take those laborious steps back to what you know works you will pull yourself out of it. It's a process that continues forever.

Thanks for remembering me, Bumby! I am joining a baby group in April and am looking forward to all the baby-friendly activities. So many of the things I used to do don't offer childcare, and it gets expensive to hire in!

Ruperstmom: You know, I think that moving here was the thing that really spurred me on to lose my excess weight. Like you say, the people here are so small, and on top of that, they're mostly slim! It was so hard to go shopping and not be able to fit ANYTHING. Not a dress, not a bra, not even shoes. Of course, even though I'm slimmer now that hasn't changed - I'm not ever going to be a size 2, but at least I know it's not because I'm bigger than I should be. And they aren't shy about saying that your fat! A friend of mine came out and asked me once (when I was at my slimmest and fittest) why I was so big. I said that at least partly it was because I was so much taller than most of the women here, but he said, "no, I have a friend your height and she's half your size." Ah, blunt honesty. Sometimes it's a bit much.

I too am amazed at what they eat, and I can't honestly see that it's mostly vegetables and fish. I go to friend's houses and they serve dishes that are around 17 points a plate! And I know they eat that every day. What I don't get to see is what they eat the rest of the day, maybe it's very little, or maybe they have higher metalolisms? (Blame it all on metabolism - I've done that for years!! LOL!)

Anyway, I am very glad to have caught this latest slip at 8 pounds. I had a problem last night - I had eaten all but one of my Points, I went off to a late-night dance class, and it was cancelled! It was too late to hit the gym, and when I got home I was pretty darn hungry. I always use my exercise points, so I had counted on being able to eat dinner with them. I drank lots of water but that wasn't cutting it, so I had a big bowl of miso soup (3 points) and two slices of WW bread. That put me 4 points over for the day. That taught me not to count on my exercise points until the exercise is done!
I've thought about not using today's exercise points until tomorrow just to be sure, but it's the day I get exercise that I'm hungrier, so I don't know if that will work.

Anyway, glad to hear from you all! You're keeping me honest! The good news is, my pants feel looser - I hope that's not just wishful thinking...

Jodie

Jodie,

I'm amazed how mean (you were polite and called it blunt) some people can be! The good news is that you didn't let it get you down, foodwise. I used to do that (didn't we all). Now, I just think "I'll show him " and realize I'll be the great benefitter of my determination.

Whew, Jodie, that is pretty blunt! Ouch! I know what you mean, though, about just being a good weight for your size. I don't know your frame, but most of the folks I encountered there had very slight frames. Very rarely did I encounter anyone who was my height (only 5'6"), but even if I did it was very obviousl that they weren't descendents of hardy central European stock. lol. I think when I visited, I bought a purse and some jewelry - at least they fit!

p.s. At the company cafeteria one day, I was surrounded by a bunch of skinny women engineers who were consuming HUGE amounts of food. I got a plate of stir fried rice (granted, a HUGE plate). I was asked by more than one, "Is that all you're going to eat??"