Mornin' All, hope you are doing great!

I've had a really good couple of days since I last checked in. I have remained on plan and enthusiastic to remain so. I have a couple of 'events' coming up that I am already making plans for so as to stay healthy and within my personal goals & boundaries.

For whatever reason, I have had a LOT of energy the past few days. I am at my office 10.5 hours a day, and I have an hour commute each way on top of that. I am usually completely zonked out by the time I get home in the evenings. Normally, I just plop my butt down and play video games for a couple hours until bed time. But, Monday night I got home and ended up doing some serious gardening for about an hour and a half (and I hurt my hip doing it, but that's a whole 'nother thing). And then last night on my drive home I was pretty much dancing in my seat listening to music, and when I finally got home I immediately got my puppers ready for a walk and headed to the beach and ended up walking up the cliffs a bit too; I ended up being out and about for over an hour! So weird, but I am not complaining. I love it and I hope that it continues every day!!

Scale wise, with TOM coming a week early and plaguing me for what I expect will be the full two weeks, I have been ignoring the scale as it crept up up up. But this morning when I weighed I had dropped everything that I was holding onto, plus some, so my official total loss for the week is 2.2 pounds. Great stuff!

Laurie: where are you going on your cruise? That sounds lovely! Also, some alternatives to road snacks might be those little baby carrots, or if you can pre-bake some fingerling potatoes and toss them with some herbs. It would drive me up a wall not to eat while everyone around me was eating. Good luck!

Frances: I want to to check out that podcast you mentioned! What is it called? I scrolled back through a couple of your posts but I am not seeing it. With the lifestyle that I have been trying to lead, I need a lot of daily support to stay on track and give me external encouragement. So far I have been watching a lot of vlogs and using this forum and a reddit forum for my 'check ins'. Thanks for mentioning it.

Lillion: I agree with what you mentioned to Bookmark that logging is so very important for people who tend to overeat, like myself. It seems like my brain can make all sort of mental gymnastics around eating more and more when I don't take control and log it. Seeing the numbers in black and white are so impactful for me to stay in control. In the 5 years where I regained half my original loss it was because I wasn't logging. Clearly my best guess on what I was eating was just my minds way of getting my mouth to eat more.

Bookmark: maybe planning whole menus is too overwhelming for you just now and you can start smaller. You mentioned that you want to cut out junk food and specifically mentioned eating a donut. Do you think that it will be helpful for you to say "ok no donuts for a week, but in a week, if I want it, I can have it". When the week goes by, re-evaluate. Do you want the donut? Or do you want to push it for another week and maybe also add "no chips this week either". Baby steps are much less complicated for some folks then diving in with your eyes closed. For myself, I am pretty all or nothing, but I did just watch a fabulous blog on building flexibility into rules which I think I am going to start employing. For example, I have a hard rule that I do not eat between meals that I have broken twice in the last week and I was very disappointed with myself. I think my new rule will be: I will will only eat at meals times 95% of the time. That way, if I eat a tad away from meal time, I haven't broken my rule and I can still be in my all-or-nothing mindset without falling off the wagon.

Just a quick pop-in. Logging is just so important to me. Yes, I do get a bit obsessive about it...but it's the only thing that keeps me on track. For instance, I was snacky at work. I know what we're having for dinner, so I just went ahead and put in my dinner to be sure I had enough calories left for a snack. I did. Snack done. Now I know I'm not going over with dinner tonight absent some unforeseen change of plans.

Still walking, still working. Saw 286 for the second time. One more and I change my tracker. That will be 20 lbs down from when I started over.

Diane - I love that you check in, even when you have almost no time to post. Hope work gets a little more manageable soon, and hope all is going well with the work-outs, the food, etc.

PacificaBee - I love the "lots of energy" part of this. Especially since you have such a great place to go for walks. And I love that the scale has finally responded the way it was supposed to. One of these days, I am legitimately going to check out Bright Line Eating. It's working great for you. Thank you for asking about my trip. I'm going to the western Caribbean. I think there are two stops in Mexico. I am really looking forward to access to the running track on top of the ship, exploring the beautiful waters of the Caribbean, checking out the cenotes and the ruins, enjoying the on-ship entertainment, and having lots of delicious food readily available.

Lilion - Tracking is an incredibly useful tool for so many people. It sounds like it works wonders for you, and you have the commitment to be able to use it effectively. Twenty pounds is such a great achievement, too! Congratulations on seeing it twice on the scale. Can't wait for it to be "official" for you.

I am down to 145.8, a new low for me since I went fat-free in 1994. I am technically trying maintenance, but actually loving the slow reduction in weight and the chill attitude I have been able to adopt these past few days. While I am looking forward to the food on the ship, I am really looking forward to the walking and exploring and swimming and dancing -- all stuff that is made better by the fitness level I have worked hard to achieve and the fact that I am no longer carrying the same amount of weight as I did the last time. Maybe this is worth it.

Got a super weird compliment yesterday. A woman I work with is putting on weight. I actually initially thought she was pregnant, though I was not stupid enough to ask her about it. She didn't weigh much to begin with, though, so it's not like she's fat now, even with the small amount of extra weight around her middle. She said, "You're so tiny now! I should give you my old clothes that don't fit me any more since I've put on weight." I am rarely speechless. But I had no idea what to say. She has put on a bit of weight, and it is noticeable when she tries to fit in clothes that are too tight. But she's still probably thinner than me. I guess it's a good reminder that regardless of how much we weigh, it's easy to fall prey to unrealistic photoshop ideals.

Sad face.

I did not see the magic number today. Instead of 286 it was 287. I did have a really large dinner very late last night and, well, with the risk of giving TMI things haven't been "moving along" like they should be. You'd think with all the fiber I eat that would not be a problem. So yeah. I'll give it another day or two I guess and see what's what.

LaurieDawn Your vacation sounds awesome. I want a vacation. You know, besides the one I just had. You need to change your tracker! It still says 160!!! How awesome that you are able to relax a tad now and still lose. Truly impressive.

Well...I have nothing to report really so I think I best get some work done. Later ladies!

Ok, this week is fried and it is only Thursday. I am just swamped.... I will tell you that I'm going to just work hard to get to a reasonable place and then maybe next week will be a little better. I have some planning to do this weekend, and hope to get back on my normal routine.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Lilion - Ugh. You saw it twice! Sorry it went away on the third try. Hope things get "moving" and that allows the scale to better keep up with your efforts.

Diane - Hope the work gets caught up quickly and that you can focus on other things. Weekends are fantastic for planning.

I am getting back on track with running. I ran for 1.25 miles at 5.5 mph (11-minute mile pace) and then went to C25K Week 3, Day 1, 90 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking, 3 minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking, with two cycles of this at 6.0 mph. It sort of kicked my butt, but I feel like I am going to be able to run decently again soon enough.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week next week.

Just checking in to say grumble, grumble...still no movement on the scale...going to keep working out, drinking tons of water, and hoping that things move. Attempt to move the scale #1 is going to be eating a ton of fiber today. Fingers crossed!

Slashnl, sorry you're so swamped at work!

LaurieDawn, your cruise sounds like so much fun! And congrats for your tiny low #! 145 is amazing. I'm pretty sure I haven't seen that # since high school! Anyway, I know what you mean about the snacks. Road trips have been a major trigger for me. Looks like you have a great plan in place!

Lillion, feel your pain about the #. I guess we have to keep chugging along and wait it out!

Pbee, congrats on your amazing loss! Now I'm side-eyeing your eating plan. If things don't move soon...anyway, Pacifica is a beautiful area. My great aunt lives by Santa Monica and my uncle lives in La Jolla, so I've made many a trip to CA and gone up and down the coast a hundred times, it feels like. That must be very conducive to being outside and keeping active! The two eating-related blogs I've liked are HALF SIZE ME (tons of interviews with people who've lost weight, general advice on different issues) and BRAIN OVER BINGE (limited podcast episodes but some amazing tips about outwitting a binge). I'm going to be looking for more when I have time.

LOL! In all seriousness, I'd say that is the news of the day. In fact, the scale said 285...but in line with my "three times" rule, I'm using 286. This is definite proof of the "weight loss is not linear" thing. The scale this week has said, 286, 288, 286, 287, 285. I'm tempted to log it on MFP daily just to see the "report" that looks like someone's EKG. Weirdness.

Got to work today and my coworker said, "You're doing really well on the weight-loss aren't you?" and I hadn't said a WORD about it. So yeah. It's a nice Friday.

Now...5 more just like that and I'll be at the REAL goal. I totally have never weighed under 200 in my adult life. Wonder what that would (WILL) be like?

Lilion: Yay!!!!!!!! Such a good tracker number!!!!! For sure, weight loss is not linear. I do have one app on my phone that I track weight on a daily basis. So funny to see it up and down. I like that app because it also gives an average trend line, that shows it going down. I just wish the slope of that line was a little steeper!!!

Frances: I feel like if you can keep doing what you are doing, there will be a nice loss in your future. The scale seems a little stubborn, but you are doing good things, so I FEEL like you will be rewarded!

Laurie: Glad that running is coming back for you! I have been away from it for a while now, but I'm going to go back to it using C25K again. I'm not sure how far back to go, but I'll be doing that again.

Just trying to survive to the weekend for me. I'm making good progress, so hopefully next week will be better. One can hope! I will be going to the grocery store to restock good things for lunches! Planning is in my future for the weekend!

Thanks for the reminder from Slashnl and Lillion that weight loss is NOT linear. I was stressing out this morning about my lack of movement on the scale this week and had to laugh at myself. I'm going to eat this way for the rest of my life...I will keep going and the weight will come off. Maybe not as quickly as I'd like, but it WILL EVENTUALLY. I stopped planning super restrictive menus and instead made a batch of my favorite healthy raw honey chocolate muffins that I've been avoiding because they're higher carb. I'm living my life and my body will eventually reflect my hard work! Side note...a silver lining to being a "slow loser" is that I'm working so hard for every ounce that I haven't even CONSIDERED giving up and eating junk food. I'm over it! There's no way I'm going back!

Lillion, btw, that's WONDERFUL about your loss!

Frances - "I'm going to eat this way for the rest of my life...I will keep going and the weight will come off." soooooo true and exactly what I needed to read this week, too. I saw a mid-week bounce up (during a mid-day weigh-in so I wasn't surprised but still hate to see it) and ultimately didn't lose this week. So close to Onederland and so frustrating. But my fitbit and my best fitting pair of shorts are both fitting decidedly looser than even a week ago so I'm making progress even if the scale doesn't show it.

Slash - i hope you had a productive weekend planning lunches. I'm still reaping the benefits of weekend awhile back where I packaged up a pile or pre-planned things. I'm gonna have to do it again in a week or two tho...

Lilion - Yay!!!!! 20 pounds down is a fantastic start to Summer!

Congratulations Laurie on a new low and on getting back into running. I don't think I'm ready to handle cruise food myself but you sound like you have a good plan there too.

Pacifica - I'm envying you our weight loss and even more your energy to do stuff when you get home. We've had a blast of hot humid weather and i'm pretty useless after about 10 minutes. I can tackle a piece of a tiny project and that's all I'm good for. You've inspired me and I've promised the dogs today we're heading into the woods for a good hike no matter the weather.

Bookmark - don't give up! Sometimes it's a real slog but it takes forever to break bad old habits and build new better ones.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was nice, but calorie-heavy. Saturday we were doing pretty good until the movie...finally saw Wonder Woman. OMG Ladies! Talk about a "Girl-Power" boost! BUT, husband was the snack buyer while I got tickets and he gets a LARGE Buttered Popcorn - and I'm so easily led into misbehavior. Of course, the real problem came when I asked the boy behind the counter as I was leaving how many cups did a large popcorn hold and he told me - 150+!

So yeah...over that day.

Sunday is usually workout day, but it was Father's day, we were both tired, and when hubby suggested we just take a good walk instead of going to the gym I jumped at it. And it was a LONG walk - my fitbit gave me almost two miles - but...then he wanted the Japanese steakhouse hibachi for dinner and I should have planned better. Biggest problem was I ate dinner at like 2:30 in the afternoon - more of a late lunch - and was STUFFED, but was hungry again at 8 p.m. so over the second time.

This a.m. skipped the elliptical and now I'm paying for it with low calories available. Unfortunately, my food is rather high calorie...so...

I may be eating lettuce leaves tonight for dinner. I simply won't go over 3 days in a row.

Back to the grind.

Mornin All

Well The Never Ending Period is still beleaguering me. As I suspected, just because it came a week early in no way indicated it would go away a week early, so here I am retaining water and hard-core jonesing for salt like a mad woman. I have been having bouillon instead of my hot tea, and pickles as part of my meal for the last 3 days. I don't even want to tell you what the scale is doing this week! It's is 100% water-weight and I even feel puffy, especially in my fingers. I'm looking forward to next week when I will finally be able to see the work I put in this week pay off, because I sure as heck am not seeing it now.

The period-munchies did a number to me this weekend too. I had guests over for a small dinner party and I made fixin's for DIY vegan tacos and nachos. I managed to stay strong and not have any tortillas and made myself a taco-salad instead. But, I did not weigh and measure so I know I overate. I also munched on cherries and strawberries while we watched a movie (set up the outdoor projector and watched a movie under the stars. It was awesome!) and I know I WAY overate those.

I did have a talk with myself beforehand and decided that I would be a little looser that night with the understanding that the next day it was back on track no ifs, ands, or butts. I did not want this dinner to turn into a defeatist binge if it turned out I felt uncomfortable weighing my food in front of people. I forgive myself this small transgression, and I will move forward successfully for the rest of the week. So far, so good!

Thanks to all of you for your continuing encouragement. I love that i have you all to turn to when things are both good and bad.

Vlad: one great thing about living here is that it doesn't get overly hot very often. The worst heat we get is in our Indian Summers come Oct/Nov. I am happy your doggos are getting a walk inspired by me! I am probably going to tackle some more weeding today if I have the energy after work. I figure if I can put in a couple hours every day, maybe the yard won't look like the Savannah come winter hahahaha

Lilion: YAY look at you go Big congrats to you on your loss

Frances: Thanks for the name of the podcasts. I will have to check it out. And yes, living here gets me outside a lot more than I think I would venture if I lived in the city or anyplace that wasn't quite so picturesque.

Frances: Yep, I'm with you on not giving up. It might take forever to get to goal, but I'm not going back to the old ways. It takes forever to get it off, but so quickly goes back on.

Lilion: Sometimes the weekends get away from us with food plans. But here we are at Monday, back on track.

Pacifica: Gotta love the large popcorn! At least it doesn't happen all the time. And, like with Lilion, back to Monday, back on track.

I had a good weekend of planning. I went to spin class this morning, so that was a good start to the week. I really need to buckle down, tighten things up. I think I've been allowing too much off plan, so need to get back to what was working before. Work seems to be better now since I had a very productive Friday. Now, just need to stay on track.

Just hanging in...working out, drinking lots of water, eating lots of veggies, no sugar/flour, great protein, mostly whole foods, and scale jumped UP a pound overnight with no loss last week. But I'm hanging in and NOT quitting. "Weight loss is not linear. Weight loss is not linear. Weight loss is not linear." - my mantra for the week.

PBee, sometimes it seems that we need 2 weeks to recover from TOM - seriously! My PMS is so severe that my doctor actually prescribed a low-level anti-anxiety med (starts with a P...?) to take "as needed" then. I almost never take it, but I definitely struggle with hormone-related snacking, impulsive behavior, and the never-ending water retention! Ugh! I hope you feel better soon!

Slashnl, great with the planning and spin class!

Lillion, and great for you for getting back on track after a snacky weekend!

LaurieDawn, hope you're having a nice vacation!