Well, today my assignment is clearing off my dining room table so that we can eat all of our meals there from now on. I wish I was doing this in the summer...then we could eat on the front screened in porch or on the back deck. Now we have one choice. That is okay. I should be grateful that I have a dining room.

On to the next chapter!

Summer

I don't know why but I had a hard time parting with my clothes. I made 2 piles - Resale Shop and Goodwill. They have sat there in my BR for over 3 weeks, and each day I woud tell myself I had to deal with it but couldn't.

Yesterday, I brought out the winter clothes and added to the piles. Once I got going, it was easier than I thought it was going to be. I think I had such a tough time with it was that there were so many beautiful things, much of which I barely got to wear. (Don't ya resent the people who design such beautiful plus sizes now?) Everything has been bagged and boxed and will be dropped off tomorrow. Again, I feel relieved. Now if I can just get a little head way on this office turning back to a diningroom!

I have been lurking a bit here and just reading what everyone else has to say. You ladies are very inspiring and Dip your posts as always blow me away. I think the way you do but when it comes to say it, well, the words don't flow.

Anyway, I am having a hard time with the clothes. For a very, very long time, even when I was smaller I have always worn and loved the comfort of wearing big shirts, even mens shirts. I always buy things a size or two bigger, doesn't make since. I think though for so many years I have just been so self-conscious of my weight and body that I am really hiding. Actually I know I am. I just don't feel the need or desire to show off all my fat. But I have been looking at pitcures and boy, what a wake up call. I know I am overweight but I don't have to look like a blimp or a bag lady! So, this has helped me, but the clothes are sitting in a bag by the closet. I just need to get them out, and now.

Also, I have a hard time not eating in the living room. Not because the table is cluttered but because I usually eat dinner alone and I don't like sitting there staring at the wall by myself. Hubby usually works 4-6 evenings during the week and the kids, well, what kids?? When they are home they are usually in their rooms. But I know this is something I have to work on.

Thanks ladies for all the inspirational posts. I do enjoy reading them all and they are helpful, even if I don't post much. Take care.

Hi guys-not sure I can eat whey-think that's made from milk. But a supplement would be good. My kitchen is pretty safe and I got rid of my size 14 jeans-Everything else is small because one and a half years ago, I was below goal, so I have lots of small clothes-I do have some summer dresses that can depart now that you think of it, Bye for now Mima-love the book.

Hi - I'm new to this forum (but not to 3FC). This chapter was hard for me. I'm wearing the biggest clothes I hope I ever have to wear. So the closet was no problem. Ah, but the food. It's very hard for me to toss food. We were not very prosperous when I was a kid, and I went thru a hard time when my ex walked out where I had to work 2 jobs to keep food on the table for me and the kids. So throwing out food is a bummer to me. Fortunately my son & his 2 girls visited from out of town the day I was doing the clean out, and they (all a bunch of skinny minnies) got bags of potato chips and boxes of twinkies & stuff like that. They hit the jackpot dropping in on Grandma that day!! My mom was staying a week with my brother so it was easy to get rid of all my problem foods (crunchy salties) that she wants to have around. She's a chocoholic, candy eater & cookie junkie. I told her when she got home I would take her wherever she wants to go to buy her goodies and she can keep them in her room (she stays there mostly all the time anyway), and to please not let me know where they are & not offer them to me. Then I told the grandkids that I babysit a couple of days a week that there would be no more junk food in the house. I would keep fruit, yogurt, & things like that for them, but I wasn't buying any more junk. Then I told my sons (soda pop junkies) that if they wanted the stuff when they came to my home, they had to bring it with them and take any leftovers home with them. They all seemed to go along with it, which was helpful. I do all the shopping, but I am learning to just not go into certain aisles. I've been trying to go just after a meal, so I'm not starving when I go. Trying to make a list, and not buy what isn't on the list. The only exception I make is in the fresh fruit & vegetable area. You never know what may be cheap or look particularly wonderful. The hardest for me is not keeping any food in plain view. Putting stuff away immediately after I am done with it. Oh, the other horrible thing was that I had food stashed in almost every room of the house. I never realized I was that bad at doing that. Well, it's all gone now, unless I'm cleaning some closet someday and find some stash I had forgotten about.

The hardest thing for me is not eating in front of the TV, because I eat alone so much of the time. I either read or watch TV while I'm eating. It's like I can stand the silence of sitting at the table alone.

Wow Soiley-what courage to do all that!!I still eat on the couch when my husband isn't home. But that's not when I overeat. Afternoon and late evenings for me. I have so many food allergies, it's not hard to give up things-I've already given them up. My husband has sugar free cookies and ice cream but I'm allergic to wheat and milk. I need more vegetables and protein. I think I'll start having a serving of vegetables at lunch-I can't eat raw because of my stomache so I'll cook something. Mima

Dear Soiley,

You go girl! I too was a stasher. My daughter and her kids have been very happy about my cleaning house. There were somethings that I couldn't toss because of hubby, so I vaccum-packed everything that I thought that I might try to take a bite out of. I just hate getting out the vaccum-packer and I don't like using the vaccum bags because they are expensive. My husband just kind of scratched his head and hopes this is not another fad.
I cleaned off all the counters and my husband wanted to know if I even vaccum-packed the salt and pepper! LOL

I remember the days when we couldn't all eat at the same time. I had three kids in three different schools and everyone of them were in sports. Talk about finding time to eat together!! I miss it though, now I have my kids calling me asking for slow-cooker recipes because they are going through the same thing. I'm really sorry that I didn't teach my kids better eating habits. I look at what they are fixing for their families and cringe. They all notice Saturday, when they were all over that sour cream, butters and such were either lowfat or fat free. My grandson had to eat whole wheat bread and you'd thought I asked him to eat poop! They all had to eat apples for snacks. "Where are the carmel apples?" I just handed them a jar of natural peanut better and told them to have at it. I know they think I have some kind of dementia!

i have been following dr. phil's food plan for about a month now. so far, so good. this month, i lost on 10/2, 10/16 and 10/23. i stayed the same on 10/09. i belong to tops. my chapter meets and weighs-in on thursday morning.

Way To Go Ciecie....

Keep up the good work!

to all of you who are doing your "homework" by giving your pantries and closets a makeover!

I am currently cleaning out my closet and getting rid of my "fat" clothes and plan to give them to charity. I want to reach my goal and stay there!

Next I'll tackle my kitchen and get rid of any "illegal" food.

i actually didn't fail the tests in this chapter!

my environment is pretty good. save the candies the boss puts on the desk, and the occasional chips my boyfriend buys, i don't keep snacks around. i can't handle it. i am working towards being able to handle it, however. i haven't eaten and work candy in 2 weeks. i barely notice it anymore because i'm not going to eat it, plain and simple.

I did it! I took every one of my summer clothes and took them to Goodwill. Three huge garbage bags full! I know that I can still wear some of them, but by next summer, I will not be able too. My family thought that I was nuts. But, I told them that if I get rid of these clothes there is not going back! I will not fail. Of course, there will be days that I will mess up, but I'm not going back! My husband has left over pizza and a cheese cake in the refrigerator. Two of my favorite things. NO pizza for me but I had a small piece of cheesecake (180 Cal.) and I didn't feel like I had blown my whole diet. I ate lite for supper, fish and green beans, and felt I could eat just one small piece. And I'll be danged if I didn't just eat one piece and let it be. I'll bet that was about the first time that I actually felt in control of eating cheesecake. I'm trying to remember that Dr. Phil says it's not wrong to eat one piece just not the whole thing.
Nancy

WAY TO GO NANJ! That is having control over the food instead of it having control over you!

Also I know how hard it is to get rid of clothes! So that was great!!!! I am working on this one this weekend!

I loved reading these posts. My closets and cabinets were cleaned out last summer. Every now and then I still want to eat something chocolate so I have sugar free puddings for that.