I haven't posted here in awhile due to over a month long plateau but I finally lost another pound! Down to 171lbs today!!!!!!!!!!

172.8, woot! Considering this is my first post-thanksgiving WI AND that I'm pre-TOM, I was very pleasantly surprised.

Running: Welcome back! I've been in the 170's forever (I was the OP of this thread back in April or something, ha!) so I definitely feel you on the plateau. Granted the summer portion of it was self-imposed (my goal was just to maintain), but it's still FAR too long. I want out! Let's get out together!!

Steph: Doesn't it suck how many cals salad can have?? Caesar dressing is so yummy though. If I can eat at a restaurant for less than 600 cals, I consider that a win.

Northern, let's hurry up and get out of the170's together, we're almost there!!!

You'll probably beat me out as my loss has been painfully slow lately. I really hope to be out by Dec. 23rd though (that will be my last WI of the year!) So about a lb/week to get to 169.9! Good luck to us all!!

I'm at 171.2 and just want to get through this weekend. We had our annual staff meeting yesterday that started with a buffet and I just couldn't resist the home fries. Today, I had lunch with friends (not too bad) and then spent the afternoon baking, which required some sampling. Tomorrow, I'm going to a cookie exchange that includes brunch, to which a friend is bringing her fabulous cheesy potatoes. It's the least structured stretch of eating I've had since I started in July! I'm doing okay but I need to get back to my routine.

Northern, hoping you join me soon! I just hit 169lbs this morning.

Running: Congrats!! Save room in the 160s thread for me

Steph: This is definitely a tough time of year. But, you're moving through the 170's SO fast! I hope I can catch up so I'm not in here talking to myself again, lol.

To be fair, 2 pounds of my "loss" last week was getting a new scale! Things have slowed down considerably but I did briefly see 169.something on the scale yesterday morning, so I'm hopeful.

At the cookie party Sunday, I thought I ate reasonably: a small serving of cheesy potatoes and two small pieces of some egg/cheese/sausage pie. An hour later, though, I was feeling uncomfortably full. I know there's that 20-minute thing with your brain telling you you're full, but what I'm worried about is that I still have no clear sense of how much is too much. When I'm on plan, my meals are usually 350-500 calories. I think I must have eaten twice that much at brunch on Sunday to end up feeling so full. It just didn't seem like that much at the time. In past years, I would have had at least that and a bagel! Which is, of course, how I got to 225.

Gah. Maybe I should stop overthinking it. Like that's ever going to happen!

Hi, everyone! Hope I can join you in trying to get into the 160s! I have been in the 170s for the past month. I was in the 180s for 4 or 5 months, so I hope it doesn't take me as long to crack into the 160s!

Welcome, guacamole! I don't know what it is about certain "decades". I've been stuck in the 170's forever.

Steph: wow, I'd be stoked at seeing 169.something, that's awesome!!

Were you also drinking at said party? I know I can't eat nearly as much if I'm also drinking alcohol....makes me feel so full.

I do know what you mean about getting oddly full off of what doesn't feel like a ton of food. DH and I were on vacation last December in Laughlin, NV (kind of a poor man's Vegas, lol) and we decided to splurge on a buffet. I had a salad and one plate of food and I was SO full I couldn't even eat dessert. Like "I feel sick" full. I'm not going to pretend that I had a tiny plate of food...but it seemed like a "reasonable" plate of food, not enough to feel sick off of.

I've been doing pretty good this week so far. I've dropped my weekday calorie limit slightly to hopefully help make up for some of the extra calories I've a hard time resisting on weekends this time of year. Not sure what to expect for WI this Friday. I thought TOM was starting LAST Friday, but it decided to wait...so that will be a factor this week. I guess we'll see.

I don't drink alcohol (don't like the taste) so I save all my empty calories for cookies.

I saw 168.4 this morning, which makes no sense! All I can think of is that I felt queasy for a while last night and then broke out in a soaking sweat, so I must have been fighting off something (successfully, yay!). Back in August, I lost 6 pounds in a WEEK when I had what I not-so-jokingly referred to as "the plague." Apparently, activating my body's immune system burns a lot of calories.

Tomorrow is my official WI day so, if I'm under 170, I'll save you ladies a seat in the 160s thread. Then again, I'm going to be baking this weekend so I might be back!

Steph: you are SO going to be out of here! Hopefully I'll be able to join you before the end of the month!! Glad you were able to keep the crud at bay. I've (knock on wood) been pretty healthy so far this fall/winter (and I work at a school). I'm sure I'll get something eventually, but I hope it will hold off until after the holidays at least.

Guac: For your sake I hope you leave me soon too Do you have an "official" WI day?

I think I'm retaining water from both TOM and my weight lifting this week (I still have sore hammies from doing squats on Tuesday)...so i'm not super optimistic about WI tomorrow. Who knows though. Lately I've been terrible at guessing what the scale will do. Weeks I think I'll see a gain, I lose and vice-versa. I guess it will be what it is.

Northern - I don't have an official weigh-in day, in fact, I am scale phobic which is part of my problem. If I don't look, the weight gain isn't happening, right?

Anyway, I weighed-in today at 173 - ugh. I am famous for losing and regaining the same 3-5lbs for months. It's the weekend eating that kills me...so unless I want to be an unhappy camper Monday morning, I need to do better this weekend.

I am thinking about joining the daily December weigh-in thread to keep me on track with the scale. Not sure if I want to do it, because anytime I gain a pound or two I get discouraged and have a bad attitude the rest of the day - hence why I avoid the scale.

Guac: Oh, do I hear you on losing and re-gaining the same few pounds! I was between 175-178 for freaking ever.

What kind of plan do you do? I'm a calorie counter. I also have problems with weekends. I had (intentionally) maintained my weight over the summer months without a lot of effort (didn't count calories), so I think when I went back to "losing" mode in September, I had it in my head that I could "be good" during the week and kind of eat what I wanted on the weekends and still lose. Nope! I finally got more strict about logging my calories over the weekends and I did start slowly, but steadily losing (with fewer regains) at that point. Of course now with the holidays it's harder than ever to stay disciplined on weekends...but I'm trying!

I weigh in on Fridays. Once in a while I will skip WI if I know it's going to be bad (i.e., just starting TOM, the day after Thanksgiving, lol) but I try not to let more than 2 weeks go by without a WI. I also try not to weigh in more than once a week either. I'm afraid of daily WI's. I think the fluctuations would drive me nuts. If you try it, let me know what you think!

I am not really on any plan, but am getting into calorie counting - as well as taking fat content into account. I am eating a diet that is mainly plant based - tons of vegetables and after that fruits. Proteins like fish, meat, and chicken come in 3rd and carbs made with flour or grains last. I also eat at least 1 yogurt every day, but dairy bothers my stomach and so I don't eat a lot of cheese - maybe once or twice per week in moderation.

I weighed in today at 172.8 lbs. I wasn't logging the ounces before, only the pounds, but I notice a lot of people being that precise. Maybe it provides a sense of accomplishment to see ounces going down even if the pound stays the same? So, I'll try being more precise.