Hey ladies!

I managed to get through the first week of my step bet challenge, and got my 2 'stretch' days done Monday and Tuesday this week! Oh, and according to the scale, I also lost 4 pounds. Woo! So far, over 100 people (out of 1140ish) have already been disqualified from the challenge for not meeting their goals. After the first official week. I couldn't be so casual about my $40.

In other news, I have a dentist appointment scheduled for tomorrow. Eeek. I haven't been in 5 years, so it's gonna be awful I'm sure. But, hard to go to the dentist when you have no insurance or income, and we do now, so no more excuses. It will be my first time going out and leaving the baby home with my hubby. Lil dude is still nursing and won't take a bottle, so hopefully the various foods we have for him at home will suffice until I can get home and give him a boob. Wish me luck!

Diane - Isn't it weird how well the scale knows what will drive us CRAZY? 230.0. You have SO earned the 22x. But that will make it all the more sweet when you get there. Hopefully Monday! Glad you're still loving your hiking! I just found out that there's no one going with me on a work trip I have scheduled in September, so I don't have any social obligations to go to dinner or other activities. So, I am planning to research hiking opportunities, etc. I hope you don't mind, but I consider you the poster child for the benefits of functional fitness!

Mandy - WOOT! Four pounds is a FANTASTIC start. So thrilled that you are rocking your StepBet challenge. I may have to look into that. Glad you're going to the dentist. I, too, neglected dental care due to no money and no dental insurance, and it was ugly when I went back. I am sure you're not nearly as far gone as I was. Really happy that you're getting on top of it. And yay for your hubby getting some alone time with the babe. What a great opportunity for him.

I've reached that dangerous point where everything is seeming easy. Hopefully, I can continue to be vigilant and not take it for granted, cuz it's so easy to get off the path. And finding the path can be murderously difficult. 37 pounds down, BTW. And no one has said anything. I have mixed feelings about people commenting on my weight, so I don't really feel deprived that they're not. I am just finding it interesting that no one seems to be able to notice it.

Mandy: Ugh! Good luck at the dentist. I need to do that sometime, too. Not looking forward to it. But congrats on your Step Bet success!! Add to that losing 4 pounds! Great news!

Laurie: I am not a fan of people commenting on my weight. I appreciate it when people do say nice things, but it makes me uncomfortable to discuss it. There is one person in my office that comments way too much. Gets on my nerves, even though it is positive. But that's me...

For me, I did make it to 229.6 this morning. I was glad to see it, but now comes the work of holding on to it for Monday. We are going fishing this weekend, and that actually will help keep me away from bad food choices. I'd just like to get down lower to hold on to it.

Had to cut hiking short yesterday. We saw a lightning strike and then heard the thunder just a little too quickly, so we made good time going back down the hill and back to the car.

Diane!!!! - You have so earned that 22x weight! You're right - holding on to it is hard work. But take time to celebrate this hard-fought achievement. Before you know it, you'll be frustrated that the scale still says 22x instead of 21x! And glad you didn't get struck by lightning! =)

So, I have been doing really well about restricting food lately. Like - uncharacteristically well. I had my food planned for dinner last night, but it was going to be a late dinner. Then, we had to alter our plans and go out to eat. I was starving. I made a decent food choice, but I ate far too fast, and as a consequence, I ate too much. The calorie count ended up fine. But I was miserable. A good reminder that my body has adjusted to eating much smaller amounts, and even when circumstances disrupt my planning, I need to eat slowly and carefully.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Laurie: That is challenging for me as well. Slowing down and giving yourself a chance to feel full. Glad you are doing well, though. It sounds like you are in a good place!

Not much going on here. I went running last night. It was ok, but I'm looking forward to going home after work today and not going out to hike or run.

Have a good weekend all!

Just a quick note. I got my first "notice" today. In fact, she said that she didn't recognize me at first. Ummm.. okay? Then she said, "You look like you might have lost 20 pounds." Well, 40, actually. Weird that she took a guess. Nevertheless, I am going to embrace the fact that I am visibly changing shape. Woot!

Have a great weekend!

Heh. Dentist visit was awful as suspected. I am meeting with an oral surgeon to schedule finally getting my wisdom teeth removed (at nearly 33 years old), because on one of them is pretty seriously impacted and has caused the molar in front of it to have a serious cavity below the bone. Which means I get to have my wisdom teeth removed plus a funky molar. I also have to get a retreat on a root canal that has infection plus a root canal/crown on the tooth adjacent because the infection under the one tooth has affected the other tooth or something. Plus a few surface cavities to be treated. BOO. Not looking forward to all that crap, but silver lining: painful mouth means eating very little and some pounds falling off! Not the ideal way to do it, but hey... I'll take it. I need a silver lining with all the nasty clouds full of pain and expensive procedures you know?

Still gonna try to keep up with the StepBet thing though. I can pace the house and get my active days, I've done it before when it was super hot. My immediate future does not look bright. I'm super happy that my husband has a very flexible schedule and is 100% willing to work around my surgery and recovery to take care of the kiddo while I'm grumpy and mean because I'm in pain and hungry. He's a good man. I married well.

Laurie: Glad that someone noticed!! But why she put a number on it is really weird. Oh we!!! People are strange.

Mandy: Oh yuck!! That's a lot to have done. But, it will probably help once it is done. Good luck!!

For me, I had a busy day yesterday, so fighting the lazies today. Hope you have a great rest of your weekend!

Happy Monday all!

Mandy - Yay for you for getting this done and not continuing to hide from it. Lots of pain and expense in your future, for sure. But glad that none of your front teeth were impacted. I am impressed with your determination on the StepBet challenge, too. Pacing your house to get in your steps can be pretty mundane, but it works!

Diane - We all need lazy days. Hope yours was enjoyable! Got my fingers crossed for your weigh-in today. Hope you're putting the 23x's in your rearview mirror for good.

I cleaned out my closet yesterday. I had put most of my "I'm too fat to fit it" clothes in bags, and most of my clothes on hangers were my "I don't really want to buy clothes again in this size, but I can't go around naked" clothes. It was so great to bag those up and get rid of them. I am going to work as hard as I can never to be that size again. But you know what? I'm a thrift store girl. If I do ever need the larger clothes again, I will buy them. I was not going to deny myself the satisfaction of getting rid of them. And I got to uncover clothes that I had worn less than two years ago that were as small as a size 10. I hung those up proudly, if a little sadly, in my closet. It will take a lot of work and commitment to get there again. But I am very grateful for the success that has given me the confidence to re-wash them and put them on hangers in anticipation of wearing them.

I am ready for the week! Today is cool outside, so I will be getting my "break" walks at work today. Woot! Hope everyone has a great day and a great week.

Laurie: Congrats on making the big transition on your closet! That had to be fun! You are on a good roll now, and seeing lots of success really helps keep you focused. Good news!

For me... I finally got the 220's to stick for official weigh in day, so that was nice to change on my ticker. I hope to put some space between me and the 230's now. It is just way to easy to slip back up.

Have a good Monday!

Good morning, everyone!

Diane - I LOVE the updated ticker. Can't wait to see it continue to go down. I agree - the progress is hard enough. Maintaining that progress can be even more challenging. But I consider you the queen of maintenance. I think you do go up occasionally,but you never seem to have the wild swings that I have. You just keep rocking it.

So I have become obsessed with sugar free popsicles. They are 10 calories each, and they provide needed hydration, and they give me something to eat when everyone else is eating the stuff that I used to like to eat. (See? I'm "faking it till I make it" with the "used to.") We had people over to play board games, and they brought chips and queso, and my husband made popcorn. While everyone was making plates, I announced, "I am really into popsicles this hot summer. Does anyone else want one? Full disclosure - they're sugar free." And you know what? Everyone else had popsicles. They also ate some of the other stuff, but it made me feel less "deprived," which helps my ability to maintain the effort. Just thought it was an interesting experience.

Hope everyone's week started off with a bang.

Laurie: That's a good option to have, 10 calorie popsicles. I think you have to find stuff like that to keep your sanity. I used to get the sugar free pudding cups. They were a little higher in calories, at 50-60, but as a dessert, it was a good option.

For me, I had a good workout day yesterday, with spin class in the morning and then went hiking last night. I was pretty drained last night with hiking, and my son said he wasn't feeling it either. We made it, but I was wiped out. So, I didn't go to Body Pump this morning. I just wanted to stay in bed. And, that's ok. But, still fighting the guilty feelings! I think we'll still go hiking tonight, so I shouldn't feel bad. How stupid it is to worry about that. I did have a good loss again this morning. Maybe it will stick!!

Diane - I always think the mental challenge is the hardest. I am not cleared for anything but walking, so I have been walking anywhere from 5 - 10 miles a day. I still feel guilty for not lifting or running or doing more. But this morning, I was feeling pretty worn out when I woke up, and thought I might take a day off. And I immediately felt both guilt and panic. It's so easy to get out of the habit. But it is important to rest. And it's important not to give up the habit. It's mentally exhausting, but I think the mental gymnastics keep us where we need to be. I can't wait to see your ticker continue to drop when you "officially" weigh in on Monday.

I meet with my doctor this morning. I am very hopeful he will clear me for running at least, even if strength training isn't in my near future. My pants are again getting loose, and while I have a pair of size 14 black pants for work, I do not have a size 16. I think I optimistically got rid of all my size 16s on my way down before, and must have never bought another pair on my way back up. I am really hoping that I will be able to solve this yo-yo thing, because I am truly sick of having so many sizes in my closet.

Hope everyone has a great day today!

Laurie: It is amazing how you can feel that you are totally off track from missing one workout or maybe having one off day on your food plan. I know that I could have easily not gone hiking last night, but after already missing my morning workout, I didn't want to miss the hike. Rest days are important, but they mess with my mind a lot. I hope the doctor has good news for you!

As I said, we went hiking last night. It was not a long hike, but it was pretty steep. I stayed on track well with food yesterday and I went to spin class this morning. I think I'll go run after work tonight. I'm coming up on my Manitou Incline hike on Monday. I took off from work for Monday and Tuesday so that I can do it. This is that hike that goes up the old cog railway, lots of steps, increasing in elevation by 2000 feet in just a mile. It was something I wanted to do this year as a goal. I was going to wait until fall, but they are closing it for four months for repairs, so I need to go now. I'll be out of town for those days, so I may not be posting, but I'll let everyone know how it goes. I'm ready to give it a try!

I can't wait to hear how the Manitou Incline hike goes, Diane! That sounds fantastic!

Checking in to report that my doctor has cleared me for running. And I'm going to do something uncharacteristic. I'm going to be patient about this, and start with the beginning of C25K and go at the pace it recommends. No more skipping days or adding it one last run at the end of it. At least not for the first week or two. I'm going to be grateful I'm well enough to do it, and I won't jeopardize it by pushing too hard. And running at 216 is a lot easier than running at 250, if I remember correctly from the last time I made it down to 216! Definitely going running tonight. And probably skipping my walking today. I have been walking in this 90 degree weather, but I don't really want to today. =) Or maybe I'll take a short 10-15 minute walk so that I don't jeopardize getting my 10K steps in today.