Skinnygirl - I would actually love 12-hour shifts, too, but I imagine they get exhausting. Yay for the home improvement club! Never thought I'd be a member, but there you go.

Jenni - You have dealt with way too much sickness this year. Hope this one passes quickly. Hope your job search is going well.

Mandy - Ugh! Family members and their advice. But I love that he loves you enough to call and to try to be helpful. In general, I give old people a pass, as long as they aren't cruel. So, when my dad calls (who's really not that old, but I'm putting him in this category) and tells me that I'm completely clueless because I don't understand that Obama is destroying the world, I listen for a few minutes then tell him a story about one of his grandchildren. Old people are also easily distracted. =)

Kelly - LOL. TOM on top of all the family quirks and ailments. Isn't that why ice cream was invented?

So, my home improvement project (to make it more comfortable for my kids) is bumping into my kids coming on the 9th. (For the newer members - my kids currently live with my ex-husband in Russia, but visit with some frequency.) I took Monday off of work, and that left me behind, and then our law clerk needed time off, so I'm getting his work. The bottom line is that I'm way behind, and I will need to take time off next week to paint and prepare. So, I have been skipping the gym, not getting enough sleep, and eating with the hubby more frequently, which means I have been eating badly.

Gotta be flexible, cuz life is more than weight control. But I can't just ignore it until life gets smoother, then step on the scale to a 40-pound gain. So, I am here. And I am making a plan. And then I am pulling an all-nighter at work to hopefully get more caught up.

Plan -

I will eliminate distractions for the rest of the day to focus only on getting work out. I have calorie-friendly food in my office, so I will restrict food and water to what I have here. As soon as I post, I will make a prioritized list and start moving through it.

I will accept that I can't get to the gym today and probably tomorrow. I will make it a point to go on Saturday. For today and tomorrow, I will consciously add some steps when I go to the bathroom, etc., and I will take short breaks to do body-weight exercises like push-ups and tricep chair dips. That will make me more productive anyway.

By Sunday, I will make a decision to either weigh daily, or I will determine a system for my moratorium from the scale.

December, baby. So much to do!

Laurie

Yay! Some activity again! Been missing everyone.
I have to make this quick, though. I'm slammed at work. I've been having a good week of workouts, went to Body Pump this morning. I'll go to spin tomorrow to finish up a good, consistent week of working out. I am trying to be better about food, since I had become pretty lax for awhile.

Looking forward to January when I can devote more energy and time to weight loss!!

Mandy...I forgot to thank you for that link!!!! Thank you!!!!!

Skinny....hope you get your steps!

Kelly....I hope TOM disappears fast!

Diane...I am looking forward to January too....I am tired of looking at sweets 24/7 EVERYWHERE!!!!

Laurie...hang in there girl! I am sorry you are so busy, I think that is when I struggle the most is when stress is mixed with busy! And yay for your kiddos coming....I bet you are excited!!!!

Well, I managed 10000 + steps and stayed under my calorie goal! I'm headed to bed back for another 12 hr work day tomorrow and I'm exhausted after today. I did make sure to get my lunch together tonight for the morning. night everyone!

Well I've stayed about 600 calories under my max calories for the day. I also managed 14000 + steps today! I'm also down another lb. So I'm feeling pretty good! Lol

Great work Skinnygirl! I'm sadly lacking in motivation this weekend, TOM did show up on time this time so feeling okay. Back on track tomorrow and looking forward to the whoosh weightloss next Monday - will be happy if I maintain my weightloss at tomorrows weigh in. I saw no weightloss during the week the odd time I jumped on the scales and was total on track, if not alittle begrudgingly (I wanted to eat every potato, grain of rice and bag of pasta in the house) so not looking good for tomorrow. I am pleased though that TOM is getting more regular so I should be able to gauge the days I need to be careful with what I eat.

Anyway hope you ladies are having a lovely weekend!

Miisloud- just keep thinking to yourself that you stayed on point even if you don't see it on the scale this week, you will next week!

It's definitely December! Not a lot of activity here, but I hope everyone is doing well with all the craziness that is Christmas.

Kelly - Only maintaining when you have fought the munchies so fiercely is soul-crushing. But keeping on keeping on during those times is really the key to long-term success, and you are inspirational!

Skinnygirldreams - You are totally, totally rocking this. I've been struggling some, so it is wonderful to see someone focused and being successful.

I have been completely off the rails. I have even avoided coming here. I'm not even going to go into detail, but I am doing the love/hate thing with the scale again. If I do weigh, the numbers can frustrate me. If I don't, I don't have that daily incentive/reward/punishment. So, I've been seriously considering what to do with the scale.

I am giving it up for 21 days. I am focusing on process and enjoying my progress. I weigh less than 200 pounds (or slightly over, maybe)! I fit into size 14 and sometimes 12, and on rare occasion, size 10. I am fit enough to do push-ups and run 3 miles. I want to keep that. Pushing it right now seems to be counter-productive for keeping that. I am going to relax a little right now in terms of wanting the scale to be lower every day and practice maintenance. It's hard to even say, but I think this is the right path for me right now.

By tomorrow, I will have a spreadsheet created for me to check off each day. It will be simple. I will get my vitamins in 5/7 days. I will drink 100 ounces of water each day (this can also be zero calorie herbal tea). I will eat reasonably. I will plan treats for every other day or so. Not excessive treats, but I need to stop the days where I stop at convenience stores and buy treats multiple times a day because today is an "off day" and "I'll get back on track tomorrow." I will hit the gym 6 times a week, 3 with cardio (2 HIIT) and 3 with weight lifting.

I will have my kids on Tuesday, and they will be here for six weeks, so it's going to be about establishing and maintaining patterns early in their visit.

Today is a work day, so it will be easier than most. I am drinking lots, have eaten reasonably, and will be hitting the gym this afternoon. Yesterday started out really rocky. I had planned on getting back on track, and my husband invited me to breakfast. I ate pancakes and bacon, then before we had left the store where the cafe was located, I bought two donuts and ate them in the car. I cut it off, though, and had a good rest-of-the-day. Today is my first of my successful 21 days!

Laurie I like your strategy - we are all in this for the long haul and getting burnt out is not going to get us to goal. I think stepping back and refocusing is awsome! Enjoy having your kids with you!

Well scales you evil beast after stuggling through a week of the munchies I'm up a pound, a little annoying as I really white knuckled it through, other than a rum and movie popcorn on Saturday night I was an angel so really don't deserve a gain. Looking at my chart this happens every third week so is completely normal. TOM will finish tomorrow then give it a couple of days and I'll be back to normal. In the mean time I have to listen to my mum say I'm not trying hard enough I'm getting quite good at tuning her out, I really wish she would get a new hobby. I really think loosing anything in December is a total win!

Hmm I think my goal of 234 is a little unattainable - will give it a blast though.

Keep on trucking ladies!

Hey all. Nothing much to report, just checking in. Just wanted to say hi!!

Kelly - I love reading your updates! Tuning out your mom - huge win! Acknowledging that the scale doesn't necessarily immediately reward angelic behavior - huge win! Evaluating trends and recognizing that, no matter how perfectly on plan you are, the weight will go up sometimes - again, huge win! Yay for you!

Diane - Nice to see you alive and well! Hope the month of December is treating you well.

Quick check-in this morning. I seem to be more balanced than I have been. I am hoping that I won't jump on the scale after 21 days and see a gain. But I think this is the right path for me for now. I ate reasonably yesterday, though I did eat a bit more than I intended for dinner. But win - for me - was that eating a bit more did not result in "well, I better stuff in all the junk while I'm in this off phase" thing that has been problematic in the past. And I woke up hungry. I much prefer to wake up hungry. I also had a good HIIT day in the gym. I even ran at 6.8 mph for almost a minute. Today is weights, and I'm going to make sure I make time for that. No gym for me often leads to total disaster.

Still super busy getting things ready for kids to come. 7 kids, 2 adults stuffed into a 3-bedroom house for four weeks. (We are planning on 3 kids in the newly-finished basement, which is not technically a bedroom, but is a comfortable living space, so it's not as crowded as it seems.) Bring it on!

Hey guys so I basically disappeared for a week to 10 days. It's been like since Thanksgiving! (How did that go? #rhetorical I'm going to read and find out). Now where in the past, this would have been a 5-bell alarm that I'd gone completely off the rails, in reality, I did more or less okay and in fact saw 179.0, so yes, believe it or not, the 170s :broccoli: I've gotten my workout mojo on. Jessica Smith (the exercise/fitness trainer/personality-type) is doing a 6 week Holiday season fitness type thing and so everyday she puts out a workout and this has meant I've worked out everyday this month so far with the exception of yesterday's rest day. The workouts aren't hard or long but usually after I've done them, I'm in the zone enough that I do something else which is good and I suppose, the point.

I've not yet caught up on all of you, my people, but I'll do that now. But I decided to just check in and post, because I've been putting off doing it till "I have a chunk of time" to sit and catch up and post and there hasn't been that chunk and so I haven't caught up or checked in which is bad. Today, I was like enough is enough and I've bit the bullet and got my check in on.

I hope all of you are doing well and everything has been going wonderfully in all areas of your lives.

Right so that pound came off again yesterday along with a wee bit more, feeling a bit unmotivated at the moment though. I really want to push through til Christmas but with so many social things its so hard, I don't like to miss out! Laurie - yes reading that post my mind seems quite on top of this weightloss thing! I just wish I didn't second guess myself and trust in the plan - its working and I've come to far to self sabotage now!!

My dad has heart surgery in a couple of days and its playing on my mind, I eat when I'm stressed so trying to do other things to keep my mind off it. I don't know how I would cope if something happened - I still haven't dealt with my brothers death. I'm normally a glass half full kind of girl but its wavering abit at the moment. So excuse me if I post on here a bit.

Strategy - Diary my food so I'm not kidding myself, sort Christmas presents out so thats not on my mind too (write a list)! Get out with the dog for training after tea. Hug my kids more.

I'm here but have had a really hard weekend of not eating so great. My sis moved and my 5 year old had her Christmas recital. Lots of go go going which means unplanned meals. But coming here and confessing helps! I need to get my head around it and start logging calories again. I think that is why I have been slacking Humph!

Toasted - Yay for drive-through check-ins! I love love love reading your posts, even if you don't have time to read everything that precedes you posting. Glad you're finding your exercise groove!

Kelly - Family medical issues are so very hard. Please - use us as a sounding board for your grief or your frustration or your excitement or whatever. And my favorite part of your strategy is hugging your kids more.

Jenni - Rough weekends are a part of the process. Glad the weekend is over and you're back on track. That's also part of the process. ;-)

Super stressful day. I'm feeling it rumbling in my gut. Just want to stop and get a cookie. And I am not going to. If I wanted the one cookie because I wanted a cookie, then yay! I want it as a coping mechanism for all of this craziness and because I didn't get to the gym. So much to do, but I am going to try to force my way to the gym this evening because I desperately, desperately need the stress relief.

Had to post to get that out. Deep breath. Going home. Kid worries are THE WORST. Can't fix it. Can't fix them.