Hi all! Nice activity on this thread, as usual! We're probably going to need to start a new one soon.

Well, I've decided to shake up my workouts a little more. While I really like my spin classes, I've decided to go to spin only on Mondays and Fridays, Body Pump on Tuesdays and Thursdays, do the treadmill run/walk on Wednesday and Saturday, and also Body Flow on Saturday. Depending on how I feel, I will probably try to get in a walk/run on Sundays just from my house. I just feel like I really need to get the higher impact of running into my workout, but I don't need to add any more gym time to my week. With this new goal of running a 5K by next spring, I just want to start working on it more. And, honestly, I am already feeling a difference and seeing the scale move, too. I had started to think about adding some gym time after work on Wednesdays, but I need to watch that it doesn't become too much of an obsession. So, I'll keep to my morning workouts. To me, it is just so addicting because of how good I feel afterward. Watching what I eat is no fun at all, but workouts make me happy. Today I was on the treadmill. I have a long way to go with my running, but I'll keep working on it. My legs were feeling the effects today. This would be a day that I am ok with having a desk job!

Jen: Yeah, I don't have a lot to add on when my husband noticed weight loss. He doesn't say too much about it at all. But he also has never said much when I gained weight, so that's good too. Oh, and I recommend getting a new scale. This new one I have is so consistent. It makes me much happier.

Nora: Good job on the pound loss! It's going to start moving now for you!

Mandy: I'll bet you feel so much better now, knowing what your future holds. It will be a lot of work moving, but such a happy move!

LotusMama: Glad you checked in! Hang in there. Hopefully the struggles will pass soon.

Garnet: Good for you with the running! You broke through and really improved!! Nice!!!

LaurieDawn: You're getting so close! I like that you're trying to maintain calm about it. It will come and it will be great!

Uber: You have a good plan with your vacation. I'm sure you'll succeed.

Joe: Looking forward to reading more of your posts!

Diane what one do you have?

Exactly! Sometimes I feel bad for always saying NO when my kids ask me to bake something, but unless we are having company (I will not binge in front of people) I'm just not ready for that kind of temptation.

My strongest cravings are for fresh homemade pico de gallo and tortilla chips. This nice thing about foods with no processed sugar in them, is that I can usually measure out reasonable portions that will fit within my daily calorie intake amounts and then be done with it. I cannot do that with sugar. Sugar to me is as crack is to a crack-head. I'm guessing.

Jen - I think if you are laid back about the changes you are seeing, he will be too. Good guys follow our lead! Get a new scale, girl!! That would make me batty!

I just ordered an eat smart one off amazon it has awesome reviews

Good afternoon everyone!!

The water pounds are going away, down 2 from yesterday (half of my gain) already, and probably would have been more if we hadn't hit up our favorite Mexican restaurant with a friend for food and drinks and general celebration last night.

RE: the move... We'll be going to a very rural area of south eastern Indiana. Nothing is close... It's 30 minutes to EVERYWHERE. The closest YMCA or Anytime Fitness, the closest Walmart, the closest Lowe's, the closest restaurants that aren't Subway, McDonalds, or Pizza Hut. But beautiful 30 minute drives to everywhere. And there's a state park not too far away that has a lot of different walking/hiking trails to explore, and a pool... with an annual membership fee of $40 (so cheaper than a gym). They've already told us that "this is YOUR home" and basically gave us carte blanche to do what we want in terms of decor (and my garden!) I AM SO EXCITED!!! Definitely planning on turning the basement into a home gym.

August is going to be TOUGH in terms of weight loss. This week I'll be okay, next week I'll be fine, but starting next Saturday, I'm out of town for 10 days and I'll be eating whatever my mother in law cooks, basically for the entire time. There will be lots of celebratory dinners, and lunches, and whatnot through the next few weeks... and I swear, if I manage to maintain through August, it will be a good thing.

Thank you all *SO MUCH* for being such wonderful people and understanding what's going on and generally helping me get through this with my sanity intact. Just knowing you guys are out there dealing with similar issues and getting through them helps give me the mental fortitude to do the same.

LotusMama - Hi! When you feel like you're about to slip up, you should come log on and post to us first. Get a little support and distance from the temptation before getting to it. Or if you've started slipping and notice it... come post and nip it in the bud. I'm pretty sure someone from this group is almost always online and will talk you down if you need it.

Joe, Jen, and Nora - Hi and welcome to our group! I'm just getting back from travels, so I missed y'all joining!

Jessica - Don't knock 2.5 pounds per week! That's about all I get, and I LOVE it. :P It's much easier for me to lose at that rate because I don't feel like I'm deprived of foods I love, or the volume of food I prefer to feel satiated. As I get smaller I'll probably just exercise more so I don't have to lower my calories as much. I'm definitely one of those people that is going to exercise like crazy so I can have ice cream later lol.

Uber and Nora - Did someone say cookies? Yeah, I can eat half the dough before it even gets in the oven to become cookies. But my biggest binge food, surprisingly enough, isn't sweets... It's salt. I LOVE crunchy salty things dipped in something creamy and spicy. Any combo of chips and dip (especially tortilla chips and queso blanco YUM)... I've learned to enjoy the carrots dipped in light ranch as a substitute.

Laurie - It helps to remember that even though it's kind of a huge deal to see that particular number change... it's still just a couple pounds, and they will come off just like the last couple pounds did, and eventually you will get there. Going crazy to pass the number and then relaxing can result in bouncing back above it. Yesterday my weight was 300.8. I was upset for like a minute until I realized it's all water and will disappear in a day or two. Today I was at 299.0. I try to focus on how much I've lost vs what the scale says in terms of numbers during those times. You'll get there, be the tortoise not the hare!

Jen - Accurate scales are important! Mine's pretty good, I think the variations I get with it might come from how I stand on it. When I put my feet in the same spot, I get the same number every time (or a .2 difference, which only really irritates me if it's going between 0.0 and 9.8 at the end :P) I have a health-o-meter glass platform tracking scale (it saves your weight, up to 4 users). I think it was only about 25 dollars.

Diane - I'm looking at potentially adding running into my workouts in the future... As soon as I don't feel like my knees are going to break when I do it. Running shoes and a bicycle are 2 things I'm investing in once we get to Indiana!

Hope you all have a great day!

I have the oddest experience with cravings and binging. My house is full of snack food and desserts because I have kids who don't have weight problems. For whatever reason, I am not tempted to eat those things, even though I would have in the past. When I do binge eat, I tend to binge on the foods that I can allow myself to eat instead of eating them in moderation. For example, I can polish off an entire can of almonds in a sitting rather than just have one serving. I have discovered after multiple attempts that I simply cannot keep almonds in my house. But at the same time I have Doritos, potato chips, candy, etc. that I can ignore.

I guess you have to figure out what your "trigger" foods are and keep them as far away from you as possible. At one time I used to keep my almonds in the trunk of my car and I would take out a few of them at a time to eat. When I was fairly disciplined, that worked. I would not walk out of my house at night to get them out of my trunk. But then I became undisciplined and could not longer trust myself! That's when I had to institute a Almond-Free Zone policy in my house.

Uber: Your comment about "It's so weird because when I'm not eating like that it seems totally unappealing and I can't even imagine why I would." is one I can totally relate to. It can apply to when fast food - my ex would practically mainline greasy fast food and it was a bad habit that I picked up. But it can also be applied to periods when I've stopped exercising. I love working out and when I'm doing it, it's hard to wrap my mind around why I've ever stopped. (Usually, it's had something to do with being self-conscious about working out in front of the ex.)

Laurie: I'm glad I can be as positive an influence on you as you are on me. I'd like to hope neither of us manage to hit an major, demoralizing plateaus. I think, given that I'm taping this time around, that the experience of a true plateau might be avoided. The scale might stall but my inches shouldn't stall if I'm still exercising and pushing myself.

I think it'd be awesome if we could get together one day and run a half-marathon or something. It would be such a huge accomplishment and it would involve lots of pictures to reflect on our successes. It's funny how alike we both think about the impending 220.0 lb barrier. It feels like a massive decade for me to breakthrough, a huge wall to climb over. Almost as big a wall as the one for Onederland... probably because it's been a major de-rail point in the past.

Jen: Ah, someone whose scale is as crazy as mine.

Diane: Working out has that effect on me, too. I love the high I get after pushing myself and making it to a new level of fitness. I rode the joy of that new distance all evening yesterday. Also, the high of eating delicious blueberries.

Nori: Maybe you'll be able to find a balance with the sugar, too. I personally love to bake. I've been lucky that there are so many people who regularly come in and out of my brother's house that I can bake and not have the sweets hang around very long.

Mandy: It's awesome that there's a state park nearby with lots of trails and things. Whenever I do get back on my own two feet and into a place of my own, that's one thing I've realized I'd really like to have accessible to me. I have access to some fantastic trails right now that Luna and I use for our walking and running and it's something I'd really hate to lose.

It sounds like we've both got a very similar approach to our weight loss. I'm content with averaging 1.5 lbs lost a week, even though seeing others lose more can be sort of "aw, shucks" on occasion. One thing I'm keeping in mind is the calorie range I'd been needing at goal to maintain. So long as I don't allow myself to get in the habit of eating more than that range, I should never have a problem maintaining it when I get down to goal.

Joe: You're absolutely right, you've got to learn what your trigger foods are and find a way to manage that trigger. If you can keep them at a distance and still enjoy them, that's great. If you find you can no longer do that and adjust, equally fantastic. Sometimes, it is just better to avoid temptation that to risk doing something that you'll end up beating yourself up over later.


The scale decided to bounce back up to 222.8 lbs today. Before reading this thread, I was feeling kind of bummed about it. Reading and responding to everyone has allowed me time to really stop and think about it. It is still 37.2 lbs lighter than I was 15 weeks ago. It may be higher than I'd have liked, especially since yesterday was low in calories (and the foods I grabbed at the store the other night did awesome managing my hunger) and a rest day. But even though I rested from strength, I did some running on my walk. That really tends to drive up my heartbeat. And it's not like work was an easy day. XD I pulled quite a few palettes out last night that were more than willing to take the place of my strength training. 180 1-gal bottles of window cleaner on one palette. Another one had a bunch of tile. Tile is HEAVY. To sum it up, I need to cut myself some slack. A small gain is just that, a small gain. It isn't the end of the world so long as I don't let it be.

Finding substitutions that work to satisfy unhealthy cravings are fun! I find if I'm craving sugar I can take 1/2 banana and put a thin smear of PB on it and I'm VERY satisfied for under 100 calories. Beats a 100 calorie snack pack for me any day.

This made me chuckle. I've so totally done this! I discovered recently that my husband (who is a healthy weight go-to-the-gym-everyday guy) keeps a pack of Mother's tea cookies out in his car - to limit his snacking! I had no idea he did this. As long as we find what works for us to make healthy choices, it all works. P.S. I just bought 2 large packs of Almonds to take on vacation with us this weekend!

AMEN! There's only one thing you are in my mind - a success story!! 37.2 gone is a huge accomplishment and goes a long way towards your goal We didn't get overweight overnight, and it's a process to get it off also. Thanks for your encouraging posts!

Jen - Yeah! Don't you adore Amazon?!

Mandy - I'm going away this Friday for 10 days and I know it will be a challenge. Sure, I'll be served foods I wouldn't choose to eat, but obviously nothing is forced on us! Does you MIL know you are trying to eat healthy? Let's be accountable to ourselves and keep our goals in mind and not make excuses. Easier said than done, but not impossible. We gotta give those excuses the hand!

My mother in law is a nurse and a health nut... lol. That's the main reason I'm not really freaking out about relying on her cooking for a week. She doesn't keep junk food in the house (except the occasional batch of chocolate chip cookies), plus she lives in a subdivision that is set around a lake, and a lap around said lake is about a mile... So I'll be sure to take the time to walk a lap or two a couple times a day, and it should offset any excess in the food.

It'll be easy enough to have Greek yogurt and fruit as breakfast, veggies and cheese as snacks, and a fairly healthy dinner. I'll be fine. It's the reception after the ordination that has me a bit worried.

Oh, that all sounds really nice, Mandy! And manageable diet-wise...

Good morning, everyone! I'm a little intimidated at the volume of posts, but I love reading all of them. There's so much that we are all dealing with.

Nora - I have the same problem with sugar that you have. Interestingly, I haven't been hard-core craving sugar lately. I don't even put it in my oatmeal any more - just a very generous portion of cinnamon. But late at night, I tend to want the sugar that my husband keeps in the house. I confess to taking out an ice cream bar last Friday, eating most of the outer shell, taking a small bite of ice cream, and throwing it away. Not a reasonable portion, per se, but I indulged the "It's there so I gotta have it" nagging without really taking in a whole lot of calories. Felt like a win. =) I am unbelievably grateful that I am not craving sugar right now, though. That's the hardest thing for me. Pico de gallo actually sounds like a fairly healthy option, though. Maybe substitute a lean protein for the chips? If you're not sodium sensitive, you could even salt the protein. Or if you need the crunch, celery perhaps? Not the same, but could be delicious. =)

Jen - Woot! I love fitness tools. Think I may indulge in a heart rate monitor soon. And running shoes. I need decent running shoes.

Mandy - One of the reasons I am grateful that I did the two months on my trainer boy challenge instead of one is that I am good at being relentless on my plan for about a month, then I flame out pretty easily. Your steadiness and acceptance that this is part of life is so inspirational. And yay! for your mother-in-law's nutritious inclinations. That, plus a beautiful lake to walk around sounds like a recipe for relatively painless weight loss.

Diane - You are the work-out queen! I love how planned your work-outs are. I love that you have the discipline to do morning work-outs. I totally don't. And I love that you are doing a variety of them. I also love that you are focusing on enjoying the work-out as much as you are on the health benefits. This, as much as your straight-up good sense, is probably why you have been so consistent for so long. I want to be like you!

Joe - I am so scared of nuts! I will only buy them in the very small packages, and only as a treat. They pack a nutritional punch, for sure, but they are incredibly calorie-dense. When I get to maintenance, I am hoping to introduce them as a regular part of my diet, but for now, I can't handle myself around them. =)

Jessica - You and your wonky scale. So glad you have the tape measure. No malfunctions with that piece of technology! I guess I didn't realize that you had the same 220-block that I did. I am actually fairly decent about losing down to 220 then hovering between 220 and 240. I count it as a victory that I haven't gone back up to my starting weight. But it does feel like a rubber floor, as I've said before. Trying to be patient long enough to just gradually descend through it. AF popped in yesterday, so my scale numbers will probably be wonky for a while too. =)

221.4. I have only one pair of jeans that I really wear. (I have another pair, but they are hideous "mom jeans," and I try to avoid them at all costs.) They're a size 16, and I bought them when I was around 220. I continued wearing them even when I got to 240 because they were the only ones I had, and I hate buying jeans. I went on a walk with the hubby wearing these jeans when I was still 240, and the intense humidity, along with the relatively high heat, aggravated my asthma. I doubled over to catch a breath, and he said, "Oh. Your jeans are just too tight." I think he probably meant it in a helpful way, but it felt like a dig at my weight. To be fair, he mostly respects my request to not talk about my weight, and has almost completely stopped commenting on my food when I'm eating it. But those jeans now fit exactly how I want them to - loose and comfortable. It's nice to get clothes confirmation that I am getting smaller. =)

Happy Thursday, everyone! May it be productive and enjoyable for all!

Hi all!
I'm battling an office treat day today. At first there were banana muffins, but I figured I could pass on those. I'm sure they are good, but it isn't something I just have to eat. Then, someone else brought in bagels. Ok, those are really tempting. I almost got one, but the break room was full of people and I said I'd come back later. I'm so glad I did that. I sat here at my desk and I thought, well.... I could have one..... but then I have to track the calories.... and that will throw me off for the rest of the day.... are they really worth it? And the answer was no. So, moving on.

The other thing is that I stepped on the scale today, and I am just really close to breaking through to the 230's. I would be happy to see that on Monday! Then, I was talking to my Mom, and she said that she thought I shouldn't give in to the bagels, because I would regret it. I guess my thinking is that I told myself in January that I was going to give it my all for at least a year to see what I could accomplish. I need to stick to that. I am so happy with the weight I've lost, and I'm also so tired of always thinking about it, year after year. While I don't think I'll ever be able to just forget about it entirely, I do think that if I can reach my goal, I can at least be more satisfied with myself than when I was at my highest. Anyway... there's my rant.

LaurieDawn: I'm with you about the number of posts! It is overwhelming, but in a good way! Congrats on the jeans fitting so well! You're doing great! And thanks for the great comments! You make me feel great.

Mandy: Still very excited for you. That will be a nice time with your MIL. And you have a great plan to maintain during this time. Very smart!!!

Garnet: Glad you're not feeling bummed anymore. You shouldn't! You are rocking the running game! I was amazed, too, how much my heart rate goes up during running. And then, I checked on the difference between a calorie burn for running versus swift walking and it is pretty impressive. The running just takes it to a whole new level.

Joe: Love the almond story. Ha! We do what we have to do!! I'm with you on being able to ignore chips, sweets and bad snacks. I make myself record everything and putting in those numbers just makes me re-think everything. I do have to really watch dinner though. I tend to want to increase my portions too high.

Jen: Regarding the scales, I went to the store and looked at all of them to see what they had available. I was blown away that you could spend upwards to $150 for a scale. I ended up getting a $29 Homedics one. It is fairly basic and just gives you your weight. I didn't feel like I needed to track past weights because I do that elsewhere, and I didn't really want to get BMI and all of that off the scale. Besides..... I didn't want to pay any more than that!

Nora: Yep, tortilla chips and salsa. Mmmm! Gotta keep it out of my house for sure!!

Good afternoon, all!

Took the kitties in for their shots this morning. Such chunkers! The *little* one (Brownie - the one in my pic) is 11 pounds, her sister (Pixie) is 13! Got some cardio in the process, chasing them around the apartment to get them in the carrier. Brownie's still there, for a precautionary urinalysis, to make sure she's not developing another bladder infection before we travel and move.

Planned out my food today. Snack at 2, snack at 5, dinner at 7:30. Baked tilapia (my favorite with sour cream, panko, and garlic YUM), diced yams with a little salt and pepper, and a salad. Saved space for gelato for dessert. Food puts me at about 1600 for the day. Pretty happy with it. Lots of protein and produce. Gonna take a 2+ mile walk tonight with the hubs after dinner.

Oh, and... <-- happy dance! All the water weight is gone. 297.4 today... So that means over the last 6 days, with 5 days not logging because of restaurant food, pot lucks, and traveling, I managed to maintain. I'll call that a victory! If I see a new low tomorrow, that will mean I can still log a loss for the week.

Sunday will be interesting, our pastor wants to take us out to lunch to celebrate my husband's upcoming ordination and his call to a church. No idea where we're going yet... But probably to their favorite Italian place. Italian is not an easy one to navigate! All that pasta and cream sauce and bread... We'll see. It's a local place, not a chain, and they don't have a website... So I can't even peruse the menu to see what might be good! Playing it by ear.

I need to sit down and make a list of things that need to be done and by when. Oy. Transferring bank accounts, car titles, etc. Such a pain.

Hope y'all have a good day.

Hi everybody! Greetings from vacationland.

Right before leaving, I bought myself a new pair of running shoes! Where I'm staying right now is one of my favorite places to go on long walks.

Joefla Regarding binge foods. I absolutely have the same issue as you regarding bingeing on foods that are on my plan. I actually had to stop making lentil soup at one point because I would binge on it. Also roasted beets. During the time I was in maintenance, I used to east toasted flax seed by the spoonful. I also can keep any type of junk food in my house and not touch it. For me, it's all about state of mind. If I'm "in the zone" I don't eat stuff that's off plan. If I'm in binge mode, not having it in the house doesn't help because I will drive to the store especially to get it.

Mandy If you're anything like me, you find might find that you eat less over the next few weeks. When there is a lot of upheaval in my life it often cuts my appetite. For me, the danger zone is a few months down the road, after the big upheaval, when it all starts to hit me. Regarding the reception? Sweetie, this is a huge milestone in your life and your husband's life, and you should go and have a good time! One meal will change nothing in your long-range weight loss. But one piece of wisdom that my 50+ years has taught me is that it is always super important to just stop and savor the good times.

Diane I am so excited for you that you are close to the 230s. I am just so eager to be there myself. That is the point where I start to drop sizes and look smaller in pictures. Especially with your fitness level, I'll bet you look great!

Laurie. Ugh-- trampoline weights! That's exactly how I feel about 260 and here I've been, hovering near it for ten straight days. I think that what happens is that when we get stuck at weights that aren't "stuck in our heads" we don't worry about it as much. We just have to remember that if we keep doing the same thing, it will continue to work in the same way.

Jessica I'm so glad that you were able to process the discomfort of seeing a higher number on the scale. I also find that just thinking about what everyone here would say helps me stay relaxed. I started panicking about my no-loss week, and I thought about what you all would say, and I started to feel better.

Nora One unhealthy craving substitute I learned from my mom who is diabetic. My family are big ice cream eaters and when everyone starts dishing up ice cream it's hard for me. She always eats sugar free popsicles when everyone else is eating ice cream. I always thought they looked sort of unappealing. But I find that if I dish up a bowl of ice cream for my son and dad, and then eat a sugar free popsicle myself the cold and sweetness takes my interest in ice cream entirely away! I also love peanut butter and half a banana!

Jen Glad to hear you got a new scale!

Just dropping in quickly to say that I have been in honeymoon phase. Dropped by the store to pick up some produce and a few other things, and I drooled over everything. I didn't even go down the "dangerous" aisles. Just the impulse buy items by the counter. And I recognized my danger zone. Maybe it's because of TOM?

So, I decided that I needed some sugarless gum, and I would allow myself endless pieces so that I could satisfy the need to chew, the need for some "naughtiness" by choosing decadent flavors, and, of course, those are located in the candy aisle. But I picked out a couple of decent flavors, went to check-out, and located a large basket of marked-down sugarless gum in a variety of decadent flavors. The diet gods have smiled on me! And I am happily chewing Mint Chocolate Chip gum, looking forward to the lemon square gum that's on my agenda next. It's not a good long-term strategy for me, but it was just what I needed for this afternoon. And I will know to be wary about this evening. May be some white-knuckling involved, with some planned indulgence, but I feel confident I will stay on plan today. It's the next few days that are more worrisome. The honeymoon phase is fairly painless. The white-knuckle phase is doable. The exhausted because I had to white-knuckle and is this really worth it phase may be up next. And that one is really tough, partly because it's snuck up on me in the past. No more. I can do this!