Well I'm off on holiday for 5 days, so should be fun in the sun with boating and a country sports day in the mix best of all no cellphones! We have a holiday home at Lake monowai and its stunning! So going to try to fill up on fresh fruit and vege but can here the chips calling from here lol see you lovely ladies when I get back.

Just to rub it in heres a pic

Good morning folks. Here in reloss-land I am reacquainting myself with all the patterns that drove me bonkers the first time I was losing this weight - my whoosh-bounce-stall loss pattern, especially.

11-12 days ago I had a nice whoosh all the way down to 181. Then I bounced back up to 183 and have sat thereabouts ever since (except one day where a fluctuation treated me to seeing 185 again, wth ). This is how it's going to be. Today was down to 182 so maybe another whoosh is coming.

I try to focus on behaviors and let the numbers follow; I try for behavior-oriented goals and not numeric ones. That said, there are some numbers with psychological significance. I want to get back to 175, so that I can again say I'm 100 pounds trimmer than my fattest.

MissLoud, do enjoy your lovely relaxing break. It sounds delightful. I want to sit there with my notebook and write. Also with a drink though.

ma26, welcome and great job with the swimming. I wish I could arrange my life to do that more - it's amazing exercise and very satisfying. What was up with the snacking - is it something you can plan about in the future?

LaurieDawn, oh my, Biggest Loser competition - great work, good luck and good strength on that. Also thank you so much for what you said about my thoughts and posts over the years. My therapist just left me (she's moving to a different city) and her parting words to me were to encourage me to write a book about what I learned during my weight loss process. It's hard to imagine that there would be much of a market for a lot of advice that boils down to "yeah, it takes a lot of discipline and hard work" But it still feels VERY good to hear that some of that has been helpful to someone else. Truly, thank you.

I am reminded of a very funny line in a Murakami novel (I think it was in 1Q84) that said if you published a book called "How to Eat As Much As You Want of Whatever You Want and Still Lose Weight" it would be a bestseller even if all the pages were blank.

Slashnl, congratulations on surviving Christmas, and I hope you beat that flu quickly.

Good luck and good strength everyone. My morning trip to the gym and the work still pending for that looming deadline are calling me away from this pleasant perch with cats and coffee.

Good morning, everyone!

Ma26 - Definitely an A+ on the exercise front! I love the "bonus work-out" -- that unplanned, fun activity that nevertheless burns a lot of calories. The food front will come as you identify triggers and work through them, and you will get back to your prior fitness level (and exceed it), as you say, one workout at a time.

Kelly - SO GORGEOUS! I am completely and totally jealous, having had to scrape windows this morning and shiver in freezing temps. You'll have a great time!

Carter - Oof. Losing a therapist. Yuck. You're right about the book with the empty pages. I wouldn't buy it, but I would unquestionably thumb through the pages at the bookstore. ;-) I would love to read your book, though. Work hard, yes, but the wisdom in your book (presumably, based on your past) would be how to manage the psychological challenges that allow me to work hard. I also know what you mean by the patterns, though. I have weight loss patterns even when I'm perfectly on plan, and I have behavioral patterns that I can trace and am still learning how to control that make this weight loss thing difficult. Sounds like in your case, familiarity is both comforting (you know you will lose) and frustrating (you know that the scale is a definite frenemy).

I am LOVING being back on plan. This is the honeymoon phase, and I am absolutely embracing it. I love to be in the gym. I love to feel control over my food choices. I love being able to look in my closet and know that I am not sizing myself out of everything in there (finally reversing the trend). This feels more like the authentic "me" than the one who is helpless over food. I am nowhere near solving my weight issue, but I love that this on-plan person feels so familiar to me. It gives me hope that I'll eventually be able to maintain at a reasonable weight.

The scale is also being kind, as I had hoped it would. 201.8 this morning. I am approaching Onederland again. I had a slight twinge of "I thought I'd never be on this side of the "2" again, but I also felt the thrill of leaving the "2" behind again. And there's a completely irrational part of me that really wants to be in Onederland by New Year's Day, even though that's ridiculous. Part of me wants to forgo weighing for the next two days to avoid the mind**** that these thoughts are bringing. Two years ago, I was on the brink of Onederland, and was determined to get there by New Year's Day. I didn't make it -- got to 203 or 204 -- and over the next year and a half, gained back about 35 pounds. (This was not a steady gain, but rather, multiple gain/loss cycles, cuz that's how I roll sometimes.) But I am going to squelch the ridiculousness, accept that I will not be in Onederland by New Year's Day, and trust that if I stay on plan, I will lose at a reasonable rate. Still and all - it's a big number. So - On to ONEDERLAND!

Hi all. Well, the flu bug hit. I'm doing better now, but I had to leave work and come home yesterday. So.... missed body pump today. I'm feeling better now and I'm going to go to work this afternoon. I hate having sickness get in the way!!!! Onward.

Laurie: Good to see you getting back into the swing of things so well! It does feel good to get back in control. Good luck on your challenge at the gym. My gym has a challenge, too, but I'm not doing that one. Evidently, we are having a wellness challenge at work in January. I'll wait to see what that one is all about. My boss said there are some good prizes. I'm excited!!

Carter: Hang in there with the wooshes and bounces. It is such a challenge sometimes, isn't it?

MissLoud: So jealous.... I am not a fan of winter and that picture looks wonderful!!

Ma26: Nice job on the exercise!!! That's awesome!

Good evening. So happy to have found this thread!

Carter- thanks for the welcome and yes the snacky trigger is an old frie.....eh..hem...enemy... It's the right after work stop at the grocery store trigger that has been a partner in many of these most recent pounds. I eat my healthy breakfast around 6:30. Then I wat my healthy lunch I bring to work around 11. Then after work at 5 I stop at the store for a thing or two that I need for dinner that night. The hungry bear awakens and I buy some chip or cracker or snack that "I'll just have a few to ride me over from" and then in my car I proceed to eat close to if not the entire container of whatever "snack" I bought. I'm now not at all hungry, but I don't want to tell my husband I need to skip dinner because I inhaled junk food, so I eat dinner with my family, which is generally, but definitely not always healthy. I totally fell pray to the snacking yesterday, lucky me the container was only 640 calories. And I made that my dinner.

Anyways I do have a strategy for this. I talked to my hubby and confessed my secret of the "extra meals worth of snacks" that I have been doing and we will plan our weeks worth of meals and asop together on the weekend, and if we need a thing or two at the store he is happy to be the grocery getter so I can avoid the temptation. :-). I lushly won't buy the junk food when shopping with him :-). So this plan should help a lot. Also I am bring a snack that I can eat towards the end of my work day.

Laurie- I know what you mean by the honeymoon phase! So mcch what you said is so familiar. It sounds like you are in such a good place!

Slashnl- Getting sick can be such a monkey wrench. Glad your feeling better.

Today was a test and I feel like I have passed! It's my father in laws birthday Andy husband and I took he and my mother in law to dinner at his house in restaurant. I was able to look at the menu online and pre plan my order. I packed a lighter breakfasts and lunch since in spite of better choices restaurants are always a bit high. We had a great time, I was under my calorie goal by 25 calories for the day and my step daughter and I played and half hour of just dance that we got her for Christmas. Which was fun, had me sweating, and ended up being ANOTHER reality check in why I am working to lose weight. The new Just Dance 2015 films you and then plays a video of you dancing. I know I've gained weight. I know it's 20 lbs in the last 6 months, but seeing my biggerself flayling around on video, err I mean dancing around on video, really brought reality home. I even let my step daughter save the one where I looked the goofiest. She thought it was funny and I decided that someday I'll look back in it and see how far I've come.

Hey Ladies!

I haven't really had a chance to read most of the posts yet but I will!
Miss Loud baconfest was awesome lmao.

I was doing really good up until sunday. I ate like crap on sunday AND tuesday... Monday was oook for eating. I'm going back on plan today. I gained two pounds back the last few days, but hoping that I can lose that right quick.
Yesterday I CLEANED my whole house. I must say it looks pretty awesome lol. I was getting prepared for a rep from Department of Blind Services to come to my house (my husband is legally blind) I thought they were doing the home eval, but they just came to give us some info on services and get some info from him. It's alright though, now my house will be clean for when I go out of town next week.

My husband, my dad, and I are going to Toronto to the hockey hall of fame for a few days. I'm super excited, I've never been to Canada before.

Happy new years everyone! I promise I'll read up and catch up with everyone soon. I hope everyone is doing well!

Good morning to the end of 2014. I just made rather cloying FB post about 2014 things I am grateful for. The pessimist in me wants to stand up and scream "YEAH but a bunch of really crappy stuff happened this year too!" That's not the side of my life I tend to post on FB, though.

I was back down to 181 this morning, the current low that I first saw 12 days ago before a bounce/hormonal fluctuation erased it. That's good. Tomorrow will probably be another bounce. Unlike most of you, I don't celebrate Christmas with a big meal, but New Year's Eve is another story. I am getting together with some friends tonight and cooking a feast of Indian food (Bengali style). The meal itself won't be a problem - fish, loads of vegetables, I can control how much oil I use in the gravy and how much rice I eat. But the cocktails and the champagne and the rice pudding for dessert ... different story entirely!

ma26 I know the pattern you are describing all too well. Shopping while hungry is a very dangerous activity for me. Grocery-store time takes as much discipline for me as standing in front of a buffet at a party. You've done a great thing by talking to your husband and having him with you to "keep you honest." That's awesome! That's the kind of thing I call "engineering your environment to make temptation easier to avoid."

I rely on my partner for the same kind of implicit control. She is never the food police; she'll never say "are you sure you should be eating that?" But just having here there helps me avoid the binge activity that I tend to do alone and never tell anyone about...

Also that's a great story about the dancing game - you have a great attitude.

Slashnl, do take care of yourself, and make sure you get the rest you need even if you are feeling a little better!

LaurieDawn, enjoy your honeymoon phase! I know what you mean although somehow I did not have one this time around, I just went from not being in good control to "damn, this is a slog." Maybe I can ramp into a belated honeymoon! You will leave that 2 behind soon enough, I know it. And to help you do the hard work of being rational, I'll be irrational for you, and keep my fingers crossed that you see an unexpected whoosh to 199.8 tomorrow morning.

Diane - That's incredibly frustrating. Between the number of days you have been sick and the holidays, getting hit by the flu bug is simply unacceptable. I hope you are 100% today (or very soon) and that you keep the sickness at bay for a bit.

Ma26 - I echo what Carter said. Recognizing the difficult patterns you are encountering and engineering ways to avoid them will continue to be a huge part of your success. And yay for your stepdaughter! She seems to be having such a positive influence on your exercise and your perspective. For me, the functional fitness is a huge part of this, and the fact that you can and do exercise with her (by having a great time) is the best.

Skinnygirldreams - Ugh. I hate hitting those blips. But it sounds like you're past it, back on track, and you have a wonderfully clean environment. Woot!

Carter - I totally missed the coffee! Glad you brought it back. Yay for new lows! And yay for not letting the scale influence your plans. Sometimes, the extra calories are worth it, and in this case, it definitely sounds like they are. I am really grateful for this honeymoon phase. I have had so many false starts over the years that I am very cognizant of how fragile I can be at this stage, so this is a huge blessing. The slog will set in soon for me far too soon, so I hope the belated honeymoon sets in soon for you too.

I ran yesterday. I am really feeling the overwhelming soreness brought from too many weeks of avoiding the gym. But it's part of the process, and the scale continues to respond nicely. I'm 201.2 this morning, down 0.6 from yesterday. And I will take Carter's lead and very irrationally hope for it to be below 200. =)

Job interview today. I have had and will have several, but this is the one I want the most. Then, New Year's Eve party at my house, which means lots and lots of junk. But I am going to get some healthier stuff too. Unlike Carter, I have indulged and indulged and indulged, and while it is a tradition to have a family party with lots of junk, I still don't feel physically recovered from my bad food and exercise choices, so I need food that will fill me up without piling on the calories and making me feel sick and bloated. I also really need to hold onto this momentum. So, work, then interview, then shopping for healthier foods, then New Year's Eve kid's event (which ends at 8), then family party until midnight. Gonna try to sneak the gym in at some point. Big day!

Hi all! Feeling much better today. I was doing better yesterday afternoon, but I decided to not go to Spin this morning, and get the extra rest instead. I think that was wise. So, unfortunately, ending 2014 with a little bit of whimper instead of ending with a great workout. But, that's ok. Moving onward! The gym is closed tomorrow, I think. I thought about just going for a nice walk in the afternoon. It is darn cold here, but it might feel good to get a little fresh air. Then, back to the gym on Friday for Spin. Excited about the new year and being back on the losing side!

Laurie: Good luck on the job interview! Hope you get that one!! What a great start to the new year that would be to get a job that you want. Oh, and to be under 200! I'm hoping for you!

Carter: Yeah, I'm like that on FB, too. I don't put much on there most of the time, but I'm really not going to put any complaints or whining on there. Too many people that don't need to know! I'll save my whining for this thread. Ha!

SkinnyGirl: Enjoy Canada! That's so cool!!

ma26: Good for you on the calorie win with the restaurant! You're doing well! You recognized what was a problem for you and you fixed it. Onward!!

Well, hopefully we'll be seeing some of our friends come back after the new year. Missing Mandy, Uber, LotusMama, Toasted, to name a few!

I guess I'm going to be one of those cliches with a New's Resolution to lose weight and get healthier. Oh well, as long as I do start, that's all that matters, right? Plus, I've always liked to be the one who differs from the rest. So, I"ll be the one who actually sticks to a resolution! Yesterday, doctor's office called with the results of my labwork. My total cholesterol is a bit high and my "lousy" cholesterol is a bit high. But, my "good" cholesterol is also high. I have 6 months to bring down the total and the lousy or I may need to go on meds. Not a fan of the meds, so I'm going with the better solution of exercising and eating right. I've already made a date with my friend to start Zumba again next Tuesday. Hubby is committed to starting a walking program. Now, I just need to cut out the sugar and start eating the veggies again. Like a walk in the park, right?

Diane, so glad you are feeling better!
Laurie, good luck on the job interview.
Carter, at work, we start each day with a morning huddle. We've been told that it takes 30 days to develop a new habit, so we've been sharing gratitudes each morning. Some days, I struggle to find something. I guess I've not developed the habit yet! LOL
Skinny (awesome name for you!) - I badly need a whole-house-cleaning. One of our successful friends here on 3FC (Trazey) used housecleaning as her main form of exercise to lose her weight. My husband and the kids are hoping I choose this form of exercise, too.
Ma26 - I know you may not meant for it to be funny, but I found myself giggling in a silly way when you mention "seeing my biggerself flayling around on video". I love to dance, but I don't want to see a video of myself doing so! Although I bet you had tons of fun.
Kelly - I hope you are enjoying your getaway.

Good morning folks. I feel I need that even more than usual today because these days I don't stay up past midnight too often, and I did last night.

As we start the new year I wanted to focus on some of the challenges that make working off regains different from losing the "first" time. I'll toss out a couple of thoughts - I'd love to hear yours.

Momentum is key. When I reached this weight several years ago I had been solidly on plan for almost two years. I felt great, because I was just reaching "trim carter" stage and really enjoying the feel of my new body. The weight came off slowly but I could handle that because I was strong and in the swing of it.

Now, I'm trying to reverse a train that has been going in the other direction, on its way up. Instead of feeling trim and strong I feel chubby and weak. Finding the energy to turn this whole operation around is proving challenging.

GirlyGirlSebas says above that establishing a habit takes 30 days. I do not believe that bit of conventional wisdom that one often hears. 30 days seems like about the right amount of time for the novelty to wear off of a new habit. But that doesn't mean the behavior has become automatic - the opposite, it means it becomes that much harder to keep it up, because it's not different and new anymore.

I don't mean to be a downer, but I feel it is important to be realistic in evaluating these sorts of old saws. My bad habits have been with me for more than 40 years. A few weeks of conscious effort is not enough to uproot them. It turns out that even a few years is not enough. If it were, this regain would not have happened. Even after all this time, 3 years actively losing, a year maintaining, and a year fighting regains, I can still slip back into the habits that got me fat, given enough time and enough slacking vigilance.

Carter- I totally agree with what you said about support. It sounds like you and I have both been lucky to have found someone we can lean on even for our weight loss efforts. I really appreciate that I can talk to my DH about weight loss and weight gain and he is supportive loving and honest.

What you were saying about momentum being key is so true. I'm just getting started again so I feel the momentum is good. I do remember in the past when ive lost a few lbs I found the weight on the way down felt so much more ok and comfortable than the weight on the way up. Over a year ago I first saw the 190s on the scale and felt just awful. I have a feeling 190 might feel pretty ok going down from 209. I need to guard against losing momentum wen the mirror and pics (and flaying videos) aren't so motivational :-).
GirlyGirl- oh no worries! I totally meant it to sound funny because it was funny. Funny and embarrassing and a wonderful reality brought home moment that I needed to help motivate me to change! I used to think New Years resolutions were cliche and I used to think I was too cool for them. This year I'm completely embracing New Years resolutions again. So in right there with you.
Slashnl- thanks info feel good about this start so far :-). Glad you are feeling better. Did you make spin and how did it go?
Laurie- how was the interview? I hate job interviews. I should probably get over that because I will likely be doing them again someday.

After seeing myself on the screen in motion I have thought a lot about the reality we perceive and the reality that is actually there. I was looking at a goal post, and someone who had lost a lot of weight was saying it took them a long time to see themselves as the new thin person they had become she said she still often felt like "the fat girl" inspite of her tremendous weight loss. I realise I have a hit of the opposite. My head is not stuck in the sand. I step on the scale and I see that I am much heavier than I have been most of my life. My old "fat" weight is almost 30 lbs lighter than I am right now. I know I am wearing a bigger size than I ever have before, but when I look in the mirror I see someone who is bigger "but not that much bigger". But pictures and that video, they tell me that I am really truly and look really truly overweight. I have had lbs I wanted to lose, but spent the vast majority of my life in a healthy BMI, albeit towards the top of the healthy range. I'm solidly overweight now. In fact I should check, I may even be obese by BMI standards. I have to say I don't actually know! Anyways I find this very motivating. I keep thinking that the woman in the pictures and videos isn't me. Some bigger girl has taken over for a bit. I do think that my skewed perception, my refusal to admit how big I really am aided in my letting it go on this long and my letting it get this bad. I really want to say I don't mean anything offensive by this next bit, and I'm sorry for my ignorance and my self assured arrogance I had before, but I used to think that "I" could never get truly overweight, I thought that either interacted when you were really young or if you gained weight in adulthood to that extent you either had something medical or emotionally traumatic happen or you had given up on yourself. I was so wrong. And maybe people think I've just let myself go since I havent had any tramatic life events. But I know better now. I know it can happen by inaction. I kept thinking that I wouldn't keep gaining, I just hadn't buckled down yet, inwasnr giving up I didn't think I'd stay big and get bigger. I'd start "tomorrow". And a year later I'm so much bigger. Anyways this has been a real eye openner and I want to appologize to myself and everyone else who has ever struggled with being overweight. I know better now, and I'm sorry for my erroneous assumptions I kept in my head for so many years.

Morning Ladies and Happy New Year!
LaurieDawn I hope your interview went well! I'm working towards my new goal of 6 lbs for January. 205 lbs is my goal.
Slashnl thanks I can't wait! Packing tomorrow so it is ready to go by the time I get off work on sunday. I'm going to have to shop for some health road trip snack for the 9 hours of driving. Any ideas of low-cal yummy snacks?
GirlyGirlSebas Thanks. I felt my name was appropriate lol. I actually enjoy cleaning, but I would rather deep clean the house than just "pick it up" weird I know. When I got home from work last night, I walked in the door and the stress just melted away because I knew my house was still soooo clean. lol plus my hubby had the scented candles lit.
Carter I kind of agree with you about the whole "30 day" burn out. Sometimes it is a lot harder after the novelty has worn out.

As for me... I worked yesterday 8 hours and today I'm working only until 12 pm, then off to my dad's where we are going to watch the winter classic game (hockey) Blackhawks vs. Capitols. Its a tradition that I love. Bloody Mary T-minus 1 hr 45 minutes! lol. My hubby is going to meet me there since he is doing a 5k today with his sister. Brrrrrrrr Better him than me! lol. Too cold.
My long term goal is to lose about 30 lbs by July. Vanity reasons of looking better in a bathing suit, for when we go to florida. Although my secret goal is to lose 40 by then, lol

Good morning, everyone! Happy New Year!

Diane - Thanks for sharing your challenges with us! I agree - FB with all of its openness and clinging history is not a good place for sharing challenges and heartache. That's us! Right here! The two places where I actually let all my crazy out on full display is here and at my therapist's office. I love that we get to see the slips of the mask, even though you are still so positive and uplifting on here.

Ma26 - We don't know what we don't know. How would you know how easy it is to gain weight when you have never gained weight easily? Now you know. And you are finding out how to really commit to a long-term weight-loss program, and it seems like you're doing really well so far. Finding the fun in it can be difficult, but that seems to come naturally for you. I am really hoping that you find that losing and maintaining the loss comes easily for you. You would be the rare one, but I wish it for you anyway.

Rhonda - Good for you for choosing today to make a difference! It's always the best day to choose. I am totally joining you. =)

SkinnyGirlDreams - Good for your hubby to run a 5K in January. Doesn't sound fun, but it sounds like something to check off your "I'm so cool" list. Can't wait to watch you hit your goals.

Carter - I am going to both agree and disagree with you. I think Rhonda is onto something when she commits to white-knuckling it through the hardest 30 days. Getting those 30 days (or whatever) in brings the promise (at least for me) of easier days. It becomes a slog, and maintaining it is challenging, but it's not the early days of "I feel so embarrassed going to the gym" or "I don't know how to use the equipment" or "I have no idea what foods are good for me so I need to eat lettuce every day" challenges.

But making permanent changes is not as easy as establishing habits. What I am focusing on right now, actually, is trying to get more days of eating and exercising like I want than days that I don't, and telling myself that this is who I am now. Not someone who will magically transform into someone who doesn't struggle with her weight. But someone who will always struggle -- meaning I will never just give up and sink permanently into the pit of despair. That's my challenge, and today, I am working to maintain the momentum I've started to build, even though I ate too much last night.

2015 is going to be AWESOME!

Hi all. I didn't make it to spin yesterday. I was afraid! Ha! I just wanted to make sure I was well before I got on the bike again. I didn't want any bad surprises. So, tomorrow, I'll be at spin class and then on Saturday, I'm getting back to Body Flow (the yoga/pilates/tai chi class). I've been away from it for all of December, so it might be a little challenging going back.

I'm going to jump in here and offer some advice/thoughts on how I look at it all. Last year at this time, I was 60 pounds heavier than I am now. I was not happy with myself, nothing fit well, I didn't have energy, and wasn't able to do all that i wanted to do. My biggest disappointment at that time was how lousy I had felt when we went on our annual elk hunt. I told myself that I would make a commitment to lose weight and be in better shape. I told myself that I had to give it my all for a year, without excuses and without giving up. If at the end of the year, I was over it, then I would just stop. So, I started so slowly at the gym, and just kept trying to get better and better. I didn't want to follow a special diet, so I chose counting calories as my option... I got on MyFitnessPal, set my goal, and started recording everything I put in my mouth. I made myself watch that calorie goal. I obsessed and obsessed over it all. But what really made it work for me last year was dedication. I didn't do it because I necessarily liked the obsession and getting up early every morning. It wasn't great fun to sweat like crazy, to feel sore on some days, to get on the scale and not see what I thought I should see. But some days, it was fun. As time went on it was more and more satisfying. It isn't anything special that I did. Spin, Body Pump, Body Flow and slight attempts at running are not magic! But there is one thing that made it work over the year. I didn't give myself the option to quit. I didn't give myself the option to not go to the gym (unless I was sick). I didn't give myself the option to not record the calories, even if it was way over goal one day. I made the commitment of one year, and I didn't allow the option of quitting and allowing excuses. My hope was that I would stay positive through it all and I was less successful at that, but still made some strides in that arena. Oh, and hunting was so much more fun this year!

So, my goal is to have another year of commitment and dedication. It isn't about motivation. It is about not having the option to quit. I want to make my goal. I won't give myself any other option except to make that goal. To do that, I don't have the option to not go to the gym, or to not record all of my calories. But this year, I want to stay more positive. I know that there will be the hard times and disappointments, but I have found that I love working out and I do love eating healthier, if for no other reason but to feel better. I WANT to love running. We'll see if that happens, but I'm going to give a good effort to do it, run a 5K, and then I can decide if it is an activity that I can embrace.

I have to be that strict with myself. I know that if I do it, I will make my life healthier and more fit. I like that result!

Laurie: "I am working to maintain the momentum I've started to build, even though I ate too much last night." Yep!!! That's the right way to look at it!!! I love this thought! Clap, clap, clap!!

SkinnyGirl: Mmm! Bloody Mary's! Enjoy your game!

ma26: I agree with Laurie, that at least now you know how easy it can be to gain. Now you can move forward and get back on track!

Carter: The one thing that I can definitely agree with you about is that we must all stay vigilant. But I don't think that's a bad thing. Anything worth having is worth fighting for. If we're honest, it doesn't feel better to slack off. Exercise and eating well may be tedious at times, but what isn't tedious is the strength and good feeling that we have when we are disciplined.

Rhonda: You've got this!! You can do it! Staying off meds is a great motivator! I'm glad that your hubby is on board with you too!! Here's to a great 2015!!