just keep swimming, sasha12, KenzideRhae Thanks for the welcomes!

sasha12 I totally understand the slow progress, it's so frustrating! I'm only a few weeks in to adding cardio to my routine, and liking the results. I'm still not in love with the gym, but calorie-reduction and weights alone had me stalled.

Yesterday's self-loathing over the party may have been premature: 158.0 this morning, with a little blip to 157.8! Even better, I can fit the gym in my schedule today. Too bad it's the last day my gym is open until after new years

Good luck everyone!

I'm glad that this week is over for me! It has been crazy busy with lots of eating involved. I'm glad to see it pass! I hope I can atleast maintain while on vacation coming up! I'm nervous! I was unable to get to the gym fri-sun so I think I may need to get in some extra workouts this week before we fly out on Friday!

I hope everyone is doing great and looking for to Christmas (those who celebrate it)

Hello everyone! I've been lurking for a while... Everyone looks terrific! Thought I'd jump on this bandwagon-- since I'm now officially in the 140s. Yayyy! Haven't been under 150 in years! It feels great.

I hope to see a whoosh soon. Maybe I will, maybe I won't, but I'm feeling pretty good about my food and exercise.

Sometimes it's hard to eat right around friends, though. It gets tricky... I've managed to do it so far. And turning down alcohol is HORRIBLE. I love alcohol...

I haven't had a whole drink since July, though. It wreaks havoc with my weight, and until I'm prepared to deal with the fluctuations, I'm not doing it.

But then my alcohol tolerance has always been about 0, so even when I drank a LOT more, I'd be buzzed after the first drink (sometimes less). Lol! So now, even with half a drink I can get a buzz.
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KenzideRhae: Yeah, people don't always react well when I tell them I'm still losing weight now. That's seemed to be a good way to handle it, though - just kinda brush it off and switch subjects. And it's good you emphasized a healthy weight (but yeah, I never tell them if I'm thinking of lowering it; don't want any aneurisms! lol). Friends can get a little pushy - you handled it well!

oddreee: Welcome to the thread! And congrats on your loss so far!

Ah I plan on staying away from the booze after New Year (at least on week days). It is hard though. I live in a college town and my favorite pub is literally on the other side of the wall of my apartment. To get there I only have to jump to the next stoop.

I've been staying away from the bar though which keeps me away from sugary drinks. Me and the boy will have friends over occasionally to play cards and have drinks but other than that I've been being pretty good. I do miss going out and dancing part, but it is impossible to dance off too many sugary mix drinks within one night.

from the box, how weird that your gym closes for a whole 2 weeks! that seems random to me, but yay that your getting one last workout in!

linds, holidays are brutal, eh? are you going to be off plan for your cruise, or are you going to try to be good? eeeee, I always find that so difficult on vacation!

oddree, lurkers welcome!! congrats on the 140s

lianna, aaaahhh yes, alcohol. dreaded alcohol. I read the other day that your body literally stops metabolizing anything else so it can attack the alcohol and get it outta your system. so, if you were burning up fat a min ago, and then took a swig of merlot, you are no longer burning fat, your fat is sitting around while you’re burning off alcohol. wwwwhhhhhhhyyyyy when drinks are so tasty and a little buzz is so fun??? i can’t believe you haven’t had a drink since july. that’s incredible willpower, missy!

shasha12 I can totally understand being jealous, but I really don't know why people have to be so mean about it. I've had other friends who have told me they were jealous, but then they also asked for advice and help on starting out their own weight loss, so it's totally possible to express that emotion without being rude about it.

fromthebox That sucks that your gym closes for so long! Working out in your house is just as good, though.

LindsB I'm sure you'll do just fine! Have fun on your vacation.

oddreee Welcome! Yay for 140s

LiannaKole If you're doing well then that's what matters, the scale will catch up eventually. And you have so much more willpower than me haha. If I'm at a party with alcohol, I will drink it. But I'm more zen about the fluctuations, so it's all chill.

Most of my friends and family are super supportive and nice about me losing weight, and some even ask for help with their own weight loss and stuff, but every now and then some people have totally opposite reactions. Which sucks, but what can you do, really? I just try to be as nice about it as possible, because I don't want to be that girl that's all rude about her weight loss (even though sometimes I think I'd be totally justified XD).

iiholly You could try just going to a dance club and not drinking. I know some of the clubs here are 18+, so not everyone is drinking and you wouldn't feel left out or whatever. That sucks having your favourite pub so close, though! Good luck.

So, the reason my gym closes is 'cause the employees and most of the members are students and go away over break. Leaves those of us who have to work over break high-and-dry, but in the long term it's a OK trade for the free membership through work.

The hardest part will be not over-doing the food, since I'm used to eating as if I'm doing 45min of cardio, and I can't get that in once the fam shows up (or right now, since it is epic-raining here)

149.9 this morning! *just* out of the 150s!! Sorry to stop by so briefly!

fromthebox - Im a little late on the welcome but welcome!

KenzideRhae - you are one busy bee with all the parties!! But oh my gosh I always overdo it on jalapenos when they are involved lol. I overdo it on anything that is spicy though.

LindsB - enjoy your vacation!!!

oddreee - welcome! And congrats on making it into the 140's! Super exciting

LiannaKole - Oh my goodness I could never give up alcohol lol. I mean I no longer drink like I used to in college so its tremendously subsided, but I cant give it up completely

rainbowstripe - congrats on making it down to the 140s!!! You are breezing by )

sasha12 - yeah, I think bigger losses are more encouraging and they definitely make me more excited about doing the weight loss the right way. But man when I first started exercising, I didn't lose more than a pound or 2 for the first two months! Talk about discouraging. But eventually it started coming off a bit and now I'm stalling again lol. So if you need a stalling friend, I am definitely it!


My little update - no changes for me, ive been teetering from 157 to 156 and back so I doubt I will make my goal for Christmas. I should be getting TOM by the end of this week so with any luck I'll have a whoosh afterward )

I'm totally stalled! I cannot seem to fully let go of 148!!!!!!!!!

Rainbow- You are doing awesome! Tell me tricks/tips/secrets! I am dying over here!

Shasha- I am planning to "maintain" to the best of my ability while I'm there. I would to some how miraculously lose a pound, but I'm not entirely sure that can happen with unlimited drinks and gormet food constantly! I am just going to try to keep it reasonable and not over do it!

I am totally stalled...I guess once I get back from the trip it is back to writing down all my calories. I seem to have the maintence thing down no problem lol!

151 this morning! weeks at 153 finally conquered. Must've been all those christmas cookies at work that I stared in the face and refused. Anger burns more calories, perhaps.

I hear all of you on the New Year's/ Drinking issue. Gotta reign it in, party girl, is what I tell myself. Hard to do but .... but worth it not to spend the first day of 2011 in bed with the shades drawn sipping gatorade and poppind advil.
If only I channeled that energy in my early 20's....

LiLLy19 - thanks for the welcome!

157.6 this morning, Yay! for breaking 158, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm falling behind. Three more nights of graveyard shift, and I can go back to normal. Anyone else gain like crazy on graveyards?

Mini goal: break into 156.aything by 12/24 (last access to my scale until 12/27)

LiLLy Thanks!!

Linds Seriously, no tips or tricks.. just counting calories religiously. I haven't even been exercising that much in the past couple of weeks. I also haven't been getting my calories in the best places all the time.. I'm expecting a serious stall/possible slight gain over Christmas/ New Year, but I'm attempting to maintain...

Oy. I was at 144.6 yesterday and today (yay!), and then tonight I ate out with friends. I accounted for it, saving 3/4 of my calories for it (couldn't actually count them as the restaurant doesn't have nutrition info available online).

And then I slipped and ate like 3 desserts - they weren't big, just like little snacky things from Korea. Delicious! But I probably blew like 500 cals on the 3 of them. ~sigh~ I didn't eat enough to gain a pound, but it was all salty and sweet. So, my weight will be up tomorrow. Grrr.