No, I'm here! I just don't always think to update and haven't had much to report. But I did finally break the plateau, so yeah for that!

School started back yesterday. We had staff meetings today and no lie, I think every single teacher approached me about my weight loss. And would you believe they all thought I lost all 70 pounds over the Summer? I only lost about 15 for the whole summer! LOL! But it was really nice just the same.

Ninepaw, the scale was heading in upward direction right? Or stalling? My body does that too. Suddenly it just releases all the water. I hit a low and then inevitably the scale bounces up a bit again. Those drops are so exciting!

Terapet, 140's! Unreal. Doesn't it just feel unreal? I was thinking about that the other day. For me, 160's are beautiful, 150's really never entered my mind as possible and 140's are like a dream! I don't know. I expected all the other decades, but 160's and below are just pure excitement.

How awesome that your fellow staff members noticed your loss! Definitlely a great moment when other people make positive comments!

Yeah, my scale was doing some funky things there for a little bit, so I guess the drop off shouldn't be that surprising... Still though. Super exciting!!!

Diana-Hooray for the incredible shrinking number on the scale! What a great way to start back to school.

Eliana-I have just started getting comments on my weight loss. Especially at the Y. I love it, although I realize it is a risk for people. I've had people get mildly offended when I commented on how great they look so I usually avoid it. ("What, I looked terrible before?") I am so glad you busted into the 160's I feel the same way as you about these foreign numbers on my scale. It is a bit unreal, but terrific. Especially the shopping. It used to be just an exercise in futility, now it is so much fun, probably too much fun! It is just there are such incredible clearance sales right now. Of course, that is about over now so back to being good. Although I only have one pair of 5 year old jeans in size 10 that I think I only bought as an incentive!

230 stuck around to be recorded on my official weigh day! So now my tickers have been moved and I am so excited to see I'm already halfway to my next mini goal of 225. I'm just one pound away from the goal for this challenge. In 9 pounds, I will be halfway to my overall goal! This. Is. Crazy!!!

Diana-Not crazy at all. You have taken on a healthy lifestyle and this is the reward. Good for you girl!

My weight has rebelled against me a little after losing a pound a day for a few days. After hanging out at 230 for two days, I've now been back at 231 for two days! Silly silly silly. I'm not really all that concerned. Things will get moving again and I'll be at 229 in no time!!!

Wow Diana, can you believe it? I am hoping to really get to 149 soon. I have seen 149.5 on the scale but it always goes back up. Today was 151! I am trying to eat right though so hopefully soon.

My size 10 clothes pretty much fit now. One pair of skinny denim capri's are still pretty tight but I can get them on. Tonight I am going out with the family to Red Lobster for my oldest son's birthday. It will be kinda tough not to go over on calories today but I have 1000 available for dinner so I just have to make some choices. There is cake and ice cream here too so I don't know yet how I am going to do it. If I want to be able to wear the size tens there can be no compromising.

We're both just so darn close to our next decades!!! Eeeek! Definitely exciting stuff! This journey is a long and crazy one... I'm so glad I had this challenge to really give me a jump start!

I did not do so well last night or today for that matter. Hopefully I will do better this week since obviously I cannot just eat whatever I want everyday. I know where that will get me.

This is it. Pretty much the last week. Can you believe it? I am not sure I am going to make my actual goal especially with the trip next weekend but I am not worried about it. I will try my best to calorie save this week but it doesn't really matter. I am so very pleased with losing twenty pounds but more importantly just being successful at changing my destructive eating habits. I am grateful for everyone's encouragement over the summer and especially Diana's. You have such a jovial spirit. It has been a great experience.

We really are right on top of this, aren't we?? 10 days until September first... Absolutely insane! I really have found the support in this thread to be really, truly valuable to my success. Terapet, I'm definitely happy that you've stuck in here through the end with me! It's been one heck of a summer, hasn't it??

As for goals... I actually saw 229 on my scale this morning! Only time will tell if I'll get to really record that on Wednesday, but my goodness I was excited when that lit up on my scale!!! That was my goal.. 229, 20 pounds lost over the last few months(whenever I jumped in here...). I can't believe I actually made it here! Truly amazing to me how far we've come!

Well, you're coming into the home stretch, and it looks like we have a couple winners! You did fantastic and I'm so happy for you!

I didn't come anywhere close to my goal. But as far as inches and sizes, I'm a happy girl, so it's all good.

And last week a friend of my mother paid me a very funny compliment. I ran into her at Wal*Mart and she came up from behind me and after we chatted for a few minutes she said, "I was following you and thinking how amazing your butt looks!" Yeah, she's one of those people who really doesn't censor what she says.

Pshhhh, censoring what you say is SO overrated sometimes! That's fantastic though! Progress is progress, no matter how you spin it. I'm sure you're scale will wake up... Eventually!

Speaking of scales, mine popped back to 230 this morning. Jerkface! Nah, it's really no big deal... But I would like to see thatn umber again for my official weigh in on Wednesday again! Just sayin'!

I hit 149.5 for real today. WooHoo! Time to change the ticker.

Rochester-Awesome compliment. At least you know it is sincere. All your running is paying off big time.

Diana-that 229 will be here to stay anytime now. (Hopefully tomorrow!)

I have been REALLY bad about posting on this forum, and for that I am really sorry. I was looking at the goal I set originally and where I am now, and a tad disappointed, but not shocked at all that I wont make it. I am now 146, and wanted to be 135. If I keep losing as I have, I will be about 144 come september 1. I guess 9 pounds off is not too shabby, especially since it still comes to a 23 pound weight loss since mid May. Honestly, I feel fantastic at my current weight. In 3 small pounds I will no longer be obese, which is a huge feat, since my initial start weight of 197 was morbid obese. Of course, the weight is coming off much slower now. I still average about 1.4 pounds per week, but its not quite the same as the 2+ per week I was losing previously. I have become so accustomed to my current way of eating, that sometimes I find myself having to find calories to make sure my intake is not too low, and when looking at my fitday, I find myself looking at my totals and thinking, "that simply cannot be all I have eaten." It's not that I'm starving myself by any means, but I have gotten so good at making HUGE meals that are low in calories, that I can feel on the verge of being stuffed, and only have eaten 350 calories. Seriously, it is amazing how big a bowl of veggies with some chicken breast hunks I can have and hardly have eaten any calories. I really do feel as though I have completely changed my lifestyle and my way of looking at food through all this, and that, of course, is the ultimate goal. I did my biweekly trying on of the clothes in the bottom drawer this morning, and found that every single pair of 12s I have now fit (with some even being a bit too baggy) and 2 pairs of my 10s now fit me well enough to actually be seen in them. The other 10s I can put on..but well..you guys know the look.

Now its on to the 8s.
To all who are going to make their challenge goal, BRAVO!!! and to those who didnt, any loss is a win, and keep on plugging away!