I'm finding myself lurking rather than posting more lately. I'm not sure why. . At any rate, today was my first really good food day in a while. Even though I've been consistently in MFP for the past few weeks, I'm finding myself happy to go over my calories on most days. I've just been hungry at the end of the day and find myself giving in. I'm trying to settle back into the weight loss mode. I think seeing some success soon will help a lot.

I've been to swim practice both Monday and Wednesday - logged over 4 miles in those two evenings (ow). My Fitbit is motivating me to get up and walk more (and more briskly). Food is being logged and even the food scale is back out on the counter. I am on the right track; I just need to keep at it long enough to see some results.

I need to hang out with you ICUwishing! You are doing everything I need to be doing.

In the last month I have dropped 4 pounds. I'm not weighing, measuring, or tracking calories. What I am doing is limiting sugary foods and paying attention to portions. I eat what I want, but no seconds and limited snacking. Also, we go for a walk most days of the week, and I'm using hand weights.

I weigh once a week because any more often gets to my head too much. I start thinking that what I ate the day before is responsible for what I weigh today, and in my experience it doesn't work that way.

I have a long way to go to get back, so any plan has to be one I can sustain indefinitely. My own experience has been that too strict a diet leads to giving up. Now I consider that I could be eating this way forever, so I have to think accordingly.

I went ahead and created a new thread here: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/livi...osing-lot.html

Please join me if you'd like!

I have not exercised this week. I slept like crap on Sunday night and decided at some time during the night to not get up to exercise on Monday morning. I ended up feeling sick most of the day, went home early and went to bed for an hour and then after dinner ended up in bed at 7 PM. I couldn't sleep but I couldn't sit up, either, so the bed was more comfortable. I decided it best not to exercise Tuesday. In thinking about things in the past, when I feel worn down (like I was feeling Monday) I usually come down with something and I don't want to get sick. Getting up at 4 AM to exercise means getting 6 hours (or less) of sleep and that turns into the run down feeling. So I've allowed myself to sleep in until 5 AM all this week. I feel great. I actually lost 2 pounds (which brings me back to pre-holiday weight).

I will go back to exercising in the morning next week. And I'll golf this weekend.

Oh! I'm taking golf lessons!!!

Way to go JayEll. Long term is the key so it sounds like you're doing what is right for you!

Allison-- have you taken golf lessons before?? Dh used to golf. I never have. At some point-- retirement or if we move back to Houston at some point-- he wants me to take up golf. I've never been good at any sport with a ball! He said I would take lessons for sure.... Hope I could at least be decent enough to play with him as it would be nice to have a leisure activity to do together.

Michele~I've golfed off and on for over 30 years and have never had a lesson. Just by the first hour-long (free!) first lesson I can tell this guy knows his stuff! We talked for about 30 minutes and then he had me do some swings and he corrected and changed some things and then more swings. And then he showed me the before and after of what he changed and corrected and I could tell just from that that he has improved my stance! After the first free lesson they cost $50 an hour for as many as I see that I need. I'm afraid, actually, to go golfing tomorrow!

Golf on a regular course is fun, but very time consuming--it can take upwards of 5 to 6 hours. I do enjoy our little par 3 course where we can do 18 holes in under 2.5 hours (unless it's really crowded). Unless we were retired I don't think we'd be able to golf on a regulation course very often.

I just noticed PaperClippy started a new thread and said she would prefer the focus to be on losing larger amounts of weight (over 10 pounds). After all of the discussion we just had, I'm not sure where I really fit in now. Will people keep posting on this thread? I'm new to this community of maintainers and am just trying to figure out the ropes. Advice? I'd truly like to remain in this forum just as it is and not worry about how much people have to lose.

MF, post wherever you like. In any or all threads. If there are any rules, well, that's the main one!

Paperclippy needs a particular thread to move forward. Good. I have no problem with that - especially if she loses that baby weight. Go Jessica!

I remember that Jessica used to have a food thread where she and other people just posted what they ate, for accountability. No chit chat, just food. It worked very well. We also had/have an exercise thread, led by saef but with other posters too. It's currently in abeyance, I think, but will be back shortly.

In brief, things change and things develop. My view is that we'll all benefit, one way or another.

Fairly early here and I'm on the phone so haven't proofed this post. I wanted to send it over to MF before she went to bed! Now off to work. Food packed and a great day of writing awaits. Really looking forward to it.

Thanks Silverbirch! I just wanted to make sure I was posting in the right place. I'm glad to hear that's wherever I want it to be.

Agree with Silverbirch. We are all here to give and receive support, no matter where that is. In over 7 years of maintenance , I'd guess I've been under my redline 4 of those years, where I really want to be 1-2 years, and over my redline the rest of the time. I'm not currently 10 pounds higher than goal, but I was last year at this time. Maintenance for me is never stagnant.

I think I would sum up my maintenance in a similar way. Sh*t happens in life and maintenance shifts with it. Mostly for the better, sometimes for the worse. People get sick, injured, pregnant, discouraged, and their maintenance shifts. People get well, recover from their injures, find the time to cope with having kids AND maintaining/losing weight, their lives improve, and maintenance changes again.

Dagmar (currently looking forward to doing this : again)

I expect my life to change a lot as DD is a senior and off to college next year. I originally adopted my current WOE as a way to tread water until I got through this period, but it has worked out so well that I don't plan on any major changes in approach.

That said, I did pack on a few pounds over Xmas break and I've updated the ticker. I've been 142.X more often than not the past several days and I round up so my ticker is at 143. My rules for ticker movement are 3 consecutive days above/below the next number before I move it (until I get back under the red line).

Oy..I have had sciatic pain for 2 days.It hit me as I got up Friday morning and was so bad that I actually fainted.Luckily I have carpet in the bedroom.I took 800mg advil and 1000 mg tylenol and it subsided enough for me to go to work and open the store.We had a relief pharmacist and I was able to go home.The pain starts in my lower back and radiates down the right leg to the ankle.The leg pain is worse than the back pain.It seems to have let up this morning after taking the pain meds.I am going to grit it and go to work today.Bending hurts,sitting hurts,everything hurts but standing hurts the least.Also my weight this morning is 137.Such is life.