PatchworkPenguin I'm glad the doc says your eyes are in great shape! Glad to hear that the Bible Study went well...

Vjack it's a couple days later since the post about your urge to binge. How are you doing? Hanging in there? Have you thought about just throwing the Pringles away so they can't taunt you?

Marie how are the spaghetti arms and legs? Hopefully back to normal by now! I'm sorry you still weren't well as of yesterday... I hate when things come back around in the late afternoon... I hope today is better. Sorry to hear that the air quality is so bad.

Hydra I'm glad you're feeling better. Were you able to get the callantetics in today?

DMC2009 did the pound stick? Fingers crossed...

GardenerJoy good for you, with all your food planning... I'm sure the pot luck will be fine tonight; enjoy your salad! I went to a new book club last night and ate my healthy dinner before racing out the door to get there. It turns out she had a HUGE spread, and I'm happy to say I only had 2 pieces of cheese and a strawberry. I have a new habit -- wait to take food until the very end (in this case, before we moved into the next room). Or like with a zucchini bread, I won't have any until we are down to the last slice or two. It really helps me with portion control and not allowing a treat to turn into a debacle. Maybe that will help you in some way.

Jasmine WTG on the 10K yesterday!! How are your legs feeling today?

CanadaMel Glad to hear that all is well; thanks for checking in!

ICUWishing it sounds like quite a week! The new avatar is, um, interesting....... but I'm looking forward to seeing your smiling face again, especially since it will hopefully indicate that your rough sailing has passed...

CruiseCAT patience with the knee... give it time...

WeightlossWanted I hope you had a nice guilt-free lunch today!

Here, I'm doing well. I haven't gone below my 160.7 low, but this morning I was at 161.0, so I'm considering it normal fluctuation for now...

I live just outside of Pittsburgh, and you may know that the G-20 is being hosted here. Last night I saw an enormous military transport helicopter flying very low and slowly over my neighborhood -- I figured it was getting ready to land at a helipad in the next town over that is probably pretty close as the crow flies. What a weird thing to see over your house!

I don't think the pound is going to stick. I am so bummed. Last night was soooo stressfull, I had so much to do and things that weren't planned turned up as well.

Finally, when the night calmed down, I ate two chocolate chip cookies, some cheese puff thingys and some chocolate graham crackers. OMGosh. A total bing.

Not feeling very good about it today, but still walking and so far back on plan today.

Can one binge really wreck it all?

No, DMC2009 one binge can't wreck it all... only if you let it, which clearly you won't. All you've got to do is dust yourself and start again, which you have done.

You've stayed on plan today so far -- make a commitment right now that you will stay on plan, all day. Just do it. You know you can. We're here for you!

I am back on track, today I have logged already 6000 plus miles. I put on a ped. today to see, and I do the same thing all the time, I think I must put at least 10,000 on my ped every day!

So maybe the damage wasn't so bad, but it was the action. I just can't understand those feelings and that binging. But... I am sure it could have been worse.

Okay, new leaf, thanks for the support, I am back on track.

I just know then next 12 weeks are going to be hard because of this new class I am taking. Very stressfull, top it off with my DD homework I have to help with. gahahhahahahah

One thing, my clothes are def. looser than when I first started!

Hi everyone!
I love this forum! I didn't have a chance to check in yesterday...was such a crazy day at work---started at 7:00 and didn't get out until 5:30...plus lots of trekking back and forth to meetings in different buildings---I was one tired woman when I got home.
So..thought I'd check in..
ICU-solitude is great -for a while--but I am definitely thinking I'll need to do something to fill up my time, especially when winter comes. I am not "crafty" like some of you are with the jewelry and kitting. My daughter and I have been talking about taking a class, though, so I'll have something to fill my nights.
Newleaf--can you believe I didn't binge? I almost couldn't believe it myself. I counted out the 14 pringles and then put the container away. I had a grazing kind of dinner...but it worked and I stayed within points. Thank you so much for checking in.

I've stayed off the scale this week-waiting til my WW weigh in on Saturday to see how I do. Have been following the program, so am hoping for good news. I know I'm feeling good about how I'm eating- so that's a great thing.

DMC: your mileage is impressive..how long did it take? I am still trying to get motivated to exercise. Although I know I'll feel better, I am achy alot so it's REALLY challenging for me to get moving. You said you were wondering what triggered the "binge" you had--it may sound kind of silly, but I'm wondering if the cc cookie was crispy. I noticed your other food selections were. Usually when I'm stressed, I find that I have a craving for crunchy stuff...wonder if it has something to do with releasing built-up tension from the stress?? You've got me thinkin!

Lunch was good, I ordered pan steamed mussels w/ garlic, spinach and tomatoes over linguine. No sauce other then the broth. I only ate one mouthful of the linguine...ate most of the mussels and picked out the tomatoes and spinach, what little there was. Then on to pt where they worked my butt off-they put me on a bike and an "arm bike". Talk about spaghetti arms and legs, and that was just the warmup! Followed by a free, very small oreo ice cream sandwich at carvel. My scale was waiting for me when I got home, though it wasn't supposed to get here until the 26th. It seems like every time I whine y'all send me positive vibes! And if it was right I've lost more weight, .6 lbs fully clothed and with shoes on! I'll have to compare it to what the scale at the gym says tomorrow just to be sure. I'm thinking I'm on the right track though, lately I've been craving things like cranberries and walnuts in my oatmeal, and a bowl of cheerios for a snack.

That's awesome, WeightlossWanted. The lunch sounds delicious, and awesome news about the weight loss! I weighed myself immediately before my dr's appointment, and then immediately when I got there (so no time for fluctuations), and the two scales were in sync. Hopefully you will see the same result.

Good job, Vjack on the Pringles. Fortunately, I think they taste like styrofoam, so no temptation there. But tonight after the boys went to bed, I wanted some cookies, so I had 3. I told myself that having 3 did not give me permission to finish the entire cookie jar. And it worked. I *wanted* to keep going, but I didn't. Baby steps, right?

Good morning! Toady is going to be a great day! The scale has been very unkind to me the last few weeks. I have seen everything from 180 - 186, seemed to settle at 183 until today. I have made a strong effort to journal what I am eating and I am eliminating some of the carbs (very hard for me). Yesterday I was back to 180 and today I am at 179. Glad to be back in the game. What really amazed me was how I felt at 186, about the same as I felt at 235 or 240, disgusted. I guess that's a good thing because I am so motivated to never go back there!

This week has been extremely long for me. Since we were out of town last weekend, I feel as if I haven't had a break in 2 weeks. DD's hectic schedule is working out fine with the aid of carpooling! I would not let her do so much if I had to do all of the driving. As soon as the time changes, we will eliminate soccer practice and after November it will be only swimming.

Again, I want all of you to know how much I appreciate all of your posts. I know it is a huge motivator for me, you guys are the best. I promise to spend some time on personals after school. Hope everyone has a great day!

Marie: hope you're feeling better after getting DS's cold for his birthday and dealing with wildfire smoke

patchworkpenguin: Yay for your Bible Study going well. I'm an introvert, too, and I've been amazed at the things I'm willing to do now that I'm over 40. A little more confidence and a little less self-conscious and I happily give presentations, lead workshops, and otherwise act like performing isn't the scariest thing in the world. It's a big surprise.

newleaf123: excellent idea about waiting to the end to take things from food spreads, that will definitely prevent repeats of some of my past debacles. Hope your experience with G-20 is a series of interesting events, but not too intrusive!

dmc2009: I agree with newleaf, one binge is not the end. You can't fail if you don't quit! Is there any way you can plot a strategy that will help you on class nights -- fixing extra food on Sundays so you have pre-prepared meals in the fridge or freezer perhaps? And congrats on the looser clothes!

vjack: great observation about the crispy foods. I've been reading lots of books lately and at least a couple have mentioned that as a trigger for some people. The standard advice is carrots or celery -- pre-prepped so that they are easy to grab. My mother used to keep carrots in ice water which was supposed to make them even crispier.
Just a little encouragement to take a short walk -- 5 or 10 minutes to start. Regular exercise has really helped my achiness! I started with 10 minute walks and gradually added to them.

Onmyway: yay for getting out of the 180s! Hope you get some down time this weekend.

The potluck supper last night ended up being easy -- everyone brought salads!

Hi, everyone! I think the worst is over ... survived to Friday, and now office politics has essentially canceled the training I was supposed to do tonight. The weather has rearranged the canoeing plans - now it's just one day, so I can get it together and actually have one full day to myself this weekend. Next week will still be a bit nutso with H working overtime, but nothing on the level that this last week was. Whew. Best thing I can say is that I got through it.

I'm a crunchy-muncher too - I dearly love the potato chips (crunchy/salty) and pretzels. Once I figured out that's what it was, I found out I can derail it with celery dipped in hot salsa. MUCH less damage. Popcorn with Tabasco can do it too.

OMW - yes, I've noticed that my threshold is dropping right along with my weight. I guess it's a good thing - I cannot remember the last time that I was freaked out by the thought of going over 155! I sincerely hope to be able to feel the same way about 150 sometime this fall!

vjack - sounds like you're doing just fine! The technique of dosing out the food and then removing the container from sight has helped me with learning portion control - especially with the bugaboo of another crunchy/salty --- NUTS.

dmc - nope, no single binge wrecks it all. You can eat stuff that might cost you a few pounds of water weight for a few days, but just imagine how awful it would be to sit down and eat 3500 calories in one sitting! Not likely. Not for regular folks. And if you do, we even have a forum for that - Chicks In Control. I spent quite a bit of time over there early in the year. When I was a competitive swimmer in high school, it was TYPICAL for me to eat 12,000 a day during the season. But I don't swim 4 1/2 hours a day any more, so a plate of spaghetti piled 3" high doesn't work, and a tummy that learned how to like being filled to the brim doesn't either. Fear not - just keep doing what you know will work, and DON'T allow yourself to get negative! There is NO value in it!

newleaf - I see you teasing the 150's there! I'll be curious to hear if seeing the first 5 on the scale is as emotional for you as it was for me - there was something about that 5 that was a true thrill.

wlw - you are doing so well! It is fun when the tastebuds start to realign. There are so many wonderful natural flavors out there - stuff that's better than anything that can be "built" in a laboratory.

TGIF!!!!

ICUWishing, not quite teasing yet, I haven't really seen the scale give a second thought to flashing up the 16_ yet... But hopefully soon!

Today I got on my bike and did a fantastic bike ride. It is very hilly where I live, and the hills intimidate me. You can't go 1/4 mile in any direction without having to climb a huge hill. But the weather was perfect and I decided to give it a try. Plotted out my route and took off. It was definitely difficult in spots, but not once did I need to (or even think about) get off and walk the bike. This felt like a huge accomplishment.

Hey gang! I have been really busy at work the past few days and I am on call for any problems this weekend. So I will be stuck around the house or not far from it all weekend.

Good thing I got my jewelry making stuff out. I have plenty of supplies to make several pieces. I work with silver wire and make simple silver wire and beaded earrings (I am allergic to gold and it breaks my skin out something fierce, can't work with it at all). I also like to make small, medium and long beaded necklaces (depending on what I or the person wants to wear) using semi-precious stones and colorful glass beads. I will also make the occasional bracelet or anklet after getting a person's measurements.

Hello everyone. I would really like to join your group, if it's not to late.

Last summer I lost 30 lbs when I started running and eating healthy. I gained 8 lbs back since Christmas when my mom passed away unexpectedly. When she passed, I gave up hope in myself as well as my running. This summer I have started on my journey again to lose my extra weight, get healthy, and renew my love of running. I sure could use the motivation and support from you wonderful people.

Welcome Wyndymoon. Of course it's not too late, jump right in! Congratulations on your 22 lbs, and I'm so sorry to hear about your mother...

Welcome to our new members; it's NEVER to late to make a change (that is as long as you are still breathing).

Gonna be another hot one here. No hiking this weekend but we are going to take a couple of the pups to the park for a walk. My knee is still not right and I have decided that if it's not better next week I will get it x-rayed.

ICU - Popcorn with tabasco sounds yummy.... I'll have to try it.