I am looking forward to seeing Sky High - it is all my kids have been talking about lately. Will is studying his sight words for school and his rewards for learning them and learning how to spell them is a trip to the movies. Sky High is the one he wants to see.

It sounds like you are on track with your eating and exercise. You should be proud.

I have really only been piddling. My goal has been to maintain for a while. First of all, I needed the practice of living out of "weight loss" mode. Secondly, I felt like I needed a little time for my mind to catch up with my body. I needed a little time to appreciate how far I've come without having to worry about how much further I have to go. I had planned to take a month off from expecting to lose weight but after two weeks I have become sufficiently displeased with how I look and am motivated to make the changes that need to be made in order to lose another 30 pounds. I believe that giving myself permission to take a break from the emotional rollercoaster caused by wanting the scale to move made a big difference in my overall attitude. It brought back the original gung ho mentality that has gotten me this far. I had really been overthinking the whole process and it really was wearing me out. I know what works for me - around 1500 calories a day and exercising at least a few times a week. I found myself trying to keep up with the Jones' so to speak. Browsing through all of the other forums at 3fc and starting to feel like my plan wasn't as aggressive as it should be compared to other people's. I began overthinking the whole process and became overwhelmed. Anyway, I lost sight of MY goals and what works for ME.

So, here I am at square one. I'm making a fresh start and concentrating on what I need to do - not what anyone else needs to do. I'll still browse the forums and pick up as much information as I can but I will make a conscious effort not to change my plan unless it stops working for me.

We are off to the pool where I hope to get in a few laps. I expect it to be crowded since summer is coming to an end. But, even if there isn't an open lane for full blown swimming I'll should still be able to get a decent workout playing with the kids. If nothing else maybe I can sweat off a pound or two of water! LOL.

Have a great weekend.

Wow, this last week was so busy! My daughter started high school, and her carpool had fallen through, so we had to drive her back and forth. She made it into a cool performing arts school 45 minutes away, so this was quite a time commitment on top of everything else that was going on.

I've been keeping my head above water and feel like I've made a smidge of progress. Thing is, I get a few days of success and find myself sabotaging with "rewards" for doing well. This is such old thinking for me! I really thought I had worked my way out of that cycle.

So, I did some deep digging inside my heart and figured out what was eating me. I'm really stressed about my work situation right now. I love my job, but there are a couple of women there who are just total catty backstabbers, the type who kiss up to you and are all friendly when they want something, then they turn around and do or say nasty things behind your back. I didn't realize how much it was bringing me down until I was looking at my food diary and the days I'm struggling with food are days I'm working. Normally that is the sort of behavior you find on your days off work, when the structure is shifted.

I decided it was bothering me enough to talk to our program director about it. I was afraid that upper management would be feeling poisoned towards me by now because of these women. Anyway, the program director was really great with me and praised me for the way I do my job and work with people he knows are difficult. I felt so relieved! I think I was really starting to worry I would lose my job.

I also talked with a friend who does some mentoring with me about life and writing and my weight loss goals. She reminded me that I need to relax a little bit. School starts up the 29th for me, and I can use some of my downtime between classes to hit the really nice gym on campus. Her suggestion was to focus on my workout as I would any other course; go the same time and plan it into my schedule accordingly. I don't need to be beating myself up right now just because my schedule is tight and it is tough to get to a formal workout. Got to love good friends and good advice!

I've been at work all night because I was filling in for someone else. In other words, my apologies for long-winded, rambling sharing.

I loved reading about you getting back to your own personal basics. It is so easy to get caught up in everyone else's programs and forget what we know works for us. I'm glad a couple of weeks off gave you the perspective you need. Wish we could go swimming. There have been electrical storms every day for 3 weeks now. Soon I'm going to think I moved to the Pacific Northwest in my sleep!

I'd better head off to bed now and get some sleep while I still can. Take care!

Andria

I'm glad you talked to your director, Andria. It sounds like it made a big difference for you. I hope it helps you get back to complete control of you eating habits.

I've been going through something similar. Not stress, but boredom. I don't have any problem keeping my calories in check and making good eating choices when I am busy. Lately, though, we haven't had much going on. Will is back in school and it is so hot that we aren't spending as much time outside, and I'm avoiding some much needed housework. I've caught myself sticking my hand in this bag or that as a way to fell the time instead of getting down to business at home. And, at night, I need to get myself to bed. Once we get the kids tucked in I should go ahead and start getting ready for bed myself. Instead I've been taking a "breather" that turns into boredom, that turns into snacking. Now that I've identified the problem there is no reason not to make a plan and solve it. I haven't done any damage. In fact, I've still lost weight. But, it would be really simple to fall into old habits if I don't address my ATTITUDE right now. So, that is what I am doing.

I need more exercise. I still go in the mornings and get back before anyone else is even up. Lately, though, the kids have been getting up in the middle of the night and coming downstairs. It has gotten bad enough that our sleep habits are suffereing and that makes it soooo hard to pull myself out of bed in the morning. I don't really know what is waking them up. My guess is that with school back in session a complete turnaround of our schedule is disruptive. Hopefully in a week or so we'll fall back into a routine and things will get back to normal. Still, there is no reason I shouldn't be getting to the gym or out for a walk EVERY day - tired or not.

All in all, though, I'm on track and feel good about where I am. I'm anxious to get to goal and have been relishing how healthy I feel. I am looking forward to clothes shopping when the weather is cooler a couple of months from now. I am hoping to be down a size by then. It seems that about 10 pounds is what it takes for me to change sizes so I am shooting for a 1-1.5 pound loss each week. That should be doable even this late in the game. And, if I don't make it I'll just have manage with a couple pairs of jeans and sweaters cause I refuse to spend too much money for clothes I fully intend to be too big to wear soon enough. Luckily, being in the South buys me a decent amount of time before warm clothes are really an issue.

Take care.

Andria, I was wondering if you have ever ventured over to the 100 lb club? I've been reading there for a while and just recently started posting too. I've found a lot of the issues discussed there are very pertinent to my situation. They are all serious about losing weight and living healthier lives and there is the common thread of all of us having large amounts to lose (or lost as the case may be). Anyway, I've found there perspectives are right in line with my own and thought you may want to consider participating there too. Just a thought!

Good idea I had forgotten about checking in there. Used to every once in a while, but the thread I posted to regularly kept me too busy.

You know, with the girls back in school, I'm either bored to tears or running like mad. Either end of the spectrum makes it hard to eat properly. Mostly when I'm bored I forget to eat and then forget what I'm snacking on because I haven't eaten. Thank goodness for food journals! At least when I'm journaling I think twice.

I had to buy clothes yesterday, and it was so frustrating because I wanted to buy the size smaller, but I'm just not there yet. So, I stuck to clearance and got a couple of really cute things as well as great deals. One win for me... I bought a pair of pants that didn't have elastic in the waist! Sometimes it is the small things, huh.

Andria

Yep, the small things make all the difference! An, believe me, I remember EXACTLY how big a deal that first pair of non-elastic pants are. Good for you.

I'm feeling frustrated by clothing too. The stuff I bought in the spring is waaaaay too big but the size down is looseish - too big to buy more of it but I can't fit into the next size down either. And it is going to be a while before I can. I'm not sure exactly what to do at this point. I really just need a day to myself so that I can get out and go bargain shopping. It is just impossible to do with kids in tow. I'll have to talk to DH about that!

Have a great day!