Hello all!

Well France was nice. I managed 3 days eating healthily and controlled and like a little

I had 2 "dirt" days, one planned, one not so planned and I ended up eating out of tiredness and boredom and frustration. Ick! I was feeling ever so slim, and my shorts were falling off - however this morning it's a different story Never mind, I'm sure it'll go down! I'm not weighing in till Monday, so I should be able to do some damage limitation over the weekend!

I am making a proper exercise schedule for week commencing Monday to include half-marathon training, weights and kickboxing and some personal-training sessions that I said I'd do with my friend!

Good for you Frus....you always amaze me with your determination and the amount of exercise you manage to accomplish.

I am in a slump myself. My eating is spotty at best. I've been keeping up at breakfast and lunch and trying to keep dinner within limits but I know I've been eating more than I should. Add to that the fact that it is TOM and I haven't been to the gym for 2 weeks and I just feel like a big old piece of crap!!! The scale doesn't show it, but I feel flabby and lazy.

I am going to do quite a bit of walking around New York this weekend which will help me feel better, but I really need to get to the gym. My back has been bothering me for 2 weeks so I've been staying away. I think it may be time to go to the chiropractor and see what I did to it before it gets worse and I sink even further into my big fat slump!

for your poorly back daisi - I know Pilates really REALLY helps my back AND you get all zenned out too!

Sorry you're feeling flabby, do some dumbbell curls with some water bottles or something if you can't face a full gym day!

Isn't it wierd that we're missing the GYM! If someone had told me when I was in high school that I'd actually hate missing the gym now as much as I hated GOING to the gym then... Well I could say that about a lot of things...

Hello all you companions. Now that I am getting closer to goal, it is so frustrating on some days when I don't see what I've grown to be accustomed to - the scale moving by the pound instead of by the quarter. And this week it has been the same quarter, up and down! It's also been TOM so I've been using this as a bandaid for my hurt feelings.

Why do we beat ourselves up instead of looking in the mirror to see how far we've come or putting on those pants that have been tucked way back in the closet from 10-15 yrs ago, and we can finally put them on, wear them, and look good in them - getting compliments of how well we've done? That has been my week: I tried on a size 12P pair of slacks that I wore about 10 years ago after I had lost my "baby" fat and was back at 125 in weight. AND I can wear them beautifully now, but I am beating myself up because of stupid scales!! ugh! <scream>

I know that I look better and feel better due to better food portions / quality and the daily exercise that I've been diligently conforming to habit for the past several weeks. I have a lot to be thankful for and proud of regarding my lifestyle compared to just 6-7 mos ago!

Thanks for letting me vent, just needed to hear it (again) from my lips! Best to all of you over the weekend. Enjoy!

Hello from Alabama my friends!
I'm eating some good and some bad. I did have a nice wee run this morning and ff cottage cheese and berries for breakfast. Yum!
We are having a lovely time!
Be good!

Welcome to the South, Susan!

You girls are all doing soooo much better than me these days! I am really, really struggling. No, let me repharse that. To really struggle, I'd have to be trying. And frankly, I haven't been trying.

I woke up this morning and had to admit that I am off the wagon and have been for a while, despite having each week spotted with days of clean eating, exercise, drive, and determination. I am well on my way to regaining every pound I've worked so hard to lose if I don't change my attitude (complacent) and pull myself together (and out of denial). I feel bad. I don't mean guilty, I mean physically bad - sluggish, bad mood, just blech. It is no surprise as I'm not feeding my body appropriately or moving it as often as I should. I've flat out fallen into bad habits again and "good" days are becoming more and more of a struggle. But here's the thing....

I DO NOT WANT TO GAIN MORE WEIGHT AND I WANT TO FEEL GOOD AGAIN!

I know the first thing I have to do is let go of the past. Having lost 80 pounds before does not make gaining 15 okay. Having gained 15 pounds doesn't mean the end of the world - it is just 15 pounds. I'm alternating between thinking, "Ah, it is just another pound you lost 80 (pat on the back and another fork full of something)." and "You've gained 15 pounds, you've ruined everything now (kick in the butt and another fork full of something)."

You know what? It doesn't matter how much I've lost in the past. It doesn't matter how much I've gained in the past months. What matters is that I weighed 150 (EGADS!) this morning and I want to weigh 120. Period. That is it. That is all that matters. Right? Right.

I have 30 pounds to lose. That is nothing to be intimidated by. I'll take it one pound at a time - and I'll lose every single one of them. (Can you tell I'm fighting mad? LOL).

Good, healthy, fighting mad attitude goes a long way to kicking our tushes out of complacency. Good for you! Now work with it.

You're right. You now have a 30 pound goal removal to work with. You've done 80, so you know it is attainable. Do you journal? This would be a great time to revisit and hear your own words of wisdom and encouragement. If you don't, now would be a great time to start. Maintaining will be just like losing weight in the first place so you might as well start making habits to substain the rest of your life. Remember the chant: one step at a time. At least it should become second nature sooner now.

Look upon this new goal as a new challenge, a fresh start. What did you learn from last time that needs to be carried over and what would you like to try new?

I have this wrote in my current journal for those days that I struggle and put too much thought into instead of determination and muscle: Each morning is a new gift, make the most of it. Each meal is a new choice, decide wisely. Each day is a new road towards your new lifestyle, put one foot in front of the other and make it count!

Now go, Lucky, and just do it!

Thanks!

I do journal. And I've also been reading the posts I made in response to people going through a similar stage. I give pretty good advice - I just have to follow it!

I'll tell you what I've learned. Complacency transitions seamlessly into cockiness. Relaxing my standards a bit and maintaining a while wasn't bad. It was the realization that I wasn't going to gain 15 pounds overnight (and losing the fear that I would) that allowed me to get the cocky, "I won't gain any weight" attitude. Then, before I knew it, there they were. That is okay, live and learn.

Thanks for the encouragement, I really did need it. I've been working all day on my attitude (which is at least 90% of success for me). I am trying very hard to get back into "weight loss mode." I've been content with this weight range for so long that it is difficult to get back into an active weight loss mindset. I've just about gotten my brain wrapped around the fact that it isn't over yet. My goodness, just coming out of denial and admitting that actually have been out of control was HUGE eyeopener. I've thrown myself into several half hearted attempts in the past couple of months but I haven't really dedicated myself like I am trying to do now. To be honest, I feel a lot like I did the day I woke up weighing 214 pounds and thought to myself, "enough is enough." I'm starting to feel those clicks in my brain that snap together when you know you've made up your mind to do something. I'm actually really excited about seeing the scale move down again, something I haven't REALLY cared about for a while now.

I've known since December 26, 2004 that there was no turning back in terms of diet, exercise, and health. I feel good that I haven't had a complete relapse. Certainly, things have gotten more out of hand than I ever intended but I've never let my goal get completely out of sight. I haven't completely turned off the switch like I have in the past. So, while I could have been trying much harder these last few months, I am still proud that I didn't stop trying all together. Now, though, getting to 120 (or the body I want, whichever comes first) is a priority again - and it is at the top of the list.

Good for you. I'm glad those clicks and snaps are happening for ya. That's the furnace in your belly turning on.

And you said something that I will have to put down in today's journal entry: Complacency leads to Cockiness. I think you hit it on the head. For the moment, I have the fear of not being able to keep off the lost weight and without that fear I could really do some serious damage. MUST write that down as a big red light warning. Thanks,

Lucky YOU CAN DO IT - positive thinking is a MUST! Dig out those affirmations in that thread that Ilene started, start writing them down every day, truly live and breathe those goals.

Now I'm off to write down my goals and go kickbox! Have a lovely weekend everyone.

2frus, you are so right about having a positive attitude. Slowly but surely, I'm pulling myself together. With emphasis on "slowly but surely." I think that is so key for me. I've been rereading my posts from this thread and I can see that my hit and miss routine has been because I consider a healthy lifestyle to be, for the most part, my new normal. So, everytime I woke up with a gung ho attitude I expected it to stick without any mental work on my part. The truth is that I've let old habits creep back in to the point that I must address them head on once again. That's okay though.

I've been spending little time before bed visualizing myself at goal, going through old pictures, re-reading journal entries from when I was at my best and comparing how I felt then to how I feel now. It is working. I can feel my attitude shifting back to where it needs to be. I can feel myself wanting to lose weight again and I'm finally ready to do what it takes. I think my half hearted attempts in recent weeks have really been driven by my panic of having gained weight rather than a true desire to reach my goal. Which is another reason my motivation was fleeting. As soon as a couple of pounds would drop off that panic/fear would disappear and I'd fall back into "this can wait" mode.

I'm also trying out new recipes and shaking up my usual menus. I'm realizing that has also been a problem. I wasn't tired of the healthy menus I'd introduced over the past year and a half but I was so accustom to them that I didn't have to put any thought into them either. I need stop flying on auto pilot for a while for the sake of forcing myself to focus on what I'm putting in my mouth. If I change up my menus I'll have to actually stop and think whether or not a handful of almonds or a nibble of chocolate will put me over my calorie limit. As it is, I can pretty much keep a running total in my head and that makes it too easy to justify unecessary munching (Oh, I'll make up for it at dinner). Usually, just the act of having to pull up fitday and check things out is enough to make me think about my actions long enough to make a good choice.

And, now, I'm off to the gym! Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

I had a nice restful day yesterday, we were supposed to go to Cardiff but the coach broke down. By the time a new one would've come to pick us up we would've only been in Cardiff for 2 and a half hours, so we didn't figure it was worth it, so we went back home and lazed around all afternoon.

I've only put on quarter of a pound since France I'm sure that will be gone tomorrow morning, since I've been up at 6am for a fat-burning pre-breakfast run, I've got my gym kit sorted for weights at lunch and I will be teaching kickboxing tonight, so this will be a fun day!

I had a fairly relaxed eating day yesterday, too many sandwiches and a cookie and a small chocolate mousse and half a scone! But it was ok, it was around 2000 kcal, so up to "maintenance" level for a zig-zag day, and I did go out this morning to burn it off!

I'm feeling a little more positive, like I know I will be under 12 stone (168) any day now, I just have to keep plugging away, and I think I will look better the next time I'm at 162, since I KNOW I have more muscles now!

Where's all the featherweights???

I'm up on the scales this morning but I know it's just fluky since I'm exercising more and got a good handle on my eating.

I've been to the gym at lunch for back weights - I did some drop-sets on the lat pulldown machine Very tiring! I'm off to kickboxing tonight too. Lets see if this jogging plus weights plus kickboxing speeds up those scales!

I'm here...and doing well. I'm with you on the scale. After going down 1.5#'s I'm up .5# today despite eating well and being at the gym every day. I've found lately that my weight seems to zig-zag like that for no apparent reason. Two steps forward, one step back. I'm just happy it isn't the other way around.

I don't know where I've found this new dedication but it's definitely there. Now, how do I keep it around for a while?

Keep reviewing those goals, keep imagining your new body. Meditate on how you will feel. Get yourself a good mantra and stick with it.

Good things snowball, eat healthily and exercise, eat healthy and exercise some more and it will keep you feeling great! Also be sure to get plenty of sleep... That's usually what trips me up! Speaking of sleep... Must get some Pepsi!

You can do it, if you don't feel all positive, just fake it