I find that it can be beneficial for me to revisit this exercise from time to time, to remind myself of what I hate about being fat and what my benefits are for losing weight. Feel free to join in and make your own list!

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All I can say about last week is, "ugh, I messed up!"

Don't beat yourself up over it. The important thing is to dust yourself off and get back on track. Each meal, day or week brings a new opportunity.

Below is the "Stats Summary" from the 8-19-18 Weigh-In. Congrats to everyone for their accomplishments.

I've had some ups and downs this week, but I'm determined to end it with a weight loss. Instead of the "no pain, no gain" mantra, I'm using "turn the pain into a weight loss" (i.e. make the pain worth while).

I did have a couple of diet slips. One night, I ate 2 of the Oreo Candy Bars. I did manage to put the brakes on and NOT have a 3rd and to not have another candy bar since that night. I managed to remind myself that I'd regret eating more, that it wasn't worth it and that if I kept eating, I'd just be delaying wt. loss.

So, I can say I had a little success so far this week with abandoning the "all or nothing" logic. I know that that will be key for me in the long run. The ability to have occasional splurges (either planned or unplanned), and recover from it in short order, will be my main key to success. My biggest downfall has been "all or nothing" All can lead to periodic successes, but it isn't sustainable.

I got in 2 days with 8 miles each (volunteer days), but my mileage for the other days has been low. I've gotten in 2 gym workouts this week as well, and plan to go to the gym today. I'd like to be able to spread out my mileage throughout the week. Right now, however, the riding center has been short on volunteers, so hence the 8-mile days.

On Monday, I think I was experiencing some degree of heat exhaustion, after 3 hours of walking in the sun at the horseback riding ctr. I was busy and I neglected to drink enough water. At the end of the last class, I felt like I was going to faint, vomit and needed to find a toilet fast. Luckily, I was able to tie the horse to a post and get in some shade, drink a bottle of water and eat some fruit and was able to avoid crashing. I'd hate to have fainted, while leading a horse.

I've never gotten rid of hot flashes and after a little research, I learned about several factors that can lead to heat exhaustion (lower end of the scale towards heat stroke). Hot flashes can put you at risk, as well as caffine, pain meds like Advil and some prescription meds. Combine multiple things and you can be more vulnerable than the average person. I'm usually good about drinking water, but I'm going to have to be more dilligent about it.

Congratulations Munchey, Fungirl and Gettinfit. You are showing us the way!!!

I feel like I need a restart. I'm amazed at how going away for the weekend can change all your good new habits, DARN! I am not gaining or losing and feel like I am moving more, so with out journaling I am only guessing, but I probably am eating more. My GOAL for next week is to start journaling again and attempt weight lifting at least 2x next week.

or , whatever works best!

Good morning All!

I had a pretty good week and my only off eating was on my birthday (my supervisor got me and ice cream cake from a place that is famous for their ice cream) but I kept it to once slice. My bestie is making dinner for me tonight so I will probably have some off pla food tonight but keeping on plan for the rest of the day. I got a lot of compliments on my bday dress and I felt beautiful on my birthday for the first time in over 25 years. All in all it was a good week. This week I want to focus more on working out...I got a little lax last week. Have a good week everyone!

Everyone is doing so well. I have gained 1 lb since this challenge began. My exercise is going really well and I feel like I'm getting stronger. I met my goal of 30 miles this week so I'm happy about that. I've been focusing a lot on my exercise these past few weeks. This week I'm going to try to focus a bit more on my eating.

I hope everyone has a great week.

Just a 1/2 lb loss this week. My exercise this week was a bit extreme in both directions. Either I got in 7 miles and a trip to the gym, or I was a couch potato (with an energy drain).

My food has been good for most of the day, but I've ended up with a slip in the late evening. My struggle with discomforts continue. If I could just fall asleep and stay asleep. Last night I just couldn't tame arthritis/joint pain. I took extra Advil, went through a couple of rounds of placing wash cloths(soaked in warm water/epsom salts), did a few rounds of massaging the painful areas. Then, I tried some lidocane patches. Finally, I took a little Zanax. It still took about 1.5 hours to get to sleep. Unfortunately, I caved during that time and are some dry Golden Graham cereal. It could have been worse. At least I didn't get into the Oreo Candy Bars.

I need to be more dilligent, in order to make my challenge goal. I have 4 pounds to go to make my challenge goal. If I can lose 1 pound a week for the remainder of the challenge, I can do it.

IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
Need to be more consistent with exercise. I'll volunteer on Monday and Wednesday of next week. There are no lessons for a week after that, so I'll shake things up with some cardio at the gym (to supplement my weight training)

I'll try some new strategies at bedtime. I have misplaced my TENs unit. Got to find that and give it a try. On my high mileage days, I'll try to start taking some Advil earlier in the day (before discomfort strikes). I'll give Benadril a try agin, as it can make me sleepy at times. I've been a bit hesitant to use it, because I suspect that sometimes I can still feel tired from it the next morning.

I'm planning for a better week. Hope everyone has a good week ahead of them!


FLOWER1:
Congrats with your progress with exercise. Feeling stronger is a great accomplishment! Many times, weight loss takes awhile to show up, when you start building muscle.



FUNGIRL28:
Congrats on your 3-lb loss this week! I'm glad you enjoyed your birthday and felt good in that new dress!



WORKINGLIKEADOG:
I hope you enjoyed your weekend away. Being away from home and not having your favorite low-calorie foods can hamper progress. Journaliing can be enlightening. I know that sometimes I have to do a reality check on something I've eaten.

Hi All!

Congrats to everyone on hanging in there!

I like most everyone else in this forum have had some ups and downs since starting this challenge; however, this week was a success with a 2 pound loss since last week’s weigh-in. I was able to run during my lunch break Monday through Friday, although I stumbled a bit on the weekend. It was a very busy weekend and also pretty hot and humid here in the CLE!

Munchey: I think you hit the nail on the head with your thoughts on the “All or Nothing” attitude. That attitude has been a huge stumbling block for me, because it seems like when I mess up (which we all do) I make it harder on myself. I don’t apply that attitude to other aspects of my life, so why this one?

Everybody keep up the good fight!

MOMBIE:
Good job on the 2-lb loss and running during lunch during the week.

That "all or nothing" logic is definitely something we need to be able to coach ourselves on. Our own "inner coach" can mitigate any splurge faster than any alternate means. The challenge is to tap into that resource and reconcile the logic.

Below is the "Stats Summary" from the 8-26-18 Weigh-In. Congrats to everyone for their accomplishments.

I am not on task, with a 1 1/2 pound gain this week, ugh! Not a great week for me. My snacking is to fault. Hoping I can get myself more mentally into losing.

Hope everyone else had a great week!

Hope everyone is having a great long weekend!

I'm going to post now, and then post my weight on the chart after weighing Sunday morning. It hasn't been a great week. I anticipate either staying the same or perhaps being down less than a pound.

Sadly, I had to put my German Shepherd dog, Becca, down this week, at the age of 11.5. She likely was in the end stage of cancer. Thankfully, she enjoyed her life and even had a good morning meal, some treats and we had played a little ball with her basketball before she collapsed.

I took her to a pet emergency hospital. They determined she had fluid around her heart. Her pupils had become unequal. Although the ER doctor said cancer was a possibility, when I spoke with my primary vet later in the day, he was rather certain that there was cancer involved.

My primary vet indicated that I did the right thing to euthanize her. He, also, said that my situation was as good as it could get - meaning that there was a sudden onset of end-stage symptoms. She was being treated for joint problems and skin problems, but not cancer. I guess it was a blessing that she didn't appear to have any significant symptoms associated with cancer.

On my way home from the emergency clinic, I stopped at Sam's Club. Last time I had to put my dog down, I bought a large pizza with extra cheese and lots of toppings and at the whole thing. This time, I stocked up on rotissery chicken, several huge bags of Skinny Pop Popcorn and then a huge multipack of extra soft Kleenex.

My main focus right now is to try and keep busy and NOT binge eat on high calorie sweets and carbs. So far, I've managed to keep thoughts of the Oreo Cookie Candy Bars out of my mind. Right now, I'm stuffing my face with cucumber, mini carrots and salsa. If I continue with "the munchies", after eating a salad, I'll focus on popcorn.

No classes at the riding center until next Saturday. Perhaps I'll get to the park this week and then visit the Wetlands area by the beach. I'll try some at-home exercises as well. I've got to gain better composure before going to the gym. Probably would be a bad idea to work out with sun glasses on.

What a beautiful dog! My deepest condolences for your loss, munchey. Losing a pet is such a heartbreaking sorrow.

I applaud you for your healthy food choices.