Betsy, I am with you on the mind games. Let's use them to our advantage. I also want to lose as much as possible before the new year and then start with a new goal. Today I feel optimistic again and it feels good! The sun is shinning and that does help!

Ubee No, I haven't gotten around to Lotte Berk yet, but since I can't go swimming today I may bust it out tonight!

Betsey you aren't missing much it's a rather ridiculous "dance" and a lousy workout!

It's been -40 for a week now, and I've never had any issues with my vehicle, but today it wouldn't start. I thought I heard it fire up when I hit my clicker this morning, so I didn't realize until I had to be at work in ten minutes that it wasn't running. So I had to walk. I was dressed warmly, but man do I wish I'd had ski pants! My legs were about froze by the time I got here! I don't live very far though.

I'm fostering a cat starting tonight. I really don't have room, and I have way too many animals (two guinea pigs and a dog) in the small space I have, but our humane society is beyond capacity and the person that found her can't keep her. I couldn't bear to let her end up out in the cold Maybe when it warms up I can take her out to my mom's or my brother's and she can be a barn cat.

So first day I weigh my self after I started.. Started at 325 with new doctor then a month went by and that is when he put me on a diet, I was 322.8, and now a week later on this diet I am at 321.4 I soooo expected a bigger weight loss but guess better than gaining.. going to keep up the work.. know i did not put this weight on in a week so gonna keep on trucking.... atleast I am headed in right direction.

Robin— Good for you on your weight loss! Try not to be discouraged that it wasn't as much as you hoped for: that happens to all of us, believe me. As you said, keep on trucking! By the way, you can call me Fi (pronounced "fee").

I'm hanging in here after a very rough weekend, depression-wise. I got in touch with my shrink, and we both agree that going off the Effexor wasn't a good idea, so back up some more on that med and hoping for the best. I had a small cup of my husband's muesli to help me sleep last night, but that doesn't count as emotional/binge-type eating. He's being really sweet to me. Right now he's gone out grocery shopping for me since I needed seltzer and cream and the kind of turkey lunch meat I like. I'm really tired from all the depression pain. Last night he made me an omelet with smoked salmon and onions—almost as good as a bagel.

Thanks Fi, and it is always nice to have a better half at home looking out for us. I too have a wonderful husband who is very supportive, no matter what I do.. I will keep up the good thoughts and work.... My husband has made me the best bulgar wheat salad the last two days... man it is good... and of course he cooks every night as well... he has always cooked pretty healthy but now has gone to extremes to help me and my weight. Thanks again... talk soon.

Hey All!

I have been catching up on this thread.

I noticed that Ubee and I think notmymama commented on how only people who have been large can relate to having a goal of fitting in chairs/booths etc. I can relate to this. I take public transit almost daily and have osteoarthritis of the knees I sit whenever possible however transit is often busy and so the bus/subway/streetcar has standing room only. I used to stand so as to not inconvenience anyone with my 'large body' but I read some article in a local newspaper that changed my thinking. I will not apologise for the size of my hips, arms etc. I am always considerate but when I sit in an empty two person sit I do not turn sideways or squish myself. I take up the space I take up and if someone thinks they can fit beside me go for it but I will hurt my shoulder etc. by scrunching to the wall. But being smaller would get me more seats on transit. That is a goal.

Fi I see my therapist tomorrow, she is a psychiatrist.

I lost 1.8 this week and that is huge for me as the scale has been the same for three weeks. I saw an endocrinologist today and he suspects my thyroid medication is too low. I see him again in two weeks where he will examine my lab results. I still don't know if I have to do radiation iodine therapy. He said the size of my cancer masses was less then 1 cm. (there were 2) and usually this means I don't need further treatment as my thyroid was removed. However he says my results show I have a variance of cancer that is more aggressive then normal but wants to consult with a second pathology team????? So now I wait for another appointment to figure this out. I was calm but now my anxiety is slowly building. Good thing I see my therapist tomorrow.

I had a good day of eating and I plan to finally get back to the pool tomorrow. I will be happy if I can maintain this weight for the month. Well maybe another pound or two down would be good too.

I just finished an earl grey tea and I can smell my lovely Christmas tree. I need to finish Christmas shopping this week and get my cards out. I have a brunch on Saturday and a possible lunch on Sunday.

Good night.

Hi all. I thought I should end my stalking and post properly. I just want to say you are all so inspiring and you have helped me with tough dieting times! I have been doing this dieting business for so long now (apart from the last 4 years when I basically gave up on myself...) but I feel I'm back in control now and it's been with your help!! I know that we are not perfect, but when I read your comments I think "gosh, that's me" and I see your strength to carry on and it rubs off a bit on me. I hope this makes some kind of sense.
Pluckypear, you are really amazing. I haven't got my Christmas cards done yet (should be doing them now lol) nor my shopping, and I have no worries like yours. I guess the seeking of a second opinion by your doc
is a good thing really. You want to get this treatment right.
Hey Radiojane, hope the cat fostering goes well. I love cats! I need to lose weight so I can become an old cat lady!
Best wishes to you all for a good day.

moominmomma.....another Brit hi I am in Wales.
Ooops. After my surgery I was doing so well that I started focus on exercise and healthy eating again. And guess what? Due to my everpresent "all or nothing" psyche I did far too much and was left in pain and exhausted and developed a chest infection!
When will I EVER learn?? Any way I feel better now and have managed to persuade hubby that I am safe to be let loose with the dog......under strict orders to build up slowly!!! My mood took a dive ( I am bipolar) and I don't need to tell you ladies how mood and diet/exercise work!
Plucky pear I am full of admiration for you being able to focus on things other than your health......please take care of your self.
I consider myself very blessed at this time of year as I don't drink alcohol and loathe mince pies and christmas cake! We are also pretty broke after moving house so are keeping luxuries to a minimum!
Take it easy ladies.
Hwyl Fawr ( it means good bye in Welsh!)

Good morning!
Jane, you may want to consider moving to Cancun. Good for you for giving kitty a warm home. I am glad I am not the only sucker out there! Just kidding. I love my furball.
notmymoma, good attitude and good job on the weightloss!
Fi, your omelete sounds way better then a bagel. I'm glad your husband is so good to you. Thanks for posting.
Andrea, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I think you are doing amazing keeping your food inline under all the stress. The transit seat is a very good goal that we all can relate to. This summer was the first time I did not worry about breaking lawn chairs. I can not tell you how good it felt! I notice you take the time to enjoy the true things in life, the smell of your tree, a good cup of tea, this is a leason I will take with me for the day.
Welcome, moominmamma! Coming out of lurking is a big and important step! So glad you feel ready to join us! Yes, it does make sense that reading and posting on here makes us stronger. I love how you want to lose weight so you can live long enough to be a crazy old cat lady.
mountainwalker, nice to see you! Many of us have that all or nothing thinking. Glad you are on the mend and taking baby steps to avoid illness/burnout.
Yesterday I did great with my food until I had a high calorie second supper. My daughter had some behaviors last night so I used that as an excuse to stress eat. Today is a new day and I just know I am going to take another chunk off. I just know it!
How is everyone doing?

Good Morning!

I am having my second cup of delicious coffee and can see sunshine streaming through the blinds. That is a good sign. The sidewalks were slippery yesterday and I have to walk to get errands done and go to appointments today. I don't mind walking in snow but slush and ice scare me ever since I broke my arm a few days ago.

My DH is at the Dr. and I am waiting to see how it goes. This is a new Dr. and DH will likely have to get his gallbladder removed. He had episodes that landed him in emergency two months and although no stones showed up in the ultrasound and tests they suspected there was one stuck in the neck of the gallbladder. He would have had emergency surgery but his OHIP (Ontario health insurance) had not kicked in yet so after being stabilized he came home. My DH is an American citizen but we married and after getting permanent residency he had to wait 3 months to get our provincial health insurance. He has kept all symptoms at bay with diet alone but he is losing weight and he does not need to lose weight.

I have an appointment with my therapist today and then will get some xmas shopping done, hope to finish it today.

Welcome moominmamma

Ubee I can relate to stress eating for sure.

Thanks all for your well wishes. I feel positive about my health outcomes. The worst is waiting. I think I will end up insisting I have the treatment as it is common practice anyway and my research finds any risks of therapy outweighs the benefits.

So I did it.. I hit my first mini goal. 10lbs (13lbs altogether!)

Fi- I’m currently going to school to be a Social Worker so I’m at a Domestic Violence Shelter. (Currently on break till Jan 6th). IT’s very awesome to work with people and help them with everything that they need help with. I love my internship and I miss it!

Just got a job at Wendy’s and someone on here mentioned that I wouldn’t want to eat the stuff anymore they are correct! I see how it’s made and really don’t want it anymore. Lol although it still smells good when I’m there. I’m sure that will change the longer I am there.

So far I’ve been eating a lot healthier than before. Still needs some work but I don’t expect to change my eating ways overnight. I still crave sweets and instead of eating 5 cookies I’ll eat 1 or 2. Again not good but better than 5.

Good morning. It was so nice to sign on and see so many in our group having already posted!

Ubee -- I'm with you on starting the New Year with a new goal. I'd love to aim for 8 pounds a month, but realistically, I'll shoot for 6 pounds a month. We can do this!

Jane -- Well, I feel guilty about griping about our temps in the teens when you walked to work in -40. I've always read that you can tell what kind of character a person has by how they treat animals. Taking in a cat to foster pretty much says you get the kindness badge today.

Robin -- Losing 1.5 pounds in a week is great. Yes, we'd all like it to be the magical 8-10 pounds that others write about, but realistically that's the exception. And sometimes it's just a matter of making adjustments in the number of calories and/or carbs that helps with moving things along a little faster.

Fi -- So sorry you're going through all of this with your depression. To show how little I know about this, I was totally unaware that there was physical pain associated with depression. I just thought it was limited to being down emotionally or mentally. The fact that you're sticking to plan is even more amazing. And I'd definitely give that husband of yours a big hug and a kiss -- he sounds like a jewel and fortunately you know that he is.

Andrea -- Congrats on the 1.8 pounds coming off. While your stress levels may have gone up with the second opinion and still waiting to see what the course of action will be, your positive attitude is great. Hope your DH gall bladder issues can get addressed as soon as possible as well.

Moominmamma -- Welcome. Glad you've joined and that you feel you've found a positive home.

MountainWalker -- I was wondering where you've been. Glad the infection is over and hopefully you'll slowly work your way back to an exercise level that doesn't harm you. You're not alone in doing this -- why do we always want something yesterday!

Imnotperfect -- Congratulations on hitting your first mini goal of losing 10 pounds. I did laugh at your saying that by working at Wendy's you don't want to eat the stuff any more. I am probably the only person in the world kicked out of the candy department because I never got to the point where I stopped eating it. Guess the profits took a noticeable nose drive!

I've gotten a start on my Christmas cards, have to go into the Co-op tomorrow to work on the cash register (Ggggrrrrr......the Co-op is rapidly becoming the major stress in my life!), a doctor's appointment on Thursday and eventually I need to start unpacking and wrapping all the things that I ordered. I'm still debating on whether to make any Christmas candy and cookies this year -- I've always done it as gifts for the neighbors, to take to family holiday parties, etc., but I'm afraid that I'll imbibe too much. What's everyone else doing?

A drive by hello, been super busy lately and not at all on track :-| Weighed in at 323 this AM but only because i hadn't eaten yet and it was noon. Have a cold thats knocking me to the ground. For some reason I still eat yet my apetite is low its very odd. I wish my aptetite was this low all the time. If I simply had to force myself to eat things would be much easier.

Well now I'm confused. I was extremely depressed this afternoon and also craving carbohydrates—not cookies, just carbos—like crazy. So I broke down and had two generous helpings of my husband's muesli (mostly oats w/ a few raisins and a bit of added sugar). Then I took a nap and woke up... all better! No depression! The transformation was amazing!

So I started reading online about the whole neurotransmitter issue with people who are on the strict Atkins very low carb diet. 'Turns out that some people—especially women, especially people with a history of mood disorders, especially people prone to getting really low in the afternoon—in other words, me—are prone to getting depressed on Atkins. Not everyone, just a few people who are more "carbohydrate dependent."

So it's possible that the past 19 days of no binge (i.e., carbo-loading) behavior on my part may have set me up for this depression.

Or not. It may just be that the adjustment in my medications finally kicked in.

I'm quite tempted to add back in about 50 grams of carbs, around noon each day. What do y'all think? Will I still lose weight?

Fiona - Well I can't see how experimenting with that could hurt. I mean if you stall then you can take it out again?

Had a good night with good friends, still under the weather.