I haven't visited the forums in over a week or so. Been working on some depression stuff that has me not at all on my plan and not really wanting to think about weight loss. I am trying to get back with it, and having a better time of it today than I have had over the last week. Hope everyone is doing good (I confess that it is a little overwhelming seeing 2 new pages of posts since I was last here!)

Be good to yourselves!

Laurie: Yeah, I think that's pretty good to not recognize yourself in the picture! That means you've had some pretty good changes! Hope running goes well for you, and your knee doesn't give you trouble.

PacificaBee: Good to see you posting! I hope that things are brightening up for you. It's tough enough to keep going with this losing weight stuff, without depression issues.

Lilion: Sorry about your dog. Hope she keeps feeling ok.

For me, I took the weekend to get my head on straight about it all. I saw a gym thing on Facebook that said something to the effect: When you become lazy, you let down those who look up to you. It wasn't one of those life changing statements, but it did make me think about all the people who have been encouraging me thus far. I also know that not only would I be letting them down, I'm letting myself down if I continue to be so lazy about my food plan. So, white knuckling it through this week to get back on track. I went to spin this morning and packed a good lunch. So far, so good!

Hey all. The weirdness of no exercise continued through the weekend with a wedding 2 hours away Saturday and then just kind of exhaustion on Sunday. After church and mini-cleanup, we went home and napped, fully intending to get up and hit the Y afterwards. Yeah. Right. Woke up more tired than when we laid down, so we contented ourselves with laundry and cooking something healthy and that was that. STILL didn't manage to get to bed at a reasonable hour and got up too late to workout.

Think we might delay the custodian job to tomorrow so we can go to bed early. Maybe we'll finally get rested.

Food was just horrible on Saturday and we didn't even do the reception because of the time and distance, but between snacks and eating fast food on the way home, I went WAY over on calories. But Sunday's cooking gave me left overs for a couple days lunches and we're pretty back on track there.

Hope all of you are doing okay...got to get some work done!

LaurieDawn, I'm on no sugar/honey right now too. It's a KILLER. I haven't been able to eat almonds without my trusty chocolate chips, but then I fell in love with toasted coconut almonds. Swoon! They have a TINY bit of sugar...I think 5 grams or less...it's a tradeoff for me. Totally worth it.

Lillion, tough to focus on eating well when you're running ragged! Hope you get some rest soon! And sorry about your dog!

PBee, sorry about your struggles. I hear you. Sometimes I get really tired of thinking about the weight loss stuff. Hope you feel better soon!

Slashnl, glad you're back on track!

I've been back on track for about 4 days now. NOT weighing. Not eating honey makes it tough for me to eat my snacks...I usually worked in a couple tablespoons a day...so calories uncomfortably low (1250 - 1300). I'm just not hungry so I guess as long as I feel good and have energy, that's where I'll stay! Finished my disgusting home tests for candida, mailing them tomorrow, fingers crossed for results in 2 - 3 weeks!

Frances123: Well, hopefully you can get it all figured out with your test results. It kind of makes you crazy to have to think about it, I'm sure. Those almonds sound really good!

Lilion: Sounds like you are off schedule on sleeping! It makes it so hard to get up and work out when you're feeling so tired. I hope you get back in a groove!

For me, not much new. I'm still working on staying on track. I veered a little yesterday, so hoping I can keep in line today. One day at a time!

Good morning!

Diane - Glad you got yourself sorted last weekend, even if it isn't 100% smooth. Still sounds like you have made some good decisions and are going in the right direction. I hope to take a cue from your book.

Frances - I accidentally bought coconut cashews a few weeks ago. So. Delicious. Hope your candida tests prove helpful. I am not asking why the tests are disgusting, but pretty sure I know. Ugh. I went through the same thing as you seem to be when I gave up sugar for six days recently. I haven't yet had a successful day on my new sugar resolution, but today is day 1. Again. =) When I did do it successfully, I just didn't want to eat as much. It was a blessing, but I remember it making me feel uncomfortable. My doctor told me I would be eating sub-1000 calories for life, though, so I don't have alarms sound when I am in the calorie range you describe. I am just not sure what "normal" calories are anymore, and honestly, I'm done worrying about it for the most part. I just want to feel healthy and happy, and so long as I'm getting the required nutrients as indicated by blood tests, I'm good with it.

Lilion I thought being tired was the ideal state to go to the gym in. =) Actually, my husband and I have two scheduled gym times -- Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30, when we drop the kids off across the street to do judo. So often, one or the other of us will feel exhausted or otherwise completed unmotivated. Sometimes, the work-out gets a solid rating of "Better than not doing it, I suppose." But, other times, working out makes us feel so. much. better. Hope you find your work-out juju again. But I think the food is more important, and it sounds like you're on track with that after a minor detour. I hope to get where you are with that.

I am gaining weight. I read a few articles about weight gain and why it happens and how to prevent it. Most of them said things like, "Weight gain just creeps up on you, so you have to weigh yourself regularly and monitor how your clothes fit." Really? Weight gain sneaks up? In my case, I lose control and eat too much of all of the wrong things. There's no stealth involved. Yet another reminder that I am "different" from most people in this regard. I cannot eat normally. I cannot eat normally. I cannot eat normally. There. Hopefully, I will remember that. I do need to be vigilant, but damnit, it's just not that hard to be vigilant. I have developed the habits. I know my triggers. I know how quickly I can gain weight. I know that I am inclined to eat the entire sheet cake. (Uber reference there, on the off chance she is lurking.)

So, I will be vigilant for the next fourteen days. No assuring myself that I can start my fourteen days tomorrow, and then tomorrow, and then tomorrow. Fourteen days, then a regroup to determine my next steps. I can do this. More importantly, I want to do this. I want to feel light and full of energy, which I don't when I eat myself into a stupor, or even when I just eat the wrong foods or too much of the right foods. I want to be strong and healthy and fit into the clothes I just purchased. It is critical that I start today, even if it means I refuse to inconvenience other people for the sake of my health.

Goals -
1 - Lift weights
2 - NO SUGAR
3 - Reasonable portions
4 - Get my 15K steps

Hope everyone has a fantastic day!

Laurie: Well, I guess that's what some of us have in common... I have never had slow weight gain. I either am on track or I'm not/gaining quickly. I don't think I can just relax on eating ever again. Even if I get to where I want to be, I still see the battle looming. It just doesn't take much to go spiraling out of control and back up the scale. So, that's why we'll keep at it, I guess.

For me, I took a couple of days off from the gym. I'm at that age where I don't get shark week very often. It seems to be every 3 months or so, but when it is here, it is strenuous. I just don't like to fight it while trying to workout. I think tomorrow will be fine, so I'll be back there again. I don't get why it just won't go away....

Food is still a struggle, but I'm doing better than before. Baby steps.

Diane - It seems like we are on the same mental page. Not boisterously enthusiastic, as I hope to be again at some point. Not desperate and wanting to quit. Just doggedly determined, and aware that it will be a forever battle. I am, theoretically, about where I want to be. But, with the exception of a few days or few weeks here and there, I have yet to find it to be "easy." I don't blame you for skipping the gym when you are bleeding. I still have regular periods, but they are inconsistent. Some are surprisingly light, but those seem to be followed by brutally heavy ones. Hope yours goes away soon and you can get the release found at the gym. And hopefully, you get the food issue sorted out well enough that you have an easier period of being on track.

I had a relatively easy first day of no sugar. Gym wasn't stellar, but it was decent. My body is slowly letting go of some of the weight I piled on in only a couple of days. Maybe after fourteen days, I'll figure out some way of being able to integrate sugar in my life without being out of control on it. Neither completely sugar-free nor out-of-control-on-sugar feel like the correct decisions for me, but I have never been able to be moderate about it. But maybe, after I am out of the active sugar addiction (13 more days maybe?), it will be easier for me to be able to restrict sugar to special occasions and to enjoy it rather than allow it to lead me into out of control eating.

LaurieDawn, good luck on no sugar! Does that include honey, etc.? If not, I have some great raw honey muffin recipes that I could pass along. You wouldn't believe they were sugar free! I totally hear you (and Slashnl) on weight gain not being a "stealthy creeper." I'm either really good or really bad, and when I'm really bad, the weight comes on FAST. Yeah, I think that initial burst of enthusiasm has faded for all of us. But you're right, dogged determination is the way to win. Man oh man. It's a tough slog for sure!

No updates here, just waiting on test results (which can take up to 3 weeks). Still not weighing but doing really well with my eating. No sugar/no honey felt crippling the first few days but I've gotten into kind of a rhythm with it. No sugar jam to replace the honey in my yogurt, etc. But I'll be really glad to go back to my sustainable plan, which is in hold until I find out about the candida.

So let's just keep slogging along through our various issues! That's the difference between those who lose and those who gain...perseverance! (Right?!?!? That's what I'm telling myself, anyway!)

Things have been not-so-great on the diet and exercise front. The second job, which is really not many hours but just seeks to take all my energy. Husband and I have both been exhausted. Thankfully, this is the last night for that. I've not been cooking like I should. I've not been working out like I should - just too tired to get out of bed and onto the elliptical in the morning. Too tired to go to the Y at night. All in all...bad. And the scale did show a pretty big jump today. I'm NOT logging it. Two reasons. #1. I haven't done well, but I haven't eaten so much over my goal consistently as to gain 5 lbs. #2. My wedding ring usually is upside down on my finger because it's getting too large. Today I can barely get it off. That's water. Given the hibachi grill food yesterday, I'm not terribly surprised.

So...one more bad day - family reunion and trip to Bass Pro Shop for my hub's birthday tomorrow - in a town 3 hours from home, so another dinner out likely. Sunday, we're off and we're likely going to SLEEP. But I plan to try to get my meals planned for the next week and do some real meal prep. Cut up veggies so they're ready to cook, maybe pre-cook some meats so I can throw together meals quickly at night instead of saying, "I don't want to cook! Let's go out! Pick up something on the way home!" I'm not good at meal prep...I've never really done it. But I need to give that a try so we can at least get more fresh veggies, etc. in our diets.

Time to get back on track.

Quick check in. We're really short handed at work, and I'm swamped. Not great on plan for the last couple of days. Might need to regroup this weekend.... again.... hahahaha!

Good afternoon, everyone! Looking forward to the weekend!

Diane - You are forever short-handed at work. Hopefully, they appreciate your hard work and diligence! I love the weekend re-group! Hopefully, things go well.

Lillion - Maybe you're not getting formal exercise, but it seems like you're doing a lot of activity, since your second job is so physical. I also agree that the "five pound gain" is not actually fat gain, but almost certainly mostly water, if not entirely water. Still, it's frustrating. Glad you've been down this road before so that you are able to take it in stride. I, too, tend to dislike meal planning. I actually like doing it for my family, so I don't have the frustrating "what's for dinner" panic, but for just me, it gets to be super annoying. However, if you get into the habit, you might find it useful and convenient. Let us know how it goes!

Frances - I just Googled raw honey muffins, and I am almost salivating. I would love to see your recipes! Honestly, though, I almost never bake for myself. I bake chocolate chip cookies relentlessly because it's the only thing I prepare that my husband has said he enjoys. I am ruthlessly efficient at it now, but I am almost never able to make them without sampling the cookie dough, then eating enough cookies that I feel ill. My sugar-free ban is to stop myself from eating those cookies or the candy that's ever-present, or the donuts that people bring in randomly. But maybe making something like the raw honey muffins would be useful in preventing myself from being as tempted by the other, readily-available junk. My concern, though, is that they will be so delicious I will eat all of them in one sitting! I'm not good at shutting it down once I've started. And yay for slogging through until the test results come back! I think you're right. The ultimate difference comes down to perseverance.

I am halfway through Day 3 without sugar. We're going into the weekend, so that might prove to be a challenge. The scale is going down again, but I can't help but feel a bit frustrated losing that same pound yet again. Still, I am trying to resign myself to the realization that maintenance is exactly that -- losing the same pounds again and again and again so that, hopefully, I stay in a fairly tight weight range. So far, I have spent about six months in the 143-160 weight range, and while that is a tremendous improvement over the huge bounces and losses I traditionally have, I would much rather be in the 140-145 range, and I'm at 153. But I also don't know why I'm so worried about the scale. I'm still struggling with being okay with forever-fat thighs and calves, but otherwise, I'm very happy with my body shape and my general overall health. That will be the same at 143 as at 153. It's just the ever-increasing creep that I am trying to avoid. Ugh. Am I right?

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Good morning!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Things went pretty well for me on both the fitness and nutrition fronts. I did eat a limited amount of sugar on Saturday and Sunday, and have thoughtfully decided to suspend my 14-day sugar-free challenge. On Saturday evening, I went to a wedding reception and did not partake of any of the multiple sugar options. However, late that evening, I ate part of a chocolate muffin. I made cookies on Sunday, and rather than tell myself I couldn't have any, I told myself that I would wait to eat any cookie dough until after the cookies were in the oven, when I would allow myself to lick the bowl. I did that, and then ate 1.5 small cookies. I was able to reel it in after both incidents. I think perhaps I'm going to try to transition to allowing myself small amounts of sugar. That might make moderation more successful? On the other hand, I also made a lot of good choices. I brought water and raspberries to the movie instead of snacking on soda and popcorn. I skipped the pizza we ordered Sunday evening and enjoyed scrambled eggs instead. I also ran 4.25 miles yesterday, the most I've run consecutively since my surgery in May. I very much enjoyed doing yoga in the park Saturday morning. I bought some dress pants from the thrift store, and the pair I am wearing to work today is a size 4 (though, full disclosure, they are a bit tighter than I thought they were when I put them on this morning, judged by the fact that they are not terribly comfortable). Maybe I'm finally starting to find the moderation with food and fitness that has eluded me for my entire life? Probably not. But I am going to appreciate this port in the storm for as long as it lasts.

Diane and Lilion - I know both of you had regrouping plans this weekend. Hope you had a fantastic weekend, and that you were able to find your way back to being on track.

Frances - Hope you're finding a way to enjoy the slog as you wait for your results.

Vladadog, Pacifica, Uber, Amanda, Carter, Mandy - Hope things are going well and that you get an opportunity to post soon.

Laurie: Glad that you had a good weekend! I think your modification of the no sugar plan is effective. It is hard to have that absolute "no". Then, if you do have even just a little bit, you feel guilty and that never helps anyone! I also think you are right about having to lose the same pound over and over. It may just be how it is going to be with maintenance. As long as you don't allow the creep up the scale. It probably is just really hard to wrap your mind around "maintenance" after having been on the wanting-to-lose side for so long.

For me, I think I had a much more successful regroup. You know when you say you are regrouping, but you're just not feeling it? That's what I have been doing for a while now. But last weekend, I felt differently about it. I had the time to really think about it and do some real planning. And, honestly, with hunting vacation coming up in October, I need to be better and be ready to go. I took the plunge and had the negativity of getting on the scale. It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but it wasn't good either. A place to start. Again. I just can't be the person who can wing it. I have to be super disciplined and super diligent about weighing, logging food, and working out. That's just the way it is. I don't like the way I've started feeling lately, so stopping that now. Back to what made me feel good. The deviations have to stop.

So, everything is updated. I'm going to weigh every day again for a while. I think I need the discipline. Back to spin today, body pump tomorrow morning and running tomorrow after work. Here we go!

Good morning!

Diane - Really glad your regrouping was more successful this weekend. I, too, have periods where daily monitoring and white-knuckling are needed to get me back on track. (You well know this, as you have cheered me through countless of these periods!) Congratulations on taking that step and weighing in. It can be so difficult to do it. I also love this part - "I don't like the way I've started feeling lately, so stopping that now. Back to what makes me feel good. the deviations have to stop." I am exactly at this point too. I know I can deviate and be okay, sometimes. But, I feel like it's a fork right now. I either can be disciplined now and reduce my suffering later as I try to get back on plan when I am not as fit or as thin as I am now. Or I can fall into the abyss, and who knows how long it will take to pull myself out of that? Thank you for being such a rock star. It is inspiring.

I was very tired last night, so I went to bed at about 10:30. I was surprised to wake up at 5:40, feeling pretty rested. I almost decided to try to go back to sleep, as I don't typically get up until 6:45, but instead got up and went for a run. It was fantastic. The morning was cool and beautiful. I ran 4.2 miles in 46 minutes, a very good pace for me, and I didn't stop at all even on the steep hill. (Full disclosure - I stopped about a third of the way in to tie my shoe, but it was only thirty seconds, so it doesn't really count.) Maybe I could become a morning exerciser after all? Probably not, but I am going to start setting my alarm for 5:40, and see how it goes. On a related note, I am pretty sure my Fitbit challenge group is hating me now, as I am nailing the steps lately. =)

Scale was up from yesterday, but I lifted weights yesterday, so that's to be expected. I also ate right before I went to bed -- a controlled amount to prevent the "can't sleep cuz I'm starving" thing. That might be reflected in a first-thing-in-the-morning weigh-in as well. Not gonna worry about it at all, though. Things are going well.

We are playing board games again tonight, which means that I will again be making cookies. The "no cookie dough until all the cookies are in the oven" strategy worked reasonably well last time. I think I will employ it again.

Goals -
1 - Get 30K steps today (just cuz I can)
2 - Eat reasonable amounts
3 - Focus on work today (since I got my run in BEFORE work this morning. Woot!)

Hope everyone is having a great start to their week!