I had a good weekend, stayed totally on track didn't have a cheat day and got plenty of exercise. I'm down a pound from last week but my weight has been bouncing all over the place. Friday and Saturday morning I was down to 105 and this morning I am back at 107.4. I think I'm going to have to come up with some kind of chart or something to see the overall trend. It's confusing to me bouncing around so much. It can get soooooo discouraging sometimes because I really don't know if I'm on the right track. On another note I have been having horrible headaches lately and I NEVER get headaches. I'm trying to figure out where it's coming from but no luck yet.

Mountainchick - heck yeah! Sickness to me means macaroni and cheese. And sleep. My range is closer to 3lbs and I can predict pretty well when I'm going to the top of it - it's when I eat the kind of crap I've been eating lately. Has nothing to do with the calories at all - I guess I'm just adjusted to clean, whole foods and when I don't get 'em, I bloat. Oh well - it's negative reinforcement at its finest!

maenad - welcome and congrats on the quick jump start!

time - eek ... good luck avoiding the bugs! Stay out of the sugar - I just read a study that shows that sugar almost instantly depresses your immune system.

carb - sorry to hear about the headaches!

I'm back in the groove, and at least registering on my ticker. Better days to come!

HEllo ladies I introduced my self in one of the stickies. Ive had a bad wk for some dang reason...lol! I am up two lbs almost three. I know it can be because Im starting next wk but dang thats early. Since Im trying to focus on losing weight Im going to keep a running log of my daily weights. I think I do gain the wk before then it comes off when I come off. Havent slacked on my workouts even though Im mad about my weight I was hoping to be be down to 142 by the first of December. Im debating on starting to calorie count but I never really had to tweak my diet in the past to lose weight...dang ole age. So Im fighting with AGE and TOM this wknd....

timetostart- I know how you feel, my BF and our room mate were ill last week, and half the teachers and students at my school are ill now. I hope it doesn't get me next!

carbcrazy- try to not weigh yourself everyday. Our weights naturally fluctuate throughout the day and it is so discouraging to see a weight gain when it's probably just water weight. I used to weigh myself multiple times a day, it would get me so down! Now i just do it once a week. I hope your headaches go away!

Bablou- I have always found that calorie counting is the bast way to go. writing a food and weight journal is always helpful, and it makes you honest about everything you eat!

Yesterday was another healthy day, until my BF called me after work to meet up at a bar with some friends. A beer was waiting for me when i arrived. GRRR! In Turkey wine and liquor is just so expensive that beer is the only option when i go out. and of course i didn't just have one...

I am pretty happy this morning!

15 pounds since Sept 10th!!!

Bablou ... even if you don't want to count calories in the long run, I'm going to suggest that you do for a couple of days. Use a good calculator that also tells you the nutritional content of your foods. A couple of small substitutions may be all it takes. And we can help you with that

SusanB - GREAT job! That's a huge loss - it's so comforting to see that hard work can pay off, even for the feathers ... since we're fighting for every fraction of a pound. Thanks for being a role model!

maenad - yup - I can relate. I hang with beer drinkers too. I've moved to the really dark beers because it's much easier to drink them verrrrry slowly.

bablou - welcome!

Went back to eating like I was serious about it, and have been rewarded with the loss of the bad-food "puff". 3# off in 2 days - those were the easy ones. I decided I want to be able to say I completed the weight loss part in 2009 - so that gives me 7 1/2 weeks roughly to take off the final 6. At least, I hope it's the final 6 - I won't know til I get there!

Hey girls and to Bablou

Susan on the phenomenal weight loss....

I'm just hanging in there, I ran this afternoon and going go the gym soon...Life goes on...

I did start Christmas shopping

Thanks to all of the sweet support I received from my last thread, I'm ready to hop on the bandwagon again. This year has been an incredibly long journey for me with ups and downs and unfortunately, lots of yo-yo dieting. I'd like to think that each time I fail, I learn something new about myself and am that better prepared for the next time that I try again. Hey, if I never give up I'll have to eventually succeed right?

Things I'm doing differently this time: keeping a food journal (I'm not good with numbers so I'm not going to count calories, but I am keeping track of my emotions and how it correlates to my eating habits)...and posting in here more, hopefully.

I know there's only a month or so left, but I don't want to give up on 2009 yet. I want to start 2010 with a bang!

Thanks ladies for the warm welcome and suggestions. I am going to try the daily plate up until Thanksgiving and see how well I do with that. It says for my body wt and height that I should be eating 1750 calories daily to lose 2pounds a wk. I work nights at the hospital so I already do a lot of pre-planning on my meals. Im just at 1100cals and I usually have an apple and peanut butter around 430am and thats it until I wake up and after a workout. My problem is snacking at work. Which Ive gotten a hold of it over the last couple of months. I went a whole month w/o chips...lol!
So my plan is to try the daily plate and see how much Im taking in and hopefully I will get back on track.

Morning everybody! I'm so glad to see the new folks back!!

Working nights is horrendous! I don't do them any more but when I did ... I toted pounds of crunchy vegetables to work with me. I don't understand why but the crunch is the thing. I also used to chew a lot of gum.

Yenniechan said this ... I'd like to think that each time I fail, I learn something new about myself and am that better prepared for the next time that I try again. ... Don't even doubt it. It's very true. Practice practice practice!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick check-in. I've been really good about logging and not eating junk calories since Monday, and the downward trend continues. It's been 4.5lbs in 3 days - which tells lots about the ill effects of processed food. I have no illusions that it will continue, but I'm just grateful my wagon stopped to let me climb back on! Isn't it amazing how forgiving our bodies can be?

Our bodies are amazing machines!

I think it was at stumptuous.com that I read .... my body is not a burden, it is part of me .... I can't really explain why that had such a profound effect on me.

I got into the boxes under my bed this morning gals. I only had to put two things back. A little Mexx blazer and a straight black skirt. Everything else ... I can wear!!! I may not be able to wear a sweater under it or I may have to wear control top hose but .... I am so freakin' happy, I could just cry!

Wow, Susan, you're doing just great

Oh Julie ... I am sooo happy!!!

Susan B and ICUwishing: you guys are doing great! keep up the good work!

I had a bit of a down fall two nights ago, and ended up drinking a number of beers with some friends. I was so bloated and gross the next morning. I weighed myself, and i had gained 2 kilos (4.4 pounds). I am very disappointed with myself. yesterday i had a 600 calorie breakfast to cure my hangover, but managed to stay around 1300 for my daily total (resisted BF and roommates beer drinking and chip munching!).

My mother is coming to Istanbul today to visit for a week. I am very excited (haven't seen her in a year!), but i know this means a lot of meals out. Turkish food is just full of meat and fat, it's hard to find many light options on menus (salads here are generally a complete disaster.)

I'm not going to weigh myself until my normal weigh in day and hopefully i will be back at 57.5 kilos (126.5 lbs). I also an going to make a pack for the rest of this month and December - I can only drink alcohol one night a week, and try to not have it be beer if i can have any choice! Anyone what to join me in cutting out (most of) your alcohol consumption??