We all know where are faults are -- what struggles we have that impeed our weight loss -- so, let's air them together, okay? Maybe seeing them in writing will help -- I feel a need to confess to my 3FC "therapists"!!

1. Stay off the scales -- I'm so obsessed with what they say, I never take the time to "feel" how well I'm doing by my clothes, my level of energy, etc.

2. Push myself when I exercise -- sometimes just too eager to quit when it gets tough or too embarassed by the fear that everyone around me is watching the fat chick try to run!!

3. Snacking, especially at night. I need to set a self-policed rule that it's not okay to empty the kitchen cabinets into my mouth each night just because everyone is gone to bed.

4. Stop worrying that I'm less of a person because of my weight -- skinny does not equal intelligent, the same way overweight does not equal lazy, etc.

5. Realize that I'm so worth whatever effort this takes -- I've got as many shots as it takes to get it right. This week/month/year will pass, whether I try or not, so why not give it my all and end the week/month/year on a positive note!!!

Great thread!

Lately, I find it is very important to stay within my calorie limit, so when I feel 'lazy' or 'tired' I can still remind myself that I am on plan. This is especially important around TOM - when I feel fat and like I am getting nowhere!

And, sadly, there is no escaping it - I HAVE to move more if I want to shift this weight. Darn. So much for theories of BM calorie intake - If I went back up to what's suggested for me, sheesh! I'd be GAINING for sure! So, despite the hundreds (literally!) of excuses I can think up - I have to get this butt moving!

Anybody else?

Heather

Shelby , your answers sound alot like mine would be,
I am getting obbsessive about the scale, hoping on it daily and when I don't see a change, I feel like a failure, so I need to forget about the #'s
Snacking for me can be a problem, if I allow it,yesterday I did good, I argued with hubby and when I felt like reaching for a bag of chips, I took some fruit instead
I need to be more enthusiastic about exercising, there are times that I am on the elliptical and I just want to stop, but I keep pushing on, with the fear there will come a day that I will say not today.

Not to give up, I start out great when I put my mind to becomeing a healthier person, but then I will hit a point, and leave my good eating habits behind and stop exercising.

As much as I may want a treat - I do not need a treat.

Great idea, Shelby!

I need a few major things:

1--to stop bingeing
2--to notice my binge triggers and work to undo them
3--to move more (common theme, eh?)
4--to start menu planning more regularly and (importantly) stick with it.

Lynn

The big keys for me are:

- to prep & plan ahead as much as possible - otherwise it's too easy to slide off plan
- to stop & think why I want to eat before I do (a lot of the time it is because I'm tired or bored - not hungry)
- not allow myself to get overtired - it quickly derails me
- to keep in mind the success I've already had & not get bogged down by how much further there is to go.

In order to succeed, I need to NOT bring binge trigger foods into my house - this means do NOT make chocolate chip cookies!

I know I need to move. I've been very good at this and I really feel it's what's kept me going despite the fact I've been off plan more times than I can count now.

I need to measure myself so I don't get discouraged when I see those scales not moving.

I need to drink my water. When I don't drink enough water, I'm tired, cranky, and WAY more likely to binge.

I need to keep myself occupied when I'm bored or lonely instead of sitting on the computer and eating.

Great thread!

I know that I need to say "no" to invites for restaurants with friends, and suggest exercise gatherings instead.

I have to get out of all-or-nothing thinking - "Oh, I'm off track today so I'm going to be off track all day" - that sort of thinking has to stop.

I need to regularly put deliberate efforts into seeing myself as a healthy, active person.

Mainly, I need to believe that I can be successful. It's very hard to do when you've never had lasting success.

Exercise more (this seems to be a common theme)

Eat my meals and snacks when I'm supposed to. I sometimes go till 3 in the afternoon and realize I haven't eaten all day, then I eat constantly for the next 5 hours.

Jerie -- Of course you can do this! I'm constantly checking out the goal threads to see the pics -- because if they can do this, so can I. The one thing I like about this site is most people are doing it by changing their bad habits, which it looks like we all agree we have to do -- instead of the websites that push the "artificial means" of pills, powders, etc. I think you can lose weight with anything, but it's a matter of changing your old habits to new ones that are healthy and something you can comfortably live with.

You all have some awesome ideas -- they are helping me alot get my act together -- thank you

This is a fantastic idea!

For me the keys are:

- foods that cannot be brought into the house under any circumstances - cheese, chippies, Tim Tams
- it's easier to get up and exercise than allow myself the extra hour in bed and feel guilty for the rest of the day.(OK, this may change when the snow arrives)
- A bad day does not mean I've given up, it means I need to get myself back on track the next day

What's a Tim Tam?

Yeah, I was wondering that too, but I can assure you that with a name like that they'd probably be a trigger food in my house too. ha ha

A biscuit (cookie), chocolate covered and completely decadent. Here's a link to the wikipedia article on them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Tam