Well - I'm going to try to set a goal, and then reach it. Yup.

I am currently at 190, newly rededicated after a 12lb gain and a 6 week "vacation" in which I did not gain but did not lose. I was at 180 for about 6 months and had stalled and decided to maintain for a while before giving it another go when life grabbed me, threw me up in the air, swatted me about and shouted at me loudly! 12 pounds, BAM!, in 6 months. Not as bad as it could have been, but not real fantastic either.
So - my next goal is to do 5 lbs better than where I was, and then re-evaluate.
I am not sure how low I want to go. This is not limbo, after all.
I like crepes. I like cream in my coffee. I like liquor, damnit, and all of these things are obscenely high in calories. A low goal weight would probably mean a low maintenance daily calorie requirement, which would probably mean no cotton-picking cream in my coffee!! I refuse. NO!
I also prefer a more "feminine" shape, and let me tell you - at 135, even at 5'2", I am a boney size 4-6, with ribs and hips and all kinds of bones sticking out at odd angles. My hair and ears and chin already stick out at odd angles, no need adding to it.
So - to 175lbs I go, and we'll see what I'm thinking. Right now I'm thinking 155-165 maintenance range, so 175 is also about halfway.

So there's my goal - 175 by April 1st, 2010.
(I also want to see if I can squish ye olde muffyn-toppe into these slim cut Levis I found in the back of my closet at that weight too - my that would yummy. Mmmmm, slim boot cuts on my slim butt.)

Support? Companions?

(Please?)

I believe they are a size 12, and I can currently get them *on*...
<grunting>
<muttering>
But I cannot button or zip them, and frankly, I look like 5 lbs of sausage in a 3lb casing...

I want them breathable, darnit.

Update: G*ddamn Christmas Cookies.



Next update will, no doubt, include a long-winded kvetch about my new cardio routine, which I will need to begin due to above mentioned Christmas cookies.
And ham.

<twinks self in thigh>

(jiggles)

Ain't that the truth? I made three kinds of christmas cookies for a friend and obviously had extras. I thought they'd still be around when my parents visit (tomorrow!) since I wasn't hankering for cookies. Well, I had ONE choco chip and walnut cookie and that was the beginning of the end for me. Now there are about 10 cookies from 40-ish. I have to say that my hubby helped in demolishing some of them, but yes I am partly to blame.

Good luck with the exercise routine! Don't overdo it just to get back at yourself for overeating. If you're starting exercise after a long break, take it easy or you could pull a muscle and then be out of commission for a few days. Better to be slow and consistent - you'll see results that way!

Feel free to kvetch here

Just try to not overdo any of the excellent Christmas goodies and work on getting started with the exercise. In another couple of weeks we'll be into the drab old days of January and planning foods and exercising will seem like the highlight of our days

I hear ya. I had things like that as well, that I said I would not give up. BUT, when push came to shove, I had to think about what was really more important to me.

And although I, too, love cream in my coffee, I must admit that it wasn't something I "had" to have to live. Not every day. So... basically I became willing to do what it took, and not dig my feet in without consideration.

Now I'll have cream in my coffee maybe once a week, maybe once every two weeks, if I'm out somewhere. For my morning coffee, I have found that a little whole milk is just fine--and if it's not, I can always add a spoon of Coffee Mate Lite. That's not ideal, I suppose, but it did get me away from the cream-every-cup-every-day disaster.

It is all just food. Some food tastes better than other foods, and we do have to eat well to live healthy, but I can't think of a single food that I would not give up, or at least limit, if I had to.

Good luck! Happy holidays!

Jay

Ladies! (or should I say chicks?)

Thank you all for the encouragement, support, and sage advice!
I hope you each had a very happy holiday and are on your way to a spiffy New Year!!!



By way of updates: I have disposed of the Christmas goodies. We won't discuss how.
The good news is, though, as I realized I was over-indulging, I managed to fit in some walking and yoga, and swap full meals for things like a yogurt, or crackers and cheese - I really didn't miss lunch after having gingerbread for breakfast!! I will have to re-weigh next week as I expect some water weight due to salty hams and, <ahem>, TOM... Side note: Don'tcha luuuuurve it when TOM coincides with holidays, which coincide with big stressful (but good! good darnit!) life events? Could I have eaten another slice of toast? No - because I am out of toast having eaten a loaf of bread in 3 days. OMG.

Anyway, I will have to re-weigh, but I think I have squeeeeeeeeked out of the holidays with a gain of only 2 lbs!!! Minor miracle.

Now - back to business. I have decided to let the weight come off slower the next month - month & half, and focus on some weight and sculpting, as I have previously gotten stuckstuckstuck at 180. I am hoping that if I invest some time building muscle, if/when I plateau again, I will have some extra lean body mass to help me burn baby burn! if/when I need to drop my calories.

I also have ordered some cardio discs from Netflix. I'm a little scared.


Onward, chicks!! Thanks again - we can do this! We can!!! Those gingerbread men are not, I repeat, NOT DELICIOUS!!

Thanks again gals! I really do appreciate the helping hands.

I have done amazingly well this week! I have exceeded my goal of 7 hours of exercise, and midway through the week, I swapped down from an average of 1650 calories daily to 1550 calories daily. I think I may begin to cycle, or I may go back to 1650, or I may see if I can't ease into 1550 daily. We'll see - right now I'm feeling pretty chippy about the whole thing. I wanted to go sleeveless last summer, and stalled at a flabby 180 and refused to do it - this summer is the summer, darnit!!!!

<flexes>

I am pumped!! PUMPED!


(Yes, I had a second cuppa coffee today. How could you tell?)

Congratulations on a week well done!

You're doing great! I love your exercise goals! Keep up the good work and bring on the sleeveless shirts! I don't think my upper arms have seen sunlight since...gosh, have they ever?

You can do 15 in 4 months! I set a goal to do 36 pounds by April 2nd so 36 in 4 months and dropped 9 in December! ambitious? sure thing its the only way to get things done

Good luck on your 15 pound excursion I know you can do it if you really want it, thats all it takes!

As Ever
Me

Hey I am right here with ya. I'm 5'2 and hope to be 170(or less) by April 1st! We can do it!!! Good Luck!

Good morning y'all! Thanks thanks THANKS! for the support. It really does help!

I weigh in on Monday mornings, and I am at 190lbs even - so the Xmas poundage, which was about 2lbs, is gone, and I am on my way to 175lbs by April 1st, with my 185lbs by Valentine's Day mini-goal firmly in my mind.

Gals and Guys - here we go!!!

Hi Thundah -
I know you can make your goal of 15 lbs by April!

Thanks nitestar!

I lost exactly 0 pounds this week.
I stayed on plan in terms of eating with the notable exception of Sunday, when I drank some booze and had some chips. I did log every bite, and I found I went about 200 calories over what I burned off that day - so that should not have caused me to not lose anything. I hope the beer and chips are just sticking to me.
I did make my exercise goals, I wound up with about 7 hours and 15 minutes of butt-busting exercise this week. Tons of free weights and squats and lunges, and oh my did I sweat. I can flex my upper back. It tightens up my lower back when I do - so that's encouraging.

I also took measurements, so I can see if I am progressing even when the scale is being grouchy. I'm going to post them, to motivate myself to work on making them a wee bit - *ahem * - smaller.
As of the 5th: Bicep/ 14", Calf/ 18", Thigh/ 28", Hips/ 44", Waist/ 32", Chest/ 42" - 44" (depending on what I ate and how cold it is, apparently, as it has always fluctuated between those 2 digits and never gone up or down). I'd like to see the bicep, calf and thigh measurements drop significantly, and the waist could stand to see a number in the upper 20's. I am really focusing on re-shaping - I lost weight and got myself here, to my 190's re-start point, but I am still all squishy. Hubs loves it. I do not. He loses.