June 7th??! Wow, time flies.

I just went back and looked at my spreadsheet from last year. I am 10 pounds lighter than this date a year aog. Wow, have those ever been hard fought pounds! It goes to show what a slow journey this is, but it seems to be sticking. Down 28 pounds total from the start, which was 16 months ago.

Petra Hopefully your call weekend has closed out now and you can recover...

Way to go Heidi! I'm in the same place, and I've been told that the slower weight loss is the kind that will stick. If you pick up 2 bags of sugar in the store it gives you a more concrete idea of how much weight you AREN'T carrying anymore!

My new outfit did double-duty yesterday, 2 - 1st dates in one day! Not really impressed with either of them, though somebody did say I shouldn't judge until after a 2nd or 3rd date....

I had an awesome 4 day weekend, though I do seem to have come down with a cold. I'm sure I'll be recovered by the time my next visitor arrives from out-of-town : ) This is turning out to be a great summer so far! Maintaining the weight loss, had to get a friend to take me to the farmer's market at o'dark-thirty on saturday to get my raw milk. Which included 4 hours of wandering around downtown Charleston. Thank goodness I brought an insulated bag w/ lots of ice!

Everyone on the board seems to be doing great, lots of progress. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Good morning.

Had a good weekend--exercised a good bit at home on Saturday and ate per plan both days, so I'm down another little bit. Well, up a smidge from yesterday morning, probably because I didn't exercise yesterday (I needed a day of rest after so much exercise last week), but I'll be hitting the gym again this morning.

Summer is racing toward us. It's going to be a challenge--lots of family visiting and lots of opportunity to eat the wrong stuff on the weekends. I need to start thinking now about how I'm going to handle it. (I'm a planner, can you tell?)

Heidi--Woohoo! Keep up the good work.

WLW--I'm jealous. I want to go a farmers market and wander around downtown for hours. Oh, wait, I did do an abbreviated version of that a couple weekends ago. Well, I want to do it again! Love farmers markets.

Have a great Monday, everyone. I'm off to exercise class. I hope a friend who's been on vacation in Europe for a month is going to be back today. Oooh, I think there'll be some extra poundage to report--but I'll bet it was fun putting it on.

Heidi - not only are you lighter, but 16 months later, you are still working at it. I think those are both great accomplishments.

WLW - Dating up a storm, I see. Good for you. I'm petrified by the process. I have my first date in 6 months tonight. Met the guy online and he seems very nice & his pictures are cute. He doesn't know the city so it's up to me to plan the date. Eek, pressure. Maybe, I'll give him a short walking tour of the city. (Good way to squeeze my exercise in )

Kitteh - Glad to hear you are exercising. I've struggled this week, using the 90 degree heat as an excuse.

I decided today would be my official weigh in to adjust my ticker from my vacation gorge fest. I was beautifully on plan on Saturday, but had two dinners last night, one healthy, one take out. The scale said 131, which was my pre vacation weight. I guess I'm doing okay, but want to stay on plan this week and get back into losing mode. I have less than 10 pounds to go. No point in giving up now.

Yes, I believe I can fully grasp how difficult those pounds are . Way to go !

Kathi-2 dates in 1 day! I think that is more than my little brain could handle I think I'm going to have date #3 with this guy this week before I leave for my trip so I think this is going well. I would have to say in general you are probably right about not knowing until a few dates but I have to tell you how nice this guy is. He offered to cut my grass while I"m on vacation! And he was serious! I pay someone to cut my grass but wow, what a difference from the last jerk I dated. And who might that next out of town visitor be? Hope you feel better. At least you will have car service at your disposal when I am there.

Heidi-any time you are moving in the right direction is a good thing.

Yes, my weekend of **** is over but lots of catching up to do. Laundry, drycleaning, picking up my prescription at Walmart. And of course, I have to start packing for my trip.

Our Nurse Practitioner is out this week so it will be a harder than usual week.

I would have to say, that the large bag of dog food I hobble and wobble and drag into the house, or better, ask my DH to bring it in ... only weighs 34 pounds. I lifted a box that's around 40 or more pounds , full of books the other day, and I just didn't think I could carry it. I use to backpack regularly in summers with a fully packed backpack weighing usually 35 or so pounds. To think it is like carrying that pack wherever I go, all day long. No wonder why I love bedtime so much ! When one thinks about it this way, it's sheer craziness how we actually adjust !

Just think how strong and like a coiled spring we shall be as the weight comes off !

Hi Petra, I have just jumped on the wagon, and am not up on your dating project. Sounds very exciting, but very frightening too. What a nice fellow to offer to mow your lawn.

Hi everybody! Please forgive me for not even trying to catch up on personals. I'll just selfishly report the news from my life. I am happy that everyone is healthy and dating and losing and recovering from weekend eating....that might start to cover it! I did read up and am happy everything is going well for all.

Had a wonderful time with my younger son on our little jaunt this weekend. Here is a link to my FB photos I posted.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...00000230746500

We had alot of fun and didn't spend too much money!

I did eat lots of things that are not on my plan, and again I noticed that I am really paying attention to how things taste when I decide to splurge. I really want to make those splurges worth the calories. Alot of things I ate turned out to NOT be worth the calories spent. I hope I am learning from this. I saw a 162 on the scale before I left on Friday morning, but won't acknowledge that until I weigh in this week and hopefully at least maintain my 163!

Fiance's neighbor is now bedridden and on morphine. Some of his family will be coming in later this week. Looks like I may be cooking for them while I am out there over the weekend. I hope I get to see Don again before he passes. He is a special man and has been a good friend to my fiance.

Watched some good movies this weekend and spent lots of quality time with my sons. I love summer!!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Ahhh. How good is reading this thread? Lots of positive things happening. Long may it continue for everyone.

Nothing much to report from me other than everything going well.
Husband improving, diet pretty good, weight steady and lower than i've been for a year or so - i can fit into my old clothes and i've also got my new ones to wear, enjoying lots of gym, running regularly and increasing the distance and loving it.

Today i'm moving office at work. From downstairs to upstairs. That should keep me fairly active.

Upstairs offices are more modern and that's where all the managers are, and i'm getting a good one, but i'll miss my big old office downstairs with 2 walls of windows, its 1960's brick and its solid wood furniture.

Chickie - Good for you with the dating! It's fun and scary at the same time, no?

Kitteh - The family stuff is really hard, isn't it?

WLW - My goodness, you double dipper! Yeah, I'm a 3rd date girl. I like to see how they are at that point, you kind of know yea or ney.


It's been kind of rough here in Moxie world. I have really, really bad panic attacks when it comes to flying, and I've just reserved my first flight in five years. I'm going alone to Amsterdam and Germany to visit friends, but I'll be traveling alone a lot.

I'm beginning to have doubts. It's worst to stay home alone. (I'm a teacher, I live alone, I have no summer plans). But still, I'm having nightmares and .. it's just bad.

Anyway, so the scale has shown the stress. I keep trying to get things back under control. I went to a yoga class yesterday that was supposed to be relaxing but the yoga teacher was not very welcoming, and it wasn't so zen.

Sigh.

Good morning. Happy Tuesday.

Yesterday was upsetting (work issue) so I didn't eat much of anything after lunch (just not hungry)--and I'm down two pounds this morning. If it stays, yay, but I suspect I will bounce back up at least partway when I weight myself tomorrow morning. Had really good exercise session in the a.m., but nothing in the evening.

Chickie--if you're back at your pre-vacation weight, then you are doing okay.

Hermit Girl--when I'm exercising I frequently think about how much extra weight I'm carrying and how much stronger and more energetic I'd feel just from being lighter. (I'll admit, too, that I sometimes look at the padding around my middle, particularly the belly pack, and try to estimate the equivalent in 'sticks of butter'. I know, I'm weird. )

Annie--I hear you about making the splurges count in terms of enjoyment.

Moxie--sorry to hear about your panic attacks about flying. Because of my job, I know how safe the planes are, especially compared to cars--I know, that doesn't help any with your fear of flying. Have you talked to your doctor about a sedative? Personally, I just have to deal with airsickness--ironic, given the industry I work in.

Gotta run--off to exercise and then back into the tumult carried over from yesterday.

Moxie - I completely understand about panic attacks and flying. I developed agoraphobia a few years ago & became afraid of highways and flying (and other things). I'm much better now. What has helped me is CBT (didn't help with flying), gradual exposure, and using Ativan in a pinch. I flew for the first time in 5 years last week & it went well (I didn't have any Ativan so it was a drug free flight). I was nearly crying because I realized that I can accomplish my dream of seeing Europe. There is a web site called Panic Survivor that is helpful. Check it out (if you haven't already).

Hey, Moxie. I just noticed that you are in Philly and say you are a "dancing queen." Do you go dancing in Philly? I live in Philly too & love to go dancing at the Barbary, Fluid, Voyeur and a bunch of other places. Maybe our path's have crossed in real life.

I had my date last night and it veered toward disaster. The guy had a lot of issues, including a distorted body image. He was convinced I didn't like him b/c he was fat and that if he lost weight, women would want him. Him being overweight didn't bother me in the slightest, it was his lack of social skills. He said some offensive things about women that he meant as compliments.

There were highlights. He did enjoy Philly and there were moments when he was enjoyably quirky. We have agreed to be in the "friend zone" and I'm debating whether to put an effort into building a friendship. I'll think about it.

Kathi & Petra - How do you screen your potential dates you talk to online? I need tips on distinguishing the studs from the duds.

Hi Everyone!
Summer is in full swing here. Getting up early each day to walk. Swim team practices, friends over, house projects! Life is good!

My big vacation is just under 2 weeks away. I'm not at my goal but I'm happy with where I am and how I feel so that is important. Still have about 8 or 9 pounds to lose. Think I might need to really cut back and up the exercise if I want to see the final drop.

Kitteh, hope the loss sticks! Hope your work situation is better today!

Moxie, Sorry to hear about your panic attacks. Is there something you can take or someone who can give you some strategies to cope while traveling? I admire your guts in planning a trip! You can do it!

ange82much, Glad to hear DH is improving. Keep up the good work! You are doing so well!

Annie, Some calories are just not worth it! It's great to be in that mindset, makes you realize you can conquer this thing for good! Sorry about your fiance's neighbor.

Petra, New guy sounds promising! Bet your excited about your trip! Charleston is a beautiful city, be sure to save some calories for She Crab soup!

Motivated chickie, we're in the same boat, less than 10, let's do it!

WLW, Enjoy your upcoming visitor! You two should have fun!

Newleaf, One year later and 10 pounds lighter shows you are doing things right! Won't you be happy if next summer you can say the same thing! How was you DS's birthday?

Have a great day!