As promised I am going to be very involved and *accountable* in August.

My last weigh-in for July was 122.6.

I went to a 21st yesterday from about 2pm.

I got Jewish momma'd big time. Not 10 minutes went by without food passing through my lips. Also plenty of cocktails and wine. I didn't even think of saying no to anything because she's one of my best friends and also I am very slim now, so if I gain a couple of pounds in an evening it's not the biggest disaster.

I stayed over and in the morning I found a set of scales in the bathroom. I was fully clothed (usually I weigh in my undies) and this was the number: 126.

I was like say whaaat.

Anyway, I had breakfast and went home and whilst still fully clothed I weighed myself and my trusty scales said 125. So this is after breakfast and I usually put on 1-2 pounds throughout the day anyway.

So I'm hoping last night wasn't actually as much of a disaster as the scales at my friends had told me.

But we shall see tomorrow.

This month is going to be the month that I reach 120. Watch this space.

Feathery love, D xxxx

That must be water weight Dora. I'm sure it will disappear from the scale in no time.

I ate some 'unplanned' calories yesterday and DH's picnic. I think I'm going to get that Beck book from the library next week. It sounds really interesting. I think it could help a lot with my weaknesses! Like baked goods and social eating. I have trouble saying no because I feel like I'm offending the person offering the items. Ugh, I hate how some people get pushy with food. Another trouble area I've recently identified is my daughters leftovers or bits of her food as I'm feeding her. It's so mindless, yet I'll take a bite here or a nibble there. I know I get hungry between lunch and dinner so maybe I should add a snack (that I eat sitting down) so I don't nibble. Hmmm, things to think about.

My goals for the next few days are to plan my meals and to go to the gym at least once, and to go on walks the other days. We leave for a trip on Thursday, so it will be interesting to see how I do while away.

Morning Feathers!

Another month we are blessed to have! My goal for this month is to lose 3.2 pounds. It sounds reasonable but the scale isnt budging. Thats ok, slow and steady babysteps! This weekend wasn't that eventful or fun. My father, who is 78 has Parkinson's Disease and it is now taking a turn downhill. We dont know what to do because we think it might be his time for a nursing home. He would rather shoot his foot than go into a nursing home. Not to mention, we can't afford it; mama might have to sell her beloved house that she has worked so hard for She can't even leave him alone to go to church, not to mention to go to NJ to see her sick mother. I wish I could give them both the world. All we can do is pray.

Sorry for the not so uplifting Monday message. On a happier note, I have been eating around 2000 calories and I feel great! My plan is to eat at around 2000 calories a day (this is even harder for me), then when I get comfortable with that I will lower them to 1800, then 1600, and eventually 1200 to get those last 5 pounds off! Well thats the plan for now but it seems reasonable enough for me.

Hope everyone has a great and blessed Monday!

Hi feathers!
I'm enjoying my walking, and I've added some weight lifting (light--five-pound weights) and calisthenics (leg lifts, crunches, etc.) on days I can manage it--shooting for 3 days a week, as recommended by the CDC.
The scale is NOT budging for me, but I'm weighing in consistently at about 136 and some ounces, which honestly is just fine with me. If the last 10-20 ounces crawl off within the next two years before graduation, that'd be great; if not, I'm happy with my weight, my exercise commitment, and my eating habits.
Dianne042425, you and your family are in my prayers!
Have a great Monday!

Chelsey, . Parkinsons is such a devastating disease. And I know the decision to put someone in a nursing home is, well, gosh... "insanely difficult and fraught with guilt" doesn't even begin to cover it. Please check out this site for your mom (and for you, too!). http://www.thefamilycaregiver.org/ It's a great nonprofit founded to support family caregivers. Another wonderful site is www.lotsahelpinghands.com. It's a site that helps coordinate friends, family, neighbors, church family, etc, when everyone wants to help but isn't sure what to do. At the bottom of the home page, where it says "Visit Our Media Room"? That's me ("before", btw).

Also, I like your plan to gradually decrease your calories. So many people want an overnight solution and go straight to the low-low-cal. Your method just might be a great way to find the "sweet spot" where you lose weight at a nice clip while feeling satisfied!

DoraUK, a couple cocktails always leads to a big bloat for me. I bet you'll be back down in no time! I will be watching this space for your big 120 announcement!

AinsleyMom, snacking on kids' leftovers is a huge stumbling block for us mamas. It's hard! The food is right there, and, of course, you don't want to waste it! I constantly remind myself that eating food I don't want or need is also a form of waste. I definitely plan an afternoon snack -- that is my hardest time of day, between lunch and dinner. It's also when I allow myself my unhealthy indulgence in a diet soda. Early afternoon is also one of my planned times to review my Beck-recommended list of reasons why I want to maintain my weight. I need the reminder right around 3 pm!

Oneoftwelve, way to go on your loss and your healthy routine! I love how you phrase it -- "the last 10-20 ounces" -- it really puts the amount in perspective.

I had a great run yesterday -- 9 miles. It really feels good at the slower pace prescribed by the trainer I met with. My HRM said 820 cals burned, which allowed me a slice of Coldstone Cake at my DD's birthday party. I also jumped on the trampoline! So fun. Even had enough cals left for pesto tortellini for dinner. I used to eat a huge bowl of tortellini -- now, a cup of tortellini shares the pasta bowl with a cup of steamed carrots. Still a very satisfying meal. I got a loaf of french bread for the rest of the family to eat with dinner and assigned my husband as the bread-butterer for the kids. I'll buy the bread and sit with it at the table, but asking me to hold it in my hand and spread butter on it? That's just too much...

Wishing everyone a happy Monday!

Amy!! You are beautiful! As youve heard many times, you look great even "before"!! I can't imagine what you look like now!

What a great way to help/get help from your community. We all come across hard times and will at one point or another, need help. I hope you and your family are doing well and have found a way to work things out with your husband deployed. He's a looker by the way

oneoftwelve and Amy Thank you for your thoughts! I trust in God and know things will work out for my family and I.

God bless!

Hello, ladies... I can't believe it's already August. I'm feeling a bit blah lately. Just... not motivated. Not just about weight loss. pretty much everything right now is overwhelming. I'm hoping I can make myself snap out of it eventually. I got a massive headache at work today and ended up taking some sick leave and going home at lunch. I wish I felt like doing something. >.<

Hello feathers! Frustrated and impatient feather here, reporting that after a summer of intense workouts, only about 3 or 4 of the 15 I gained last school year came off. This month I'll be heading back for another year of teaching, and I have laid out a plan for myself. I am going to drastically improve my nutrition--I just bought a nutrition for dummies book and food dairy on amazon, and made a pact with my friend that we will report all eatings to each other daily. I will run in the mornings before work and hit the pool or spinning class after school. Work will not consume my life and give me a body I don't recognize!

This summer had some triumphs that I am not willing to let go of that easily. I have moved up to the top ten in my triathlons, and I have won first place twice. I have increased my bike pace by 50%, and am swimming greater distances. I can't let the school year rob me of this progress! In September, I hope to report that I am in the 120s, and feeling balanced betwen work and my personal life.

Oh Chelsey, I am so sorry to hear about your family's heartache. My mother was pronounced terminal when I about 14 years old with a rare form of Lymphoma. Luckily she was the first person in the UK to be declared in full remission with this disease. I am very grateful for her to be with us and I do remember how bleak it was. When I go to mass on Sunday I will light a candle for all of you.

I agree that slowly lowering your calories really works. I know find it odd eating more than 1500 on days when I don't eat out. I just don't know where one finds these calories! It's become second nature. And I'm sure it will for you to.

thesame7lbs - how do you run 9 miles! I have been doing intervals for ages and the most I made was 5 minutes before having to stop. I've always had really bad knees so I use that as an excuse, but actually a recent trip to the doctor suggested that running might be detrimental. *sarcasm* Oh no *sarcasm* Anyway, I am very envious of your stamina.

bama_girl - Don't be 'blah, another month' - think of it as a clean slate with a different agenda. You've been doing really well and obviously weight loss slows as you get lighter/further along. Take this from the girl who has been 123 for 3 months! But you've been pretty consistent and I have every faith that you will be even closer to 120 at the end of the month if not at it!

Everyone else - i am majorly procrastinating from this project I have to do for this job interview tomorrow. But I wish each you the best of luck. Keep me posted, I really enjoy hearing about everyone else's journey.

Speak soon xxx

DoraUK—As far as running goes, I swear by the StairMaster StepMill, if you have access to such or something similar. I used that three times a week for a year, and when I actually decided to start running, I ran seven miles in under an hour the first day. Since the second day of running I have run 8 to 10 miles three times a week, with ease, and I have only been running for about six weeks total. I can hardly believe it, but it's true: that machine made a runner out of me. Before the StairMaster I never ran more than two miles at a time.

It's also much easier on your knees than running. So maybe you could start there?

kwinkle—I totally understand you about the work. I have the same problem. I am working massive overtime at my job these days, but I still force myself to fit in exercise. I refuse to have that fall by the wayside. It's bad enough that so many other things have been put on hold for work.

Hey guys!

The week is starting out good for me! I made a healthy soup for dinner, and have plans to cook every night this week. This will do a lot for me in terms of staying on plan.

I tracked my calories all last week and figured an average. So, on average, I ate just under 1800 calories each day. I PLANNED on eating in the 1200-1400 calorie range, but as you can see, it didn't actually turn out that way. Still, it's better than the week before, so I'm going to count it as a victory. Or as a gradual calorie decrease, so maybe I'll be even better this week.

Same7...at what pace are you running? I run 3 miles, 3 times per week, and I aim for under 10 minutes per mile. What is your recommended pace for the longer distance running? I'm so impressed with you running 9 miles! I haven't made it anywhere near that yet, but I just finished Couch to 5 K this past May.

Hugs to you, Dianne!

Dora, you are inspiring me to try to post more, also!

Bamagirl, you can do this!

Like I said, ladies, I'm not setting any speed records on these long runs. My Sunday run was 1:37, so if I'm doing the math right it's about a 10:42 mile, or 5.6 miles per hour. When I did this half marathon 3 years ago, I finished in 2:08:32, which is a 9:46 mile. Something tells me I won't be beating that this year -- but that's OK, I'm just in it to finish! I know I can do a sub-30 5K and I'm pretty sure I could do a sub-60 10K right now.

I've slowed my runs down per a trainer at my gym who has promised me I will get faster by running my long runs slower (and doing interval runs and tempo runs which include faster running). We'll see! The good news is that running slower has done wonders for the tendonitis in my hip, which was so bad last year I couldn't walk without a limp. At this point, I'd rather slow down and be able to run than push the speed and get benched again!

While I don't burn as many calories running at a slower pace, I also find that I am not starving the rest of the day. That makes it a lot easier to stay on plan!

DoraUK and Kellost, if you want to add distance, I suggest reaaaaaaally slowing it down at first. You'd be amazed how much further you can go. Then you can gradually build up speed.

I'd like to take up running again. I've done a half and a full marathon (no speed records for either!), and I enjoy the training. It's so theraputic and it gives me a lot of time to myself to think and just get out. Although I didn't love my body when I was training. Looking back I know I overate to compensate for all the energy I was using. I wonder if I could run without eating too many carbs. Hmm.

Today the scale said 131.5! Whoop whoop . Yesterday it said 131.0, but I'm not going to count it because less than a few minutes later, after going to the bathroom and before eating, it said 132.5. Yeah, maybe it's time for a new scale? I know scales aren't the number one indicator of success, but I do enjoy the validation. I'll be on the lookout for one at Target or Bed Bath and Beyond. I hear the Tanita's are good?

Yesterday I tried on some dresses and I felt really good and was happy with what I saw in the mirror. That's way better than feeling depressed! I bought a dress that makes me feel great, and I'm excited to wear it. It makes me mad to think I just lived with not liking my body for so long .

Today I've planned my eating (ala the Beck principals I've read about) and am looking forward to seeing how I do. I feel so in control, healthy, and happy.

Thank you all for the thoughtfull words and support. It means a great deal to me!

Dora I am sorry about the struggle your mom and family went through but that is amazing that she recovered fully. What a blessing from God1 I have 200% faith God will make things right. That alone makes me feel better. But thank you for thinking of lighting a candle for my family

Petite I have been doing the stairmaster the past few weeks because everyone at the gym says its the best machien in there. You did it for a year? Did it make you bulky? I am scared to do it often because I feel like it will give you the bulky soccer legs..What did it do for your legs?

Same7 Your running is very impressive. I wish I could run that amount. How great it would be to burn 500-700 calories a day in exercise!

Ainsleymom Sounds like your scale has a mind of its own. Time for a new one!

I'm excited for this week! Today I have an interview to volunteer at the local hospital, tomorrow night we are all having a girls night with dinner, drinks, and games, and thursday my friend is moving in with my sister and I! Yippee! I love having things to look forward to!

Dianne, it's hard for me to answer your question, because I have always found muscular legs on a woman to be far more attractive than straight-up-and-down slender legs. I do squats and lunges and deadlifts and other exercises to increase the muscle in my legs. But the stair machine certainly did not give me bulky legs. It just raised and shaped my rear end, which I think is excellent.

I agree with those who say it is the best aerobic exercise machine. It is the only one that challenges me at all. I find running so much easier than the StairMill. I like running, but it doesn't challenge me nearly as much.