Hey feathers!

Can you believe it's November already? Just a few weeks left now to bust those pounds in time* for Christmas!

*to put them all back on

Despite 5 days or so of eating absolute rubbish, I weighed in at my lowest ever 130lbs this morning, which was my original goal when I started my journey. I can't believe that I'm here, nor that I'm now aiming for lower! wow!

Hope you all have a fabulous November feathers, see you under the Christmas tree

Leaves Congrats on hitting goal!!!! You must feel so proud of your self

Not much to report here, still at 139 although I'm trying to make Mondays my "official" way in day. I've found this sort of happy place where I'm eating 2-3 solid meals a day plus glass of wine and maybe dessert after dinner but keeping my portions reasonable and working out/walking a lot and I'm slowly losing. This kind of feels like that "lifestyle change vs. dieting" thing everyone talks about.

@Leaves - woo-hoo, gratz on hitting goal! That's fantastic! I know what you mean about the losing to put it back on - my current goal is to get to January without any serious gainage. Last year I *somehow* found 5 pounds over the holidays, d'oh.

@LisaTcan - gratz to you on finding a happy place! Personally, I believe that slow and easy is the way to go; much more likely to be sustainable in the long run, hm?


As for me, I'm settling into this new weight. It's just strange how one pound can make such a difference, mentally - but I'm trying to keep my mind in a neutral place where I'm comfortable and happy anywhere between 110 and 119. Though I can't really imagine being back down to 110 again - that was in my early teens when I barely ate anything, and mostly what I did eat was junk, not a particularly healthy part of my life.

Anyway, happy November everyone! This is my favorite month, hands down, no doubt in large part because of Thanksgiving and my birthday later this month!

*waves to all my feather friends*

Sorry I've been absent! Late October/early November is always very busy for me at work, etc.

I'm still hovering around the upper 140s/low 150s, WISHING and hoping to get out of the 150s forever, but weekends just kill me, kill me dead. And there's always some sort of event. This coming weekend is my niece's birthday party which involves a weekend at my sister's where there is always tons of eating and drinking. If I lived in a bubble, I could do this thing!

Sorry I didn't hit up all personals from late October, but am starting fresh here!

Congrats, Leaves!! That must be an awesome feeling being at goal!

Lisa, love your idea of eating solidly and having some wine, but watching portions. Sounds sane and awesome to me!

Cattails , you are amazing! I need to go back in your previous posts, because I'm sure that senile me has asked you more than once and you've answered about your journey. I find success stories darnright addictive, especially with similar goal weights!

Thanks ladies, but I'm not calling goal yet. More like, small goal. I still have Big Goal and Ultimate Goal to go! When I started, 130 seemed like this misty, unreachable number, but now I'm thinking 'hmm...120?'. Just gonna keep chugging along until the stomach goes!

Lisa: That sounds great! And I always found that breaking into a new decade is the hardest- just stick at it and you'll be there in no time!

Cattails: I think at our sort of weights, every pound can make a huge difference! I'd love to be as low as you! You sound like you're in a great place

Olehcat: *hugs*! I know how you feel hovering around a break point like that, I swear I was stuck at 140/141 forever! And then I managed to break through and lose some more, went on holiday and went straight back up to 142. argh! I'm afraid I don't really have any advice on the events side of things- I ate so much chocolate cake yesterday. The October-December season is lethal for a diet!

Hi Feathers!

It is wonderful to read about everyone's success!

Leaves, you may call it a "small goal," but I think it is amazing that you have made that "misty, unreachable number" a reality!

LisaT, I agree, you have found that often-talked-about-but-rarely-found lifestyle change. Sounds perfect -- especially the wine-and-dessert fits in!

Cattails, I like the phrase "neutral place." I am having a hard time finding that groove.

Olehcat, I hear you on the events! Very hard. I feel like a big side of calorie counting (or just calorie awareness) is that you know just how many calories are in all that yummy party and restaurant food. I remember being at a party and seeing little brie hors d'oeuvres and thinking bam! 100 cals each!

I had a skinny jean NSV yesterday. My smallest jeans, which I considered giving away just a couple months ago -- I wore 'em! And they looked cute!

On an unrelated note, I scratched my eye yesterday (on, of all things, a palm frond). The doctor could not see an abrasion, but I wish someone would tell that to my eye. It hurts and is so blurry that I am having trouble reading (driving on the freeway was a little dicey this afternoon as well).

Have a great evening, everyone!

Hello Feathers!

Seems like everyone's been doing well! Everything's fine with me as well. I haven't really been in the mood to workout at all but I'm trying to at least lift some weights twice a week.
I'm so excited for DH's birthday! I finally got all of his gifts here, just need to wrap them up. We're going to a breakfast buffet (pancakes, croissants, fruit, rolls, bread, cereal, eggs, bacon GALORE) and a Brazilian buffet (lots of meat!) but we're most likely also gonna go to an indoor water park during the day so hopefully I'll manage to burn some of the food off, lol.
I visited my sister today and as soon as my brother-in-law saw me he said that I had lost weight, yay! Also, my clothes for work are starting to get a little loose. I wear a 10 in pants which were super tight a few weeks ago when I weighed 148 lbs. I felt so uncomfortable I had to wear a cardigan over my t-shirt just so you wouldn't be able to see my muffin top.

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Leaves - It must be such an awesome feeling to be at the goal you've been wanting to be at for so long and now you even wanna get lower than that! Your hard work is definitely paying off

LisaTcan - I agree with Cattails - slow is good! Especially now that you found your way, how could it get any better? I dread the 139 lbs -142 lbs range, it always seems like those numbers are the hardest to get away from.

Cattails - Oh wow, 110 lbs, is that even possible? Seriously though, you're doing amazing and you feel good about it, so that's all that matters!

thesame7lbs - Yay! Congrats on the NSV!! Good thing you didn't give them away after all. Feel better soon!!

Cattails - Good to hear you're settling in to your new weight. I think a range of about 5 lbs is always the best way to go.

Olehcat - I hear you on the hovering! I've been hovering at 139-140 for like a month! It is sooo frustrating!! I don't really know what my plan is. I also hear you on not being able to stick to your plan when events come up. Thankfully for me I don't know many people in DC but when I go back to Toronto for wedding/Christmas there will be so many events and when food and wine is in front of me I have zero willpower!

Leaves - I say if you're not fighting to stay at 130 why not go lower! My stomach is my trouble spot too, I think I'll still have a flabby belly at my goal weight.

7lbs - Congrats on the skinny jeans!!! That is so exciting!! You must feel amazing. Hope your eye is feeling better too

Hoopty - Isn't it crazy how much of a difference 5lbs makes!! Congrats on the comment, must have felt great! It seems like your weight is steadily dropping too. Way to go!

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So, not much to report on my end. I seem to be permanently stuck at 139! I'm going to try and be super careful over the weekend and maybe I can drop to 138 by Monday. It's finally starting to get chilly in DC, which I'm not minding much! I'm excited for Christmas and thanksgiving

Aw, thank you for the compliments. I have to admit, I do like seeing my reflection lately; that's a relatively new thing for me! Funny thing, though: a few nights ago, I dreamed that I checked myself in the mirror on the way out the door and my face was chubby! Like I was right back in the 180's. I was so glad when I woke up and saw that wasn't true.


@olehcat - One advantage that I have over you is that I have no social life! LOL Well, barely one; and one thing I've gotten comfortable with is refusing food graciously (I hope). Of course, if it's really yummy, gotta have a few bites!

@Leaves - I totally get that "unattainable" number thing. I felt the same about the 120's back when I started this - it looked really, really far from 186 lbs. Be proud of yourself; you've hit a good stride!

@thesame7lbs - Woo-hoo on the skinny jeans, that's awesome! So sorry to hear about your eye, abrasions are awful. Hope it's healing up okay.

@Hoopty - Sounds like you're having a terrific week! Ugh, poor Rodgers; thank goodness it's not as bad an injury as it could have been. Hopefully he'll be back on the field soon.

@LisaTcan - Your body seems to be happy right where it is, but you're fitting into smaller clothes, so that's great! You have so little to lose, it's bound to take longer - I'd say the clothing thing is the more important factor. And don't even talk about stomachs! After three kids and 20 years of being overweight, my stomach is NOT a pretty sight!

Hope everyone's weekend is fun!

I'm working hard to reach 144 by the end of the month. This weekend, as I mentioned before, will be very challenging for me! I have a three-day weekend with two food events today. The rest of the weekend could be okay, although I tend to get "off" when my routine is off.

@Cattails - I will definitely love to be in a place where I like my reflection again! It's been a long time for me! What a great feeling that is! And yes, I do admit that if I had no social life, this would be a LOT easier. But if this weight comes off slowly, it's okay, too, so long as it comes off and I don't get stuck around the same weight for another year as has been the pattern the last year and a half or so!

@Hoopty - yay,glad things are getting better for you! I hope you have a lot of fun at the party for DH!

@thesame7 - wow, congrats on the jeans! That really is a triumph!!

@Leaves - yes, indeed, navigating the next two months or so will be very treacherous! I will try to do my best by eating low during the week the best I can! An how exciting for you that you get to start going for UG. I know what you mean about one goal seeming so misty and far away. That's how 120 feels to me right now!

@Lisa- 139 was my default weight for YEARS and I could never get under it, it seemed! Of course right now, I would kiss the scale if I saw 139, lol. But I bet if you're careful this weekend, you can make the scale move!

Hi feathers, hope everybody's doing well! It's sure gotten quiet on this thread!

Last Saturday we had a pre-Thanksgiving feast at my MIL's. It was yummy, and I think I didn't go too much overboard. Although I did take the opportunity to make a triple chocolate cheesecake that I've had my eye on for the longest time - omg, that was good. Just had a small slice; it's good to share. Somehow I've managed to avoid the other leftovers without difficulty, which gives me hope that I might navigate this holiday season safely.

But tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm going to enjoy it. We're going out to dinner and there will be dessert, oh yes! Also going to the movies to see Catching Fire so movie popcorn is a must. I'm excited: this will be the best birthday I've had for sometime, what with me being in better state of mind and body than I have been for a long while.

Anyway, hope everybody is enjoying the fall and getting ready for a terrific Thanksgiving.

Hi, all,

It sure has been really quiet here! I've been spending a lot more time at MyFitnessPal lately, but I check in here everyday to this group and it's been soooo quiet. I hope everyone's okay!

We had some drama last weekend when tornadoes did some major destruction close to where I live and know several people who lost their homes. That was so upsetting emotionally, and it didn't even affect me personally. I know what I am grateful for this Thanksgiving. I feel very lucky to have a roof over my head, and to have had damage in the storms.

I am still losing weight, albeit VERY slowly. I'm okay with that because I am enjoying life and my weekends. It's just nice to see the scale move, period.

Cattails, happy birthday!!!! Enjoy it. You have done awesome with your weight loss!

Olehcat -Yeah this thread has been sooooo slow. I've checked it everyday and nothing! No new featherweight threads either.Oh no!! That's scary that your community was hit by the tornado!! I'm so sorry about your friends but I'm glad you're OK.

Cattails - Happy Birthday!!! Enjoy Catching Fire! I can't wait to see it!!!

I'm flying out to Toronto tomorrow for a job interview, I had the first interview over the phone so we'll see how it goes!
Weight has been inching towards 138..I'll take it My wedding is in three weeks!!

Heya Featherweights!

Just popping by to wave a holiday hello...

Lisa ~ GOOD LUCK on your job interview and HOW exciting about your wedding!!!! I remember back when you weren't sure if the long distance thing was going to work out. This is the same fella, right?

Olehcat ~ scary about the tornados, but glad that you're OK.

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I clocked in at 142.8 this morning, so slowly but surely inching my way down, too... That's pretty close to a record low for me, but I'm on a the low swing of a few lean eating days, so expect to see it bounce back up. Still, I feel like I'm eating fairly well and the loss is sustainable. No starvation going on here.

I started a crazy stressful new job in August, so that was a disrupting factor in my old, sedentary eating habits. Hoping to continue with the downward trend despite the holidays.

Happy almost-Thanksgiving!!!

Hi Feathers, Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I've been around and lurking but don't have much to say. I'm just doing my thing, being, but I'm not sure a healthy diet/exercise is as much of a hobby as it has been in the past since it's just what I do now.

Hope everyone celebrating Thanksgiving and Chanukah is enjoying turkey and latkes