Time to start a new thread as Maintainers Losing It By Labor Day is getting close to the 500 mark.

Thanks for starting Bargoo. I am determined to take off the extra pounds I've found recently. I think I've finally gotten fed up enough to do something about it.

I am going to try an experiment of avoiding all powdered drink mixes and sugarfree gum for a few days. The former will be easy; the latter, not so much, as gum-chewing has turned into a habit of mine. I pop a stick of sugarfree at those moments when I probably would have eaten a piece of candy or sweet carbs. But I want to see if this reduces swelling in my legs and general fluid retention.

My weigh-in is far better than it was earlier this week, and close to what it was last week. I haven't had a period for several months but I've got symptoms that I associate with PMS, namely, really tender breasts. So there's something hormonal going on. That may also be messing with my weight somewhat.

Thank goodness. I wasn't keen on facing the reckoning of Labour Day just yet, LOL. But for the record, "Fall" shall not include Christmas.

(Note the addition of the 'u' in Labor Day in honor of our Canadian members.)

michele, I get you on the "fed up" feeling! The good part about it is once that feeling sets in, the route gets crystal clear.

saef, good luck with the experiment. Hopefully the hormones won't confound your results too much. I sure would love a couple month's break between TOM ...

allison, I can imagine that 128 was reed-thin on you! 150 is "okay" for me, too, in the right clothes. Jiggly is a good word for it. My 12000 cals/wk is geared for 140; I don't know what that will look like. I do know that each pound I'm taking off now is bringing a difference I can see. This week, it's a bit of arm definition. It's a little like unwrapping a Christmas present.

My average is moving in the right direction this week. 3.5 pounds in 8 weeks, which is laughably slow yet to my frame of mind, reassuringly consistent - the math still works! May it continue to work throughout the fall. Fearless!

Hey, thanks! I'm a Canadian freelance writer with both Canadian and American clients, so I'm always having to "watch my u's."

F.

p.s. You forgot the u in "honour."

It's starting out to be a good day. Down 1.6 pounds !

bargoo - wow! That definitely kicks off the day right!

There is also a difference between s and z in some words, right?

BTW, it's much too hot for it to be this close to fall.

But I will persevere fearlessly. Hanging onto 151 this week for some strange reason.

Scale is starting to go back in the right direction maybe. Dh leaves today for over two weeks so I have no excuses. I will not waver!

Friday = 1712.5

12000
-1977.3
-1264.7
-1619
-1448.8
-1762.9
-1712.5
= 2214.8 (hope I don't eat THAT much!)

Entering Sept. at 148.5. Probable cause of blip was getting home from work to find DH had just completed a luscious bowl of spicy guacamole. Kinda calorie- dense! I made 12k for the week with about 20 to spare, so I still get my purple star (long story).

Starting September at 124.6. I really want to get back below 120. My "happy" range is 118-120 but it's been months since I've been there. My dh is gone for the next 2 weeks and Tough Mudder is 3 weeks from today so I'm going to focus on clean eating and working out to see if I can make some headway.

Bill- fall DEFINITELY doesn't include Christmas, even if the stupid Christmas stuff hits the stores (and the airwaves) before Halloween these days.
Michele- what on earth is Tough Mudder?
ICU- I associate purple stars with bodily harm; hope that isn't what it means for you. In any case, good going on breaking the mid-140s barrier for the first time since your 30s. That must feel wonderful.

As for me, I'm in the Reno airport, heading out for the first leg of our arduous flight home (stupid Delta changed our nice 2-leg flight to a 3-leg one and simply informed us of the change via email; can't believe that sort of bait-and-switch is legal). I haven't weighed myself in almost 2 weeks, and I'm scared even though I haven't been overeating (my body has an astonishing ability to gain 2-3 pounds in a week when I've "overeaten" by literally not more than 1000 calories beyond maintenance for the week).

Just out of curiousity, how many of you find the "eat this, not that," or "cut your portion in half and skip the breadbasket" type strategy to be helpful? I tried to employ it a few times this trip, but I find it STILL doesn't let me stay at the calorie level I need to maintain, and makes me feel super-sorry for myself besides (e.g., I skipped the bread, asked for the dressing on the side, had no wine OR dessert with dinner, am only eating half of the pasta on my plate, and it's STILL 500 calories of pasta plus whatever calories are in the pasta sauce, the oil on the veggies and the chicken breast-plus-sauce).

Andrea, Delta is not my favorite airline. I won't take the time to go into it here but just say when my mother passed away in another state the only flight my brother and I could get was with Delta. I refer to that flight as the flight from ****. I avoid Delta if anything else is available.