Here's how I think...
I really don't think I can keep what I have unless I give it away.
So I help others...

Hey Team August we got kicked off the first page again. What's up in your worlds? How are you feeling?

Personally I've been feeling some fatigue with the strict lifestyle and I made some poor choices over the weekend. Mainly just eating out to many too many times. I could see and feel the bloat from the sodium etc so I'm back on track.

Was telling,y honey about a dream last night: I dreamt that I was shopping for a new swimsuit. can't even fathom that right now now. But I guess with tour weather at 34 and falling I was dreaming of being somewhere warm. He told me well yea babe you're gonna have to buy a new suit! He suggested a bikini! Ha! Doubt that highly even at my smallest I wasn't comfortable in a bikini. I guess we'll see come the summer time.

nolasmurf - I can appreciate the challenges eating out and that has been tough for me. We have our house on the market and so cooking anything that leaves odors is a no-no. I whirled around like crazy yesterday for 2 prospective buyers so I would think I burned off a lot.

We went out for our anniversary last night and I was very careful - Greek salad, no feta, no olives, vinaigrette on the side, unused (I guess there goes the "greek" in the salad!) I had delicious rosemary cut up chicken breast, drank lots of water. Hope being good will show up soon on my weight.

What struck me as we celebrated 24 years together is that this is a new 24 years starting now and it is up to me to make it everything I have wanted. I have lost -55 and I am essentially the same weight I was when we first married. So I am back and "go" and I am going to do all that I can for me.

Doing okay here in my bitterly cold world. Maybe it was a bad idea to start losing my "padding" before this crazy winter! Joking, of course. I do NOT want those 40+ lbs back! However, I can totally understand dreaming of summery things!

School/ work is as crazy as ever. Just teying to make it through till May. Sis and I got tix to see Billy Joel in July in DC, so that is definitely an event to look forward to! I am a HUGE Billy fan! (Well, not as big as I used to be! )

Stay warm, everyone!

~Renee

Hi all, still here, heading down toward Phase 3 this weekend. Phase 2's been a non issue for me, mostly a pain as it was SOOO easy to have a packet and salad for lunch, now I have to think about what protein I'm going to eat. We have a cafe in the office but since I only eat fish and eggs for protein, the salad bar is getting a little same ole same ole. (only so much dry tuna and chopped hard boiled eggs I can stand). Phase 3 will be interesting - I haven't lost weight really over Phase 2 - maybe 2.5 lbs over 2 weeks - but think inches are going. I really wanted to be under 135 lbs as I know I'm going to put on weight when I re-introduce the carbs.

I am having so much fun 'shopping' in my closet. I have about 1 more size smaller that have been hanging around, so it is fun to slip something on and find it slide down smoothly. Some things I passed by without ever wearing but that is not a problem to me!

So I am about 1/2 way through the size 18's and looking eagerly to get into my first size 16. Huge motivational thing for me to see the old stuff dropped off at the thrift store. My closet is now about half empty....

Congrats on starting phase three! I hope you can get some more options for your lunch proteins....same old, same old, can get boring, for sure!


So much fun! It was smart of you to hold on to some stuff. It has been so long since I was this small that I only had about one size worth of clothes to go through, then I had to get new ones. The Goodwill Store is now my new best friend!!

Stay warm, all!

~Renee

I'm still here too. Haven't posted in a while, which I never thought I'd do, lol. Suffering from diet fatigue, I guess that's pretty common after 5 months. I missed my last WI due to a public holiday and I'll miss next week since I'll be in Jamaica. I had to order 3 new bathing suits,(bikinis at that!) since my old ones give me the "saggy diaper" look. Most chic for swimwear, lol. I'm almost out of the obese range. I plan on sticking with the diet until Easter at which point I'll fully phase off and start working out, which I miss terribly.

Congrats on you Augusters that have hit goal!!!

Hi Augusters! We were on page 3! No, no, no


Bikinis! Awesome! You must have been so happy!
Definite diet fatigue here too - though maybe it's also the weather/lack of sun - combined with the somewhat monotonous 6 months of diet effort. While this has been easier and more successful than I expected, there's still some angst I create on days where my thoughts turn to what I "can't have" rather than what I "can do".

Congrats on moving into phase 2 successfully...I haven't started yet but think the same. At a certain point, taking a packet is easy peasy

Great attitude Schenectady. Congrats on the anniversary and hope the house sells soon!

Back on track and you can do it! I think it's perfectly normal to hit plateaus with our attitude... 6 months is a long time and this does take commitment and focus. It's not a quick fix, changing our bodies and our minds. But we can do it! Hopefully new bathing suit dreams help

I had my weigh in today after a week and a half...down 3.6 so I'm excited! The next two weeks are a lot of work travel/conferences and I'm very close to goal so I'm going to aim for a mix of phase 1 and 2 days. We'll see how it goes.

Oddly, as I posted on today's daily thread, my goal weight per the clinic keeps changing... Every time I get to what they said it was, it's now lower according to their scale thing (scale says I need to lose 2.2 more pounds of body fat...it doesn't set a weight number to hit). Regardless, I'm more or less moving into phase 2 ish unofficially wish me luck!

Happy weekend and IP POWER to you!

Congrats on the new suits! And most definitely enjoy your trip and the warmth! I am not sure what kind of workout you usually do, but a light workout during P1 is okay by most people. I find toning and light cardio to be uplifting, esp during the winter.

I have felt some diet fatigue in the past, but it seems to go away, too. Ride it out if you can. Try some new veggies, spices, or something to change it up a bit. The weather definitely makes things a bit tougher, that is for sure!

And congrats on the 3.6 pounds you donated! Way to go! Best of luck as you start P2. Happy weekend!

~Renee

vachinyc Congratulations on the 3.6 pound loss - if I were not a more sane and truly happy person, I would be envious! You should be so ecstatic.

I have dealt with IP diet fatigue and I deal with it by trying to be more determined by examining new recipes or just take the trouble to make something that takes time and effort rather than just relying on my same old standards.

Although my losses have slowed, I am having the time of my life with being able to fit in smaller clothes, so even though the weight is a little behind what I would like, the measurements are not.

Sad, though, that I keep discovering more and more SHOES that d not fit. I love all my shoes and they are all favorites for one reason or another. It kills me to put those into the thrift store donation bag, but I reason that when I get close to goal, I will have every reason and justification for buying all new ones!

Hi All,
Thought I would pop in and say hi even though I haven't really been on plan for a while ( as my stats show.. ughh why is losing weight so hard.. my will power really sucks sometimes, but I am not giving up and am getting mentally prepared to get back to the business of losing weight.. I am dying to get to under 200.. am going to come back to the boards more and doing it with alts ) Congrats to everyone on their success.. you guys rock..

Thanks Schenectady. I honestly don't have a clue how that number happened this late...my average is around 2.5. Which was frustrating at times but I listened to the wise folks here and kept at it. IP works

I have been noticing the shoe thing recently too. Weird!

Thanks Renee. You're right, it does go away...especially when I put on a smaller size

Speaking of...I've been complaining a little about my size not dropping ...but I went to Ann Taylor today and fit in a 10. I'm ecstatic. That's the size I wanted to be again. It's been a while coming but yay! I didn't buy much - that store is pricey - but found a cute dress and skirt both 50% off their sale price - so I got them! They will also help with my upcoming two weeks of work travel...new clothes, smaller size...keeping me in check!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I'm cooking some chicken tenders in Frank's and having celery and WF blue cheese. And some jicama 'fries'.

Enjoy your SB festivities! So glad to hear of your new size. That is great! I cannot wait to be securely in an eight, or maybe a six. Just trying to get the belly pooch to go away. Any suggestions? I workout the abs a few times a week and do general toning.

Congrats on the new outfits. How cool you can show them off on your travels!

Hey Team August.
BUSY BUSY weekend. Slipped at bit today but getting back on the horse.. Made this pic my screensaver to remind me of all the hard work I did to get here. This is right after hair and make up were done for the fashion show yesterday. The dress is $180 at Macy's and I LOVED it, but it's way out of my budget. I asked the Macy's manager to hold one for me in a smaller size so when I hit my goal of 130 I can go buy it.