Tracy, I feel for you. It is tough, and I don't understand how our bodies behave sometimes. No, I don't understand how you can weigh what you weigh, keep calories to 1200 day, exercise and the scale not drop. But I believe you because the same thing has happened to me in the past. You must have a slower metabolism, as some do, and it's d***** unfair! Sometimes dieting feels like torture ... I guess you just have to go by the way your clothes feel, as I'm sure your body is "shaping up." Just keep doing your best, and I'm betting one of these days you will drop 2 or 3 lbs. over a couple of days!!!

I have not eaten well for 4 to 5 days ... traveling and dieting are always very difficult for me to combine. I will weigh in tomorrow, and let you all know the damage, but I imagine I've gained back 2 to 3 of my *lost* 5 lbs.

Lisa, good for you, reaching your goal this week! I'm very happy for you, and am pulling for you everyday! I hope you will fend off the food demons better than I have, as you travel back here to the states. (Don't depend on the fact that you know how to do it when you get back home; you can't always accomplish that, at least I can't, and it's easier not to gain to begin with, you know! )

Hope we will hear from maeminglea and losing sometime today! for all of us!

Olivia

Tracy,
Oh, I really feel so so much for you, I almost want to cry it is so
unfair to have hard work unacknowledged on a scale. But I
really do believe you about your calories and your exercise
and the only thing I don't trust is the scale. We all have
been there. Scales are not the gold standard. You are doing
great and we all know it so don't worry about the scale. Reality
will catch up with the scale whenever your water, salt, hormones,
muscle mass, digestive contents, and everything else catches up.
But I'd lay money you have less fat on your body, whether the
scale knows it or now. The difference between 177 and 180
is one large bowel movement, and the contents of a bowel
movement is what your scale's information is worth to you right
now. Forget the scale and give yourself a round of applause.
You have so much to be proud of. You've made great
progress. Persisting with improving your health and body despite
the counter-productive input from your scale is all the more reason
to be proud.

If you have been dieting and exercising, I'm sure your body is
getting fitter and leaner and healthier and I think you're getting
nearer to your final goal. This may not be along the path you
would have chosen, and you might not be losing the particular
lumps of fat in the order you want them to disappear, but you
don't get to choose the path your body takes, you only get to
choose your behavior. The fat is going away but something else
is adding to the scale right now, whether it's muscle or water
or intestinal contents or inflammation or bloating or anything
else.

Scientists have been looking for decades and have never
found a human being with metabolism so unlucky that they
wouldn't burn fat on your program. With the calories you're
eating and the exercise you're doing, your body must be losing
fat somewhere.

CONGRATULATIONS on burning that fat!!!

One day your scale will give you more results than you have
earned. You won't have enough inflammation/bloating/muscle
to hide the truth forever. And when that happens, take a moment of
silence to acknowledge the pain you had to go through at this point in
the journey, and remember it so you never get discouraged by a
misleading scale ever again. Everybody has dry spells. Could
be a few weeks, could be a few months, but if you're doing the
right thing, then your body must be burning fat. When I hit
my next plateau or worse, you can tell me all these things again
and I'll need to hear them again. It's so discouraging,
but the scale information is an illusion. The calories and the
exercise and the gradual burning of fat are what's real.

Lisa

I'm over my pity party for now lol! The scale is down today by 1/2 a lb. to 176.6, but it has actually gone lower one day last week, but then right back up. So I will wait till next weigh in to claim it if it lasts. I *KNOW* I am doing the right things, exercising, drinking water, eating within my calories, and at some point the scale will have to reflect that, right? If it continues like this, then maybe I need to consult the dr? Dunno. For now I am going to continue as is. I have cut out most junk, am limiting sugar, sodium, starches. I am going to up my cardio too. Last night I pushed and did 3 miles on the track at the y and even ran some of my laps. That is HUGE for me, I am generally lazy, I hate to sweat, hate to exert myself. I NEVER run. But I did last night. Obviously not the whole 3 miles or even continuously, I would run a lap, walk a lap...so proud of that any way.
The next few days are going to be rough with eating ugh! My dd graduates preschool tonite, and tomorrow is their last day, a picnic at the park. However, I have my plan in place. I know what I am eating. Bought myself some fun 'treat' foods for tomorrow (ie. light chips, and a fiber one bar...)
Now, tonite, I just need to step away from the cookie buffet!!! Send me some willpower dust would ya?

Olivia! thanks for the message (all 5 times lol! what was up with that? )
Now that you are home, in your own environment, I am sure you will be able to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get back at it!! Traveling is hard, social stuff is hard....oh wait, NONE of this is easy
Well, I must run ladies! Hugs and good willpower wishes and exercise dust coming your way!
tracyg

Tracey - Glad the scale is heading back down. You made me laugh when you said you were going to wait to see if your weight loss lasts - before you "claim it". I got down to 218 last week - but as of today I'm back at 220- I guess I'm in limbo for a week to see if I drop those two lbs. again before I "claim" them. Hope ya'll have a great week.

my last baby graduated....preschool....wahhhhhhh, and I ate 6 cookies at the
freaking cookie buffet. Ugh....I hadn't planned to eat so many. Went 137 over my calories....sigh....
well, must run.
hugs
tracyg

sigh.........
OH well, my dd will only graduate preschool once!
So, how is everyone doing? Lisa? Olivia?
check in ladies! I have one more hurdle today, dd's last day of preschool picnic. Wish me luck!
hugs
tracyg

Tracy, you are doing very well! Six cookies at such a function is not the end of world ... I'm sure you ran around with your little one enough to make up for it! Good for you with your running ... I'm sure running would kill me! (Old as dirt ... )

I am not doing very well since I came back from my trip. Not awful but not good. One problem is that I know my summer officially starts in two weeks, when company starts arriving and the traveling begins again ... So now, I debate if I'm going to just drop off the Board at that time, for the Summer, or stay here and control my eating the best I can ... This past weekend told me that I'm not in very good "control mode" right now. I don't stay on a thread unless I'm really working at losing weight; after all, that's what we're here for, right?

You ladies have a great day!!! I'm proud of the progress you guys are making ... Tracy and Lisa! Maeminglea, just try to keep your chin up about those two lbs. Maybe it's water weight, and you will be back down in a day or two!

Cheers,
Olivia

I had ended up skipping breakfast as I was getting everyone ready for the last day of school picnic. Then we went to the playground (as part of the picnic) and it was soooo hot, i felt dizzy and weak and sluggish. When we ate, I stuck mostly to fruit and vegies with some dip, a couple of cookies, a few pretzels and a few chips....we ran a few errands and when I got home, I went and laid down for an hour but could have been more...I was just whipped. I still feel that way. Ugh...oh well, I will just have to get over it as I am heading to the y tonite, shooting for another 3 miles.
So, all of the end of school celebrating is done! yippee!
how are you doing? olivia...don't leave us! even if you decide not to be on program for a while, stick around. You can't have people and travel all the time so maybe you could decide to be faithful on those days when you don't ?
Lisa, how is it going???? Maeminglea, good thing I didn't claim it as I am back up today, arghhh! Oh well, eventually it will have to come down for real. I refuse to allow this to derail me or cause me to give up dang it!
check in ladies!
hugs
tracyg

Hello friends! I'm doing well. The low-carb diet definitely seems to
be helping me feel more steady about mood and I have fewer
sudden cravings. I still deal with hunger, and my energy level isn't
very good, but overall I'm a lot happier with this. (Basis of the diet
is 3 cups a day of skim milk, 6 oz a day of lean meat, and TONS of vegetables. They don't have to be low-starch vegetables, as long
as they're not super high-starch.)

I went 3 days in a row with no exercise, but I could feel my
metabolism slowing down, or I thought I could, and that really got
my back to the gym. I'm NOT going to suffer through this stinking diet
and then shoot myself in the foot with slow metabolism.

My exercise is much less intense on low-carb, but I figure that's OK.
If I lift weights until a muscle is exhausted, it doesn't matter what
the number of plates is. If I do cardio until I'm out of breath, it
doesn't matter what speed. Or at least so I'm telling myself. I can
feel a lot more circulation and "metabolism" for hours after each
exercise, so I figure it's doing what it's supposed to do.
Other experiences?

I'm getting a bit stressed with work, and there's a VIP
visitor arriving monday for 2 weeks so I need to get my butt in gear.
I'm tempted to kick my diet program into a lower gear for a while
so I can have more of my brain at my disposal. You know what
I mean? I'm not going to do it, because I'm too scared. If I can
re-write the rules for this reason, why not rewrite the rules to allow
a big bowl of noodles next time I go to the soup place for my usual
vegetables and broth. Really I don't think I can hold on if I let
myself make this change, but I really wish I could trust myself with
more flexibility. I guess I could do it, but the will-power would
consume all of the time and energy and part of my mind that
I'm hoping to free up by lessening the diet. So I might as well plow
through. At least now I have a routine, and that really helps
me a lot.

Determined,
Lisa

I'm hanging in there. STILL at 176.4 arghhhh! Been exercising pretty faithfully though. Not much new here to report. How is everyone else doing? I'm feeling 'weak' about this weekend. We had been given a gift certificate for Red Lobster for christmas and due to schedules and the fact that we have drive far to get to one, we have never used it. MY dh suggested we use it this sunday as we have time and can go....yikes!!!!! I LOVE seafood, especially crab legs dipped in butter! and those cheddar garlic biscuits....ay yi yi! Then there is the obligatory memorial day picnic.....sigh....
so anyone else in the same shoes over this holiday weekend???? wish me lots of will power ladies and the same back at ya!
many hugs, have a happy holiday!
tracyg

Ps. btw: I changed my weight and avatar, I've been at 176 most of the week, 176.4,.6,.2.....what a drag! Just wanted to claim it...needed some encouragement I guess! hugs
tracyg

So here starts our *Summer*, right? I hope it will be a wonderful one for all of us!

I have been off-program for 8 days, and still have 3 of my 5 lbs. off, so that's better than I imagined when I stepped on the scale today. I'm going to try to keep my food on the lighter side this weekend, even if I don't really diet.

Tracy ... I know what you mean! I have an Outback gift card that we'd received for Christmas. I found it stuck away, and now it CALLS to me! And they have the BEST coconut shrimp ... Sometimes my DH and I will each get a house salad, split a coconut shrimp order, then share a 9 oz. filet (with baked potato or veggies) dinner. That way I can enjoy a meal out, and not overdo. Will your DH try meal-splitting? I LOVE those biscuits at Red Lobster, and ALL seafood, Trace. Luckily, the closest one is across town!!!

I will have company, be traveling, be guest in someone else's home ... one or the other from the first week in June until at least mid-July, I swear! But I can't give up, and must control the best I can. So, I will keep checking in with you ladies, and pulling for you!

Lisa, I know what you mean about being afraid to relax ANYTHING about your plan. It's always such a darned battle, isn't it? You are one determined woman with that skim milk and veggies. I couldn't do it, but I sure admire your grit and strong will to keep going on the *faster* track!

Well, girls, have a super weekend! I will be at the pool all three days so that will be some exercise ... Shall we make our weigh-in on Tuesday next week as Monday is a holiday?


Olivia

Hi ladies~ Looks like everyone is right where I am at on this fight to lose weight and keep it off. My daughter is also out of school and we have been having lunch together at not so diet freindly places, movies all that fun stuff. I put her in a math summer program class that she will be starting the 4th of June so i'm trying to make the most out of this mini summer she has right now. The class is only until 12:30pm but it's going to feel like an all day long for her.
As for dieting I haven't been doing great but not so bad for as many times as I've ate out this week. I don't have anything planned for the weekend. I plan to stay on track all weekend. Going to try a low carb plan for a while to get my sugar cravings in check. Wish me luck I have been wanting nothing but sugar lately.

174.4!!!!!!!!!!! yay! if it's still there tomorrow, i'm claiming it! i'm being good so far, having grilled chicken rather than burgers or dogs and i will most likely do the same. I almost had a burger but when I looked at the calories, ugh, i couldn't make myself do it lol! at least not today, mabey tomorrow. if the scale doesn't go up by tomorrow, i'm claiming 174.4 which will put me at my 2nd mini goal of being below 175!!! hoping the rest of you are doing well! will check back in in the am, hope we all see massive losses to start off our summer with a bang...!
hugs
tracyg

Hello friends,

It's been quite a weekend. I had my regular portions of cucumber
sticks and skim milk, but I also had a bunch of high calorie foods.
I had a big slice of buttery apple-cherry pie on Saturday and
another on Sunday, plus I went out to dinner Saturday and had a
variety of foods including some fatty meat, I drank alcohol, and
Sunday's dinner was some Indian style fried bread with gravy,
called roti paratha. Not a huge amount, but definitely not
diet food.

Basically I'm rethinking the severity of my diet for two reasons.
Thursday last week, I over-did my diet and I felt suddenly much worse,
and I just knew deep down that my program doesn't have enough room
for error. If I delay a meal or forget some water, it's going to
strain my body.

The other thing, probably the biggest reason for me, is that I
felt a bit freaked out after reading about a "famous" 1950 medical
study in Minnesota where a large group of people were fed half-rations
(semi-starvation diet) for several months. The people in the study
were chosen for being the most psychologically healthy and physically
healthy young men they could find, but by the end of the experiment,
most of the men had become extremely neurotic about food and had
developed behavioral disorders associated with anorexia, or
obsessive-compulsive disorder, or other weird stuff. When the
experiment ended and the men went back to eating freely, their
eating-related disorders and neurotic behavior continued. The
message I take away from reading all this, is that a harsh diet probably
screwed up their brain biochemistry in a somewhat permanent way.
YIKES. That could be me if I'm not more careful.

So now I'm back at work, Monday morning (Memorial Day isn't a holiday
here) and I'm not sure exactly what I want to do. I've had a few
days with starch, alcohol, sugar, and plenty of calories and
I'm not eager to go through withdrawal, but I'm also not willing to
set 152 as my "finish line."

I had extra long workouts Saturday and Sunday, and I don't feel
guilty about what I ate or what I did, but I can't afford that
much food and exercise every day. I think I ought to go through
carb withdrawal again, and then resume a similar program to what
I had before, except a bit more variety and more calories.
But at 152 pounds, I feel pretty successful and not very motivated
to impose discipline. I'll keep you posted tomorrow.

Lisa

i'm still down to 174.6!!! yay! finally! and that is after eating a normal day and then splurging with a small serving of ice cream and half a brownie at a friend's last night!!!!
I'm pretty excited let me tell ya!
Today I am going to just try to be 'normal', not overdo on any picnic-y junk. and tomorrow I will definitely be back at it full strength. TOM should be arriving any day now, so, I will enjoy it while I can lol!
did I mention the new evil that invaded my neighborhood? they are opening a dairy isle directly across the street from my house...today is the opening day...how am I gonna withstand that, right out my front door day after day??? Ugh!!! I willllllll overcome!!!!!!!!!
huggies
tracyg