Alaskan: :hugs: OMG! I hope he feels better after the MD appt. Ear infections are evil :devil:

K9O- Great comment! A year ago today I was over 200lbs (probably around 205), still couldn't eat ANY sugar because I was likely to binge, and wearing a size 14. Just this week I got to wear my first size 6's EVER!!! Ok, I get it's due to vanity sizing but it's still pretty cool. :lol:

One thing that sucks, though, is that a year ago today I could still run/jump all that good stuff, now I'm not allowed to. :cry: Although I can swim for an hour multiple times per week and there was a guy swimming next to me in the pool yesterday and I was kicking his butt. :encore:

Here's hoping that a year from today I'll be at my goal weight or at the very least at a healthy BMI. :cheers:

Alaskan- I hope the ear infection gets better soon! Those things are evil.

Rana & K9O- Another daily weigher here. It's great but it sucks because today it put me back in the 170's, ugh! However, I worked out right before going to bed last night, which normally always means water retention, arg.

jo- I should be taking prenatals but we keep pushing back the time when we want to TTC. I think at this point it won't be until I hit goal and maybe even awhile after that. So right now no.

forloveofself- could you get some shapewear for the dress? My waist and arms are so incredibly stubborn and even with a lot of weight loss are just SLOW to leave. :mad:

A year ago, I was in a size larger than I'm wearing now. I had been struggling to lose the weight, found some parts of me were slimming down but other parts of me refused to shrink. I was cleaning out my closet and found that my old boots were too big for me to wear that winter. It was the start of cleaning out my closet. All my coats just fit me, as did my winter sweaters, but I knew that I wanted to get rid of them by the end of winter to make room for a new, smaller size this year.

I still have most of my coats/jackets this year. I got rid of two that were really roomy and of no use to me, but the rest are roomier than they were last year. I bought myself a new pair of boots last month and I look fabulous in them! The shaft is definitely smaller this time. I chose not to buy new sweaters because even though I've slimmed down a little, they're still not making sweater sleeves long enough for me in my size! I have long arms and an even-longer torso. And an even more anorexic bank account...so keeping the new clothes on the minimum.

Looking forward to splurging on a new spring/summer wardrobe in an even smaller size!

Hello alaskan, Rana,Jo, pp, princess, geob, and all missing and new here!

K9O Yes, the good thing about insomnia is being international. I have family and friends on nearly every inhabited continent, so we do have occasion to connect :)
Funny how you should ask about reflection, as I was doing the verything this morning while in front of the bathroom mirror.
I was thinking about the dress not fitting right yesterday, and I decided not to feel sorry for myself and to think about the things I did like:
*I like my face overall
*I like being a nerd
*I like that I've had to think about buying new sz 12 US jeans and skirts as all the ones I own that are between szs 14 ( I've bee able to wear the sz 12 leggings and other elastic waist sz12 for a while now) that were snug last year fall off unless I wear a belt, and they are also very loose in the thighs.
*I love that the belts worn on my hips are at least two spaces tighter and there isn't so much muffin hanging over the belt anymore.
*The "goal" waist belt I have had since I was thinner are now only 1.5 inches too small instead of almost 4 inches!
*I like that I only want to lose 14 more lbs this year instead of 30 lbs last year.
And the major thing I saw when I looked in the mirror was that area between my upper arms and breasts is showing definition again, even if the skin needs to nip in tighter.

Stayed on plan even though I added half a cup of gluten free mashed potatoes to last nights dinner (tasted a bit like cardboard esp since I didn't add milk nor cream to it)

Take care everyone.

On the 15 december 2010, which is just 9 days until it has been a whole year since I was at the doctor and weighed on a scale. I was told to watch my weight. I was utterly crushed being a freshman at university and being told I was 'fat'.

My bottoms were okay. They were bigger than today.

And the story of my top: I wore a jacket that I bought in 2009, only to find that in december 2010 it was so tight that the zipper popped off while I was walking on campus.:o Mortifying for a freshman to experience.
The tops I wore were all too tight, however it was too embarrassing to start buying 1-2 sizes up.

Now a year later, I, just like K9Owner, have had to gotten rid of clothing that are simply too big.

Btw, loved this reflection challenge K9Owner.:D

K9Owner - Thank you for this thread. I am a newbie to this site although I have been lurking for years. Your post really caught my eye because I can relate to everything on the list. It is especially frustrating to be on program and continue to see the same number on the scale. However, this time I have decided to be kinder to myself on this journey and giving myself small goals rather than looking at the end result I am trying to achieve.

I have joined one of the challenges on this site to keep me motivated and it seems to be working. Yay!!

One year ago, I was three months into my second weight loss journey. I weighed around 240 lbs and had lost nearly 30 pounds. I was a around a size 20W and my size 22Ws were falling off of me. Now, I wear a size 16 in regular clothes (no women's sizes), I have waved goodbye to my old friend Lane Bryant because I can no longer fit any of their clothes, and I can sit in an airplane seat without spilling into the neighboring seat (NSV!). I look forward to this time next year when my size 16s will look like clown clothes on me. :D

LoveofSelf & Alaskan: It is difficult for me to order a salad from a fast food chain I am such a picky lettuce eater. I love lettuce, but it has to be just perfect in order for me to eat it!

Alaskan: I totally agree with Jo in that if you are running intervals now on the :tread: , you ARE a runner! You may not be able to run a 5K at the moment, but you are running. :yay:

Jo: I am missing you and your usual chipperness! Can you pls tell TOM to return my friend. As far as Vits go, I SHOULD take a few more, but I don't. I was taking Alive! for Women daily. I used to do the Alive! liquid with Iron. I am anemic all the time and my stores are low, but I hate to take it. The Alive! liquid was tolerable with white grapefruit juice. The only thing I am taking now is 2 Cinnamon Caps, 2 Cranberry Caps, and 2 Silhouette Caps. You probably have forgotten that I bought a detox kit while I was on the cruise. I am on the 2nd month of 3. The last pill is called Vitality. The rep told me not to take supplements while I was detoxing. I am supposed to do 6 more months, but I seriously doubt I will.

Thank you all for the "dance" today. It is very encouraging and inspiring to hear all of the successes over the past year. It keeps the big picture in perspective when all the daily hum drums of life bog you down ;)

RFF: Perhaps a run is not suited for you, but I admire your diligence to find something active to do. If you're able to :swim: I say DO IT--enjoy every lap of it!

Geoblewis: :yay: for smaller things! I feel you on the anorexic bank account, which is why I shop at thrift shops. Actually, that's not the only reason, but …..:lol: you get the idea!

Isabella: :wave: great to see you pop in!

ThinkinThin: :welcome2: we are thrilled to have you join our thread. Stick to your challenges!

Princess: Your report is such a joy to read! I loved reading all of the reflections today!

omgggg i am sooo tired....ive been up since 3 a.m. this morning and its 930 p.m. now...ive been busy alllll day...i came home from work expecting to make dinner and sit down, instead older son tells me that "oh by the way, i have a choir concert tonight and i have to be there in 45 minutes"..ughhh...so i did that, and a bunch of other stuff tonight and im finally sitting down...

im finding lately that my stomach just cant handle as much food like it used to...its a very weird sensation...for example i had two little plates of spaghetti last night and a couple pieces of garlic bread and that normally would have NOT filled me up (i am one of those quantity eaters) and i felt so full that i felt like i was gonna puke..not right away, i mean if i'd felt that full i would've stopped eating...it hit me about 10 minutes later...perhaps it was my stomach catching up to my brain? ....and tonight i made an old chocolate tapioca recipe because it's TOM and i was DYING for a bite of chocolate...and i ate one little bowlful and it was sooo sweet i dont dare eat anymore although in the past i could have devoured the whole recipe....is this normal? is this a side affect of hard exercise? ive NEVER felt like this before which is why dieting has always been a struggle

did not go to the gym today...i only got 4 hours of sleep last night and was busy literally every minute...i had THOUGHT about going tonight until older son sprang his choir concert thing on me *sigh*....i have a regular day tomorrow so i should be able to get to teh gym..i hate missing a day :(

and i can notice a definite difference in my legs and some through my stomach area and waist even though the scale remains permanently stuck around 209-210

Good morning everyone!
Jo missed your vitamin question before. I try to take the B vitamins and fish oils, and occasionally multivitaims along with at least two of my prescriptions ( I tend not to take 'scripts unless I'm really having a lot of pain, or if the directions read "you must take daily' or similarly). I also have a tablespoonful of olive oil weekly in addtion to what I already use on my salads.
I used to rely only on legumes and other fibre from foods for regularity but they are really harsh on my system so I just, as you may have read, started taking pysllium. The Benefibre did work for me, but was also very harsh.

alaskan, Hope you get some rest tonight, and also hope your son is feeling better.

Decided to make working on removing stress from my life a priority; It greatly affects me physically. So I'm going to listen to my relaxation/meditation CDs again, and try to be more aware of triggers, and work at keeping negative people out of my life.
Have a great day!

I don't have the mental capacity this morning to do any personals that I would like to, but had to pop in to say I finally have some scale movement! TOM is leaving and taking some lbs with him, thank goodness. I know even when the scale is not moving, my body is readjusting and changing, I see it in the mirror every day, but just once in a while seeing the scale move is so encouraging. And, my spirits are a little better the last couple days too.
I do find myself a little bummed when I think about traveling over the holiday and just with the holiday gatherings themselves, ugh. Seems like whenever I make some headway, something comes up to put a wrench in my progress. I am just now getting over the Thanksgiving hump, what a struggle.
Plan today is to walk first and then I am thinking of possibly doing the p90x yoga video. I really enjoyed that last week and I am hoping my stomach muscle pull will tolerate it. I haven't felt a twinge of that injury since Sunday, so I think it was just a strain from doing pullups/pushups. If I find that too difficult, or I feel that stupid muscle barking at me, I will just call it a day with the walking. I have lots to do again today, so I will be active either way.
Okay, I have gotten this far in this post, I think I will answer the one year ago question.
I was just starting my journey last year as you all know. I was wearing a size 18w jeans and probably needed a 20w, but they had stretch in them. I looked in my closet and only saw small clothes that were too tight, too short (shirts). I was thinking about a breast reduction because I felt I was all boob and was actually dissatisfied with my body, but was blaming it all on the boobs. I found it difficult to run 2 miles in about 30 minutes (guessing on the time), but I was doing it. I was in denial about how big I actually was. I avoided mirrors or any reflection of my body.
Now, I am wearing a size 12 jean, I look in my closet and everything is too big and too long (shirts), matter of fact, I keep hopping on the sewing machine to take in and up a lot of my tops so I can feel comfortable in them. I can hop on the treadmill and run 5 miles and feel good, not like I am going to die. My boobs are tolerable, still too big, but I can live with them for now and actually need some new bras, the ones I bought in the spring are too big again, that is great news. I love to look at my reflection now and sometimes I am surprised when I catch a glimpse of myself in a window while shopping or something, is that me?
I would much rather be in the place I am this December than last December and I need to keep remembering that, thanks K9!
Okay, now I really have to get going!
I hope to be back for personals, I am enjoying a lot of what everyone has to say! Have a great day.

A year ago today, I weighed 175. This morning, I got on that stupid scale and weighed in at 163.4 (those stubborn pounds aren't coming off!).

I was wearing a size 10 and I am now in a size 8, except I am still wearing my 10s, because I don't have the money to spend it all on a new wardrobe right now, especially since I am planning on continuing to lose weight and go down in sizes.

I know that I am better off than where I was last year. I was frustrated last year because I didn't know my body patterns yet (yearly patterns, rather than daily patterns) and I was dreading the holiday season.

I've lost 12 lbs in one year.

That means that I've lost 1 lbs/month.

Talk about SLOOOOOOOWWWWW dancing.

Rana: I had to :lol: at your post! Hey, if it makes you feel any better, if I stay at this plateau til April, I will average 1 lb/month as well!! :rofl:

Jo: :hug: I adored your post! Thank You :) I hope you have a fabulous day today!

Alaskan: How is the ear infection today??

AFM: My nursing school niece passed peds and has 1 MORE SEMESTER!!! May 2012 graduate--here we come!! :yay: I woke up to a lovely blanket of SNOW in my front yard! :yay: We NEVER get snow here until maybe January. So for us to have it 2x in the past week is just AweSOME! Also, it's real snow--not just snnnnn!! :rofl:

I use MyFitnessPal to track calories. My username is IsabellEolivia. Almost the same as the one on 3FC except the E at the end of the username instead of A.
If anyone wants to add me that would be fun.

hi all :) my son feels alot better today, he wanted to go to school and so we let him and he's doing fine today (i work at his school)....did my usual gym workout, 30 minutes of interval running and 10 minutes of incline walking, been trying to make the inclines harder...dont have much time to post, at work...going home and lots of stuff to do tonight..DH leaves this weekend for 4 days, going back to his village for a funeral...ack! busy!!