I know what you mean about the visiting people...I am visiting home for two weeks and I am nervous at all the people who want to take me out for dinners, or host big eating events and such...it's hard not to feel like staying in your own little weight loss bubble until you're at the goal weight, isn't it?

It is. But also be wary of the idea of "until goal weight." Everyone I know who's lost weight and says "No this or that until goal weight" gains it all back. Reaching goal weight doesn't and shouldn't mean a dietary change. To lose weight and maintain it you have to be eating a diet you can live with permanently, not just until goal weight.

I'm glad I'm not alone! My weight before I had my son was about 130-125 range, and I would love to get back to that (151.4 today). I do a generally low carb, high protein diet, and it seems to work for me. I find that sugar makes me feel terrible, so the only sugar I try to include in my diet comes from fruit and whole milk (I have a little in my coffee each morning -- can't give it up). I had a pretty traumatic birth experience (3 months ago) which ended in two abdominal surgeries (C-section and one other) so getting back to exercising has been hard.

Weekends are my biggest challenge, I always end up having too much wine or too many potatoes etc. but all in all, I am steadily losing about 1 lb a week.

MauiKai,

That's true! I am not currently eating to maintain weight, though...I am eating to lose weight. When I start eating to maintain weight, I will be allowed to eat out once in a while. There's always a little more wiggle room once you've done all the "losing" you want to do! I had lost weight a long time ago, and maintained it for ages, and didn't gain anything until I started eating in such a way for that to happen! It's always going to be slightly more strict while you're trying to get to the goal, no?

Sieze the Day, YES! Sugar makes me feel terrible, too! I had a cheat day last week and had some cake and felt AWFUL! That was a new thing for me!

Kesinee

I used to never eat sugar, but when I was pregnant I started craving it like crazy (probably responsible for the intense weight gain :( ) but now that I'm not pregnant, the cravings are finally starting to go away. Unfortunately, my family and my husband's family, have stocked our apartment full of snacks and dinners and desserts that are full of sugar, which makes it hard to avoid -- though I think I have been okay at avoiding it these last 2 weeks, which is probably why I finally lost a few lbs, and have stopped having so many headaches.

Hi everyone. This is also the perfect spot for me to post since I dont know where I fit. I started at around 232 am down almost 30 with another 30 before a doctor will consider me for a tummy tuck... 3 children did a number to me.

My biggest challenge is wine. I love it and was drinking around 2 glasses a night....now I try and cut it to once a week but its sooo hard...its linked to me unwinding, being social, etc...anyone else have this challenge?

Ironwomanrc, I am with you, and even though a few glasses of wine come to like 400-500 cals, it still always keeps me from losing the weight. But I must admit though; wine does bring out the snack monster... so I guess, if I am totally honest, those 400 cals turn into 1000 cals with cheese and nuts that accompany the wine :o:o:

So, I made a promise...only a few glasses on weekends for a month and see what happens.

I got down to 135 last summer, but with relaxed eating, broken back and no exercise for 3-4 months, stress of kids and stress of moving into a new state and big city...my weight has jumped nearly 20 pounds.

So, let's support each other!! Tell us what your game plan is!

Mine;
~ No wine on week nights; only Fri and/or Sat. Hopefully this controls my snacking at night, as well.
~ Back to the gym, 3 x week; weight lifting
~ Walk outdoors 5-6 x week; min 4 miles per day
~ Keep calories under 1200 5-6 days per week. **Hey I'm living in one of the coolest cities in the country (US), I MUST experience some of these great restaurants. -- Maybe I will start going out every other week....
~ Be kind to myself; forgive if I falter; dust off and embrace a new day

Hi everyone...may I join in?

A bit about myself....I'm a 61 year old farmwife. I love to garden and the outdoors. I show miniature horses and live a blessed life. My weight has crept up over the winter (I love to bake and cook) and now I am motivated to lose it. I like to weigh in on Saturday. We had a very long winter here, but now Spring is here and it's time to get moving!
__________________

Down 1 lb. Not much, but in the right direction.

Today is my 34th wedding anniversary Going out for dinner so I will have to be careful with what I order. Also, putting together an Easter basket so that will be a challenge.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Yesterday:
B- bowl of oatmeal
S - banana
L - cup of soup and sandwich
S - apple
D - hamburger with veggies

Congrats on the 1 lb weightloss Renee3, every little bit helps!

I too love my red wine, and drink it more often than I should. I try and keep it to the weekends but in all honesty I probably drink 3 - 4 evenings a week (I know that is basically every other day :() My goal is to only drink 3 alcoholic beverages a week (wine and/or beer generally).

I go on walks 3-4 days a week (weather permitting) and am ready to start going on runs, hopefully this week. I am working on exercises that use my own body weight (push ups, planks, squats, wall sits) as well.

Hoping this plus my low bread/rice/potato/pasta, high protein/veggie/healthy fat/fruit diet will help bump me into the 140s!

Very happy anniversary Renee!

Well my weekend was a total success! And I did not even have my Saturday night wine :)

We walked Saturday for 4.5 miles, plus another 2+ miles to the gym ( and lifted weights); Sunday we took a really long walk; 6.5 miles.

We did eat out on Sunday night; sushi, but I left enough calories for the roll.

Today I have been running errands, will walk another 4.5 miles and hopefully, if I am not too tired, go (walk) to the gym and lift some weights.

I also made a meal plan for the week, and shopped this morning. I will do some cooking today and tomorrow.

Going good ladies!! Hopefully I will see some rewards on my scale soon!

I think I'll join too! Call me Sense for short :)

Easter was hard... I had three different dinners to attend, and my grandmother gave us WAY too much chocolate. Four giant bars of milk and almond, 16 cadbury creme eggs and two giant chocolate bunnies. Just when I made the switch to dark chocolate as the occasional treat. My new mission is to get eid of the excess chocolate and keep only enough for a reasonable treat. The creme eggs are my real vice... I got my husband to hide them from me somewhere in the suite. All I know is they are somewhere I can't reach, even with a chair. So glad my husband is over a foot taller than me, othwrwise that would never work. Now i cant eay four in one sitting. We also gave away the chocolate bunnies to some children!!! But don't worry, the parents are in control and will make sure they eat the right amounts at a time so I don't create future little chocolate bingers ;) Now I just have to get rid of the bars... I think I will just break them apart slowly and put them in the Hubby's lunch instead of cookies until its allllll gone.

The dinners were too much to resist, so I spent the past three days in "maintenance mode" I didn't over-gorge myself like previous years, but I didn't remain in a deficit. Did squeeze in a hike yesterday though, and played in the yard with my baby sister. Gained a pound though, probably just water weight from all the cream eggs XD. Starting to go back to healthier eating today!

Sum38, that is some good planning! I should take a page from your book and plan out some meals and exercise for this week... At least to get me back on track, then I can deal with more spontaneous meal planning when I have less of a sweet tooth.

I'd lost a whole pound over the last week. But have been visiting friends this weekend. On the one hand i've been hearing things like "get a trainer so you'll lose the weight" and on the other "you have to try these pancakes and this gelato"

I love them and they love me, but it's hard to hear these conflicting messages. Saying no to the "treats" is considered rude. but then i'm judged for not doing "enough" to control my weight. It's not meant maliciously - it's very in the "we just want what's best for you" tone.

Anyway - trying to make sure i get enough exercise.

Maddierep - That's to hard. I run into it too. My MIL in particular is very very fit (she coaches a sports team and still does marathons and triathlons) and she is VERY pushy about food, but then she makes little comments about how to "lose the baby weight". She made her little comments prior to having a baby too (when I was 130-125, which I think is a reasonable weight for my height! but she is the same height and stays around 110-115 and thinks that I should be too), but now it's a lot worse.

I always just accept that after spending the weekend with my inlaws I will gain some weight. It's easier to take the food than to deal with her guilt-tripping, then when I get home I try to get right back on track.

Of course, this is just one more thing that makes me dread visiting my inlaws, lol.

Congrats Renee on the anniversary and the weight loss!
Seize, that'd be difficult to deal with that in a mother in law. My grandma would be pushy like that and I just started lying saying I was allergic to certain things. She put lots of milk in stuff and I am lactose intolerant, so that made it easy. Throw in some IBS and I can pretty much get away with eating the "mostly good stuff."
My weights stalling out right now. It happens to me every so often. I think the intense weight training classes I started have an effect. My body is busy building muscle ...hopefully...