Good morning everyone! I've been a bit off plan the last two weeks. Schedule is too crazy I've been skipping my Medifast meals. Not good. I haven't worked out much this week, just zumba last night. I have my weekly weigh-in tomorrow. Hope it goes down at least 1lb.

Hello all! Long time no chat!

Scotsgal - I am so pleased you joined Curves! I did Curves and dropped about 40lbs before I couldn't pay for it anymore (I was in a serious money crunch at the time). The main thing I personally noticed is that the members there are very chatty! I had to always talk to myself about this not being social hour and I am there to get work done! Is the Curves your going to doing the Jillian Michaels workouts every couple days? She is INTENSE. I couldn't do her section of workouts until I had been going for a bit. Then I slowly added one every week and eventually the two they tell you to do. I loved going there even if I was the youngest member! If you find yourself at a plateau TALK TO A TRAINER! They will help you get back on track! Don't starve yourself on the 1200cal First Phase!! If your still hungry, please eat something extra with lots of fiber and good proteins. It takes a while to learn what has enough to keep you full. Thankfully it doesn't last a long time!

ladyvwj - Good luck on your weekly weigh in! We all get off track sometimes, good for you for keeping the Zumba going a bit though!!

MsTibbles - FANTASTIC JOB reaching your Disney goal!!! I am so happy you found out why the weight gain was happening!

Amberkkski - I am so sorry you were struggling! FANTASTIC to have those NWGs show up!! Grats!

BeEffective - Keep pushing away! Your week to week is still a downward trend!!

LesGetFit - I think that Happy Scale app sounds cool. I will have to look into that after April/May is over. Don't let those little weight gains put you down! You'll get through it and see it going down again!

Everything is good on my end. Pregnancy is going well, got to hear the baby's heartbeat on Monday at my first appointment. I had to tear up a bit. Ben is so excited! These excessive emotions are making me insane! I am about a week to my 2nd trimester and am feeling the energy coming back already. I also have WAY less nausea! YAY. I did gain a some weight which took me a while to get over. Since I can actually stomach food now (without the nausea) I am paying more attention to what I'm putting in my body and actually dropped a pound yesterday. I am very nervous about my weight fluctuating too much while eating healthier. I am up to 244lbs now. I don't want to hurt myself or the baby. Mom is a doll, I'm her one and only so I think she spoils me I had been super uncomfortable with my work pants and how it was binding my belly and she took me shopping for maternity pants. The little crease at my belly button started going away. I didn't think my old pants were causing it but she was certain it was and she was right! Whew!

Hope you are all doing well and I miss you all!

I'm in!!!!!!!!!

I'm thrilled to think of having a group of people I'm not HUMILIATED to admit my weight and ongoing mindset with. My stats:
49F
5'3"
179
Want to be 130-135
Have worked at being thin my whole life and was successful until a few years ago. My sister and dearest friends all seem to be freakishly tiny without effort. Had several friends who were fat most of their life who recently had incredible weight loss and apparently gave me every single pound they lost! My husband also yo yo dieted forever but in the last year he successfully dropped 60 lbs and has kept it off. I'm happy for others' successes but it just seems to privately make me feel even worse about my own body.
I have been unofficially diagnosed with Cushing syndrome which is a huge overproduction of the stress hormone, cortisol. Western medicine in my area seems to offer nothing whatsoever. Going to an alternative medicine wellness clinic for nutritional counseling, acupuncture and chiropractic care are helping me with chronic pain. Working out six days a week and have consulted professional trainers to avoid overtraining. But the weight won't budge. I know about water retention from time to time and muscle versus fat. But after four months at the level of dedication and effort I've put forth, I should have seen more results.
The self loathing is a daily struggle. I want to be a happy person. I feel that if I want to be thin again I truly will never be able to enjoy any food again whatsoever. It seems like a week of strict adherence to healthy food and activity all goes to pot if I have even a bite of something indulgent. But right now I'm almost willing to try to accept never getting to enjoy food for the rest of my life if I can just wake up in a body I recognize and don't just HATE!
My goal for the next 24 hours is to get one hour of exercise and to make myself chug 16 oz of water any time I'm tempted to eat something I shouldn't eat. Here goes nothing ...

p.s. I'm a mom of three teenage boys (14, 15 and 16) who are all trying to GAIN weight and so our house is constantly filled with tons of readily available high calorie food. I try to keep it healthy but it is still tons of high calorie temptation. Plus, THEY can afford to indulge in junk food stuff in moderation, so that stuff is around too. It is constant temptation.

Welcome want2smileagain! Although it's difficult, I think you will have to find a way to let go of some of the self loathing during this process. I feel like I had to let go of all the negative emotions before I could focus of the positives of losing weight and getting healthy. Now I am much happier, AND the weight is falling off. The Cushing syndrome and the hungry teenage boys will make things tougher, but not impossible. You can do it!

Mrs.Clayton Ahh that must be so exciting! Glad to hear youre starting to feel a little better, make sure you keep chiming in!

Hi all! It being Friday morning, I finally have a chance to catch up with life for a few minutes. Work and home schedule have been crazy. After my weigh in Saturday, I had to travel 3 hours out of town for a family funeral. Our funerals/wakes last about 2-3days. Being gone so long from my normal routine, I ate off plan a bit. I did not lose nor gain again. My next weigh in is tomorrow. I did not have any time for exercise this week, not even zumba. Hoping for a better week next week.

Ladyvwj- Holding steady while away from home and in a stressful situation is something to be proud of!

Mrsclayton- Glad you're feeling better, and so glad you and the baby are doing well!

Hi Everyone. I haven't checked in for awhile as there hasn't been much progress. Been focused on a lot of other things.

Last login: 178.2
Today: 177.6

Hey everyone glad to see im not the only one that hasn't been chiming in lol WHERE HAS EVERYONE GONE?! Im up about 8-9ishlbs and finally said to myself lets get it together and stop gaining and dropping the same amount so on day 3 of fully staying on track and measuring. feeling good about it so hoping I talked myself back into it. How is everyone?

Last login: 177.6
Today: 175.0

Glad to see some activity in this thread! I hope everyone is doing well and feeling good!

Nice losses over the last few days, beeffective!

Good for you for getting back on track, Amberkkski! Pop into the shrinking violets thread because I know they are hoping you are doing well, also!

I'm doing well here, my rate of loss seems to be dropping, but I'm down 24 pounds and can see some major differences in my progress pictures. Getting there! Hope you all have a great week!

LetsGetFit - great job on your weight loss! It's such a slow process that it's easy to lose hope/motivation. You have taken a HUGE step towards improving your health. Take a moment to feel gratitude for that. And be kind to yourself.

Thanks, beeffective! I am definitely feeling good about my progress. It may be coming off a little slower right now, but it's still coming off, and I am very happy. I can't believe how much better I feel already, and I'm very excited for the future!

Hope everyone is doing really well!