Hi Sophie!!!

I really think we must be connected somehow - we both seem to take "breaks" at the same time. I'm so proud to hear that you have a total loss of 35lbs - that is SO EXCITING!!! (Or at least close to that) How awesome! And no one is going to judge you. That's why we're all here - to support each other!

Yesterday's record:

Breakfast—one carrot and sunflower seed muffin, orange juice
Brunch—eggs ranchero, latte with cream and almond syrup
Dinner—Manhattan clam chowder
Late Hunger Attack—Udon noodles with corn and mushrooms


Heather, it's so lovely to see you back! We really do seem to be connected, don't we?

Yesterday's record:

Breakfast—one carrot and sunflower seed muffin, two turkey sausage patties
Lunch—slender smoothie
Dinner—Arby's had a sale—this is all I am willing to disclose
Snack—hot chocolate made with water rather than milk

Sophie!! Your down to the 250s!! Thats wonderful!! You rock girl!!

I have fallen off the wagon for the past two months, but am back for good. I hope your doing good.

Keep trecking. I believe in you!! We can all do this!!

love yas
your friend
always
natalie jo

Natalie Jo, wonderful to see you again! I've been slipping a bit, since I quit smoking last week. There was a period of shoving licorice into my mouth that has, happily, finished now.

But now I'm not smoking, and I'm not shoving licorice in my mouth, and I'm back to exercising, so things are looking up, I think!

Sophie! Hope you're doing well. I am so excited to hear that you've quit smoking! It was God-awful the first few days, but now I can't even think about going back to the stuff! Even when I get stressed out nowadays I don't even want to smoke. I have to say that I did chew bubble gum for like 3 weeks - almost 5 pieces of gum a day. And it WASN'T sugar-free! So now I'm paying for it with sore gums. Had to stop that habit as well. So I completely hear you on the licorice!

OK, I've come back to the forum after some time away so it's your time now too. Hope all is going well and you aren't too stressed with school and quitting smoking!

So it's been another LONG time since I've checked in, and I've been thinking about what the factors are making it hard for me to keep my motivation. And I think the biggest one is probably the lack of regular, reliable feedback at present. My scale is out of whack. I can't trust it on a regular basis. In which case, really, I might as well not have a scale.

This isn't to say I'm doing horribly. I went for a good bike ride in the park yesterday, and I've been keeping my meals in a reasonably caloric range (though the snacking vortex has been beckoning a bit). According to doctor's visits, I haven't really regained any weight. But still, I want to get on track again.

So plainly, the obvious thing to do here is buy a new damned scale. I need to get on that.

So I made a decision yesterday. I was feeling anxious about recommitting to weight loss again, but at the same time, I was really wanting to lose more weight.

So I fell upon the perfect answer: short-term commitment. This month, I want to lose seven pounds. I can do that. You can do anything for a month. At the end of that month, I can take a little break, or recommit, or define new goals for myself. But in November, we're going to lose seven pounds.

And the most important part of my strategy (besides my new, accurate scale--I tremble to think how long the old one may have been lying to me) is going to be returning to trying to post here every day. That worked. I need to do what works.

So here I am, at 264, checking in. Hopefully at the end of the month, we'll be back in the 250s and getting used to making good choices again.

Hooray!

Today's record:
Breakfast—mangosteen and passionfruit juice (90 calories), high-fiber cereal with skim milk
Snack—non-fat latte with sugar-free syrup
Lunch—apple, lean cuisine "spa classic" with lots of veggies
Snack—90 calories cracker sticks, apple
Dinner—pasta with tomatoes, asparagus, shrimp in clear sauce,
Snack—coffee with sugar and fat-free half-and-half, low-fat Laughing Cow cheese, two Dove Promises

Breakfast—oatmeal cooked in skim milk, coffee with two tsp sugar and fat-free half-and-half
Lunch—salmon filet with small portion leftover pasta
Snack—whole-grain Fig Newton minis and one wedge Laughing Cow light cheese (165 calories total)
Dinner—brussel sprouts and baked turkey breast with hoisin sauce
Snack—half an ounce cheese, two Dove Promises, coffee with skim milk and two tsp sugar

Breakfast—high-fiber cereal and skim milk
Snack—coffee with milk and two tsp sugar, fun-size Snickers
Lunch—pasta with shrimp, asparagus, and tomatoes, fun-size Snickers
Afternoon and Evening—complete planned splurges

Yesterday's record:

Breakfast—fat-free crumpet with one tsp marmalade; apple; coffee with two tsp sugar and fat-free half-and-half
Lunch—sesame chicken
Dinner—potato salad, marinated mushrooms, cheese (election party—oy—no more of that, though)
Snack—coffee with two tsp sugar and fat free half-and-half, two Dove Promises

Yesterday's record:

Breakfast—coffee with two tsp sugar and fat-free half-and-half
Lunch—Lean Cuisine pannini, pomegranate
Dinner—coconut ginger noodles
Snack—half an ounce cheese, two Dove Promises, coffee as above

Bleh. I was away all weekend and couldn't log on to record or even update, but as of this morning, I'm at 254.5. Mind, my first weigh-in was during water retention, hence the "miraculous" drop. Still, I'm hoping perhaps this means I can hope to reach 250 by the end of the month, which would make me even happier.

Breakfast—oatmeal, coffee with two tsp sugar and fat-free half-and-half
Lunch—salad with one-calorie spritzes, chicken thigh and leg, two Dove Promises
Snack—banana, vitamin water
Dinner—butternut squash soup, four Ritz crackers, coffee with two tsp sugar and fat-free half-and-half, half an ounce cheese, two Dove Promises