Oh, ok...I see what you mean with checking every day.  Obviously I never thought of it that way.  Gives me something else to think about now! :-/

I do my own zig zag pattern as well.  I just get so paranoid about the starvation mode thing (as you could probably tell from my previous post).  All this counting calories and stuff is still new to me....and still very frustrating!!  I obsess about logging my calories.  I wonder if everyone is like that or is it just me and an OCD kind of thing??? 

Weird! Can we really retain pounds of water? I knew we could retain water, I just didn't know how much. Does anyone know why it does that? I mean, one day I went to the doctor's office (anyone else HATE getting weighed there as much as I do???), had just eaten, didn't take off my shoes, and was feeling kinda like I was retaining water, and weighed something like 12 POUNDS (!!) over my home scale the next day, which matched the gym scale by +- a pound or two. So, yeah. I'd believe it can really affect you.

I like to weigh myself in the morning, because it feels better when you know your stomach is mostly empty, and you'll hopefully get the most accurate reading. I still don't wanna step on the scale, though - all I know is that I'll be disappointed for the next two months or so. Once I'm feeling like I'm close to the 150 lb mark, then I'll step on it. Until then.... naw.

I've been pretty lax on calorie counting recently, so I don't have the same worries about the starvation mode thing, although before when I was eating around 1200 calories a day (last year) I think it was a problem because I stopped losing weight. It's definitely good to switch it up. I've fortunately been able to eat stuff I like, but sticking with super healthy (like homemade ceviche on whole wheat, baked tostadas), cutting out my sweet tooth (slowly but surely... I allow myself 1 butterhorn a day, which is actually only like 150 calories and less than a dollar at Starbucks. Hey, it's better than a maple bar), drinking lots of fresh fruit smoothies and having one lean-cuisine type thing a day, plus tons of water... And I have been non-stop sore for weeks! So much exercise, but I feel really good, and guys, for real, the hula hoop has actually helped my stomach flatten out already. Not completely of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if I lost half an inch this week.

And now for a rave:

My boyfriend was totally checking me out today! It made me feel fantastic, especially since the rest of this winter and spring he's been supportive, but after 3 years, I can definitely sense when he's disappointed by something, and my weight gain has been it. I don't blame him - I was at my lowest weight this fall then my highest weight this spring. But, that's one reason why I'm doing this, although mainly it's for myself and my own health. My mom is scheduled to have a gastric bypass and two other close relatives have had them, so I know what kind of path I could go down if I'm not careful. So, here's to small accomplishments! :)

Hi guys -- just checkin in... aren't the weighted hoola hoops awesome... I tried those out at a gym I tried out a couple years ago. They were super fun! make ya feel like a kid, but definetly feel it after a short time!

Leopard where do you work with such crazy slave wages/ busy hours on holidays??  I just started waitressing/ maybe possibly thinking about bartending for some extra cash  and something to do while school is out for summer vacation  and I agree with the crazy hours and not being able to eat.  I when in today at 11. I ate my usual breakfast.  They asked me to work a double which wasn't really asking it was actually telling me I was working a double.  So inbetween tables I ate 3 potato skins. I had no time for any other snacks. I kept chugging water to keep myself alive while we were slammed, ate a chip here and there which I know was not healthy but the cooks were crabby and i didn't want to bug them for celery! haha and now its midnight and I'm home, drank a beer, and now I'm going to bed!     I could've stayed there and ate something else but didn't want any more restaurant food.  I could've packed something but didn't know I was working 2 shifts/ when or what I could scarf quickly between tables!

so there is my crazy work RANT!  RAVE  however, is the wad of tippage in my pocket.  followed by RANT - the damn bills in my mailbox when I got home from work

maybe some of u guys can compare - but after 4.5 months i have lost 25 lbs and my friend is down 20 after like 2 months-

ugh it makes me feel so defeated. do u have friends that drop fast too? i  am super happy for her but i also plateau all the time and her not at all!! what the f***-- y cant our bodies all be the same!

sry- just a lil green over here- needin some motivation i suppose rather then wantin a dq blizzard right now! :(

i think my prob is i feel like if she is losing that fast maybe im doin somethin wrong- but w/ breastfeeding i cant really deduct cals and just wry about my body i have a lil one to feed- 6 months now- wow they grow fast!

but thanks for lettin me know your info-

as for 168-- AWESOME!! im so glad u r doing well-- it has been a rough 3.5 months for u hasnt it now!! im glad u r still goin strong!

yes i would definetly avoid that place- and call and tell them about the milk- maybe get a rain chk for their next supply or a refund

congrats on the 168!  wahooo and for the 30 total -  I agree with the its good being on your feet and running around after tables.  I don't usually realize how tired my legs are until I get home, or the next day!

here's my RAVE for the week -- I hit 160 finally which I haven't seen since the high school years and I think that was a few fleeting weeks around prom! haha so I went shopping for some clothes that fit and a new bathing suit for vacation - I'll be on the beach in less than a month.  I have lost 18 pounds since I started and wanted to hit 160 before I hit the beach. I wonder if i can walk the beach being in the 150s... even if it is the high 150s that would be pretty awesome! 3 more weeks to knock off a couple pounds Have a good week everyone

you rock!

Wow, everyone is doing awesome - I'm feeling like I really need to catch up. I definitely am noticing my pants starting to fit better and my stomach is getting back to where it was earlier this year, but I'm pretty sure I haven't dropped much weight. My main problem seems to be that I'm large-framed, according to the fingers-around-the-wrist test, and also, that while I carry fat, I have a lot of muscle, due to the physically demanding jobs I've done for the last 5 years. I have to wonder if any weight I lose is being off-set by how much muscle I build? I've been working out seriously (like 2-3 hour workouts - I love to do lots of stretching, lots of cardio, weight training and swimming/hot tub all at once, since it's kind of a drive to my gym) like 3-4 times a week and minimum 15-20 minutes hula hooping and 10-20 minutes weight training at home the rest of the time. If I can notice a difference but my weight doesn't really change - I think I'm hovering around 169-171 - could that be due to muscle gain? Does anyone know how fast we gain muscle? I've been working out like this for about a month now so I definitely have gotten stronger.

Also, Shauna, it sounds like you are doing awesome! I wish I could lose that much that fast. I really struggle with what I eat - I eat ALL whole grains, lots of fruit, some veggies, vitamins, fish oil pills, green tea every day, at least 8 glasses of water - but I always overeat. I can't seem to lose much very fast. You should be proud that you've lost that much in such a short time! You're doing great, and I totally hate (you know, joking, meant with love but how-do-you-do-that hate) my friends who always look great but never really have to work out and have naturally small, bird-like appetites and metabolisms. My one friend apparently gained 15 pounds she said, but I never would have been able to tell. She still looked great and tiny. So, we're probably the ones that have it harder off. We have sucky metabolisms and reserves of fat to get rid of, plus since we're pretty close or just at normal/healthy weights, we can't shed a huge amount of weight fast if we were closer to being obese. A friend of a friend who probably weighed anywhere from 220-240 lbs was able to lose something like 40 lbs in a month and a half. But, she had a lot more weight to lose. So, I guess it's all relative. But, be proud. I'm envious, in a congratulatory kind of way :)

Leopardrayne, how much water are you drinking? It sounds like you need to hydrate yourself a lot more. Make sure you're drinking water throughout the day and your system should start working a lot better. Even being thirsty is a sign of already-set-in dehydration. I drink a ton of water every day now and I feel so much better than I did a couple months ago.

Wow, this is kind of a long post, but to end with a rant :(

Boo. Why can't I control myself? Control control control. How is it that I can train myself to eat healthy stuff, but I can't control myself to eat less? Does anyone have any suggestions on how they trained themselves to eat less? I've tried putting it off, giving myself cheat days (which change from a cheat day to cheat days plural), working out a lot (which at least helps), beating myself up about it, telling myself it's okay... Nothing seems to work but counting calories, which gets exhausting when I have to input every single thing.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! :)

I feel like i have been losing slow- i hate-envy my friend who is losing 2+ a week- she does have more to go but iiirrr- i can still be jealous!

as for me im still stuck- so back to 1800 cals and 25 min taebo or strength for the day-- i will try not to get discouraged but it has been a month and 1 week of same weight and i dont know if its me not trying as hard- control- i understand u ajde!! maybe its water weight too--

i have barely been drinking enough i think - so does that mean my body will retain water? ugh its so hot and muggy here and i just dont want anything- and i keep eating to eat rather then when hungry bc im used to eating at certain  times of the day- how frustrating!!

LR, that's great that you preplanned a binge. I wish I had the same kind of self-control, hah! I really, really, really love sweet stuff, I'm coming to find. I can usually say no to chips, salty stuff, fried food, hamburgers... but when it comes to sweets, I think I might be addicted. I mean, you can be addicted to pretty much anything if you do it regularly enough, right? Like, I have, on a good day, just one butterhorn, which is actually only 130 calories, I think, and acceptable. But, then, I still want more, like a glazed donut or ice cream. So I need to either allow myself one pre-planned sweet day or just stick with 1/2 or occasionally 1 butterhorn a day, and to make sure I keep under my calorie limit.

Well, today I've decided that I am going to calorie count religiously. I thought I could do it without counting, but I don't think I can. So, we'll see how this new beginning works out.