gk's fresh start - 2011

[gk]

This is round two for me. Thought I'd start a new thread for this year. I had planned on "relaxing the rules" through the holidays and ended up pretty much throwing them out the window for a two-week period. That brought a nasty weigh-in reading of a 5-lb. gain (YIKES!). I never really ate a ton....just grazed ALOT, and sweets were pretty much a steady thing.

But, I'm back and ready to start again! Focusing on healthy eating habits moreso than reaching my ideal weight this time around. I think obsessing about the number on the scale last time derailed me a bit and got me into the whole obsessive diet frame of mind.

Jan. 5th - Success

Breakfast: Raisin Bran, banana

Lunch: Turkey wrap, grapes, almonds, chips, veggies

Dinner: Tater tot casserole, veggies, apple, bread/butter, chips

Since I've gotten used to grazing all day again, I'm back to heavy plates to keep me in line for now. Nothing vertical, but definately full!

[gk]

Jan. 6th: Fail!

Ok, this is embarrassing. I start this new thread, announcing my fresh start and barely make it through two days before bingeing. NOT the greatest start to the diet, huh? One little trigger, and I immediately go to food for comfort. I guess if the habit has been in place for most of my life, it's not gonna go away that easily.

What's so weird is I started this diet back in November and made it through my first 21 days vanilla style on the first try....a few ups and downs but I made it through. I remember all too well how good I felt during that time. Will have to focus on that a little more.

Try, try again (and again.....and again....and again...)

[gk]

Jan. 7th: Fail!

Good grief! What the heck is wrong with me? Where is all that willpower that I had a month ago? I'm fine all day and then as soon as dinnertime rolls around, I can't seem to fight the temptation anymore. I didn't even hold out for an S day as close as tomorrow!

I hope I can get my act together next week. I don't want to gain all my weight back - talk about depressing!

[Over43]

You'll get it back. The holidays are hard. As well as the post holidays.

[moderatemeals]

Gk -
Hang in there! I had the same problems over the past two weeks since Christmas. I think it is very hard post-holidays. I found my sugar & snack cravings almost unmanageable last week. Just now am I starting to 'detox' from all the sugar I ate over the holidays. While it was definitely less than last year, it was enough to make me feel kinda gross!

Good luck this weekend. I'm not posting F & S because I took them as S days and just so I don't get sick of posting again, I figure I'll not post on my S days. Luckily, I'm doing better and had a great day yesterday even though it was an S day. I kept myself really busy all day and have been putting my energy toward one of my resolutions...get our house completely organized!

Have a great weekend!
Lisa

[gk]

Jan. 8th and 9th: S Days

Let's just say my S days pretty much went with the theme of the week - control was not in my vocabulary.

This week will be better - it HAS to be. I can feel my clothes getting tighter. Gotta get a grip here.

I can do this......I can do this.....I can do this.......

[gk]

Jan. 10th: Success!

Felt good to type that again! Man, there is somethin wicked about the 4:00 hour. As soon as that time hits, I'm dying to start snacking. I admit the only thing that kept me from snacking again today was the fact that I didn't want to have to type FAILURE on my thread again. This really does help me!!

Breakfast: Raisin Bran, banana

Lunch: Pork roast sandwich (not turkey for once!), a little bit each of the following: veggies, grapes, almonds, chips, rice cake. Sounds like alot but it was only a plate.

Dinner: Roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn, orange, rice cake

My dinner was only a plate but much denser food. It completely took care of my over-the-top urge to snack, and now 3 hours later I still have no problems whatsoever resisting the munchies. This might be a good idea for me.....

My plates last week were full but the food wasn't very dense (over half of it was "rabbit food"). Think that's my ticket to dig myself out of my bad habits I've obtained recently. Will try eating this way for awhile and gradually return to lighter plates when ready. May not lose weight as quickly this way, but at least I'll be sticking to the diet.

Started exercise program (if you can call it that). Only 15 minutes of stretching tonight.....will start very slowly again due to bad hip. Plan to commit to 5 days of stretching or exercise per week. I was very tired tonight by the time I put the kids to bed, but pushed myself to at least do a little stretching. Just that woke me up and made me feel better. Already looking forward to tomorrow night.

Crossing my fingers for another green day...

[Over43]

There is nothing better than typing SUCCESS. I had to type the red failure today. A handful of M&M's and a Coke got me. Diet Shast Grapefruit just isn't as great as a Coca Cola.

Keep at it.

O43

[gk]

Dec. 11th and 12th: Success

It's a small miracle that I was able to mark down success for yesterday and today. Seriously considered cheating about half of both days. My meals have been heavy to the point that I feel like I'm overeating (still just a plate and not vertical), but I shovel it in anyway, because I've been wavering all day to the point that I just want to EAT.

Last night was first pilates for me in a long time. Felt good. Hip gave me the usual trouble but nothing unmanageable. Will alternate stretching with pilates until I'm more conditioned.

I thought I cleared them out on my last binge session, but a bite-size chocolate bar made its way to the front of our dessert drawer today. It's there......just taunting me....

[gk]

Jan. 13th: Success

This has been a very frustrating week for me. I actually feel physically tired from constantly resisting temptation to just toss the diet and cave in. How ironic that I managed just fine through Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then when all the holiday temptations are gone and I'm back in a normal routine, I lose all motivation.

I've continued to stick to the three heavy meals per day, but I feel my clothes getting tighter, so I have a feeling come weigh-in time that plan will have backfired on me.

This is a very forgiving and simple diet. I keep telling myself to get a grip and get over it - I mean, I proved to myself I could do it before. You'd think a 11-lb. weight loss would be motivation enough!! But each day is getting harder instead of easier.

Ok, I feel better now. Guess I felt the need to whine and vent a bit. Tomorrow is another day. Can't give up. Gonna just keep on tryin.

Oh - there is one bright side to this week. Even though I'm struggling a bit with my hip, I've continued to stretch/exercise every night, so at least I've advanced in that category.

[gk]

Jan. 14th: Success (I think?)

I'm not sure if I can technically call this day a success, as I decided to add a modification to the diet about 15 minutes prior to having my first cookie (note the word first).

Ever since I started this diet back in November, I've noticed that by Friday afternoon every week, I feel like I am just DONE with sticking to the diet. So instead of dealing with that every week, I've decided to try a mod......swap my Friday and Sunday nights. Starting at 5:00 on Friday night, I'm officially on the start of my S weekend. But, by 5:00 Sunday night, I'm back to N time. I think that'll work better for me, because usually by Sunday night I'm ready to get back on track anyway. I'm not at the point that I have one treat per S day anymore....my S days are a little more wild than they used to be, thus the timeframe adjustment instead of allotted treat. Will probably go back to original vanilla No S when I get through this little diet struggle of mine.

I did very good today up until 5:00, thus the success. After 5:00?.......I won't lie......it ain't pretty. But after hanging by a thread all week, I do not feel bad at all about going wild tonight.

Oh, and an unexpected bonus.....I actually lost 2 lbs. this week! The scale could be wrong, considering I feel like just the opposite has happened, but right now I'll wear my rosy sunglasses and believe the scale.

[gk]

Jan. 15th: S Day

I have so much sugar in me, I'm buzzing. This weekend is definately under the "Wild" category.

[gk]

Jan. 16th: S Day

Another wild one, but as expected I was more than ready to jump back on the wagon by 5:00. Think I'm gonna like this mod. Hopefully, my need to have wild days will diminish after awhile.

The more I read through the bulletin, the more I think I set myself up for a fall by making my meals too "diet-like" the first time around. I think that led to my usual cycle of trying a diet and then eventually falling off because I can't adhere to it anymore. I'm sure starting before the holidays wasn't much of a help either!

Will continue having meals during the week that aren't focused on "rabbit food" but still are healthy. May take longer to achieve my weight goal that way, but I think I'll have more luck long term that way.

Feeling optimistic about this week. Here I go again!

[gk]

Jan. 17th: Success

Having fun throwing out the whole "diet food" frame of mind today. Feel like I'm rebeling or something. I've given myself the rule that 1/4 of my plate must have some type of veggie or fruit, but the rest is fair game. My breakfast (oatmeal) and supper (ham/potato casserole) plates were normal, but my lunch plate was kinda unusual (part of a cheese crisp and english muffin with peanut butter??). I happened to be craving those two things at that particular moment, so I just fit them on my plate with my veggies and fruit and thought, why not? Just by doing something that simple (having a couple things that I was craving), helped me tremendously today....didn't feel the least bit deprived today and I had no problems whatsoever sticking to the diet!

I've backed off on being so strict with getting my 6 tall glasses of water in now, too. (I'm one of those that can go all day without water and be fine.) I've learned that my bad habits were in place for so many years that I can't expect to change all of them at once in a couple of months. (Duh....that was only repeated like a gazillion times on the bulletin and in his book. Takes some of us a little longer, I guess.) Plan to tackle them one by one, slowly. First.....main focus of just three plates and no snacking or sweets. Then add water. Then tame down the wild weekends. Torn about exercising......not sure whether I should just focus on diet for now or continue to attempt exercising. We'll see.

I feel like every other week I'm declaring yet another change to how I'm going to attempt staying on this diet. I guess I just had to have my trial and error time before I could settle into what will finally work for me. I do feel like I'm moving in the right direction now. I hope the scale is nice to me in this transition, because I think it's the best way for me to work into this so I can do it for the long haul.

Onward and upward.

[gk]

Jan. 18th: Success

I'm typing success now in hopes that it will keep me from surrending to the vanilla/chocolate Oreos that are calling my name. Almost caved at 4:00 but pulled through. Hopefully, I can continue to resist tonight. All my best intentions are sometimes no match to my habits of snacking when it's so cold and snowy outside. Add in a few tense moments throughout the day and I'm a goner.

Keep on telling myself that the package will be there on Saturday....just hang in there, but . Will have to start buying goodies for the kids that I don't like so much!

[gk]

Jan. 19th: Success

Kind of a repeat of yesterday. 4:00 had me wavering, but I stuck to it. As the week progresses, I have to continually remind myself why I'm doing this. I want to snack on sweets so much sometimes that I often feel like just tossing the diet and resuming my bad eating habits. But somehow, I keep pulling through. I think it's because I know I just can't eat like I used to in my 20's. It's catching up with me, and I have to stop this now or I'll really start to gain some weight!

I. Can. Do. This.

[moderatemeals]

Gk -
I just wanted to say congrats on a great streak! I just read your thread and am so happy for your success!!

I'm taking a break from posting but wanted to check in and see how it's going for you and send some positive thoughts your way. I'm happy you are getting into the swing of things. I'm doing okay but definitely room for improvement. Luckily, my sugar cravings aren't as bad but I'm still having problems with the nighttime snacking. Definitely not bingeing so I'm pleased about that. For whatever reason though, I have zero desire to post and be as strict as I was before so I'm trying to stick to 3 meals and no binges!! A plated snack here or there and that's it...but no eating out of the box, bag, etc. We'll see how it goes.

Have a great day!

Lisa

[gk]

Jan. 20th: Success

Well, my green success today about put me over the edge, but I did it. It's no longer about hunger at all. I. need. my. chocolate. It's like I need some sort of patch to get through this withdrawal or something. (Man, wouldn't it be cool if they actually did have those?)

Was SOO close to caving, but the thought of falling off the wagon after making it this close to my S Day reeled me back in. Boy, tomorrow I'm gonna have some WELL-deserved Oreos.

Lisa: Thanks for the note. Glad to hear all is well with you. Keep up the good work!

[moderatemeals]

Greta -
I'm trying out a new mod and so far am loving it! Granted, it's only been two days but I spent a lot of time thinking and analyzing what I think would work for me. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm going to do 3 meals per day, no seconds or snacks, and then allow myself 1 snack or sweet per day. And the same goes for weekend....so no S days gone wild because every day is the same. I'm not sure how this will work, but I am just struggling with keep up like I want to on this diet/way of life. I'm hoping this works. I really love my sweets and I'd like to be able to enjoy one every day. Right now, I'm starting by eating only prepackaged servings so I don't start a slippery slope. I also got rid of my scale (for years I never weighed myself and was much happier/less obsessed when I didn't see a daily number)

Enjoy your treats this weekend. I'm so envious you are back on the wagon!! I am really hoping I can get it right in 2011!

Lisa

[gk]

Jan. 21st: Success

I easily made it through today, knowing I'd have my chocolate fix tonight. After I had my first taste of chocolate (OH. MY. GAWD, was it good!), I kinda lost it and everything after that was a blur. Guess I fell under the "don't be an idiot" category. Ooops.

As I was thoroughly enjoying my IV drip of chocolate, I started thinking, "ok, maybe this isn't the best approach for me". If I'm binging to this point, that can't be healthy, even if it is only two days a week. I know the wild days are supposed to improve, but still.....

So, I'm thinking of maybe splitting up my S days....like maybe Wednesday and Saturday or somethin. That way I'm not stretched to the point of breaking by the time I get to Friday. I'll give it some thought this weekend and start again on Monday. In the meantime, I'll try to keep my munching to a minimum. Oh, on a good note, I weighed in and haven't gained any this week, so even though I went crazy last weekend and had fuller meals all week, I'm status quo. Good enough for now.

Lisa: Good luck with your new mod! Sounds like you're doing great! I'm struggling right along with you when it comes to finding a workable plan that I can stick to long term. You know, I think we did so good in November/December because we were in our initial "just starting a diet and loving it" phase. Even though this is a very simple diet, we (or I know at least I do) are still battling the same bad habits that have sabotaged every other diet attempt, so now that the shiny newness has worn off, we have to really put some effort into it. I almost felt as if there was a mental "pulling" on me all week trying to stay with it, with no sweets. Gone are the days that I can stop at one serving of ice cream (remember that? Ahhh...the glory days.) I know it's supposed to subside, but GEEZ, it really gets to ya, doesn't it? Still thinking, still pondering....someday I'll get this down!!!!

[moderatemeals]

Greta -
Glad you enjoyed your S day! You definitely deserve it after being good all week.

I am loving my new mod!! It is so much easier to wait for one sweet until the end of the day than the end of the week Plus, I like the fact that each day is the same for me...no wild S days anymore. I always struggled with the aspect. I did a lot of thought over a mod that might work for me and I am hoping this will be it. I really love, love sweet treats and I would rather enjoy one each day than go overboard on the weekend. I was a little nervous when I first thought about this mod -- will I gain weight from eating a dessert each night? My average dessert for the past 3 nights has been between 200-300 calories (last night I had an individually packaged low fat ice cream serving and I sprinkled a couple of M&Ms on top....SO good!) When I binge, I think I probably eat between 500-1000 calories. Scary, I know. And on an S day, I definitely have 500+ calories in sweet treats, so I figure one dessert per day, as long as it is in a bowl or on a plate, probably won't cause me to gain weight. And really, the most important aspect for me is to reduce binges and emotional eating. I definitely think taking out all snacks is very helpful for me in the emotional eating department! But, not having sweets all week has always proved so challenging and I find myself thinking all week about what sweets I want to eat and feeling very deprived M-F. We'll see how it goes....

I think breaking up your S days is a great mod. Keep us posted!!
Have a great weekend!
Lisa

[gk]

Jan. 22nd and 23rd: S Days

Well, I did my usual bingeing for my S Days. I also did alot of thinking about my diet methods this weekend. The first few treats I had were absolutely wonderful.....noticed the texture, enjoyed the taste, and had no guilt (since it was the first few treats). Everything after that I ate without noticing what was going in my mouth and felt like I was eating "just because I could". I guess me not enjoying the bingeing part is good.....I mean, the goal is to eventually not enjoy it, so you won't do it anymore. But even as I felt gross by overeating, I couldn't seem to stop myself, because I knew I only had a certain amount of time left before I had to stop and be good for a few days again.

That being said, I think I'm going to try your mod, Lisa. I actually have considered that on occasion in the past but didn't, because I thought there was no way I could ever stop at just one treat. However, I think I'll try it anyway. Like you said, Lisa....it will make every day the same and there will be no "build-up", that will send me into a binge due to waiting a while to have that taste of sweets.

Lisa: Glad to hear your new mod is working for you. Keep it up!

Here goes yet ANOTHER attempt. My husband is rolling his eyes as I continually change it, but at least I'm not giving up, right?!? Which is alot more than I've ever done before! Wish me luck!

[gettheweightoff]

It sounds to me like you're doing well. A lot of green/success days!

[moderatemeals]

Greta -
I'm so happy you are trying the mod! I LOVE it!! Granted it's only been several days, but I don't feel the need to binge or cave in. Plus, over the past few days, I've noticed that I'm not thinking about food as much. I do get very excited for my treat at the end of the day and start to think about it around dinner time, but that's it so far. I think the key is to have a pre-measured portion though. I'm afraid if I served myself some ice cream from a 1/2 gallon, it would be trouble!! So, for right now, I am just having single serving things.

Don't have a scale anymore but definitely don't feel any heavier at all!!

Good luck today
Lisa

[gk]

OK.....the past couple days have had many ups and downs for me. I did ok on Monday with the new mod, but sure enough by Day 2 my "one sweet" per day caused a major landslide. I had a feeling that would happen, but I gave it a shot.

SOOO.....I think I'm gonna go back to what worked best for me in the beginning - Vanilla No S, not marking down my food, using the habit calendar, and having one pre-determined sweet on each S Day. As a boost, I think this time I'll pick a reward at the beginning of my 21-day count (I'm thinking something to add to my soon-to-be new wardrobe - I'll start with a purse--can wear that at any weight ), and then when I achieve 21 green days straight, I'll get my reward. And the cycle will continue....will keep starting my 21 days over. I think I'll start up again with the short periods of exercise, too. You know, the only time I've made it 21 days straight was when I followed the above-mentioned plan, so I guess that tells me something, huh? As for me not being able to make it without chocolate until Friday and then binging on the weekends (my latest problem), I guess I'll just put a little more effort into the art of distraction, quit obsessing, and suck it up and get over it.

At one point today, I actually said to myself - "I don't care anymore." But hours later, I realized I did. I may have struggled lately trying to stick to this, but I guess I'd rather have that than feel the way I do when I'm listlessly feeling hopeless with my little food addiction.

I remember after my first month I was reveling in the fact of how it was no longer about the number on the scale but about how GOOD I felt, and how the food obsession was no longer with me all the time. I really want that back. Time to quit cluttering the plan and analyzing the crap out of it. Vanilla - plain and simple. Tomorrow is Day 1.

[NoSRocks]

Good Luck, gk! I'm sure you'll do great, especially once you get a few days into Vanilla No S again! I, too had thought of adding a mod of a dessert every evening instead of waiting until the weekend and whilst that may be a great idea, unfortunately, it didn't seem to work for me and I found myself panicking and worrying about food/other diets too much, particularly sweet stuff which is my downfall. I wasn;t sure if I "should" stick to a large satisfying and highly caloric dessert every evening which whilst it may be satisfying, could possibly put extra weight ON, or have a pre-packaged item (skinny cow ice cream for example) whereas before (on vanilla) I never gave what types of snacks I was going to have a second thought.

I'm into my 2nd week of restarting vanilla and it is going pretty good so far. I haven't weighed myself recently so I can't say for sure if I've lost anything yet. However, the big issue and relief for me right now, is I have stopped obsessing and panicking about my current weight situation albeit I may have to take it into consideration at some point and make a few tweaks to my no s way of eating if I think it is becoming too much of a problem. However, just being at peace with myself and gaining confidence in my ability to stick with the plan has made so much difference and literally lifted a giant weight off of my shoulders. Sometimes, I've felt quite literally in despair about my weight and eating habits but at the moment, I feel free and I hope I can keep it up.

Best wishes gk and have a great week!!

[gk]

Day 1: Success

It was a good day. My full meals kept me from being hungry, and it was nice to feel in control again.

I've decided to start my exercise on Monday as I have a throbbing headache right now (yes, I'm going to bed at 8:30), and I'll be out of town Friday through Sunday.

As I was grocery shopping today, I decided to do something different this time. Originally, my pre-determined S day treats were chosen from whatever we had in the house. This time I bought something special...a one-serving sweet for each day. This way it will make it a little more special AND there will be only one serving of it and nothing left over to tempt me. I've read about this many times on the bulletin....should have tried this sooner. I think it will work alot better for me.

[moderatemeals]

Great job today GK! I think experimenting and finding what works for you is really the most important aspect of any lifestyle change. And my husband sometimes gives me that look too when I announce a slight change to my eating 'plan.' But I eat much healthier than I did 10 years ago, so even if I am tweaking it more than I'd like to, I figure I've made some big strides over the years I don't know if I'll ever stick to exactly one 'plan' but I think cutting out seconds, snacks and limiting sweets is definitely something I will always want to stick too...along with eating 3 meals per day. I can't believe it but in my 20s I used to skip breakfast every morning, eat very little lunch and then go overboard on junky stuff from 3pm onwards. I am so happy that is not my 'plan' anymore!

Keep up the great work! Enjoy your weekend out of town...are you going anywhere fun, I hope?!

Lisa

[Over43]

Good job!

[gk]

Day 2: Fail

This is me creeping in with my tail between my legs. Didn't think my habitcal would be so colorful already.

I woke up with some sort of bug....felt like I was dragging cement blocks around with me all day - exhausted and yuck. My comfort for that is usually sweets, so I was aching for that like a baby for a pacifier. I made it as long as dinner and then I caved and had some. My 9 and 10 yr. old daughters actually said, "Mom! It's not an S day!" Got a laugh out of that one.

Heading to meet some friends in Chicago tomorrow. My rule through November had been as I stated in my previous post, but on trips or days that only occur once a year (like my get together with friends next weekend), it's considered a "holiday" and am permitted more than one treat. I don't plan on having more than one treat this weekend though, since I had some tonight. However, if the situation does present itself I'm not gonna beat myself up about it. Heck, I'll probably eat less and do more walking this weekend than I would if I was staying home!

I'll keep things to a minimum over the weekend and start my Day 1 again on Monday, along with my 3 x/wk exercise. Hopefully, I'll make it past day 2 this time.

Lisa and Over43: Thanks for the encouragement! Have a great weekend.

[gk]

Jan. 28th-30th - S Days

My trip to Chicago allowed an extra S day. It was a draw....I was out and about and walked ALOT, so I actually got exercise in and I didn't snack. However, a couple things happened that didn't make for a good weekend (was SO glad to be home), so of course, I handled those feelings by eating alot last night. Could've been better, could've been alot worse.

I weigh in tomorrow (decided to stick to weighing the first of each month). My pants are tighter, so you know what that means (Yikes). Oh well. Mark it and move on. Looking forward to a little normalcy this month.

[gk]

Jan. 31st - Day 1 - Success

Today's success was kind of by accident. Woke up with a headache and exhausted. Didn't care about food until 6:00. Then the "I don't care" attitude surfaced. The only thing that saved me from bingeing was I was too busy with the kids. By the time they went to bed, I was tired enough to lie down and "rest my eyes". Two hours later I woke up and the urge to eat was gone. Too bad I can't sleep every time I get the urge to cheat on the diet. Of course, then I would be awake only a few hours a day.

Skip ahead to today, Feb. 1st. Weigh in time (1st of every month). Knew it would be ugly by the way my clothes have been fitting. I gained 3 lbs. back. Only 5 lbs. from my original weight now. I guess my love affair with peanut butter has to be stopped. Gone are the days I can eat whatever I want. That's no fun! Ok, ok, ok....time to quit whining and just get with the program. Maybe the blizzard outside will take my mind off of food. Blizzard.....hmmmm.....that makes me think of Dairy Queen blizzard shakes.....ice cream....chocolate.....yummm..... (man, I have it bad, don't I.)

Here's to another green success.....fat pants be gone!!!

[gk]

Been gone a few days due to a nasty case of the stomach flu. Upon my absence I've done some thinking. I've decided to take a little experimental break from No S. (I had cheated on the night of Day 2 (again), before I was so sick that the thought of food was nauseating.)

I think the reason I'm having so much difficulty with this now is because I'm in the mode, "If I can't have it, I want it even more." I'm going to have a trial run of "no diet, just kind of watching it." Seems like whenever I find myself bingeing, it's because I know I can't have that particular food for 7 more days or because I get so caught up in the rules that I stress myself out.

I don't know.....this could be just another time of me in denial. Or, maybe I will be better with no rules and just chilling out about it all. All I know, is that it's getting kind of ridiculous....me continually claiming that I'm finally ready to dig in and get real about it.....and then fall off the wagon a mere 2 days later.

Thought I'd give this new way a try anyway. I've got a headstart.....after that stomach flu, I won't be diving into any food binges soon. (ISH. )

Thanks to all for your support. This is really an awesome support system, and I've really appreciated everyone's kind words and help over the past few months.

Who knows.....maybe this will work for me......and maybe it won't. And if it doesn't, I'll definately be back. Good luck to all!

[moderatemeals]

Hi Greta -
I just checked the boards because I wanted to see how you were doing
I can completely relate to your post because that is exactly how I felt!! I also wanted to share that I am LOVING my mod even more than before. I know you tried it once and it didn't work, but maybe it's worth another shot? I weighed myself this morning and I'm even down 1 lb (not that I am trying to lose weight, but I was a little nervous I might gain weight from the mod). I look forward to my treat every night and I really have found that having a little something to look forward to every night helps so much during the day -- I don't feel like I am dieting at all or being deprived. Yes, I will admit that many times I want to dig in for more once my little bowl of ice cream or cookie is finished, but I've definitely done so much better and this has kept binging at bay for me since I started. We'll see how it goes.

I just wanted to share my experience in case it's something you want to revisit in the future

I'll be sending positive thoughts your way. I really hope you are feeling better....stomach flu is the worst! But, I think one of the funniest lines I ever heard was from the movie, The Devil Wears Prada: 'I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.'

Have a great weekend and keep us posted on how things are going for you
Lisa

[r.jean]

I look at your weight and look at the fact that you only have 15-20 lbs to lose, and I wish I were in your place, struggling for the last few lbs. I have a lot further to go than that!! Personally, I would just fill your plate a little fuller at meals so you are more satisfied and stick with the rules. I have found that I do not feel deprived if I am eating enough at meals. This is just an opinion; I am not you and you need to do what works for you.

Best of Luck.