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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 12:26 pm
by LadyEngineer
Hello Merry!

I have been freezing cakes for years: home made cheesecake, chocolate cakes, pound cakes, etc.

I have been freezing more lately - any significant left overs go into the freezer Sunday night to be enjoyed next weekend...

I love the 1.5 lb fluctuations.

Have a great birthday this month!

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 11:58 pm
by Merry
Thanks!

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:55 am
by swissmiss123
Does cake freeze well?!

I do love cake...[/quote]

Hi Merry,

Just wanted to second that! Yes, cake freezes great.

When we make cakes we always try to do it in stages and days ahead. When I make a cake I freeze the layers (wrapped in cling wrap) and take them out to frost on the day of or day before I'll serve it. The frozen cakes are easy to handle and assemble into layers.

Then, also, left over cake gets frozen, too. It can be defrosted by letting it sit out for an hour ... it often tastes good cold, too.

Happy birthday!

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2016 5:13 am
by Merry
Thanks! Ended up with a smaller cake this year so no need to freeze any (no temptation left, LOL!)

Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 3:07 pm
by 13plusyears
Happy Birthday month from one September baby to another :D

Those couple pound fluctuations are so frustrating! I totally feel your pain as I frequently have similar plateaus. But I have found that the longer I do No-S (Thursday, 9/15 will be my one year anniversary!) the more sane I become about food and eating. Its like there is more room in my brain to process all the nonsense I keep thinking about weight, food, appearances, etc. So its not that I don't have frustrations and low points and illogical thoughts...but the habit building of No-S does give me more "space" to reflect on my internal dialog.

Keep up the habit and stay strong...you will get there. Also know that many of us are right there with you...all the little frustrations and tribulations AND all the little triumphs and breakthroughs!

Have a great month!

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:56 pm
by Merry
13plusyears wrote:Happy Birthday month from one September baby to another :D

Those couple pound fluctuations are so frustrating! I totally feel your pain as I frequently have similar plateaus. But I have found that the longer I do No-S (Thursday, 9/15 will be my one year anniversary!) the more sane I become about food and eating. Its like there is more room in my brain to process all the nonsense I keep thinking about weight, food, appearances, etc. So its not that I don't have frustrations and low points and illogical thoughts...but the habit building of No-S does give me more "space" to reflect on my internal dialog.

Keep up the habit and stay strong...you will get there. Also know that many of us are right there with you...all the little frustrations and tribulations AND all the little triumphs and breakthroughs!

Have a great month!
Thanks Amy, and Happy Birthday to you too! Good reminder to not sweat the plateaus and fluctuations. When I start to get anxious I remind myself that I decided ahead of time I wouldn't try to tweak unless I had a plateau for 3 months or longer! So, I've got a ways to go before that :-).

I talked with a mom on a homeschool board who lost a bunch of weight over the last 2 years (I'm forgetting how much, like 80-90lbs. iirc), and she mentioned how she did it--3 meals a day and a small snack in the afternoon, included some special days...just like No-S only she hadn't heard of it! Pretty funny, and inspiring too. She said the same thing--don't sweat the plateaus.

Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 5:53 am
by lpearlmom
Yay for having patience with plateaus! I need to remember that as I begin the next leg of my weight loss journey...

Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 9:56 am
by Whosonfirst
Good reminder on temporary rest periods on plateau's. I'd forgotten that from my low carb past. Thanks Merry.

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 4:19 am
by Merry
lpearlmom wrote:Yay for having patience with plateaus! I need to remember that as I begin the next leg of my weight loss journey...
I hope this next leg goes well for you. Sometimes I feel I have so far to go! I need to just keep looking at maintaining the daily habits and small, healthy steps. I'm working at getting my reflux under control too, so here's to hoping we both see success with that!
Whosonfirst wrote:Good reminder on temporary rest periods on plateau's. I'd forgotten that from my low carb past. Thanks Merry.
I think it's so hard to remember! I always think weight loss should be mathematical, even, paced...and it's just so NOT that!

Slow & steady...

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:39 am
by lpearlmom
Oh gosh I feel your pain! Let me know if you find anything that helps. Have you read any of dr koufman' books? Following that program is what originally gave me some relief but I haven't really been sticking to it lately.

I noticed we have about the same amount of weight to lose. I've been at this a lot longer (I think) so a little bit ahead but I have faith we'll both get there.

Keep up the great work!

Linda

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:29 am
by bunsofaluminum
Hi Merry

Happy Belated Birthday, and so glad you didn't have any leftovers to deal with, though all that talk of freezing cakes is a temptation of its own hahaha.

as for plateaus, hey...at least you're losing and have a plateau to actually get to. That's something.

blessings, Heidi

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 2:22 am
by Merry
lpearlmom wrote:Oh gosh I feel your pain! Let me know if you find anything that helps. Have you read any of dr koufman' books? Following that program is what originally gave me some relief but I haven't really been sticking to it lately.

I noticed we have about the same amount of weight to lose. I've been at this a lot longer (I think) so a little bit ahead but I have faith we'll both get there.

Keep up the great work!

Linda
I've read a good probiotic is important and got back on one of those. I was trying some natural things but it got pretty rough last week, so I decided to do Prilosec to let things heal and settle down, and then I'll try continuing off of it next month. I cut out pop, and have been doing aloe vera juice (which the guy at our health store swears by but is SO disgusting! I debated getting the capsules but he thought the juice would coat better...never again! LOL!) I also got some throat and lung tea (since I also have asthma issues, and sometimes they influence each other), that has ginger (good for reflux), slippery elm, licorice, and some other things in it. Oh, Licorice GDL (has to be chewable) is supposed to be good for killing of H. pylori which is often behind reflux/stomach ulcer issues.

Also doing digestive enzymes with meals (supposed to help speed digestion which lessons stomach acid and irritation).

I've heard the theory that reflux is an issue with too little stomach acids and to try apple cider vinegar, but every time I've tried it, that makes mine worse.

I haven't looked at Dr. Koufman, will have to check that out.

Re: weight to lose--if I lose another 43, I will be JUST out of the "overweight" category and barely into the range recommended weight for my height. I have weighed less, but that's my "minimum" goal. Right now I have about 8 more pounds to move from "obese" to simply "overweight." Looking forward to that! I really want to lessen the strain on my joints, heart, etc... and be healthier. Slow and Steady!

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 2:23 am
by Merry
bunsofaluminum wrote:Hi Merry

Happy Belated Birthday, and so glad you didn't have any leftovers to deal with, though all that talk of freezing cakes is a temptation of its own hahaha.

as for plateaus, hey...at least you're losing and have a plateau to actually get to. That's something.

blessings, Heidi
Thanks, Heidi. Hope you see some successes soon!

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:39 am
by lpearlmom
Thanks for all the tips! Sounds like you're being pretty proactive!

I have the dgl but always forget to use it. I don't have h pylori though in fact not a lot of damage was found which is good but still no definitive answer. I forget about aloe Vera juice (I don't mind it) but will have to give it another try. Definitely a good idea to take meds when things are bad and then try weaning after things calm down.

I take the bmi numbers with a grain of salt. They can be very misleading. I think it's better to go by clothing size for looks and did you know the lowest mortality is actually in the 25-29 bmi range?
http://www.nourishingconnections.com/ob ... unked.html

im a currently size 12 but before I put on all that weight I was also a size 12 when I weighed 17 lbs less than I do now. Covert Bailey explains it in his book fit or fat. According to him, you put on muscle when you gain a lot of weight and it changes your body. Here's his way of converting ideal body weight: http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/cbbf/

Anyway probably way more info than you need but the point is, you may lose that 20 lbs and find its a good, healthy place to be!

Linda :)

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 5:49 am
by Merry
Thanks! I tend to feel best when I'm just into that category--that 140-145 range is a weight I maintained for a long time. I'm generally a size 12 at that weight. Definitely not "skinny" at that point (I haven't been "skinny" since I was 7 or 8--have always had a chunky belly!), but seems doable and maintainable. When I waitressed full-time in college, I was 135. And I got down to 126 when I followed a vegan diet one year, but I don't think that's maintainable for me. And it may be since I'm older now, that I end up in the 150-160 range, but I'd really like to reduce pressure on my knees and hips, and strengthen my back etc...

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 6:30 am
by lpearlmom
Oh right! I meant when you lose the other 43 not 20 lbs you might find it a good place to be. It sounded like that goal might just be a starting point not a final goal.

Anyway I probably shouldn't be writing my responses at 11 pm at night. I tend to not make a lot of sense! ☺️

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 5:11 am
by Merry
lpearlmom wrote:Oh right! I meant when you lose the other 43 not 20 lbs you might find it a good place to be. It sounded like that goal might just be a starting point not a final goal.
Ah, gotcha! It's my main weight goal, one I hope is realistic because it's not super-skinny or anything. Sometimes I do wonder if I might even get lower, but I haven't really thought of that as a secondary goal. More like, hey great if No-S gets me there but if not I'd be really content being back to a more reasonable weight!

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 6:51 pm
by lpearlmom
Yeah weight is a finicky thing. I think it's great you're being realistic.

Best of luck!

Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 5:20 am
by Merry
Had quite the weekend! Friday I took a small grandfather clock into a luthier in the next city over to be fixed (it's been in my mom's family for several generations, and she has it in storage while she is caring for her mom, and a piece got broken when she moved it--she was crushed but I know this man does beautiful work and will repair it nicely). DD went with me and we stopped at the apple orchard on the way home. They have the best apple cider donuts! When they're fresh and warm, they're crispy on the outside, and the inside is so soft and pillowy--cinnamon sugar heaven! (Friday is one of my normal S days, and it was a great treat!). Oh, and caramel corn too, and apple cider...we went all out!

Then Saturday, hubby and I headed back over to the next city and ended up getting an elliptical (3-in-1, so it has a recumbent bike he can use too. He's disabled with chronic Lyme and loses balance easily, and can only do the elliptical for a minute or two, and then needs to sit--and the seat is right there). Though I admit, right now about 5 minutes on the elliptical is kicking my tush--I need to get in better shape! Anyway, spent Saturday afternoon watching Columbo re-runs and putting it together, LOL!

Near the end of last week, my weight stayed down (I've been bouncing up and down--going down gradually, then suddenly jumping up a few pounds in a couple of days, then back down). But last week it stayed down, and today it's still down (very unusual for a Monday, usually I'll have something near one of my higher weights after the weekend--and I certainly didn't go light this weekend!) So...I'm tentatively hopeful that I'm actually down those 2 lbs for good and not just recycling them again, LOL!

Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 1:49 pm
by Imogen Morley
"Recycling pounds" - great expression! I know how frustrating it can be, but that Monday weigh-in is definitely a good sign.

Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 3:21 pm
by Jen1974
I bet those pounds are gone for good (: Recycling pounds is a great term!! Real weight loss that actually sticks seems like that. The old "high" dissapears. Then a soon new "low" shows up & the same thing happens as that new low becomes the new normal (: I hope you love your new elliptical!

Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 10:04 pm
by Merry
Jen1974 wrote:I bet those pounds are gone for good (: Recycling pounds is a great term!! Real weight loss that actually sticks seems like that. The old "high" dissapears. Then a soon new "low" shows up & the same thing happens as that new low becomes the new normal (: I hope you love your new elliptical!
Well, they seem to be--today I had a new all time low by another pound!

It's an unusual pattern for me--the "low" doesn't usually hang on, typically a medium weight will show up on Monday--something less than the last Monday but more than Thursday or Friday's low. In 10 months, I don't think I've ever had a low just stick and then stay through the weekend!

Anyway, I was pleasantly shocked this am to see a new "low!"

Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 1:08 am
by bunsofaluminum
Your body "releases" pounds similar to how mine does...two pounds off, a pound on, a pound on, three pounds off, same, same, same, a pound on, two pounds off.

Gets old. :? BUT...I'm looking at a slow downward trend myself. Only two total so far HOWEVER, so terrific that it is going down.

congrats! your Friday of donuts and cinnamon caramel corn...ooh baby. Sounds yummy. Have fun with your exercise machine. I like taking a book along and doing the incumbent bicycle for a half hour while alleviating some of the incredible boredom with reading.

ttfn.

Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 4:26 am
by lpearlmom
Yay for all time new lows!

Sounds like you're doing great.

Linda

Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 6:47 am
by nettee
Well done - it is great when the 'low' sticks and becomes the normal. I imagine weight loss like walking down steps. Some steps are longer ( horizontally) than others but once you go down one it takes more effort to drop again (or more naughtiness to go back up). It is like your body gets used to the new weight.

Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 5:53 pm
by ModBod
Well done, Merry! Sounds like you've had a nice jump forwards. I hope you enjoy the elliptical!

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:36 am
by Merry
Thanks.

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 4:23 pm
by bunsofaluminum
nettee wrote:Well done - it is great when the 'low' sticks and becomes the normal. I imagine weight loss like walking down steps. Some steps are longer ( horizontally) than others but once you go down one it takes more effort to drop again (or more naughtiness to go back up). It is like your body gets used to the new weight.
this rings true, with one little addendum: Once you get past that long "horizontal" step in either direction, it seems to tumble REALLY fast in either direction. So yeah, when the gaining is happening, the first few pounds take a while, but then BAM seemingly overnight you're up 20 lbs. And the weight loss is similar, in my experience. Once the dam breaks, WHOOOSH, all the pounds fly away, easy peasey.

great word picture. It'll be handy to keep in mind while I stick on this interminable long "horizontal step." Hahahahaha!

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 10:10 pm
by Merry
bunsofaluminum wrote: this rings true, with one little addendum: Once you get past that long "horizontal" step in either direction, it seems to tumble REALLY fast in either direction. So yeah, when the gaining is happening, the first few pounds take a while, but then BAM seemingly overnight you're up 20 lbs. And the weight loss is similar, in my experience. Once the dam breaks, WHOOOSH, all the pounds fly away, easy peasey.
I've had the first experience many times sadly, but never the second (I wish!). It's little by little, daily grind here. Hence my signature! Tortoise all the way, LOL!

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:09 am
by Merry
My mom is visiting for 10 days--so wonderful! Will be difficult to not have some red days in here though...we'll see how it goes! We all did ice cream sundaes last night when she arrived--I had a small one but it seemed way to sweet to me. I'm continually surprised at how my taste buds are changing through this process, in positive ways. When I do think I'll want a "large" of some treat, I often find it's way too much and that much less can now satisfy my sweet tooth (and consequently I also need to eat more consciously!) So, I've been trying to remember that and get smalls more often when I do get a treat.

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 5:39 am
by lpearlmom
Yay for moms coming to visit!

It's hard when other ppl come to visit especially if you have a history of eating a certain way together. My mom loves to stand around trying everything in my frig and I realize that's what we often did when I was younger. Stand around the kitchen picking at leftovers and good naturedly gossiping about ppl. She gave me some funny looks the first time I didn't join her but now it's normal to her and we still have a nice time chatting about everything.

I'm sure you'll do fine! Enjoy her visit!

Linda

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 8:19 am
by ModBod
Merry, I am looking forward to the day when things taste too sweet and I can only manage a small portion!! Certainly not there yet! :roll:

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 5:16 am
by Merry
lpearlmom wrote:Yay for moms coming to visit!

It's hard when other ppl come to visit especially if you have a history of eating a certain way together. My mom loves to stand around trying everything in my frig and I realize that's what we often did when I was younger. Stand around the kitchen picking at leftovers and good naturedly gossiping about ppl. She gave me some funny looks the first time I didn't join her but now it's normal to her and we still have a nice time chatting about everything.

I'm sure you'll do fine! Enjoy her visit!

Linda
Yes, it's different issues with different family too--some are more all-day-grazers, some are more into sweets (my mom likes ice cream daily, and I do love ice cream!). Mostly I try to be more moderate than I was in the past but don't worry too much if family times turn into red days. I remember being really worried about it early on, but I think overall, extended family times aren't often enough to have a big effect so I just enjoy them. "Mark it and move on!" as they say!

Very fun to have her here, and tomorrow, she, my dd and I are all going to a local coffee shop!

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 5:18 am
by Merry
ModBod wrote:Merry, I am looking forward to the day when things taste too sweet and I can only manage a small portion!! Certainly not there yet! :roll:
It's odd for me--it's not always, but more often than not I notice now that I just don't love to pig out on sugar like I used to (but translate that into meaning that I still probably have too much on S days! It's definitely a process!)

I think it started around last March for me, which was my 4th month in.

Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 5:49 am
by Merry
Cubs win the World Series! Amazing series with the Indians, both teams played so hard...wow. I debated making it an S day, LOL, when my dd made treats--then decided I really wasn't hungry anyway and just enjoyed the family time. What a great night!

I'm waiting to update my signature until next week, I've decided. While my mom was here for 10 days I did way too much "dissipating" as my Grandma used to say! 2 NWS days, 3 red days, and weekends on either side...that's way too many not N days! I was SO glad to get back to an N day on Monday!! Anyway, I had been down about a pound, and ended up +4...hoping to get back to about where I was next Monday or Tuesday, but we'll see! (Had a great time with my mom, but wow, I need to learn better "vacation" habits!)

Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 10:42 pm
by oolala53
Sometimes I feel a little bitter that we often feel we have to be away from normal society to live in moderation. Why can't our society live more naturally with moderation, dang it? What would it be like to live where there wasn't so much pressure outside our little zones to overdo it? But then, it's not effective to wish is was different... :roll:

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:14 am
by Merry
oolala53 wrote:Sometimes I feel a little bitter that we often feel we have to be away from normal society to live in moderation. Why can't our society live more naturally with moderation, dang it? What would it be like to live where there wasn't so much pressure outside our little zones to overdo it? But then, it's not effective to wish is was different... :roll:
I hear ya. And, I really want to learn to eat in moderation IN society. I've seen others do it (in fact, for years I was always shocked when, at a party, someone could sample one small dessert despite trays and trays of temptations out. Or how some people can keep their hand out of the potato chip bowl--things like that!) I don't know that I'll ever get to the point of "not wanting" to overeat, at least sometimes--but I'm hopeful that over time and with practice, I might learn how, at least sometimes, to eat in moderation despite how those around me might be eating. I mean...only 3 of the 10 days my mom was here were green, LOL! 2 were weekend days...that makes 5. Did the other 5 really need to be NWS and red days? Could I really not have just enjoyed normal meals and no treats a few more of those days? I did find myself asking, "why am I eating this way" a few times in the midst! Perhaps that's all part of the growth process and learning curve that scaffolds us towards change.

I'm hoping to challenge myself this Thanksgiving by only doing an NWS day for Thursday. My usual S days are Friday and Sunday...I want to see if I can just enjoy Saturday with extended family as an N day like usual, or if it really cramps my style too much. It's something I haven't done before for this particular holiday, and I'm curious to see how it will go.

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 3:54 pm
by Jen1974
I am so with you on the chip bowl Merry!! And honestly if someone told me I could never again overdo it on the chip bowl I would be sad. But I have used No S to stop myself when I don't want to overdo it. I pull in the rule of no seconds. I decide to have an S of chips, put them on a plate, but in order to have more chips, I would have to also take an S of seconds, and I'm someone who has learned not to have seconds (constantly reminding myself of this LOL). I usually want to save my S's for other things at the party, like dessert or seconds on the main course. a lot of time it helps even if in reality it's an S day & I can have as many S's as I want 😊

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 3:52 am
by Merry
Well, I ended up down a half pound after my mom's visit, so I guess not as bad as I thought! Lost some of the ground I had made last month, but not all of it. But, somehow that doesn't have me down right now--more like I'm ready to dig back in and keep working at this. I'm going to try to take some time to write down why I want to lose weight. One of my first goals has always been because my dh is disabled. I know I'll be healthier and hopefully more able to take care of him if I take off the excess weight. I'll be less likely to develop heart disease and diabetes etc... if I have less risk factors. (And in the last couple of years, I noticed I responded differently to sugar and did sometimes worry I was prediabetic.) I also have hip and shoulder pain that I think would be much less or even go away if I took off some weight (I've already seen the shoulder pain improve along with my range of motion--I do exercises for both of these as well). I want to have more energy--and do see that increasing even now. I want to have more self-control and not feel like food controls me--that's more a goal that started after I started No-S, because I didn't think that was possible before. I have more self-respect now realizing that I can do that--and also more grace towards myself when I mess up or don't have a good day. I don't need a "perfect body" (and wouldn't be willing to put that kind of work in, LOL!) but want to look and feel better in my own skin.

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 12:47 pm
by lpearlmom
Love your list. Also my reflux has gotten much better with the last few pounds I've lost. Hopefully yours will improve too.

I agree about not wanting a perfect body. As I've gotten older I care less and less about that. Feeling good physically has become way more important.

Best of luck!

Linda

Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 12:53 am
by Merry
lpearlmom wrote:Love your list. Also my reflux has gotten much better with the last few pounds I've lost. Hopefully yours will improve too.

I agree about not wanting a perfect body. As I've gotten older I care less and less about that. Feeling good physically has become way more important.

Best of luck!

Linda
Thanks, mine has been MUCH better the last couple of weeks, and I'm not really sure what made the difference! I did do a homeopathic remedy though.

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 9:29 pm
by oolala53
I've seen other data that shows that people's gain over the years is attributable to holiday weight they never quite take off. Even MORE incentive to arrive at New Year's without regret...

And another place (am I obsessed, or what? and no, I don't remember where it was) that had a calculator that showed how much weight you could lose by using different diets out there over a month's time. It was SO much less than is promised and what people find motivating. I tried using it sometimes to sober people up, but astonishingly, they were not grateful. :shock:

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 6:21 am
by Merry
oolala53 wrote:I've seen other data that shows that people's gain over the years is attributable to holiday weight they never quite take off. Even MORE incentive to arrive at New Year's without regret...

And another place (am I obsessed, or what? and no, I don't remember where it was) that had a calculator that showed how much weight you could lose by using different diets out there over a month's time. It was SO much less than is promised and what people find motivating. I tried using it sometimes to sober people up, but astonishingly, they were not grateful. :shock:
Wow, now that would be really interesting to see!

Yeah, I can imagine people thinking that kind of info is just a wet blanket or something. All the ads about how much you can lose the first week or first month make people think weight loss will be easy if they just do xyz. I wish!

I believe it about not taking off holiday weight (or vacation weight etc...). It's easy to bump up a few pounds and then that becomes the new normal.

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 1:03 pm
by eschano
Thank you for stopping by my thread Merry! You are doing brilliantly.

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 4:57 pm
by Quayette
Hello Merry!!! How are you doing??? Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving Day???

What are your strategies to maintain under control?!?! Please share!!! I love your posts and I've been able to see that you have learned a lot through this journey. :)

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 11:34 pm
by Merry
eschano wrote:Thank you for stopping by my thread Merry! You are doing brilliantly.
Thanks :-)

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 11:57 pm
by Merry
Quayette wrote:Hello Merry!!! How are you doing??? Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving Day???

What are your strategies to maintain under control?!?! Please share!!! I love your posts and I've been able to see that you have learned a lot through this journey. :)
Yes, SO excited for Thanksgiving Day! I just posted on No Regret New Year's that I've got all my cookies baked (iced pumpkin and pumpkin chocolate chip) and didn't lick the beaters/spoon/bowl or eat any cookies! I thought it would be harder to avoid, but after almost a year on No-S, I'm finding that sometimes these circumstances aren't as hard any more. (It still kind of amazes me when I can just say no--something I didn't think possible in the past).

For vacations in the past, I haven't really tried hard to stick with No-S. It's so foreign compared to how our extended families eat (lots of snacks and sweets available), and I just haven't thought I could totally eat this way. Sometimes I have skipped breakfast, and instead will have lunch, dinner, and the late-night snacks while playing games, but haven't tried to limit snacks, sweets, or seconds within that framework. The result usually is that I gain 3-5 lbs, and sometimes it takes a couple of weeks to get it off again (when my mom recently visited, it took me a month to get back to where I was previously).

I think some weight fluctuation when I go on vacation is often inevitable, but I think the biggest change or "strategy" for me this time is just realizing that I don't need every day to be an S day or a red day. Some of that extra eating is not even foods I enjoy that much! Why do I do that? (Isn't it ironic--I'm so concerned about not being deprived that I eat things I don't want?!!) Can I not enjoy company without the food?

So, I'm planning this time to only have one additional S day--Thanksgiving Day. Fridays and Sundays are my normal S days, so I'll keep those, but Wednesday and Saturday will be my regular N days. For me that means focusing on a drink instead of snacks if we stay up playing games on those days, and then just keeping my hands out of the cookie jar and other delectables during the day.

I don't think I'll go beyond that--I don't think I'll try to put any restrictions on how I act on S days themselves (other than trying to make sure I'm eating what I enjoy most--a measure of pickiness instead of just eating to eat because we're all eating!). All along, my thought process has been to take the next, doable step. So, this is kind of a test--I think I'm ready for making these days N days instead of free-for-alls the whole time, LOL!

So, I'd encourage you to think through what your holidays usually look like, and whether you are ready for any tweaks to that, or whether what you're already doing with No-S outside of holiday time is enough of a change for you. That, and focus on eating only what you enjoy. And of course above all, being thankful for this time with family and for God's provision. Enjoy!

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2016 5:43 pm
by oolala53
My hat is off to you re:baking sweets. There is some hole in my life that makes that hard enough to do without caving, and I accept that, though I can wish it was different. But not enough to wrestle it to the ground! Believe me, I tested it out plenty. There are so many other things I thought i could never do that I have done on No S that it seems like a fair trade.

Enjoy it all tomorrow!

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 7:53 am
by nettee
Well done on the baking - I find that really hard. How did Thanksgiving go? Sounds like you had a great plan which is half the battle. Will try and do similar for Christmas. It is hard when there is "peer pressure" for snacking even if you don't particularly want the food, if it is part of the celebration you feel you should have some. I have come to realise though that other people on the whole don't really notice what you do and don't eat.

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 3:56 am
by lpearlmom
I love so much about your post Merry especially your idea about taking the next doable step as you progress forward with NoS. That's exactly what I've done but wasn't able to put it into words.

Also love your idea about being a little pickier and making some small changes while in vacation mode but nothing too extreme. Again gotta do what's doable. Awesome stuff.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Sounds like you love it as much as I do.

Linda

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 4:22 am
by Merry
oolala53 wrote:My hat is off to you re:baking sweets. There is some hole in my life that makes that hard enough to do without caving, and I accept that, though I can wish it was different. But not enough to wrestle it to the ground! Believe me, I tested it out plenty. There are so many other things I thought i could never do that I have done on No S that it seems like a fair trade.

Enjoy it all tomorrow!
I think sometimes it's the day too--some times would bother me more than others (which is why it amazes me when it doesn't bother me overly much!)

There certainly are plenty of wild beasties to wrestle to the ground!

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 4:34 am
by Merry
nettee wrote:Well done on the baking - I find that really hard. How did Thanksgiving go? Sounds like you had a great plan which is half the battle. Will try and do similar for Christmas. It is hard when there is "peer pressure" for snacking even if you don't particularly want the food, if it is part of the celebration you feel you should have some. I have come to realise though that other people on the whole don't really notice what you do and don't eat.
Thanksgiving went pretty well overall. Wednesday was an N day, and it was hard that night not to have sweets. Thursday of course was yellow, and I realized something important on Thursday, which I have no confirmed. My SIL's dinner plates are larger than my largest dinner plates! We have correlle ware, 3 sizes--dinner plates, medium plates, and side/dessert plates. We usually eat off of the medium plates, unless I'm making a meal that has many components (meat, mashed potatoes, veggie, salad etc...). Then we'll use the large plates. (I had a large plate tonight, with half of it covered with salad, two pieces of french bread, and a smallish square of lasagna.)

Anyway, her large plates, not including the "lip" have a full 1" more in diameter of eating surface. No wonder I can feel so stuffed after a meal there!

The TG meal was delicious (and the leftovers just keep getting better! We saved the turkey stock that wasn't used up for gravy and made a second batch of stuffing though--making it with turkey stock is almost as good as in the bird!). I felt so stuffed though that I decided to do a green day Friday (my usual S day), and have an S day on Saturday.

Tons of salt and butter though, and it will take a few days to wash all that out of my system. Maybe some day I'll figure out how to better combat THAT issue! But I'm taking the two green days as success, though I found both challenging.

I also exercised twice while I was there. Something I haven't done regularly for awhile (I'm sporadic even with walking). But...I thought, I really don't have a good reason or excuse, and if I can make myself have a green day on vacation, I can certainly do a 13-14 minute workout routine! We'll see if I can continue!

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 7:28 am
by Amy3010
Wow - congratulations on a really successful Thanksgiving!

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 11:45 am
by oolala53
Good going!

I'm not sure it's worth battling the salt and butter. If it's only at holidays, it seems worth it, unless a person just doesn't enjoy the food! Come to think of it I finished off a few servings of items I thought were almost too salty. When will I just leave it? Don't know. I noticed some participants at the retreat (with buffet) I attended routinely push away their plate still 1/3 to 1/2 full. (I kept thinking, I see you do this just about every time. Can you really not tell you aren't going to need all the food you put on your plate? Even more interesting to me was that they were of different weights. Not all slightly overweight people clean their plates! At least not in public.)

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 6:14 am
by Merry
oolala53 wrote:Good going!

I'm not sure it's worth battling the salt and butter.
Thanks. I've wondered that myself (how big of an issue is salt at holidays?) Last year I started noticing that I gain weight when I travel (really bad with flying, but I'll gain even in a 1-2 hour car trip, around the ankles and knees especially--and I suspect in other, less visible areas). And then the salt on top makes me gain--I easily put on 5 lbs. in just a few days from water weight. Should I be more concerned about that now that I'm 50? Some day I'll ask dr. google...

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 5:43 pm
by Allisonmeg
:D HAPPY ONE YEAR!!!! :D You are an inspiration to me!

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 12:58 am
by worth it
Here, here! I'm with Allison- What an inspiration! I have truly enjoyed reading your thread- it has helped me to focus on being consistent and having curiosity about my own journey rather than being critical (as I can often be). You are doing awesome and deserve all the success you have had thus far! Can't wait to read what year 2 holds for you! Congrats Merry!

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 4:46 am
by CamperRose
Yes, Congratulations Merry! I love reading your posts - your honesty and optimism are inspiring to me. So happy for you.

Rose

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 6:04 am
by Merry
Allisonmeg wrote::D HAPPY ONE YEAR!!!! :D You are an inspiration to me!
worth it wrote:Here, here! I'm with Allison- What an inspiration! I have truly enjoyed reading your thread- it has helped me to focus on being consistent and having curiosity about my own journey rather than being critical (as I can often be). You are doing awesome and deserve all the success you have had thus far! Can't wait to read what year 2 holds for you! Congrats Merry!
CamperRose wrote:Yes, Congratulations Merry! I love reading your posts - your honesty and optimism are inspiring to me. So happy for you.

Rose
Aw, thank you everyone! What a nice surprise to see tonight! I didn't get around to posting my "one year update" last night (other than in my signature), so it was really fun to see your notes today :-).

One year update!

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 6:53 am
by Merry
Wow, I'm so excited, thrilled, and a little surprised (happily so!) that I've stayed with No-S for a year! I hope to have many more yearly updates :). I started the Monday after Thanksgiving last year, when my weight was at an all-time high (even with my highest pregnancy weight), and I just thought, enough is enough. I can't just keep letting my weight creep up several pounds each year!

I've been perimenopausal for several years too, so I knew I could hit menopause any time--and all the hype about how menopausal women can't lose weight scared me, quite frankly. I have to say that reading through the testimonials, it's amazing how many menopausal women can and DO lose weight--what an inspiration! It's never too late!

And it's never too late to gain saner eating habits. That's the big thing that drew me back to No-S (after a failed attempt many years ago). I knew I needed something that was long-term sustainable. I've done diets for health (candida diet, allergy rotation diet, vegan diet) and diets for weight loss (intuitive eating, calorie counting) and work-out plans--all except for ie "worked" for me in that I lost (even lost 50 lbs. in a year with two combined plans)--but I gained everything back and more when I stopped them. I knew I needed a lifetime eating plan--not another yo-yo diet.

Enter No-S. I often say--it's not fast (or not for me anyway!) and it's not flashy, but it will do the job if you're willing to stay with it. It's certainly much easier and much more long-term sustainable than anything else I've tried. I started at 208.8, and am down to 185.4 at the one year mark--23 lbs lost!

A quick recap of my year:

(In the "olympics" post, a gold month is one with up to two NWS days but no reds. Silver can have one red, Bronze has 2 reds. I do always take two NWS days. I like that it's a fun, easy way to track how much I stayed on habit each month.)

I had 4 gold months, 3 silver months, 2 bronze months, and 3 no-medal months (3 reds each). I'm pretty happy with that! I like that No-S encourages us to focus on the habits and not the scale. Both are important and have value, but we have more direct control over the habits. Habits allow us to see success right away--and they help us to look at things in smaller chunks (it's easy to see each day if we were on habit or not, while a scale might not move for a couple of weeks or longer, or might fluctuate up and down before reflecting all your hard work).

Over time, I believe there's a subtle but powerful mental shift. I think it's easy to look at our body shape and see fat rolls and disrespect ourselves. However, when our focus is on habit, we can see persistence, consistency over time, the ability to handle a failure and get right back into things and try again, and the development of self-control. We can see strength and ability--not overwhelming failure. I realized when I looked into the mirror the other day that I still don't like my fat rolls and I still want to lose them--but I don't feel a sense of disdain or disrespect for myself over that now. I feel a sense that I'm doing something good and healthy for myself and that I'm making good decisions. Even on weeks or months when I'm not losing, I'm thankful I'm not slowly gaining like I was before. I find I'm more thankful to God for the body he's given me, and that my thankfulness doesn't come from appearance and rules our culture defines. I am thankful that I can move and that I feel better, mentally and physically. I realize that the end result doesn't have to be what our culture defines, and it doesn't have to be perfection--but we can keep working towards good habits. I think I'm more gracious towards myself now.

One thing I did differently this time than the first time around that I tried No-s was to read the book, and I can't recommend that enough. The book really gave me a lot of food for thought (I actually re-read it several times, and hope to re-read it each year). Very logical and sensible, and I find the statistics and changes in American eating trends fascinating (and sobering!) It brings me back to "here's what 'normal' SHOULD look like." (And it defines gluttony in such a concrete and helpful way!)

I haven't recorded my meals, but it might be interesting to see what changes over time (or people may just wonder what I eat--not incredibly healthy but not the worst I suppose):

Favorite breakfast: fruit and yogurt smoothies (usually frozen berries and vanilla yogurt, sometimes a banana or some greens thrown in)

Lunches: half a sandwich (pb & J or meat/cheese), piece of fruit, pretzels & hummus, or sometimes leftovers, or sometimes cheese and crackers and fruit.

Dinners: nothing fancy--egg casserole, lasagna, homemade mac & cheese with fish, meat/potatoes/salad, biscuits and gravy, meatballs and potatoes, tacos, spaghetti, meatloaf, homemade soups...teens like us to have pizza every Friday, so we usually do that. Sometimes I'll have cereal & milk for dinner since I don't have that for breakfast & it just sounds good sometimes.

Decaf coffee (cream and sugar) or tea (sugar) or water to drink. I've cut diet pop to about 2 per week.

Favorite S-Day treat: peppermint mocha in season, or a caramel mocha.

S-days: some are still wild, some not. Today was not too wild--large mocha this am, fruit smoothie, small hamburger for lunch, a piece of pizza and a mug of ice cream at dinner.

Exercise--I haven't committed to daily exercise. It's one of the next things on my list. I started a habit-cal for it once, but deleted it when it got discouraging! I work from home so there's not really any place to walk to. I seem to go in spurts with walking or doing an exercise video or my elliptical. I'm experimenting with some goals right now, to exercise 4 times a week. We'll see if I'm more regular with that by next year!

Re: One year update!

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 7:32 am
by Amy3010
Merry wrote: Over time, I believe there's a subtle but powerful mental shift. I think it's easy to look at our body shape and see fat rolls and disrespect ourselves. However, when our focus is on habit, we can see persistence, consistency over time, the ability to handle a failure and get right back into things and try again, and the development of self-control. We can see strength and ability--not overwhelming failure. I realized when I looked into the mirror the other day that I still don't like my fat rolls and I still want to lose them--but I don't feel a sense of disdain or disrespect for myself over that now. I feel a sense that I'm doing something good and healthy for myself and that I'm making good decisions. Even on weeks or months when I'm not losing, I'm thankful I'm not slowly gaining like I was before. I find I'm more thankful to God for the body he's given me, and that my thankfulness doesn't come from appearance and rules our culture defines. I am thankful that I can move and that I feel better, mentally and physically. I realize that the end result doesn't have to be what our culture defines, and it doesn't have to be perfection--but we can keep working towards good habits. I think I'm more gracious towards myself now.
Wow! I love this! Congratulations, Merry! This feeling is definitely something very much worth striving for, aside from all the other benefits to No-S. Well done!

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 5:59 pm
by Jen1974
Congratulations Merry!! You have done what the majority of people can't do (: I always love seeing your posts!! You are so positive & nice to everyone & we're all really lucky to have you here!! Can't wait to hear about your continued success (:

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 7:01 pm
by kaalii
awesome, merry!!
what a beautiful testimonial!!!
especially the love and respect for your body that you are devloping with noS!
and generally relaxed but determined attitude!
congratulations!!! :)

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:54 pm
by worth it
Merry,

Such an insightful and helpful 1 year anniversary post! I love the reminder to READ THE BOOK. In fact, I'm going restart this evening. Thanks!

Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 6:40 am
by oolala53
Did you cut-and-paste this to the Testimonial thread?

Happy Anniversary. Have you EVER made it year on any plan to reduce eating before? You would be an exception...

Four more to lower your odds of relapse to 25%. See why people love me at cocktail parties?

Congratulations on 1yNoS

Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 1:31 am
by Whosonfirst
Way to commit and be a positive force on this board. Reinhard should market those bumper stickers like the half marathon people plaster on their cars, 13.1. Except yours would read something like, 1yNoS. People would be scratching their heads trying to figure out what that meant.

Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:53 am
by lpearlmom
Wow congratulations! 🎉💖🎉💖

You are so awesome. You really have stayed the course so steadily. Im impressed & inspired. I loved what you said about respecting your body now more. Needed to hear all that today so thanks and thanks for being such a positive force on this board!

Linda

Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 6:35 am
by nettee
Well done Merry - you are an inspiration.

Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 11:04 am
by ZippaDee
Congratulations!!!!
Your testimonial is very inspirational! I have never heard about the No S olympics. I love that!! Have my book on my nightstand to begin reading again. Thanks so much for sharing your experience! :D

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 2:22 am
by Merry
oolala53 wrote:Did you cut-and-paste this to the Testimonial thread?

Happy Anniversary. Have you EVER made it year on any plan to reduce eating before? You would be an exception...

Four more to lower your odds of relapse to 25%. See why people love me at cocktail parties?
No, I need to do that!

I did make it a year once before, but not for weight-loss reasons. When my husband was becoming progressively more and more sick, we followed an allergy rotation diet and Candida diet wrapped into one that year. I lost 40 lbs., and then lost 15 more by adding in a mostly raw/vegan diet (which we also tried for health reasons), and was at my lowest ever adult weight (I'm pretty sure my mom thought I was anorexic--I lost pretty fast and it didn't look healthy). But the rebound of that year lasted YEARS. It was awful. I never wanted to cook or think about meal-planning again (if we wanted crackers, I learned to make crackers. If we needed a sauce or a dressing, I made it from scratch. When he seemed to react to meats, we tried things like goat and kangaroo that I had no idea how to cook etc... For a very basic home-cook like me, it was an exhausting year, and meal-planning consumed most of my spare time--plus my two little ones). And, gradually over the years I gained all that weight back and more.

Four more years to lower my chance of relapsing to 25% eh? When are my chances 50%?!

Re: Congratulations on 1yNoS

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 2:27 am
by Merry
Whosonfirst wrote:Way to commit and be a positive force on this board. Reinhard should market those bumper stickers like the half marathon people plaster on their cars, 13.1. Except yours would read something like, 1yNoS. People would be scratching their heads trying to figure out what that meant.
LOL, love the 1yNoS bumper sticker idea! Maybe new emoticons for the board here?!

Not bumper stickers, but there are magnets and t-shirts and mugs--check out the cafe: http://www.cafepress.com/everydaysystems

I bought a magnet awhile back :-).

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 2:28 am
by Merry
Thanks so much for your encouragement, everyone!

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 1:59 pm
by kccc
Just swinging by to offer holiday encouragement!

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 8:36 pm
by Merry
kccc wrote:Just swinging by to offer holiday encouragement!
Thanks! My first holiday gathering did not go as planned. I thought it would just be an S-day event, but I ended up drinking a sweet drink at home before I went, and snacking on more sugar when I got home, and having way too many desserts while there. Surprisingly, I didn't come home feeling sick or over-stuffed, but I definitely had more than I intended! Allowable because I called it an NWS day, but my resolve to make it a less crazy NWS event sure got lost. Oh well.

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 4:24 am
by Merry
Looking forward to a Christmas open house tomorrow, and made iced pumpkin cookies to take. Can't wait to have one tomorrow (today's an "N" day for me, so I didn't eat any). We love pumpkin anything here!

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 5:32 am
by lpearlmom
Yay for pumpkin! I don't know if you have a trader joes by you but I love going three during the Fall. Pretty much everything is pumpkin! 🎃

Enjoy your open house tomorrow!

Linda

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 4:07 pm
by oolala53
Does open house pretty much mean all-day eating affair? (for the others) I can forgo a lot of pumpkin but I did have an order of pumpkin pancakes with pumpkin creme at Denny's this year. Me and pancakes still got a good thing goin'.

Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 7:28 am
by Merry
lpearlmom wrote:Yay for pumpkin! I don't know if you have a trader joes by you but I love going three during the Fall. Pretty much everything is pumpkin! 🎃

Enjoy your open house tomorrow!

Linda
Thanks! Sadly no Trader Joes by us!

Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 7:31 am
by Merry
oolala53 wrote:Does open house pretty much mean all-day eating affair? (for the others) I can forgo a lot of pumpkin but I did have an order of pumpkin pancakes with pumpkin creme at Denny's this year. Me and pancakes still got a good thing goin'.
Well, eating from 3-6! Still too much... Nice time though!

Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 1:10 pm
by lpearlmom
Glad you had a nice time!

Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 6:27 am
by Merry
lpearlmom wrote:Glad you had a nice time!
Thanks. Our pastor's family hosted, and they are such a blessing. It really was a great time.

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:32 am
by Merry
Packed myself a small baggie today! I don't know if the goodies will still be around by this weekend--but even if they are, I won't be home, and I know they won't still be around in 2 weeks! So, I put a few favorites in the freezer for a couple of weeks from now!

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2016 7:45 am
by Amy3010
That is such a good idea!

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:03 am
by oolala53
Mine are going into a little storage space off the garage...

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 7:19 am
by Merry
oolala53 wrote:Mine are going into a little storage space off the garage...
Nice!

I have the chocolate from my stocking stowed in my desk drawer (in the folder labeled bills, LOL! A little something fun when tax season comes...)

Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 4:40 pm
by bunsofaluminum
Oh boy, your one year check in was inspirational! As oolala says, did you ever make it a solid year with any eating plan? I know I never have. It was just what I needed.

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 6:50 am
by Merry
bunsofaluminum wrote:Oh boy, your one year check in was inspirational! As oolala says, did you ever make it a solid year with any eating plan? I know I never have. It was just what I needed.
Thanks!

I did, but it still didn't end well--posted Dec. 6th about that experience!

Hang in there!

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:10 am
by Merry
Happy New Year, everyone! Well, got home from my weekend trip and found there are STILL some cookies/treats left in this house! And...I felt like I might be a little jealous about that this week (even though I have a little baggie stashed aside for myself for next weekend)--so I stashed another little baggie! I'm really not sure when I think I'm going to eat these, but it made me feel better. I do love my Grandma's Christmas cookie recipe :-).

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 8:21 am
by Amy3010
Happy New Year to you too, Merry! I love your baggie stashing idea...

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 5:56 pm
by bunsofaluminum
Merry wrote:
bunsofaluminum wrote:Oh boy, your one year check in was inspirational! As oolala says, did you ever make it a solid year with any eating plan? I know I never have. It was just what I needed.
Thanks!

I did, but it still didn't end well--posted Dec. 6th about that experience!

Hang in there!
Yeah, that's the one that inspired me :) I meant, before No S, had you gone a full year really compliant with any eating plan? I haven't. No S has stuck, easier than anything else I've ever tried, but May will be my one year mark. Easiest "eating plan" I've ever followed, and so doable every day for the rest of my life!

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 9:26 pm
by MaggieMae
Way to go, Merry! I'm trying to start keeping a stash of goodies for S days. Love that idea!

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 12:02 pm
by oolala53
Just saw that you asked when your odds of regain would go to 50%. I have to wait for a woman on Spark to post because the stats are in her signature line. BTW, she lost 167 lbs. and has kept it off, with various phases of regain of about 20 lbs., for nearly 7 years. She is a total sports nut now and I believe still tracks every bite. As previously morbidly obese, she may need to.

We've got it easier than some!

But your experience with the allergy eating routine is you know it actuallly is possible to get weight off. It's just can you LIVE with the routine. If the motivation is great enough, like real allergies or health conditions, it might be worth it. Otherwise...

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 7:34 am
by Merry
oolala53 wrote:Just saw that you asked when your odds of regain would go to 50%. I have to wait for a woman on Spark to post because the stats are in her signature line. BTW, she lost 167 lbs. and has kept it off, with various phases of regain of about 20 lbs., for nearly 7 years. She is a total sports nut now and I believe still tracks every bite. As previously morbidly obese, she may need to.
Thanks! And wow, keeping off 167 pounds for nearly 7 years is pretty awesome!

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 7:56 am
by Merry
Well, I usually post an update around the beginning of the month but I have absolutely no idea what I weigh right now, LOL! As of last week, I thought I might be down a pound, but then came New Year's weekend and as of Wed. it seemed like maybe I just maintained. However, I've been sick & not as hungry all week, and suddenly dropped 3 lbs. Thursday and Friday! But I don't think those losses will "stick."

So, I'm just going with the same weight for now & I'll figure it out at the beginning of Feb. Even if I only maintained in December, I'm good with that. I had a very enjoyable Christmas with family and New Year's with friends, went a little crazy on a couple of my S days :lol:, but had a green month with no reds and will celebrate staying on habit.

I'm way behind on my reading on here and haven't been able to keep up with anyone's check-in threads this week, just the topic threads on the other board. And now I need to prepare for a presentation for work, but hopefully I can catch up on reading next week or so.

On the good news front, my oldest made the college Dean's list "High Honors" for the fall semester--first time for him! I told him we're proud (and that his parents would make sure to embarrass him by telling everyone locally!), but that we're more proud that he's learning how to work hard, make good choices, and that he's a thoughtful and caring young man who loves the Lord. Good grades are nice to celebrate, but character is more important.

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 2:07 pm
by lpearlmom
Awww Merry I love what you said about your son. You guys are like role model parents. So great that his hard work is paying off.

I agree maintaining in December is where it's at!

Good luck with your presentation and hope you're fully recovered.

Linda

Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 5:59 am
by Merry
Thanks, I'm getting there. Now hubby has it though. Blah!

Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:15 am
by Amy3010
Congratulations to your son!

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 4:23 am
by oolala53
Kudos to your whole family!

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 5:48 am
by Merry
lpearlmom wrote:Awww Merry I love what you said about your son. You guys are like role model parents. So great that his hard work is paying off.
God has shown us much grace. :)

Feeling better this weekend & hoping to get back into an exercise routine this week. I did pretty well in December, got in 20 exercise days of at least 14 minutes. That's one of my new health goals for 2017, to get at least 4 days in each week.

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 11:41 pm
by oolala53
That IS a feat, in my book.