I have not been posting, but will be updating here as I declutter the pounds.

I am currently down 13 pounds from my high weight this year - which I think was in October.

I am glad because some of my clothes are fitting that did not fit before. I have 5 more pounds to hit my first goal and then I will be at my lowest weight since spring of 2023.

I did yoga yesterday!

A whole week! And so far every day in September! I really don't want to break that streak! (Although the arrival of the new baby will probably break it.)

Good morning.

My weight is holding ok and I made relatively good choices this week. I really need to do better about evening habits and dinners.

I also need to figure out a way to replenish my energy after school on Friday that feels like a treat or a reward but is not the bakery section at the grocery store or wine. I needed to stop for groceries on the way home yesterday - not a good idea on Fridays! And I succumbed to donuts.

I have done yoga six days in a row this week even with school starting, and today will make 7. So even though I'm having a bit of a slow start with my coffee, I'm committed to getting the mat out this morning so I can tell you I made it a whole week!

I've been getting a lot of exercise on the stairs at school, and my knees don't hurt! So that alone tells me my fitness level is improving.

Hey there, SubC. I did mean under 200. Major typo there! I'm getting closer to my goal of being under 200. I'm up to walking 2 miles each time I get on the treadmill which is helping the stubborn pounds come off. My goal is to walk most days of the week, but I know that my body will sometimes not allow that. I'm ok with that, as I know my limits. I know I probably shouldn't focus on numbers, but for some reason I do.

Goodwin,

I just saw that you posted here. I hope that "under 100" was a typo and you meant "under 200".. Unless you are very short, under 100 is not a healthy adult weight.

I am trying to focus on the good choices and removing - "decluttering" - the bad choices and obstacles to healthy decisions rather than the actual numbers, although I have a clear range of actual numbers I would like to see, because that is the weight when I felt my healthiest.

I started September off with yoga this morning. I would LIKE to do yoga every day, but I want to set myself up for success because that leads to better motivation, so my goal will be to not skip two days in a row unless I am sick or traveling.

So, I haven't posted in this thread, but I wanted to join in, because I'm on a never-ending quest to declutter my waistline. I've been very overweight for most of my nearly 43 years on this earth. I had an RNY gastric bypass in 2007. I initially lost 70 pounds but gained it all back with interest. So at my heaviest after all that I was at 340 pounds in 2015. I started at that time to try harder to lose weight. I started keeping a daily journal of my calories on a free app. I also started walking. Throughout the next 4 years, I was able to increase the amount of walking I was doing to a little over 3 miles several days a week. I had lost 170 pounds. Then I injured my foot while walking and ended up needing surgery on it. I got depressed and gained some. My weight kept creeping up. It didn't take long with my binge eating to get up to 264. It was not where I wanted to be. Then I ended up having to have significant back surgery in April of 2023. I had a 3-level lumbar spinal fusion. The doctor told me if I didn't lose some weight that we'd be seeing more of each other. I took that to heart, and have been working on it ever since. I'm back on the treadmill and have been counting calories for a while now. After a lot of hard work, I'm currently down to 208. My goal is to get under 100 by the time I go on vacation out of the country on October 8. I know I will gain some while on vacation, but I want to get back on track as soon as that's over. I want to get closer to a healthier weight for me. It's not easy, and I know what it takes. Sorry for the long, rambling discussion. I just wanted to get it off my chest.

My weight went up when I was visiting my son, but is almost back down to before we left - so it took me a week to recover from 4 days of excess. Which is not bad.

I went to the grocery store yesterday, and I looked at the bakery discount. They had a six pack of these donuts I just love, and I was tired from open house, and I really wanted them. But I reminded myself that I would eat all six on the way home if I opened them, and that if I could wait and didn't open them, there were already other treats at home that were less bad for me, and that I was supposed to be avoiding the bakery section, and I did not buy them.

Not buying things that make you feel good in the moment but have long term negative effects for the win!

I am working on shifting my mindset from "I deserve a donut" to "I deserve to be healthy."

Lila, I am sorry you are feeling discouraged.

My weight has finally budged down out of my yo-yo zone. The key factor seems to be Dh being gone, when Dh is gone I hardly cook, so I eat a lot of light snacks and raw food and few meals with almost no sauces. Also, I don't want to go anywhere, so if I run out of a packaged food, I just stop eating it. Also, the things I feed myself are good, but not so good I want to keep eating them after I am full. Dh cooks late - so by the time dinner is ready i am super hungry, and tasty, so i eat too fast and too much.

Also, I think I need to never buy anything from the bakery discount section again.

Anyway, I have to renew my driver's license in the fall. Four years ago I gave up and raised my weight (I should have done it eight years ago, but then i still had hope.) if I can stay on track, I will be close enough to what my license says to not feel like i have to raise it again. Small victories.

Good heavens. I am up 4 pounds from my high weight in June. And I didn't even eat everything I wanted to. This is not good.

I mentioned on the other thread that I am starting a few sessions at the gym next week. Hoping that will help me feel better enough to exercise, and TRY.

I feel like a hamster on a treadmill.
Except an actual hamster on an actually treadmill would probably get more fit.

Got groceries today. 4 kinds of fresh fruit and salt. (I was out of salt)

Veggies are coming in from the garden, milk and eggs are coming in from the barn, we have plenty of carbs in the house.

I have camp this week. I will not be able to snack during camp and I am going to work on packing healthy lunches. The fresh fruit is for those and breakfast.

Lila,

I am right there with you - I know exactly what happens when I quit trying. I am still not back down to where I was before vacation.

If I don't pay attention all the time, the weight piles on, the stuff piles in, and the basic needs of the household for cleanliness and supplies fall apart.

Yesterday I did well, choosing carrots and watermelon for snacks.

well, my denial was brought to reality when I saw a note in a journal of what I weighed last fall when the clothes fit. I said earlier that I didn't know why they were so tight since I had not gained since then. Bull! Liar in my head! The note confirmed that I weighed about 15 pounds less!! Ahhh. I just trundle along not noticing, sticking my head in the sand... no more.

I went to the doctor this week and told him how awful things are with the long covid and how I have gained weight. In fact I gained 4 more pounds since I last posted. Even with what I think is "trying" and not indulging very much. It makes me think if I DID indulge and stop trying, I would be over 300 pounds in no time. Anyway, a fresh start, wearing the fitbit and on a new medication the doctor prescribed for me. This week I lost 4 pounds and my first goal is to lose 20 more. Then basically everything will fit.

4/24 pounds gone

We will get there, SubC. We are trying.

I don't know how all my clothes are so tight. I think I have not gained from when the clothes fit. Maybe just bloated. Will lay off salt and sugar.

It is raining and I just want hot drinks. I had some black coffee earlier.

I am meeting my step goals on fitbit. My general, doing nothing at home, day off number of steps per day is in the 2000s. That's how lazy or tired I am. So the first few days I set my goal at 3000. I was able to do that with the vibrating hourly alarm on the fitbit that tells me to get up and move. Yesterday I set my goal to 4000 and I did that, so will try for 4000 a day this week until that gets consistent, then increase.

I figure if I can keep my movement going, the food part will get easier.

Lila, I am plateauing too. It happens. Just keep trying to replace bad choices with good choices. Even in a very small way.

I'm sure the moving around more will help.

I think I need to start taking my waist measurement, because I (hope) I am probably increasing my muscle tone with all the outside work, and adding muscle adds weight, but it is healthy weight.

I did put on my "fat shorts" from last year that at one point were the only pair I could wear, and they were loose, so that is good. Not loose enough to do my closet clean out yet though.

I am trying so hard and getting nowhere :(

250 - 254 - 253 - 254....

I hope the fitbit will help. Obviously I am some kind of sugar addict as well and I threw away some candy I had here. I just need to make better choices but it is hard when I am stressed. I am definitely moving more with the fitbit and step goals.

I will try that, SubC... I do think of things as someone else's, sometimes, but can do better about it. Also, I like the planning of "I will eat x and y today" so that I have something to focus on eating that is healthy, instead of gravitating towards the junky snacks.

I do think thing where I think "I have to eat everything I have that is junk food and THEN I will start eating healthy tomorrow, and not buy anymore junk." So I eat a ton of junk in a day. But then later in the week I crave cookies or chips and buy more. This, I need to get a grip on.

Most of my clothing is very tight, and I am panicking a bit. I admit this week I spent a few hours looking at clothes on Amazon, and ended up ordering a few things to try. I will probably send it all back, but might find one item to keep. Mainly it is stuff I could layer over my shirts to look nicer and dress things up a bit. I have too many sweater cardigans so was looking for lightweight things for summer. Amazon is not going to get me good quality clothes, but I just want to look okay.

I found this one item I LOVED and was about to buy it when I realized it looked very similar to the one I donated because that dude made fun of me in it, and then I was sad because I did love it and I wish I had kept it, but in fact if I had, I would be to self conscious to wear it... so, I didn't order that thing. Anyway. The cycles my brain is in!

So nice to know someone is thinking of me in the evening!

So the connection of this to decluttering is to remove the items and triggers that cause you to snack. But you have other people living in your house. So that is hard.

Also try to replace foods and habits. Like the tea for snacking.

I have been using two mental tricks. Whenever I look at snack food I think "that is Dh bag of chips" or "those are Bean's cookies." Not when I want to eat it, when I buy it, when I unpack it, when I open a cabinet and see it - it helps put my brain in a space where that food is not something I can eat. Because it is not my food.

Also, I tell myself I have to eat things - like "I have to eat these carrots and a banana today" then when I want to eat, I already have a healthy focus on something to eat. And there is less room in my stomach for the other things.

And I'm sure that it helps that now that it is spring I am very busy doing physical labor.

SubC, not going great. I am about 3lbs heavier than when I started. I am eating out of avoidance and feeling low. I do think of you in the evening and try to drink tea instead of eating a snack.

I am on a bingey roll right now, feeling weird and having time to do things but not doing them. Here is my problem. Today I have eaten:

2 mugs of coffee with oat milk and honey
one egg scrambled with green onions and butter and cheddar, with a slice of thin wheat toast, buttered, and an orange

leftover cold latte

5 small squares of thin crust cheese pizza and two breadsticks, and Coke

4 chocolate chip cookies, 2 Dove candy eggs (larger sized ones), and a mango

a slice of cheese, half a Cadbury fruit and nut bar, 3 or 4 potato chips

I might have mindlessly eaten a few more things but I think that is it, and this is before dinner. I have a real problem with sweet stuff and junk.

How is it going Lila?

I am still doing well at the grocery store. Mostly avoiding bakery clearance and various snacks on sale.

I'm keeping too busy to snack much and the physical labor demanded by spring is helping. I moved the nuts to the back of the basement pantry, stopped baking except with Bean and I send everything home with him, and only buy Dh and Bean treats I don't like. My weight is trending down again.

Like the hoarding, the biggest helpers are "don't go to places that you will be tempted, don't bring it home" and "keep doing something."

Perhaps we will have "the great wardrobe project of 2024" by the end of the summer.

Fresh start is working. I am just trying to say no to junk most of the time, and drink more water. I stopped putting sugar in my coffee. Down 1 pound.

1/25

Okay, time for a fresh start.

I can't even remember where I started on this thread, because I was too embarrassed to share my actual weight, so I only posted pounds to lose. I need to be accountable so I currently, as of this morning, weigh 250 pounds. This is not the highest I have ever weighed, but it is close to the highest in recent history. My goal is 225, at least short term, if I could maintain that weight I feel so much better and many more clothes fit. I got down to maybe 230 a few months ago. So I am starting again, today, cutting out 90% of sugar and sweets, and junk. And trying to move more and take walks.

0/25

Wow, that's great SubC, to not really gain from that trip! Excellent.

I am in bad shape about back to where I started. My doctor says my TSH is very high and my ESR is elevated, inflammatory markers high and my blood glucose is 102, a bit high. I really need to edit the way I have been eating, and start moving more.

Easter is a hard time to cut sugar but I am cutting it on Monday. Back to black coffee, maybe a splash of cream but nothing sweet.

This morning it looks like the weight I gained at my son's house was basically water - because it is gone already! probably more salt in the cooking. A pleasant surprise.

I stopped at the grocery store yesterday and bought fruit, nuts, cheese, mushrooms, and some easy vegetable ravioli. I resisted everything in the bakery section and the discount Easter candy.

We are keeping a lot less in the fridge these days. Dh likes it. I need to clean the freezer out soon before I start milking goats again (mid to late April).

Well, I got on the scale this morning, and much to my pleasant surprise, I only gained 3 pounds at my son's house.

Time to get back to work.

Lila,

When you are that sick, you don't keep many calories, but you don't move much either, and your metabolism cranks down for survival. Sadly most of the lost weight was probably dehydration.

I stayed close to my new set point for a while, but I have been at my son's house for 5 days, exiting meals with rich sauces and lovely fluffy cakes. There is no scale there, so I have no idea where I am, but I am not optimistic. Probably starting all over again.

How's it going now, SubC? It's been a few weeks.

I don't know what I need either. Inner healing, probably. Practically, a personal chef. Or someone who locks up all my food and money and comforts me while I wail about how starving I am.

You would think that someone who threw up nonstop for two days and then only ate a half sleeve of saltines and one Gatorade for the next 2 days would lose a ton of weight. I was down 8 pounds but as soon as I had some salty soup (with basically nothing in it but a few noodles and broth) it was back. How can a body hang onto weight so staunchly against the laws of physics? There is something wrong with me.

I have been stuck just above my most recent low point for some time, and slipping back into some bad habits.

However, I think I have several advantages today in getting back on track - I am interested in a lot of things that will keep me busy, and I have done something to my jaw. Dh thinks I slept on it wrong, but it hurts - just a little, when I bring my molars together. Everything I like to snack on is either crunchy or chewy.

Good morning.

Lila, I would intervene for you, but I don't know what you need.

I do know that my eating habits go downhill when I have less sleep and more stress, and you are definitely in that situation. Unfortunately easy food, comforting food, and healthy food are not usually the same, and it's hard to put energy into making good food choices and denying yourself when you are already taxed and worn down.

I basically fasted yesterday (I had one low carb, high protein meal at dinner time.) and my weight is back down at my low this morning. I also gave myself an extra diet soda yesterday.

Today I am home all day and it will rain, which makes things harder. I'm going to try to get out in my studio where I can't snack, and maybe add some extra exercise - we'll see.

Dh and I have plans with friends Saturday night that include a restaurant. Restaurants kill me. There are so many hidden calories.

SubC, I know you're frustrated, but you are doing well. Not backsliding, and your hubby noticed your weight loss! That is great. Keep going. I like reading what you are doing.

Me, I am so fat. Someone needs to do an intervention.

Well, yesterday I had a "no dessert" day and was active with Bean and the scale moved in the right direction again. Not quite back to my most recent low, but at least I'm no longer feeling discouraged. Attitude is important.

I stopped at the grocery store to restock Dh cereal for him and also bought more apples, crackers (whole wheat)(which I'm trying not to eat too many of, but they are salty and crunchy and a few with cheese or hummus are a good complex snack.) hummus, and some more diet sodas.

I'm still feeling conflicted about the sodas, but I've been down to one a day lately. I'm trying to drink more (mostly herbal) tea, but the soda feels like a treat, and I think for now I need to hang on to them.

It's hard to set your "new normal" too far off your former normal.

I resisted the clearance valentines candy (and toys) and the bakery clearance.

I am getting frustrated.

I've cut out all but one "dessert" a day - and by "dessert" I mean less than 150 calories of wine, chocolate, or sweetened/jam/butter bread.

I've cut way back on nuts and carbs, and I am eating mostly whole foods. (I am also now really angry at the number of times and ways I had to edit that statement to keep the computer from turning my words into a grocery store with capital letters.) I am hungry a lot. but my weight is still creeping up.

I'm probably sitting too much - I did do all that computer work the last few days, and it has been too cold and wet to do much outside, but I am also going to pay closer attention to my food. Maybe I'm doing something counterproductive without realizing it.

Yesterday was difficult.

It was a craving comfort food day and Dh brought home pizza. I also skipped yoga. I had a lot of tasks to do that sapped my executive function.

I am still "carrying around" cookies and donuts from Valentine's Day at school. (My dad calls them "dough-guts")

But today is a new day and I have already done yoga and am ready to refocus on new good habits. My banana, apple, and grapefruit are lined up on the counter in case I need a snack and even though there is leftover pizza, I have put it under other things in the fridge and cleared away all signs of pizza eating.

Cheese and crackers is such a delicious thing. I bought some extra sharp white cheddar on sale the other day and might have a few thin slices with crackers and fruit.

I weighed today and am back down a hair, to 3 pounds over my START point (at the beginning of this thread. I will keep working at it. This morning I had coffee and a small lowfat yogurt for breakfast.

Onward.

+3/20

Lila, I hope you home gym helps you! It sounds like you have great support for working out!

I'm not actually swimming yet. I still weigh three pounds more than the last time I squeezed into my bathing suit for laps. I also dislike being cold. Getting into the water is always hard. Getting out of the water is always hard. but after the first two laps swimming is heavenly. I can get lost in the rhythm and lose all track of time. I also often lose track of my laps, which is annoying.

I can't see the clock from the pool. Actually, I can't see the end of the pool from the pool. Or the part of the lane lines that are blue and white.

You have to drill into your brain that those treats belong to your grands. You would not take their treats away from your grands, right?

I made some extra effort for a student to get a piece ready for her mom's birthday this week and when she came by to pick it up yesterday she brought me a chocolate. I stopped at Trader Joe's and bought cheese I can eat and some spicy nuts on my way home and ate about 3x my allowance of nuts. Then I had another chocolate from the treat bowl at the place where I got my summer job offer, and I had a small glass of wine with Dh with dinner.

The scale this morning says I didn't do any notable harm though. I can't just give up all my treats. I need to find a way to live sustainably.

I bought the cheese as a potential reward. When I lose one more pound (new low) I get to either pick up breakfast at Starbucks again (if it's a school day) or have cheese and crackers with a diet soda for lunch.

hi SubC, you are doing so good! Swimming is a wonderful workout. I like to swim but hate being cold, so my preferred exercise is walking when it is warm enough, or the machines in my downstairs.

TotsDad took half the family room we cleared downstairs and made a gym! He is very fit and strong, runs on the treadmill and lifts weights every day. We moved Teen's elliptical in there, so there is a row or: bike, elliptical, treadmill, recumbent stepped, all lined up. And the on the wall across from them, TotsDad mounted a big TV! He brought it from his house and it is so nice with an arm so you can move it. When he gets it connected to the internet, we can all go in there and exercise and watch tv! Isn't that cool? I am excited and hope it motivates me. He has his weights on the other side but probably too heavy for me. I have small ones in the garage that I could add.

My eating is terrible. Kids here = lots of snacks, like cereal and crackers. I need to just tell myself to not eat their food at all, even when they offer it. And to not buy sugary things or bake a lot of cookies for them.

My jeans are super tight. I have not weighed.

I know 'start Monday' is one of those not-always-helpful things, but I am going to try to do better over the weekend, but start cracking down making a strong effort on Monday.

Good morning!

Stop at the grocery store last night. I resisted the sweets in the bakery clearance even though I did check it for rye bread. (No rye bread)

I bought apples and bananas (trying to eat one of each every day as snacks) and healthy expensive rye bread that has fewer calories per slice but is more filling than the store brand sandwich loaf I've been buying, and no hfc. The difference in cost is less than the cost of one bakery clearance treat. I'm very proud of myself for making good choices even though I was hungry!

I also bought three kinds of cookies for Dh. Two kinds I don't like, but his favorite kind I do, so that is a temptation. I only ate one out of the last package though.

My weight is back down to my previous low for the rolling year (least I have weighed since last February) so I am getting a sense of progress.

I'm working on making the least healthy options in the house limited treats, and then not replenishing them when they are gone. (Exceptions to the replenishing for things I make from scratch - like biscuits with jam or tea bread) I'm hoping that my kitchen will become more orderly as it starts to contain fewer packages of processed or high calorie/low nutrient foods. There is one cupboard for Dh snacks and treats.

I enjoyed my day of reckless carbohydrates yesterday and am happy to report that the scale claims most of my weight loss is real.

Also, I woke up hungry this morning, so the easily accessible sugar I gave my body may have bumped my metabolism back up (since when you limit calories, your metabolism cranks down to adapt.)

I am getting close to trying to squeeze into my bathing suit and thinking about rejoining the health center to swim.

Hoping that by the end of February I may be ready to revisit my closet.

My problem with the flavored water is that it all tastes so thin. I like the thick cola taste and the bite. I would probably like carbonated apple cider vinegar. I prefer balsamic vinegar to salad dressing.

I'm currently eating broccoli and brown rice with a sauce that is maybe 3/4 lemon juice, 1/4 tahini.

I almost have my weight back to where is was before we headed east for the Christmas holidays.

I'm going to eat a thin slice of very bad for me cake tonight though. I've made pretty good choices for a week, and I really want the cake.

I will also probably eat too many carbs tomorrow - I'm going to an all day workshop with breakfast and lunch provided. Sunday I will refocus.

I've done really well at making good choices at the grocery store though. Besides the cake. Bean begged for the cake. I should have sent it home with him, but his daddy is trying to lose weight and has no will power. So now Bean only gets cake at my house. Tomorrow I need more apples.

hi SubC. I found a new sparkling water to try. It is called Spindrift and instead of zero calories and a flavor essence, it ahs a splash of actual fruit juice in it and has under 20 calories. I got the grapefruit. I expect it will be more tasty than the La Croix since it has actual juice in it, but just a bit. A friend told me she buys sparkling water, is used filtered water, and adds one tablespoon of pomegranate juice or other juice to it in her glass or water bottle. She likes how it gives it flavor. You might try that with a juice flavor you like or some sliced oranges or other fruit in it.

I have gained back ALL the pounds I lost and 3 more. I am so frustrated.

+3/20

My kids drink those la croix. I don't like them unfortunately.

I think the artificial sweetener messes with my metabolism though. And drinking the soda makes me feel full at the time, but keeps my stomach stretched out so I don't feel full as quickly when I eat.

I relaxed my guidelines while Dd was here this weekend, and ate several treats and a lot of good meals. Plus I didn't move as much because of weather and company. I bounced back up, but I am still down a couple of pounds. Back to it today.

Moderation in food and stuff are so similar for me - you have to have some of both, but both can quickly become too much of even a good thing.

It's a Bean day, so lots to do besides eat!

ugh, my scale went up.

SubC, I used to drink a lot of sodas, not even diet. Mostly Coke. I was almost 300 pounds, can you believe it? That has been a long long time ago though, almost 20 years. I am still over 200 but closer to 200 than 300! I don't look as much as I weigh.

Anyway I switched to La Croix sparkling water with no sweeteners at all. I have those when I crave soda, like, if we have pizza. It has no sugar and no artificial sweetener, just a bit of fruity flavor and carbonation.

I think the lemon bars, which are excellent and used up some lemons that were not looking great, are the reason for the uptick. But at least I only made a half batch (8 by 8 pan).

I had avocado toast this morning for breakfast.

I have made good food choices for three straight days. I had a salad and sweet potato fries at the restaurant last night. I avoided the school bake sale even though the cooking class contributed and the whole building smelled like chocolate.

I've been doing yoga.

The needle made it's first jump, but I think part of that is that with smaller meals and less frequent eating, my digestive tract is less full.

The impact on the house is not really notable yet, but on Thursday there was a break in the rain (it's been raining so much here, all my pastures are flooded) and I got out and set up a flower bed behind my "new" shed. That used up some of the cardboard that was leaning on the wall in the garage, and I cleaned out a stall.

I also moved my diet sodas up to the loft in the shop barn. So I have to walk out (in the rain, a city block) and climb stairs to get one. I was drinking too many.

I'm going to keep focusing on the "now".

This is great to read! You are doing good things, SubC. I love that you are doing something productive when you get the urge to snack at night. I will try that, too. I also try not to eat after 7 (heartburn). If I really crave something sweet at night, I have some "natural" hard candies in fruit flavors. A little sweet pomegranate or grapefruit candy (the size of a lifesaver) is often enough, and only about 25 calories.

I love oatmeal with pumpkin. It takes like pumpkin pie to me. This week I made a baked oatmeal because I have a lot of apples going soft. I diced them up and mixed with raw oats, a couple spoons of chia seeds, some almond milk, cinnamon and nutmeg, a little maple syrup, and a couple spoons of vanilla yogurt and 2 eggs. I made it a little soupy looking and baked it until it was firm. So then all week I could take a square of that, put it in a bowl and heat it up to eat. I added things to my bowl like walnuts, canned pumpkin, and pomegranate seeds or blueberries.

I am going to make broccoli soup today with Teen later. It will have fresh broccoli and onions, grated carrots, vegetable broth, some soy milk and real cheese. I might put spinach in my bowl before I ladle in the soup. I try to add more veggies to things.

I also need to steam a couple of artichokes I need to use.

I do love my pasta, SubC. I even bought some Vodka sauce yesterday. But I'll add veggies to mine and also a salad on the size.

I also fluctuate and am up a pound or two but hopefully that is just stress or whatever. I will probably go back down this week.

Yesterday I did yoga. I ate healthy food all day - fresh fruit, baked veggies, cooked whole grains and not too many nuts.

I have also started to try to declutter eating after 7 and evening snacking. Yesterday I succeeded in both. The after 7 is going to be a target, not a routine, because sometimes I don't make it home until nearly seven, and at least two nights a week Dh doesn't make it home until after 7. I enjoy having dinner with him, but I hate being fat - out of breath and in pain.

Tonight I will say no to pizza again. Dh will be sad because he likes our pizza nights, but pizza after 8 at night is just not going to work for me.

But here is a thing I did to leverage the not snacking after dinner - every time I started focusing on the urge to snack, I got up and did a thing. I glued the Velcro back on Bean's mushroom and put the glue away. I carried the empty jars down to the basement and put them away. I made a separate trip (stairs) down to the basement to put the egg carton away. I rinsed the cans for recycling.

So my body and my environment both benefitted.

I have discovered that I cannot make good decisions for a whole day. I can't lay out a plan and stick to it - by the end of the day I go off track. But, I can make good decisions for half an hour. Half an hour is enough. 5 minutes is enough. Because all I really need to do is make good decisions "now". Because everything actually happens in now.

I have a "landing pad" at the top of my basement stairs where I tend to pile stuff so that I can carry it all down when I go. Much more efficient than making all those trips. But then, a lot of time I just set the pile down on a surface in the basement because it goes too many different places. So I am not really being efficient. Also, I don't need to save trips up and down the stairs - I need the exercise!

There was a time when I was working on the basement when I set myself a goal like clearing an item out before I snacked. (I don't remember the exact goal.) I'm realizing now that that was a bad plan. Besides the fact that it didn't always work, I had committed to the snack. I was just moving it a few minutes. And now it had become more important because it was my reward.

Yesterday I made one good decision at a time. And this morning, instead of a scale needle that didn't budge and a counter that looked the same, I started my day with a scale needle that moved just a hair in the right direction and probably a whole square foot more of clean counter.

It's small, but there are 120 days until the end of the school year. It's possible that I could start the summer with shorts that fit and a clean counter.

All I have to do is keep asking myself 1) Do I really need food or have I eaten enough (so far) today? 2) What can I do instead?

The default "I have no motivation" answer to that second question is going to be - go upstairs and look around - if you don't see anything, go in the basement and look around. Then at least I did some stairs. Also I should see something. Also, I realized last night, at minimum, for a long time - I can dust.

Lila, that is a really impressive menu!

I would not have thought of putting pumpkin in oatmeal.

You eat a lot fewer grain based carbs than I do! (Bread, baked goods, and pasta are my downfall!) ask yourself what you want when you reach for cookies and chips. Salty? Sweet? Crunchy? Fat? Maybe you can come up with a list of healthier alternatives that satisfy those and plan them into your day.

Dh and I ate at home instead of going out before our date last night. I am now down 2lbs. Still not really meaningful - I fluctuate, so until I hit 5 I will just feel like at least I am not adding new highs.

I did not do yoga yesterday or today. I probably won't do it today, but I will get back to it tomorrow unless Dd and dgs spend the night. I am doing well on the nuts and have not bought more milk. I am thinking about adding not eating after a certain time at night. I've done really well not snacking while Dh and I watch movies, even though he snacks.

You said no to pizza and cereal. Both hard and good things! Keeping control over high density/calorie snacks is a good plan. I like your scoop method.

I worked so much the last couple days I ate less. So am down another pound. But today I have been stress eating. I will try to stop it.

I also went through the fridge today and looked at produce that needs to be used. So I am eating that stuff. So far:

Breakfast: oatmeal with canned plain pumpkin, a few walnuts, cinnamon, a bit of real maple syrup, some pomegranate, and almond milk. Coffee with Silk creamer.

Lunch: one medium yellow summer squash roasted with a bit of shaved real Parmesan and garlic salt. A small bowl of Brussel sprouts, halved and tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted.

Snacks (where the stress eating began): 6 gummy worms, a few potato chips, about a half cup of sesame crackers and rice crackers mixed, another mug of coffee with Silk creamer but also sugar. Four small cookies that I don't even like (the kind that come in a Christmas tin). Then I took five fresh dates, cut open, inserted peanut butter and roasted peanuts, topped with melted chocolate and froze. I read online that this tastes like a Snickers. Nope, it did not, but it satisfied that urge. I could have just made two and it would have been enough.

Teen would like me to make some butternut squash soup for dinner so I probably will. The squash is cooked already and thawed from frozen. Easy soup. I might make a grilled Swiss, sauerkraut, and marinated tofu sandwich to go with it. Not exactly low cal, but I am hungry. Will drink water and eat fruit/veg if I get hungry before dinner.

5/20

Oh, I forgot the other thing - Dh has guitar tonight and offered to bring home a pizza (our favorite pizza place is right by his lesson.) I said no. We already had pizza this month and I feel like I can cook again.

- less money spent
- fewer calories/healthier food
- no pizza box to store in the garage until it warms up enough to lay mulch.

Two days of not snacking on cereal, and this morning I did yoga for the 4th day in a row.

Yesterday I skipped breakfast and had three "100 calories" nut packs for lunch/after school snack with plain, unsweetened tea. This made me realize how many calories of nuts I have actually been eating. I have salted almonds that I like to snack on. I buy them in bulk and usually keep a pint jar in the kitchen. Then I tend to snack straight out of the jar. So, I'm going to not refill the pint jar and when I want them, I am going to take a dedicated 1/4c measure down to the basement and just scoop out that many. - decluttering one pint jar from my pantry and helping my waistline. Then when the measure is empty, I will put it in the dishwasher. I will only use that container, so I will either keep up with the dishes a whole lot better, or eat a whole lot fewer nuts, or both.

I also cooked a healthy dinner last night. I was very hungry, so I ate too large a serving too fast and my stomach was uncomfortable. I also used too much tahini sauce. Next time I will use a small bowl and let the food hit bottom before I go back for seconds.

I am currently down one pound, which is really just noise. But I feel like I have made three good steps this week. (Milk, nuts, yoga) that might be enough to keep up with for a few weeks.

Good job, SubC! That is interesting about the milk. Ahhh, cereal is addictive! I buy cinnamon Life for Tot and Acorn but I love it, too. I eat it with almond milk. Acorn eats it dry.

Well the other day I weighed and was sad to see I was back to 2/20 pounds gone instead of 16/20. Regained 14 pounds since October, ugh.

Today I am down a bit.

4/20

Ok, good morning Lila! And anyone else.

Last night I decluttered the A2 milk carton from my fridge (full disclosure, I ate the last of it on a bowl of sugared cereal for dessert)

So, step one. I'm not going to buy more A2 milk. It is easier to have willpower in the grocery store. This will reduce my sugared cereal consumption and if I do eat it (I still have two boxes) I may eat less just dry, or almond milk (which Dh uses) has fewer calories. Also, I won't have to wash and recycle the milk cartons.

Step two - I did yoga yesterday. I am going to do yoga again now. That will be two days in a row. Poco a poco as CM says.