Then I learnt to still like myself on days when I just wanted to eat chocolate and not to worry about it every second of every day. At first I gained a bit of weight bc I fed a starving body. But when it was full I also stopped eating (wo trying)bc I knew that when I was hungry…well there’d be more food.

I hit a work out regiment that is bringing me to bathing suit body heights (3 days of weights, 2 days of cardio. No more than 1 hr of each a day).

Point of all this…focus on the things you already do well and how you can do them better and more efficiently. Focus on the positive…not an arbitrary number that means nothing, and that should not have the power to grip you with fear every day. This isn’t directed at PQ specifically, but all the women who’s blogs I read who are struggling with this issue. As long as your mind is with the scale and the number it shows, you’ll never allow yourself to make the growth it takes to leave behind your old habits.

I remember the last ten pounds took me SIX MONTHS to lose. (And I’ve been struggling to get back to my goal since Christmas – a knee injury has slowed my running down a bit). It would have driven me stark raving mad during those months if I had to report my weight loss every week, even though I was also weighing myself every week. I think your new plan for weighing and reporting is perfect.

Anyway, your strategy seems reasonable to me. Best wishes!

Personally, I think you look fantastic, and judging by your progress photos, if you lose 20 more lbs you might disappear ;-)

Hope you had a good run. Your entry was very helpful and well-timed, as usual. I am coming up to an anniversary, of sorts. It has been nearly a year since I have lost any real weight. I keep gaining and losing the same 5 pounds. I don’t want to feel done, but I can’t keep “trying” to lose without success, either. Otherwise, it seems like failure, and maintenance sounds so much more positive. I can’t give up the daily weigh-ins, at least not yet. Just like I can’t stop the food journal (when I do, there are dire consequences). Or the measuring. I just finished counting out my whole wheat pasta into eight equal piles (73 fusillis, this time, if you were wondering!). I simply don’t trust myself to judge portions accurately. And I might never get there and that will have to be okay. I am safe with single servings in little baggies, just waiting to be cooked and consumed. It is the same with crackers (wax bags of four to six, depending if it is snack or lunch). If I open the box, I eat way more than I should. If I portion it, I do okay (and never return for a second bag—it is a mystery to me, but I am glad it works!).

We all do what we have to do to manage this whole food business. I hope to keep learning little tricks from fellow journeyers like yourself. Thanks for sharing so much of your story.