I had a blast!! Before, during, and after! It wasn't until the next day when the results were published that I started feeling down about it. I don't regret doing it, and I know the next one I do will go much better!

My next major goal is to do a 5k and run the whole way by 02 Feb 2018, which will be the first anniversary of my weight loss/fitness journey.

I'm going to the gym after work today to continue my running program. I'm not letting some distracting feelings stop me from meeting my goals!

EDIT: Speaking of unrealistic expectations, I put my weight progress into a trend calculator and it told me I'd hit my honest to God final goal weight by the end of 2017.

I know I can't expect that because weight loss gets harder as you get closer to goal. My target is an average of 1 pound a week, long term. That would put me at goal weight in May 2019. Most likely I'll hit goal sometime before that.

But holy crow, goal weight by December??? The thought that it might even be a possibility is WILD.

@thewindandthework , you beat your goal and it was your first race. Take your victory and be proud, then set a time goal for your next 5k. Comparing yourself to regular runners/competitors and feeling bad is unfair to yourself and how far you've come on your journey

@thewindandthework - You had 36 people watching your back! I think that's great. You know, even if you'd have been dead last, that would be impressive to me. I can't even imagine a 5K yet. Congratulations!

I understand your problem! Food does seem to be the gift of choice for adults. And its made worse when those gifting you don't try to understand your request. I often get "one day won't hurt you" as a response to my diet needs. *sigh*

Do you like flowers? Maybe ask them to buy you a rose bush with the money they would have spent on food? then you'd have a tangible item to remind you of your success! Or even a tree or a bush or something.

if they insist on food, perhaps you could talk them into a cookout or a dinner at home, and provide them with a recipe that would fit within your diet budget? Ask for a healthy dessert? There are all kinds of ideas online from blackbean cakes to greek yogurt cheesecakes.

Maybe you could get them to agree to a day in a local park and a small picnic instead - which would give you a nice place to walk afterwards?

In any case, I wish you the best of luck, because I know it can be difficult! And one weekend really won't sidetrack you if you don't let it - and it sounds like you accommodated for it nicely and are getting right back on track. So congratulations for that!

I've had a pretty good last few days, which have been sorely needed - I've been pretty down for a bit. It didn't help at all, either, when I took a selfie, intending to see if I had an older picture to compare to for the other thread, and I cringed when I saw pictures of myself. I hate looking at pictures of me - I'm not photogenic at all! But I don't have an older pic, anyway - just one from 45 lbs and now those from 55 lbs. I'll hold onto to them for when I get the 75 lb mark. Maybe there will be an improvement, but then again, no amount of weight loss or cosmetics can change homely! lol

But today I'm feeling a little better emotionally. It's beautiful outside today and cooler and less humid, and I finally measured my waist and ahve seen a good improvement. And I had a decent weight loss this week - and I'm even down today from my recording day. I need these little perks and upbeat days - I tend toward melancholy and depression a lot - I think too much, I think, and I spend too much time alone. I really hoping that this job change and move home will help with that, as well as future success in weight loss.

Anyway, that's the thoughts on my mind today!

thewindandthework wrote: »

Maybe it's time to move my MFP goal from 2 lbs a week to 1 lb a week. I've been SO HUNGRY. I've already blown past my calorie goal for the day and I'll still need dinner tonight.

I think I'm going to wait until the end of this week before doing it; maybe once my stress level goes down I won't feel the need to eat so much.

Was it on an off workout day? I ask because the day after I do a long cardio session I am pretty hungry lately. Day of the long cardio I seem to be ok even less hungry than on normal cardio days.

Personally I would move my goal to slightly lower if I felt like I was getting close to breaking it regularly. It's better to slow down than to get discouraged and quit or lose my gains.

We are ready to kick off the start of summer with Memorial Day Weekend (here in the States). Does anyone have any advise for warding off those inevitable splurges at parties/picnics? I am stressing a little about my upcoming Monday weigh-in. Plus I am off on Fri so my holiday starts a day earlier.

Rangerharms wrote: »

[quote=


I read that if you drink lots and lots of water, it can help with the wrinkles. My problem is getting the water down. Ha

That's good to know. I drink 90-120ozwater/day.

kimbermak wrote: »

We are ready to kick off the start of summer with Memorial Day Weekend (here in the States). Does anyone have any advise for warding off those inevitable splurges at parties/picnics? I am stressing a little about my upcoming Monday weigh-in. Plus I am off on Fri so my holiday starts a day earlier.

For me the biggie is sodium intake.

Be careful of your alcohol intake, too-- not only are there 100-250 calories/beer, it can cause overeating by lowering inhibitions.

I can definitely relate to that. I reached the 60 lb threshold this week. If I step outside myself, its an incredible amount, and I know my doctor is going to be absolutely thrilled. But do I see it as an accomplishment? In all honesty, no. I look in a mirror and I don't really see any difference in the face staring back at me. I've lost 4" off my waist, but I don't really see a difference in my profile. Yeah, my old clothes fit looser, but not so much that I've done any clothes shopping - I can't really afford to right now. Yes, I can get into my sister's size 26W jeans now, but I've been there before. In truth, in the back of my mind, there's that little voice that says "you've only come 1/4 of the way where you need to be. You're going to fail, you know you will - you always do. You failed last time, and the time before that. You know this won't be any different. You're going to plateau before you even reach your 1st major goal, and then it's going to come back on, just like it did before. Even statistics are against you - didn't you just read that only 1 or 2% of people lose the weight and keep it off?"

I think that's most of my problem. I'm naturally self-negative - badly so - and that little sarcastic, overly critical, self-bashing voice in the back of my mind never goes away, and never lets me truly accept a victory or a success. And all I can see if where I've tried before and failed. I kept all my big clothes from before because I knew I was going to be back into, and like a self-fulfilling prophecy, sure enough, I had to dig them back out. I lost 90 lbs before, but instead of being happy with myself, I was upset that I didn't go further, because I needed to go so much further. In all honesty, I needed to loose over 200 lbs, and that would put me in the lower overweight range. In all truth, I doubt I'll ever make it that far, and I know I'll never be in what is considered the healthy BMI range. I try to remind myself that I have a big frame, I'm a big woman, that newer research is showing that the BMI is too generic of a tool to force a whole population into, that I'm healthy and even 10% off is a great success, but it doesn't work.

I can be very considerate of others; I can be encouraging, sympathetic, and understanding. When others don't quite meet their goals, I can be very supportive, congratulating them on what they have achieved, trying to pull their focus to what they have done and how far they have come, and not to the little bit beyond. I can encourage people to be self-forgiving, to be realistic, to realize that just because they don't reach their set goal, that coming close is just as much as victory, that many times we set our expectations to high and set ourselves up for failure. I can do all that for others, but I can't seem to do it for myself.

Perhaps its partly how I was raised. I lose weight, and family says "oh, I didn't notice". Or they won't comment at all. Or I'll mention what I have lost, hating myself as I do it because I know deep down, I'm seeking affirmation, and all I get is "oh, that's nice. did you know how much your brother lost?" I visit my grandmother, and she always makes a comment on weight loss. When I was losing before, every time I came in, she'd ask "are you still losing weight?" It was so humiliating to admit the plateau last time.

I'm not an optimistic person. I say I'm a realist, but I fall over into pessimism all too often, and every week, I expect and dread "the plateau". I hope and even dream about one day being back down under 300 lbs - and even, on rare nights, day dream about being back under 200 lbs - but that hope is a fragile spark that is assaulted constantly by the icy rains of my fears and the sharp blasts of windy self- criticism.

I find myself needing affirmation and encouragement, needing others to remind me that I'm doing well, that I have been successful, that even when I stumble and fall that it's okay, even as I hate myself for needing it - which is such a paradox, because I don't judge others who need that, instead acknowledging that the need for others, the need for help and encouragement, is part of the human experience and nothing to be ashamed of, so why do I have such a high and completely unrealistic standard for myself?

Sorry for highjacking your post Wind - does any of this seem familiar to you? Perhaps its something we can both work on!