I need to wine and moan here:
I have been sooooooooo good since Jan 4.
Doing low fat and watching calories and exercising every day.
First I hurt my back and could not exercise for weeks.
Finally I was allowed to exercise again.
Then I found I had a lot of garbage in my life that needed delt with inside of me.
While dealing with that - I over ate!
Ok got most of that out of the way.....and was back on tarck with my healthy eating.
Now I am getting these stupid mirgrains again, that if I bend over ( like to exercise ) I get a killer pain in my head.
I am on meds, but they make me sleepy and hungry!
I am just ready to throw my arms up in the air and call "uncle"!
I have 80 lbs ahead of me and after almost 3 months still have 72 lbs ahead of me. arugh!!
It seems I can't win.
To top it off this coming week begins my CRAZY work sechudle - I will be working 15 hrs a day for the enxt few months. How will I ever get exercise into this time frame?
This is my busy season for work, and usually means eat out meals as well.....
I am going goofy already, just thinking about it!
How do you all over come the ups and downs that seem to get in your way of your weight goals?
How do you keep going?
Thanks for letting me vent :)
Jade

The only thing I can say is follow the advice in your signature line. "Take it One Day at A Time". That's how I've managed to stay motivated. Any time I feel slightly discouraged, I remember how good I feel when I look at the scale in the morning, and see a loss. How good I feel when people notice how fit I'm getting! How proud of myself I feel when I get in my daily workout! How good I feel when I can fit into a pair of slacks that used to be too tight. How pleased I am when I turn down all the "goodies" at work.

I just went through a spell of long days at work. I made sure I packed along lots of healthy snacks. Then, if you have to eat out, eat a sub. That's what I tried to do. Just do the best you can. I make it a challenge within myself to see how I can overcome those kinds of obstacles! :)

Yes, Jade, I do feel like that quite often. I'm going through that right now as a matter of fact. The only thing that keeps me chugging along some days is my pride. Like Bev said, I make it a challenge within myself. You are entitled to your crappy days, just don't throw in the towel. I'm going to post a poem I found at a WW site, even though I'm not doing WW it was inspirational to me, maybe it will help you too. Hang in there Jade. Curly ;)

Don't Quit

When you've eaten too much and you can't write it down,
And you feel like the biggest failure in town.
When you want to give up just because you gave in,
And forget all about being healthy and thin.
So What! You went over your points a bit,
It's your next move that counts.....So don't quit!
It's a moment of truth, it's an attitude change.
It's learning the skills to get back to your range.
It's telling yourself, "you've done great up till now. You can take on this challenge and beat it somehow."
It's part of your journey toward reaching your goal.
You're still gonna make it, just stay in control.
To stumble and fall is not a disgrace,
If you summon the will to get back in the race.
But, often the strugglers, when losing their grip,
Just throw in the towel and continue to slip.
And learn too late when the damage is done,
That the race wasn't over and they still could have won.
Life-style change can be awkward and slow,
But facing each challenge will help you to grow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint in the cloud of doubt.
When you're pushing to the brink, just refuse to submit.
If you bite it, you write it...But Don't You Quit!!

It sound like you've had a hard time. I know what you mean by sometimes feeling like what's the point. At least a hundred time a day I feel like you do. And at least that many time a day I have fight for the will power not to give in. All I can tell you is to forget about the last three months and look only forward. :) Consider all the extra work a blessing, because you'll be to busy to think about food. Work in what ever kind exersize you can to work day [even if is just doing leg lifts while sitting down for lunch] ;) The hard part I found out was eating out. Try to bring your own food when ever you can, and other wise hunt those menues for the least ofensive thing listed 8-|
We're all in this together. I'm sure you will win the war.

Oh, Jade! I'm so sorry you are having these boulders fall on your path! Funny, it seems this type of thing happens to me EVERY TIME I try to lose weight. I think since we have given up our "drug", we feel the stresses more, and are unable to cope as well without our food. The key, I think, is to just take it one MINUTE at a time and do the best you can while not falling backwards. We will never learn to deal with these things unless we just start doing it. Sometimes I will tell myself "Just get through the hour" and do it that way. Sometimes trying to get through a whole day is just too much to ask.

Antoher thing I do is to project what it will be like going to bed that night. If I am on plan, I go to bed happy, wake up happy and more likely will stick to plan. If I screw up I go to bed upset and wake up and eat. My mood is directly related to how I eat.

Good luck, friend! Keep posting as often as you need to get you through those days, hours and minutes. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Thank you all :)
I am taking all these suggestions with me and storing them inside to pull out as I need them these next few months.
I have also decided to make an appt with Dr. again next month and see if we can not come up with a new med for my migrains, that does not cause hungry this bad.
My biggest thing to still over come is my meal plan. I can only cook so many things in a crock pot for when I get done working late :)
However you have each given me hope that in spite of all this I can still strive to reach my goal..... and I thank each of you again :)
Jade

I used to feel that way but now I really understand that my life is at risk if I don't do something serious about my weight NOW!!! I don't want to die at 70 of diabetes like my mother did. If I want a little ice cream or junk food I'll have a little...but I don't give up because I know I have to follow a healthy diet for "the rest of my life"...this is the difference between now and the previous times I dieted. Overweight can only kill and cripple us. We are all too valuable to let that happen to ourselves! Keep coming here to whine but please don't give up! :)

JADE...ARE U LISTENING???....

your last 3 months u lost what 8 pounds...THAT my dear is a Success!!(JUST THINK..if you just manage at the pace you have succeeded at by January you will have lost 32# almost half your total-gone)...sure it doesn't seem like a tremendous amount..but need I remind you of ALL the things which life threw at you (as written in your post)..through it all you LOST 8 pounds!!..isn't that remarkable..how proud should you be?...and one more thing NOT only did you LOSE 8 pounds...you managed to reverse the GAINING...how many a month were you adding before?...2#...3#?...so take the 8 you lost add the 6 you managed to NOT GAIN and look..14 pounds you no longer have to carry around...

Don't sell yourself short losing weight is no quick fix..it is a life long committement to change..and you are three months into a SUCCESS!!

I would suggest you plan your meals too..who says ya gotta cook supper?..ya aint gotta eat out just cause ya don't cook..Make a big pot of some veggie soup on Sunday and have that at night...have a healthy salad with low fat dressing..buy the bags of pre-cut salad..QUICK...Research the places near where you work and see which menu items are good for you...u can do it buddy...

Geez u already HAVE done it for 3 months!!
Hugs..

[ 03-26-2001: Message edited by: Pamela ]

Here is a flower for all of you :)
This has been a HUGE help to me - I re started again yesterday with a new attitude :)
Thanks again for being here.....
Jade

Jade...notice that you sure have alot of people who are pulling for you and want you to succeed. Why don't you give us a little more information about your daily schedule and see what kind of suggestions we can make? What is a typical day like for you on your 15 hour a day schedule? What type of work do you do? What time do you get up in the morning? How do you get to work? Do you have a lunch room with a microwave? Is your job close to a grocery store? Give us a "day in the life of Jade" and we will make suggestions and come up with ideas for you. You will be on track in a new way before you know it!!!