Oh sweet Connie! I hope my post didn't make you feel like you are a failure. That wasn't my intent. I may never reach my goal either. But I have to keep faith that it's possible. But ya know....even if I didn't lose another lb, I would consider myself a success. You should as well! Look how far you have come too! You are a beautiful girl and have come a long way baby! YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE! They say that if you manage to lose 70% of your excess weight, you are a SUCCESS! So, consider that. GREAT BIG HUGS TO YOU! I love ya! Lori

Hello Everyone! I made it through the last basketball weekend of the summer. It was in the 90's in Spokane all weekend long. I didn't walk back and forth to the hotel like I had planned. The neighborhood looked kinda scary so my husband wouldn't let me. I didn't really want to do it alone anyway! My daughter's team ended up placing 3rd out of 12 teams. Not bad. Of course it would have been better if they had won but they played awesome! My weight this morning is 166! So... I did manage to lose a couple of lbs while I was there. Now I hope I can stay in the 160's. I feel pretty sure that I will. I have been reading everyone's posts about being frustrated with their losses and confessing to eating more carbs, etc. I won't lie to you and say that I don't eat ANY bad carbs. I do. But I don't make a habit of it. I don't do it every day. If I am hungry, I ALWAYS reach for some kind of fruit or protein. I keep string cheese here at work and at home. I keep soy nuts on hand at all times. I keep fresh fruit available to grab, i.e. nectarines, bananas, plums, etc. Something I can grab and go. I keep lowfat popcorn on hand if I want something crunchy. I eat very, very few chips. I have had a couple of crackers here and there. I don't eat bread. Can't eat tortillas. I guess the point I am trying to make is that I have totally changed the way I eat. I don't ever want to weigh 281lbs again! I will never go back to eating the way I used to. I have totally resigned myself to eating a whole new way and having this be my way of life forever! I have made a committment to myself and I am sticking to it. I have worked too damn hard to turn back now. Sure, I don't always exercise. I don't always get my 64oz of water in. I get frustrated with it all just like everyone else. But I just step back and think, wow, look how far I have come! Look at how much I have accomplished in the last 11 months! I think about how much better I feel and say to myself, "I CAN DO THIS!" I know there will be more times on my journey that I will get frustrated again and I know that you will all be here to support me. It's all part of the process. I hope this doesn't come across as "preachy" or "judgmental".... I just wanted to try and give some support to those who need it. Or just a "kick in the butt" in the right direction! I love you guys and don't know what I would do without you. I am trying hard to make the right decisions for me and for now, it seems to be working in my favor. I hope I can continue to be as strong as I feel right now on my journey to a better life. And I know I can count on you all to give me a "kick in the butt" when I need it too! Lots of love to you all! Lori 281/166/140

Wow Tina, I know how you are feeling!! You echo my thoughts these past few months as well. I keep losing 3 and gaining back 2, then I lose it all over again. I got down below 200 once and now I hover at 200. It is such a tease to me. I know that there are some things that are right and some that are wrong for me. I've been eating more carbs lately and need to stop that and like you, have gotten into my head the "why bother" mentality. I appreciate your post, because it is a wake up call for me. I am falling into old patterns of sabotaging myself and that is not what I truly want. I haven't felt this good in so long that I don't want to gain even 10 pounds back let alone 93. So, as we each post our frustrations at times, please know that it helps someone else start to get real with herself as well. I wish you continued success and thank you so much for this post. It is my kick in the behind to get back on track. So far today, I am on track and will stay there due to your post. I'll take it one day at a time. Lori 293/200/135

Hello, It Ms. MIA again showing up for a little while. Exercise on Saturday. Not Friday. (very bad. what happened to just 15mins a day if nothing) But still and all trying to get a little work out in every day. If only 15mins. (still can't figure out why I skipped Friday) Have fun. Pam

Hi Tammy! No excersise for me Fri or Sat. Bad, bad... But I'll be back at it today. Thank you for your response about that support group meeting and the donut eater. You're absolutely right too, I have no doubt her 1 year blood work is gonna be terrible. I'm grateful for my health and how far I've come. Even if some of you had to drag me kicking and screaming part of the way. My scale is the devil in disguise. I'm thinking the 2 lbs I'm up today must be water retention, so I'm gonna push to get in lots of fluids today and see if that helps. to everyone here! Connie