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Hi Ann,

As you know, like  you, I often wear a pedometer. It both motivates and validates my level of activity. I also don't track my intake nearly as often now as I used to. Now, I tend to do it when I need to get myself back on track. 

It sounds to me like you are doing what you need to do to take care of you and your are doing it well. 

I know that when I was losing weight, I found that tracking both my activity levels and intake really helped me manage my weight loss. Often if I found my weight loss stalling, I'd check and find that my caloric intake was too low or I wasn't getting enough protein in. When I'd make the appropriate adjustments, I'd get going again. The other thing I found was that when tracking my activity I realized that I needed to up my caloric intake a bit to be sure that I was getting that baseline of 800 to 1000 calories a day to be sure that I didn't drop into starvation mode where your body gets more efficient with less calories.

Now, that I've lost the excess weight and shifted to the maintenance phase of my journey, I find that I don't journal my intake or activity nearly as much as used to. Now, I only do it if I see a trend occurring that I don't like... Either dropping or gaining too much weight. When I look at my logs, I find that I can actually see what I'm doing and when I make the appropriate corrections, so that I'm getting in enough protein, my weight balances out very quickly. 

I have tried Fitday, Sparkpeople and LiveStrong/MyDailyPlate. I really like www.mydailyplate.com the best so far because I don't have to reinvent the wheel when I'm logging my food choices. I like the graphic pie chart that immediately shows me a visual so I can 'see' if my proportion of protiens, carbs and fats are on track. 

So, my question is do you track your intake or activity? Have you found it helpful? Which tools have you tried and which do you like?

Hi Laura,

Thank you for your lovely, warm note. Hang in there. Right now, is probably the hardest part of your journey and it sounds as though you are coming through is all well. 

While I believe in G-d and do have a spiritual side, I think that I am not nearly as comforted by my faith as many... I wish that were different and maybe in time, that will change. 

When I express my frustration or struggles, please do not mistake that for giving up. While I may give in sometimes, I am far from giving up. Even with my struggles, I am maintaining the significant weight loss and quality of life changes that I've achieved. 

I hope to meet you too. I host general meetings on a monthly basis and special interest groups throughout the month. You are most welcome to attend any of the meetings that you would like to join. 

I look forward to meeting you soon.

Barbara

I am experiencing an enormous amount of stress in my life right now and if left totally unchecked, I'm sure that my weight would be climbing like the elevator to the Empire State Building. I'm constantly fighting the urge to soothe myself with food. I often 'win' these battles, but I find myself faltering much more often than I like and or am comfortable. I use the 'Beck Diet Solution' program which is helpful. I also both attend and host support group meetings on a regular basis. While I find these things helpful, I'm really struggling to keep doing the things I need to do to take care of me. I keep wanting to comfort myself and honestly, I'm most often drawn to food comforts. I give in sometimes and resist sometimes. I do a much better job of recognizing the behaviors that could cause me trouble and resulting weight gain than I used to, but to say that it's a struggle right now is a major understatement.

I do take time to reflect on the good things in life and to count my blessings... sometimes, multiple times daily. That said, the reality is that I'm having a very hard time keeping my equilibrium and my weight steady.

I share this because I hope that others will understand how incredibly important it is to learn to cope and comfort ourselves in ways that do not include food. During the first weeks, months and even first year, it seems like those old demons are more easily thwarted, but as you get beyond the first 18 month or so, your body doesn't necessarly yank you up by the ears like it did early on if you make a 'bad' choice. Eventually, we have to learn long term coping mechanisms to help us manage life's really difficult times so that we don't lapse into the dangerous behaviors that can undo all of the work we put into taking the weight off in the first place. 

I hope that sharing my struggles will help someone else...