Good Morning, I don't participate in this group but I lurk "over the fence" from the other gang. I wanted to stop by to say congratulations, Harold. Way to go! Happy New Year to all of you here. You are off to a great start! Tikanis from daily support

Hi! Thank you everyone for your support. It means a lot to me. Of course, this morning I popped right back up to 136... but I'm hoping it's the usual up-swing... down-swing of things. Peggy, I know what you mean about "feeling it" mentally and physically. That's the reason I started my caloric attitude shift (it's not a diet!!) and using this wedding as an incentive/goal date/excuse to actually follow through. Overnight fixes don't work in the long run and I would be a little afraid of how they would get done what they need to get done to make it work in the short run... Yesterday I told myself that I could walk over to our health food store while DD is in her activity. I have two hours to kill three times a week, and I used to just sit and gab to the other parents, but lately I've been getting my butt off the couch and walking for that time. Well, I used the excuse of DD wanting popcorn, and I buy it in bulk there because it's cheaper and much fresher than at the grocery store. I had no idea how far it was miles-wise but figured I'd aim for the store, but check my watch and turn back at the one hour mark. I made it in 45 minutes, got my popcorn, stopped at an antique store that has an awkward parking lot so I never drive there and browsed for a few minutes... then walked back with my eight pounds of popcorn and flour and other bulk things in my backpack. Then after picking DD up at the activity we drove what I walked so I could see how far it was. Can you believe 5 miles round trip!!?? I was tired last night!!! Ended up eating popcorn for dinner and going right to sleep :) Today we're doing at least 2.5 miles. I have a ton of energy. The more I lose, the more I have :) Also, another thing I really noticed this morning was when I got dressed my shirt was a lot looser. I've lost side/back/arm inches. And my suit pants will have to be taken in eventually because they're falling around my hips. A good indicator of inches instead of pounds. I really need to keep remembering that. Good thing I have such big hips, my pants will never fall down...!

From a website: Our ancestors - for thousands of years, ate all day long. A bit of food here, a bit of food there. The last 400 years we decided to eat 1, then 2, then 3 big meals a day. The problem is our bodies are not "programmed" to eat 3 meals a day. You eat, then do not eat again for hours and the body responds by storing body fat because your body literally thinks you are starving! Include the foods we eat daily - highly processed foods that we digest in less than 1 hour - we are hungry all the time! So we eat, and eat. So how to eat now? Eat portion foods. A portion is a small hand-full of food. Every 2-3 hours, eat one portion. As you go along through the weeks, you will re-teach your body that your are not starving, so the portions will get smaller and smaller. You will never be hungry again. What to eat; fruits, vegetables, nuts, and ONE protein serving. Again, our ancestors ate very little protein. A can of white chicken breast, small can, in water, will give you all the protein you need each day. Throw away the water. Try different foods to see what you like, and do not. Fast food? Get the kid-size burger, kid-size coke.

Hi Iva mae, Silversword, Checking in here... way to go Iva Mae! Silversword, why do you torture yourself by weighing so often and on 2 different scales??? LoL!! Congrats to you too. I managed to maintain my weight between 144 and 146 lbs all summer. I ate pretty much what I wanted, but tracked EVERY bite that went into my mouth on fitday. I also love the way i feel when I eat healthy and am not a big sweets eater. If I over did it on Monday, I was extra diligent on Tuesday etc. After being sick for a couple of weeks, I started back on the treadmill this morning and I am off to lose these last 10-15 lbs. I don't weigh every week, and I am in no big hurry, but will check in. Let's keep up the good work! Tikanis