Discussion Board

Well, I haven't even celebrated my good news! I lost 2.2 pounds this week, which means I have now lost 52 pounds! 52 pounds! 52 pounds! That sounds like so much, but I still have a long way to go.

I stopped by Walmart today and tried on some size 22 jeans. I currently am in size 24. And the 22s fit! The last time I tried some on, maybe 6 weeks ago, I could button them, but I couldn't breathe. Today they fit fine, maybe even a little loose. I was thinking about buying a pair, but maybe I'll just wait and get a size 20. I can't believe I just said that! I'm going to be in a size 20! We'll have to see though. These 24s might get so baggy and sloppy that I won't be able to stand it. I think I might need to start looking at thrift stores for clothes. I love going down sizes, I just can't AFFORD it!

I get most of my jeans there...and some of my shirts. It's in my budget! Course I hate all the new clothes in the stores and love my old tshirts. The new clothes make everyone look pregnant! I don't buy things too often since I have no room for them unless i throw something else out!

I was planning a thrift store spree today! I am currently in 16's and want to buy some 14 jeans so I can have them at home for motivation. It's fun to try them on every few days and see if I can tell any difference in fit.

I do love to shop in regular stores, too, but who can afford it when your doing mcd?! I bet I haven't been a size 14 in a decade. Have come down from a 20. This is exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi. I seem to go down first in pants and then in tops. I recently got into my size Medium pants, and immediately took all my Large pants out of the closet and put them on the mending pile.

But from here, i don't have any Small pants anymore...

I am wondering if i should take in my clothes as i reach each new size, or just wear a few clothes and take them all in when i reach my ideal weight?

Actually, i got rid of all the 2x clothes when i outgrew them!

I wish I knew how to sew. I could take in my clothes while I'm losing. I think it can be a but tricky, though. Especially since everyone is shaped differently and loses weight in different areas.

I'll definitely have to check out some thrift stores. Now that I have lost some weight, I might be able to find something in my size!

Hi Mary

congrats on the 52 lbs weight loss! I bet you're looking people RIGHT in the eye, smiling all the time, and oozing confidence. Way to Go!

I heard on the radio yesterday that Americans order 3 BILLION pizzas every year. And we buy another 1 billion frozen pizzas. Whoa! That is amazing. And scary. I'm glad I'm not adding to those numbers anymore.

The work function went fine last night. I was going to buy something to eat before going, but I decided to go home and eat. It was a bit out of the way, but it was good for my peace of mind. I cooked some brown rice and steamed some broccoli crowns. It was just what I needed. I put Bragg's on it, but I really love the sauce the take out places have. What is in that? I probably don't want to know. At one place, I was dipping my broccoli in the sauce and big glob of MEAT floated to the top!! Gak!
So anyway, I mingled, I chatted, I had a glass of wine (yes, I said WINE), and I did NOT approach the food table. I was full of broccoli and rice and had no desire to see what food disasters were on the table. Ironically, I ended up standing near the dessert table. but I didn't feel any pull from it.

I've been trying to slice potatoes with my mandolin to make oven chips, but it's not working out so well. I only seem to get these half slices. When I bake them, they are brown on the thin side and rubbery on the other. Yesterday morning, I sliced a potato thickly with my big knife and baked it til puffy. Fabulous! That's what I'm having again this morning. But I do need to try that potato casserole. it sounds so good! And I have some spinach in the fridge.

Here's what I ate yesterday:

B-baked potato slices
L-uhhhhhhhhh
D-broccoli and rice

Day 30 of my 100 Day MWL Challenge: yes
Free eating: yes
Days w/o chips: 19

Hi Mary,

I really appreciate all your posts in my journal. You have such a postive and spunky spirit and are always there to encourage.

Now I've got some encouragement for you - go for the job interview. Just keep going for them and get that confidence engine fired up because you never know what might be out there for you.

I was cheering for you when I read your comments about feeling skinny and seeing the difference for yourself. That's what really counts and your coworkers will be making their positive comments soon enough. If they dish out digs like that one coworker did - well they must be jealous is all I can say. Keep up the good work of taking care of yourself. Great job avoiding the chips, by the way.

You are 1/3 to your goal. That's great. You are doing it!

Thanks for the encouragement, Bea. I know self-confidence is a problem area for me. I'm really unhappy in my job, but I have that "no one will hire me" feeling, so I'm a bit stuck now. I used to be so bold and fearless! What happened to that girl?? I've turned into a scared little mouse. I can't blame my weight, cuz I've always been overweight. I just seem to be more AWARE of my weight these days.

I'm watching another diet show. I don't have cable, and pickin's are slim! Anyway, this woman is complaining how fat she is and she can't fit into any of her clothes. And she weighs 138 pounds! I will never in my life weigh 138 pounds! I know we have a problem with obesity and overeating in this country, but we also have problems with skewed body image. Fat people don't realize they're fat (that's me to a degree), and thin people don't realize they're thin. So sad.

Weekends are always a bit weird for me, eating wise. I have less structure, less schedule, and I guess I need that. Breakfast was fine. I had sliced baked potatoes. Or baked potato slices. Whatever. Very tasty with chipotle ketchup and dijon mustard. At lunch time, I wasn't hungry and I couldn't work up the enthusiasm to cook anything anyway. Finally around dinner time, I decided I needed to eat SOMETHING, but again, didn't feel like cooking. So I opened a can of refried beans and ate them with salsa and tortillas. Not the best choice, but not the worst either. I have got to get my meal planning/prep/fixing under control!

So here's a quick recap:

B-potatoes
L-nope
D-beans, salsa, tortillas

Day 31 of my 100 Day MWL Challenge: yes, cuz we're not counting tortillas, right?
Free eating: yes
Days w/o chips: 20! That's almost 3 weeks! I'm so happy about that! The more I don't eat them, the more I don't want to eat them (cuz then this number would go down to ZERO). Of course this doesn't mean, I don't still want them. But if I had a counter that said "days w/o wanting chips" it would always read zero! I'm sure most of you have a similar counter in your heads too. But we will succeed as long as those things don't find their way into our mouths!

That is SOOOOOOOOO great that you found a real motivator to staying away from those chips. It's funny how the littlest things (how you worded your days since chips) can make such a BIG difference mentally.

BTW, what is "free eating?"

for me it is only buying fresh produce and using up what I have in the pantry and freezer!

Hey mary!

your chip addiction is going away one day at a time...you should start a chapter of Chips Anonymous! Seriously, that's how addictions are beaten: today I won't indulge. Just today.

I'm proud of you. Have a terrific day

I wore heels to work today! I haven't worn heels in YEARS! Let me clarify that...I haven't been able to wear heels for more than and hour or two for years. But by taking 50 pounds of pressure off of my feet, I wore heels without pain almost the whole work day. My feet got kinda achy toward the end. And I probably won't wear heels again for a while. but it feels like such a victory! Yay!

Aw, shucks, bunsofaluminun. You're gonna make me blush.

Free eating is a concept that I read about on someone else's journal...Chile's I think. It means eating what you already have in the house without buying more stuff or eating out. I have enough canned goods to last me til doomsday. Plus a stack of really old dried beans. I've got to eat up some of this stuff! I saw an article in the newspaper about a woman who tried to stop grocery shopping and eat up the food in her house. Even the old expired stuff (after she talked to some experts and decided the expired food wouldn't kill her). It was pretty funny stuff. But it hit home for me. I have a serious problem when I go in the grocery store. If canned tomatoes are on sale, I'll buy 10 cans. And when they go on sale in a couple of weeks, I'll buy 10 more cans. Somebody stop me!

So I guess my two goals of MWL and free eating might be mutually exclusive. Some things are fine, but when I get down to the beans and pasta, I think that will be a small problem.

Alas, I did not make my free eating goal today. I just had to get out of the office on my break. The broccoli was calling me. But on a good note, I stopped in Kmart on the way home to try on some clothes. Cuz trying on clothes is getting fun! I tried on a shirt in 2 sizes: 1x and 2x. And the 1x fit! This time last year, i was wearing a 3x stretched to within an inch of its life! 1x is wonderful!

Here's what I ate today:

B-brown rice with raisins, soy milk and brown sugar
L-steamed broccoli and white rice from a Chinese place
D-the last of the chili over a leftover half of a baked potato
snacks-chili mango, a tootsie roll pop (:shock:)

Day 32 of my 100 Day MWL Challenge: hmmm...white rice and a tootsie roll pop..the rice maybe but not the sucker! I'm a sucker for a sucker. So that's a no for today. Oh, and the soy milk. Dang! But it was good with the rice for breakfast.
Free eating: nope, Chinese restaurant
Days w/o chips: 21! 3 weeks! woo hoo!

I'm going on a business trip later on this week. I'm not too worried about my food. It will be interesting to see what I do.

it is great....I spent less than 40.00 for the last two weeks. The only thing I am buying now is fresh produce and that is cheap! I have to use this stuff up since we are traveling again in January and going out Nov. 12th for a week trial run to make sure everything works on the rv!