All right, you guys, I'm in. I think focusing on the journey is just what I need right now. I'm starting this leg of my journey at 222. I think I'll stay off the scale until labor day, and just work my plan day by day.

Thanks for the challenge!

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Renee
1/19/04
261/220/160
41 lbs off
60 lbs to goal



Race to 199 Challenge
Labor Day Challenge: Focusing on the Journey
Personal Goal: 199 by 12/31/05

I really thought I had posted yesterday when I was reading this, beachfox. Goofy me.

Anyhow my scale is put away-out of the condo. I'm ready to focus on eating and exercise and hope to reach below 300 by the time Labor Day rolls around. But I am not going to be number obsessed. It will be achallenge just to stay off the scale. Before I put it away I weighed twice and TOM is here. Of course I knew the numbers would be off but I got on anyway. When I got on the second time I knew I had to take the scale out of the house.

I'm going to make some goals over the weekend and post them Monday on the official start date.

Thanks for thinking of this one, beachfox!

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Noël


Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strengths.

Woohoo...sign me up! So far I have not done well at all with challenges, but perhaps...no, not perhaps...this one WILL be different for me! Thanks for hosting this Beachfox! I am really looking forward to it!

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Started Atkins-1/2/04
174 lbs at heaviest



5'0 154/136.5/130

I hope it is okay I have a goal weight for this challenge. It helps to keep me accountable. I don't have a scale at home. I only weigh myself at the weight loss center so I hope that is in the right direction for this challenge. I had to throw away the scale at home because I'm a true scale-a-holic. A 201/201/187 goal is just out of this world! :jump: I can't even believe I might be in the 180's! I'm so looking forward to size 14 - 16's! That will be amazing to me. I'm only 5'3" so it would be impossible for me to ever see a size 4 like those supermodels. I'm a supermommy and that is all that matters!

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Firstly - big welcome to juneezgirl - delighted you are aboard the Challenge. And thanks to Noel, crystalrp and BBJ1 for the kind words and motivation sounds high! Great! Yep - its fine to have a goal weight - its fine to weighin during the Challenge too - but try to just set a date - be it weekly or biweekly or whenever you want - but nominate your date to yourself or record it here - and stick to that weighin date ONLY. (We do need to keep track of the weight and not let it get out of hand of course) For those who don't feel they are good in Challenges - I'm absolutely dreadful at them and they actually stress me. I enjoyed the 4th of July one though - but I suspect that's because I only nominated 5lbs and I knew I was going to get there - so that's not really being Challenged! I realised with the 4th Challenge - I enjoyed the communication and support more than anything and I wasn't really paying as much attention to the weighin.

I have had concerns for quite a while about 'scale-watching' and I think it was Maxibee who put it very well for me - if I think I've got room to celebrate - its hard not to indulge myself - if I think I've gained - then I'm too depressed and feel powerless and out of control and risk that comfort food syndrome. I want to move beyond that mindset and into healthy eating because I enjoy the benefits - not because I know I HAVE to do it! This is not a moral issue and checking into a stupid machine all the time and feeling as if it punishes me when I've gained - makes me feel as if it is!!!

I'm 5'3" too BBJ1 - and I've just made 14 - down from size 24 - actually out from the Big is Beautiful department into Sportscraft which is my favourite brand of clothes and which I thought was out of my sights forever. If I can do it - anyone can!

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The fox is wild!



5'3" Maintaining 121-125
Original weight 198 +

i know what you mean, beachfox; i went shopping in lincoln yesterday, and was able to cruise right by lane bryant (my former haunt) and zip into vanity and buy a superhot tank top, in a MEDIUM. yay! then i went to maurice's and bought a cute pair of khakis in 7/8. will wonders never cease!!

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proud member of the HOME STRETCH CHALLENGE... kicking those last 13 pounds in the teeth by 12/31/05!! ^_^

I know! I went to walmart last night in search of shorts for Kings Island today. For the first time in a long time I could pass the plus section and into the juniors! I bought a pair in 12s! Considering I'm only 5'2 I'm happy, if I can get to a 10 I'd be the happiest kitten on campus ;p

Whilst I'm really pleased I can now fit the Sportscraft brand my feelings of outrage are quite closely remembered at the attitude of some shop assistants when I used to ask if the piece was stocked in a larger size!! I remember looking at one item once and some extraordinarily desperately hungry looking young thing walzed up to me and carolled at the top of her voice (and in Aus -that's pretty damned loud!) 'we NEVER make those in YOUR size!' Some of those attitudes make me as angry as junk food manufactors quite frankly! But I think its the same as getting older too - somehow, once one is past 55, it seems there is some sort of uniform one is supposed to adopt - and it appears to only come in beige!!! And once one dons it - it also appears to make one invisible! G'r'r'r'r On a happier note - I was also able to 'borrow' and negotiate for 'semi-permanent' loan DS's best sheepskin vest - o ho - a very foxy fox indeed this week!!

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The fox is wild!



5'3" Maintaining 121-125
Original weight 198 +

Ugh! I can believe that happened beachfox! I remember my sister in law telling me that she could never be as big at me because it would be so uncomfortable. I should say ex-SIL, I wonder why my BIL divorced her huh? She also said to my MIL loudly at the store - "gross! what are those?" They were her spider vains on her legs she was pointing at! Some people just don't have a caring bone in their body! Oh, the other day I saw a lady I knew who was pregnant the same time as I was. She only gained about 10 pounds during her pregnancy while I gained probably 100. I remember a guy being amazed because he couldn't tell I was 8 months pregnant because I was so big. Anyways, the lady always bragged about how good she was doing watching her weight to me. She seemed to rub it in, just the kind of women she was. Anyways I saw her the other day and she was chubby! I just thought that was karma for sure!

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Yep, mean people just suck, got to try and drag someone down just to make themselves feel better I guess. Last night I was at a bar with dh playing darts and this woman came in and she knew I had a tummy tuck in feb this year and loudly said to me " Is that swelling ever gonna go down"......really ticked me off cause I know I told her it could take up to a year for my wow moment, but she had no business being so loud about it, maybe I don't want everyone in the world knowing!!
I found out I am only 5 ft 5 now, used to be 5 ft 7.....hmmmm, but I now wear 12'-14's and used to wear 26-28's and it sure feels good

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http://www.livejournal.com/users/junee/

I believe what we are talking about here is 'feedback' (in this case negative) and how it affects our image of ourselves eh? Its my understanding that we all experience ourselves through a series of images. These reflect how we 'see' ourselves (and of course other's feedback seems to indicate to us how they see us too?) Naturally - these images influence our self esteem too (and hence our comfort-seeking behaviours eh?) However, nowdays I don't allow negative feedback to influence my image-making process. I also apply this to positive feedback to some extent also. Generally - I guess I just don't allow other people's feedback or images of me to affect how I feel or to dictate my happiness and wellbeing. For me - the trick was to get the self imaging correct (and hence the self esteem healthy) BEFORE I tried to loose the weight - but it often happens as a consequence of loosing weight too. But I think I do question as to whether a 'me who is slim now' will manage maintain that healthy state of self if a 'me who is putting it back on again' emerges? What do others think about this? I guess I'm taking a sidepath here that explores not just healthy benefits by also wellbeing and the consideration of what we might need in addition to a good plan for WOE? Do we need to map out a process that facilitates an underpinning of a knowledge base to sustain and maintain our eating behaviours?

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The fox is wild!



5'3" Maintaining 121-125
Original weight 198 +

I struggle daily with the distorted body image and found therapy helpful when I was not able to do it myself......because truth is that some days I feel I look good and some days I feel fat as a butterball and therapy really does help with this.
What helps me the most is doing things for myself now, today, not when I reach goal....like buying new clothes, before I would wear rags until I starved myself into the right size....now if I see something I like I buy it...even if I may only wear it a few months....cause I am so tired of waiting for that magical day when I would be worth something nice......boy I know I am rambling now

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http://www.livejournal.com/users/junee/

Rambling is good Junieshops! Its how we discover things!!! One of the most important things for me to do is to sit still somewhere quiet and peaceful just for 'creative thinking space'.

I guess the thing about self images is that we create them largely through feedback from various people throughout our lives. They are created from the 'feelings' we get about ourselves from others. The thing that I always try to remember is that 'feelings' are not 'facts'! The fact is that I am the same person I was when I was 112lbs at 18 years old to 200lbs I was at late '50s to the 145 I am at 63! So while my feelings about myself may have created different self images through those times - the feelings were not facts! The fact remains I am still me!!! And too - it doesn't matter about how I am feeling about what I wear - I am still me too!! Everything I need to cope with life and to be happy I already have onboard - we all do! So I guess what I look for is not just a slim figure - because I'll still be me-and being slim (or not!) won't change that - I'm looking for ways in which to enhance my wellbeing and access my happiness - and that's why I really like this WOE - because I believe the physical health benefits really facilitate those processes?

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The fox is wild!



5'3" Maintaining 121-125
Original weight 198 +

Hey, what a great crowd to belong in! I've had a rough couple of days....long story there. My m-i-l went home so things should be getting back to normal here. I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow so I can be really prepared to start this challenge off right. I asked DH to find my scale a new, hidden home in the garage. It is so hot out there right now and he has so much stuff out there, I don't see me sweating to death, digging around out there to find it.

I am actually RELIEVED to be rid of my scale. Maybe being totally on track, starting the "new" job, and NOT focusing on the numbers will be the key for me. My DD's birthday is the 7th of September...she was born on 9-7-97. I would love to be down a size by that time. We'll see. It' up to me, after all.

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I know what you mean...I feel like I have been brought back from the brink of death when I started this WOL 2 years ago....I was so sick all the time, tired, depressed, all I did was eat and hate myself, could barely walk...now I am off 3 blood pressure meds, insulin, and all diabetic meds, cholesterol is now perfect...and I actually workout 5 to 6 days a week and look forward to doing it...I have energy now where before I had despair...I never went anywhere and stayed holed up in my room and now I am taking trips again, last year I went on a cruise and a couple of weeks ago went to Ohio and visited relatives and friends, even went to Dollywood and rode a roller coaster for the first time in years, and yes, I was terrified I would not fit into the seat although I knew in my head I am much smaller now but I did it and it was a wonderful feeling

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http://www.livejournal.com/users/junee/