Wendy – I am so impressed with your walk challenge for August. You should be so proud of yourself. I would think August is one of the hardest months to undertake something like that, even if some or most of the walks were indoors.
Beth – You really may want to consider journaling your food on sparkpeople, even if for just one week to get a handle on what you are eating and the breakdown between carbs & protein. I do that so that I can keep track of the correct relative proportions of protein, carbs & fats. According to sparkpeople I have a very big issue with not having enough fat in my diet. I think I sometimes get only 10% of what they recommend on a daily basis. Let me know if you want me to send you a link to the website.
Dave – good job on being so disciplined with your new objectives.
I have now been back on the wagon for 2.5 days. LOL!!! Life has been so outrageously stressful that I’ve been self-medicating with food, which I HAVE to stop. If I told you how many meals I ate out last week, you’d go
That’s what the scale did when I stepped on it this weekend.
So, starting Monday, I started logging in all my food again on sparkpeople and really am trying to concentrate on a couple of things:
First, I am confident now that I have certain food triggers, including visual and stress and sadness and boredom. And I am learning how to recognize the triggers and to formulate and rehearse behaviors to substitute for the long-learned behavior of reaching for food. At work, it’s sugar free gum. At home it will be retiring to my bedroom where I’ll do my exercises and/or read a book.
Second, I am figuring out reasonable ways to stave off hunger on the way to the gym and on the way home afterwards. Last night, I ate a light dinner (lean cuisine panini) before leaving work and ate cut up cucumbers and grape tomatoes on the way home from the gym. I will also sometimes use apples or bananas or seedless grapes. Of course, all this takes planning and effort. UGH!
My biggest challenge (at least the one I can anticipate) is that our kitchen tear out starts a week from Monday and then we are in for 8 weeks of no real kitchen. I've been shopping for foods that can be prepared in the microwave, toaster oven & crockpot, and have already cooked some stuff for the freezer. I still want to do a lasagna and some baked ziti and freeze in individual portions so that DH and DS14 will have "real food" options during the construction.
As you can see, I am working on it AGAIN. I’ve been so disappointed in myself for all the backsliding. I have a doctor’s appointment on 9/18 and I want to be less by then. I also love the new goal here of being down 10 by ToT. That seems so doable and a GREAT goal. So, here I am, jumping back on the wagon after falling down, rolling around in the muck and getting run over!
I’m so glad you guys are here, ever-present and facing the same struggles so that there is a support system in place all the time. Now, if I could just reach you guys nights at 11:25 or so, when I am getting ready for bed but standing in the kitchen deciding what to eat!
to mommy on watching your oldest start kindergarten. Mine started high school today! 
!!
really is helping me stay on track! 
And thank you so much, dear Friend, for your support. I keep telling myself that every meal or every hour I get through strongly and with good choices, brings me that much closer to living it naturally as my lifestyle instead of a constant struggle. It is disheartening to know that I look like a weeble and I wish I could wear a sign that says "I know you think I'm fat, but I've lost 70 pounds and am still working on it." LOL!!!
and I know what a great guy I found too!! 
Where did everybody go?? Don't get so busy counting points you forget to tell us how you are doing???
