Well, it keeps coming off! I am down even a couple of more pounds since hitting my goal on Valentines Day! I'm not really trying, it is just kind of happening. I'm not sure where I will actually end up now. When I set my goal a year and a half ago, I thought it was fairly agressive. I'm not starving to death that's for sure. In fact, most people look at what I GET to eat and scratch their heads in amazement. I don't even look at this as a diet anymore. I used to concentrate on what I DIDN'T get to eat! Now I only see all the wonderful choices of everything that I DO get to eat!

I have finally figured it out. I feel like I had been held prisoner in that fat body for so long, and have finally been set free!

Don that is great! :app:

Once a person figures out how many wonderful foods you really can enjoy it really isn't like a diet - it is a way of living!!! I can't begin to describe how much better I feel and the amount of energy I have that I never used to. I look forward to getting up each morning and walking my 5.5 miles to get my day started.

I have told so many of my friends about you and your amazing accomplishment! :)

Thanks Sue! It really is a way of living! It really does make a huge impact on how you feel, doesn't it? 5.5 mile walk! That is awesome!

You know, cruises used to be my downfall. I used to think, oh I'm on vacation, that won't hurt. I will just go back on my diet when I get home. However, it never happened. I could always find an excuse when I got home and kept putting it off. "Oh, one more day won't hurt" was my mantra. I know that happened on SAND. It took me awhile to get back. Now I see it differently. It isn't a DIET. It is a way of living. On a cruise I actually have more choices of wonderfully acceptable foods than I do at home, I get to experiment with them and find what I like and don't like, plus they will make them just the way I want, so why not take advantage of it!

Don, you look amazing and congrats on your incredible weight loss!!!

:woh: :woh: :woh:

Nancy

Here is another picture that was taken this week of me with my lovely bride. We had a true American hero, Congressman Sam Johnson and his wife Shirley at our house for a coffee. I guess some people will go to extremes for a photo op. I won't hold that against the Congressman wanting his picture taken with me though! LOL

Don,
Congratulations! You have worked so hard. You look terrific. Love your house too :)

Thanks on both counts Julie! Hope you and Chester are doing well.

Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I went out and bought three pairs of pants this week, that were the same size that I wore in high school. One was a little snug, but just a little added motivation. The bad news is that I gained a pound, however I did increase my calorie intake a bit last week, but I am still staying a little under what I think my BMR is as my body is making its adjustments.

Hope everybody had a great week.

Hey Don you are doing great! I don't think our wt. will be the same week after week...at least I know mine fluctuates. I was up a few ounces. :)

Thanks Sue! Mine is definately bouncing around some and I guess it is just normal. Now I am at the scariest part of this whole journey. While it wasn't easy losing the weight, the toughest part still lies ahead and that is maintaining it. The first took time, but the latter is forever!

Well, I figured I had better check in - I wouldn't want you all to think I had gone AWOL!

Don, congratulations on hitting your goal. Simply fantastic! You look incredible.

Sue, great job on your cholesterol results - I am so happy for you!!

As for me, I am glad to say that I did really well on ICE. I stayed away from the bread and the wine - even though I did indulge in a few amaretto sours and some ice cream - and tried to keep up with my workouts as best as I could. One of my goals was to only take the stairs, and I never did see the inside of the elevator on the Explorer II.

When I stepped on the scale after I got home I was up about 5 lbs, but I was back down to my pre-vacation weight in about 2 days, and I've lost another couple of lbs in the last week. I'm finally back to 107 lbs gone - I've been on a bit of a plateau since December, but I'm hoping to push through it.

I got right back into my workouts, and my running is going really well. The other day I ran for 30 minutes straight at 4.5 mph. Last night in my running class that also includes core workouts we had a "plank off" - whoever could hold a plank the longest would win a free session. Well, there happened to be 2 new people in the class who had never attended before, and one of the girls really brought the competition - but I wasn't going to let her win. About 3 minutes in I didn't think I was going to be able to hold it anymore, but out of the corner of my eye I saw her legs starting to shake and that gave me enough motivation to keep on going...she finally dropped and I won at 3:20!! A year ago...I didn't even know what the plank was!!

You Go PLANK OFF Girl!!!! You look wonderful, Andrea XXOO

Andrea way to go with winning the Plank Off! :app:

Andrea, welcome back home and congratulations on winning the Plank Off. Also, on getting back on track. That is always the hardest after a trip. You show true dedication!!!

As for me, I am back down a couple of pounds and officially I am 1/2 the man I used to be. As of this morning the scale read 1/2 of what I weighed at my highest ever weight. I sometimes can't believe that I was actually that heavy (especially when I look back at the pictures) and find it even harder to believe that there is actually a "new" me that emerged from that!

Weight is staying the same now. Seeing the scale stuck in one place takes some getting used to after months of losing! Hey, it's what it's all about, right? It isn't about the journey getting there so much as learning how to live there once you arrive!

Don that is good the scale is staying the same...it means you are doing what is best for your body! :app:

Thanks Sue! However, the maintenance didn't work too well this week. I actually lost another 3 lbs. I didn't think that was even possible at this point. Now I'm six lbs below my goal weight. Not complaining mind you. It is always nice to have a little breathing room. ;)

Don that is great! I am trying to take off a few lbs before my April cruise. I increased my walking and will try to cut back some on my calories.

Don,

I think it's definitely time for a new avatar!!

Is this better?

Oops. Looks like I need Karens help to resize it correctly.

Woo Hoo looking good, Don! :banana:

Great!

Thanks y'all!

This week was an up week. After losing three, I gained back two!

Oh well, I'm just wondering why it is bouncing up and down so much.

Here is an updated pic that I had needed to post on my diet challenge this morning.

Oops! Here is one that you can actually see. Don't mind the white legs. I guess I need to cruise! LOL

Don you look MAHVELOUS!!! :app:

Thanks Sue!

Lost one last week, so I am pretty much in the holding pattern. Looks like I am right where I'm supposed to be.

Speaking of cruises and my white legs. I'm not sure that this is the cruise to get some sun on those white legs of mine, but Diana and I just booked a shorty repo cruise on HAL. They were looking to fill the ship and offered us an A Verandah Suite for $249 for the 4 day mini cruise from San Diego to Vancouver on the Volendam at the end of this month. :banana: :banana: :banana:

Hey Don that's great about the shortie cruise! :)

Don skinny white legs are OK!! Your family must be so proud of you!!! Have a fun cruise on HAL -

Yeah Sue! It isn't CROSS, but it should be nice and relaxing!

Thanks Joanna! Yeah, skinny white legs are definately better than fat tan ones! :D

Don...I can't get over the physical changes - you look so much younger and of course your smile says it all!

Every time I see your photo I do a double take - in fact the first time I wondered who the "newbie" was! LOL

Congratulations, it's a tough journey but you've done it. And you've motivate a lot of us along the way.

Thanks,

Thanks Margo. Sometimes I even do a double take and wonder who is that staring back at me in the mirror.

I guess my post from a couple of weeks ago about being in a holding pattern was a bit premature. I weighed in this morning expecting to find that I gained weight last week (especially since I felt like I had some larger than normal meals), but I actually lost 4 lbs instead! It was probably all that work that I was doing with the move! Not the ideal way to lose weight, that's for sure! ;)

Enjoy that cruise and Butchart Gardens; truly spectacular! I've read on CC that their tea is superior to the Empress Hotel now (no personal experience either place.)

I figured it was time for a little update.

We had a great time on the cruise. It was very relaxing and HAL does a good job. Had a great time in Victoria and Butchart Gardens as well as Vancouver, where we walked and walked and walked. Definately got in my exercise. Took the horse drawn carriage ride through Stanley Park and even though it was a little cold, it was absolutely beautiful. We just loved strolling through several of the areas in Vancouver, such as Gastown and Granville Island. The airport was also such a breeze going through customs and immigration there for our return flight to the US.

Came back to a mess at the house since we had just moved prior to our vacation and we can't seem to find anything. It is really a pain. Worse yet, our son was in an accident while we were gone. He wasn't hurt thank goodness, but we found out just yesterday that the car was totalled, so we have that to deal with.

On the weight loss front, I actually gained a little while we were gone, but it is well within the normal fluxuation that I have been having. I am still six pounds below my goal weight. I thought losing the weight was going to be the hardest, but now I think it is going to be just maintaining the weight. However, I look at food completely differently now and fared pretty well on my food choices on the cruise, but just had a little too much of it. I learned that it can never again be, "well this won't hurt to eat this just this one time." I know how certain foods effect me, and have to treat those as if they are food allergies, which they really are. It just drives me to eat rather than making me break out in a rash.

Hope everybody else is doing well.

Don it is good to hear from you. I was wondering if you had taken your cruise yet, glad you enjoyed it!

Keep up the good work with your weight. I gained 4 lbs on my cruise and kept eating after I got home and gained 2 more. I finally woke up and got my self back on track, but still have 4 lbs to get back to my pre-cruise wt.

I've been watching for this topic to surface again - Your progress has been so inspiring.

Unfortunately, when I've made attempts to lose weight somehow my motivation would weaken and I'd tell myself it really wasn't THAT bad.

6 weeks ago I discovered that I had diabetes - at least my fasting blood sugar was getting too high. After talking with my doctor about a very strong family history with this disease she encouraged me to get a little more serious about weight loss because I wanted to avoid using medication to control my blood sugar.

Now, 4 weeks of the Medifast diet behind me and 15 pounds less on the scales I have to admit that I'm really glad to finally find a way to lose weight without constantly thinking about what I can eat.

The plan is simple and I get one wonderful lean and green meal each day along with 5 small packaged meals. The real revelation is that eating a small portion every 3 hours works for me. And while sometimes I'm looking at my watch to see if it's time to eat, most of the time I have to remind myself to do that.

Anyway, I want to thank all of you for the inspiration. I'm glad to say the blood sugar issue seems to be resolving itself too!

Don, like you, I'll have to figure out the maintenance part, but I still have some weight to lose. Good luck to you, I know you'll keep at it!

Good for you Margo! It really is all about figuring out how your body reacts and then making those adjustments. Great results! Keep up the good work!

Sue, cruises had always been my downfall. It is so easy to just continue on and not get back on track. Good job on getting back to it!

OK, I was laughing today when I got this email. Hadn't been there in awhile. I guess somebody is really missing me! It is also kind of funny that they always model the tall guy and not the big guy! Gee, I wonder why? LOL

Nothing much to report this week. I lost three pounds last week, but found two of them this week. I am still fluctuating withing a 5 lb range, and I guess that is a good thing. It seems so strange after so many weeks of losing to be maintaining, but be happy about it.

I have noticed that I have been really hungry lately, but think that is because of all the painting that I have been doing since moving into the rent house. That and the additional stress at work. I did manage to sell a house this week. I just need them to come more regularly.

Hope everybody had a great week.

Sorry, that I have not been around for awhile. I figured it was time for an update and a confession. After months of losing, I started inching back up weight wise. I started getting a little sloppy about things and my appetite returned and caught up with me. I stepped on the scale last week to find that I had gained several pounds and was now 3 lbs over my goal weight.

I am never going back to where I was before, so this week I went back to the beginning stages (most stringent part) of my diet and dropped 4 lbs. immediately. I will stay at this level for 9 more days and then ease back into the maintenance routine. The good news is tht I know what caused it, so I also know how to control it so that it doesn't control me.

Glad that you have gone back on the wagon so to speak. I just know that you will succeed.It is good that you didn't let it go for too long

Falling off is no big deal you, unlike most of us, picked yourself up and got on the wagon asap - you have done such an incredible job Don - congrats!!!!!!

John that is great that you stopped the wt gain before it got way out of control!!!! :app: