Okay so we have been having a hard time and the thought has crossed many minds wondering if we are a dying breed. I say no way! I need you all, and I need to keep chatting away if I'm going to get anywhere near that finish line.

In one of the threads here it was suggested by another that we just create one master thread where we can communicate. Make it easier to stay in touch, and is something many of the other monthly groups do to stay in touch.

I know for me that is really important, and something we have never done before.

Please don't leave guys... check in! It doesn't even always have to be about losing weight or whatever. Just tell us all what's going on, whatever it is.

Just checking in, nothing really new here. It's been rainy and now it is too hot to go out and exercise. (they frown on people with ashma walking in a heat advisory.) I'm still hitting Curves so I'm not a total slouch.

I'll be back soon!

Thanks for checking in, St. Louis. And yes, those with asthma should avoid high humidity/temp areas for exercising.

Question for ALL VV's...I know we tend to focus on the weights we want, or the clothing size we want, but my doc really wants me to think of the BMI. I see some of you have BMI goals - did you set it? or your doc? Is the BMI to 'normal' and within that, to a low normal or mid or high? My doc wants me to go for a low normal, but I just don't know. It seem VERY low for me to aspire to, but maybe Im just looking for an end sooner rather than later....your thoughts?

Morning guys. I have some good news to report. I lost another 2 pounds. Woo hoo! After so many months of it going the wrong way it's so good to have it moving the right way now. Total of 5 off again - 40 something to go to get back to where I was. But I am very determined to do it. I just had to get to the right frame of mind.

Later on I'll try to send some PMs to the old regulars too. Just don't have much time now as I need to jump in the shower and get walking. Have a good day all.

Thanks for checking in, St. Louis. And yes, those with asthma should avoid high humidity/temp areas for exercising.

Question for ALL VV's...I know we tend to focus on the weights we want, or the clothing size we want, but my doc really wants me to think of the BMI. I see some of you have BMI goals - did you set it? or your doc? Is the BMI to 'normal' and within that, to a low normal or mid or high? My doc wants me to go for a low normal, but I just don't know. It seem VERY low for me to aspire to, but maybe Im just looking for an end sooner rather than later....your thoughts?

My BMI goal is the highest healthy goal for my height. I think the BMI calculations are a little off and if I could get to 28 I would be thrilled. I am pretty muscular so I think my body fat is much lower than the BMI indicates. (Just like I think 155 is too little for me to weigh. I look sick at 155) It is the highest healthy weight on the chart for me so that is my goal but I will be thrilled to get to 175. Don't forget we are all unique individuals and the chart doesn't always fit us as individuals. Your body will tell you when it feels and looks right.

Yay Ezma - 2 more pounds gone! That's great!

I hear what you are saying about the BMI calculators - particularly as I have discovered that there are different ones for male/female, and yet another one that once my age is input changes it again. So, I have to assume the doc is aware of age/gender influences, but still the BMI he has set just seems so out of whack for me I can't believe it. Then again, I have been obese for DECADES, so maybe it is that I have lived so long as obese that I just can't 'accept' the targeted bmi as possible....make sense???

It does make sense and your doctor has his standards that for whatever reason wants you to strive for. It is hard to imagine ourselves thin. I still start out in the Women's sizes until I realize they don't fit anymore. It's hard not to "think like a fat person" when that is all you have known. It's good to have a goal but remember you have to get here one day and one pound at a time. Stressing over it just makes your band tight.

Happy Friday morning everyone!! And thank heavens it is Friday!

It has been a long week - trying to catch up on work, getting back to a good relationship with my band, fitting in exercise....whew! I have managed to 'get out there' and do the exercise 3 out of the last 4 days. Just gotta get out there again today and then I've done my targeted quota. I am hoping the weather is great this weekend so I can spend time in the garden - but so far the weather gods are not smiling on my plans!

How is everyone else doing? Weekend plans?

Take care.

I check the box for "XL" for the free race shirt you get at the 5ks. Every.single.time. My husband is like YOU DO NOT WEAR AN XL ANYMORE. A men's XL is comically too big for me.

So when I registered for the marathon in December, I checked "L" and was all proud of myself. He was like "that's great, except you'll be a medium or smaller by then."

It does make sense and your doctor has his standards that for whatever reason wants you to strive for. It is hard to imagine ourselves thin. I still start out in the Women's sizes until I realize they don't fit anymore. It's hard not to "think like a fat person" when that is all you have known. It's good to have a goal but remember you have to get here one day and one pound at a time. Stressing over it just makes your band tight.

Hi, Guys! (Well, Ladies for the most part.)

We've been busy. I've been doing pretty good. Sometimes I do get so tired of the constant struggle to be a healthy person. It's easier than being fat, though.

I am thinking I might run a 5K on the 4th of July. I'm not quite up to the distance yet, well haven't done that far for a while now, but I think I can work back up to it. We'll see.

My weight is back up a few pounds and I can't bring myself to change my ticker back up. :sad: If it stays much longer I'll have to do that. I only saw 187 that one day, never again. I'm at 192 today.

We have a birthday party tomorrow and only one kid RSVPed, so it may just be a play date. We'll have to see.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Melissa

Morning. Hope you all have a good weekend. I gave in to some sweets for a couple days but think I have it out of my system again. I think I'll still end up losing weight because my calorie total was low enough for the days but it was real unhealthy. Gonna run and answer a few emails then get on with the day but I wanted to check in with you all.

Happy Father's Day to all of you fathers out there. Enjoy the day. You deserve it. Hope your families treat you to a healthy, tasty BBQ.

I just ran 6 miles. Wth? The fat me can't even imagine that being possible. lol

Hi everybody. I haven't been able to check in much because I took a new position at work and have no time to get online. When I get home at night, I'm exhausted and don't really get on either.

Things are pretty much the same for me. I am, amazingly, down a couple of pounds this week, but I'm not really sure how. Hopefully it will keep going this way from now on.

I saw my doctor at the beginning of the month and it was not a good appointment at all. I'd gained 4 lbs since I saw him in April. He was pretty disappointed and lectured me about it. He refused to do an adjustment, but I don't need one anyway. I have good restriction. I guess, to him, going through a pregnancy and then grieving for my baby isn't a good reason to slack off on weight loss. It is really the last thing on my mind most of the time when I'm struggling with everything else. Of course, it seems like most people think they've given us adequate time to grieve and we should be over it by now. Nobody gets it at all.

Morning everyone! Finally yesterday the sun shone and the temp was high (well, high for here anyway)! DH and I spent hours outside digging, weeding, planting, mowing, transplanting etc....MY kind of weekend!! Now back to work - even though it is supposed to be hot and sunny all week...

I check the box for "XL" for the free race shirt you get at the 5ks. Every.single.time.

So when I registered for the marathon in December, I checked "L" and was all proud of myself

It's all in our mindset Angie...I do the same thing. Well, not the 5K running thing - LOL! But I will pick out clothing that's too big because it is habit, and ordering T-shirts that I could swim in!! Some day I will get used to not being an XL or XXL!

I've been doing pretty good. Sometimes I do get so tired of the constant struggle to be a healthy person. It's easier than being fat, though.

My weight is back up a few pounds and I can't bring myself to change my ticker back up. If it stays much longer I'll have to do that. I only saw 187 that one day, never again. I'm at 192 today.

Hi Shiny! How was the party?

Of course you will see 187 again - never say never! I too get tired of the struggle - chew chew chew, only SMALL amounts, etc. But I sure as heck wouldn't change it for being fat! Oh but to be able to sit down with a big amount of a fav food and just eat it all with no worries of PBing or weighing or calculating how much exercise I will need to do to work it off would be so nice - for that moment!

I gave in to some sweets for a couple days but think I have it out of my system again. I think I'll still end up losing weight because my calorie total was low enough for the days but it was real unhealthy.

Stop the sweets Ezma! You enjoyed them, but let them go now for a while. They are so easily consumed but the lingering cravings are deadly and persistent. Enjoy a 'sweet free' week!

I just ran 6 miles. Wth? The fat me can't even imagine that being possible. lol

WOW! That is just so wonderful - incomprehensible to me, but wonderful!

Things are pretty much the same for me. I am, amazingly, down a couple of pounds this week, but I'm not really sure how. Hopefully it will keep going this way from now on.

I saw my doctor at the beginning of the month and it was not a good appointment at all. I guess, to him, going through a pregnancy and then grieving for my baby isn't a good reason to slack off on weight loss.

Of course, it seems like most people think they've given us adequate time to grieve and we should be over it by now. Nobody gets it at all.

Hi Jamie! I am sorry to hear that your doctor 'lectured' you...nothing like being supportive, is there? Be strong despite him!

As for your grieving - it is your process that YOU have to go through, and screw everyone else! Even those who have had the misfortune to share the horrible experience of losing a child cannot know EXACTLY how you feel. And as for 'being over it'...you never forget. Ever. The pain is never gone; sometimes it is dulled but it never just goes away.

I am sorry for your anguish.

Angie,

I ran 6 miles once. It was the longest distance I have ever run. It was about a year out from my surgery. There's just something amazing about a formerly obese person running those kinds of distances.

My hip started bothering me and put an end to the long runs, but maybe I'll work back up to it eventually. Keep up the great work!

Jaime,

I don't think it's nice for your doctor to scold you. Can you find anything helpful in what he said if you peel away the hurt feelings? Some people don't have that empathy filter when they speak, but maybe he said some true and helpful things somewhere in there. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws. Hang in there.

I'm feeling really down after having a rough week eating-wise. Well, really it was just Saturday. I ate a whole lot of crap (birthday party food) and just felt like a slug. I haven't weighed myself since and am probably not going to for a while. I just don't want to see those numbers in the 190s. Maybe I can hold off until I'm definitely in the 180s before I weigh again. Yeah, right! I'm not a good judge of how much I weigh.

At the end of Saturday, when I was feeling disgusted with myself for eating crappy, I looked down at my thighs and I swear to you they looked bigger. I know there's no possible way that's true, but it surprised me that they honestly looked bigger to me because I hadn't been making good choices that day.

I'm really feeling fat the last week or so. I even asked my husband if how I look to him fluctuates from day to day. He didn't even understand what I was trying to ask it was so silly. I just feel so differently from day to day and honestly a lot of it has to do with what numbers read on the scale. If I'm down two pounds then I actually feel skinnier. Like I said before, I'm tired of this battle sometimes. But I'm not giving in. I had a good day yesterday and plan on having a good day today and tomorrow and the next day. . .