Koolkelli, I think I can definitely help you! Based on the information you provided in your profile, it sounds like you have a high muscle mass (aka, 170lbs at just 4'11", yet only a size 12 and having a 'muscular frame but not looking bad'). It sounds like you are a 'solid girl' who builds muscle easily and still has some left over from more intense training days (this will actually work to your advantage). I am exactly like you- the same build and used to have the same problem. You do eat the right foods, but certainly too much! My thinking was like this at one time too, how can you feel guilty about eating an entire plate of broccoli or whole grain pasta? They are good for you! But too much of anything is bad, even when it is healthy food. I used to clear a plate, any plate that was put in front of me regardless of how hungry I was. You are not alone, but this is a bad habit that you must learn to break. Your out of control eating is a sign that you have a fast metabolism and burn quickly, but you constantly tax your metabolism with too much (good) food. There are a few things in your diet and lifestyle that you must correct that will fix this. First of all, you are always hungry, which means you are never satisfied. Eating the right foods that are both healthy AND satisfying will be critical in your weight loss journey. You will want to incorporate a high amount of healthy fats (monounsaturated fats specifically) that are heart healthy and will also satisfy your cravings. These will also keep you full longer. I have found that the flat belly diet or paleo diet work great to assist with this. Your lack of energy is attributed to your overeating: I know I have struggled with this as well- I was very well known to come home from work each day and immediately raid the fridge because I was starving, only to then be too full to workout. I would sometimes make myself workout anyway, but would find myself tired and sluggish and struggling with energy. This occured at other times in the day too when I would eat a large meal and then not have energy to do other tasks. Your body is focusing on digesting all the food which slows the rest you down. Don't do this to yourself- stop at 80% full! You don't need to feel obligated to finish any plates, just eat what is the right amount for you. You will learn over time what is the correct amount your body needs. A few tips that will be crucial to you: 1) Cut the sugar! This is killing you (lots to read about this online, sugar causes cravings, mood swings, spikes in blood sugar witch affects your hormones, impairs your immune system, reduces healing time, etc- once you cut this out you will find yourself having more self control and not an out of control appetite). Sugar is found in many processed food souces (table sugar, syrups, lactose sugars in milk, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, brown rice syrup, agave, etc). 2) Exercise MUST be the number one priority in your journey. Specifically cardio. I would recommend HIIT training (which is high intensity interval training-- this burns the most fat in the least time- you can do just a 20 minute workout a day for great results). Add in fun strength training workouts too to keep you motivated: Try aerial yoga, yoga, silk, rock climbing, etc, 3) Keep a food log. If you have to write everything down, you are less likely to keep eating (as this gets soooo old after a while!). You will also be more aware of what you are eating which is necessary to understand what and when and (ultimately) why you eat how much you do. 4) Music! Music will help push you through your workouts so you you push yourself as far as you can. It's like having a personal trainer or good friend to yell at you :) These tips should help- don't stress, if you COMMIT and do the right this (as I've outlined above), you WILL lose weight, no doubt. But you must be willing to put the work in to achieve the results. I have faith in you, this worked for me and I'm so happy to be down to a normal, healthy and comfortable weight! Good luck!

Good Morning, It is good to hear that everyone is doing well. Harold, if I don't get busy you will be zooming down past me so fast I'll get vertigo! I'm going to Walmart today and will try to find a pedometer while I'm there. Maybe that will get me out of this LONG holding pattern I've been in. I miss the time I spent here. But, right now life is soooo busy. I have been to a Dr's office 11 times this month. Most of those were taking Aunt B. Twice was for Son(sinus)and me(ear infection/shingles). 3 times with Aunt B I was also treated for either ear infections or shingles or both. Stress city here! I am trying to find an affordable sitter for Aunt B that can come in at least a couple of times a week so I can escape and have some ME time. It would be HEAVEN and I could at least go walking. If the new meds don't start helping more with the dementia/Alhziemers we will have to give in and find a nursing home. She has started to get mean (not physical yet) and since I'm her primary caretaker, I'm on the receiving end of her verbal wrath. My body is responding to the stress by getting sick and staying sick. The DR has already told me I can't do this much longer. The end of the tunnel is coming, but I can't quite see the light yet. Weight-wise I am at least satisfied that I'm still under 160 this week. Food temptations are strong and the only exercise I get is running around trying to keep house, do laundry, errands, etc. I have felt so crappy,health-wise, that I haven't taken the time to prepare healthy alternative snacks and meals for myself. I just do what I have to do to get something that everyone else will eat on the table so I can get the kitchen clean and fall into bed. I have enjoyed trying a few new recipes, but most aren't exactly what you would call healthy... LOL... I always go into a cooking/baking mode when fall arrives. The only good thing about that is, I take a lot of it to my sick neighbor. DH, DS(who never gets full), and Aunt B clean up the rest pretty quickly! I know this post is long and sounds really negative. I don't want it to BE negative. I love her and will never regret this time I've been able to keep her out of a nursing home and spoil her a bit. She never had kids and loves it when the Gkids are here. We've had some great laughs and, as much as her health and dementia will allow, she has been very happy since we brought her here in June. The day she has to leave will be a sad, bittersweet, day. I've been so busy that if I've checked in here at all it has been very short. Y'all are my cyber family and I just wanted you to know that I AM GOING TO LOSE SOME MORE WEIGHT and to take a minute to sort of fill in the blanks of this LONG STALL. SO.... I was 159 when I weighed this week. No loss, but no gain either. For that I am thankful. Keep up the good work, everyone. It gives me hope. Hugs, Betty

1. I have to be in Houston in the morning at 8:30 to pick up a load of pet food. I dread driving in the rush hour traffic and it will be cold and maybe raining to boot. 2. I need to get ahold of the woman I met at the spay clinic who feeds feral cats and raccoons, and set up a time to meet her so I can donate some of the pet food to her. 3. I need to get an email address for my computer illiterate friend who wants me to contact a wholesaler that I found on the internet that sells really nice garden ornaments, wind chimes, feeders, etc. She gave her her tax info, but I left it in the truck and too tired to walk back out there tonight to get it. 4. I am cold and wish I had on a long sleeved shirt, but I am getting ready to go to bed instead. 5. It's 54 deg. here, right now. 6. I am glad I don't live where it is REALLY cold, I would die. 7. Wish I could find out something about my house that I want to buy. Vandals broke 8 windows out of it last week, and now dampness can come in from all sides. They also cut the sash cord on one of the windows in the dining room. Makes me ill to think about it. 8. My baby chicken that I got at the shelter a week or so ago is doing well. The dumb a's there didn't know if it was a chicken or a pigeon. How can anyone be that stupid? 9. My husband goes back to work tomorrow, and will be gone for two or three weeks. I'll miss his help in the evenings. 10. One of my new possums has a broken leg. I named him Hungry Jack because he eats everything I give him, every night and licks his bowl clean...no matter how much I give him, and he isn't very big. He is putting some weight on his leg now, and I am relieved about that. 11. I got Zelda, my dog, spayed on Friday. I am so glad to have that out of the way....no worry about puppies. Such a good little dog she is turning out to be. 12. My daughter was upset because someone hit her side mirror and broke it, but she took it to the shop today and got it fixed. Only took about 20 minutes, but they had to order a new one...and that took a day. 13. I got $4600 worth of pet food donated to me today. 14. I gave pet food to several people who are on limited budgets or feed wildlife. 15. The round bale of hay that I bought for the horses last week has lasted pretty good. They usually last about 10 days, and I think this one will last a little bit longer. 16. That's good, because I pay $79 per bale for it and with the feed that the horses eat, it costs me $420 to feed the 4 of them per month. 17. I'm enjoying all the gold finches that are here for the winter. They empty the feeders every day. I have 9 feeders! 18. I have a little squirrel that I don't know what to do with. He is too tame to release here, because a cat will get him. I need to find out if my friend, Tanya, has some non releasable squirrels that she can put him with. Or maybe he would be safer at her house. He is sooo sweet...loves to be petted. I didn't set out to tame him...he came in with about 25 other baby squirrels, but he was very sick for a long time. 19. I didn't eat supper tonight...but I'm not hungry. 20. Tomorrow I may have to go pick up someone I know who is in the hospital. She called me tonight and said she would call me in the morning and let me know. I told her I had to go to Houston, but I would come get her on my way back. 21. I have had to do so much driving lately, that I have filled my truck up every day or at least every other day for the past week. 22. I just took my bra off....I feel better! 23. I hate winter and freeze when I am sleeping by myself. 24. Tomorrow when I finish everything I have to do, I am going to treat myself by going out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants. 25. It's 9 pm. I'm going to bed.

When I did my kitchen I took 2 days. I removed everything from 1/2 the room & took it outside. I scrubbed the cabinets inside and out, then replaced what I was keeping. The next work day I removed everything from the other 1/2 the room and scrubbed. I had help from my friend. We even scrubbed the walls and ceiling. Both days were sunny and nice and we just put stuff in boxes and set the boxes on a tarp in the back yard. My youngest son and I did his room last week. We took apart & removed the bed. We just propped it up in the hall while we worked. We moved the other furniture to the middle of the room while we scrubbed and dusted. We took everything out of drawers & off shelves and put it all in boxes and laundry baskets. He sorted the clothes and put them back in the dresser. We sorted the books together & put them back in the bookcase. His floor is wood so I scrubbed around the outside while the furniture was moved in, then scrubbed the middle when we moved the furniture back. The last thing we did was put the bed back. Getting the bed out of the room gave us all the room we needed to work. There is no way we could have done it wiht the bed still set up. When I did my room, there was enough room to leave the bed set up and and just push the rest of the furniture up against it. Now, on to my other 2 sons' rooms! They are disasters! The only way to make this idea work is to commit to an entire day, dawn to dusk. You can't start moving things out and let them sit for days. Ask a really good friend to help, or even pay someone you know to help. Having two people makes the world of difference. My friend is a really hard worker, too, so she kept me on task. She wouldn't sit down even for a minute! I didn't do any painting in the process, just cleaning. I'm going to go back and do painting later in the winter.