How is it suddenly the middle of September??! We are almost 3/4 of the way through the year! That realization lit a fire in me. I am more motivated this morning than I have been the last few weeks.

I noted in last week's thread I haven't been as serious about my lifestyle changes as I was when I was making more progress. I am eating ok most days but I haven't been focused on meal planning and stocking the fridge as I was in the past. I am serious about continuing to lose weight -- but I haven't been putting in the effort. It doesn't work like that and I know it.

I started some weight exercises with my arms to build strength and hopefully tone my arms and shoulders. Not sure that will help with weight loss but it will surely help with my appearance! What I love most is that these are exercises I can do in the middle of the work day. It is going to be intense from now to the end of the year and finding exercises I can do to break up the day is a win on a couple of levels.

On the food front, I will lean heavily on my fall/winter staples -- soup, apples and turkey meatloaf lol. I know a lot of folks are anti-meatloaf (and I am very pickly about mine) but I have one I like and it is so easy. I expect to make it weekly. Boring but it works for me!

I have 4 wks of vacation to use by the end of the year or I lose it. I have lost vacation every year since I started with this company and I am committed to using every single hour this year. I will take a few short trips but because of our schedule, I won't be able to take another 10-day trip. I am thinking of starting to take off a day of the week to get out and hike locally while we still have great weather. I can also use these days to get out to the farmers market and cook a couple of soups for the freezer.

I have a milestone I'd like to hit by the end of the year-- 17lb. It is pretty aggressive and maybe unrealistic but I think I need a big challenge to get me back on a serious path.

Next April is a milestone birthday for me (60) and I want to be MUCH healthier and MUCH stronger when I get there. And s*xy. I want to be 60 and s*xy! lol.

Hope everyone has a great week -- let's do good stuff!

Funky, you MUST take those days! The work will still be there ...I know how hard it is to have that mindset in the hyper tech world. I used to say to my husband...is the patient dying? I think having an aggressive goal will be OK as long as you are OK with not getting all the way there. Honestly, in 3 months, 10 lbs would be a triumph for most women in our age group. I have an exercise suggestion...a Pilates Magic Circle. Very simple, small and portable and affordable. There are so many exercises you could do seated at your desk, or while watching tv. Thanks for always starting this thread as it is so motivating for us all!

Thank you, Jmck! I appreciate it! For the first time ever, I was able to hire a team that let me extricate myself from the day-to-day work. I am busy every day -- and my role is important but things will not stop if I am out of the office. That's such a freeing position to be in. I must admit, it is as much about my shifting my priorities though as it is about having a "right sized" team.

Another motivator today: it's cold and rainy here today ... so I put on a pair of leggings I bought 2 yr ago (after I had already started losing weight). Leggings are one of those things that seem to fit well through many size changes but THIS pair is ridiculously too big. They are very loose at the waist and fit like sweatpants in the legs/behind. I could change them but I am keeping them on as a reminder that Ive made good progress-- and I can make much more progress!

Yes, my goal is aggressive and I may not make it-- but I feel like I need to shoot big in order to get my focus back. I have complained about my slow progress but I haven't accepted/acknowledge that I had eased up on myself. Call this a little self tough love.

I'll look into the Pilates Magic Circle ... on first glance I am a little concerned because I have to be careful with leg exercises. I have bursitis in my hips (have had it since 2nd grade-- the youngest case my ortho had ever seen). That said, the best way to combat the bursitis is to build up the muscles around my hips! I will look a little closer into how it is used to see if it will work. Thank you for the recommendation!

I hope you are feeling better @Sueb20. Funky - you must take your vacations! I love the idea of one day a week. And good luck with your goal. I hope it serves as good motivation for you!

I continue to slip a bit - rationalizing a lot of not great food choices. Nothing too serious, and as long as I keep up with my protein and fiber, the cravings stay mostly away. I am on a trip that has been so fun! We have walked a ton and did two amazing hikes, but also more treats and wine than really necessary. I can tell in the pictures my face is more bloated than usual. I need to buckle down again, but I just keep eating not the best. I might need to challenge myself again in some way too, to get me back on a better track.

Yesterday was my first day out of the house and I made a beeline for our community farmers’ market. Delicious veggies and fresh eggs were in abundance, and I bought a lot from my favorite vendor.

In the bag: red new potatoes and the most delicious green and purple okra! Also some very small cute red and yellow biquinho sweet peppers (not visible) that I am planning to use in salads. A beautiful eggplant, freshly hulled limas and black eyed peas, garlic garlic, and two varieties of tomato. I harvested my back porch basil and made this for yesterday’s lunch

homemade basil walnut pesto on toast, topped with slices of heirloom tomato, heavenly!

I’ve already cooked the peas in chicken broth and have made a beans and rice dish to be eaten throughout the week, and have roasted eggplant slices, the potatoes, and four older tomatoes we already had (with olive oil and balsamic vinegar). The latter I scraped off the pan, mashed thoroughly and now have a delicious savory tomato jam I used on my and DH’s morning eggs today. I am going to make dilled potato salad with the roasted potatoes as I find using them gives the dish so much more flavor than using boiled ones.

Between our vacation (DH and I both lost weight) and recent illness I am now at the same weight I was at age 35. Interestingly, I don’t look different but my weight seems to have been completely rearranged or redistributed, if that makes any sense, and my clothes are fitting differently. I bought a belt a few weeks ago in my regular size and I’m buckling it in the smallest hole. 😳 No idea if my body will “settle” at this weight (and no panic if it doesn’t) but I am enjoying having a real waistline again. (Still no hips, but the illusion of them now with a waist!)

Sue, I continue to feel like garbage too-- stuffiness, muscle/joint aches, lowww energy and also low patience and tolerance! I know for me it is primarily (if not completely) allergies. It has escalated to the point I feel the actual pressure in my face and eyes. Not a coincidence that it started when I opened up all the windows to let the fresh air in. I don't want to go back to closing them but I may need to start closing them at night when I sleep.

1 lb down is ONE LB DOWN. One lb you didn't gain! I do a little cheer with each one-- may seem lame, but it helps to keep the momentum and focus.

Love that you have had such great and active trips, @legomom23! I don't know if it is the change in weather or what, but i have struggled with staying on track with eating too. I have had a sweet tooth lately and that is VERY unlike me. I don't generally like or reach for candy or sweets. I do have increased work stress right now but really, that's pretty standard in my work so I don't know that I can blame the stress.

I think a challenge is a great idea-- they have worked so well for you! I need some kind of challenge too (or at least a kick in the pants!)

I thought I posted yesterday, but apparently not. And I'm posting it again today. Not sure why it's not posting... the curse words I feel are only in my head?

Funky--take your days off! Yes, use them to help you reach your goals. I think that's a good use of that time, as well as you add in some relaxation, too. You certainly deserve it.

Kswl, what a healthy haul! I like that approach, too, as it encourages me to make several healthy dishes to have around for leftovers, etc. There are times when I do not feel like cooking, and I need some easy, healthy back ups, rather than reaching for junk. I always have my favorite hummus on hand to pair with vegetables.

I'm prioritizing protein these days because I've increased my weight training. In a perfect world, I have chicken breasts and baked salmon with each meal... but on days when I don't have a prepared protein, I rely on eggs, canned tuna and salmon, and whey protein. I don't care for protein shakes, but there's nothing easier to prepare. I also have a variety of nuts on hand.

I continue to notice increased strength and muscle tone from a few months of dedicated weight training. It's enough to keep me motivated, because I like how strong I feel. And I also know how EASY it is to lose muscle.

I've been consistently riding my bike for about an hour a few times a week, incorporating hills. The hills are so much easier than they used to be. I mentioned over the summer that I wanted to join a gym just down the street from me, but I haven't done so yet. I'm waiting for the weather to turn, as right now, it's just too nice not to exercise outside.

I need to work on more sleep. And water... always the water!

Sorry you are sick, Funky, and those farmers market tomatoes look good! DH and I took a ride to a farm stand over labor day weekend and got some nice heirlooms, but now we are out.

Had a pretty good week with tracking, workouts, food. My mood is a little better and I'm trying not be down about my weight because I know I can't give up and what will happen if I do. In a couple of weeks we will do the BodPod lab, and I will reassess my body composition. I think I mentioned they did not do the A1c because I had it in the spring blood work. There is another campus blood screening coming up, or I see one can purchase a home A1c kit.

Had a great Pilates lesson the other day, and good weights session earlier this week.

Well...I wanted a flat stomach...and it's pretty much....flat! I only had to work 8 hour days digging dirt, in 85F sun. :0) One of my renters exited his lease early, moving in with his GF. After 2.5years of neglect, the house needs "everything". I hope everyone else can achieve their weight goals without doing slave labor....ha ha Happy Fall Everyone!

Not sure how I missed your post, Kswl ... but wow, congratulations! I know you've worked hard but what a reward!

And those tomatoes look DIVINE! Ive been having mine on a super grainy bread which has been great but pesto would take it over the top!

Right on, GS -- keep your mood up and keep up your great work! The scale isn't the only measure of progress and you are doing soooo well!

Speaking of the NS (non-scale) rewards -- i saw a friend this afternoon who i haven't seen in 2 months-- she said she saw me walk in the shop (she owns a local boutique) and she looked at her coworker and said, "WOW, what's going on with Funky? She looks great!" But here's the thing-- I haven't lost much weight since I saw her last. Maybe a few pounds at most. I was dressed normally, same makeup as usual. Literally exactly the same.

We do keep shaping up, getting stronger and improving our health even when the scale isn't giving us the rewards. Trust the process-- and trust your hard work!

Congrats to you too, Nicole ... glad to see your hard work got you where you want to be!

@Funkyart - I thought about you on one of my hikes this week. We did a nighttime stargazing hike with red light headlamps and walking sticks. At the end of the hike, we turned off our headlamps completely and hiked in the dark - by starlight with our hiking sticks. It was really pretty amazing how much the hiking sticks helped, and how much the other senses came into play. I hope you are enjoying yours and finding them helpful! It was the first real hike I had used them on other than some snowy conditions and I will definitely be using them more regularly.

I am back from my trip and headed to the grocery store - I need to stock up on some healthy foods and get ready for this upcoming week and try to get myself back on track with my diet. I'm holding steady, but I feel myself slipping with some rationalizations, so a week of clean eating will feel good. Checking out the soup thread, I do well with that too - a big pot at the beginning of the week really comes in handy.

Yes-- I am loving my hiking sticks! It is amazing how just a little feedback from the grounds increases my confidence. SO noted that when I use them (I don't always-- i don't like using them in public) I walk so much faster and I keep my head up and just engaged with the world aroud me.

The stargazing hike must have been amazing! So glad you had a great trip!