I hope you feel better and I truly understand, I try to reason with my self and say  that I (CAN'T)  exercise  because I am tired from work,  but if someone calls me and want to go shopping I can pull energy from the mountains.  You need you to hang in there for all of us.  This is a battle that we are fighting together and we can do it.  We can not let the buldge beat us.  We will defeat him.  I think I am going to try to eat my meal mid day too and have my shake for dinner.  I also use feeding my kids as an excuse to eat french fries for dinner.  So let's stick in there together.  Let's do it for us and all the people that will need our support to help them in the future when we have reached our goal.  The taste of victory is going to taste better than the chocolate cream pie.  I need you,  come on you can do it.

Stay with us, hang on, we are here for you. Getting beaten up by chocolate isn't as easy as it sounds. Its is so painful, we have all tried it before. I know what you are talking about. The first four weeks I was on SF were a breeze and i thougth it was going to be pretty good this time, but week five has been murder. I am not happy at all and the scale has been being very difficult. I don't have any smiles for anyone right now! No one is able to tell us exactly why we hit these times, maybe they are a test of how bad we want to loose weight and be who we should be. Well we have had enough testing. Out in the world there are those who are waiting for us to fail again, just like always, but we are here cheering each other on and caring how we each do and feel. We care about you. If we were all together we would have a huge group hug and cry a bit and open our shakes and start our new day. A new day, that is what we need. We need to let the last week or month go and start a new day a meal at a time. I am not agood record keeper and bite watcher either. I hate doing that, but I will follow the shake and snack rules and exercise. It only makes sense that if we keep on track our bodies will finally have to give up the weight. They can't hold it forever if we don't let it. Sometimes I feel like my body is the enemy, it is acting like a traitor when I am working so hard, but it will learn how things are going to be. It will ahve no choice. Don't let your body be incharge. Everyday we are at the crossroad. We can forge ahead toward our new self confident beautiful selves or we can give up and go back to the unhappy limited lives we had before. I know you can do more than you used to and can feel better than you used to. And don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat. If you are workign out good every pound you loose looks like more because you are building up that muscle at the same time. The scale can not reflect that accurately. A scale is simply an imperfect way to measure our successes, so we can't let it be the whole importance of what we are doing here. Give yourself a big hug from each of us,(that will take most of the morning, by the way) and we will do the same and then have your SF as you should. Keep with the program and keep heart. We all love you, Suzanne

We have all be there.  I hate the water retention as I have that issue as well.  I try to drink lots of water which helps but on the days I don't drink enough water, I can tell the difference.  I will also add lemon juice to my water because it helps with water retention.  I don't do it alot at a time but about 1/4 of the water I drink will have lemon juice to help me not retain.  I  also notice a difference if I have had too many carbs like pastas, breads, processed foods.  I think all of us on this board have been where you are at one time or another.  We are all here for you.  Hugs coming your way.  Remember that you are doing a great job and it will get better. 

Awwwww.... I want to hug you right now. Your post could easily have been written by any one of us at one time or another.  I know how heartbreaking it is to have a gain when you feel you have done everything right. We use the scale to validate our success, and when it shows a gain we label ourselves a failure. Your water weight issues may be out of your control, so dont beat yourself up for it.  Maybe your doctor could prescribe you a water pill, or maybe you just need to be extra watchful of your sodium intake.  It's so hard to give advice because all of our bodies react differently to diet and exercise (and PMS!).  

I like to eat my one 'sensible meal' midday and have my shakes for breakfast and dinner.  I just feel better not have a full meal at the end of the day.  I dont like to keep track of anything either!  But I have to admit, it does help. I was very successful several years ago on WW because you have to track every bite.... but it got old for me and I quit.  So far on SF I havent kept track of calories or anything. I just follow the rules of two shakes, three snacks and the one meal.  I have had some good losses and some not-so-good losses, and I'm sure its because I'm not tracking like I should.  

You are not alone, my friend.  This is not easy. I applaud you for your post, and not giving up.  You are keeping this real, and honest.  Be strong, we are all here for you.  If I can help in any way, just ask.  

Lastly, I want to say 'congratulations' on your weight loss! You are a real inspiration to all of us and I hope you stay with us for a long time!

One of the reasons this diet was so appealing to me is that for the first month IT WORKED!!!!  It's very motivating to have weight come off and I feel good and HOPEFUL...that's the big thing.  When you can see a light at the end of the tunnel as opposed to no direction, no plan, just knowing something HAS to change.  So...

2 months in a row the whole pms thing has really thrown me for a loop on the scale and I start to calculate how much I am really losing in the long run with the gain, loss, gain, loss, etc.  I realize it's going to be a looooooong road...not just a long road, but a never ended, nearly impossible road.  So after gaining 3 pounds this week, my first thought was...ok, I know it will come off this week, but when I weighed myself this weekend, it wasn't coming off yet and I get sad...and I eat too much and I don't care for a day or two and now I'm really off track.  Here's the thing, this is a very familiar place for me.  I wouldn't be this heavy if I hadn't been on this track before.  So, I log on and I continue to encourage you all...because it's so nice to see you all making progress and encouraging is something I can do...but it sure is hard to do for myself.  But all of you give me some sort of hope because I see it working for you...not every week sometimes, but overall it is. (Ok, geez, now I'm starting to cry.)  All I know is that failure is simply not an option...really it isn't.  I know that if I logged off today and did nothing else...I would put back all the weight and then some...so I have to keep with some direction because no direction is very UNhopeful. 

I've been giving some thought to why I was so succesful for the first month, but sliding now.  First, I would say that the first month was easy in that I didn't need to excercize.  I think I am at a point where I need to in order to lose.  Secondly, I started drinking the powder instead of the cans.  Don't know why that would be a difference other than the can is a no brainer and so easy where I have to be in the kitchen a little longer with the powder and it gives me time to have a snack while I'm waiting for my shake...silly.  Also, the first month, I really didn't use the online tools with meal planning or water intake.  So, I see this as an option to get myself some structure.  I have to be honest...I have failed many a diet by getting really sick of keeping track of everything and I am not 100% convinced I can do it forever, but I certainly have to mix something up so I don't have to move my ticker the wrong direction.  IT's easy to stay motivated when the scale is moving down, but the stalls or gains are very disheartening.  Even when it's water weight...or even when it's a few extra snacks.

I would love some input if anyone has any.  All of you really and truly are the only reason I am still here instead of beating myself up by myself...in a bowl of chocolate.