Totally agreeing with everything you said. I'm running into the same thing with "race" /event shirts. I have Youth xl thru women's xl in my drawers and they all fit the same. At the last event I went to I asked them to special order me the Youth size because the small was too large. And I am still not a very small person. geesh. along the same line, I had to attend a memorial service last month only to discover I need to once again go through the closet. Things I thought would fit were too large.

Such things we have to whine about I guess having clothes too big is not a bad one. :-)

At one point, before it went extinct, the clothing store Fashion Bug went to what I called "delusional sizing". My usual 18 became a size 4 in delusion sizing. I never checked, but I've wondered of the non plus sizes went into negative number.

Start now. Weight isn't enough. I measure my neck, bicep, bust, waist, hips, thigh, and calf regularly. I'm so glad I started this when I began my weight loss journey. I still don't see my weight loss. You'd think I would see something by now. I guess we have an image burned into our brains of what we look like and it's hard to get rid of that image since the change is so gradual for us.

Today I went in and took my measurements again. I was discouraged because a couple of my numbers hadn't changed since I took my measurements September 3rd. Seems like my thigh and hip measurements never change. So after I finished plugging the numbers in on My Fitness Pal, I went to the reports function and checked my measurements for the last year. I was shocked at some of the numbers. "X" inches off of my thigh? REALLY? I don't see it! And "Y" inches off my hips? Where did that go???

Take your measurements. When you are feeling down or discouraged, you might get a little pick-me-up just by seeing in numbers the progress you have made.

Hi. I'm Dizzy and I'm an addict.

[insert voices] Hi Dizzy!

It's been 1 day since I indulged.

Ok, so it isn't drugs. But I'm really not trying to be funny. My addiction is pretzels. I've done so well keeping pretzels out of my house because they are my "kryptonite." I can't have pretzels here and not eat them, it just isn't possible. I am ok as long as the bag is closed, but open that bag and I'm in bad shape. For instance, I bought a big jug of Halloween Utz pretzels and those are safe in my house because even with the jug open, the individual bags are closed. So I can eat one tiny bag of about 4 pretzels per week and feel like I've gotten my "fix" and last another week till I open another tiny bag.

But I was at the grocery the other day and I found Snyder's of Hanover Oktoberfest limited edition pretzels. Oh... my... GOSH! I couldn't pass them up. I tried but somehow they jumped into my basket when I wasn't looking. That must be how they got there because I blacked out a little and when I came to, they were in my basket. They are crunchy... and airy... and DELICIOUS! I managed to keep it down to 1 pretzel a day since they are 120 calories PER PRETZEL but oh my gosh those 120 calories were sooooooo worth it. And I still didn't go over my 1200 calories per day except one day when I was starving and I couldn't stand it anymore so I at an 80 calorie apple and it took me over.

You need to understand my addiction further to see why pretzels are my kryptonite. When I was a kid, I was diagnosed "Hyperactive." We all know that these days it's called ADHD. Ritalin was pretty new and mom didn't want to put me on it, lest I end up with cancer or bleeding ears later in life. So the other answer was to remove sugar. In my Christmas stocking, I got an orange and pretzels. For Easter, my basket had a big bag of pretzels and a few pieces of sugar free candy and a package of sugar free gum. Throughout the year, mom kept multiple bags of pretzels in the house for me to snack on so I didn't eat sugar. They are my comfort food. When I found out that the 3 or 4 handfuls of pretzels per day were what was causing my weight gain, I cut them out of my life entirely. Until this Halloween.

I bought the Utz jug for my daughter to take in her lunches but she hasn't been taking them. Like I said, I can eat just one tiny bag per week and feel ok. They are only 50 calories per bag. But the Snyder's... I probably could have avoided them if the box didn't say "limited edition." That means that by the time I get to my goal weight, they'll be GONE!

I did tell hubby and daughter to help me make that box disappear or I'd do it myself, so they helped. Last night I ate the last one. But now I'm thinking I may need to buy just one more box and keep it around till I get to my goal weight. They should last. I expect to be at my goal weight sometime in March and pretzels should have about a 6 month shelf life, I would think.

There are worse things I could be addicted to, obviously. But it doesn't help my weight loss journey to be addicted to something so high in calories and carbs.

I so get what you are saying. Mine has been yielding to little bits of sugar and bread the last 3 weeks. It's been a horrid month of dental issues and comfort foods kept sneaking in.

Keep coming back, it works if you work it; and you're worth it.

I bought a big jug of Halloween Utz pretzels

I found Snyder's of Hanover Oktoberfest limited edition pretzels.

Totally off track from your post but I live about an hour from Hanover, PA, where both Utz and Snyder's of Hanover are manufactured. In fact, I just planted a box on Thursday in Hanover in honor of Pennsylvania snack foods. I had to look to see where you lived because it always startles me when I see our local foods mentioned by people from out of the area. Thanks for helping to keep Pennsylvania snack foods products in business.

Jan

PS: Good luck with the addictions but don't give up on Utz and Snyders! Do you know how much worse it could be if you lived near their factory outlet stores?

Do you know how much worse it could be if you lived near their factory outlet stores?

OMG I would weigh 1000 lbs if I lived that close to the factory! You would see me walking down the street with a box of Snyder's in one hand and a jug of Utz in the other, trying to figure out how to get the pretzels out without putting one down.

If you know anyone that works at the factory and they have noticed a significant drop in sales over the past year, I'm to blame. Sorry about that.

I think that a lot of us have foods that are kryptonite for us.

I am addicted to chips especially the really strong flavors. Doritoes, Cheetos, and Utz sour cream can't live in my house with open bags either. They can only come into my house in the little bags. I seem to be equipped to handle them that way.

I recently had a problem with a limited edition chip from Cape Cod that was a killer. I think I polished the whole family sized bag in 2 days by myself so, you did much better.

For my Mom, it is chocolate chips. She can not have them in her house. I have tons of them with no problems. It is all about what calls to us in our sleep as a weight loss coach used to tell me. Finding our trigger foods is a big part of the battle.

If you do decide to keep one as a goal, pack somewhere out of reach or even better find a good and trusted friend to save them for you.

Good luck!

I have to let the store keep my chocolate chips for me :)

I recently had a problem with a limited edition chip from Cape Cod that was a killer. I think I polished the whole family sized bag in 2 days by myself so, you did much better.

Back before I started my weight loss journey, I could have easily eaten the entire box of Snyder's in 2 days. But the rewards of losing weight are so much better that I was able to control myself. But while that box was open in my house, I didn't lose any weight at all, even just by having one per day. I still plan to buy a box of "reward" pretzels but they cannot be opened until I'm ready or they will be eaten. Even if it sits out in plain sight for 6 months, it won't bother me unless/until it is opened. Then I can't be held responsible for my actions.

After I had my son (over 20 years ago), my dad's Christmas present to me was a gorgeous full length London Fog wool coat in sort of a raspberry color. It fit me until about 15 years ago but I wasn't willing to part with it so I put it in the closet and there it has sat. We've moved a few times since then, but the coat kept coming with us. You can't get London Fogs in this color anymore and it's just too pretty to get rid of. On a whim, I just went to my closet to try it on and it fit! I guess it's time to take it to the cleaners. My daughter came out as I was trying it on and said, "That's a pretty coat. I've never seen it before." "That's because it hasn't fit in your lifetime." was my response. It is the warmest coat I've ever worn in my entire life and it will be perfect for this winter.

Good grief. Consistency in clothing sizes is even worse than I realized. I bought a pair of Eddie Bauer jeans that I loved. Eventually they were too big. I bought other jeans in a smaller size but not Eddie Bauer because I couldn't find any on sale at the time. I did, however, find a pair of Eddie Bauer corduroy pants for $14 so I bought those... also in the smaller size. Since then, I already need another smaller size of jeans. I wondered if I would need the smaller size of Eddie Bauer so I got online to check the sizing. The 2 previous pair of pants I bought of theirs were at the store. Looking at my measurements for hips and waist, apparently I need the size larger than the first pair of jeans that I bought that are much too big. So either I need 3 sizes larger from online than I do at the store (which I doubt) or they don't even know what their sizes are.

The holidays are the hardest time to lose weight for some and even harder to simply maintain weight for others. I am posting this as a friendly reminder to everyone that that extra piece of pie won't taste nearly as good as a jean size smaller feels. Make a vow to yourself not to get seconds this year. Can you imagine what a great Christmas present it will be to yourself to lose 5 pounds while everyone around you is gaining 5 pounds?

I spent too many years thinking to myself, "If only I'd started last year..." Finally I decided I'd rather think, "I'm so glad I started last year..."

yep... however I must admit that one cranberry bliss bar is sure calling my name. fortunately, so far, I have been saved from myself as they have always been sold out when i'm there.

one cranberry bliss bar is sure calling my name

Those are soooo delicious. I found a recipe for them on Skinnytaste.com and I made them for a couple events last year and will probably make them again this year. They are only 4 points plus! I couldn't believe how good they were for such few points!

If they are still sold out (And I completely understand this!!) you could always bring some to a Christmas/Chanukah/Holiday party at some point. We all know we have to participate in those, may as well bring goodies we can enjoy and others wouldn't know the difference unless we told them ;)

IrishInks
Happy Turkey Day!

My family knows I'm trying to lose weight. They know how much of a struggle it has been for me. Every year for Christmas, we have pizza because it's easy. Last year, my stepmom and I made the pizzas because there are so many different nutrition requirements in our family these days. That worked well and I was still able to enjoy pizza last Christmas because I chose pizzas that had lower fat counts and I only ate 2 pieces. This year, our celebration is the day after Christmas. I can't come up to spend the night like last year, but I told my stepmom I could be there by 10am to help with pizzas and she said no, it would be too much hassle to worry about making pizzas this year. She said they would pick up either Papa John's or pick up from a new place they have on the square. I know nothing about the new place but I was sort of hoping they would pick up from that place and they would have some sort of chicken pizza with very little sauce.

I just got an email... they have decided on Pizza Hut because it's cheapest. Really? Pizza Hut? I won't eat Pizza Hut. My mom can't eat Pizza Hut because she had triple bypass surgery last year. Pizza Hut pizzas (especially the Pizza Hut in that town) are so high in grease that I can't afford the calories. My sister is trying to lose weight too but she will probably go ahead and eat Pizza Hut because her willpower isn't as high as mine. I glanced at the Pizza Hut nutrition... everything is around 300 calories for one slice of pizza. Even plain cheese is 240 calories with 10 grams of fat (For reference, Papa John's plain cheese is 200 calories with 7 grams of fat)! Plus the fact that my husband, who is an equal opportunity pizza lover, can't stand Pizza Hut and especially the Pizza Hut in that town. I'm not sure what they do, but we used to live there and the Pizza Hut there just seems like they gave it a bath in grease before they put it in the oven, then gave it another bath in grease once it came out. It would not surprise me if that individual store's cheese pizza were closer to 350 calories with 15 grams of fat. I think they put extra cheese, which is not something that will help me right now. I'm trying to avoid high amounts of cheese.

I don't want to offend my stepmom but I will be sending an email saying to count me out. I refuse to jeopardize my weight loss so they can save some money. I refuse to jeopardize my weight loss because it's "easier." I will pack myself a turkey sandwich or make a salad, thankyouverymuch.

I'll admit a secret foneness for Pizza Hut, but for all your reasons above, it's a once every six months treat for us. And even though I enjoy it, I'd never consider it for a Christmas celebration. That just seems...tacky? Enjoy your alternate choice, gotta do what's right for you!

I know the Weight Watcher web site has a cheat sheet on pizza. Maybe you know a member who can print if off for you if you cant get to it. Perhaps you could just have your step mom order you a salad and then enjoy the family time. I'd call her a "Food pusher"..stay strong..no Pizza Hut and you'll be glad you did the day after :))

Oh I'll be glad the day of, too. I actually don't even like pizza that much. I used to love pizza but it seems like these days, most pizza is just a huge ball of grease and doesn't appeal to me in the least. That's why I liked that we changed to homemade pizza last year because not one of those pizzas were greasy. But Pizza Hut, especially that Pizza Hut, is one of the greasiest. It turns my stomach even thinking about it. But I do love a delicious salad so I'll probably bring stuff to make myself a salad and I'll be way happier. I made myself a promise last year that I would stop eating things I didn't like just because it was easier. That's what got me overweight in the first place. It just really bothers me that my dad and stepmom know I'm trying so hard to lose weight and then they decide on Pizza Hut because it's cheapest. I didn't even like that Pizza Hut when we lived there and I wasn't worried about my weight.

I feel your pain. I'm having to organize my own food to take to son's for Christmas day. He invited me for the day. I said, should I bring anything. Answer: no.
I asked what kind of food will there be. Answer: oh some eggy cheesy breakfast thing and then junk food to snack on the rest of the day. Hmmmm. I don't think so.

I love your idea to bring salad. If you do that and some healthier snacks, would it help the rest of the family? There are so many great tasting foods that are healthy and easy, I hope all goes well for you!

Having worked for four years at Pizza Hut in my younger years, I'll tell you that the pizza with the lowest calorie counts are not the cheese pizzas. It's the veggie pizzas! You'd think the veggie pizzas would have more calories (they have cheese on it as well, after all), but a pure-cheese pizza gets more cheese than pizzas with additional toppings--and cheese is terrible in terms of calories. I'm not sure if all pizza places are like that (and I suppose, things could have changed since I worked there), but a regular cheese pizza was not the best option for dieters when I worked there.

The veggies had fewer calories than meats did, though, so the veggie-only pizzas had the least number of calories.

As for pizza crusts, the thin-crust pizza is the best bet. The thicker the crusts get, the worse the calorie counts become.

So I always told people who wanted the lightest calorie options... thin crust veggie pizzas.

(Side note: The thin-crust pizza has the least grease too, and cheese and meats will be the greasiest as well, so a thin-crust veggie pizza is the likely the least greasy pizza you'll find at Pizza Hut.)

It's also possible to modify the order as well by asking for "less cheese." It wasn't even that unusual for us to get orders to hold off on the cheese entirely, but I suspect most of the time that was because of some sort of dairy allergy than someone watching their weight. (There was once when I got a bizarre order for a pizza with no cheese AND no toppings--just the sauce. We did it! But all us in the back were scratching our heads wondering who the heck would want to eat a pizza like that!)

You also mentioned wanting "very little sauce"--it's also possible to order a pizza and ask them to use very little sauce or even none at all. We'd get orders like that too.

But if you don't like Pizza Hut's pizza.... well, there's not much you can do about that. (Personally, I hated the thin-crust. Tastes like cardboard to me. Hand-tossed would have been my lower-calorie choice.)

Which isn't to say that I'm suggesting you change your mind about eating there--just that you do have options that aren't necessarily reflected in the nutritional guides they might have given you! =) And why a cheese pizza seems like it would be the obvious choice for a low-calorie option but really isn't. (Until I worked there, I always assumed they used the same amount of cheese on all pizzas regardless of other topping considerations.)

-- Ryan

And even though I enjoy it, I'd never consider it for a Christmas celebration.

I have to laugh. I never really considered it for a Christmas celebration either... until I worked my first Christmas Eve there. HOLY CRAP!

I was also surprised at how busy we would be for Valentines. It never struck me as the kind of place to take a girl out to a "fancy restaurant," but we were busy on Valentines--choked full of couples! I got into a conversation with one of them once upon a time and happened to mention how surprised I was about how busy we were, and they told me they thought it was a "nice" restaurant because waiters took their orders.

Really? That's all it takes? Walk up to a table to get their order and suddenly were high class? Awesome! =)

But Christmas Eve was always super busy. (Thanksgiving Eve as well!)

-- Ryan

Well, we used to do the big Christmas dinner. And it took us an hour or more of cleaning up before we ever got to presents, not to mention the time cooking in the first place. Many years ago, we all decided that pizza was a good idea because it's fast, very little cleanup, and the kids can get to their presents faster. Besides, we already do the huge Thanksgiving dinner so really, why do we need another HUGE dinner a month later? So pizza has been our tradition since my oldest was very little... I'm thinking maybe 16 or 17 years. And back then, nobody had dietary restrictions so it wasn't a big deal.

It's interesting that veggie pizza has less cheese ~ I didn't know that. I doubt it would make me change my mind, since it's that Pizza Hut. I wouldn't dare try to order anything special from this Pizza Hut though... they hardly ever even get a regular menu order right.

These days, there are people in our family that have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and type II diabetes, not to mention those of us trying to lose weight. I just had to vent because it's frustrating that people just don't seem to take my weight loss journey seriously. Or maybe they are of the opinion that "one day won't hurt." I've made a choice and I will take my salad because I don't expect anyone to have to eat something different because of my choice, but I just would have thought that they would want to make the same choice since there are so many in our family that have health or dietary concerns.

I'm just so thankful that my husband and daughter have been ultra-supportive of my choice. I am willing to bet that even though I responded to the email saying I won't be eating pizza this year because of the calories and fat, there will be more than one person that tries to get me to eat it anyway. I will smile and say no thank you but my husband will tell them to leave me alone because I'm doing a great job. He tells everyone he wishes he had the willpower that I have and that he's thankful that I don't buy chips or junk food like that anymore so he is less likely to eat it himself.

This year I am going to my daughters. I'm bringing a ziti bake dish that is a traditional favorite of the family but now I cant eat that anymore so I'm taking some broccoli slaw ( mostly for me) too. I expect I will be taking the left over slaw home but that's ok.

I kept waking up and thinking to myself, "If only I'd started trying to lose weight a year ago..." In August 2013, it finally dawned on me that next year, I wanted to be able to say, "I'm so glad I started losing weight a year ago." So I started. I had a long way to go, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I struggled at first until I finally pinpointed my biggest obstacle: carbs. I didn't completely cut them out but I did seriously reduce them.

Today I saw some cute capris and shorts at a store so I bought them. I hemmed and hawed and finally held my breath before I picked my size. I brought them home and it took me 2 hours to try them on. I still have trouble believing it could be possible. Technically, I still have about 10 lbs to get to my goal weight, but I'm still happy. I'm in my goal size. They fit.

I will never let myself gain that much weight again. I'm smaller now than when I first got pregnant with my daughter and it feels good. When I lose the next 10 lbs, I'll be the same weight as when I got married.

Everyone says you need to be a certain weight to be "healthy." They don't tell you the other stuff. I wish someone had told me these things... some of them are obvious but you just don't think about them. I'm here to tell you:

• I can cross my legs again.
• The top button of my shirts buttons.
• I can wear boots. And leggings.
• I shop in the regular stores.
• It's easier to get out of my car when some jerk parks over the line.
• I fit in stadium seats when we go to the baseball games (or band concerts at the middle school).
• Clothes are cheaper.
• I have more room on the bed to sleep.
• I can walk up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing.
• I sweat less.
• Jeans don't hurt.
• I have less laundry to do since more clothes fit in a load.
• I crochet, knit, and sew... I can make more items with the same amount of yarn or fabric.
• My knees don't hurt constantly (from carrying around the extra weight). Same with my back and feet.

Everyone notices my weight loss first. It doesn't bother me... I was fat. Too fat. I'm not fat anymore and it feels great. I still catch glimpses of myself in the mirror or store windows and see my fat self. It's like a ghost that haunts me. I will probably always see that part of me.

I can cross my legs again.
I can wear boots.

Yes. and it is marvelous
No, and I couldn't even when i was 30 pounds lighter than i am now. the designed the tops of those things for twigs. I have noticed that you can get them for larger calves now.

Yes, some of the boots are designed for twigs. I still have some trouble buying boots because I do enough aerobics that my calves are too muscular. But I have found some boots at G.H. Bass that I can wear. I bought myself a pair this winter and I love them!

Isn't it funny how you don't realize that you can't cross your legs anymore, but all of a sudden you realize when you can? At least that's how it worked for me. Things I used to be able to do slowly became things I couldn't do anymore and I didn't realize or notice because it happened over time. But then one day I absentmindedly crossed my legs and it hit me all at once... I couldn't do this 2 years ago!

Hello everyone,
So I registered at Weight Watchers on Friday but I won't get to my first meeting and weigh-in until Wed night or early Thu morning.
Having the WW app I've started tracking my food points with an estimated starting weight. I am just dying with my point totals!
I'm basically eating double what I should be! No wonder I'm so well-rounded, lol. Tracking everything is a challenge but it really helps in determining your weaknesses.
Good luck to everyone in LB & LW! (letterboxing & losing weight)

Best of luck to you. I did WW many years ago - back when you tracked things in a little booklet rather than an app - and it was very effective. I lost about 25 pounds over 1 year. That was decades ago and I have kept it off. What I like about it is that it teaches you to change your daily behaviors so that you have a fighting chance to keep weight off for the long-term. I too was surprised when I first started at how much I ate compared to how much I needed to eat. It was never easy but it worked.

Good luck! And do go to the meetings and weigh-ins regularly. They really make a difference. I had a particularly funny and engaging group leader and she and my group really helped make the process more tolerable and easier to stick with. You will have setbacks, and you will have people around you make it hard (friends who want you to eat their food, co-workers who bring cake, etc.), but just be true to you and you will succeed.