In Which Blueberries Sticks to the Plan

[Blueberries]

Workout Log! I need Laura to swoop in with a "Spoiler Alert: It Sucked" GIF for me. One of those days where I got in there and was just NOT feeling it. Since it doesn't really count as "going to the gym" if you just sit on the floor (except in the most technical of senses...), I went ahead with some lifting.

Bench

45 x 12

55 x 5

65 x 3

75 x 2

92 x 5

92 x 4

92 x 4

92 x 2

This one actually went pretty well

Misc. Power Cleans & Thrusters

65 x I don't know (less than 50?)

Deadlift

135 x 8

185 x 2

[Hermione Gainser]

Ask and ye shall receive:

But hey, any work out is better than no workout!

[Blueberries]

Ask and ye shall receive:

But hey, any work out is better than no workout!

A++ (A+ for the GIF, and an extra + for promptness)

[Blueberries]

Just realized that I did not post a weekly update.

Week 4 (really??) Updates in ORANGE

My starting stats:

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 196.4 194.8 195.0 192.8 193.6

Waist: 31.0 Same Same Same 30.75

Hips: 43.0 42.75 42.5 Same Same

Current Working Weights (3x5):

Squat: 147 Same 150

Bench: 90 92 Same

OHP: 70 72 75

Deadlift (1x5): 197 Same(ish) Same

Diet/Fitness

1. Stick to the Meal Plan

About 6 out of 7 days each week, I find myself scrambling at 5:30 with hungry, whiny kids trying to figure out what's for dinner. We don't really do convenience foods around here, so I've got to find something to cook. If I'm lucky, there's thawed meat in the fridge I can cook. Usually, I'm not lucky and everything's frozen, because I'm not a consistent planner. To make my life easier, I will make weekly meal plans ahead of time so that:

a) I have all the ingredients I need on hand

I can prep ahead of time to cut down on the actual daily cooking time

In practical terms, this means I'll need to make a full plan and shopping list at the end of each week so that I can shop and prep at some point over the weekend.

+3 WIS (and if it works as intended, +75 Sanity)

Didn't make a plan for last week, so I had nothing to stick to, and we definitely went over in the budget and had to pull from other categories. Did make a plan at the end of last week, so we are good to go for this week.

2. Stick to the Workout Plan

Lift all the things! Mentioned above, I function best on a regular routine. With the way my schedule falls right now, that means I have time for workouts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Heavy lifting (continue SS progression) at least 2x per week with the third open for a lighter lifting session or something else if I'm just not feeling it. Cutting a little more heavily (see goal 3) may mean that I don't have a third heavy lifting session in me, but I do need to make sure I'm doing something active during this time.

+4 STR +1 STA +1 CON

Lifted 3 days.

3. Stick to the Fat Loss Plan

I've been itching lately to do a bulk cycle, but from a fat loss perspective, I'm just not quite where I want to be yet. My diet got a little out of control during the last challenge, and I need to make sure I rein this in if I want to keep seeing results (which I do). I don't do "lose X pounds in Y time" goals, so this one is going to be about sticking to my calorie goals (generally net 2000 or so) and making healthy choices. Grading is subjective, but I'll know if I'm on track or not.

+2 CON +1 CHA

Eh. Doing okay, since weight has still been going down ('official' weight for this week is artificially high).

Life

4. Stick to the Grocery Budget

Hand in hand with the planning goal goes the grocery budget, but this is big enough for me that it requires being its own goal. Feeding 4 people healthfully (is that a word?) on one income is tough. We've made a lot of sacrifices for me to be able to stay home with the kids, and one of those is that we have a really tight budget. Grocery spending is the category with which I have the most trouble, and I find myself more often than not borrowing from other discretionary categories to make up for the fact that we've gone over on food. Bumping up the budget for this is not an option right now, so I've got to really buckle down and figure out how to live within the limits that we've set.

+3 WIS (+1 for each pay period we do not go over)

See Goal #1 Summary. Definitely over.

[Blueberries]

Bah. Turns out I was off in my workout yesterday because I was getting sick (again). Can I just live on the couch for two days?

[Strawberry Squatcake]

I'm sorry you're sick!

Also, I know lots of people who go to the gym, sit on machines and say it counts. So maybe next time hoist yourself up from teh floor to a machine and text everyoen you know? Just kidding! I'd rather text myself from the comfort of my couch. Where it's quiet.

Get to feeling better!

[Hermione Gainser]

A++ (A+ for the GIF, and an extra + for promptness)

Score! I do what I can

UGH. Sorry you're sick! Rest up! I say yes, 2 days on the couch is acceptable!

[Blueberries]

I'm sorry you're sick!

Also, I know lots of people who go to the gym, sit on machines and say it counts. So maybe next time hoist yourself up from teh floor to a machine and text everyoen you know? Just kidding! I'd rather text myself from the comfort of my couch. Where it's quiet.

Get to feeling better!

Score! I do what I can

UGH. Sorry you're sick! Rest up! I say yes, 2 days on the couch is acceptable!

Thanks. Still sick, so no workout to report today. I thought I was feeling quite a bit better, though not back to 100%, but a trip to Target proved me wrong. It's back to the couch for me.

[Blueberries]

Back in town! No lifting Wednesday (sick) or Friday (out of town) last week, and no lifting Monday (still out of town). I'm planning to be back in the gym tomorrow, so we'll see what a week+ off did for me.

Alumni band was freaking amazing. I haven't had that much fun in a really long time! I had been prepping for awhile for my shoulders to have to hold the baritone, but I forgot about the fact that my lips were going to want to fall off. Oops! Haha...

Aside from deadlifting, this is just about the happiest you'll ever see me. This might even make me happier than deadlifting, but shhhhhh! Don't tell.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6055[/ATTACH]

[Bean]

Where's blueberries in this picture?

Glad you had fun and hope the lifts and lips recover quickly.

[Hermione Gainser]

Yay! Glad you had fun!!!!

[Blueberries]

Where's blueberries in this picture?

Glad you had fun and hope the lifts and lips recover quickly.

Better? I'm in the white coat. The actual student band was ahead of us somewhere, and then all of what you see there is alumni. We even had one woman who graduated in 1958! So cool. I think there were 80 or so for the parade and about 160 for the football game.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6064[/ATTACH]

Yay! Glad you had fun!!!!

Thanks!

Lifting day! All my lifts were off a bit, but really I've been out of the gym or sick for nearly two weeks. It wasn't completely unexpected, but still a little tough. I feel like as I continue to lose weight (I was under 190 for the first time yesterday!), my strength is struggling. I was all set to start eating for strength gain, and then I saw a thread about recommended body fat percentages for bulking, and I'm pretty sure mine is still way too high. So, continue to cut? I don't know what to do.

Today's Workout

Squats (prev. 150)

Air squats

45 x 5

45 x 5

65 x 5

95 x 3

125 x 2

----------

Calf raises 170 x 10

----------

150 x 1.5 <- Did not drop it, but there was a serious good morning at the end to get the bar back up

140 x 3

140 x 4

140 x 3

115 x 5

OHP (prev. 75)

45 x 5

50 x 5

55 x 3

65 x 2

75 x 1

65 x 3

65 x 3

65 x 3

65 x 3

65 x 3

Deadlift (prev. 197)

185 x 2

185 x 2

185 x 2

185 x 1

[weirdquark]

If you're eating at a deficit, this will make things hard for strength gains. Eating enough protein will help, but you'll still stall more than you would if you were eating more, and the lifting and the protein will mostly make sure that most of the weight loss is fat rather than losing a bunch of muscle, which your body would rather drop because muscle takes more calories to maintain it than fat does. So you should decide which you'd rather do right now -- keep dropping weight/fat or have better strength gains, and then eat for that.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

First, every time I see your band pictures, I hear the KU fight song. This makes me happy! RCJHKU!

Second, I'm in the same place with trying for weight loss versus strength gains. I'm SO FRUSTRATED with trying to lose weight. If I give up on fat/weight loss for a challenge, and do go for strength gains again next challenge (my challenges where I was trying for strength gains were most motivating), should I expect to gain a lot of additional fat? Or is it likely if I eat right (a crap-ton of protein <-- that's an official measurement, by the way), some of my almost 40% BF will reduce? I REALLY don't want to gain more fat, but at the rate I'm going, my weight's maintaining, and I'm not losing any fat or gaining muscle. But I also can't afford to gain more fat and buy more clothes. I know I need to commit to one or the other (just like i need to commit to a specific routine). I'm jumping all over the place and am not accomplishing anything.

Considering for next challenge to go back to SS 3X a week. Set a protein goal each day (should it be more on lifting days or does it matter? and how does one set this goal?). And forget about the rest for six weeks.

Sorry to thread jack, but sounds like we might be in a similar boat. I've been here awhile. Need to choose a path. I might just follow whatever path you choose!

[Hermione Gainser]

I think you guys should pose this question in a separate thread so some of the super smart folk are more likely to see it (because I have no clue anymore and I'd like to hear some thoughts, too).

[Max Power]

I think you guys should pose this question in a separate thread so some of the super smart folk are more likely to see it (because I have no clue anymore and I'd like to hear some thoughts, too).

Caution Mini Rant Ahead!

This thread showed up a couple of weeks ago. I got irritated with it though, it links to this article about midway through the thread and it gives the impression that dropping down to 10-15% BF is the easiest thing in the world. It also mentions that once you've dieted down your body wants to rebound to what it was, so it is much easier to add fat back on until your body decides that the low BF % is your new norm. That part made a lot of sense to me.

I know I haven't eaten properly for a few months and my weight has stayed right around 260 lbs, but I've gotten a lot stronger so I must have been losing fat while building muscle. I know women's bodies are different, but I think it is completely possible to lose fat and build muscle. I'm sure it would be faster to drop the weight then turn around and build the muscle, if you want to get skinny, and then get stronger. But I don't see it being a good thing to cut for six months to a year, and then completely change the way you eat to start adding muscle, it seems like it would be very easy to go overboard and just end up putting the fat back on. I've had a bit of that from experience actually, I think it would be better to continue with a healthy diet through the whole process. I personally want to be stronger and skinnier at the same time, I know it's going to take a while, but I don't want to have to completely restart my lifting in six months when I drop another 20-30 pounds, and I don't want to pack 10-15 pounds of fat back on while building.

I don't know, that's just my take on things.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

I agree on the gaining strength but not weight perspective. I went almost nine months at 180-185. I gained tons of strength and could FEEL the added muscle. Then something happened around June/July/August and suddenly I was up 8 pounds. Then 12. And now I'm closer to 20. UGH! But, that's not the point. The point is from November until this summer sometime, I gained a bunch of muscle, and maintained my weight around 180-185. I even had a few weeks in the high 170s. I remember there were times I was ravenous, so maybe I've slowly increased what I was eating, and am no over-eating by a large margin compared to this time last year?

Summers are also notorious for more drinking, more BBQs, etc. so it's possible that's where I went wrong. Anyway, I've been struggling to get this weight off the past 2 or so challenges, and am making no progress. And it's making me dread working out, and downright pissed off at food. I wish I never had to eat. Ever!

So I'm considering switching back to strength. Watching intake of sugar, wheat and other carby-stuff. And hoping for the best.

I also considered posting in another area, but there are so many different approaches to diet and workout, I feel like I'd end up more confused. My ultimate goal is strength. But I cannot stand the weight around my belly anymore.

Blueberries- You've been working on a deficit for awhile, losing weight/fat and gaining strength. Are you tracking your protein? Counting calories? Tracking protein is something I've never consistenly done. Maybe I'll aim for 200 g of protein per day for the next challenge. It sounds like that's the best plan for fat loss with minimal protein loss, right? And SS style workouts 3X a week. And not worry about the rest for 6 weeks.... Including cardio! Eek.

[Hermione Gainser]

I also considered posting in another area, but there are so many different approaches to diet and workout, I feel like I'd end up more confused. My ultimate goal is strength. But I cannot stand the weight around my belly anymore.

This is exactly where I am right now in regards to pretty much everything. What lifts to do, what rep scheme to do, how long to rest, how much to eat, blah blah blah. I kind of feel like my head is about to explode.

[Max Power]

I also considered posting in another area, but there are so many different approaches to diet and workout, I feel like I'd end up more confused. My ultimate goal is strength. But I cannot stand the weight around my belly anymore.

This is exactly where I am right now in regards to pretty much everything. What lifts to do, what rep scheme to do, how long to rest, how much to eat, blah blah blah. I kind of feel like my head is about to explode.

That's been my problem all summer/fall too. There are way too many things out there and I'm sure if I stuck with one it would show results, but then maybe this one is better than that one... It's mind boggling. So I've decided for the next challenge I'm going to use the Mark Sisson approach, I'm going to eat primal, and I'm going to add in walks and sprints on top of my lifting days, and have an occasional IF session. No more toying with macros this week or Whole30 for a bit, should I have carbs or no carbs. It's all too much. I'm going to take one approach and stick with it for six weeks no questions asked.

[PrincessHeather]

I know women's bodies are different, but I think it is completely possible to lose fat and build muscle. I'm sure it would be faster to drop the weight then turn around and build the muscle, if you want to get skinny, and then get stronger. But I don't see it being a good thing to cut for six months to a year, and then completely change the way you eat to start adding muscle, it seems like it would be very easy to go overboard and just end up putting the fat back on. I've had a bit of that from experience actually, I think it would be better to continue with a healthy diet through the whole process. I personally want to be stronger and skinnier at the same time, I know it's going to take a while, but I don't want to have to completely restart my lifting in six months when I drop another 20-30 pounds, and I don't want to pack 10-15 pounds of fat back on while building.

I agree with all this. I don't have a ton of weight to lose, but I do want to lose fat and gain muscle, and I've made the focus strength gains and eating properly. To me, properly is paleo/primal with a big emphasis on NO WHEAT OR SOY (not intolerant, but it messes with my hormones). I'm not cutting calories, I eat when hungry and probably around at least a 2000 cal average, which is generous for me at 5'2 and 125 lbs. I personally would figure out what you consider a healthy diet in terms of things you think are beneficial vs not-so-much, and while you can play with the quantity, don't necessarily do a cut. It won't be fast, but I think it's more sustainable long term and certainly better psychologically.

I'm still learning, and this might not necessarily work for everyone, but if I'm ravenous, I eat more, but try my hardest to make it on meat, veggies or nuts and not junk. If I'm not feeling particularly hungry, I'll "fast" until I'm in the mood to eat. It's taken me probably this entire year to really get to the point where I can feel pretty intuitive about my food choices, but it can be done, and without ending up on a "diet" that drives you crazy. I am MUCH stronger, and I am noticing leaner legs and arms, and still working on a leaner tummy. But I don't want to get there tomorrow... I'd have to do things that aren't realistic long term to do it, so I won't.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

That's been my problem all summer/fall too. There are way too many things out there and I'm sure if I stuck with one it would show results, but then maybe this one is better than that one... It's mind boggling. So I've decided for the next challenge I'm going to use the Mark Sisson approach, I'm going to eat primal, and I'm going to add in walks and sprints on top of my lifting days, and have an occasional IF session. No more toying with macros this week or Whole30 for a bit, should I have carbs or no carbs. It's all too much. I'm going to take one approach and stick with it for six weeks no questions asked.

EXACTLY what I need to do. And then focus on keep on keepin' on. Stick to the plan. If anyone suggests I do something else, I need to say, "I'm doing this for six weeks. I'll consider that next challenge." That's it. Bazooka! I definitely tend to over-complicate everything!

[Blueberries]

If you're eating at a deficit, this will make things hard for strength gains. Eating enough protein will help, but you'll still stall more than you would if you were eating more, and the lifting and the protein will mostly make sure that most of the weight loss is fat rather than losing a bunch of muscle, which your body would rather drop because muscle takes more calories to maintain it than fat does. So you should decide which you'd rather do right now -- keep dropping weight/fat or have better strength gains, and then eat for that.

Oh definitely. I've been struggling with slooooooow strength gains for awhile now, but it seems to be getting a little worse lately as I'm continuing to lose! So frustrating to work through.

First, every time I see your band pictures, I hear the KU fight song. This makes me happy! RCJHKU!

My work here is done.

Second, I'm in the same place with trying for weight loss versus strength gains. I'm SO FRUSTRATED with trying to lose weight. If I give up on fat/weight loss for a challenge, and do go for strength gains again next challenge (my challenges where I was trying for strength gains were most motivating), should I expect to gain a lot of additional fat? Or is it likely if I eat right (a crap-ton of protein <-- that's an official measurement, by the way), some of my almost 40% BF will reduce? I REALLY don't want to gain more fat, but at the rate I'm going, my weight's maintaining, and I'm not losing any fat or gaining muscle. But I also can't afford to gain more fat and buy more clothes. I know I need to commit to one or the other (just like i need to commit to a specific routine). I'm jumping all over the place and am not accomplishing anything.

Considering for next challenge to go back to SS 3X a week. Set a protein goal each day (should it be more on lifting days or does it matter? and how does one set this goal?). And forget about the rest for six weeks.

Sorry to thread jack, but sounds like we might be in a similar boat. I've been here awhile. Need to choose a path. I might just follow whatever path you choose!

I'm not a very good leader - I'm about to just end up flipping a coin! Haha...

I think you guys should pose this question in a separate thread so some of the super smart folk are more likely to see it (because I have no clue anymore and I'd like to hear some thoughts, too).

I considered that, actually. I need to get my thoughts into a more coherent form and throw them out there to the masses.

Caution Mini Rant Ahead!

This thread showed up a couple of weeks ago. I got irritated with it though, it links to this article about midway through the thread and it gives the impression that dropping down to 10-15% BF is the easiest thing in the world. It also mentions that once you've dieted down your body wants to rebound to what it was, so it is much easier to add fat back on until your body decides that the low BF % is your new norm. That part made a lot of sense to me.

I know I haven't eaten properly for a few months and my weight has stayed right around 260 lbs, but I've gotten a lot stronger so I must have been losing fat while building muscle. I know women's bodies are different, but I think it is completely possible to lose fat and build muscle. I'm sure it would be faster to drop the weight then turn around and build the muscle, if you want to get skinny, and then get stronger. But I don't see it being a good thing to cut for six months to a year, and then completely change the way you eat to start adding muscle, it seems like it would be very easy to go overboard and just end up putting the fat back on. I've had a bit of that from experience actually, I think it would be better to continue with a healthy diet through the whole process. I personally want to be stronger and skinnier at the same time, I know it's going to take a while, but I don't want to have to completely restart my lifting in six months when I drop another 20-30 pounds, and I don't want to pack 10-15 pounds of fat back on while building.

I don't know, that's just my take on things.

Yes! That's the thread that threw me off my game. At 5'11" and 189-ish, I am still about 10 pounds over a 'healthy' BMI. No, I don't care about BMI, and so I figure I've just about reached a place where it would be okay for me to start a bulk. BUT, according to my scale BF% thingee, which I know is inaccurate, I'm at 39%. I'm pretty bottom-heavy, so I figure it probably reads a lot higher on me than is actually accurate, but no way am I really in the 24% range. One of the formulas that uses measurements estimates me right at 30%, which is a little more reasonable.

So then I thought, "Crap. If I bulk now, is it going to be mostly fat? I don't want that." Which is pretty much where I am now.

I agree on the gaining strength but not weight perspective. I went almost nine months at 180-185. I gained tons of strength and could FEEL the added muscle. Then something happened around June/July/August and suddenly I was up 8 pounds. Then 12. And now I'm closer to 20. UGH! But, that's not the point. The point is from November until this summer sometime, I gained a bunch of muscle, and maintained my weight around 180-185. I even had a few weeks in the high 170s. I remember there were times I was ravenous, so maybe I've slowly increased what I was eating, and am no over-eating by a large margin compared to this time last year?

Summers are also notorious for more drinking, more BBQs, etc. so it's possible that's where I went wrong. Anyway, I've been struggling to get this weight off the past 2 or so challenges, and am making no progress. And it's making me dread working out, and downright pissed off at food. I wish I never had to eat. Ever!

So I'm considering switching back to strength. Watching intake of sugar, wheat and other carby-stuff. And hoping for the best.

I also considered posting in another area, but there are so many different approaches to diet and workout, I feel like I'd end up more confused. My ultimate goal is strength. But I cannot stand the weight around my belly anymore.

Blueberries- You've been working on a deficit for awhile, losing weight/fat and gaining strength. Are you tracking your protein? Counting calories? Tracking protein is something I've never consistenly done. Maybe I'll aim for 200 g of protein per day for the next challenge. It sounds like that's the best plan for fat loss with minimal protein loss, right? And SS style workouts 3X a week. And not worry about the rest for 6 weeks.... Including cardio! Eek.

I've been working on a deficit forEVER, it feels like, which is part of what makes me want to shake it up and add strength for a little while. Lifting on a deficit is mentally hard. I've been doing it, but I'd really like to start hitting some serious numbers!

I do count calories and keep track of protein, but I haven't done well with trying to hit a specific number on a daily basis. Specific macros and/or restricting food groups seems to throw me somewhat into disordered eating, which starts to spiral into, "I don't care at all what I eat." From a purely emotional perspective, I've realized that I feel best when all I'm worrying about is calorie intake, general protein intake, and making healthy-ish choices.

This is exactly where I am right now in regards to pretty much everything. What lifts to do, what rep scheme to do, how long to rest, how much to eat, blah blah blah. I kind of feel like my head is about to explode.

So with you, sistah.

That's been my problem all summer/fall too. There are way too many things out there and I'm sure if I stuck with one it would show results, but then maybe this one is better than that one... It's mind boggling. So I've decided for the next challenge I'm going to use the Mark Sisson approach, I'm going to eat primal, and I'm going to add in walks and sprints on top of my lifting days, and have an occasional IF session. No more toying with macros this week or Whole30 for a bit, should I have carbs or no carbs. It's all too much. I'm going to take one approach and stick with it for six weeks no questions asked.

This ties into what I was saying to Kelly above about what spirals me out of control. I love the idea of LeanGains or Whole30, but I know it ends badly for me right now.

I agree with all this. I don't have a ton of weight to lose, but I do want to lose fat and gain muscle, and I've made the focus strength gains and eating properly. To me, properly is paleo/primal with a big emphasis on NO WHEAT OR SOY (not intolerant, but it messes with my hormones). I'm not cutting calories, I eat when hungry and probably around at least a 2000 cal average, which is generous for me at 5'2 and 125 lbs. I personally would figure out what you consider a healthy diet in terms of things you think are beneficial vs not-so-much, and while you can play with the quantity, don't necessarily do a cut. It won't be fast, but I think it's more sustainable long term and certainly better psychologically.

I'm still learning, and this might not necessarily work for everyone, but if I'm ravenous, I eat more, but try my hardest to make it on meat, veggies or nuts and not junk. If I'm not feeling particularly hungry, I'll "fast" until I'm in the mood to eat. It's taken me probably this entire year to really get to the point where I can feel pretty intuitive about my food choices, but it can be done, and without ending up on a "diet" that drives you crazy. I am MUCH stronger, and I am noticing leaner legs and arms, and still working on a leaner tummy. But I don't want to get there tomorrow... I'd have to do things that aren't realistic long term to do it, so I won't.

I'm so jealous that intuitive eating works for you now! As long as we've been married, I've watched my husband maintain his body weight within 5 or so pounds without ever tracking any food. It blows my mind that he can just do it. Leave me to my own devices, and I'll be okay for awhile, but then the choices will start to creep a little. Then a little becomes a lot, and suddenly I've gained all my weight back.

I had an interesting experiment in eating this weekend without recording calories. I'm so used to knowing exactly what I've had and how much wiggle room I have left that I think it's likely I ended up WAY undereating out of fear(?) of going totally off track without my training wheels. It was okay short-term, but I'm not really sure how I'm ultimately going to transition one day to eating without tracking (or if I even can). It keeps me in line and accountable to write everything down, and the last thing I ever want is to get back to where I started last year.

All this stuff is weighing on me more than I realized. Do I eat for strength or cut? Do I have to record my food for the rest of my life in order to stay at a healthy weight?

[Caution]

All this stuff is weighing on me more than I realized. Do I eat for strength or cut? Do I have to record my food for the rest of my life in order to stay at a healthy weight?

I know what you mean, I just want to keep eating and lifting heavier, but when I do I start packing on the fat which I do not like. But I know if I start cutting, I'll lose strength. What a vicious cycle

[Hermione Gainser]

All this stuff is weighing on me more than I realized. Do I eat for strength or cut? Do I have to record my food for the rest of my life in order to stay at a healthy weight?

I say eat when you're hungry, track protein intake to make sure it's high enough. At this point you've probably tracked long enough to have a good idea.

This challenge I inadvertently stopped tracking calories and just started eating when I'm hungry. I still do a check to see where I'm at for protein and eat more if necessary but otherwise, I'm almost always around the range I wanted, sometimes more, sometimes less. My weight has been consistent.

So, no, I don't think you'll have to track forever. I never, ever thought I could eat and not track. I am shocked. And very, very pleased.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

It was okay short-term, but I'm not really sure how I'm ultimately going to transition one day to eating without tracking (or if I even can). It keeps me in line and accountable to write everything down, and the last thing I ever want is to get back to where I started last year.

I'm in the same boat. My mom was overweight in middle school. And she STILL counts calories or she gains (or she starts counting once she gains 5 pounds to get it back off). She's over 60 now. Ugh. But she says that it's not such a big deal as long as you're honest with yourself when you're gaining and stop it early enough. So another approach could be similar to that - count as you start to gain.

My dad also does the "I have to give up dessert and bread I'm up 10 pounds" approach when he gains a little weight. I used to think he mostly did it because he's cheap and doesn't want to buy new clothes. But I think he really does it becuse he used to be 230-240 before he lost the weight after his bypass surgery. He's been on his "eating plan" for somewhere near 20 years, and has never gone up more than 8-10 pounds. So it's possible to NOT count calories all the time as long as you have some type of trigger early on before it's too late. I still haven't foudn my correct tigger. My mom's only 4'11", so five pounds she says she can feel in her clothes. That's also my dad's trigger (in fact, I rarely see him step on the scale). But somehow I'm up 15 pounds, and the majority of my clothes still fit. Maybe I need tighter fitting clothes!

Anyway, I've been up and down 40 pounds in the last 10 years (when I gained weight originally). I'm at the top right now. And somehow I've plateaued by quitting bread and trying to cut out desserts. Maybe that'll be enough to go back the other direction?