Hi, everybody! I'm so glad to have a discussion about survival going on in my midst and thanks to each and every one of you for input and ideas.
Lois, I respect you for asking the question and for having considered the whole thing. No reason to hold back any thoughts here as it seems to me we all have good intentions and care about one another. Being able to be honest is good for our recoveries and for managing the emotional components of life.
I'd respond in these ways based upon the evolution and progression of my "fat life", without too much trivia interjected, hopefully. My "MO" is to range in the 150 - 170 range, rarely breaking below 150, and usually being able to commit to a diet when approaching the high end. I usually succeed very modestly before falling apart and eating whatever the heck I want until such time as I get worried again... worried enough to take another smack at things/my behavior. Each time, I feel certain that I have become a greater percentage fat -- and many studies seem to back my sense of that. So, this time, while I'm able to do so much better than usual, I really want to push the envelope and get as far as possible from that trainwreck that is my usual diet experience. In another analogy, this is like my convertible in mid-life, hoping to be able to have something either "again" or for the first time that I wanted but couldn't ever have, SEEMINGLY!!
I, too, think I'm somewhat reluctant to pat myself on the back and be glad I've done this well, and take true pleasure in the miracle that just this achievement has brought. I think this is probably the longest I've ever even been in the 130s in my life, and I'm thrilled about that, though I don't say it enough or even think it enough. This is a really good time for me, as weird as that it to contemplate. Are we real, as Mike says? Are we euphoric!!? That's what's good about this place -- we ARE!!
I think we can all be more perfect than we might think; some others would say that we already ARE more perfect than we think. I don't know which is the better perspective. I know that I've probably never thought I was "the best I could be". I'm not sure that I'll recognize it if I see it, either, but I'm still feeling like striving. Maybe it's the rapid (well, HUH??, in my recent experience) sense of things improving that keeps me hooked into thinking there are more "better" ways to be still coming -- so I want to keep going. I really don't know how this will end, but all of you will know as it changes for me.
Glad you're with me on this goal-approach, Sylvia. And Nelly will help us, too. There'll be others soon and we'll ALL be figuring it out and finding the right way(s). I'm pretty excited about the group we have, ALL OF US.
Re today, pretty good. Tomorrow is no work, yeah@!!! I can say that being in the presence of people with food might be increasingly hard for me, at least lately. I'm thinking more about "eating that" -- and I know that what I'm looking at is not transition food. It's like, frankly, body is putting up a greater fight about being fed. Which reminds me, Nelly, you're darn right about being hungry all day because I find that SO TRUE -- it's like the shakes have little to them sometimes, like eating soup, in a few minutes, one can be hungry all over again. I'm not unforgiving at times like that and I do have shakes more frequently.
Anyway, this is a great experience. I'm hoping to be down another pound tomorrow -- just a hair's width away from only 5 pounds to go. FWIW, I think the 5 pounds to go is actually secondary to having replaced 5 pounds of remaining flab with firmer tissue.
Oh yeah -- AND, get this, at Thanksgiving I will be needing my swimsuit in the presence of many of my critics (SO's family, once more) and I want nothing to feel bad about myself for. I must not backslide, so moving slowly ahead is fine with me as it takes up time -- and leaves less "time" for a loose caboose!! Take care, everybody.