Do you share that fact that you are dieting with others? *long post sorry*

[Guest guest]

I have been missing you all a lot lately. Your support has really helped me

lose and keep losing ! Thank you all for sharing. I hope you are all doing well

tonight. The reason I have not been posting as much lately is because I have

been coping with reactions to some medicines I was on. Hopefully the doctors

have it all figured out now.

I have to thank Sue for all the low calorie snacks and meal ideas. I am printing

out my favorites and making a new cookbook for me. I got a 3 ring binder at

Wal-Mart to save them in. I plan on making a cover for it. It has a plastic

cover where I can slide in a paper. I am going to use my art program to print up

a page that says " My diet cookbook " . But there will be an " x " though " diet " and

underneath it will say " maintenance " . I am looking for some cool handwriting

font to it in. I will add some photos of my favorite meals and snacks to make it

pretty.

I am also going to print up some hints / tips and reminders to keep in the book

too. For some reason I find comfort in considering my self on a maintance plan

instead of a diet. I think part of the reason is my friends at work. We spend a

lot of break time talking about diets. I have seem them start and stop several

different diets and too often I hear the phrase .....as soon as I am off this

diet I will have a ____________ (fill in the blank with a favorite very fatting

food). I have reached a point where I know I will not be able to go " off " the

diet. But that does not mean I have give up my favorites for ever either. Some

days I do have *One* slice of pizza for lunch while they struggle with their

" diet shakes " . It is nice to be able to eat " real " foods at work. Some times

people don't know I am on a diet unless we are discussing diets at work. And

then they don't always believe it. Their idea of a diet is to either eating

practically nothing or eat only certain foods or can drinks / shakes. Lately

they keep telling me stories of people who lose weight will put on twice as much

as they lost over the holidays. Some days I feel like they are all just waiting

for me to put the weight back on. It is like they are all ready with their

excuses as to why their diets failed and they are discussing which diet to try

come January. I know there will be days when I over eat but in the long run this

*maintance plan* is what I will be living with.

I am staying on my 1400 calorie maintance plan. Until I get to 150 or until my

doctor changes my final goal. A little while ago 1400 seemed too hard but my

body seems to have adjusted. The doctor said that my weight loss will go slower

now but not to give up. She also said to increase my walking distance or

difficulty. So now I have changed my route to work to a hill-ier path. It takes

me an extra 5 to 7 minutes to get to work on my new route. I am still at 199.

But I am not discouraged. I know I have lost the first 50 and that sooner or

later the last 50 will go too.

Does anyone else discuss the fact they are dieting with co-workers / friends? If

so how does it go? Do they help support you or discourage you?

Jelayne