thanks for the support maddy and Lilith ... I made it through today without exceeding my calorie count, though I wish I had kept it a bit lower to make up for some of that snack binge last night. But, every reasonably good day is a success as far as I'm concerned, so I'm here again.

I was at 2100 calories today, which is 200 over my target...but I did walk back from school and take a walk round the neighborhood in the afternoon, grocery shop and clean at home, and I even got in a quick 10 min stretch/20 minute ski machine/200 situp trip to the gym late tonight. All in all, not a greta success, and not a great failure either.

fzzy....don't try to compensate too much. In my experience, if oyu cut too much to make up for a binge, you end up hungry and frustrated and thus binge again. Slow and steady wins the race, or so I hear. :)

I look at each day in isolation. If I don't I'll start the shame and blame thing. I set my caloric intake goal fairly high to start because I did not have enough faith in myself. I think I'm going to lower it today.

Since I set my goals myself, I am always hunting places to confirm that I am on the right track. I found this site http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

It was very helpful in seeing what my intake needs to be to lose various amounts of weight.

100 100 calorie snacks

I might make up so baggies of things to keep me from grabbing something worse.

That is precisely why I haven't given into the temptation to buy them. The only time I'm really feeling the urge to snack is while at work--maybe because I'm too *busy* at home to think about it. Regardless, I've found that celery or broccoli with some fat-free or light Ranch dip works really well at keeping my hunger satisfied while at my desk. Hopefully, that will continue.

For maddy or anyone else doing Weight Watchers, there is a great alternate site for point values: www.dwlz.com. Especially thorough is the section on eating out--an excellent resource.

That is an awesome resource!!!

I know--I love it. :) The ads are a bit much, but if you ignore them, there's a wealth of information--not just on "points," but calories, carbs, etc. Check out the "food" section as well, when you have time. There are menus, ideas, etc. as well as general food information.

I've explored a bit on the calculator site you posted--it's excellent as well. Since I'm doing WW, I don't focus *too* much on calories, as I let my points calculate that all out for me. Still, it's fascinating the information provided by the waist-hip ratio calculator and by the site in general. Thanks!

Lil, thanks for the link on the BMR....I'd only guessed at a target calorie count, but I was pretty close. The site seems to indicate that I should target 1960...so I was only a few calories off (but it's nice to know I'm right).

Another day for us all to be successful!

I'm ready for today to be over. I find on the weekends I eat my lunch and dinner earlier to avoid snacking, but then evenings become challenging as I feel the urge to snack. Weekdays are much easier to manage because the kitchen isn't a few steps away.

I purchased Emeril's Italian dressing this weekend, quite low in calories and very flavorful.

Great resources, thanks everyone!! Maddy, I'm with you, I love weekends, but not as far as the eating plan goes, just not enough routine/schedule, etc. to keep me from thinking about all the stuff I could be eating.

I made it through today though without any pitfalls, my period actually started a few days earlier then I expected, which explains to me a lot about why Friday was so difficult for me. I'm glad it started though since for me the 7-10 days prior are worse physically then my actual 4-5 days during.

And I should start shedding any water retention that my body has been holding onto and I'm looking forward to a positive step forward physically over the next 2-3 weeks.

Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow!

Maddy, Newman's Own Light Balsalmic Vinegrette is also really, really good. I was using it long before I started WW or focusing on losing some pounds. I was reading a magazine the other day and happened to stumble upon an article about the "top 10 best low-calorie/fat dressings" and noticed that one was included.

I agree with both fzzy and maddy, though...weekends can be tough. As "wrong" as it may be, I find that skipping breakfast and eating an earlier lunch works better than trying to do three meals on the weekends--there just aren't enough points to go around. However, at the grocery on Saturday, I found WW bagels, which are 2 points for the entire bagel. I may try 1/2 of a bagel with a little light cream cheese for breakfast and hope my blood sugars aren't out the roof afterwards. :)

My Monday went well as far as food and eating goes ... at work I didn't seem to have much time, took me about 2 1/2 hours to eat an energy bar in the afternoon (for my lunch).

My good news is that I'm now able to remove the 4" extenders that I've had on all of my bras ... some real progress there since when i started 4 weeks ago, the bras were all tight enough to be digging into me a bit. Doing a little happy dance before I head off to bed! :)

Monday was much better to me eating-wise than the weekend. I even had the best omelet for dinner using Pam cooking spray, two eggs, and a little each of the cheddar and mozzarella fat-free cheese Kraft makes. (Six points, maddy, if you're interested.) Today is going to be a stressful day for me, though, so it will be interesting to see how that affects my resolve, if any.

Awesome fzzy!!! I know being able to feel it means the most!

Monday was a breeze. I'm too stressed to eat too much :D I ate something fattening as hell for breakfast so we will have to see how the rest of the day goes.