Michelle James-Norman's Journal, 22 June 2016

Don't be too discouraged. Are you getting enough water? I know the temperatures are getting crazy where I am so I have to drink way more than I usually do to account for the heat. That coupled with too much sodium could make you retain water weight, hence the need to drink more water. You'll get back to where you were, don't worry. :) 

Hang in, good to be changing behavior and recognizing it. I find my body sometimes does weird stuff, gains when I am doing well, loses when I get out of wack. I try not to focus on the day to day, looking instead at big picture. Yesterday I splurged on fatty carbs, kept the calories in check but put lots of sugar in my body and based on history, my body may or may not react in weight...feeling lethargic today however. In process of figuring out that pattern of choices. Have also experienced plateaus regardless of what I did. Medical issues for me also can play an odd role in how my body works. Just saying, stay on course and don't get discouraged, check on big picture things, exercise, hormones, types of food eating. Good you are finding support.  

Thank you guys so much, I am motivated, will drink more water, less sodium,(I have been eating can food like vegetables and lean tv dinners, they do have sodium in them, never thought about that. Will change some of that but I need a way to cook quick food for dinner of 4 people. I work in a hospital and dont have alot of time, healthy food can be so expensive, any suggestions? 

I hear you on the cost of healthy food. One thing I've done to help mitigate the costs is to shop at stores like Aldi that have cheaper produce. Then, I make foods in a crock pot with like 5 ingredients or so that won't break the bank. I use Sundays as my meal prep day for the week and just recently switched to glass containers for storage instead of plastic. I've been slowly doing this over time because I don't have a lot of money either, but so far, I've cut my grocery bill a lot by meal planning and not wasting food. I was surprised at how much food I typically wasted! The money adds up! Do you like stews? Soups? Casseroles? Those are fairly easy to make in a crock pot and many don't require too much work other than chopping. I love that I can throw it all in the crock pot and have it ready when I get home. I used to eat tv dinners too. If those work for you because of your schedule, you can counteract some of the high sodium by just drinking more water. I know someone who eats them all the time and is still losing weight because she drinks so much water. Also, I noticed you lost 174 pounds so far and only have 24 more to go. WOW!!! This is absolutely amazing! I heard the last few pounds are the hardest to lose so don't give up and feel bad. I'm proud of you for what you have accomplished so far. :) 

FatSwatter, you are the bomb, thank you so much for your advice. Will intake more water :-) 

if you need to snack, eat high fiber cerial, i like kelloggs buds and kashi has some good flavers also.  

Well, you may not like what I am about to say. BUT, the proof is in the pudding so to speak. You can always join us on the Intermittent fasting, LCHF side of the fence. We spend about 1/3 of the cost on food, and we lose about an average of 2 to 5 pounds a week. But simply eating more fat and eating less times a day. I myself am spending about 100 bucks less every two weeks. And I have lost 85 pounds in about 4 and a half months. 

Thank you for your comment Knuckles