Lisa- back pain is no joke, I'm sorry you are suffering from it. 

Here's the last day of the month and as of today's weigh in I'm down 2.7 lbs. for the month. Not bad. It would have been nice to see more gone but considering what all I;ve eaten this month that I would have been better off NOT eating, I feel I did good.

I hope everyone made a decent amount of progress this month and hope we all do great in August.

Good morning.  Quick check-in here and then I'm going to stream my church service.  My back is 'better,' but I am fearful of sitting for so long.  Sunday School and then the service would be about 3 hours of sitting, broken up only by a short transiting from the Sunday School room to the sanctuary.  I found a chiropractor with Sunday hours last night though, so if I decide it's not better enough, I guess I can go there.

I didn't sleep great, and I did get up and take more ibuprofen twice so maybe I'm just masking the pain at the moment, but Nancy's suggestion of the hot shower did seem to help quite a bit this morning.

Thankfully it's Sunday when my habit is to be more 'restful' than usual anyway.  We'll see how sitting in the chair for the service goes though.  I may be standing and walking all day just because that feels better.

Hoping to finish a book I'm reading, watch the Astros game, and then make a decision about going to church tonight or streaming it.

Teri, we all need those days when we just enjoy life and friendship and the food that goes along with it.  The key is getting right back on 'program' and not letting it continue for days/weeks at a time.  I think you are doing GREAT!

Vicki, almost 3# for the month is good.  We'd all like to see big drops, but I've always heard that the slower we lose it the more likely we are to keep it off.  Congrats to you, and I hope you see another 3# or more gone in August.

Wishing y'all a successful day.

Weight 7/24: 239.7

Weight 7/31: 234.6

it might look like a lot, but it is basically water because I started taking a diuretic on 7/27. And clearly that was a good call, as you can see I have lost weight and my BP finally went down. But my face looks better and I'm going to try on some jeans that have been too tight.

my sister is progressing well, though recovery will take weeks.

Time to think about a habit for August.

It helps so much to hear other stories and know that I am not going it alone.

 Nancy, I have had those hungry to the point of feeling I'll times, too. But they are just a temporary thing. I figure my body does give signals and I should listen. I read your post about swimming and it made me look up the possibilities for swimming near my new condo. One more membership to pay for...

Lisa, those long fasts are hard. Congrats! This week my schedule is very boring. Fast every day from 7:30 pm to 12:30 pm the next day. I probably need a boring day since I go to Iowa tomorrow. Now I see your back is sore. My recommendation would be a massage. Also some heat applied to the area. Today in Sunday School we talked about how difficult chronic pain is.

Vicky, so glad your job is giving you so many benefits! Don't bother about not starting earlier; the key thing is that you did start.

Shayla, you do deserve some treats! Glad you enjoyed the special dinner.

Melissa, I do not think I could drink okra water! I feel like my weight is low enough now to imitate you and Lisa and say I never want to see 240 again!

Teri, sounds like you picked a good day for indulgence, and that's not such a bad thing.

Okra water: Cut the pods lengthwise and put 4 pods per cup of water. I made 2 quarts and chilled it in the fridge.

Here are the nutrients found in okra and okra water:

Eight pods of raw okra contain:

• Calories: 31
• Protein: 2 grams
• Fat: 0.2 grams
• Carbs: 7 grams
• Fiber: 3 grams
• Manganese: 33% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin C: 24% of the DV
• Thiamin: 16% of the DV
• Folate: 14% of the DV
• Magnesium: 13% of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 12% of the DV
• Copper: 12% of the DV

Okra is especially rich in manganese, a mineral involved in metabolism and blood sugar regulation. It’s also high in vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant and plays a central role in immune function.

Of course, my favorite way to eat okra is fried. Many folks don't like okra. My husband only likes it fried; he doesn't want it in soups. Ironically, he was the one who wanted to make the okra water.

Lisa: I have to be extremely careful with my back. Once it starts hurting, it will hurt for days. I use ice packs and switch acetomenaphan and ibuprofen every four hours when mine is hurting. I can see why people have to get on disability because of back pain. Back and tooth pain~the two worst. I'm thinking about you.

Teri: We all have days and events like that. We're only human. Besides, you're not on a diet; you're on a lifestyle journey. We don't eat as much as we used to and just a little overeating makes us feel bloated.

Yea Vicki on the weight loss.

Yea Margaret! You seem to have several wins this month plus your sister showing a little progress.

Okay Ladies: I'm unwatching this thread and heading over to August.

Met my goals for last week. I am pleased with my weight loss for July. I started the month at 127.0 & weighed in today at 123.0. My goal was to be 124 by today. I truly believe the eating in & the limiting sweet treat to once per week is helping. Not sure what I'll add for August.