Startin - I was a mod and then an admin on low carb support forums. I've seen literally hundreds of people start very committed to eating healthy and losing weight permanently, but never deal with the underlying emotions that cause the stress eating in the first place. Something derails us and we're ashamed to admit we don't have impeccable willpower, and stuff that emotion down with the other ones. Repressed emotions don't go away, they lie in wait for you. The only way to get rid of an emotion is to feel is.
I was on may way to gaining back what I'd lost, even before I got pregnant, because I didn't deal with my issues. It's hard - I've been avoiding them for a long time. I've come to realize, because my daughter is a shiny little mirror, that I have to deal with my issues or I will just pass them on to her. It hit me, reading a parenting book, that someone had to explain to me what unconditional love is and that I could never hope to teach my daughter what I'd never learned myself.
I'm working on showing myself the same mercy and compassion that I give others. People have setbacks and make bad decisions, but that does not make them a bad person or worthless. It makes them human, just like every other person. If you've ever watched CSI, you'll know that no one ever looks good under a microscope. Our microscopes are just usually turned on ourselves.
Every meal is a new chance. Old meals are in the past and can't be changed. Regardless of what happened at the last meal, approach the next one as a new opportunity. Which it is - whatever you did in the past does not dictate what you do in the future.
Dolphin - I don't know about second nature... she loves McDonald's and chocolate... lol I don't want her having to fight this battle, though, and I know she has a better chance if eating well is something she takes for granted. And not having her mother be critical of her looks. It's trite, but I want to become a better person for her.
Except when it comes to Justin and I get jealous... lol Please do make sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals, though. I have found out that by the time the amount of something in your blood is measurably off, your body has depleted everything out of your body that it could. I thought I was fine until I got pregnant, then the extra strain of growing a baby left me with weakened bones (I'd been on steroids for asthma for years, also a risk factor), dangerously low Vitamin D (which may have contributed to permanent nerve damage from one of my surgeries), and anemia. All my blood test up to that point had been great, but someone finally told me that those things don't happen overnight and had been building for a long time.
Doxie - calories DO matter, but less so if the macronutrients are in the right proportions. There are more eloquent ways to say that... A lot of people try to make weight loss a very simple calculation of calories in minus calories out equals weight loss or gain - but our bodies are all different and there are a lot of variables. Even though walking for a mile may burn 100 calories, for example, there is no such element as calorie in our body. Using simple sugars in the bloodstream is more efficient than converting stored fat to energy, so you can't just say walking a mile uses up 100 calories so you can eat 100 more calories a day if you walk. Because that is an average of different body types running on different combinations of fuels.
Well, maybe the formula is that simple, but the measurements are more complex than most of us have the capacity for.
Also, the body is going to be more stubborn about weight loss the closer you are to your ideal weight. A little padding is good for you, in the survival sense. It may feel like a lot to you, but you're not actually all that far off from your goal.
Sounded like you had a good day yesterday, though 700 calories seems a bit low. Salad and meatloaf sound good though!
I can't believe it. I'm going to go do the myPLAN for yesterday. This is what I remember from Atkins, the success being extremely motivating. 
Congrats on your weight loss! It's so not easy, even though I'm not feeling hungry I still want to eat carbs. 
Eggs, cheddar and swiss cheese, sausage, bacon bits, ham bits. No coffee the last 4 days. I can't even believe that. I had the opportunity but did not go for it. Shrug.
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