I may have joined a challenge starting at a bad time for me, as I'm on vacation as of now, and that always means a change up in my foods - travelling always means trying new restaurants!
I've been eating well this week though, and plan to not go overboard while away. We're going to a wedding, and that will be a cheat day for sure, but other than that I'm going to try to limit myself with the craziness. I may not be able to weigh in next week, but I'll do so as soon as I get back, whatever the damage may be (hopefully nothing!)
Riestrella I really like the font you chose for the tattoo, it's so elegant. And I think it's really nice you have something to remind you of your friend.
Zucena I'm totally with you on vegetables - I really need to up my intake, especially during the day! I'm ok at dinner, but I struggle getting them in at other meals. The hour of dancing sounds awesome!
Havedog I'm not quite as close to 30 as you (next year, scary!), but I think I'll be sticking around here longer than that anyway, as I'm sure you're welcome to do too!
This is the first challenge I've ever joined! I've been lazy about weight loss this past year, but I'm sure this challenge will speed it up. And last week I started writing down everything I eat - it really does make a big difference.
Riestrella - Beautiful tattoo. I wouldn't worry about stretching it too much (after it heals, of course) since the ribs are a bony area rather than muscular. Of course I don't know the details of your workout routine though.
Where's the best place to get cheap work clothes? Target? JC Penny?
Since I'm applying for jobs I HOPE I get an interview soon. But I need some cheap work pants and maybe some nicer work tops. What's the best place for these? I have a skirt and a nicer top for now, but I would like some more options!
Weight wise, I'm holding strong at 166 this week, which is a 2 lb gain from last week. Argh, really want to exercise but I can't! Tattoo is feeling a little sore these days, so definitely don't want to stretch that area and get all sweaty. Hurry up and heal so I can do my workouts again!!
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rainbow - Just be sure to add a note if you won't be weighing in for a week . Have fun on your vacation, it's so great to get time off work and relax for a while! Whose wedding is it? Thank you for saying that! I searched different fonts for hours, I liked that one the best since it felt more like legible handwriting. The tattoo artist took some liberties with it, he really flicked out the edges of the last letter which I really like! I'm so happy with it and it's a really nice reminder of him to take with me for the rest of my life . When are you planning on getting Totoro?! You've really got me thinking about my own Totoro tattoo plans!
Mongoose - Welcome! I hope it does the same for me too, I'm in the same boat! I weighed this much this time last year. Thank you!! I really hope it doesn't alter when I do lose weight, I've got a fleshy back roll that the "See you" part is on! I'm doing Insanity, weight lifting, kickboxing and running.
Rie-Oops yeah I missed those sections, just filled them in now You're tattoo is beautiful and I think its wonderful how you choose something with so much meaning. For cheap work clothes I think Forever 21 can be really good or thrift stores if you have good ones near you. Target has some good basics, but lately some of their nice stuff has seemed overpriced to me. Crossing my fingers you get an interview soon!
My hormones are going crazy right now and I'm either in shark week or about to start, its REALLY hard for me to tell with my iud. I was having massive cravings today and bought chocolate and chips, but I managed to only eat a half serving of each and work them into my calories! I'm so happy I was able to make them work and not go on a crazy binge. My weight has been holding around 140, and I'm trying not to let it depress me. Its been my first week to school and I can tell I'm majorly bloated.
Is anyone else here in grad school? Have you noticed it having a different effect on losing weight from when you were in undergrad?
Ok so maybe taking an extra day off to prepare/pack for our vacation wasn't the best idea. Instead of packing and stressing about packing being confined to an evening, I've had the whole day to worry about it. Hah. I spent half an hour in and out of 2 pairs of shoes trying to decide which ones would kill my feet less at the wedding - it was a ridiculous time waster, and I'm still not sure I made the right decision but it's done now, everything is packed. I'm off VERY early tomorrow (4:30AM taxi booked, ugh), and will try to check in if I can, but might be a bit MIA until Sept 8.
Rie I've booked in my tattoo for the 26th of Sept! I wanted to wait until the weather (hopefully) cooled down a little, and didn't really want it to be healing while we were away. And that is just in time for my birthday too, so birthday present to myself! The wedding is two of our closest friends here - we actually moved into the apartment they moved out of and got to know them as Leon (the boyfriend) is at university with the guy (Mike). They've been great friends to us since we moved, so I'm glad we get to be part of their day!!
Dottington Ugh, those hormonal cravings are the absolute worst. But well done for rationing out the chocolate and chips! I haven't noticed a difference in terms of school etc and weight loss, but have definitely noticed it's not as easy now as it was when I started. I feel like even a few years in age makes a difference in weight loss - damn it.
Rie I get my work clothes from consignment stores. I find it much cheaper, especially with losing weight. I don't know if you have one near you but Clothes Mentor is my absolute favorite for work clothes. They have great deals and they are super picky about the quality of clothes they'll accept for resale so you know you're not wasting your time looking at stained or ripped clothes.
I bought a dressing gown off Etsy 3 weeks ago and it finally arrived today! It was made in China, the reviews were so positive I decided to buy from that particular seller. I love it! It's a soft cotton material and it's so airy; perfect for the warmer seasons. Here's a crappy cell phone pic:
I feel so lady like in it! Makes a change from my usual over sized t-shirts that I wear around the house in the morning . Can't wait to get rid of that double chin, ugh!
Thanks for all your suggestions on the shops to buy clothes from! I should mention...I hate any sort of thrift/bargain stores. Not because they're used clothes, but because I hate how unorganised they can be!! I can't stand clutter in stores, especially sale racks *shudder*. Any place I had to trudge through a rack is a personal nightmare for me.
I'm doing much better with food, but I'm still finding myself slip up here and there. Having 3 slices of bread instead of 2, having 2 cookies instead of 1...I have a problem. I'm going to actually LOOK at my food plan today because I saw so much success with it a couple of weeks ago instead of guessing what I should be eating. Apparently I need firm instruction for my meal plans or I go off target and end up overeating.
What's your favourite healthy snack/meal? For me, it's greek yogurt, a little honey and banana! I can't eat bananas on their own any more, it's so filling and tasty.
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Dott - I figured you just hadn't seen it! With the IUD, do you get periods still? I forget what all these different methods of birth control do...I use an app on my phone to track my periods now since I came off the pill. It's actually pretty accurate and if I feel myself getting down or my appetite is insatiable I look at the app and usually I'm coming on my period soon and that little light bulb goes off: "aaah, so that's why!" Don't let 140 lbs get to you, I'm sure you haven't really gained the weight you're just bloating. Keep on drinking water and eating well and it'll be down before you know it
rainbow - Good luck with your shoe choice! I am a flats girl through and through. Heals are beautiful, but gosh darnit I CANNOT walk in them. I hope to see you soon, but if not, enjoy your friends wedding!! Can't wait to see your Totoro tattoo...
I want to say I'm back, I really do! But I feel wrong making promises I can't keep. I created one **** of a food baby since I was gone. Spiraled back into a lifestyle I'm not proud of. Gained half the weight I lost right back and as much as I want to say, "I didn't see it coming," it was inevitable.
BFC fast track for two weeks means I'm hoping to see mad, quick results. (Started the week allegedly at 160, but my first official weigh in day had me at 158.8)
BFC 'rules' means goodbye to those sugary treats that everyone and anyone has tempted me with these past months.
Anyway, hi to everyone joining! Needed to get a bit of that off my chest. Still having to absorb the fact that I gained, on average, like 2lb/month this year.
I do have a question that I hope can be answered here though. Has anyone chosen to incorporate almond flour into their meals? BF is going on a weekend trip to Cali, and Trader Joe's has almond flour at half the price we see in Hawaii (go figure, cost of living is to CRY for here)....so I told him to pick some up if he has the time. Not sure if he can guarantee a bag, but how does it even taste? How do you ladies use it?
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Rie ~ That dressing gown is adorable! My newfound favorite after starting this new plan earlier in the week has been sriracha flavored almonds from Blue Diamond. The downside? Sometimes I find myself grazing aimlessly, oops! Definitely need to work on that.
Ries - JCPenny's Worthington line is really nice and affordable. Also, I'm not sure if they have them around you, but Savers is a really great, organized, high quality thrift store chain. I've gotten some REALLY nice stuff there and they aren't as crowded and stuffy as Goodwill. Macy's tends to have really good clearance racks. I'm in serious need of work clothes too but I'm trying to wait until I actually get a job! I have just enough things for interviews.
Dott - Oh I am in the same boat right now with TOM/IUD!!! I started using a period tracker app but its SO variable with Mirena. My body has been ready for my period for like a week, but nothing has come (and it might not come at all). So bloated. I hope you get it soon!
Atarimae - Welcome back! What is BFC?
What's your favourite healthy snack/meal? - For a meal, lately its been salmon! Usually paired with a bunch of veggies. Sokeye salmon has been on sale a lot lately and its so delicious. For snacks, I've been enjoying some delicious peaches lately!
Well as I mentioned, my body has been frustrating me this week. My period is coming on so even though I have been eating well and exercising lots, my weight is kinda holding steady. Frustrating, because I really wanted to see a true loss for August, but I think I'll wind up at the same place I started!
My running has been getting better and better. I did have a few days this week where my allergies were bugging me, or maybe it was the smoke in the air?, so I took a day off. I did a lot better this week with drinking. I didn't let the bf tempt me with a beer last night when he got a 6 pack! I'll be enjoying some tonight though. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
I wanted to join in on the challenge, it looks like a fun one. I'll need to resist the candy around Halloween! I'm a sucker for Reeses Cups.
LovelyLeah wanted to say congratulations on wedding dress shopping coming up! I love watching saying yes to the dress and the new one that started up Curvaceous Couture I think it was called.
I do have a question that I hope can be answered here though. Has anyone chosen to incorporate almond flour into their meals? BF is going on a weekend trip to Cali, and Trader Joe's has almond flour at half the price we see in Hawaii (go figure, cost of living is to CRY for here)....so I told him to pick some up if he has the time. Not sure if he can guarantee a bag, but how does it even taste? How do you ladies use it?
I have two of the Wheat Belly cookbooks and they have a lot of recipes for alternate "flours" like almond flour
Rainbow-They are! And I totally agree with the getting older thing and it being harder to lose :/ Have a safe trip!
Rie-Love the dressing gown! I love old timey glamour items like that I want one just to drink wine in lol Well, before with my first IUD I did get very light periods and they were fairly regular and I used a tracking app too which helped keep me a little more sane during hormonal shifts. But with this new IUD(have to get it replaced every 5 years), its been a totally different experience altogether! I occasionally spot seemingly out of nowhere and will get mood swings, bloating, pms symptoms, sometimes bleeding like a normal period...its so weird and totally unpredictable. I even deleted the app off my phone bc I couldn't even track anything anymore I'm REALLY hoping it will get better because its the only birth control that has worked for me so far(TMI-all the rest caused constant massive bleeding)
atarimae-Hey! I know regains are so frustrating, but you can and will lose it! Almond flour works really well for pie/quiche crusts
NNS-Yes finally someone who knows my suffering! I'm so confused, bc my first round with it went so well and this second round has been awful. I seriously get way worse mood swings, cravings, and cramping. All seem completely random and yeah I deleted my period tracker bc its been impossible to track but when on my first round of mirena it was like clock work BTW are you still doing IF?
What's your favourite healthy snack/meal?-Snacks I usually have coconut yogurt with berries or celery sticks and nut butter. Salads will probably always be my favorite meal. I eat salad at least once everyday bc its one of my favorite meals and so versatile. Seaweed salad, taco salad, thai peanut salad, vegan caesar salad, roasted veggie salad, deconstructed sushi salad, quinoa salad, kale salad.....seriously never ending list of salad. But my favorite is always a basic romaine base with kidney beans, peas, hard boiled egg, sunflower seeds, and italian dressing.
Didn't do so well today. It was my last day teaching and one of my students made me this spread of berries, aged manchego, and fancy little cakes. Sigh. I ate about 1/2 of the cakes, most of the berries, and all the manchego. Also I had already eaten pastries earlier with a friend for a planned treat(that I had already added into my calories) I then came home and had a salad for dinner, but I also had about 5-10 veggie chips. It was a fine, relatively low calories, reasonable dinner. But I'm so unhappy about being over calories today, plus hormones are making me super emotional I think. Oh and I didn't get to run because it was 100 and like 80+% humidity.
I'm just going to take a big breath and get over today and do better tomorrow.
I'm excited to start this challenge. I've tried to do challenges by myself but haven't been able to complete them, I just found this site yesterday, I'm hoping it will keep me accountable.
Dottington - Similar thing happened to me yesterday after I already had all my calories. I went over to a friend's house who had just gotten back from Japan and she had brought some treats...so of course I had to try them. No big deal though, we'll stay on track today!
What's your favourite healthy snack/meal? Lately it's been old-fashioned oatmeal with honey or maple syrup and nuts. I made oatmeal raisin cookies yesterday. Since they're so filling it's easy to just have one or two. They also have a lot of iron which is good for my period.
NNS ~ Thank you for the welcome back! BFC is Jorge Cruise's belly fat cure. Goodness, I hate when TOM comes and you get that bloat and you're unsure where your true loss is. Hopefully September will show you the loss you deserve!
HaveDog ~ Ooh I wonder if any of those recipes can be found online. Definitely gonna have a look, thanks!
Dott ~ Oh my goodness I remember back when we were getting outta the 150s together! You've come so far; major congratulations to you! Oooh as a pie/quiche crust eh? I've never ventured into making either, but starting to wonder if I can make some form of like...pot pie casserole or something that can still keep me on plan, haha! It's always worth it to indulge on your last day. It was deserved, but as long as you don't carry over the style to multiple days or weeks (like me lol), you will be fine!
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Whee, last night I made some Blogilates-inspired Fiesta Muffins, except they were more pizza style. If anyone looks them up, I was unable to use ingredients like the beans and opted to use things I had in the fridge. Broccoli and pepperoni with cheese (yay, processed deliciousness...but at least it was no sugar!) were my choices in the egg-filled turkey cups. It was some low carb, low sugar goodness...and I don't even like eggs all that much. I'm starting to feel a little faint though, so I'm kind of starting to wonder if my change in diet is causing it. I guess it's been forever since I've gone THIS LOW CARB, and I kinda just went from carefree to extremely strict. Maybe the body's in shock. Ah well, hope I feel better, because I'd really like to get a workout in later this afternoon!
. Have fun on your vacation, it's so great to get time off work and relax for a while! Whose wedding is it? Thank you for saying that! I searched different fonts for hours, I liked that one the best since it felt more like legible handwriting. The tattoo artist took some liberties with it, he really flicked out the edges of the last letter which I really like! I'm so happy with it and it's a really nice reminder of him to take with me for the rest of my life 
. Can't wait to get rid of that double chin, ugh!
I'm REALLY hoping it will get better because its the only birth control that has worked for me so far(TMI-all the rest caused constant massive bleeding)
BTW are you still doing IF?
BFC is Jorge Cruise's belly fat cure. Goodness, I hate when TOM comes and you get that bloat and you're unsure where your true loss is. Hopefully September will show you the loss you deserve!
You've come so far; major congratulations to you! 
Oooh as a pie/quiche crust eh? I've never ventured into making either, but starting to wonder if I can make some form of like...pot pie casserole or something that can still keep me on plan, haha! It's always worth it to indulge on your last day. It was deserved, but as long as you don't carry over the style to multiple days or weeks (like me lol), you will be fine!
