Featherweights - Featherweights Plan and Chat in November

Well, how did October go? Have you had a chance to reflect and contemplate? What went well? What do you need to work on?

I need to tidy up my percentages. Too many of my calories come from fats, so I should cut my fats and increase my proteins.

I don't lift weights near as often as I should, so that's another goal. Two to three times a week would be great.

I have been including running up town for errands in my exercise ticker. I'm not going to do that any more, just dedicated exercise.

I'll do a little math and make a new ticker now. I kinda like new beginnings ... like the beginning of a new month ;)

This last week was very difficult for me. My older daughter and hubby had H1N1 and it very much tied me to the house and therefore, the food! I have had too many carbs.

The indoor rock climbing facility where I live closed. I loved it so much there. I had started taking tennis lessons but I just flat DON'T like it. I would if there weren't any rules and all I had to do was hit the ball. I went to tennis this morning but decided it will be my last class. I dislike tennis for the same reason I despise step aerobics--I don't like to do much "thinking" when I am working out. So, I am dedicating myself to finding another activity I will like. Tomorrow morning a friend has invited me to try "hot yoga" with her.

We have a vacation planned for the end of the month. I am kind of stressing about the food portion of it. We will out of the country--so much of my normal methods will not be easily employable.

I actually don't have any plans for next month. I kind of winged it this month and although my running was spotty, I still lost 5-6 pounds which is a lot for me. I can feel my asthma coming back so that worries me, plus it's dark so early now that running after work is out. I guess my plan for this month should be to join the gym.

Today is beautiful here. The rain and gloom of the past week or so is gone and it's a warm, sunny day. I mowed the grass for the last time this year and tonight the trick-or-treaters will come, so that'll be fun. :)

I was gaining a little bit, and now I've lost a few of those pounds. The problem is I haven't been cooking or exercising. I know, shocking ;) I just feel tired and put things off - and of course I know the only way to get more energy is to start eating better and exercising, no mystery there. But overall, I'm doing OK. Always room to improve :)

I'm so happy to read your post, SusanB, because it says what I need to hear right now.
I'm at the point where fatigue has set in. I'm unmotivated and unenthusiastic about food right now. I'm hungry. Nothing looks appealing. So I'll eat crap because it is there and fast and easy. This stops right now.
I have to find an exercise I really like. I've belonged to my local gym for years and have good intentions but really crap followthrough. Maybe I'm not a gym goer at heart. Is this even possible? Every show on weight loss and every program shows people at the gym. What if I hate the gym? Maybe I should acknowedge my non=gym nature and try something different. I'm open to ideas people!
Recommitting to diet and exercise -- could it really be just that simple?
Thanks for listening.

DH and I tried the gym. It was fun for a while. But I prefer my home.

I can be very wishy washy and discourage easily. If I decide to exercise ... there can't be too much time for me to change my mind ;)

I've followed the wonderful advice I get from Krista here

http://www.stumptuous.com/

... and have collected up quite a bit of equipment. It's what works for me.

Let's see what the others have to say.

Hello MissKimothy - I don't belong to a gym. I run 3x/wk at a local park with trails then I work out 5-6x/wk in my living room - usually doing exercise videos from ExerciseTV On Demand - which is free from my cable company. ExerciseTV.tv also has free full length videos of their branded workouts online that you can do right from your computer, which I've done a few of them too. Other than that, I have a yoga mat and a set of 3# and 5# weights so I'll sometimes do some high-rep, low-weight weight training on my upper body while I'm watching TV. Hope that helps.

Thank you very very much, SusanB and ShrinkingAmy. I think there is an industry around weight loss and personal trainers and gyms are part of it. Sometimes it is easy to think "I hate the gym" and then not give any effort at all to the diet and other types of exercise. I have to fight this, so I think I might start walking. I know there are a few yoga centers around here and JulieJ08 has a yoga avatar on her signature -- hopefully if she reads this she'll tell me what kind of yoga she does and if she likes it!

misskimothy, I totally agree the gym is totally unnecessary. It can certainly be exactly what some people love, but if it's not for you, don't waste any time worrying about that. There's so many things you can do outside of the gym. I know TBG believes in weight loss and maintenance without the gym too!

I live by my yoga (even if I was weirdly delinquent about any exercise this summer ;)). So many benefits, both mental and physical.

Me, I'm the type to research the heck out of things and do them on my own. So I read a lot of books about yoga, bought a few, and did it at home from the beginning. I've actually never been to a class - it's certainly a lot safer to start with a class, and I really want to attend some because I know I have my blind spots. You can get videos too, although I can't recommend any as I haven't used any.

An excellent book is Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit, by Donna Farhi (http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Mind-Body-Spirit-Wholeness/dp/0805059709).

I personally like a daily, very early morning yoga practice for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. I include Sun Salutations (a great warm-up for any activity, and can be aerobically demanding), lots of standing poses (great for strength and further warming up), and core and arm poses (I get compliments on my arm muscles purely from this). Then backbending, twisting and forward bending floor poses, and shoulder- and headstands. I end with Corpse Pose (laying flat on your back), which I have come to adore. Doing all of this with attention to breathing and mental focus is what makes it yoga and not just calisthenics and stretching.

Walking is also excellent, of course. Running can be more accessible than people think. Try Jeff Galloway (http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/walk_breaks.html) - he advocates frequent walk breaks for runners as a standard practice (not just for beginners), even / especially for running longer distances.

Other non-gym ideas:

Bicycling, rock-climbing, dance, mini-trampoline, hula hoops, jump ropes, body weight exercises (which overlaps with yoga), weight training at home with resistance bands.

I used to like going to the gym a lot because it motivated me to be around other people exercising, but recently I haven't been going as much, and if I do, it's purely to lift weights, something I can't do at home. Otherwise, I do all my cardio (walking, running, biking) outside and I've been doing an exercise video in my livingroom.

The exercise video gives me the same push and motivation as going to a gym class does, but I get to do it in the privacy of my own home, and make all sorts of weird faces and sounds as I huff and puff my way through it.

I used to not think so, but now I believe you can get a great workout (if not better) without the gym. I waste lot of time going to and from the gym, changing, waiting for machines, etc etc, and sometimes just thinking about the commute discourages me from going.

One good day in. Elliptical, upper body and a nice array of percentages!

Those new to featherweights who are used to celebrations are going to have to get use to this. We celebrate miniscule amounts ;) like 0.2 of a pound!!! That's my lowest since April 2008.

To say I'm excited is an understatement.

I'm glad we figured out the back pain thing and I'm not sorry I had the hysterectomy. I am sorry that it took a whole year (plus) to get my backside back into gear. Am I glad to have that 19 months behind me? Heck yes!

Regainers rejoice! It can be done! This feels good!

Man! I am a bloated mess! between sodium and week before TOM, I have gained 2lbs - adn I know it's all water weight! I'm keeping my weigh-in at 136.6 since it's been consistant for the last three weeks - not going to count my water issue this week! I need to find a way to deflate all this water before I leave for vacation on Wednesday!!! lots of water and zero salt I'm thinking! ugh!

sorry i disappeared for a few days there; things have been a little crazy for me. well, it's been two weeks since i started dieting and exercising and so far i've lost 3.5 lbs. not any crazy amount but good enough that i want to keep going. i'm going on my tropical vacation in about a week. so i'm worried that with an amount like 3.5 lbs i can easily put it back on in the week that i'm away....but i'm trying not to think like that. and i start week 2 of c25k today!i'll see how it goes..during week 1 by the end of each running interval i was dying (but made it through) so i'll see today if i can manage week 2 or if i'll have to do week one again.

misskimothy-i agree with a lot of what's been said. going to the gym is great for some people, but if you have motivation problems (like me) then even the thought of getting there, changing, etc etc can be enough to make you not go. i love working out at home. my only concern is that there's no one to tell me how my form is. but still, i like it and stick to it way more than at the gym. and try c25k! i'm only starting, but it's great so far!

happy november everyone!

Thanks everyone, and thanks to JulieJo8 for her lovely and informative post. I shall do the research and look at the options in my town for yoga classes. We have in indoor rock climbing place too that would be fun to try. Perhaps I can get DH involved in a course there!
Once you open your mind to the possibilities, activities seem much more exciting!
Oh, and I've decided to weigh in only once a week. I have trouble with the scales as in I have a scale addiciton so once a week it is. Here's to celebrating the 0.?s!!!!

Hi all!

It's my first time finding out about the featherweights, and boy am I glad I found you! It's nasty business being so close to goal. I'm in a 5lb challange right now and am struggling! :(

I am a member of a gym but have to admit I never go. I have started walking during the day at work. I work by a small hill & the distance up & back is 1/2 mile. So at 3x a day, a brisk walk is all the exercise I've been getting.

My plan is to continue to have good intentions of going to the gym and maybe actually making it there a few times this month. :shrug: I am eating low calorie meals and foods with low point values, although I'm not officially doing weight watchers. :carrot:

I don't own a scale (there's one at my work they use for boxes and now for me too) but it's not that precise. I will mostly celebrate reduction in waistline measurements since all of my weight is in my gut. I'll have to take that measurement tomorrow. I'm certainly not looking forward to it! :rolleyes:

Thanks all and :goodluck: for November!

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I can't live without the gym. I'm there at least 4 times a week for cardio. I used to take a run outside every once in a while, but now it's just too cold. The one thing I do in my own home is strength training (silly me, right?). I'm just too intimidated by the machines at the gym and the people that use them.

MissKimothy - I'll join you on weighing in only once a week. For the past month I've been weighing myself at least once a day and I hate how it dictates my mood and eating habits. I'll go ahead and move the scale to the closet until Friday. Good luck!

Another good day ... if I can get to bed without eating anything else ;)

Ilene uses a gym Civakas, so you're not alone :hug:

Hi and welcome MountainChick! Walking is wonderful. I believe you'll enjoy it (and it's benefits) very much.

Hello after a long time :)

I have been eating well and doing good. but my weight loss is a bit slow, but I do lose.. :) I am happy about it.

Hope all of you're doing good. Have a Nice Day!!

Hi Lekshmiprasanth! We've missed you!

Hi all!
Well, doing good so far. Yesterday I was able to bank some points. But here it is not even 10 am and I'm very hungry. So I'm just waiting and waiting and trying to hold it off.

Morning!
Hang in there Treighsie!
I have some information on yoga. The thing is that it is expensive for courses and I'm not sure if I should do a course then switch to a home practice or just suck it up and join a yoga place. It costs more than a gym, that's for sure. But if I will stick with it then it is money well spent.
BROKE my cardinal rule and weighed myself this morning. I found the scales that DH had hidden and my addiction kicked in. I weighed myself on Sunday at 168lbs and today was 169lbs. So I've let this irritate and annoy me.
I know that it is water weight or normal fluctuations and I have to put it in persepective but the little voice in my head just says "See you can't do this. You are supposed to be 190 lbs not 168 lbs. You'll never make it."
I'm not panicing though, just trying to manage the negative thinking and doing my best here.
Thanks for listening!

Oh Tracy ... don't go hungry. Eat a little something. I have to practice effective snacking ;) or by mealtime, I'd inhale the dishes and the table!

Kimothy ... record it somewhere. Some day you might be able to use that info to track salt intake or something. Calmly, calmly take it all in stride. You are a featherweight and you will get smaller.

:hug:
Thanks, SusanB!

Thanks for the welcome SusanB!

Tracy, I also agree that you shouldn't try not to eat. I usually snack on some fruits or veggies when I feel that way (and it seems I always feel that way!) I think I'm a snack-a-holic.

Kashi makes some wonderful whole grain products that can be very filling, if not as delicious as a doughnut! When I'm feeling really indulgent I have some sorbet made with entirely natural ingredients.

Of course, this may not be part of your plan, so it's not for me to say. Best of luck to you for your chosen path! :cheer:

I'm up tinkering about when I should be in bed. I have a dental appt in the morning and some of you know how I feel about those :fr: So, rather than lying awake stewing ... I come to you :hug:

Today I did legs, no cardio, just walked for errands. I've had about 1200 cals with pretty good macro's 37% protein/ 46% carbs/ 175 fats.

I came home from work at around 900 cals and was tempted (let me tell you!). You know the old "maybe this'd be faster if" mind bug? I could get to 139 tomorrow or ... I could get there in a few days and that would be fine.

I wisely chose to have some oatmeal and cottage cheese. I feel much smarter now ;)

Tracey ... steal something out of your lunch. By the time I got to my ham, it was half gone.

139.8 girls! 139.8!

And yes, I do realise that that is a mere whiff of spit under 140 but ... I don't care. It's a 13-something!

I'm going to jump on into ya'lls thread here! I'm new to 3FC (well I've been lurking for awhile but finally decided to join). I introduced myself somewhat in the sticky up top. Anyway my goals for November are to 1. Go buy a scale! I have no idea how much I weigh now I just know I can't button my pants anymore and my gut seems to keep expanding lol. 2. Start exercising at LEAST three times a week. I am doing the Jillian Michaels No More Trouble Zones DVD. I bought it a couple weeks ago but have only done it 3 times. I absolutely HATE a gym (I get really self concious if I think people are watching me.) That's part of my problem exercising period because even at home if my husbands around I won't exercise because I don't want him watching me. Ridiculous I know :o So anyway I'm going to buy my scale today and my goal is to try to lose 3 pounds this month. I don't have much to lose...maybe about 10 pounds. I have a really small frame and bonestructure and I'm really short so even 5 pounds makes a big difference on me. As long as I get it off by bathing suit season I will be happy so I'm not in a big hurry. Slow and steady wins the race!! :snail:

Welcome!

My elliptical is in front of the TV but behind the furniture. As long as they all just keep watching sports ... I'll be fine back there ;)

My husband said he's thinking of buying me a treadmill for Christmas...luckily the only room with enough space to put it will be my bedroom so I can just shut the door and not have to worry about him watching me :lol: I think that will be a big help. I'm not on any specific diet right now, just counting calories...hopefully my calculations are right and I can still lose a little weight without having to be to strict with my exercising.

139.8 girls! 139.8!

And yes, I do realise that that is a mere whiff of spit under 140 but ... I don't care. It's a 13-something!

And that's a fact :D :carrot:

Congrats, SusanB!

Carbcrazy, I used to hate the gym for the exact same reason. After about 3 or 4 visits I realized that it was all in my head and no one was paying attention to me. But now I'm intimidated by the weight machines and the people who use them, so I'm still a work in progress. =)

Thus far I've been successful in not stepping on the scale. I'm itching for it to be Friday already, just so that I can weigh myself. I have a feeling that I dropped at least half a pound ::crosses fingers:: I just feel thinner, y'know?

Hello all!

Well, after not losing weight for 3 1/2 weeks in Oct. I finally lost 2.6 lbs in three days. It's about time! I haven't changed my eating habit or exercising (not starving or low energy). Hopefully I keep losing and not stall or gain.

I just wanna say that after lurking on the 100lb board cause that's where I started, I now realize how NICE it is to talk to people who measure success in 0.x's you know? I used to get so FRUSTRATED when I'd read how some were losing a pound every 2 or 3 days. Of course, I knew that this is because they had alot further to go than I did, but still, it gets discouraging when you are with people you think you have things in common with and they are dropping the kind of weight that I dream about. It starts to make one feel like one isn't doing enough or the right things and then the mind games begin.
So DANG, I just want to give you all a big shoutout and say THANK YOU for giving "validity" to the 0.3 and 0.4s in our lives, and for showing me that I'm not alone!
:hug: to you all.

Well my October was absolutely awful and I'm edging 160 which is 3 lbs off my highest ever weight! There's no excuse for it so I've kind of knuckled down and November is going better. Since it's only 4 days it's possibly a little early to crow about it but it's night time here so I've officially "made it" to bed time. It's so sad that I see it that way!

Hi Everyone!

I'm very new (just joined today) but I thought I'd join in since this is where I think I fit! Basically I'm a college student who has gotten a bit out of shape due to poor eating. I play a sport but a lack of playing time has caused me to stress out and not really focused on what I eat. But I'm motivated to change that and would like to lose 10 lbs, maybe more. I don't really care too much about numbers I just want to feel healthy and comfortable with my body!

Sorry for the rambling :P Good luck to everyone and I look forward to hearing about your projects!

Doughnut ... sometimes, making it until bedtime is a goal in itself.

Welcome Dreamer! That's not rambling. Wait'll I get going one of these days ;)

Another good day in gals!!

Tonight I went out to a get together and was complemented on my weight loss.
Yay!
I also had the inevitable question "you aren't gonna lose any MORE, are you?"
Boo!
To which I said "I have another 30lbs to go"
Yay!
I then had the inevitable response "you don't need to lose any more. you don't wanna go overboard."
BOO!
Now, I can pinch way more than an inch. Its more like 3 inches and right around my tummy. I can feel it and see it. It is there! So I'm going to continue.

Does anyone else face that dreaded "observation" -- "you don't need to lose any more. you're gonna look sick. (and sick in the bad way not the good way)"

Yup, I've had someone ask if I'd lost weight on purpose or ....

People say things like that for lots of reasons, some good and some not so much. I try to just rephrase it in my head to "I love you and think you look just great and just want you to be happy." The real motives may be ... less ... than that, but it helps keep me from dragged down by their or my own issues.

At least, that's my theory, and I usually practice it. Not always, of course :o

Hi Feathers... Nice to see that many are doing so well, and SUSAN you rock, you've motivated me this month to STAY ON TRACK!! I wanna fit in a size 4 too :tantrum: I am totally envious!!!!!!

I love the gym I am a total gym rat, have been for 22 years now, wow how time flies... BUT it's not for everyone, so we must do what's best for us!

I've had a very good week, am down a coupla numbers, but I'm not going to dance over that, YET!

I've discovered that in order to lose weight I need to be hungry all the time and have a pain in the pit of my stomach... Is anyone else like this? I sure hope it passes...

Anyways, on with the day...

. I'm not on any specific diet right now, just counting calories...hopefully my calculations are right and I can still lose a little weight without having to be to strict with my exercising.

Welcome CarbCrazy ! I have been on all the diets (Or so it seems ) and have found counting calories works best for me. It also carries over into maintenance. I do not knock other diets but am a dedicated calorie counter, now. Do what works best for you.....but do it, good luck !

My sister made a similar comment after I lost 30 pounds. She asked me if I was going to lose any more and I told her yes, 20 pounds. She then said "maybe you shouldn't...where is it going to come off from? You're already skinny." I was definitely surprised to hear that, since at that point I was at the same weight as when I graduated college, which was about 20-30 pounds more than when I started college. I think people are just used to seeing us at a higher weight, so when we show up weighing significantly less we already look "gaunt" (which is another comment I've received) and skinny to them. I see it as them showing their concern, so I'm not offended.

Ilene - I find that these days I'm hungry all the time, too. I'm making an effort to break up my eating into 5-6 meals/snacks per day and have found that it really helps. I have B, S, L, S, D, and another S. I've tried it for the past few days and it really helps, especially that last snack before bed. Good luck!

Boy, I miss a few days, and we have a whole new group of lightweights! Cool!

Ilene - one of the reasons I put off exercising for so long was I was afraid that I would get to a point where I couldn't eat enough to support the activity - does that make any sense? I'm still gradually losing on around 1500, and that's "enough" food to avoid hunger pangs. My plan was to just let it slowly creep off until 1500 stops working, and at that point, I'll declare it maintenance. I don't want to have to live hungry ... that doesn't sound like much fun!

misskimothy - I'm not a gym type either. I like functional body-weight exercises - nice and portable, and can be done in the privacy of my living room. If I could swim at home, I'd do that too. :) Re the getting too thin, only my mom has said anything like that, and since she's still fighting her way out of the obese category, I don't let it bug me. Heck, my hips are still over 40", so it's going to be a heck of a long time before somebody could justify saying I should stop! :)

doughnut - I have days where I'd swear it's hour by hour. Sometimes I can derail a bad episode by chugging water ... I empathize!

Civ - feeling thinner is absolutely the best, isn't it? Good luck for tomorrow's weigh-in!

TBG - I'm already having anxiety about the holidays and having to remind myself about every 10 minutes that nobody can make me fat again except me. Getting away from the familiar and easy is definitely a source of stress. Where are you headed for vacation?

Windchime - Great job with October!

Amy - I know she's not here - I'm just jealous she's somewhere warm. :D

jiggles - keep up the running! It will get easier, promise!

mountainchick - :wave: I'm prioritizing inches over pounds right now too. At least that number is still moving ...

lekshmi - welcome home! You are back home, aren't you? I think I joined here just as you were headed out.

treighsie - welcome! I swear by pistachios and almonds for killing off the nibblies. Almonds are a mere 7 cals each, and you can have 25 pistachios for 90 cals. They take a while to eat, too. :)

SusanB - way to go with the 130's! Oh, changing decades feels great, doesn't it?

CarbCrazy - hi! I lurked for almost 4 months before I actually started to post.

I hit my original goal of 150 on 10/14, and then promptly lost focus and drifted back up to 152. Revised down to 144 to buy some headroom, and to maintain in the 140's for the long haul. Nov 1, I got back to work and have been on plan since then.

Oh my lord I am freaking out :eek: I finally went and bought a scale today...weighed myself...I am at 110!!! That's the most I've ever weighed and 15lbs over my "happy" weight! Wow. I think I am still in shock :no: I mean I knew my pants didn't fit anymore but sheesh! Definitely going to start counting every single morsel I put in my mouth! Ugh.

Ilene - one of the reasons I put off exercising for so long was I was afraid that I would get to a point where I couldn't eat enough to support the activity - does that make any sense? I'm still gradually losing on around 1500, and that's "enough" food to avoid hunger pangs. My plan was to just let it slowly creep off until 1500 stops working, and at that point, I'll declare it maintenance. I don't want to have to live hungry ... that doesn't sound like much fun!I've been living on 1400 calories during the week... Maybe I should bring it up a bit to like 1500 because of my exercising... Speaking of exercising I gotta run, meeting up with a friend for running :lol: ....

I wanna run, too Ilene the Bean! Any hints? Is it really as easy as getting out there and putting one foot in front of the other? Or did you do C25K?

CarbCrazy, I love your username, because I'm a bit carb crazy myself!

I'm heartened by the fact that others have had the other comments. I didn't mean to leave the impression that my get together friends were being negative, because I viewed their comments as quite positive. I know there are no jealosy issues there with them, so I think they were trying to be supportive in saying "You look fine and you don't HAVE to lose weight" which is way better than hearing "You NEED to lose weight". Two different things, I think!

misskimothy -- Running is awesome!! The best cardio ever IMHO... It is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other, c25k is an excellent program which I do with one of my clients, I don't do exactly as the plan says but pretty darn close to it... The first week of the plan you warm up, jog for 60 seconds, walk for 90 seconds... the next week it's a little more running, and so on...

I don't think the comments were meant negatively but only expressing everyone's experiences...

Well off to the gym now... TTFN

Good morning!

I think some times our friends equate what we are doing with "difficult" or "deprivation" or "hard work". I think they think they're giving us a break by saying "you can stop now". Being kind, ya know.

There seems to be some new folks floating around in Featherweights who aren't coming to the chat thread!!! I'll see if I can fetch them in ;)

I'm interested in this Couch to 5k thing! Has anyone else here tried it? I'm a little skeptical if I can actually do it...I'm soooo out of shape.

CarbCrazy, I love your username, because I'm a bit carb crazy myself!



I am a carb ADDICT:D I'm pretty sure carbs are really bad for me because I have noticed lately since cutting alot out of my diet I have been feeling MUCH better:smug: Carbs are such a hard habit to break!

Hey ladies... I've been lurking in this forum for a week or so now, since I have less than 15 pounds to lose to get to my goal. :) I'm finally jumping in and saying "hi" to everyone!

The short version of my story for those who haven't seen it elsewhere: I lost from 150 to 120 about 6 years ago, was almost happy, but gained all of it back. Then about 2 years ago I started half-***edly trying again, got down to about 135, and stayed there. About a month ago I seriously recommitted, and now I'm under 130 for the first time in years! I'm hoping to get to 115, just 5 pounds lower than I got the first time, but I have a lot more muscle now so I think it will be enough.

Hi mayness!!!!
You know everyone, sometimes I think that it is actually HARDER to lose small amounts of weight! I don't mean physically, but getting the mindset there.
I've been really big and I know at that time, I was looking at 110 lbs to lose (which means I was piggybacking Ms Mayness around with me ALL the time!).
Now, I've been gracefully accepted into the Featherweight community because I have 35 lbs to go -- not a litte, but not a lot -- and I have to confess that the sense of urgency isn't there.
I didnt understand this at my biggest -- it was like "oh, you only have 15 lbs to go what are you worried about. I have 110!" but now it is "I've lost 75 lbs and look pretty good. WHY WORRY ABOUT THE LAST 35."
Sometimes fear is a great motivator -- fear for your health, fear over diabetes, fear over premature death -- and those of us in the featherweight category don't necessarily have this "advantage".
I use the word "advantage" in quotes, because in a weird sense, it IS. If you have no choice and your back is against the wall and if you DON'T lose weight you'll be on insulin, MAN you become motivated.
When you get to the point where diabetes and increased health risks aren't there, you have to find your motivation elsewheres.
The Featherweight threads are really helpful in reinforcing my motivation and help me understand WHY the small amounts are just as important as the big amounts of weight. It helps me feel that the last 35lbs are just as "valid" as the first 75. Thank you for that!

Rambling, I know. Just some thoughts!!!
Hang in there everyone!

Yes, we struggle most IMHO with complacency. Ya know ... we're OK at this weight, not bad, not big, not small but OK. It's easy to lose focus.

Hi Mayness!

How true I almost settled for a higher goal weight, just cause it was so darn hard to lose those last ten pounds but persistance pays off.

Agree totally about the mindset, and the complacency! I hit my stated goal of under 150 on 10/14, and that complacency set in almost the second I saw the number on the scale. I coasted for a couple weeks and then decided to take it down further because a) there was room for improvement b) I want to maintain "in the 140's" - that decade change is a biggie - and c) I sure as heck didn't want to hit the holiday season in that frame of mind - it was the holiday season of 2008 that got me to my highest weight!

Got into some pizza and pretzels this evening ... instead of supper. I'm at around 1500 cals so ... no big deal.

A nice bout on the elliptical this afternoon. 40 minutes as I recall.

I'm on DS#2's computer. Mine is dying, I think. So I may or may not be here over the weekend. Be good!

To bed now!

I noticed you're coming down again, Susan. Way to go!!!

Hi everyone!

I hear you guys on the complacency issue. Now that I'm at a comfortable weight, I've refocused my goal from losing weight to improving my fitness, building muscle. It helps me stay motivated when the scale doesn't move so much anymore.

But recently, I've really begun to see the results of months of hard work... eating vegetables at every meal and working out most days. I'm so excited to be here again! How I've missed you, fit body! I feel different when I move, walk, bend over, run... more compact, my core feels strong, and my clothes seem to fit better.

There were days when I didn't believe I could ever be in this shape again, even though all possible evidence proves that good diet + exercise = fit body. I'm proud of myself for not giving up and seeing the BIG picture. I feel like I'm reaping the benefits of all those days now. I haven't been in this shape since about 3 years ago.

BUT. Here comes the REAL challenge. Maintenance. The most challenging part for me. And with the holidays coming, *gulp*, it will be a true test of my commitment to staying healthy. I will definitely be needing the featherweights' support to make it through!

Nice to meet all of you newbies!

I, too, think that one of the main differences between now and when I had more to lose was ... fat loss vs slender fitness. The details of eat less/move more ... ya know?

I'm plugging along and getting results. Thanks for stopping by Carol! It's good to see you :D

Be good everyone (and if DS#2 allows ;) )I'll see you after work.

Good morning!

My "thing" today is hover, waiver, drop ... repeat. It's a pattern that I've kind of got used to as I've lost weight but it's still annoying. Perhaps even moreso since we are losing at such a pokey rate now.
We work away for days to lose .4 of a pound and presto! One morning after being completely on plan for weeks ... we're up 0.5.
There's no good reason for it and we know it will pass.

Thoughts? Can you take it in stride? Does it blow you out of the water?

Good morning!

My "thing" today is hover, waiver, drop ... repeat. It's a pattern that I've kind of got used to as I've lost weight but it's still annoying. Perhaps even moreso since we are losing at such a pokey rate now.
We work away for days to lose .4 of a pound and presto! One morning after being completely on plan for weeks ... we're up 0.5.
There's no good reason for it and we know it will pass.

Thoughts? Can you take it in stride? Does it blow you out of the water?

While it can take the wind out of my sails, I try to "fake it 'til I make it'. I so agree on the complacency! It would have been super easy to quit 15-20 lbs ago. I looked good, but I look better now. I felt good, but I feel even better now. I actually have a waist! I think it is the complacency that makes maintenance difficult. It's like we have to re-wire our brains to create new habits of eating better and sticking with the exercise. It would be so easy to backslide or ease up!

Good morning!

My "thing" today is hover, waiver, drop ... repeat. It's a pattern that I've kind of got used to as I've lost weight but it's still annoying. Perhaps even moreso since we are losing at such a pokey rate now.
We work away for days to lose .4 of a pound and presto! One morning after being completely on plan for weeks ... we're up 0.5.
There's no good reason for it and we know it will pass.

Thoughts? Can you take it in stride? Does it blow you out of the water?

I know that pattern! I lost 1/2 a pound today :)

Anyway, to be honest, being up 1/2 a pound is so much the norm it never occurred to me I should be bothered by it. That kind of thing is constant. I'd be literally in the loony bin if I even blinked an eye at it.

I have to weigh in weekly because the daily fluctations drive me crazy. For me, a weekly loss of .5-1 lb is really good. But I can fluctuate up and down a pound or so. I have to really be strict with weighing in because of this or else I get very discouraged.

I agree with all of you. The .5-1 lb fluctuations are frustrating. I guess weighing weekly would be a good idea but then all week I think about weighing myself - it's crazy. So, I just keep plugging along and hope all the good things (eating OP, exercising, etc) outweigh (ha, ha) the not so good things (poor choices, halloween candy). For me I guess it comes down to portion control and consistency. Easier said then done. It's good to know I am not alone in my struggles. Also, getting dressed now is so much easier and I am much happier with the way I look, so we just keep on trying.

I'm not sure what I just did but I lost a long and insightful post :joker:

Nice discussion about the ups and downs of decimal points. It's great to come to 3FC isn't it?

Yesterday, I took a rest day. It was weird. I kept thinking I should get on the elliptical for a few minutes ...

What's up this week? I think I'll do more of the same ... maybe fool with my protein percentage ... Anyone doing any interesting tweaking?

Well I had a very disappointing first week on this diet...I actually gained a pound!! What the heck??? :?: Can't figure that one out. I know weight can fluctuate but normally first thing in the morning I'm consistenly at 108.2. This morning I was 109.4 grrrrrrr. I have been sticking to my calorie limit and worked out 3 days this week and I NEVER worked out before. Hmmmm...I'll weight til next weeks weigh in and if I haven't lost anything or gained again I guess I will have to re-evaluate my strategy. Boo. :mad:

Oooo I love questions like this .... 1.2 pounds is only a half a litre of fluid. 2 cups! You could easily have that on board for any number of reasons. Not the least of which could be fluid in your newly worked muscles. This will pass.

You're very wise to give things time before you jump to a conclusion and switch gears. Very smart to wait a week and see! Good work!

Ugh, I'm pretty sure I had my first gallbladder attack yesterday. Miserable! And long! Nonstop pain for over 6 hours, several hours surrounding that of "just" plain pain, and several more hours surrounding that of uncomfortable. Close to 12 hours in all. It probably didn't help that I mistook the beginning of it for severe hunger from waiting too long to eat, and had a big, satisfying dinner. We'll see how far I get on 3 or so hours of sleep today. I'm afraid to eat but nibbling on some lowfat granola and fruit.

Julie ... get yer gall bladder to yer doctor ;) It's attached to important parts of you.

A good day so far my friends. Cardio done. Resistance done. Breakfast and lunch both good. Yup, it's a good day!

Julie - yikes on the possible attack - is there anything you can point to that might have triggered it?

I've been bouncing around on the same pound for 3 weeks now - just hoping that it has more to do with the swimming and things will re-settle in the negative direction again shortly. I had my share of zero loss periods of time this year, but that was purely with changing my eating. Don't know what the muscle's going to do ... I guess I've just learned to be amused instead of annoyed. :)

Thanks guys. I'm hoping it won't come back :^: I don't know what caused it but it's good motivation to eat well, that's for sure.

Thanks for the welcome. :)

I was a little too relaxed over the weekend, and my weight is up a bit (130.2 this morning)... but I think most of that is from high sodium (I had a meatball sub on Saturday that was out of control, and pad thai yesterday) since I definitely didn't eat enough to GAIN, just maintain probably. Oh, and I ate dinner late last night, so I'm sure that didn't help.

I finally bought a gym membership (for the campus gyms - it's only $150 for a year so I had no excuse NOT to, really!) since it gets dark out too early to go running much, and soon it will be too cold. I started going regularly last week. It's so easy - I can go right after work, then head home to shower. Tonight I'm going to go to one of the fitness classes, and I'm super excited. It's a cardio-kickboxing class... I used to go to it at least once a week last year and loved it. I just need to pay attention to the schedule - there's only one instructor who's really good, this perky blonde sorority girl who makes her classes super intense.

Julie, good luck avoiding future attacks - gall bladder problems run in both my family and my husband's family, so while I haven't had any trouble yet, I'm familiar with how much pain that can cause!

Julie, I agree get yourself to the docs!!

My weekend in Stowe and Smugglers Notch Vermont was very nice... but junk food laden :faint: up 4# of bloat this morning :rolleyes: ... Onward and downward!!

Today 5k run, done, gym in about an hour... food spot on...


:welcome: newbies, we loves newbies :dance:

Grrrr.... food has been GOOD, exercise daily, lots of water intake...

So I'm gonna say my 1.5lb gain is due to sodium. Yeah, sodium. That's why.

Good morning!

And yes, it's very good! Just keep going girls. Do what you know is right.

G'mornin' Susan and everyone else :wave: ....

Good Morning! So true Susan, we do know what is right. I am going to go exercise, housework can wait. Once the exercise is done, I will keep food in check. I am going to try and track my calories over the next couple of days, should be very eye opening. Hope everyone has a great day.

Amy

Good morning, feathers!

Another thing that has occurred to me about approaching "thin" that maybe won't get much play anywhere else ... every pound at this level REALLY makes a difference! I honestly think my cellulite goes away at 151.0. It was absolutely there at 152.0, and at 150.5 this morning - vanished. Did anybody else read the analogy of the roll of paper towels on the support thread? That just makes so much sense. Maybe ... even though each # is exponentially higher to fight off, the benefit is also greater?? I'd be crucified for tossing that out anywhere else, but I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences. Does one little pound make that big of a change for you?

I was kind of off plan yesterday. The boyfriend and I ordered in pizza after dinner. The good news is that I ordered a small. The better news is I only ate half! I consumed 1625 calories, which is okay because I calorie cycle. It just means I'll have to be extra careful this weekend with my calorie inake.

Julie - I agree with everyone else - get yourself to the doctor, girl!

ICU, I totally agree!

I used to think it was all about percentage of total weight... so if someone weighed 300 lb, and lost 1% of their weight (3 lb) it would make just as big of a difference as if I lost 1% of mine (1.3 lb). But now I think it's even more skewed than that.

Maybe it's more about the percentage of weight you need to lose to get to your ideal weight? So, if someone had 100 lb left to lose and lost 10 lb of it (10%) it would make as big a difference as me losing 1.5 lb (10% of what I have left to lose). That seems a bit closer... but falls apart when you get REALLY close to your goal (if you've got 2lbs left to lose, and lose 0.2, would you even notice it??).

Obviously, this type of stuff would vary a lot from person to person... depending on their genetics, body shape, type of exercise they do. So maybe it's not even worth my sitting here trying to come up with a general hypothesis. :dizzy: But what else is a bored scientist to do?? :D

One pound totally makes a difference at this weight! Five pounds is a new size. But each pounds takes longer :dizzy:

mayness - :lol: This engineer/statistician appreciates your take on that. I too went down that path of porportions! And I noticed it gets thorny at the end of the weight loss, but it's been so dang long since I was in this range (not to mention I was more of a young adult) that I would have thought I'd remember passing some point on the way up the weight scale where I noticed this change. :shrug: Oh well. Guess I'll just have to celebrate it for what it is and call it a "red line" in preparation for maintenance (may it still be several pounds off in the future!).

I would have thought I'd remember passing some point on the way up the weight scale where I noticed this change.

I think maybe it's because on the way up we're in denial and on the way down we're paying close attention.

Good Morning Everyone!

Another great day without looking at the scale for me! I'm trying to ignore it & assume that with the right plan, only good things can be happening??? :^:

Good luck everyone! I will do my best to do what I know is right - thanks for the encouragement & have a great healthy day!!! :D

Julie - most definitely a big unhealthy dose of denial! I just have to shake my head because this year of loss has been fantastic and not a story of deprivation or suffering ... not at all! What possessed me to think it was going to be so awful that I put it off for more than 10 years? Bizarre.

Hello ladies :wave:

I've been gone for quite awhile. It's good to see some familiar faces and also lots of new ones too.

I guess I've been kinda maintaining my weight (if you call yo yoing maintaining) but I want to get back to work and get the rest of this weight off for good.

I started logging my food in Fitday this morning and went for a walk. I'll also be hanging out here a lot more. Support is a good thing :yes:

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Hi Abbyin! It's good to see you!

:wave: Abbyin :welcome: back :D

Ok, now I've got some time to sit and think and type.

Abbyin ... almost all the maintainers have yoyo'd and regained. It's part of the learning process. I don't like that I've done it ... but I have and ... talley-ho ... I'll try my best not to do it again. I guess I'll just keep trying until it sticks :D

I like the analogy of the paper towel. It's really accurate.

Another thing I've run into is the wearing in of clothing. Those jeans may have started out a stretch size 6 but I stretched them and wore them long past when I should have bought bigger. On the way down, we're anxious to get into a smaller size so we dump the baggy ones and get new and smaller. We probably are the size we actually were when we bought the pants, we just wore them too long as we grew. Did that make sense?

And we stand up straighter and hold ourselves more proudly ... My waist is 29.5 but I can make it 27 ;)

OK so I'm jumping back on the bandwagon. I calculated that with my new slightly modified goal I can reach it by the time I fly home from school for Christmas break!!! So I am trying to keep that in mind and I've promised myself a new wardrobe that I'm saving up for once I reach that weight.

Sorry about the double post but--
I definitely agree that a few pounds can make a huge difference. I've noticed a difference in how my hip/sides look when the scale only notes a two pound difference. And also the numbers play a huge part in how comfortable I feel... even if my body physically doesn't look that different I feel different if 150 or 149.

Weighed in at exactly 108 this morning, yay!! :D I already notice a difference in my stomach but I think that's only because I am eating just enough to keep me full and not stuffing myself at every meal so my belly is not all bloated out and pregnant looking :o It actually feels nice to be a little hungry. Before I was walking around 24 hours with that constant full belly feeling because I never let myself get hungry. I never realized how miserable that made me feel until now.

Good morning. Weighed in at 144 this morning. Best it's been but I'm still disappointed. I'm doing WW points and I keep going over. I just get so hungry!

Good morning everyone! I just got home from Grand Cayman last night and I have nothing good to report - except all the fun I had. I ate and drank like a glutton and didn't make it to the gym once. Our room was on the 4th floor and we took the stairs 99% of the time and I went on a two-tank scuba dive which is a workout in itself, but that about sums up any "exercise". I know I have gained significant poundage - although I forgot to weigh-in this morning. It's raining like crazy here from the hurricane so I don't know when I'll be able to get out and start running again. I need to desperately!

Welcome back, Amy - sorry you had to come into crummy weather! Would love to see pictures!

abbyin and gnomey - welcome. :wave: I'm pretty new here too.

treighsie - I lost too fast on WW when I tried to stick to the points, but it was probably because it was too low-fat for me. The formula treats all fats equally and I get all itchy, foggy, and ravenous if I cut it back too much. I do love the way it teaches accountability and journaling, though.

Carb - way to go! I had to unlearn the idea that being stuffed was the right sensation after every meal, too.

Hangin' just over the 150 line. I've been keeping tabs on the calories, but didn't make the best nutritional choices yesterday. Focusing on a better today!

Another half pound today :) Probably the last for a couple weeks as TOM is around the corner.

hi everybody, sorry i haven't been on here in so long! i've been going through a really hard time....just leaving for my tropical vacation now!have a good week everybody and i'll be back on here soon.
-jiggles

Hello everyone. I had a good, on plan day yesterday but then I blew it in the middle of the night with some crackers and peanut butter :tantrum:. Not good, I know. I've gotta get over that midnight snacking habit I seem to have picked up :rolleyes:.

I'm doing great today, though (so far). Hope everyone else is too!

Abbyin - maybe try drinking chamomile tea? I usually have a cup if I'm hungry after I've had dinner. It fills you up for a bit and helps you go to sleep.

Jiggles - have a great time on your vacation!

Today is my rest day. I wanted to take a walk around the neighborhood to burn ~150 Cal but it's pouring outside. I think I may do some strength training and try out some yoga instead.

Hi everyone! I love tropical vacations, although any vacation spells disaster for my diet and good intentions. I have to work on that!

I'm off to an awards dinner tonight. DH is getting one from the local University. It is a semiformal event (yikes) so I went out and bought a dress. First one since 1991. It was nice to buy off the rack! Size 10! Forgive me while I do my happy dance, because usually this sort of event was handled in past years with stretchy pants and a blousy top.

Small moment of glee: I weighed myself for the first time in 2 months and found out I lost 12 lbs from becoming a vegetarian (mostly vegan) and cutting out dessert.

Not quite two months to Christmas and only 10 more lbs to go! :D

Small moment of glee: I weighed myself for the first time in 2 months and found out I lost 12 lbs from becoming a vegetarian (mostly vegan) and cutting out dessert.

lackadaisy, that's huge! Congrats :D :carrot:

lackadaisy, way to go :high:

misskimothy, size 10 :bravo: On a 5'7'' frame that's very slim...

abbyin, are you up at midnight when you start eating? or do you get out of bed and to go the kitchen at midnight?... Either way, :coach: STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN after supper :^:

jiggles, have fun, enjoy the moment and forget about your troubles when you are on vacation :beach:

ICUwishing, I'm like that, in the sense that even if I eat in my calorie range but the wrong foods, I gain weight :faint: so for me it isn't only calories in vs. calories out, it's also about the right kinds of calories...

Amy, welcome back... Vacations are difficult on the waist line, just get back on track and the vacation bloat will be gone in no time...

Treighsie, When I was on WW eons ago, I was always hungry too, I think it's because it was too low fat and not high enough in vegetables. I eat a lot more veggies now than I did back then and it makes all the difference in the world along with better quality fats...

gnomey. you can do this...

CarbCrazy1181, Wow, 108, I think I weighed that when I was 10 :lol: ... I agree that feeling hungry feels good too, and you know I don't think we can really lose weight when we feel full all the time...

Well, today was very good for me, had an awesome 5k run, it's 4 C, 39 F, and I love this type of weather, I wish winter would be like this all the time...Food was excellent today too....Well, gotta go, I'm off to the gym soon...

:wave: TTFN

hi everyone!

last night I had a healthy dinner of roasted vegetables, grilled chicken and minestrone soup... and then I dreamed that in the middle of the night, a friend and I ran out and got some Popeye's fried chicken! I woke up this morning a bit confused as to what really happened.

Usually, food dreams like this mean that I'm depriving myself, and not eating enough, but this time, I don't think it meant anything. First of all, I don't even like fried chicken, and second of all, this is the first time I've been losing weight without feeling hungry/deprived/starved ONCE. I swear. Every time I get hungry, I eat something. Like fruit, or granola w/ milk, or something healthy.

I usually only get hungry between lunch and dinner, so I have a snack. I think it's because my overall diet has been so full of fruits and veggies and other good stuff, like protein, that I just don't get hungry outside of meals.

I think that's why I'm doing so well this time around, because it doesn't FEEL like I'm on a "diet." because I'm not... I'm just eating healthy, but still nourishing myself while not, like others have said, stuffing myself at every meal.

I think I can continue this for a long time! Or at least I'm going to try my gosh darn hardest!

An old, old patient once told me this "Do what's right. If you don't know what's right ... do your best." Good advice huh?

Well I proved to myself last night that my fave pasta salad bacon & ranch is a "no no" food for me. :nono: I will have to completely avoid this to keep on track. I thought I could handle it last night...I was way under my calories for the day at dinner time so I figured I could splurge on a higher calorie item that I haven't had in awhile. Suddenly Salad Bacon & Ranch is one of my all time faves but it's like 300 something calories for a quarter of a cup. I gave myself a full 1 cup portion because I would still come in a little under my calorie goal for the day. Well ha, that did not work!!! I did good while I was at the table. I finished my plate and then got up to start the dishes...as soon as my hubby went out of the room I was shoveling mouthfuls of the leftovers like a hoover vacuum!!!! That stuff is sooooooooooo addicting!!! After about the third mouthful I stopped and was like, WTH :censored: am I doing?! :drill: PUT IT DOWN! Aaaaaaaaaggh!! I immediately dumped the rest in the trash. Whew. I can no longer keep that stuff in my cabinet. On a good note, the scale was at 107.6 this morning, yay!!! :carrot:

Starting to see the exercise/appetite demon peeking around the corner! I just started actively exercising a month ago, after relying on better eating 100% from the beginning of the year. I'm even waking up hungry in the middle of the night - but no dreams of fried chicken, :lol:! I imagine that it's going to be a delicate balancing act to figure out how to support the growing muscles and still move those last pounds off. More high-protein snacks - step 1!

CarbCrazy - great job on tossing the leftovers! I'm the same way with pizza - I shovel it down my throat without thinking and end up eating 3/4 to 1 whole pie. =b This last time I only ate half a small pizza, but it was after my dinner and I really wasn't hungry...I was just craving it.

If you do decide to make the pasta salad again, maybe you should make just enough so that there are no leftovers.

ICUwishing - I'm hungry all the time now, too. Every other week I make a batch of turkey chili and freeze it. I usually eat a cup's worth before heading to the gym and I feel great. Let me know which snacks you go for, I need more variety in my diet!

Good morning ladies!

Sounds like everyone is doing really well. Kudos to all! I just wanted to check in really quick. Yesterday was another good day and no midnight snack for me! I feel really good this morning. I think after 2 days of re-aquainting myself with vegetables and fruits has done me good.

Hope everyone has a great day. I'll check in later as my computer is running like mud this morning due to microsoft trying to update my files.

Hello!

Oh how I missed 3FC and all of you! I think in all the years I've been coming here that's the third time the site has been down like that. Terrible wasn't it!?!

Good exercise, bad food today. We were busy around the house so we ate out ... twice.

Good morning!

Yesterday was much better! Even when I got back out of bed to find something to nibble while I watched TV ... it was fruit and ps cheese ;)

This forum is a good place for me. I am struggling to maintain, now under my desired weight by 2-3 pounds. Ate a blueberry muffin last night - really didn't want it - and didn't feel great after it went down my gullet. Would rather eat fruit.

Hey everyone!

I was looking over my recent weight chart, since I've been eating somewhat consistently and losing steadily, and noticed a pattern. I tend to lose a bit of weight over a few days, maintain a day or two, then bounce back up (but not quite as far as before the loss - usually still under my 30-day weighted average weight on www.physicsdiet.com). It's like two steps forward, a few seconds of standing still, and one step back. :) The cycle lasts 5 to 8 days... it definitely doesn't coincide with the work week (I'm not gaining on weekends, for example)... and I can't attribute it to calories, carbs, sodium, workouts, amount of water I drink, or anything else. Weird!

Yesterday was my "up day" (back to 129.0 - I love that even my high days are under 130 now) and now I'm eager to see a few days of loss.

I skipped exercising all weekend (Saturday on purpose, Sunday because I had debilitating TOM cramps) and didn't count my calories but I estimate I was on track. Today I'm ready to get back to the gym!

Hi Lincoln and welcome!

It's quiet at work, so I volunteered to leave after 4 hrs. I didn't do much food prep over the weekend. I should do a little shopping and get at that.

Wow, down another 1/2 pound this morning, which is really weird considering I think TOM is starting today.

OTOH, aarrrgh, I am still having a lot of problems with 3FC loading.

Julie - 1/2 pound is a big loss - congrats! I'm also having trouble loading, even with Firefox which is typically 100% better than IE.

mayness - I'm sure if you could also do a daily track of all your hormones, you'd find the guilty party! When I follow plan consistently, I see a pretty similar pattern.

civakas - I have my best luck staving off the munchies with cheese sticks, or something like 1/4c of black beans drenched in habanero salsa, or an ounce or two of meat, or a tabasco-dipped hardboiled egg. I recognized that common theme of protein pretty quick. Nuts work for me, too.

abbyin - there's been plenty of mud everywhere! I hope the site gets through the current rough patch soon.

SusanB - have a great afternoon off!

I haven't been acting like somebody who wants to lose weight lately, but I think I'm back on it. It really doesn't make sense to deliberately do the things that don't end up feeling good.

1st swim meet out of the way, and now I have a good base of times to work with. Back to the pool tonight. No more meets until Jan, so plenty of time to get stronger and faster.

Ack, it's so hard to stick with a program when you're sick! All I want is comfort food & to curl up in bed! Does anyone else struggle with this? :hot:

Also, I'm about to throw my scale out the window. I have a range of ~4 lbs that I quickly bounce up & down in. I wish there was an emoticon of an exploding scale!

Anyway, thanks all for posting & sorry about my little rant. It's great to be able to come here when I feel myself slipping off track. You guys are great & good luck today! :goodluck:

Good morning!

Yes Mountainchick! When I had a cold a few weeks ago, I wanted sugar in everything. Tea, coffee ...

Yesterday is a day I'd like to replicate. Good food, good cardio .... I should have taken some time to lift some weights ... however ... all in all, it was a pretty good day.

And Mayness ... that's something like I do. After wobbling around on the scale for a week, I weigh the same today as I did last Monday. I'd like for it to be time for a downward dip day :D

i'm new to this site, i hope it's ok if i add to this thread!

I have been doing really good for the past few days, cooking three meals a day. My work schedule allows me to be home for lunch everyday. my "weekend" starts tonight, so i hope i manage to control myself better this weekend. Last weekend i got a bit lazy and ended up ordering food in twice, not the healthiest choice! I started my "program" at the end of October and have since lost about 6 pounds.

A houseful of sick people is trying to derail me. My children and husband are sick with colds and the flu and I am comfort and quick eating. Getting in exercise besides going up and down the stairs to care for them is difficult. I am just trying to get through this a hope that I am not next. I am woman, I am strong is my motto. ;) Hopefully I will be back in my routine soon.

Amy

I had a good weekend, stayed totally on track didn't have a cheat day and got plenty of exercise. I'm down a pound from last week but my weight has been bouncing all over the place. Friday and Saturday morning I was down to 105 and this morning I am back at 107.4. I think I'm going to have to come up with some kind of chart or something to see the overall trend. It's confusing to me bouncing around so much. It can get soooooo discouraging sometimes because I really don't know if I'm on the right track. On another note I have been having horrible headaches lately and I NEVER get headaches. I'm trying to figure out where it's coming from but no luck yet.

Mountainchick - heck yeah! Sickness to me means macaroni and cheese. And sleep. My range is closer to 3lbs and I can predict pretty well when I'm going to the top of it - it's when I eat the kind of crap I've been eating lately. Has nothing to do with the calories at all - I guess I'm just adjusted to clean, whole foods and when I don't get 'em, I bloat. Oh well - it's negative reinforcement at its finest!

maenad - welcome and congrats on the quick jump start!

time - eek ... good luck avoiding the bugs! Stay out of the sugar - I just read a study that shows that sugar almost instantly depresses your immune system.

carb - sorry to hear about the headaches!

I'm back in the groove, and at least registering on my ticker. :rolleyes: Better days to come!

HEllo ladies I introduced my self in one of the stickies. Ive had a bad wk for some dang reason...lol! I am up two lbs almost three. I know it can be because Im starting next wk but dang thats early. Since Im trying to focus on losing weight Im going to keep a running log of my daily weights. I think I do gain the wk before then it comes off when I come off. Havent slacked on my workouts even though Im mad about my weight:devil: I was hoping to be be down to 142 by the first of December. Im debating on starting to calorie count but I never really had to tweak my diet in the past to lose weight...dang ole age. So Im fighting with AGE and TOM this wknd....:cry:

timetostart- I know how you feel, my BF and our room mate were ill last week, and half the teachers and students at my school are ill now. I hope it doesn't get me next!

carbcrazy- try to not weigh yourself everyday. Our weights naturally fluctuate throughout the day and it is so discouraging to see a weight gain when it's probably just water weight. I used to weigh myself multiple times a day, it would get me so down! Now i just do it once a week. I hope your headaches go away!

Bablou- I have always found that calorie counting is the bast way to go. writing a food and weight journal is always helpful, and it makes you honest about everything you eat!

Yesterday was another healthy day, until my BF called me after work to meet up at a bar with some friends. A beer was waiting for me when i arrived. GRRR! In Turkey wine and liquor is just so expensive that beer is the only option when i go out. and of course i didn't just have one...

:cloud9: I am pretty happy this morning!:cloud9:

15 pounds since Sept 10th!!!

Bablou ... even if you don't want to count calories in the long run, I'm going to suggest that you do for a couple of days. Use a good calculator that also tells you the nutritional content of your foods. A couple of small substitutions may be all it takes. And we can help you with that :hug:

SusanB - GREAT job! That's a huge loss - it's so comforting to see that hard work can pay off, even for the feathers ... since we're fighting for every fraction of a pound. Thanks for being a role model!

maenad - yup - I can relate. I hang with beer drinkers too. I've moved to the really dark beers because it's much easier to drink them verrrrry slowly.

bablou - welcome!

Went back to eating like I was serious about it, and have been rewarded with the loss of the bad-food "puff". 3# off in 2 days - those were the easy ones. I decided I want to be able to say I completed the weight loss part in 2009 - so that gives me 7 1/2 weeks roughly to take off the final 6. At least, I hope it's the final 6 - I won't know til I get there!

Hey girls :wave: and :welcome: to Bablou

Susan :bravo: on the phenomenal weight loss....

I'm just hanging in there, I ran this afternoon and going go the gym soon...Life goes on...

I did start Christmas shopping :yes:

Thanks to all of the sweet support I received from my last thread, I'm ready to hop on the bandwagon again. This year has been an incredibly long journey for me with ups and downs and unfortunately, lots of yo-yo dieting. I'd like to think that each time I fail, I learn something new about myself and am that better prepared for the next time that I try again. Hey, if I never give up I'll have to eventually succeed right?

Things I'm doing differently this time: keeping a food journal (I'm not good with numbers so I'm not going to count calories, but I am keeping track of my emotions and how it correlates to my eating habits)...and posting in here more, hopefully. :)

I know there's only a month or so left, but I don't want to give up on 2009 yet. I want to start 2010 with a bang!

Thanks ladies for the warm welcome and suggestions. I am going to try the daily plate up until Thanksgiving and see how well I do with that. It says for my body wt and height that I should be eating 1750 calories daily to lose 2pounds a wk. I work nights at the hospital so I already do a lot of pre-planning on my meals. Im just at 1100cals and I usually have an apple and peanut butter around 430am and thats it until I wake up and after a workout. My problem is snacking at work. Which Ive gotten a hold of it over the last couple of months. I went a whole month w/o chips...lol!
So my plan is to try the daily plate and see how much Im taking in and hopefully I will get back on track.

Morning everybody! I'm so glad to see the new folks back!!

Working nights is horrendous! I don't do them any more but when I did ... I toted pounds of crunchy vegetables to work with me. I don't understand why but the crunch is the thing. I also used to chew a lot of gum.

Yenniechan said this ... I'd like to think that each time I fail, I learn something new about myself and am that better prepared for the next time that I try again. ... Don't even doubt it. It's very true. Practice practice practice!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick check-in. I've been really good about logging and not eating junk calories since Monday, and the downward trend continues. It's been 4.5lbs in 3 days - which tells lots about the ill effects of processed food. I have no illusions that it will continue, but I'm just grateful my wagon stopped to let me climb back on! Isn't it amazing how forgiving our bodies can be?

Our bodies are amazing machines!

I think it was at stumptuous.com that I read .... my body is not a burden, it is part of me .... I can't really explain why that had such a profound effect on me.

I got into the boxes under my bed this morning gals. I only had to put two things back. A little Mexx blazer and a straight black skirt. Everything else ... I can wear!!! I may not be able to wear a sweater under it or I may have to wear control top hose but .... I am so freakin' happy, I could just cry!

Wow, Susan, you're doing just great :)

Oh Julie ... I am sooo happy!!!

Susan B and ICUwishing: you guys are doing great! keep up the good work!

I had a bit of a down fall two nights ago, and ended up drinking a number of beers with some friends. I was so bloated and gross the next morning. I weighed myself, and i had gained 2 kilos (4.4 pounds). I am very disappointed with myself. yesterday i had a 600 calorie breakfast to cure my hangover, but managed to stay around 1300 for my daily total (resisted BF and roommates beer drinking and chip munching!).

My mother is coming to Istanbul today to visit for a week. I am very excited (haven't seen her in a year!), but i know this means a lot of meals out. Turkish food is just full of meat and fat, it's hard to find many light options on menus (salads here are generally a complete disaster.)

I'm not going to weigh myself until my normal weigh in day and hopefully i will be back at 57.5 kilos (126.5 lbs). I also an going to make a pack for the rest of this month and December - I can only drink alcohol one night a week, and try to not have it be beer if i can have any choice! Anyone what to join me in cutting out (most of) your alcohol consumption??

Maenad ... Ilene and I have talked about alcohol, just not that long ago. I really enjoy the odd drink. A glass of wine, a really frosty beer, a good gin'n'tonic ... But my weight does not respond favourably. On Saturday evening I had one lite beer and that's the first in weeks (maybe months). One didn't have much impact but ... I'm not sure what a few would have done. And I already know what happens if I have a few scattered throughout the week ... stall, bloat ...

Can you take a bottle of water in your purse?

Susan B and ICUwishing:


I also an going to make a pack for the rest of this month and December - I can only drink alcohol one night a week, and try to not have it be beer if i can have any choice! Anyone what to join me in cutting out (most of) your alcohol consumption??

Maenad I think I will join you! I drink a LOT of beer and I'm sure it's been a big part of why I've put so much weight on in the last couple of years. I never really drank at all before I met my husband. I have recently been limiting myself to Friday and Saturday nights only, now I am making a pact to only drink Saturday nights and change up to something with lower calories...still trying to figure out what lol. I can blow the entire week with one night of imbibing!

maenad - I've already cut way, wayyyyyy back. I really enjoy a glass of wine, or a snifter of single malt, like some people enjoy pedicures and bubble baths - to me, settled in a cozy chair and sipping something excellent is the ultimate relaxation. That being said ... because the frequency and the quantity have both dropped off, I find that I'm willing to up the quality. ;) I have given up completely on a lot of the mega-calorie bombs like margaritas and most mixed drinks - just not worth it any more.

Susan I am so proud of you :hug: ... and will follow in your footsteps...

Alcohol, ugh, if it weren't for that I think I'd be at my goal weight... Wine just screws with my metabolism, also the less I drink the less I can drink :shrug: and darn it all I love my wine :cheers: .... I've promised myself, last night after a dinner with some old friends, had 2 glasses of wine, that I would only drink at parties this Holiday season. This means, the first party is next weekend, after that it's the 2nd week of December.... NONE during the week!

On monday I ordered some books for Christmas gifts on Amazon, I do this every year, so at the same time I ordered The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess for myself... I'm hoping that this will motivate me to do better... I actually like starting a plan before the Holidays, I've done this before, it keeps me focused for the party season, and I don't gain any weight :crossed: ....

Anywhoo, this is the plan...

Thank you so much for the advice. It is hard for me because the social life where i live revolves around drinking. Everyone drinks, and they drink a lot. It is hard to not participate.

SusanB: I try to travel with water, and i notice that if i am drinking water, i do drink less.

ICU- I gave up the fancy mixed drinks when i moved here (a margurita is like $20) but the beer is still pretty high in calories. I need to give up the full blown drinking nights!

Ilene- good to just keeping it to weekends!!

Carbcrazy- funny that i hardly drank before i met my BF as well, and it has been since i met him that i have put on weight. Hmmm, I think i would loose all this weight if i just gave up the drinking!! SO lets make a pack!! We will only drink one night a week! you on Saturdays, and me on Wednesdays (my Friday night)

Today was alright, a small breakfast (300 cals) and a eggplant kabab for an early dinner with a big salad. and diet coke. Have a big day tomorrow, teaching Infinitives and Gerunds. woot woot! should be fun! Good luck ladies, off to sleep!

Good morning!

I didn't have much luck finding smaller scrubs yesterday. Darn ... guess I'll have to go shopping again ;)

The weekend is filled with traps and pits gals. Be wary!

Morning everyone :wave:

Good morning!

I got nibbling nuts last night. I know they're good for you but wow the cals add up in a hurry!

DH is cooking today for the people he sings with in church. I've set a lovely table for 12 and am going to work. He's experimenting with his smoker and the crockpot. I'll probably eat too much. Or if I'm careful ... I'll have leftover turkey and pork tenderloin for my lunches this week ;)

3 pound jump from eating the types of foods that bloat me. :rolleyes: We went to a friend's house for dinner and a movie (The Ugly Truth - :lol:) and some euchre. I avoided all the sugar without any problems, and I don't think there was much salt ... I dunno - I have some potential culprits to keep an eye on. Either way, it'll be off again quickly, I'm sure. :) Today will be better.

SusanB - be strong! Sounds like you have some very tempting tidbits in your weekend!

Hey girls :wave:

The weekend has been excellent :D I am extremely happy :dance: to say... I didn't have a drop of wine :cheers: .... Food was spot on and so was exercise, jogged yesterday and weight trained today... Did the first w/o of the New Rules of Lifting for Women, I quite enjoyed it :yes:

Please be aware … long thought filled post ahead ;)

Did I sound like I was well prepared to deal with the fabulous dinner my husband was making for Sunday evening?
Well I was and I’ve learned a lot from it.
In truth … I wasn’t all that good on Saturday. I nibbled into the evening. I didn’t really ensure I had enough sleep all weekend either.
On fitday, I’ve recorded that I’d dropped to 135.2 lbs on Friday. This morning I’m 138.8.
I can hardly clench my fists and my face looks terrible … squinty eyes! Even my lips feel puffy.
3.6 pounds is a lot for a featherweight. It’s a lot for anyone.
I’m not discouraged. I know what it is. I know what happened. I know how to stop it and I know what to do now.
I also know that it will happen again.
Is it Glory87 who talks about a red-line weight? The weight at which corrective measures must be taken!
I now know that whatever weight I chose, my red-line weight is 4 lbs heavier. For example 125 and 129.
However … what if I’m sitting at 128 and have a dinner like that and bump up into the 130’s. Ack! Grrr … my brain is starting to jumble.
I think it’s safe to say that a very sudden 4 lb leap is explainable and manageable.
A slow 4 pound creep is … um … my fault. Still manageable, but.

I’d love to know what the rest of you think about this kind of thing. Anyone?

It's Monday. Yay. I've decided that I'm going to look at Thanksgiving as just another dinner at the in-laws. My MIL is a very good cook, but she does have a tendency to try and sweeten everything way too much. Sweet is not a sensation I particularly gravitate toward ... so I think as long as I watch portions and go heavy on salad and white turkey, I'll be just fine. The bigger issue will be the alcohol that FIL likes to push, but I can deal. They're nice people with hopes and dreams like everyone else. (breathe, Becky - you've got 3 days to talk yourself into this!) :lol:

SusanB - I'm new at being a featherweight, but I'm learning fast that I have a real problem with getting on the wrong side of the 150lb mark. The Maintainers do talk about a "redline", and a bunch even keep a ticker in their signatures with the redline at the left, and their tolerance range and goal. I have a mental hangup with that "decade change" from 149.5 to 150, and one of my goals is to get down far enough to permanently put 150 in the rear view mirror.

And yes ... I had a sudden 4# gain last week. Which came back off quickly. Now I'm wrestling off a 3# gain, 1/3 of which is gone already. I'm getting a little numb to those because I've had them throughout the year. I think what's kept me sane is seeing that (except for the November mark) there's been a steady downward trend every month of 2-3 pounds. I've been a lot more interested in that slow trend than the fast stuff. The fast stuff - oh yeah - rings are tight, eyelids are puffy ... it's the poster child for "I made a bad choice." :)

Chug the water and the green tea and behave yourself. :hug:

Good morning.. hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

We had a friend in town visiting with us this weekend, and I ate entirely too much. I also didn't go to the gym at all, and sat around playing video games a lot. I think I was also kinda celebrating the end of the worst TOM I've ever had. Even though I gained a couple pounds (probably some bloat - too much fast food yesterday), I'm still under 130 (woohoo!). And I'm actually looking forward to getting back in control, which is a weird but awesome feeling. :D

Hi all! I'm new to the featherweight thread. I just reached my initial goal of 135 and now I'm working on getting to a good, maintainable weight for my life (and a lower body fat %).

SusanB-I am your height and intend to try and maintain at about the range you mentioned (124-129). If I had an off meal and popped out of that range I'd just foods more closely for 2-3 days and I'm sure it'd come right off.

I am TRULY looking forward to being in "the range", though. I don't even care about whether I can eat any more calories. I'm pretty satisfied with my food now. I just look forward to staying a size long enough to build a wardrobe, having a more modest exercise routine, and having an occassional treat meal without beating myself up for it!

A quick note about me: I joined 3FC last November and have since lost approx 65 pounds. There have been good and bad months, but I have stuck with it for the entire year. In 2 days, it'll be my 1 year anniversary on here! I'm a married stay-at-home mom of 3. I look forward to knowing you all as I say goodbye to these last 10 or so pounds!

Congratulations Ms Perception! We're really glad to have you here with us :hug:

Can I boast a little?

I had a rough weekend where a group of us went to a charity banquet and after wards there was some dancing. A close guy friend and I were dancing and basically the entire time he kept checking out other girls. He's usually not that careless, but that night he made me feel so dejected. I guess we’ve grown so close that sometimes he doesn’t remember that I’m also a girl. I know it shouldn’t get to me because I don’t like him in that way either, but it hurts my pride as a female that he’s never been attracted to me. I mean, when he has a problem, I’m the first one he calls and talks to and I’m always there for a supporting word/encouragement. So apparently I’m good enough to lean on, but I’m not girlfriend material.

So anyways (sorry for the mini-rant), after work today it started pouring outside and the house was a mess and I really wasn't in the mood to run. But then I thought about the other night and something in me snapped. I hit the gym (before my sanity took over) and did 4 miles on the treadmill all the while envisioning the banquet next year where *I'll* be the one getting checked out. I'm usually not this superficial, but sometimes you just need a little anger to channel your energies and what better way then through productive exercise. I feel great right now and I *know* Thanksgiving day will have nothing on me. I'm a woman on a mission right now! lol Good luck to everyone else getting through the holidays! We can do it gals (&guys?)!!

Good morning!

yennie - you go! Way to head for the gym instead of the fridge!

Ms. Perception - welcome! I'm new at this too - never thought of myself as a "feather", but yes, there is a LOT of good support and knowledge here for the last few pounds. You can whine here about half a pound and people will still talk to you. ;) And kick your butt to get it back off.

SusanB - Was thinking of you this morning when I jumped on the scale and yet another 1.5 is off, and how I'm getting jaded by the rapid cycling too! Maybe it's easy come/easy go. The Maintainers had a thread a few weeks back where they were talking about that same thing - that "true" weight gain needs a couple of weeks to settle in and get comfy, and tends to sneak on - unlike a night on the town, where 3-4lbs can magically appear the next morning. If I remember right, the general consensus was that if you behaved and flushed it back out in a week, no harm done. :)

ICUwishing ... you know you're a 3FC addict when ... :hug:

Let me see ... I think that means we know our bodies and we're mature in our weight loss journey. Sounds good eh?

Susan, :hug: this bloat too shall pass ;) ... and probably has by now... As Feathers almost Maintainers we do have an extremely fine line before going over to the other side, bad side of the scale. As for myself, the more I am careful with sugar, wine, fats, calories the more they affect me when I eat off plan, even in moderation... very discouraging/disheartening to say the least ... It's a constant battle...

I've been pretty darn good this week and over the weekend just past :D sure am happy about that...

Thanks, SusanB and ICUwishing for the welcome!
It's certainly safe to say I've never considered myself a feather weight. I'm not one of the skinny people who wants to lose 10 pounds to get to into size 0 jeans or down to 12% body fat or anything. So, I wasn't sure where I belonged since I'm not quite to maintenance. I'm glad to be here though.

I enjoyed seeing a modest loss of .4 this morning. I've been psyching myself up for a successful holiday weekend, so I wanted to start the week strong so I felt good going into the danger zone known as my hometown! LOL SO many yummy foods there! We also have 2 T-givings (Thurs & Sat), one with DH's family and one with mine. I have however planned pretty much all my meals, though I don't know cals for some. I may be able to maintain through it, but even if I gain a little I'll be okay with it as long as I follow my plan. Then I know I made good, reasonable choices (yes, I'm having one of Grandma's cinnamon rolls and a slice of pie) and didn't let the food control me!

Hey guys....I'd like to join in this discussion too. As of this morning, I've lost 72 pounds and I am eight pounds from my goal. I'm so darn proud of myself! I really really really want to hit goal by New Year's, but with all the holidays, I'm not sure if it can happen. So if it happens, great, but if not I'll move on and lose it in the new year. Either way, I'm losing it. And I'm not regaining. That is my promise to myself!

I've posted around 3FC, but I feel like I really belong here now, and I look forward to chatting with all of you!

hiya, kellost! Final 8, final 10, final 25 ... teetering on that fine line between the last few pounds and maintenance ... Welcome aboard!

SusanB - "mature". :lol: Never!!!! :lol2: What's the saying - age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill? ;)

Major bullet whizzed over my head today - tomorrow is the Operations group potluck (just announced this morning). I will be safely at home, in a dessert-free zone ... telecommuting so I can take DH for his colonoscopy. Poor fella is at home suffering through the prep. He'll be good and ready to pig out on Thursday, I'm sure. :)

SusanB - "mature". :lol: Never!!!! :lol2: What's the saying - age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill? ;)


LOL, I've never heard that one, but I like it :)

Hi Kellost! You should be proud! That's awesome work!

Age and treachery? "Hey ... you! Little stray pound? You come back around here and I'll kill ya."

I was down another partial pound today to sit at 133.8! Yay! I get another smilie on my ticker!! That's all from me for now. Gotta go help dad make pies for the big meal. He had surgery on his hand so he's a little dependent right now...can't even use the can opener. Poor guy!

I'm still hovering from that weekend weight!

Another thing I've noticed is that if I get enough sleep, I don't seem to be quite so plagued by fluid retention. For instance, if I'd been off the last few days (and slept longer) this salty weekend stuff would have been gone by now.

I find that sleep is a huge factor as well. I'm heading into tomorrow with a plan. DH and I are hosting his family for Thanksgiving at our home as we do every year. Here it is:

1. Make sure that I get a good night's sleep tonight!
2. Eat a filling breakfast.
3. Spend more time visiting with family than snacking & drinking
4. Start the dishes ASA (socially)P
5. Send extra deserts home with others

We'll see how I do. :)

Some of my best cozy family chats have been over holiday dish washing :D

Wishing all the Chicks a lovely, thankful Thanksgiving!

We'll see if I can even get this to post ...

Happy Thanksgiving. Everyone be safe driving.

:)

Hugest, jumbo major victory of my journey: Thanksgiving Day ends with a calorie total of 1550. :D I wish I could bottle how strong I feel right now!

Congrats, ICU :D

I have no idea how many calories, as I don't count. I ate more than I needed to, but definitely no binging. I brought home apple pie for breakfast (which is my little tradition that I love), but the rest of the leftovers I brought home are salad (greens with pears and gorgonzola and almonds), and a gallon baggie full of leftover crudite to stirfry with - including broccoli, zucchini and asparagus tips! Oh, and some plain sweet potato, and ok, a little orange pineapple jello with marshmallows. :)

Well, I ate more than I planned today (mainly messed up on the Thanksgiving desserts because I have a sweet tooth) and tomorrow is looking like a questionable eating day as well. Hopefully there is no gain at my Tuesday weigh in! But Saturday I have to be back on track. It's so much harder with the holidays, isn't it???? I'm determined to maintain at the very least, but I really want to continue to see losses through New Years. Darn holidays! LOL.

oh no, what a week i have had. My mother is visiting me, so every night we go out for dinners. Teachers day was on Tuesday, so all my students gave me chocolate, and in Turkish culture it would have been rude to not except and eat in front of them. Yesterday was thanksgiving, which my mother and i prepared and ate. Today is the first day of the Muslim Holiday Kerbam Byram, and i have to go to a feast for it. i know all my favorite Turkish food will be there, none of it very healthy. I weigh about 127 still, however, I feel like a useless blob.

I need some new goals. I need some motivation.

ICU, I wish I had your resolve. Congrats for staying OP!

I know that I overate, but we did have fun. I did have a smaller but filling breakfast. But I ate too many snacky things. I did eat too much at dinner and of course had a piece of pie. But I got right up after desert and started the dishes. SIL joined me as we did have fun. I sent alot of leftovers home with others. I think that we had 7-8 pies and I only have 3 now. I sent a whole pumpkin pie with SIL's fiance's DS15 along with a package of buns and croissants that MIL brought.

After everyone left I finished the cleanup, I went upstairs and took a long hot bath. I had planned to go back downstairs to talk to my family (and the leftover chocolate chip cookies were calling to me) but I was too tired. I went to bed instead. Today I'm back on track. I've already ridden my bike for 30 minutes this morning. I wish the gym was open, I'd love to do my regular weight training...

:welcome: Kelost, 72 lbs :bravo: that is amazing!!

This morning I was down to 155 :dance: ... even with a glass of wine last night :cheers: .... Now let's see if I can stay there for the weekend.

The plans for the weekend are a 5k race on Saturday morning and a Christmas party Saturday night, it's a buffet supper so I should be able to make good choices... lotsa salad and a protein... no desert, no white carbs... We'll see how it goes...

Here's a couple of really bad pictures. Clothes are fitting, I'm getting stronger, and there's just a last few trouble spots that may or may not go away in the next few pounds. Man, I wish I'd gutted it out and taken some "befores" ...

ICU, you look just great! :)

Great pics, ICU! I hear ya' on feeling like I have problem spots. Thighs and belly are basically my bad areas. I'm not sure if they will ever go away, either. I tell myself it's a lot better than it used to be, and nobody is ever really perfect. I feel pretty good in clothes lately, but shorts and swimwear are a little more difficult. I'll probably never feel completely comfortable in a swimsuit, but who does, really?

Thanks, Julie and kellost! I was feeling "featherweight" when I took those - I looked in that mirror and was thinking, geez, what an amazing difference, I only want to lose just a couple more, but don't really need to... Then I was trying to remember the last time I was happy with how I looked ... and I couldn't! Not when I was in HS, at 125 lbs, not in college in the 130's, not just after my son was born when I went from 172 to 145 in the span of 3 days ... it occurred to me that right now, I have more inner contentedness then at any other point in my life. It's going to be tough to top 2009!

It's going to be tough to top 2009!

Oh, but you will :)

I was pretty surprised to lose a pound this morning! That makes me a half pound lighter than my lowest weight this past spring, before I gained five pounds. But ... I've only just started exercising again, so I may be lighter, but not smaller. Here's hoping to see some muscle next month :).

Snacks, snacks, snacks. I've been too "snacky" today! The closer I get to goal, it seems the more I mess up on snacking. It's like, I feel good with where I am, so losing the pounds isn't as much as a priority as it should be. But I DO want to lose and make it to goal!!! Sigh..tomorrow is another day!

ICU, your pics are awesome!! We are really our own worse critics, because I think you look beautiful in those pictures, I see no flaws at all...

I had a wonderful two days, DH and I left yesterday and came back today, I know I will pay with the scale number tomorrow :rolleyes: ...

Snacks, snacks, snacks. I've been too "snacky" today! The closer I get to goal, it seems the more I mess up on snacking. It's like, I feel good with where I am, so losing the pounds isn't as much as a priority as it should be. But I DO want to lose and make it to goal!!! Sigh..tomorrow is another day!

Kellost, I'm right alongside of you. Too many yummy leftovers at my house! I spent Friday & Saturday "resting" from Thanksgiving at my house. I should know better than that. Yesterday we went to the Vikings vs. Bears game and I literally dove into the kettle corn... I'm up 2 lbs today, not surprisingly.

ICU, you look awesome in your pics. I understand the longing to lose a few more but being perfectly happy where you are at.

Morning!

The last week has been hard. I don't really know why. I either had a really good day or a horrible day. Mostly mindless scarfing of inappropriate foods :o

I'm beginning to think that that 135 was a fluke. Most of the time lately I've been hovering around 137-138. Ick.
I'm not sure why any of that makes a hill o'beans difference. I wore my little suit to church yesterday and got all kinds of compliments and encouragment.

Aren't we featherweights hard to please???

Are you all making a plan for December?

Susan, your 135 is my 134! Just relish the fact that you looked awesome in your suit. Nobody knows the number on your scale. They just know that you look great! And think about it, mindlessly scarfing inappropriate food (just like me), and we are still looking good! I think that we need to get over ourselves and just try to stay "in the range". Today I'm at the top of my "range". By Friday I should be back in the middle of my "range" of 134-137.

Maybe I'm starting to talk more like a maintainer here...

Hello all! I enjoyed my Thanksgiving out-of-town weekend very much. I made good reasonable choices up until last night. I ate horribly, but one meal out of the 4-day weekend is better than I've done in the past. I didn't bother weighing today since my rings were tight and I knew that meant major retention. I'll weigh tomorrow and see what damage I've done.
I'm trying to decide what to shoot for in December... I'd like to see a few pounds go, but I may shoor more for inches lost or something to keep the focus off the # on the scale and more on consistant exercise. I'm not sure yet.

I had a good weekend but because of the wine it showed on the scale this morning... So I'm working on those 3 lbs yet again...

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving holiday...I've been MIA because my mother was in town visiting from Germany so I didn't have much time for the computer. I did good over the long weekend, my mom is also dieting so that was a big help, we were looking out for each other the whole time lol. I got down to 104.2 but this morning I was back at 106.4....not sure if it was what I ate or water weight...I'm guessing water. Hopefully lol. I didn't exercise at all while my mom was here so I'm looking forward to a nice jog after work today. I feel so much better when I at least get out in the fresh air a little!

Here's the new thread for December gals.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/featherweights/187280-featherweights-plan-chat-december.html

What have you been planning?