OK, time for personals!

Philana Way to go on your biking- it's great when you find an excercise that really works for you and you are sucessful in it!

Dottie I know what you mean about wanting others to notice your weightloss. It always seems to me like when I am having a bloated
"fat" day that someone will mention I look thin..hah

Toni Interviews can be so stressful! Sometimes it takes awhile to find where you belong, know what I mean? Good luck.

Joss Looking at your workout schedule leaves me tired! Good luck with all of that!

TheMane Good job with the Chinese takeout. So happy to hear that you are at 128- you must feel excited!

Krampus Congrats on the contest win!!

Dorian I am sure you will have great luck with your weekend because you planned everything so well. You sure are a great cook from your descriptions!

Turbo Good luck on the party and the BF issues. It does suck when the scale doesn't move- even though you are happy theres no gain, you are still ready for a loss. Hope the scale moves for you soon!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

WELL today was my last day of work for this school year. Ive got a busy month but will have some downtime before I start my summer job July 5th. I had a nice lunch out with some co-workers and I ordered a bbq chicken breast and beans. I was happy to have a nice time out without overdoing it. I did have some bread- gotta kick that soon!

I weighed in at 135.4 this morning and was pleasantly suprised as TOM is still very much raging. I am hoping to stay in control the next few days and be in the 134's by next week.

Right now I am exhausted and ready to kick back. Have a great day all!

Good morning feathers! Finally managed to have turkey burgers last night -- they were so delicious! Tonight we're making pepper-beef stir fry with egg rolls. Maybe not the best thing to have before weigh in day because of salt, but whatever.

I clocked in at 128.4lbs this morning -- which was last Friday's weigh in. I can't believe I undid all of my work last week with a weekend of bad eating, that blows my mind. I've got to make this weekend better, regardless of going to the beau's parents.

---

tonimaroni2 - I can relate on the job front, I should find something new, but I've been here for 3 years and thinking of finding a new job stresses me out. Good look on your interviews, and congrats on the scale moving down.

TurboMammoth - Oh my goodness, you're going to have your hands full with that many people! The conversations you have with your boyfriend crack me up. Like Alexistrophic said, you should ask everyone to bring their own chairs (my sister did that with her party) -- those little lightweight tailgating chairs would be perfect.

krampus - Your friends' blog is so awesome, I can't wait to make some of those (guinness cupcakes look epic!)

JossFit - SO glad to see you're in a better place! PHEW that workout schedule! I'm impressed!

Alexistrophic - I do think Pioneer Woman plays up that Dorothy-in-Oz persona a bit, but I think her blog is hilarious (she can't make as many jokes on TV, her show is not as good) and her food is delicious (if you like 4 sticks of butter -- which I do! Haha) How bizarre that someone would be suspicious of your resume not matching your LinkedIn, that never occurred to me. I work in private investigation, you wouldn't believe how many people who are supposed to be out on work comp would post their current jobs on there (and facebook) while getting paid by another employer. Idiots. I'm sorry your friend cancelled, hope you can make up the plans for dinner soon!

crazygurl61 - Enjoy your down time!! Fingers crossed that you see the 134's next week and that TOM is over soon.

Keep it up, everyone! XOXO

crazygurl61 - Sounds like some stress has been lifted for you. Hanging out with friends is always a nice reset.

Alexistrophic - Wow, I haven't looked at my Linkedin profile in a long time. Thanks for the heads up.

JossFit - nice work on getting back on track so quickly. Wow, how long do your workouts last?

krampus - that video is totally cracking me up.

Philana - 46 miles?!? wow, nice work. My butt could not take that.

TurboMammoth - oh man, good luck with the party. Nobody sits at parties anyway so I wouldn't be concerned with chairs. If you are though I'm sure you can get some cheap folding beach type chairs for the deck. Good for you in letting him fend for himself - from experience though usually in the last hour they coming running to you are are like 'halp!' At least with my husband, lol.

Last night I went to Bikram and it was so effing hot. Normally people don't leave the room but they were dropping like flies. Literally the class was half empty by the end. I was managing until about the halfway point and literally limped along the rest of the class half-assing it. I was disappointed because I'd totally gorged on some chips and guac at dinnertime. I knew I needed to work that off and really wanted to have a great workout. Instead the heat got to me so much I sat out a bit. I love Bikram but when the room is too hot I'm like, what the **** am I doing to myself? Well, it's obvious I lost a lot of water weight last night. I weighed in at 134 flat this am. The lowest I've been in years. I don't want to get too excited because I know I'll likely bounce back up a pound/pound and a half tomorrow after I'm hydrated.

Today is my birthday and all my husband can talk about is where we're going to eat. I've looked at the restaurants and picked one that seems to not have too many bad options. Plus I'm going out to eat with coworkers today so I have to be careful. I had a light breakfast (shared a homemade smoothie with my son) so hoping that helps.

Anyway, have a wonderful day everyone!

Mahhh, feel bloaty and gross today. 127.8 lb which is a full pound below yesterday, but I sort of hoped it'd be better. Oh well, I had a beer (just one beer!) and split a pub dessert 3 ways with friends around 10 PM. Also only slept 7 hours. Maybe that was it?

I did run for about 4 1/2 miles yesterday. It felt draggy and difficult the whole way but I got out there and did it!

jossfit : That is some SERIOUS workout! I love the attitude to have toward all of this. You'll rock this!

Alexis : We love the BYOC idea so much that the boyfriends sent a email to advertise everyone about it LOL God, I don't even had Linkedin... I'm so behind all of this!

crazygurl : actually it's okay if I don't lose for now, I want to maintain a bit, my body is freakin out right now. You seem to do fine! Good luck for you post-TOM weigh in!

Dorian : yuuuum pepper beef stir fry! I love stir fry. They are so easy. And quick. And tasty! Nice that my boyfriend's conversation make you laugh LOL We are a weird couple. Good luck for you weekend, being at someone else place is always a challenge for the eating part! :S

DottieMae : HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYY! ROCK ON on the 134!!!! that is so nice, just in time for your day!! And for the bf/husband coming running for help in the last hour, I expect him freacking out about noon. He's easily overwhelmed in the kitchen LOL

***

Hey feathers!

133.2 lbs this morning, in my happy range, so I'm happy. I went for another 8k run this morning and it was a bit hard, but I think it's more because I went running straight out of the bed, still tired, early and starved. Usually I run later, when I fully awake and after breakfast.

There is 3 people of my boyfriend's BBQ who can't make it (yay LOL) The number is down a bit. We went to costco to get stuff yesterday and we bought a pack of hot dog sausages. Seriously. 50 sausages. I always feel you have to feed a family of 12 to go shopping there!

Hope everyone is having a great day!

krampus : ahh we posted at the same time. 1 pound lower with the beer and everything is nice! 4.5 mile? nice distance! you're getting awesome at it!

Alexis - Wow, they actually look at social media? I suppose I've heard that perspective employers do that, but being in the military I've been so removed from it all. It's going to be a wakeup call for me next year when I get out!

CrazyGurl - I'm glad you get a little break for the next couple of weeks! I'm sure with some rest and relaxation it will make it easier to stay OP during TOM and get you down to 134. I wouldn't worry about the bread too much... that's defintely a have-to-have treat for me on special occasions. I always say that there are few things in life as good as a great piece of bread with some real butter. Mmmmm!

Dorian - Well, I look at it this way; you had a weekend of bad eating, and your weight is the same... that's good, right? Its not a gain anyway, and you got to enjoy some things and relax a bit. Maybe it was a decent trade-off? In either case, I'm sure you'll have more luck this coming week if you stick to it!

Dottie - My workouts usually only last an hour. I just keep the intensity up.
Happy Birthday too! Don't beat yourself up too much about yoga... I can't stand to be hot so I wouldn't even be doing it in the first place! I know you see it as just lost water weight, but still, hitting that new low is fantastic! It's got to be a bit of a motivator, even if you see a little rebound. It just goes to show that it's right there in your grasp!

Krampus - Having a beer and a desert and not getting much sleep makes most people RETAIN water, so you being a pound down isn't bad at all! I bet if you cleaned things up for a few days you would see a bigger whoosh. The question is whether or not it's worth it to you... you seem very social and like you enjoy your treats so giving them up just to see a smaller number on the scale may not really be worth doing.

Turbo - Ugh, I'm trying... it's a bit of false bravado though, admittedly. I'm trying for that "fake it til you make it" mentality.


And for everyone; Thanks ladies. I appreciate the support... I definitely am going to need it for a while until I get back where I was! It's so hard on me mentally (and I know you all can relate) to see that bloat and the scale move up a couple of pounds. It feels like it's never going to come back off!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Today is my last day of work before a three day weekend, and it's coming none-too-soon! Things are incredibly slow and boring around here lately.

I did 60 minutes on the stair machine today and followed that up with a bit of ab work. I was planning on doing a split between that and running, but I ran a bit yesterday and don't want to overdo it. (I had surgery a while back to repair a fracutred femur that I got from running, so I'm very scared of overuse injuries and try not to run more than 2-3 times per week)

Tomorrow after the gym I have to swing by the education office and get some info on when registration opens for fall semester, so I can knock out the one class I need to finish up this current Associates degree. I think it would be silly to get out of the Air Force one class short of a totally FREE degree! I could do an online class, but I'm a procrastinator that way. I just have to man up and sign up for a REAL class. I'm not looking forward to spending two nights a week in school, but it's only for 8 weeks and then I'll be done.

I also booked a ticket to fly out to Colorado to spend Labor Day weekend with my husband (he will be by then!) - and it coincides with the Colorado State Fair! Can you say... "Fried Oreo"? Oh yeah, I'm going there... As long as I don't go too buckwild in July during the wedding/honeymoon I should be okay to indulge at the end of August.

Hmm, I also decided to "man up" and weigh myself this coming Saturday as opposed to waiting until the following week. I know I'm not going to like what I see, but I need to know what the damage is really after 4 days back OP. *sigh*

Jossfit ~ Fried oreos.... Mmmmm.... Good for you for "manning up" but don't get discouraged by unrealistic expectations.

Turbo ~ Lol - I have both hosted and attended "BYOC" parties.

Krampus ~ "only" slept 7 hours??? Goodness and jealous! How much do you usually sleep?

DottieMae ~ Happy birthday!!!!! Hope it's a great one for you. Urgh. I love the benefits of yoga, but can't really stand Birkam. Took one class and I felt like the heat actually distracted me from accomplishing the poses.

Dorian ~ We've all had weeks like that. Sometimes, just breaking even is a victory. Keep at it! Awareness is the first step!

Crazygurl ~ Congrats on the school year being over!

~~~
This massive water bottle is totally rocking my world! It's reminding me to think "drink first" when I'm tempted to reach for a snack.

Have an occupational therapy info session tonight (not so sure that I'm still interested, but figured I'd go anyway just to check it out...) then a ladies meeting. Also got invited out for a group dinner tomorrow by a girlfriend. Looking forward to that!

My only expectation is that the scale is going to be way up, and that it's going to suck hard. I just have to know so that I can realistically figure out how long it *should* take me (based on my normal fluctuations and loss/gain rate) to get those pounds off again.

I hear that, sister...

Good morning feathers! Clocked in at 127.4lbs this morning, which is down a pound from last Friday, yay! Boyfriend weighed in this morning too, I am curious to see how much he weighed.

I am nervous about this weekend, I want to keep in my calories (at least maintenance calories) but I have that party this weekend, and I don't want the beau's parents to notice that I'm not eating much. I'm hoping to just eat light during the day and keep portions very small at dinner and have a tiny slice of the cake I'm baking.

---

DottieMae - HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! I'm impressed that you do Bikram, I went once here in Raleigh and the room was so hot and smelly that I just couldn't manage it, blech. Congrats on the low weigh in! Smoothie sounds delicious, I think I'll make myself one tomorrow for a light breakfast before the party, thanks for the idea!

krampus - 7 hours of sleep would mess me up too, I always get at LEAST 8, usually 9. I need a lot of sleep to keep myself from dragging a$$ the next day. Nice work on the 4.5 miles!! What kind of dessert did you have?

TurboMammoth - Uggghhh you people and your awesome runs are going to guilt me into running. :P Glad to hear the number of attendees for your party is down! 50 sausages, WOW. Nice weigh in, too! You're maintaining beautifully! I need to take notes, I'm not so good at it, I'm just good at losing. And an EXPERT at gaining.

JossFit - I. LOVE. Fried. Oreos. So much that I have made them at home quite a few times. Your workout sounds AWESOME, keep up the amazing work! Good luck with your weigh in, I know it's hard, but it's worth it to have a starting point.

Alexistrophic - So glad your water bottle is working out for you! Phew, sounds like you'll be busy! Have fun at your group dinner!!

Happy Friday, everyone! XOXO

ARGH 129.6 this morning? I definitely didn't eat enough to warrant that yesterday. There was a good deal of sodium in the food I ate during the day but mah.

I guess I'll just concentrate on what REALLY matters, like making it to the gym tonight for lifting, and reveling in the fact that at the big consignment sale I squeezed into a vintage size 6 dress, put on a size 2 Ann Taylor blazer to have my friend say it looked a little big, and zipped a pair of size 4 skinny jeans with room to spare at the waist.

Still, not the cheeriest start to the day here. I swear this scale weighs me heavier than my other one. 6_6

Alexistrophic Sounds like you have a lot of fun things lined up. Water solves a lot of problems! I usually sleep 7 1/2-8 hours a night.

JossFit WOO fried Oreos! Labor Day weekend over here is the New York Bacon Festival, which will be nothing short of amazing. As for weighing in Saturday, good luck, may it be less bad than you imagine...

TurboMammoth Yeah, that's the thing with Costco. I can't shop for myself because there's too much of everything to eat before it goes bad!

DottieMae A low weigh in after hot yoga or after being sick is still a low weigh in. Hope you had a happy birthday!!!!! What did you guys end up doing?

Dorian5 Ugh I hear you. I'm (not even kidding) 3 pounds heavier than I was last Friday if this new scale is right. Barf! The Guinness cupcakes are absolute heaven, I recommend them...

crazygurl61 Always feels like a VICTORY to have fun at a party without gorging yourself, doesn't it? Nice work!

Feathers - I need some support. I feel like I've been telling the same old story for a month and a half. One day I'm back on track, the next I'm trying to recover from all the terrible food I ate, blah blah repeat! I track my weight everyday and my trend-line has completely leveled off because I've been bouncing around the same 3 lbs since May 1st. Hello plateau? I know what I need to do, but I can't seem to find the willpower anymore to see me through to the end of the day every day and I end up going way over my calorie limit. It's sad and depressing for me to think that I've been mentally dieting for a month and have gotten nowhere because I haven't been 100% on the physical diet. I'm exhausted.

Hi!i am your height and I was at your weight around March...I'd tried since November to get below 146 and I kept bouncing around.

What finally worked for me this time was to do a 30 day Elimination diet to help cut out my cravings. At the end of the 30 days you slowly add foods back in. Then I calorie counted starting in May. I never thought I could do it, but doing something strict for 30 days wasn't as bad as I thought, and I never cheated!!!

Anyway, best of luck in whatever road you take :-)

Jossfit : I totally got hooked at the Fried Oreo part... I never heard of it! They really, litteraly, FRY some OREOS??? Nice move on taking a class, you might as well get eveything you can while you're still there!

Alexis : huge bottle of water really help. It's handy and it's better to get a hold on that instead of a snack!

Dorian : yay! 1 pounds down! What flavor of cake are you baking?

krampus : omfg, nice work on the sizes!! Have you tried a size 2 jean yet?

tonimaroni : Aww, that is hard *hug* Maybe you should sit down and really think about what is triggering food for you and find way to incorporate them into you food log without going overboard? Like for exemple, if it would be chocolat, you could say that one day a week, you go work out and than after you allow yourself some of it? Personnaly what really worked for me was planning. I plan all my menu for the week on the sunday and go grocery shopping, so no excuses of ''i don't know what I'm eating tonight, i'lljust eat this (crap)'' hold on in here, where all in the same boat as you! *hug*

***

hey! 132.8 lbs this morning,which is okay and in my about 2 lbs range, and normal after my run of yesterday. I'm gonna eat more today anyway (bbq at my master supervisor this afternoon) and the bbq at our place tomorrow. Anyway I need to carbs loading, I'm planning to do my long run training tomorrow morning. So bread with hamburgers for lunch and rice with steack tonight.

Gotta get going, need to go at the grocery before the boss' bbq!!

have a good day everyone!!

Ughhhh I hear you on this. I'm feeling "exhausted" too - especially since my roommate is experiencing the gym-noob rush and excitement of losing inches and lbs quickly. I'm getting mad that I can't eat > 2000 calories every single day and lose weight, which is unreasonable to say the least!

No advice but hugs and misery loves company.