OMG 4 MONTHS?! I totally can't handle that thought. On one hand, it's great because Eric (who is leaving in a month to live in Portland without me) will be back to visit us between semesters. I want to knock his socks off with how great I look when I meet his plane (and again in April when he's back for good). But on the whole "manage my life because Christmas is coming" and "journey safely through the scary holiday season" side of things, I'm not that happy to think about it. I know it's just another aspect of changing our lives be LIFE CHANGES (the holidays happen every year without fail), but wow. I'm not ready yet.
I'm down 3 and some change this week! Finally some movement. But that TOM visit is just around the corner. I DO think I'm starting to learn my body a bit more though.
I'm down for a Christmas or New Year's challenge, but I'm in a thanksgiving challenge, too. Can one be in too many challenges?
Hey girls! Been super busy lately. Yesteday spent the day with 20 older Greek women at the local Greek Orthodox church and we made cookies for the upcoming food festival fundraiser. I smelled of vanilla and butter the end of the day. I ate really well before going so I wasn't tempted AT ALL by the lovely smells of my childhood. They provided a lot of really healthy choices for lunch so I chose tomato salad, amaranth greens and some roast turkey. I had a lot of fun reconnecting with old friends and making some new ones. Going back on Saturday to make more! I volunteered to work one of the food booths as well for the festival, so I will probably be posting how much I was on my feet and all about my aching back. It's going to be fun!
The high-fiber thing is still working for me. As long as I eat more than 50 gm of fiber and less than 100 gm net of carbs (that's total carbs minus fiber), around 100 gm protein and under 130 gm fat, I'm losing weight. Clothes are roomier. I don't feel hungry or deprived at all. The constipation issue I was having when I was cutting calories seems to be gone. The downside is that I am quite farty! I'm resisting the scale. I don't want to step on it again until this one pair of size 24 pants starts to feel really roomy.
So, question...does anyone know anything about or have any experience with micro-needling? http://www.derma-rollers.com/44/skin-needling I know of someone in her 60s who lost weight and is now trying this, with some success, to tighten her tummy area. She lost around 30 lbs, so not so much sagging skin as I'm going to have, but if it works, I'd like to start this now on my "kimono arms" and maybe that part can shrink a little more. Because as I lose weight, this area just gets saggier and saggier!
For a Christmas challenge... Phew! 122 days sounds so, so long to me! All the more power to anyone who can make that kind of long-term goal and stick to it, but I'm certainly not one of them.
As a variation, what do people think of breaking it down into smaller goals that build towards Christmas. Along the lines of...
goal 1: He's making his list (September 25)
goal 2: Checking it twice (October 25)
goal 3: Gonna find out who's naughty and nice (November 25)
goal 4: Santa Claus is coming to town! (December 25)
For me that balances out the need to think long term (especially all the stress and temptation over the holidays) with the reality of how well I do with long term goals.
Walked around a ton today. Lots of standing, leaning, walking, meandering, etc. (I swear they should make subway standing into an exercise class. Good for the thighs trying to balance all that starting and stopping!) And I even took my daily walk beforehand. I'm a sore person, in a good way.
Saw the beautiful Museum of Fine Arts, and ended up at a mediocre restaurant afterwards at which I stayed on plan.
I even planned in a sweet candy for today. There was this very large package that was calling to me, and I was considering it, but I saw the single serving pack and picked that one instead It even fit into my daily points. Hurrah!
Overall, a good day. Especially with being in the city and all the potential temptations and pitfalls.
I have been thinking I want to set a Christmas or maybe New Years goal...so i am all in for a challenge. I like martini's idea, it's cute!
I am so glad to see so many of us marking down losses, learning lessons, and seeing that we can maintain. So inspiring to come here and read about all of your successes...so keep it coming!
Grrr. I just don't understand sometimes. My cousin announced on FB that she started HCG injections. She seems to think that just because a friend of the family who is a doctor developed this 'program' that it is 100% safe and effective. She has always been a bigger girl and to my knowledge she has never really tried to lose weight. All she ever talks about is all the partying she does. I hope she sees some results before she goes bankrupt. She got a little pissy and deleted one of her posts when I tried to talk to her about it. Oh well.
I'm doing okay I guess. I had one really rough day where it seemed I couldn't eat enough. The scale is sorta bouncing around the same half pound. It is a little frustrating but over all I am managing.
I hope those in the path of Irene are safe. Take care everyone
Zinke - Yikes! I'd be concerned for her health. Hopefully, she'll see the program for what it is and find something safer.
Welp. Had Korean today for my breakfast/lunch meal. Very satisfying. I probably over-indulged a little bit, but I didn't leave the restaurant feeling stuffed or bloated, just full. So, I'm going to drink water and I'm about to prepare some stuffed peppers for dinner later on tonight and during the weekend.
We're preparing for Irene since she's making her way up the coast. The good news is that it seems like it'll only be about a category 1 if that by the time it makes it here. Not exactly the worst thing. Still, we've got our bottles of water, and our flashlights, etc etc. Just in case.
My mother complains when I buy too much produce (I'm juicing twice a day). My friends tell me raw juice is just as bad as soda (I don't buy what they're saying and I'm feeling great about my choices). My mother then complains when I juice the produce because she doesn't get any. But, when I make her a bowl of strawberries with lowfat yogurt for breakfast, she complains it will just skyrocket her sugar. My mother complains that I don't leave the produce alone long enough to let anyone else get to it - yet most of what I juice I'm doing so before it goes bad and I let it go as long as possible. My mother complains that there's too much food in the house, but then complains that none of her go to crap is there for her to shove in her face. I tell her have a piece of fruit. And then smile to myself through my gritted teeth.
I also just started school this week and already have been juggling workloads and workouts. I've missed my aerobics this week twice, I haven't walked in a few days due to schedule (I will tomorrow and monday, though, and CAN'T WAIT).And right now, I even have Eric (my partner) here to help with the girls - he leaves for Portland to be gone until Christmas on the 23rd of September. I'll be trying to use this time to settle into a schedule that works and fighting like **** to defend it from all of the other things that want to encroach.
TOM is right around the corner and I'm an EMO ball of mess. And I want to eat anything and everything I can and NOT work out because I'm ...tired. I'm making myself do Pilates tonight just because I need the extra burn to cover my ample backside should I have snorged too many calories. Of course, I was having a craving fit for something sweet so I juiced a carrot, apple, ginger, raspberry blend for this afternoon to cut the need to binge on crap. I got a lecture from a friend that fruit (and raw fruit juice) is just as bad as candy.
Georgia posted this for me when I "expressed my feelings" about my own mother issues. Maybe you'll enjoy it as much as I did... If it's not one thing, it's your mother.
The thing that really stood out for me in what you wrote was the part about smiling to yourself through gritted teeth. There's a lot of things that got me fat and not expressing legitimate anger is certainly one of top five.
I'm not saying that going off on your mother (or anyone else for that matter) is the way to go here. How you process and express your feelings is totally on you. For me it came down to setting boundaries with people - if you talk to me in soandso way, I will do suchandsuch; if you choose x, I will choose y.
Congratulations on making it through the day without a binge and keep on enjoying your juices!!
I actually decided to work out post wank. I did NIA (which I rarely don't do at night because aerobics wakes me up TOO much and i can't sleep - but I had no issues last night). I went for my power walk this morning and already I can feel myself shifting back to a more empowered and less whiney headspace.
Where are these people getting their information on about fruit??!!! Wyllowbelle, they are nuts!!!
I'm so sorry to hear about the crap you're being dished. Makes me mad that they're picking on you! OMG!!! You're eating so healthy and they're picking on you! I don't know what it is, but the moment someone starts making healthy changes in their lives, the people around them seem to turn into haters in one form or another. Changes cause a ripple effect, and there seems to be a lot of negative energy around from external sources. Stay strong Wyl!!! We're here for you!
I decided to start juicing too. I'm starting today in fact! I'm very nervous about it. I love to eat vegetables, but I'm not at all sure about drinking them. Because I can't pour olive oil and melted cheese on them when they're in a glass, I guess! I actually got a juicer yesterday, and I got a huge load of veggies from my CSA too. I need to pick up some organic apples, celery and some ginger today, and then I'll be able to really get into this. So this morning, before I go to the store, I'll have some cantaloupe.
I've decided to do this to feel healthier. I'm combining it with the Paleolithic eating and the intermittent fasting too, just juicing through the day when I get hungry and then having a big salad and Paleo proteins and fats for dinner. Then one day a week when I'm only juice fasting.
I'll be damned if my mother outlives me because she stressed me out so much that I ate my way through it all! If all the people in my life that needed me to remain unhealthy (for their own purposes, usually) left me, my life would be far less complicated!!!! And I would be happy all the time!!!
It even fit into my daily points. Hurrah! 
This is just a little hill. You'll be here soon 
