Carter: Glad you are back on track with your coffee guy. I like to see him! What do you do with the roller? I think I've seen those at the gym, but not sure. I have heard others talking about using a roller after injuries, but I didn't know what they do.

Easily Amused: Wow! That was a lot of steps yesterday! Good for you! I know it can be frustrating to have to postpone workouts because of injuries. I've been holding my breath during this weight loss challenge, hoping everything stays together for me. Only 11 more days. Hope you are feeling better now.

Went to body pump today. I had grabbed a different t-shirt than the ones I normally wear and I didn't notice until I was there that it had some stains on it. It looked like grease spatters from frying something. So, I was totally self-conscious about it for the entire class. Guess I'll remember not to wear that one!

Have a great day everyone!

Hope everyone is having a good day so far!

Nothing new on this front, still same weight thanks to TOM and alcohol. Still working out and food is great so far.

Take care of yourselves, please including tennis elbows and crunchy knees, too.

Nothing new here either. I took a peek at the scale and it hasn't moved. I'm hoping it will by Monday. Kinda wanted to see the 260's........ Hopefully it is just TOM. I have to remember that I've had a few good weeks of losses. I might not this week. But... I don't have to like it.

Have a good weekend!

Hi kids!

Slashnl and Easily Amused: Using the foam roller is like giving yourself a deep tissue massage. It hurts like a mofo! But, I have been told that the kind of knee pain I experience is due to tightness in the muscles of my legs (which I believe, because I lift hard and don't stretch nearly enough), and that the foam roller is a good way to release that tightness and increase functional strength and range of motion.

I like this video that demonstrates a full-body rollout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khC5J1lkC7s

I just do what she says to do, and when I find a spot that hurts I force myself to roll on it until I yelp. It makes me feel like a piece of veal being hammered into carpaccio by a tenderizing mallet.

Anyway. Slashnl, best of luck for an easy weekend and a fierce finish to the competition.

Easily Amused: " I guess if I hadn't been working so hard, I could have gained 7... " Exactly! It drives me crazy but my daily weight fluctuations are big enough to mask up to a month's worth of actual fat loss. The result is that I never lost monotonically, a little bit each week - always in fits and starts, and always with bounces in between. If you have been on plan, you have burned the fat, even if your net weight isn't quite showing it yet. It just means you are due for a whoosh!

I have been reasonably on-plan this week - compared to how it could have been, at least, I did fine: No binges despite tremendous urges for them. I somehow have been able to veer myself toward the right choice even if at the last minute. Now to keep that up through the weekend ...

Good luck and good strength to all.

Pepper jack cheese, my favorite!!!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. Yesterday, I went to a wine gathering at a winery about an hour away. It was nice to relax and socialize with some friends. I tried something new- cranberry wine. I normally do not like red wine but this was really good. I'm looking forward to going again when the weather is warmer to have a wine slushie.

Well, I just wanted to check in for a bit before I get back to finishing up my study guide for Sociology and homework for math as well. Happy Sunday to all!

Hi all! Just checking in.

Carter: Ok, that's what those rollers are for at the gym. Now I get it. I can see how that would help! Or hurt... fine line!

I had a great workout yesterday, so that was nice. And then, this morning, I was talking to my son, he's 17. We were talking about this last week of the challenge at work, with weigh-in on 4/1. He was giving me all kinds of support to do whatever it takes and leave nothing on the table to give it my all. I told him that I was planning to so that I have no regrets. Win or lose, I want all out effort this week. If I don't win, ok, but I want to feel like I gave it my all. He told me that after the challenge is over, that I shouldn't scale back too much because then I might lose too much intensity. I agree. I'm going to try to not talk about weight loss everyday with my family once this is over, but I want to keep the workouts and effort up. That's my goal.

Well, enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Sounds like a great idea, Diane. Oh boy, I really hope you win but like you said, as long as you gave it your best. Keep up the awesome work!

Easily_Amused- Sh!t happens.. Hope you get to feeling better sometime today! I'm the same- I do so much better during the week too. Have a great OP day too! How was Hangover 3, BTW?

Cranberry wine is pretty interesting taste-wise, a little bit tart but not too bad. I'm looking forward to trying the peach wine next time we go.

Have a great day and week, all!!!

Well, lost 1.8 pounds. So close to breaking through a decade, but no.... I got on the scale 3 times and it wouldn't go below, so I'll take it. Hopefully, next week.

Easily Amused: Hope you're feeling better. Although it is good at the time, sometimes our bodies make us pay! But, back to the week and staying on plan.

Amandie: Hope studying is going well for you! No fun!!!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Regaining Control Challenge Level: 12.

I need distraction strategies because I am currently bored and all I can think about it lunch (even though I am not physically hungry!)

Easily_Amused- 8 miles? Wow, is that from walking or running? I wonder how I can figure out how many miles if any I've done on my elliptical. It's my preferred form of exercise, less stress on the knees too. I'd love to get a recumbent or some sort of exercise bike, provided that the seat is comfortable of course!

SRT4852- Knitting, crocheting, chewing gum, surfing the net (including 3fc, cracked, oddee, reddit, imgur, etc) definitely helps distract me. Anything that keeps your mind and/or hands busy!!! If all fails, bring veggies with you to munch in like carrots, celery, cukes, etc. Hope that helps!

Diane- Way to go on the 1.8!!! That just means you should be in the next lower decade with the next weigh-in!!!!

I finally got down to 160.8, 1 pound up right now. The next time I weigh in, hoping to see 159.7 or below!

Amandie: Looks like we're both hovering around a decade change.

SRT4852: It's hard when you can't get your mind off food! I agree with the others, to try to find something else to do right now. Try drinking some water or tea, it might help too.

Easily Amused: Way to go with the 8 miles!!

Went to Body Pump this morning. It was fine, but feeling a little achy in my back and hamstrings. Wonder what caused that??? Almost didn't make it to the gym because I overslept.

Easily Amused: So glad to hear about you being on track and all the hard work you've been putting in! That's A LOT of steps!!! Way to go!

Getting pretty excited about finishing up this weight loss challenge at work. I'm obsessing over the scale a lot right now because of it, so it is time for it to end so I can just get back to doing my own thing. I think it was a good thing to do, but now I just want to know if I win or not. I definitely won't give up on what I've been doing because it has helped so much. And, I still have a ways to go. I have about 17 pounds to go to get rid of what I regained, and then I'll be losing new weight. I'm ready for that.

Had a good spin class today! My legs were a little shaky afterward, so must have worked hard!!

Easily Amused: Ha! Pretty good idea with the battery for the scale! Good job with the walking. It is very impressive.

So... it's kind of funny the difference a day makes. Yesterday seemed like a good workout day for me. Today... not so much. I have felt sluggish all day long. I couldn't believe it when my alarm went off, I was not ready to be up. I almost talked myself into not going to the gym, but I went. I can't say it was a great workout, I just couldn't get my mind in a good place for it. But, maybe some good came from just being there.

I think that while I am excited for the weight loss challenge results, I'm also so ready for it to end. Just tired of constantly thinking about it. And, I will be constantly thinking about it now until it is over.

But, then again, I don't want to get past it and then think that I'm free of it all. I still have lots of weight to lose, so I'll need to keep vigilant.

Just one of those days, I guess...

Folks. I am having a really rough time sticking to plan. I did all right last week but Sunday through Wednesday was more or less one extended binge.

I have been thinking of today as a recommitment day. This has to stop. I don't know what else to say.

I usually take a behavior-oriented approach to weight loss - I don't spend a lot of energy wondering about the underlying psychological causes of my eating behaviors. Rather, I apply empirical understanding and discipline to changing them.

I'm not taking a different approach this time. However, I am pondering why this sudden backslide into binging behaviors. In the six-seven weeks after my girlfriend broke up with me I did not binge even once: It was almost a defiant response, I WILL NOT be the person who responds to heartbreak by falling headfirst into a pint of ice cream. But, as soon as we started talking about getting back together, the binge behavior started creeping back, and now that we ARE back together, I seem to have lost the plot completely.

What is going on?? I don't know. All I know is: No binge today. That's my promise to myself.

Slashnl: Those days definitely do happen. It is great that you got to the gym and did something. Some days that is all you can do and it is most assuredly better than doing nothing. I hope you won't find that at the end of your challenge you are burned out. Maybe recommit yourself, the day the challenge ends, with a promise to stay on plan for 30 days or something like that. It's good that you're thinking about it now, planning ahead for it. Best of luck.

Carter: I'm sorry you've been having a rough time of things. I wish I knew what to tell you. Could it be that you're still a little on edge because of the last break up? What I mean is that maybe you're a little worried about being able to stay together. My husband and I separated for a few months about 10 years ago or so. We got back together, but I know for awhile I felt like I wasn't sure what to expect each time I came home. Will we still be able to keep it together? (That may not be how you feel, but just a thought.)

Easily Amused: Sorry I missed the rant. Sometimes it is good to just let it out! You're doing so well with your steps per day and calorie deficit, that maybe you'll have a big loss coming up soon. I hope so!

For me, today is a better day than yesterday. I wasn't thrilled about getting up this morning, but it was much better than yesterday. I really like spin class and the instructor on Fridays is my favorite, so that helps a lot! It was a good workout and I was pushing very hard. So, long story short.... this guy next to me asks me after the workout if I am training for something in particular. Ha! Um... no. I told him that there was a weight loss challenge I was trying to win. He said that it looked like I had lost a lot of weight and he thought I was in training since I worked so hard at it. (He's training for a triathlon.) Made my day. I don't know him, but I see him there a lot. He's a younger guy, very fit and nice looking. It just meant a lot coming from him, that someone I don't know noticed my effort.

Have a good weekend everyone!