I have come back to life!
Sorry for the prolonged absence but school got really rough. I had papers due Monday and Tuesday and then I had a ton of reading to do. On top of all that I am the Graduate Assistant for the department chair in my program and we are planning a really large event for this Friday, so I had stress planning all that. On top of that I am the president for our Graduate Student Organization and so I have had to plan and facilitate a few meetings and activities. I will much better after Friday when this event is over because I have been stressed!
Besides that though, I told myself I would not mess up my weekend with bad food and drinking so I only had a few light beers Friday night with my husband. On top of that, I introduced my husband to the food diary app I use on my phone and he started tracking his calories (he only had like 5 extra lbs on him, but he freaks out over it) and that helped because he wanted to eat healthier to not go over his calories so I didn't pig out with him and it was awesome. I went to the gym on Friday and Saturday and did my yoga for weight loss DVD on Sunday and on Monday even though I was stressed I went to the gym and rode articles on the bike, so I was proud that I didn't give up and let myself slide.
When I weighed myself on Thursday I was at 152.4 and then when I weighed myself on Monday I was at 152.6, which I was happy about because it was TOM and all that other stuff and I didn't gain. Then I drank my water all up on Monday and Tuesday to kick that water weight, stuck to my diet really well, and weighed in this morning at 150.8. I am .8 lbs away from 50 lbs total weight loss since I started trying! I want that .8 and I wanna see 149 so bad, I have not been there since probably junior high!! Gotta keep pushing!
Anyway sorry for the long post :)

Alexis- Hey so I tried not eating after 8 on weeknights and I failed, but mostly because I have night classes that last til 9 and they give us a small break around 8 to eat dinner, so I decided my goal will be not eating after I eat my dinner during that break. On weekends I should go for 9 though, I am going to try it this coming weekend.
-I am a PhD student in a program called Childhood Studies by the way.
-Great job with your weekend away staying on track, that takes strength!
- I liked you action plan for eating that you laid out about taking time between bites. I should try that. I have stopped eating in front of the TV and have starting having a big glass of water before my meals.

Munster- Awesome job on the insanity!! Way to go! I googled that, it looked intense so you must be pretty amazing! Keep up the awesome work, I am contemplating trying insanity just from reading how you ladies all talk about it.

Sgregg- I am feeling you with this school and hard to eat and drink when you are in a classroom. I hate that I am trying to drink tons of water to kick off my waterweight from TOM and I have 1.5 hr classes that I spend half of the time thinking about how I have to go to the potty. Not good for learning.
-I also take my work to the gym with me, but the only place I can really read is on the bike. I have tried elliptical and reading but it was too hard...
- I know what you are saying with becoming a snack monster from stress... I had all this stuff this week and I needed a coffee and the Starbucks on my campus has that beautiful display of pastries and I had pretty much no food with me, so I comprimised and decided to do a reduced fat coffee cake, even though I know it has a billion grams of sugar, and just eat half of it very slowly. And it worked, I enjoyed it but ate it slowly and intentionally enough to realize I didn't even want the whole thing.
- I am sorry to hear that people are taking your machines at the gym. I get so frustrated when something changes my plans, and it is definitely not the same running outside... keep up the good work though and don't be afraid of that scale. Down some water and think about your goals!

Rie- I am soo, sooo, sooo sorry to hear about your boyfriend's dog. I love dogs, I would be crushed. My heart goes out to you.
- Keep up that insanity! You can do it! Imagine how great it is going to feel when you are done and you can say you finished it all!
-Good luck being on the pill, I hope that it helps you with your TOM. I tried it and it made me gain weight cause it messed with my hormones and cravings, but you can fight and conquer it because if you can make it through insanity, you can defeat the pill. :)

~~~Alright ladies, good luck this week. The weather is bad here and it makes me wanna not do anything but I am gonna throw on my rain jacket and go make things happen!~~~

Jamie~ Welcome back!!! And congrats on almost getting to 50 lbs lost. What an accomplishment. And great job staying on track with the weekend, to you, too. We all know how difficult it is to do that. Wow Ph.D, eh? Impressive!!!

Hi everyone. Sorry for the lack of posting, I've been having a pretty sh!tty couple of weeks with my weight loss journey. I've had trouble getting back on it, Monday I felt sick, Tuesday I did a workout and Wednesday I didn't have time at all to do it (had an extremely busy day). I also got treated to lunch yesterday and had WAY too much food - ended up feeling full for the rest of the day (and even now!). Good news is is that I've not gained weight, so I'm trying to focus on positive thinking and get psyched to keep going that way instead of feeling all this dread!

Once I start exercising, I love it. I get into it, I sweat, I feel accomplished. But after a stall I find it incredibly difficult to get that motivation back, to get back into that routine. Last night I had a talk with my BF, he's always been so supportive of my weight loss and me as a person, (always said that losing weight was just the cherry on top of an already delicious cake, that kinda thing =p) but recently he's said things in passing like "Can't wait to see you all hot and sexy." He didn't mean I had to be at goal weight/thin for me to be hot and sexy, but I was starting to feel the pressure of it and told him how I felt. He was understanding, reassured me that it wasn't the case, but I told him to lower his standards anyway! I said that this is a journey for me, and yes I'll be thinner when I next see him but I won't be 'thin' and I certainly won't be at my goal - I'll probably be still overweight and he understood.

I think it was partially my fault because I had been overly confident saying all these things like I'll be thin by the time you see me, I'll be healthy etc...so all the pressure was self inflicted but I just felt like I needed to talk to him anyway. To basically lower his expectations of how I'll look! I'd LOVE to be at 150 lbs by February, but 20 lbs in 16 weeks seems like a bit of a pipe dream now. I'm always trying my best, but it's always a slow process otherwise it wouldn't be a healthy one.

So yeah, I'm just sorting out my mind at the moment, then I'm back in the game and going to hit those 160s goshdarnit!

---

Alexis - Thank you for your support, he was a big giant bear! Such a sweet heart too. Try and not let TOM get in your way! How long has your relationship been long distance for?

sgregg - Definitely important not to give up! I'm surprised you hated running outside! It's good to do it though, because if you run an official 5K race (which I recommend, the feeling is awesome!) you'll be doing it outside. I think we're mirroring each other right now, both having a difficult time! But we can do this!!
Yeah, he was a big lovable bear <3. He was such a character, I'm still so sad he's gone. He was an Alaskan Malamute, basically bigger Husky's. He had a fur defect which is why he was so fluffy, but it was adorable. I feel like that picture doesn't capture his size and fluffiness, so here's another one!
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._4711578_n.jpg

Jamie - Dayum girl, you are crazy busy!! Don't know how you cope. But CONGRATS on such an amazing achievement. Hearing that you had a gain, but stuck to your routine and drank loads of water and saw that 2 lb drop is really inspirational to me right now. I just want to lose that one pound!
Thanks for your support, I think it's just tough knowing that I'll never see him ever again but I have lots of happy memories of him so that's what's important.

Rie~ Well done for being back in the game!!! Getting there is half the battle. I'm not in a long distance relationship, so don't really have much to offer. Maybe just take a break from talking about weight with the bf for awhile. Just don't mention it at all... It's hard to do anything under pressure. Maybe come up with specific other topics to talk about (weather, his job, your job, your favorite places to visit, etc.) and have a great time talking about those things.

~~~
Had a bit of a set back last night. Had over 2500 cals (and I knew it was going to be high, too...) Understandably saw a gain this morning, which was hugely demotivating to me. Am trying to get back on track.

Just went for a long walk on my break and brought a healthy lunch with me. Am aiming to get back on the right track.

Hi everybody!

I've been lurking for a while, and decided that being an active participant in the chats would help keep me focused. I weighed in at 144.8 this morning, and my goal is 136. I would love to be 140 by thanksgiving!

Alex - I think we have almost the same stats! I also started at 160, and am 5'8". I've noticed that I've been able to lose about a pound a week pretty comfortably, but I imagine it will get tougher the closer I get to goal. I also played cello throughout high school and college, so I love to hear that you play and teach violin. I love sting instruments.

Rie - What an adorable and huge dog! I love malamutes. Sorry you had lose him.

Jamie - Wow, you're busy! I'm also in grad school, (I'll be finishing my masters in December in secondary math education), so I know how long night classes
can derail food plans!

sgreeg - yay for teachers! I'm in my second year as a high school math teacher, so I know about the long hours and early mornings. It is MEA here so all teachers get a 4 day weekend so that we go to state conferences (or in my case, sleep in and pretend to get caught up on my action research while actually posting on 3FC - whoops!)

Can't wait to get to know you guys better! This is the first time I've posted anything about myself on 3fc, so I'm feeling a little creepy. Better just hit submit I guess!

Alexis - Sweety, I'm sorry, but those topics of conversation were hilariously bad! I've known him for 9 years, I think we're way past the point of talking about the weather =p. And he never brings up my weight so it's purely my own fault. It's fine, I don't talk to him about my weight loss as much as I used to, I was relying on him at one point. Sorry, when I read your post I thought you wrote bf not bff! My bad!

nonnie - Welcome! What are you going to do to lose the weight?

Rie - My current plan includes to continue working out at least 3 times a week (preferably 4 or 5.) This usually means running, but sometimes elliptical to mix it up. I don't calorie count (I found that weight and food started completely running my life when I did that) so I just work on portion control, and I avoid too many desserts. I calorie counted when I was younger though, so I usually have a pretty good sense for what meals should look like. I've been vegetarian for 14 years, and I try to (with varying success) go easy on animal products in general (but I do love cheese.) I am mostly a whole foods eater (Michael Pollan anyone?) and my partner and I love cooking together (he's also veggie, so that makes it easier.) Following this plan I have been able to lose 17 pounds at a rate of about 1 pound a week, so I am hopeful that the last 8 or so will come off in a similar fashion, but I anticipate the holidays raining on my parade a little. That was maybe a little more info than you were looking for!

I also totally understand where you're coming from - in moments of excitement I'll boast about my progress to my SO, but if I'm not feeling it and he brings it up (even though it is in an encouraging, happy for me manner) I'll get kind of defensive because it it one thing to have your own expectations (and the fear of failure that go with those), but it certainly adds pressure when their are expectations coming from those we love most (even if they are unaware of this added pressure and really have our best interests in mind).

Alex - How did yesterday go for you? I love bringing healthy lunches to work and find that then I just eat what's in front of me, and don't try to amble around looking for junk. Good for you for getting right back on track.

Rie ~ :P Hey, gimme a break! I'm sitting at a reception desk in a chilly office surrounded by grey walls and drudge. What DO you end up talking about, then? (I'm really asking... when my friend and I skyped when I was teaching abroad we'd talk about the most random stuff: people we knew, my students, her students, intrigues at the office, stuff that goes on during the day... The last time I talked to her, it was about how she had a hard time getting internet installed... What DO people talk about on the phone?)

nonniebeme~ Hello there and welcome! Our stats are similar, only you're closer to where I want to eventually be. I think my lowest was 129 (for about 3 minutes) but I was not my healthiest when I was down there. I think it'd be attainable, it'd just take awhile. I don't calorie count either. I feel like I get obsessed and end up going over anyway. Do you still play cello? Funny, but we're actually looking for a cellist to play with our violin duo for some weddings... *books you a ticket* Sold!

~~~
Not that hungry today, which is nice... Momma made fresh bread last night (didn't get to have it fresh b.c it was past cut-off time) but had some this morning with soft boiled egg. (Soldiers! Yummy!)

Planning on making a sour cream apple pie tonight. Starting that new gig on Monday working with my friend's dad and want to have something good to bring with me. I brought him an apple pie two weeks ago and it was terrible, so I'm hoping to gain back my reputation.

Weekend plans, anyone? I'm still waiting for something to materialize for mine. Might end up being a deep declutter weekend, which would not be a bad thing at all...

Hey Hey Ladies :)

I hope you are all doing well because I am doing fantastic tonight!! I just finished coordinating an event I was in charge of and now it feels good to relax. Whew!

As far as my food has gone the past couple days, I think I have been being really good. I had a few nice beers with my husband on our date night the other night, but I made a fairly healthy meal choice and worked out well that day. Thursday I also ate decently and did a short workout, I could have done better though. Today I did not so good on the diet because I had fatty foods and wine at the event I was at so... I worked out extra hard today, so lets see if the scale punishes me tomorrow.

On a more worrisome note, I set my goal to lose 5 LBS by Halloween and I have only lost two... I am not sure I will make it. Therefore I have decided to kick it up for the week, maybe moving my calorie goal from 1350 to 1200. What do you guys think. Also, I am going to give another try at not eating late at night so lets see. I will keep everyone posted though, but I feel like I will not end up making it (I will need some strong kicks this week to keep me encouraged and on track, I really wanna meet my first 3FC goal!)

~~~Anyway~~~

Rie- The post you left to me last where you started with "dayum girl" gave me a good laugh, thanks :)
I know what you mean, I feel so accomplished when I sweat it out and feel like I have worked hard. Remember that feeling when you are not feeling like working out and maybe it will help with motivation.
Also, I am really glad that you emphasize that your weight lose is going to be a slow process so that you can make sure it is healthy. I get so sad when I hear people that do crash diets and starve themselves to lose weight in an unhealthy manner, and I have taken 2 years slowly losing my weight but trying to make sure I focused on whole body health. I was so proud when I got my blood panel done and found out my cholesterol levels and all that were in the completely healthy range. Being healthy feels good so keep it up on the good path :)

Alexis- I am not sure if I think that PhD I impressive, it just signals that I am a glutton for punishment! :) It is mostly about committment..
Good job on taking lunch break to pack a healthy lunch and take a walk. We all have days that we go way over and it feels bad when punishment comes in the form of pounds gained, but I like to focus on the days I feel proud of myself and good feelings instead of letting one bad day get me down. You do an awesome job, one slip-up doesn't define you!
BTW what is sour cream apple pie?? Sounds interesting.

Nonnie- Hi nonnie welcome! Congrats on almost being done with your Masters!! Way to go! :)... I hate night classes for the simple fact that I have to have food but I get ten minutes to scarf down whatever I could manage to pack because I am usually on campus all day and have to pack two meals and snacks, and sometimes that is tough to do... and when people bring "snacks" for the class and set them on the table... I hate it... I mean it is nice but I don't want to stare at a brownie all class when I am hungry and tired, not a good combination! :) I feel stronger after I am able to resist though..

So you will start teaching soon? Or do you have other plans?

~~ So for my weekend plans, my husband and I are having dinner with another couple tomorrow so I am already feeling nervous about the calories from the drinks and all that so lets hope I can practice some major portion control! I will hit the gym like whoa tomorrow though... the countdown is on til Halloween and I need to kick off 3 lbs! Have a great weekend ladies!!!~~

Jamie ~ I'm just really secretly jealous of you and your punishment... ;) I've always known that I wanted a Ph.D in something, just haven't decided what. I knew it would have to have a practical bent or I'd go crazy. I went to grad school for playwriting and literary criticism (back when comp lit was cool) but realized that all that schooling wouldn't actually make me any more qualified for anything... so I forced myself to enter the "real world". (Your Childhood Studies program sounds like it directly interacts with the "real world" on a very useful level, btw... Is that accurate? Clinical?) I started in publishing, taught for a bit, and am now getting ready to start a job as an "office infrastructure consultant" for a fireplace company. :rolleyes:

Congrats on the event being a success, btw!!!! It's a superhuman feat that you're still standing and managing to post, let alone maintain.

Re: Cals - 1200 does sound like the lower limit for calorie threshold, but if it's in pursuit of a goal, then I guess just try to make sure that you're getting a good bang for your nutritional buck and take care. I'm in the exact same boat for Halloween: wanted to lose 5, am only down 2. There's still time, but man, it's going to take some focus.

And in a completely not helpful answer, here's the recipe for the Sour Cream Apple Pie: (it's amazing. just sayin... maybe save for a post-Halloween celebration? ;) )

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust
1/2 cup sugar (I use Splenda)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3 cups diced apples

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chilled butter, diced
Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Press the pie crust into and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate.
In a medium bowl, stir together 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, and salt. Mix in the sour cream, egg and vanilla until smooth. Add apples, and stir to coat. Scrape the mixture into the pie shell.
Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 30 minutes more.
While the pie is baking, prepare the topping in a medium bowl. Stir together 1/3 cup of flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
After the 30 minute bake time has passed, cover the top of the pie with the crumb topping, and continue to bake for 15 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned and apples are tender. Allow the pie to cool, then refrigerate until chilled before serving.

~~~

Stayed in tonight and watched Britcoms w. the momma. Am planning to get out tomorrow if it kills me! Even if just for a solo Barnes and Noble coffee date, I plan to be out among the world at large. A church friend is doing a Zumbathon, but I'm not really that keen and it costs $25. It goes to a charity, but dang, that's kind of a lot of money AND going to be all women (which would be fine, but my goal is to mingle with available gentleman, too...)

Cleaning/Organizing is definitely on the docket for some point this weekend. Am looking forward to getting ready for the holidays, too. WooHoo!!!

Halloween isn't a big deal in the UK - it's mainly for kids. And since we don't have kids in the house, we don't buy any sweets. As for trick or treater's, I've no idea if we're actually getting a bag of anything for them! My family got miserable as soon as we grew up!!

I've got the weekend off, and it has been a while since I've gotten it off!! So I'm going to fully concentrate on my health. My Mum offered me a bacon sandwich for breakfast, and I declined. Step 1 complete.

My plan is to drown myself in water, workout, re-visit my meal plan and make edits now that I've attempted it once (using the Insanity nutrition guide as a framework) and generally boost up my morale with some good reflection and pondering on my weight loss journey! I've come a long way, and although my friends and family all compliment me on how "skinny" I look I feel FAR from it!! But I'm not going to let the progress I've made get to my head and I'm going to keep moving forward.

---

nonnie - Sounds like you've got a great plan, good luck motivating yourself and stay positive!!

Alexis - Haha, well we just talk about anything! Films, games, people, work, random things - whatever pops into our heads! Which Britcoms do you watch? I'm planning on going on a walk today too to get outside, the weather is perfect - cold but bright blue skies! I do love this time of year =).

Jamie - Think of your body like a furnace. The fire is your body (metabolism), the wood is fuel (food) and the air around it is exercise. The more you exercise the more food you need to eat to keep the fire going. If you starve yourself of food then your body goes into survival mode and clings onto any food you do eat instead of burning it. I think your calorie limit is very low, just keep exercising, keep eating a healthy balanced diet and drink lots of water. It doesn't matter that you don't reach your goals, **** I wanted to be 164 lbs by Halloween and I'm now 170 lbs. Goals are good guidelines, but they shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Rie~ I love this time of year, too!!! Perfect walk weather (although I just hid myself in the basement and pounded out an hour ten on the treadmill... ) I love Britcoms and have been watching them since I was about 6 -- (our next door neighbors were from Hove.) I love the classics, of course: Are You Being Served?, Keeping Up Appearances, Waiting for God, You Rang, M'Lord?, Fawlty Towers. Also like Vicar of Dibley, Thin Blue Line, Gavin and Stacey, Father Ted, Old Guys... What else? Gosh, just about anything. Got into Little Britain for awhile. Also like the IT Crowd. Miranda was on last night, too, only not so keen on that one. Gosh, I do love me some Brit TV. Just watched Supersize vs. Superskinny while I was on the treadmill. Dr. Christian Jessen is quite a dreamboat...

~~~
So walked out my 10,000 steps for the day. Still torn between going to that stupid zumbathon. It costs $25 and I don't especially want to go, but I don't have anything else in particular going on tonight. Trying to rustle up some friends to go do something. Blah.

Trying to motivate myself to get up and get cleaning. Already done two loads of laundry, but there's lots more to be done around the house. Brrrrr.

I weighed in today and ... drum roll... 149.8!! I was super excited, I made it into the 140's! And I have officially hit my 50 lbs mark! I can't believe I used to be 50 Lbs heavier. Whew. I know it is only by .2 pounds that I am below it, but I am still super pumped!

Besides just that, I am having an outstanding meal tonight with my friends using all kinds of in-season veggies: pumpkin and chicken chili, twice baked squash, veggie stuffed peppers, and low-fat, low sugar pumpkin muffins :) Yay fall! I'll have to work out extra hard in the gym tomorrow but hey, gotta have nice meals on occasion.

~~
Alexis- You know my first year in PhD I really struggled because I had no idea what I was getting into, I was overwhelmed with reading and papers, and I ended up gaining ten pounds :( ... but this year, now that I know my professors, know what is expected of me, and feel like although I have alot of work I know I will be able to accomplish it, I feel so much better about my decision. I am really excited now about finishing up my coursework and moving on to my dissertation
-As far as my program is concerned, it is very focused on pushing people toward going into academia, but my research is very practical. I was an overweight kid, overweight teen, and all my bad habits carried with me into adulthood. It took until I was 22 and my father had a heart attack to get me to realize I needed to learn to be healthy and change my food and exercise habits. And I did, and since then I can't say I have ever regretted it. But for that reason I want to study overweight adolescents and their food environments because I would like to help plan community and school programs that make healthier food available for all kids and help kids that are already stuggling with being overweight or obese (because adolescence is such a hard time already, and having to deal with weight issues on top of it can really affect a teen's identity development, self-esteem, and self-efficacy).. so I would say that some people focus on literature and theory but I focus on programs and looking for change...
-Thanks for the recipe by the way! I am definitely going to buy some apples from the farmers market so I can make that! Do you ever use these splenda mixes for sugars?
-Also, awesome job on that 1 hr 10 on the treadmill! I wish I had a treadmill in my basement :( Good luck with all your cleaning and organizing! :)

Rie- Yea I know I am really scared of pushing my body below where it should be and causing it to think it is starving... I just don't know what point that is for my body. It has been completely fine on 1350 for the past few weeks so maybe I should just lower by 50 calories or so if I want, I mean that is still 350 calories I would save a week if I stuck to it.. Let's see... I bet you are right and I should not push it... I wanna stay healthy and continue to get stronger, not starve.

-So no Halloween eh? I don't much like it either. I kinda hate the way costumes for women are made. I don't know how it is in England, but here in America they make most of the women's costumes very provocative and I don't really enjoy walking around the cold streets half-way naked so.. I never really dress up. I am definitely not having a bag of candy sitting around my house, lol, I will never lose any weight that way. I hope you enjoy your weekend though :) And BTW, take those compliments and run with them. I love compliments, they motivate me to keep shocking people!

I DID IT! I'M 169 LBS!!!
:carrot::cb::carrot::cb::carrot::cb:

Oh my goose, I cannot tell you how AMAZED I am by this!! Sunday is my official weigh in day where I write down my weight and measurements and record them on a chart I made. I figured I would measure first considering that's where I see the most loss, and sure enough I lost 0.4 inches from my pudge (stomach) and 0.1 inches from my boobage.

Then I headed over to the scale, 170 lbs. But not just 170 lbs, 170.0 lbs. That's when I thought "Why don't I take my clothes off?" I only had PJ bottoms on and a t-shirt, but when I whipped them off I weighed in at 169 lbs. I weighed myself 4 times to make sure it wasn't just a fluke, and sure enough I saw that BEAUTIFUL number staring back at me. So my words of advice to anyone now will be: WEIGH YOURSELF NAKED!!

Now I'm in the 160s I have 2 major milestones to achieve. The first is 165 lbs, which is the halfway point to the glorious Healthy BMI zone. The second is 164 lbs, which is the weight I was when I was 18 years old. Once I get past 164, it'll be the lightest I've been in 4 years and also when my boyfriend next sees me it'll be the thinnest he's ever seen me.

This really has been such a big confidence boost. I feel ready to blast through the 160s with all my strength and determination and get into those 150s. The 150s will be an even bigger accomplishment - because 150 lbs is the Healthy BMI borderline. I know it sounds silly that after so long I'm already thinking of those 150s, but now I'm through this barrier I just see the goal!!

Wheeee!!

Alexis - Wow, you watch a lot of Brit TV indeed! My favourite programme ever is Red Dwarf, have you ever seen it? It's a Sci-Fi comedy made in the late 80s early 90s. I've loved it all my life. I really liked Gavin and Stacey, didn't think I would! When you know you should be doing something, or you could be going somewhere, the hardest part is standing up and getting ready to do it. Once you're on your way, you just get on with it! You've got nothing to lose by going to the Zumbathon, other than $25 which isn't that much and considering it's charity it's a win win.

Jamie - Wheeee, we're both now in new weight zones(?! - not sure how else to describe it!) GO US! It's an amazing feeling isn't it?! Congratulations.
Well, if you are 'starving' yourself the more you eat the quicker you'll gain it back because your body will NEED it to function. I eat a lot of calories to fuel my body with exercise and before my stall at 170 I lost a lot of weight that way. Before Insanity I was running 4 times a week and spending 3 days at the gym, and I ate around 1800-1900 calories and was still losing a pound a week.
But the thing is, I was exercising a lot - how much do you exercise? And how much do you push yourself? Because that will affect how many calories you should eat. The more you push yourself the more you should eat. There are loads of formulas on the internet to calculate your recommended calorie intake, maybe you should look around and see what they say? Because age, weight and height factor in so maybe 1300 seems low to me but for you it's not as bad as I think!
Halloween is pretty much the same here - it's a big slut-fest!! I'm going to a house party and dressing up as a Katy Perry alien (from the E.T. video) which I'm looking forward to. Love doing my makeup all crazy like! You're right, I want to keep shocking people too, my family keep saying "You look so skinny" and my friend said "You look SO much better now" and I thank them but in my head I think "You ain't seen nothing yet!!" I'm 39 lbs away from my goal weight!!

Yay Rie! So happy for you! I love your new confidence to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get right back on your working out and eating plan. Are you still doing insanity? The katy perry costume sounds cute and like fabulous motivation to be super on plan until you put that bad boy on! You're going to look smokin'!

Jamie - Congrats!!! I loved breaking into the 140s, I'm kind of a numbers geek, so I loved thinking that now I rounded down! Your meal sounds delicious!! I love cooking and eating fresh, in season food with friends, and good for you for indulging in moderation. It is a lesson everybody really has to learn, otherwise our huge accomplishments will ultimately be unsustainable if we don't understand how to eat healthy and practice moderation after loosing.

Also, your research sounds fascinating. I teach at an inner city school, so we have a ton of minority, low-income and immigrant students. Many of them struggle with weight, and it breaks my heart to have them tell me about how they ate mcdonalds for all three meals yesterday. Even though I teach math, I'm very interested in supplementing their food education, so I brought in a potato, tomato, eggplant, zucchini, banana, sweet potato, etc. And showed them to a bunch of kids. It was really depressing that many of the kids honestly didn't know what any of them were except the banana. A few didn't even recognize the unprocessed potato, or not-on-their-burger tomato. :(

Alex - you're a beast (do people other than my crazy students use this word as a compliment!? If not - very sorry!) with that treadmill time! I am generally such a procrastinator on the cleaning/organizing front, and then suddenly I'll have had enough, and have to clean it all up NOW! haha, probably not the best system!

As for me this weekend has been a struggle. One of my best friends from college flew in for the weekend, so a bunch of us have been hanging out essentially around the clock which means eating out every freaking meal. I've been proud of myself for making good choices, and eating in moderation (I've been feeling sick which definitely helps curb my appetite) but am still a little afraid of weight in this Thursday. I hate giving away so much control over what I put in my mouth. It doesn't help that my friend who is actually putting up my friend from out of town is really heavy and has different taste in restaurants that I do. Yesterday I just couldn't take it anymore for lunch, so by SO and I came back to our apartment briefly for lunch and made some polenta with homemade chunky tomato, zucchini sauce and a spring mix salad, which allowed me to keep it to one slice of pizza and a few tater-toots when we went out for dinner. As much as I love seeing everybody again, I will be glad when tomorrow rolls around and I can get back to my regular routines.

Happy Sunday everybody (except Rie, hope you had a great sunday!)

Happy closing of the weekend all,

Only one more week til Halloween :) I don't like Halloween so much but I like that they play Tim Burton movies around Halloween, he is my favorite :)

Today was a low key day for me, went to the gym, ran a few miles, biked and read some articles, did an arm workout. Came home, cleaned the house, going to do some homework, and then cook some lunches for the week. On deck for Monday is some chicken casserole, Tuesday a curried butternut squash soup, and Wednesday a green lentil soup. I can't decide on Thursday or Friday... Suggestions?

As far as school goes, not much due this week. Small papers and reading... So that means if I really kick it up I can make that goal of 147 by Halloween :) I weighed in at 149 on the dot this morning... Still can't believe I am in the 140's.

Rie- YAY YAY I am so excited for you!!!! It feels awesome to break into a new number!!! Good job :) woot woot for naked weigh-ins, that is totally how I roll too... Lol. And you are that much closer to your goal!! Go for it girl!

As far as the calories go, I try to really listen to my body to understand how much it needs. Some days I eat 1300 or 1400 calories but I don't work out very hard and I don't feel hungry or like I need to eat. Other days I work out hard and I eat back some of the calories I burn. So basically I have tried to become more attuned to separating hunger from cravings and listening to my body when it says it is full, so when I feel as though my body is deprived I eat, but I try not to let myself eat out of boredom or cravings (although during TOM or when I am ultra stressed I fail at this)... So I will definitely be careful because I don't want to ruin my metabolism.

And as far as your costume goes, what a clever idea... Mine are always super lame so.. Go you for going for it, I bet you'll rock it out

Nonnie- You're right I can round down!! Lol ...

About your kids at school, wow yea that makes me really sad. I find it unacceptable that kids don't have the opportunities to encounter healthy foods. It's especially unfair to poor and minority students. Lately I have been studying policy surrounding farm to school movements in order to see how well they work because I think kids should walk into lunch rooms and see fresh fruits, real veggies, and it should not have been shipped from 1000 miles away. I admire that teachers like yourself try to make up for this disparity by going out of your way to do something about it within your classes. Go you for being proactive! I hope that soon school and districts will start stepping up more because teachers shouldn't have to foot the bill for teaching kids about veggies and fruits, the school, should make it a priority.

I hope you made it through your weekend with friends fairly unscathed. It is hard to say no to a good time, and even harder to make good choices while out. I am glad to hear you found ways to make things healthier.

And now back to the homework... Ugh.. I hope you all have a happy Monday! :)

Hey ladies. Sorry, I've been MIA these last few days. I just haven't been up to chatting lately. I guess it has to do with staying so busy lately. Just thinking about doing my school work makes me sleepy...not to mention all the cleaning my house needs...sigh...never ending! I have been reading though and trying to keep up with what's going on.

Rie - Congrats on finally getting out of the 170's!!! Woohoo!! :carrot:

Jamie - Way to go for getting that weight down!! You go girl! I know how hard it is dealing with school and trying to lose weight...keep going...you are my motivation! If you can work on a doctorate and lose it then I can definitely do it while working on a bachelors.

nonnie - What grade(s) do you teach? I'm in my senior year in elem. ed. We see a lot of low-income students too since I live in the poorest state (Mississippi).

Anyway, I have GOT to get my water in this week. I'm going to set a goal to get it in every day...at least 6 cups...I will definitely drink more if time allows. 6 is usually a good amount for me to get back in the habit....and then I seem to not be able to get enough and start drinking 10 and 11 in a day. Also, I think I can handle 6 while student teaching without having to go the bathroom too many times. Then, I can get my other 2 in after I get home from the school. Okay, I'm just rambling now, so I guess I better go. Hope everyone has a good Monday! Oh, I just realized that this Wednesday is supposed to be my measuring day...eeek! I'm going to do it anyway even though my eating hasn't been that great and I haven't really lost much weight this month...but oh well. It's a life-long process, right?

Jamie ~ HURRAY!!!! For breaking into the 140s. Re: gaining weight... I've heard horror stories like that from my friend who's doing her Ph.D in Medieval Studies. A few of her friends have gained 50+ while prepping for comps. Your area of concentration sounds amazing, too. So applicable and useful to the world at large.
I've never tried the Splenda mixes because I really can't tell the difference between straight Splenda and sugar at this point. Especially in a recipe.

Rie ~ lol... I LOVE Red Dwarf! (Even own the "smeg ups" VHS) Have an ongoing joke w. a friend: "What would you say to a glass of drinking chocolate?" "Drinking chocolate, get me out of here!" If it's British and been on TV, I've probably seen it, although I'm always on the lookout for recommendations!
Congrats on YOUR new weight decade, too! Post pics of your Halloween costume. It's sounds stellar.

Nonnie ~ Sounds like you managed to have fun AND keep your cals reasonable. It's always a challenge, but well done! And yes, I will take being called a "beast" like that any day. ;) Thought about it as I was on the treadmill today.

Shauna ~ That's the thing with cleaning... there's always something to be done. My own unofficial motto is: "It'll still be dirty tomorrow." Good luck with the water! That sounds like an achievable goal (and I find that it helps me drop weight, too...)

Shauna, Nonnie, Jamie ~ Re: Fresh food in low-income areas - I've even noticed (and I'm sure there have been several studies done on this) that produce is more expensive in lower income areas. I went grocery shopping in a more "urban" area near a temp job site and the produce and dairy was easily double what it would have been closer to where I live (not upper class, by any means, but more upper middle than lower...) Injustice at its height.

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Been kind of a low-key weekend. Pretty much stayed in for most of it. Feeling a bit lazy and disconnected. Three good friends have recently moved away and I feel like I'm missing a bit of a support system. Trying to build a new one, but it's proving a challenge.

Start a new job tomorrow helping a friend's father with admin for his business. "Office infrastructure specialist" is what I'm calling myself. :rolleyes: But I'm a bit apprehensive because it's just going to be me alone in his home office. I'm a natural introvert, but I find that I do need some kind of human contact to keep from going batty! Will have to start making a concerted effort to get out there and build relationships.

Happy close of weekend, everyone!

*spams thread*
Just checking in here...
Feeling kinda down on myself. Saw a sudden jump from TOM water weight, but unfortunately used that as an excuse to eat whatever the heck I wanted b.c I'm just going to end up gaining anyway... Booo, self. You know better than that.

First day at work went fine, but am also having horrible allergy symptoms from the dust and pet dander in the home office. Trying to schedule coffee/lunch dates with friends, but even that is proving challenging... Grrr...

Just need to keep myself in line and accountable. At this point, would have to resort to extreme measures to get to 150 by the end of the month (in 5 days...) Time to kick it up, I guess...

Hi everybody! Good week here. Loved getting to hang out with old friends this weekend, and finally feel like I’ve beaten some bad habits (like grabbing sweats after dinner, after school, basically whenever I want!) so I’m feeling a little bit more like this weight loss thing is totally manageable. Made yummy cabbage, broccoli, ginger, cashew and mock duck stir fry for dinner. Planning on weighing in tomorrow morning so that I can get a sense for where I’m at after this weekend, but when there is still time to get in a few really good eating and exercising days before official weigh in on Thursday morning.

Jamie – a curried butternut squash soup sounds fabulous! My SO and I handmade whole wheat butternut squash ravioli with a sage browned butter sauce that was amazing. I can never get enough squash this time of year!
It must be very relieving to have a slower week after last week. I hope you can take plenty of time to relax and get ahead on cooking. I love freezing portioned leftovers for a delicious and nutritious lunch (plus it is always fun to introduce my kids to food that is not artificially colored, and yet manages to look colorful!) I totally agree about school lunch programs and education surrounding food. For an interdisciplinary project some other master’s students and I had to propose for a class, we designed a project on urban farming. I would love to actually do something like that with kids some day!

Sgregg – I teach math at a secondary alternative learning center. I have mostly 16-21 year olds, who have been unsuccessful in the traditional setting for whatever reason. We have a lot of student there because of often multiple previous expulsions, drug abuse problems, pregnancies, jail time, etc. Always something new every day! At least I’ll never be board at work ;) I totally admire elementary school teachers, as I’ve never been particularly good at managing masses of (or even 1) 5 year old(s)! Go you! When are you done student teaching then?
Good for you for setting a goal with the water consumption. I totally understand about how hard it is to drink as much water as you would like while being a teacher, I feel like I am always running around at school, but never more so when I essentially hobble/gallop frantically down the hall during passing time to pee (yet again!)

Alex – I totally agree about how it is criminal about how hard it is to find healthy and affordable in low income areas. Especially as our government subsidizes massive amounts of crap processed foods (corn and soy) while the price of vegetables just keeps going up. Grumble grumble.
Sorry to hear that your food this week isn’t panning out as you’d planned. It is really hard not to get discouraged by an upward movement in the scale. Around TOM I always prep myself mentally before stepping on it so that I don’t lose focus even though it usually registers several pounds of facetious gain.
Love the idea of trying to get out with friends for some non-food related activity to get your mind off of it, but I totally know how much it sucks to have friends move away. My undergrad university had less than 15% in state students and more than 20% international students, so while college was an amazing, exhilarating, eye-opening experience, many of us scattered after graduation which is a huge bummer. Try not to worry too much about your time frame. You’re here and you’re staying accountable and that’s what’s going to matter to take AND keep the weight off. Baby steps, my dear – you’re doing fabulously!

Sorry for yet another verbose post!

nonnie ~ Love your "verbose posts"! Lol! What'd you use for "mock duck" ? My mom's a big fan of TVP, but I can't stand the stuff.

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Managed to get in 2 miles before work which jazzes me to no end (Of course, I'm really wondering why I couldn't have woken up earlier and gotten in a full 5 miles, but I'm trying to tell that critical voice to sit down and be quiet...)

Off to work!

I FEEL LIKE A CONQUEROR

So yesterday we had a reception for a professor who won an award and they had a delicious looking chocolate cake, cookies, and banana bread, and champagne, and I resisted the snacks!!! I watched people eat it and knew I was saying no because I wanted to meet my goal, and when I left I felt so much better. Not that I would not have had a small bit if it weren't trying to lose 2 lbs by Monday, but I just felt really strong knowing I could say no and my world would not end...

Other than that my life is pretty boring. Homework. Reading. Working out. I am thinking about if I will do anything for Halloween because I have two papers due at the beginning of the week next week, so... downer :(

I weighed in this morning, still holding strong at 149, so that is good. I will be excited when I see 148, even if it is 148.9... lol. So let's see. Gonna go do an awesome workout today, get my fitness on.

On another note though, I am feelling kinda self-conscious lately. I have lost 15 lbs or so since July and so I have started buying clothes that fit my new weight now, and I feel like I have been getting alot more attention from males, but not good attention. I mean I know some guys are idiots, but in just the past 3 days I have had random guys while I am leaving the gym or at the grocery store whistle at me from the car or cat call at me as they drive by. I was even dressed in professional clothes walking to an event and this guy across the street started yelling at me that I was beautiful and he just kept yelling he wanted to talk to me, and he liked my walk, and I felt awful. I felt unsafe, self-conscious. There is a difference between a compliment and complete objectification of someone. I mean, I am glad that I am toning up and losing fat, but I feel like going to hide in my big clothes so that I don't feel like a piece of meat while I walk around. Why is it that wearing jeans that fit me makes guys think I am inviting them to harass me. And they are not even tight, they are the same fit I always wore. Sorry for the long rant, but it was just making me feel frustrated.

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Shauna- I get sleepy thinking about my school work too! Ugh... and everything else on top of it... it never ends right?? Soon the semester will be over... soon... lol :) .
As far at trying to strike that balance between getting rid of water weight and knowing you have to plan your bathroom breaks around certain things, yea that is harsh. I have had to sit through classes thinking my bladder will burst... apparently school and work don't want us to lose our water weight!
Good luck with your upcoming measuring day :)

Alexis- First off, Thanks :). Second, awesome job on that 2 miles before work... lately I can't pull myself out of the bed because I don't wanna be cold, so go you!!
As far as the friends moving away and feeliing down, I am sorry. I felt that when I first moved away from home to Pennsylvania because I had left all my friends and I was all alone. I had to really seek out places where I could make friends, and it took a while,but once I did I met some really awesome people. And then I moved again, lol. It feels never ending... it is tough...but you are tougher.
For accountability and needing to keep in line to hit something by the end of the month, we are both in the same boat... lets power through! We can do this!! There is a light at the end of the tunnel... it is like that last few minutes of your workout where you wanna just end five minutes early and then you go nope, I am almost there, I can push through. Let's push through!

Nonnie- Yay for squash!! lol. I am big into cooking and saving for the rest of the week because weekdays there is just no time to cook big meals. As far as the relaxing goes, however, I usually use those times to try to get ahead on my end of semester projects.. so no relaxing, just planning and reading for December.. it is a never ending cycle. But I like what I study so it is good for me (at least I try to tell myself that when I am stressing out over huge papers :)
Your project sounds really interesting! I hope that more people continue to get interested in these types of things! Keep it up! I love farm-to-school, community gardens, school gardens, urban gardens. Gardens and fresh foods are so important! So I am glad to know that people are studying it in programs and thinking the same.
Good luck with your Thursday weigh in!
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Happy Tuesday Ladies :)

Hey guys! I'm going to be super lame today and not do any personals because I'm really REALLY tired, BUT I have read all of your posts and wanted to say hello I'm still alive =).

I weighed in at 168 lbs which was amazing, after stalling for so long I'm getting further and further into the 160s and towards my mini goal of reaching 165 lbs!

And finally, I exercised for the first time in a long time today. I'm sore (it's Insanity after all) but I feel gooood. Going to keep this up and leave October strong!

But as a quick leaving note, don't get bummed out by TOM, well done for resisting temptation and men are idiots and objectify women constantly (having giant boobs I've always received the disgusting kind of attention) - try and ignore it!

Jamie ~ *high five* WAY TO GO!!! For passing on all that recreational sugar/fat!!! Re: Cat calls... It's such a tough situation, no matter your weight. It's hard to know whether to address the cat-caller or just continue on your way. That guy sounded like he might have been mentally unstable so you definitely made the right choice, but easier said than done...

Rie ~ Yay for getting even closer to your mini-goal!!!

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So I've been presented with a dilemma on the work front: Just got an offer from the company I temped with and they have a mat-leave position that's temp to perm, but it's a lot lower salary-wise than I would like to be making, plus it's very much an "admin" position and that's not really what I'm after at this stage in the game. The commute is also a bummer. The work situation now (doing contract work for my friend's father) would be fine now if not for the dust/pet dander in the house, which is throwing my allergies into overdrive. I really enjoy working with him, but the allergies are killing me. Grrrr....

Just wanted to poke my head in and say 'hi' after a long hiatus. Hope you're all well!!

Hi guys,
So I lost another pound this week for the challenge I’m a part of. Not a huge loss, but I’ll take it! Another kind of embarrassing aside – I took my measurements for the first time in a while yesterday, and it was pretty crazy that my waist is 25 inches, and MY THIGHS are 24 inches! Yikes. There are some very embarrassing things about having hips sometimes! Another good thing, I’m finally back to a 34C or preferably a 32D (but good luck finding that size!) bra. I hated when all my bras were just a little too tight. I do not believe in rocking the quad boobs look!

Went out for Tibetan food with the S.O. tonight – so delicious! And I love going out for spicy food because I am much less likely to over eat it (and he likes his food very spicy!)

Jamie – congrats on resisting all that yummy yummy temptation!

I totally know what you mean about unwanted attention. I’ve never been above a normal bmi technically, and I’m blonde and American, and it seems like sometimes that combination makes people think that I will enjoy their obnoxious, juvenile cat calling. I have spent a lot of time outside the US in my life, and I have actually chased men down streets before (in Egypt and Guatemala especially!) wielding my pepper spray after they grab my a** or boobs, or whatever else they seem to feel like putting their paws all over. Ugh. I seriously don’t understand what they are hoping to get out of their pathetic efforts….

Rie – YAY on the 168. Work it (and by it I mean insanity) girl! I know stalling is hard, but the fresh commitment that comes with breaking a stall – amazing! So carry on your merry way, my dear!

Alex – The mock duck I use is 100% gluten, and totally delicious, I highly recommend if you’re ever looking for a meat substitute.

Your job situation sounds like quite the predicament. Sometimes I hate having to make adult choices – ugh the pressure! So many things to weight (besides ourselves!): how long term is the position with your friend’s dad? How much do you need money (i.e. can you afford (afford can also be more broadly applied – what can you afford emotionally, socially, fiscally etc.) to be picky)? How much of a stretch are both of the positions from what you ultimately want to be doing? Bummer on the commute – I have always managed to avoid long commutes as I live in the city and work in a suburb, so I always get to feel bad (or stick my tongue out at depending on my mood) the poor people inching along the opposite way on the highway. Good luck with your decision – let us know what happens.

Ferumbras – Welcome back!

Man, I'm so out of the loop right now. This month has been a complete standstill. School is keeping me so busy. I have gotten in one workout this week. I could have went this morning, but the muscle in the top of my foot was hurting really badly yesterday and I didn't want to stress it so I just didn't work out this morning. I'm sorry for not getting to personals, but I wanted to let everyone know that I'm still around and I hope to catch up soon!

Hello Ladies!!! Happy Halloween!!

It has been a few days since I posted because I have been really busy trying to keep up with workouts and school and all that... I have some news though... I did not make my Halloween goal of losing 5 lbs, I lost 3 (which I will still celebrate!). I think I set my goal a bit too high for the amount of time I left for myself to lose it, I mean, 5 lbs in two weeks is not enough. But that is fine. I think I will reset my goal to hit 145 by Thanksgiving, so that is 4 lbs in about 3.5 weeks. That is 1-1.5 lbs a week. That seems doable. So let's see :) Must keep working!

Other than that, my Halloween was uneventful. I hope you all spent your holiday better than I did :)... Other than that, I was pretty good with my diet, I exercised really well on Saturday and Sunday, and I plan on getting a good one in today. I re-took my measurements, finally, I haven't remeasured since June, and I lost around 4 inches on my waist and 3 on my hips, so that made me really happy ...

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Rie- It is disgusting attention right? Instead of ignoring it I feel like I should use it for fuel when I am working out so I can picture myself kicking those guys butts!
I hope that you are able to get back into the insanity! Today is the last day of October, you are right, let's finish it well and lead into November on a high note...

Alexis- How is the job decision going? I hope that it all works out... I hate having allergies so that alone would probably convince me to go!

Nonnie- You inspired me to go take my measurements! Thanks, I was pleasantly surprised... I also hate having hips... ugh, my stomach has lost weight 10 times faster than my hips and thighs and it is super frustrating...

You are right about those harassing guys, what do they think they are getting out of yelling at a girl... I don't get it. Idiots.

Btw, Tibetian food?? That sounds amazing! I have never had it before but now I want it!

Shauna- Hey I am sorry to hear that school is getting you stuck, and even more so about the muscle in your foot hurting. It really stinks when all the bad things seem to come at once like mid-terms and injuries... keep pushing though, you will make it!

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Enjoy your Monday and I look forward to hearing from you all very soon :) !!

Oh and Nonnie! Good job on that pound! Every pound counts!!