Sun: glad you had a good time at your friend's wedding. Take those compliments girl :) it means that you're doing good, you should be proud.

btw girls, I've been doing the 30ds. Just finished the first 10 days of level 1 (not too bad). Did level 2 yesterday. OMG> I was dying.

Kawaii I'm not using it as an excuse to keep drinking (people at work getting on my case), just saying that it's part of the challenge because I know what they're like, and they will get on my case. Repeatedly. It's frustrating because they really are that insensitive about anything like that. Same with me not eating the chips and dips we have as snacks on Friday afternoons - I get the whole "why aren't you eating any blah blah blah". Definitely not an excuse, just another challenge! I never though of Japan as having a big drinking culture, it's sort of curious how every country has their own "things" about drinking. New Zealand is big on binge drinking, they like to say that we're worse than many other countries, but who really knows. Glad to hear you're enjoying your new phone! I can't wait till I get one haha. Congrats on your first jog! Even you may be surprised at how fit you'll get and the smoker's lungs definitely improve I can promise you that.

kisskiss Thanks for the kind words. I haven't talked with my boss, but I've made my mind up after talking with my boyfriend that it is definitely for the best if I cut down. Congrats on the weigh in and good luck for your date with Mr. Buff - when is that happening? I hear lots of good things about 30DS but am yet to give it a go. I might save it for July when the weather is CRAP here (opposite hemisphere haha) because that's also when I'll be housesitting and have a big house to myself.

sun Aside from the horrible hungover run on Saturday morning, I feel like I'm back on track with it so that's good. Went last night in the very dreary weather and will go again tonight after work - rain or shine, I'm out there! Wedding sounds fun and great news on no gain - it is always a relief. It's nice to get those compliments, but I know how you feel - you're not where you want to be, so it feels weird?

~Ok ladies, my positivity has picked up again after the weekend, despite the dreary weather we're experiencing here! Autumn has well and truly arrived in little ole New Zealand, it's windy and rainy - but I still went for my run last night! I was proud of myself. When I got home one of my flatmates even said "I can't believe you went for a run in this weather!" Yup, and I'll do it again tonight! There's just this even bigger sense of achievement when you get out and exercise in crappy weather - for me at least.

Boyfriend came back from his long weekend away last night, it's good to have him back - I'm already on his case to finish getting his study permit forms for Canada together so that we can post them tomorrow. That's the deadline I set, so it's happening!

I weighed in this morning at 63.1 (139.1) which is great, means I didn't actually do that much damage at all over the weekend and that I could see another good drop this week! I know 3kg is still a fair amount, but man...when I see under 60kg I will be SO happy because 60 is the lowest I got to when I was making a real effort last time.

Hope everyone is doing well! Just another day at work for me, then the run, then cooking dinner, taking it to boyfriend at work and then popping over to my parents place to get some copies of my passport etc.

Hey everyone!

Thank you for the birthday wishes!!

So my birthday was awesome. I got a surprise package from 2 of my friends from England, which was amazing! They put in a pack of my favourite crisps, my favourite chocolate, a mini can of coke (the 3 junk foods I love!), earrings, keychain, body shop stuff, little notebooks, face mask and an owl cloth. I felt so much love!
The pizza ended up being de-freakin-licious. Definitely going back there when I'm in the mood for pizza! But as a super treat of course ;p. It's quite expensive so it's not going to be something I indulge in often. I went to karaoke afterwards and I drank WAAAY too much wine! Like holy wow, I should have thrown up but didn't. I have a huge fear of throwing up and when it's drink induced vomit I have a bad habit of being able to keep it down. But oh welly, I had an awesome night!

Sunday I went to where my boyfriend will be living next month, and it's a great area! I can't wait to visit him more often and there are lots of shopping places and restaurants. I went to walk around a park then went to lunch at an Indian. I was exhausted that day!

Yesterday I ended up going home with a fever, my temperature was high so I've had today off too =(. I'm feeling better, trying to drink as much water as possible to stay hydrated.

I need to do a big shop, I didn't go Sunday because of the hangover and yesterday I was sick. So I'm hoping I can convince the boyfriend to come with me tonight. I made a menu for the week (like my Mum does, hah!) and it's all homemade healthy stuff. I've also got salad ingredients on the list, hoping to fill up a compartment of my bento box with salad instead of rice (good shout, Kawaii!).

One of my best friends from home is coming to visit in August, and I don't know why but I really want to lose weight for when she comes! We're not competitive in any way, I'm not jealous of her or want to upstage her, I just think it would be nice to have someone from home to notice a change! So I guess that's my next goal, to lose at least 10 lbs by the time she arrives! Totally do-able, I have 3 and half months to do it!

I'm really looking forward to hosting the song contest! I almost thought about closing nominations early so I could get going, but figured that'd be a bit unfair since I said 1 week to nominate ;p. Hopefully there'll be lots of people voting!

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kawaii - http://roccosnewyorkstylepizza.com/ - it's in Oji, which is just one stop from me! The chef is from New York, which made it all that more authentic! Yeah, don't worry about American customs. Just be sure you follow the carry on baggage guidelines carefully (no liquids basically) and you'll be fine!
Glad you're enjoying myfitnesspal! I used to use it a lot when I had a smartphone, it was really useful! Also happy you're agreeing with me about eating more! You will definitely improve with your running and I know it sounds crazy now but I was where you were perhaps worse off (heavier and having not done any exercise for years) when I started. My best friend is a smoker and did a 10K in a decent time, so no excuses ;p.

MissyK - We all have those stressful days where we just wanna let loose and eat what we want! But it usually ends with a feeling of regret, which is something to hold on to for the next time. It can't be helped sometimes though, so don't sweat it. Definitely a good tip to eat your food slowly! I have such a bad habit of gobbling food like a vacuum!!

rainbow - Hahaha, that's so funny you have a Totoro onesie too!! I'm such a Totoro freak, he's everywhere in my apartment. Go drink a glass of water NOW! ;p
As for your drinking, I think if you feel it's become a problem then that's step 1 to doing something about it. Peer pressure is awful, I know what you mean when people would say "why aren't you drinking?! You're not being FUN!" it's the most annoying thing someone can say! But I think having a chat with your boss and ultimately being strong is what you need. You CAN say no, you can have a good night without booze and you will feel better about yourself!
I know what you feel about running in crappy weather! I sometimes feel like when it's pouring with rain it makes me run faster!!

sun - I really want some MAC products, I've only ever heard good things! Don't feel bad about compliments!! Compliments are supposed to feel good! It's always a double edged sword with weight loss, because YOU might feel "oh well they're just recognising that I was bigger" but they are just seeing you improve which is a good thing!!

Riestrella Yay for awesome birthdays, that package from your friends sounds so sweet! Hope you are feeling better and that your shop went well - sometimes I really hate grocery shopping haha! You've got plenty of time before August to lose those pounds. It's kind of good to set goals like that I think. I've set myself the goal that I want to get to 60kg my June 1st (my boyfriend's birthday). No real reason other than that I think it seemed like an achievable goal at the time. And then I think I'll set another goal of 56kg by the time I leave for Canada. That one I'm not so sure about in terms of achievability, but there's no harm in trying! Yum I just looked at that pizza website and those pizzas look GOOD. Thanks for your kind words. Peer pressure sucks, and I thought that I'd left it behind in high school but no. I think it's just about staying strong! Have my first test tonight with alcohol tonight in the form of an awards launch event for work. Alcohol and canapes - but I'm saying no to everything! Well...that's what I'm saying now. I will try to stick to it!

~Morning ladies (well morning here...). Saw my Friday low of 62.9kg this morning (138.6 pounds) so I'm pretty happy and feeling positive for another loss this week. Went for my run in the gross weather last night - more windy than anything, though I'm surprised it didn't rain since it had been all day and did basically as soon as I got home.

Sorted out all my work application forms for Canada and boyfriend is sending everything off today - so then the long wait begins. I have nervous butterflies about having just forgotten something or filled something in wrong - but I'm sure that's just my paranoia. I have dejavu right now like I've written this exact post before - but maybe I've just said similar things.

Tonight is no run for me, have this work event straight after work til 7pm. I WILL avoid both alcohol and the free canapes and then...I don't know what I'm having for dinner since I don't have to cook for boyfriend...so I am considering takeout but want to be able to count the calories. It's so frustrating how so many places don't offer calorie counts here. It's like...I know it's not better to eat McDonald's or pizza or KFC, but the healthier options (which I can't even think of) don't offer calorie counts!

Any dinner suggestions would be great. I don't want to prep too much and it's just got to be for me haha.

waaah! you guys i haven't been on here in like 3 days! lol. i've been sooo busy and dead! lol. it makes such a weird change from when i was bored all the time, eh? well, i'll take action over boredom, but oof!

kisskiss: glad to hear you discovered your inner clubber! actually, you know, shots are probably the best thing you could do calorie-wise (maybe not, sanity-wise... lol) because they are just concentrated alcohol and don't have any added sugar. but better off staying with "clear" stuff (vodka, tequila, etc.) and stay away from things like peach-snaps and whatnot that is full of sugar... but anyways, a night out every once in a while is not gonna kill ya! and yaaay 30DS! i love it! although now that i'm on level 9 of Body Revolution, i kinda think longingly of those 30DS days... cuz this sh!t is hard!! keep it up ;)

sun: yeah? i haven't had a chance to go on a second run yet, but i do enjoy the app! aww, and thanks for saying i inspire you! <3 i wish i would inspire my fat to get off my thighs though... T_T it's great you could go to your friend's wedding and still maintain your weight!

rainbow: oh i wasn't saying it to point a finger... in that case it's rather sad that your social group feels the need to make you feel bad like that... even with the food. yeah, Japan has a pretty insane drinking culture! i was shocked when i came here cuz i never ever drank alcohol! i had to learn fast! lol. yay for the return of the boyfriend and positivity! couldn't you just google the calorie counts for your takeout? i usually can find pretty much anything i'm looking for online... even if it's some obscure japanese thing! lol.

Rie: take me to your pizza place!!! aww... packages from home are always awesome <3 well done with your healthy meal menus! i'm proud of you! lol. and i think your friend coming in august is a great incentive for wanting to shed a few pounds! especially since, when she's here, you'll want to show her all the awesome foods japan has to offer! (lol. i speak from experience... :p ) I'm not using the smoking as an excuse! lol. i'll be glad if running helps me out on that front! :p


ok guys, so i've been back to work since monday and for some reason also crazy busy! On Monday i only had morning classes, but i think my system was so shocked from the getting up at 6am that i was positively dead on my feet by 1pm. lol. then i had to run around to pay bills and go to the bank before it closed (cuz i got paid!!! *happy dance*) and do my workout, and then i was in bed by 10pm. lol.

Tuesday bf came over and we had a nice time and watched the Hobbit, and drank some wine and went to our fave indian restaurant, so it was kind of a cheat day, though i was good during the workday so... :p but i was pretty tipsy by the time he left, and i just got into bed without working out... oops!

and then on wednesay i was meeting an old student of mine for coffee, and we just chatted for like 2+ hours, and after that i went to the gym to SWIM! lol. i came home it was almost 9pm and i was sooo dead. Today is like the first day that i actually had time to myself after work, and still i was pretty tired and it kinda took a huge mental kick in the butt to make myself workout!

now about that workout... i just moved on to level 9 of Body Revolution, and good god it is attrocious... i just can't even... i was yelling at the tv "i don't like you anymore Jillian!!!" why she keeps adding moves that i can't do??? well anyhow. I've also been using myfitnesspall a lot, and today i'm having the odd problem of apparently being way under my calories... and i've had dinner and i'm really not hungry. but i'm like 600 calories under!!! because it adds up calories that you're supposed to eat when you work out... and i actually didn't eat that much today... i dunno. this is weird for me. so i'm gonna have a hot chocolate, but it still feels "wrong" for me cuz it's like cheat day food... i think i'm going crazy.

in other matters i'm really happy to be back to work! my co-teachers at the new JHS are SO friendly, i'm pretty shocked actually! i mean, when i was at the high school, the other english teachers didn't have their desks next to me, and the other teachers around didn't talk to me, so i guess it was a bit lonely, but at the JHS a bunch of us are sitting together, and two of them are quite chatty, and one of them is a girl who is around my age and quite "trendy" and fun-looking. i say that because, here in Japan, female teachers tend to be suuuuuper boring and i never have anything in common with them... but she seems pretty cool! and at my other school, there are 2 new teachers i teach with and they both let me do my thing, and i only have 1 class with the teacher who drives me crazy!!! this is a huge improvement. i can tolerate him for an hour a week! lol.

sorry i chatted your ears off... i just have had a lot going on! lol. hope everyone is well!!

Uhg, sorry I haven't posted in a few days, I've been avoiding the "virtual walk of shame" - LOL.

I've really been struggling with getting and staying back on plan from last weekend. My WIs have been between 136 - 137, but I could just kick myself. I think that 1650 may be a little too low for me (still breastfeeding) as I find myself really struggling to stay within that limit nearly every night. Once I go over I say f***it and end up going WAY over. I'm thinking of increasing my limit to 1700, which isn't much but it might give me a little more "wiggle room" so to speak, maybe enough to keep myself from going over. I think I'll try that for a week and see how it goes.

Also haven't gotten my TOM yet, which is starting to p*** me off. I took a pregnancy test just to be sure, but it came up negative. Today is day 40 of my cycle. Blah.

I'm just frustrated because I was able to be diligent about my eating and get the first 40 pounds off with little bodily resistance. Now I feel like I'm fighting tooth and nail with very small if any results. I'm not new to this rodeo; I've been on this path since September. My goal is so close I can feel it, but I have no idea how long these last 16 or so pounds are going to take! ARRRG! /end rant

Riestrella and Kawaii I notice you two are in Japan! My parents are taking my family on a cruise to Japan and East Asia come July/August. We will be in Tokyo for a few days before heading on the cruise. Then, once on the cruise, we will be porting in Osaka and Kagoshima before heading off to China.

I'm just wondering if there are any must see places in Tokyo and the other 2 ports I mentioned? Me and my boyfriend are interested in Gardens/Temples (me, especially, would like to see a nice Koi garden). Also, any "must-try" cultural foods/restaurants? Or anything else you think we would enjoy?

So I have been gone for a while but just spent time reading about everyone, sorry I have been gone!

Sunday I faced the music and weighed in at 250lbs. After my doctor's appointment she recommended that I adopt a clean eating lifestyle to see if processed foods and refined sugar have caused my constant struggle to stay at a normal weight for most of my life.

This morning I weighed myself, my official weigh in is Fridays, and I weighed in at 245.6!!! I almost passed out when I saw that number! I have felt so happy, satisfied, clear headed, and healthier all week from sticking with clean eating so now I know for sure this is what I need to stick with. It's not that much more expensive, plus my husband is right on board as long as I keep cooking good food! :lol:

He and I also started doing some of the extra workouts that come with the Insanity program, and we are officially beginning the full program next week. We have done Insane Abs and the extra Cardio one and they are killer, we are both drenched by the end of the workout, and he's in great shape! After we complete a round of Insanity we are going to take a weekend trip to the beach to celebrate! It'll basically be our mini honeymoon before we take our super big one at the end of the year!

How's everyone's week been?

pink: My week's been pretty good! I agree with you about the healthy eating! I started out willing to compromise on some of it, and I definitely felt GREAT and like you said- clear minded! I've since worked more and more processed things out... less compromises. I went to the grocery store the other day and bought a bunch of greek yogurt (a favorite snack of mine, or breakfast, low in calories too) and after having a few of them over the past few days I looked at the label..... Modified corn starch! Gah! Well I bought like 9 or 10 of these, so I'm going to finish them up, but will be looking more carefully next trip to the store. There's MCS in TONS of canned food, too! Just proves to me that raw and natural is best whenever possible! I'm always glad to hear people discovering the same things that I'm discovering! Keep it up! :D

sweet: I know you didn't address me, but I studied in Japan for a while, so I thought I might chime in and tell you the places that come to mind! Tokyo is full of craziness and it's a big city so there's a lot to do. First off, Tokyo has the world's biggest fish market called Tsukiji fish market. If you want to see all the crazy clothes and pop culture go to Shibuya or Harajuku. And if you're interested in old Japan instead, go to Asakusa, which is an old-style district that has lots of temples and such! Osaka is also wonderful. It has an AMAZING science museum, the Umeda sky building which is one of the weirdest buildings ever (look it up?), the Osaka castle, and Sumiyoshi shrine. Of course there's more, but these are just some of my favorites. I've never been to Kagoshima, so I got nothing for there. I'd be interested to see what Riestrella and Kawaii say! :)

Kawaii Yay, that sounds so good that you've got some fun new teachers to talk to and stuff at work, glad it sounds like it's been good getting back into it! I guess with googling calorie counts for something like... an indian curry or some noodle dish the calorie amounts could be just so far out of whack and I'm really pedantic about being as accurate as I can. I know I'm probably not all the time, but if I feel like I am, then I feel better. Haha. Yeah.. it is sad about my work and their whole drinking thing. At the event on Wednesday night, I got a diet coke and then when my boss was going to get second drinks for everyone, I declined a drink at all and he's like "oh what, you don't want a glass of milk or something?" - like totally mocking me. So stupid.

MissyKrissy Sorry to hear about your frustrations, I know it's hard with the last few pounds (or more than a few, but still). I think it's just your body gets used to being sort of "comfortable" and it's definitely hard. I still have over 20 pounds I want to lose, but in the past 2.5 months I've only lost 9! Hope your TOM comes soon and sorts itself out soon!

Pink Hurricane Welcome back and congrats on the loss since your doctor appointment. I hope the clean eating thing works well for you! That's so cool that your husband works out with you :)

~I was wondering where everyone disappeared to, I kept checking back and no one posted after me the other night haha!
I've officially achieved 4kg (9 lbs) down since the end of January - it seems like really slow loss, but I'll take it.
I've been doing well this week with my running and will go after work again today (Friday) and again tomorrow morning.
Boyfriend and I are going out for Indian food tonight, we have a voucher I've been meaning to use for ages and I'm looking forward to a "date" with the boyfriend.
Tomorrow is lunch with my cousin as I haven't seen her in weeks and weeks and then who knows for the rest of the weekend. Boyfriend mentioned Yum Cha on Sunday but I don't know if it's the best idea for my eating plan!

In Canada news, our permit forms have officially arrived at the consulate so now I can officially start counting down the 6 - 8 weeks it will take them to apparently process and either approve or deny us our permits. I will be crossing everything I can cross for the next 8 weeks (or until I hear!)

Kawaii & Stripe – Ahg! I’m so jealous! I don’t have anyone to eat Indian food with, but I love the stuff! None of my friends are adventurous enough for it, and DH can’t handle the spices :devil:

Kawaii – I’m glad you’re happy with your new teaching situation! It’s so important to enjoy what we do, otherwise we’re just miserable. It’s good to have co-workers that you get along with too, that can make a huge difference.

Pink – While I definitely don’t eat clean all of the time, I sure notice it when I eat too much processed foods. Overly processed foods leave me feeling hungry and sugar addicted, yuck! Congrats on your weigh in, great work!

Stripe – That was a jerk thing for your boss to say. It’s amazing how grown adults can turn into bullying little children isn’t it? I have to give you credit for sticking to the no alcohol thing, that can be really hard especially when everyone around you is drinking. Good job on the 9 pounds, slow losses are losses. I looked up my January numbers for comparison, and as of January 25th I lost only 7.6 pounds, so you be proud of those 9! Good luck with all of your Canada stuff; I don’t see why it shouldn’t go through. Still, the waiting can be nerve-racking!

Ok, so yesterday my TOM finally arrived! Horray! I was able to stay within my calorie range (1700) with relative ease. I’m not sure if TOM had anything to do with that or not, but my appetite wasn’t as ravenous as it has been this week. This morning’s official weekly WI was 136.2 – only up .2 from last week. Although it was a small gain, I’m actually really happy considering all of the poor choices I made last week and TOM is here now. I’m going to stick to my plan and I bet that I’ll see a decent loss next week. :crossed:

Yesterday DS and I drove over to my best friend’s house (she lives about an hour away) and visited with her for the afternoon. Sometimes it’s just good for the soul to get away from DH and spend time with her, LOL. I ended up snacking on some of her kids’ Easter candy while I was there, but only a fun size kit kat bite and a handful of jelly beans. Don’t worry, I accounted for them in my calories!

Today we’ve got DS’s swimming lesson, but DH is going to get in the pool with him this time because I did it the last 2 or 3 times and the lessons are almost over. We’ve also got some grocery shopping to do today, but my mom bought us a bunch of groceries the day before yesterday because she felt bad for eating all of our food while she’s here visiting, so we really don’t have a lot that we need to get. She knows she’s welcome to anything that we have in the kitchen, but she also knows how tight our budget is, so it was really nice of her to get us a few things.

Also on today’s agenda – I have to call and order a bridesmaid dress. Two of DH’s and my very good friends are getting married this summer and they asked us to stand up in the wedding. We’re both really excited for them, but the wedding is coming up fast so we’ve got to get rolling! I tried on dresses earlier this week and I’m a pretty solid us size 10. I’m kind of hoping that the dress will be a little loose by the time they get married and that it will need alterations, ha ha. Not that I want to spend extra money, but you know, I’d be ok with it if it means that I’m getting smaller ;)

Anyway, have a great day everyone!

Hey everyone! So my grocery shop was a huge success! I've been eating salads for lunch and feeling a lot fuller during the afternoon! I've just been putting in vegetables I like, like lettuce, cucumber, carrot, spring onion and avacado. I really can't stand tomatoes for some reason!! I like tomato flavoured things, LOVE tomato pasta sauces but just can't eat them raw!!

I've been good with cooking food, I think because my boyfriend has been here so I've cooked for him too.

My birthday package from home came, along with a GIANT bar of my favourite chocolate!! So that's going to be a problem but a welcome one since I don't get it here ;p. But I also got 5 new blu-rays: Skyfall, Horrible Bosses, Happy Feet (from my nephew!), The King's Speech and Galaxy Quest (all random picks off my amazon wish list!). I also got some Clinique moisturiser gel which I use every day and I was running out. So a lovely package from home!

PAY DAY WAS YESTERDAY! Oh man, I was running into my savings by the end of this month so I'm sooo happy I have money again. I'm going to buy a new chest of drawers since right now I'm still using cheap plastic drawers that wobble around. Since I have my PS3 and projector on there I want something sturdy! And I have developed a love of home furniture shopping.

I'm also going to do a bit of shopping in my boyfriends new area, I realised that I think I'm being a bit too hard on myself saying "I'm only going to buy nice clothes when I reach my goal weight." But I figured out recently, why? I need to feel good all the time, so why shouldn't I buy something a bit more fitted to look nicer now? Sure I'm not skinny, but it would look a bit more flattering than all the baggy sh!t that I wear now. The thought dawned on me when I was wearing a fitted tank top that I wear as an under shirt and my boyfriend said "wow, you look really good!" I wouldn't dream of wearing that shirt just normally, but after the compliment I thought - well maybe I should! If it makes me look good then why not flaunt what I've got?!

I also feel like I'm starting to come into my own visual identity a bit more too, like I'm starting to notice fashion trends and how to make my makeup and hair look good. Because I've been so self conscious in the past, I never cared about those things, but now I'm on the path to my goal weight (slowly sure, but still on it!) I really want to start looking nice. I never really got to experiment as a teenager with style, so I don't want it to start when I'm a bit too old to be making mistakes!
I've even considered blogging my journey to my own style, I always liked the idea of keeping up to date with a blog but never thought there was a good enough reason to keep one.

Anywho!!

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rainbow - Yeah, it's not a goal I'm gonna be too strict with but one I'll try my best to achieve. I always like to have cajun chicken. 1 tbsp flour, 1 tsp of cajun seasoning and 1/2 tsp of salt mixed together in a bowl. Cover the chicken breast in a bit of oil then dip both sides into the mixture then fry on both sides for 7 minutes. I usually have it with either a salad or a good ol' sweet potato! It's not super exciting, but good! I've got my fingers crossed for your Canada stuff! I really want to live in Canada too, so one day i'll be facing the same nerves!

kawaii - Think I'm going to be taking all my friends there, so you will definitely be one of them! It's awesome. Where is your favourite Indian restaurant? I love Indian food so much. I think the important factor of mfp is the net calories?? I always get a bit confused, but having -500 is the right amount I think...
So glad you got nicer co-workers! It makes work a LOT easier if you get on with who you work with. My boyfriend had terrible luck with teachers in the last year, they treated him like dirt it was awful. I'm hoping his new school is like yours in that people actually talk to him!!

MissyK - Ah, the virtual walk of shame, I know that feeling!! Definitely try experimenting with calories - sometimes the "average" doesn't work for most people. The last 20 or so lbs are always the hardest I read. You have to be like...super strict I think. Really step up working out and clean eating. Also keep the body guessing! Do high intensity workouts then relax for a while. You can do it! Maybe wander into the maintainers forum and see what they did towards the end.

SweetS - kawaii probably knows a bit more than I do, I've been here for 7 months and I started work 2 weeks in so I never got a chance to be a tourist! But the main places in Tokyo would be Shinjuku, Shibuya for the city life atmosphere. Harajuku is always fun to see the weird fashion. The Imperial Palace I hear is a nice place to go, it's a huge park with the Palace as the center piece which is a bit of traditional culture. Akihabara is always fun to see the otaku culture! As for gardens, there's loads of shrines and gardens! I like japan-guide.com to see what to do, tripadvisor can have the more obscure destinations I find. You might have to travel a bit outside of Tokyo to find the real nature, I really like Kamakura it's got shrines and gardens and a hiking trail. And a giant Buddha!

PinkH - I'm happy you're seeing success with clean eating! It's definitely the best way forward, as your results will show!

Hey everyone! I am so sorry about not posting personals. Feeling overwhelmed at the moment. Things are not horrible but not great either. Not moving much on the scale. Tomorrow I have another round of ultimate frisbee. Should me fun! I have decided that when I hit 135 I will get a second tattoo from my hip to my ribs. It will look something like this.
http://i905.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7cbb2c9e.jpg

krissy: if you're still breastfeeding and all, may i suggest not worrying so much about your calories, but instead just trying to eat clean? oh and about indian, i can't handle the spices either... i always get "mild". lol. but i know how you feel! i often think that i should just pop-in for dinner by myself, but then i chicken out... you should go! yeah, i know, a good work environment is sooo important! this is why i love this school so much more than my other one, which i refer to as my "bad" school, even though it's not really bad - just by comparison to the other one! lol.

SScrumptious: well, any guidebook will give you all the information you want about what to see in Tokyo... and there's not ONE particular food i would particularly recommend you to try, but while you are in Osaka, you should definitely eat some Takoyaki!!! a) it's my favorite food and b) people from Osaka are notorious at making more delicious takoyaki than the rest of the country! foods that you should definitely try while you're here : ramen, katsudon, traditional keishoku japanese meal, udon, kaiten-sushi, unagi (eel), okonomiyaki, and go to an izakaya!! again, investing in a guidebook will be your best bet for all the info you're looking for. as someone living here, you don't really do the same things, or go to the same places as you would as a tourist. i mean, when i go out to eat i'm like "i want a burger!" or "let's have indian!" lol. oh, and my favorite "touristy" place is the big temple in Asakusa... i forgot its name but it'll definitely be in your guidebook! I hope you have a fun trip!

pinkhurricane: glad you're back! I've been doing clean eating for a while and i really like it. so i hope it works for you! let us know how Insanity goes! I kinda wanna do it after i'm done with Body Revolution, but i'm scared... lol.

Rainbow: you boss sounds like a douche... lol. yeah i know it's not always accurate to google it... but at least it helps to have some idea. especially if you look up a few different sources... that's great, girl!! 4kg is a lot! i don't remember everyone's weights but from the way you were grumbling at times i thought you weren't really losing at all. 4kg in 3 months is pretty good! especially when you're already tiny :p

Rie: i don't like tomatoes either! i'm so glad you've been doing good with your healthy eating ^^. oh and i bought all my furniture on ryuryu.jp ... if you can get someone to help you with the japanese, they have some really cute stuff, they'll deliver it to your house and it's often cheaper than buying it in a shop... you can try nissen too! they have nissen catalogues at every combini and you can pick one up for free (it's like a huge brick). let me know if you do start a blog! yay for fashion discovery! i'll help you out anytime you want! ;) my fave indian restaurant is here in koenji, where i live. i'll take you anytime you like! koenji is only a few stops away from shinjuku on the chuo/sobu line...

sun: hang in there, girl! that's pretty!

hey girls! how are you all doing? it's finally saturday here! woo! i just did cardio 3 for the first time (of Body Revolution) and oooooooh boy... T_T yeah, Jillian is not nice in month 3... not nice at all. someone on my facebook yesterday commented to my rant "oh, is this like the 30 Day Shred?" and i just cackled like a crazy person and replied "no. it's like 134834579375983799 times harder!!!". truth.

anyways, today i have decided that i'm taking myself shopping! so i'm gonna go get dolled up after this (man, those personals took ages! my hair's almost dry! lol) and go to Shinjuku, which is my favorite place. i need to buy a case for my new iphone and I also got about 100$ gift certificates from my "bad" school for a "thanks for one year of teaching here" present! i can use them at a bunch of different stores owned by the Mitsukoshi group so it's pretty cool! so i'm gonna be spending money guilt-free! haha.

i'm still doing the "no scale til May" challenge, but it's annoying me a little because, since i upped my calories and started working again, i dunno... i kinda feel like something's working and i wanna know if i lost weight!! i almost weighed myself yesterday, but decided that - no - i would wait til May and that it was gonna be awesome to see a big change!! but i'm still annoyed. lol.

anyways, i better get going! y'all have a good weekend! :)

Om nomah~ I know what you mean about finding all of those ingreds, especially anything with corn starch, it's ridiculous how many foods have that included! Also extra stuff like dextrose and all of the other ridiculous things found in food. I noticed the same thing with yogurt before, and recently I have gotten Chobani (the flip one) and it does not have any added ingredients. I like having my greek yogurt but I have limited them to every other day or so instead of every day like I was doing before.

Rainbow Stripe~ I love Indian food, hope you and your boyfriend enjoyed it!! I haven't had any in quite a long time. And what are you looking to get permits for?

Missy~ Exactly I feel soooo much better when I eat cleaner. I do not do it perfectly but a heck of a lot better than I used to eat! Good to hear about your DS being able to get swimming lessons and your husband getting in the pool with him, that's what made the difference for one of the little boys I nanny when he was taking lessons.

Riestrella~ I too feel so much better and more satisfied having a salad for lunch full of different veggies and such. Also your birthday package sounded awesome! I love all of those movies too. I agree with your sentiment on buying nice looking clothes for yourself now. I think everyone should invest in an outfit or two that flatters at your current weight instead of saving all of the shopping for when you reach goal. Some of the pieces you buy now might fit ten or more pounds later, and if not you deserve to look and feel good in what you wear now too!

Sun~ I love that tattoo idea! I cannot wait for my goal tattoo, which I am planning on having on my thigh or hip, haven't decided yet! Ultimate Frisbee is fun!

Kawaii~ Jillian Michael's seems to get tougher with other workouts aside from 30DS so I agree with you! And I will let you know how Insanity goes, it is definitely tough and hard but I love it! Also, like I was telling Rie, shopping now and pampering yourself now is a great idea, no matter what you are shopping for. We shouldn't be waiting to treat ourselves when we reach that number or size we see as the perfect one for us, we should be living and treating ourselves NOW! Why wait!?


I'm heading to the bookstore soon to read up some more on clean eating and get a little more info. Then it's off to the market to grab a few ingredients for my homemade basil pesto. My husband and I are going to a birthday dinner tonight for one of our friends and I am going to look up the menu online before hand so I don't go overboard, I can't wait because it's going to be a lot of fun!