afternooon already?? Im already made my calorie intake for the day... kinda upset. Talking in monotone now.. LOL ok Im gonna go flirt with one of my employees!!

cookie - yes i am in grad school - ugh, my forearms are soooo soar. and somehow my stomache is really awful today (can we say its very upset ) (waking in pain)

and i was soo tired last night, I did not do what I meant to and kind of slept a lot. alas, 3 hours till my script is due!!!

what oh what am I going to do?

oh and cookie - tapas place - I went to this great one in nyc on tuesday - omg it was so good - but I was on a splurging nyc week where i was like "I am in grad schoo, and going to be poor for the rest of the semester...") what was healthy there - hrm?? most everything had olive oil. or cheese (goat, parm, etc) and then there was the yummy wine - and dessert. This place had paninis with really great italian meats (it was an italian tapas place, not a typical spannish one)

ok, back to writing, i must write, i must write! (I am just not in love with my idea right now, and will eventually change it again I think)

B-

JustForUs - you are an evil, wicked woman! Flirting with employees =x.

I just had some Smart Pop popcorn.. and my hoodie just came.. so all and all I am pleased. Maybe I can actually make myself do some cleaning in my room today! (I keep cleaning and it keeps getting messy again!)

Ugh--I devoured the last donut at work today in about 5 seconds. I am very disgusted because I don't even LIKE donuts but I shoved it in my mouth once everyone left the office anyway. Off to the gym now to work it off....

Didn't check the thread for a few days... now I'm caught up - and hungry!!! Well, not really hungry, but hungry for naughty food...

This week has been bleh, off plan since Tuesday... Amanda was begging to be told that lack of motivation to exercise is a normal thing the week before TOM... well, I'm begging - please tell me I'm missing all my goals because it's the week of TOM... and the bugger came 2 days earlier, too, really ruining my Monday!

I'm soooooooooooooooooooo frustrated with my (lack of) weight loss progress...
And I can't sleep and I have to write a paper and pack and store all my stuff before leaving the country in 3 weeks...

To add to the discussion on boobies, I can't wait till mine are back the way they were before I gained 25-30 pounds. I'm not sure what the change in size was, probably the highest end of the B range from being just barely B before. Or maybe it was B to C? No idea really. Not much objectively speaking, but a nightmare for me. Fortunately I've noticed improvement - I can actually wear my favourite tiny nightie without them just popping out, but they have a bit more to go.

Hey girls. First off, a Tapas restaurant consists of different hot and cold spanish platters (they are appetizer portions but you go with a group and order like 10 of them) that mostly are soaked in olive oil and cheese, and they are also famous for their sangria... so basically i'm screwed which is a shame because while I REALLY have been good (although still not losing weight grr...) I am going back to school soon and I would rather not be heavy, but should I really try and not eat all night?!?!?

Tonight I went out with some girls who i was friends with in high school, I volunteered to drive like usual so it was a great excuse not to drink. However I now HATE digital cameras. We were taking pics and i looked at someone's and i was the heaviest of the whole group by a LOT it was so sad and i looked terrible and now they all have this pic of them all skinny and me the blob on the end. oh well... makes me want to go downstairs and just eat ice cream.

I'm sorry to be down, I promise to be more positive tomorow. Have you guys ever had one of those nights where you realize how much you want to lose weight but no an obstacle is say the next night where you will be even farther from your goal?

Jenna - *Hugs* I know that sucks...and I can totally relate. When I lose the weight I'm going to accidentally *misplace* my license so I can get a new picture. I don't want any evidence that I was once a whale (except for a picture to motivate me to never return to that physical state). If anything else though, just look forward to the next time you see those girls (make sure there is a next time) and how much better you will look then. They will be so jealous of the fact that you were able to exhibit such self-control in order to attain your goal. Remember, it is extremely rare that any woman is ever actually satisfied with her body, just like men are programmed to say the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time, women are programmed to be extremely self-critical. I'm sure you looked fatter to you than you did to them!

Amanda

Jenna, oops. I forgot to add what you should do about eating out tonight (my opinion anyways). What I would do is eat a healthy/filling meal before you go, and while you are there have a small salad with light dressing (you might want to sneak your own dressing in your purse). Drink a lot of water while you are there, and take your time with the salad so you can still be social and eat socially, without piling on the calories. It all comes down to what you want more...steady weight loss, or a big meal. That is a horrible choice I know, especially when temptation is staring you in the face...but it will be much easier if you go in having already eaten. Just think of how proud you'll be having faced it and won!

Amanda

Jenna- If they serve pico de gallo you should get some. It's fresh and yummy. A lot of places make it a little different, like I don't think I've had it with peppers, if I did I am surprised.... http://www.recipezaar.com/26193 that's a recipe for you to refer to. The only problem with that is that you usually eat it with chips. I know there are other great mexican foods that offer a healthier choice, you just have to find them.

I've decided that I am going to start calorie counting today. I just want to know exactly how many calories I am eating a day. I made a menu and have 820 planned... I'll probably eat more than that, but I just wanted a base amount to work around.

Does anyone know if there is a web site that has a log for you to enter your calories for the day?

I also wanted to say that yesterday was a crappy day at the gym. I did my 30 min on the eliptical, but I was just slacking. I'm trying to outdo the number of strides everytime, I was up to 4300 the last time I was there but last night I don't think I even hit 4000. Then my muscles were weak. I couldn't even do the weights I've been doing the past times... I'm hoping it's just because I had a couple days off from the eliptical and the weights. I walked the two days prior. I'm going to head into the gym here in a little bit.

Oh, and I found a calorie log/food diary at Self.com (I love "Self" and "Fitness" magazines! They are the best.... and the girls on the cover motivate me to stick with this, I want to look like that)

The Self Diet Club is pretty good. Fitday.com has a better breakdown of fat vs protein vs carbs etc. Either way, 820 is wayyy too low especially when you are exercising. Make sure you are getting all your fruits and veggies and proteins and your calories should increase to a workable amount. Good luck!

Oh, yeah. I plan to eat closer to 1300 cals but I just did a mock up type of thing. I ate my lunch and had the pasta instead of rice I was planning on having and I dressed it with diced tomatos and italian dressing which added another 100 cals. I didn't figure in the seasonings I will more than likely have on my fish later... etc. So far I've had:
B- Cream of Wheat- 120 cals
L- Broiled Tilapia filet with EVOO and lemon pepper seasoning- 210 cals
2/3 C penne pasta with tomatos and italian dressing- 310 cals
Diet Pepsi- 0 cals
Planned dinner- grilled salmon with EVOO (not much) -220 cals,
2/3 C penne pasta w/pasta sauce- 235 cals
That totals 1095.... but I haven't thought of snacks at this point. I do need to eat more veggies, but I have to go grocerie shopping on Tuesday (payday!)

Thanks!

Hi everyone! Its been a looong time since I have been here, but I think I need to come back for the wonderful support that is always shown! I was down 35 lbs my last go at it-- gained only 5ish back.. but I really need some motivation to buckle down and do a clean sweep of my house, do a sugar buster couple of days, and start working out again. Anyone good at motivational speeches? I am, and I do like to give them when I am not being hypocritical, but I need a little boost to start again!

I enjoyed the fact that some of you I recognize from many months ago and you are still going strong! How absolutely wonderful for you!!!! It shows everyone that you CAN stick to something and change your life around for the better!
I hope to be stickin around here more now, I love the advise from all of you!!!

Have a great evening!!!

Angie - Good to see you on here. I'm still pretty new, so I've never met you...but welcome back. I practically live on here now *hmm...maybe I should get a life*, so I'm sure I'll see you around!

Smiles and Hugs,
Amanda

Fitday.com is my friend. It's funny because I told myself I wouldnt go over 1600 calories.. and its easy! (for now... hehe let's just wait..) the closest I came to was today, 1500.. it helps that I splurged and spent money on the LeanCuisine and healthy choice and smart ones frozen dinners.. (got over my fear by using the self-checkout).. mom didn't go grocery shopping today like she said she was going to, so its a good thing I got them.. otherwise I would have ended up walking and getting pizza or something... =x.

And im sad. My friend asked me to come up to the pool hall, so I walked all the way there, to find out she was gone! The bright side was that I got in an hour of walking...