[Leaves]

Hi guys, happy new year!

It looks like we have an influx of members, so I think we need to start up a new chat already! I definitely need to get back on track, I've gained about 5lbs over the holidays, but I have some awesome trips planned in the summer that I have to work towards

How's it hanging guys?

[krampus]

Hello! Thanks for starting the chat thread

I'm doing well, didn't gain or lose over Christmas/New Year. I had some kind of weird pooping bug (I don't believe in TMI) and that probably helped. It was lovely having a week off of work where I spent all day every day bonding with the cats and going to see The Hobbit multiple times. New Year's Day I put on a bikini and jumped into a lake an hour north of here - the outside temperature was 18 F. It was cold!

BF and I are going to hike and explore southern Utah for 2 weeks in late April. I have a copy of "Desert Solitaire" in my purse and I have ramped up my training to do more incline stuff, stairs, arc trainer, hills walking/running, basically all the cardio stuff I never do because it sucks :P

Leaves - Where are you going?!?!?!

[pixelllate]

Leaves - Nothing like a deadline such as a vaca or wedding to give that lil needed nudge! So glad you started a thread! Where are you looking to go for vaca?

Hey all, I haven't posted in this thread in awhile - I had regained like 25+ lbs when I left my bad job Oct 2012 and sucked up my savings, and maintained that for my next terrible job. Then I got a new better job in mid Sept 2013 and lost like 14.5 lbs since end of Oct 2013 or so and now I am down to the final 9.5. Could lose faster but then I wondered if I have grown to be more resilient towards former binge-trigger foods, so I challenged myself to eat oatmeal and bread (those trigger me more than cake WTF) and maintained loss, and normal servings of it. Now that I faced that fear, ready to get back to actively losing. NYC is brutally cold, so I am just going to the gym 2 days a week, but the first time I lost weight, I was terrible at lifting - tried doing those fashion magazine exercises which involve a lot of coordination and now I am starting with the basics and making good gains in the lbs I can lift, so "onwards and upwards" I guess!

[thesame7lbs]

Leaves, thanks for starting this thread! I hope some vets keep posting and some newbies join -- this forum has been so helpful to me.

I wish I had better news to report from the holidays, but obviously not. Moderation continues to be one of my challenges. So now I'm back on plan and feeling good about it -- I just wish I could find the sweet spot between losing and gaining (aka maintenance).

Krampus, have you been to Utah? We drove through the southern part (not far from Arches and Zion) when we moved out here and it was breathtakingly beautiful -- literally, we would crest a hill or round a curve on the highway and gasp at the beautiful view that appeared. April should be nice -- we were there in July and it was HOT.

We're planning a trip to Italy this summer with my husband's family, twelve of us in all. The itinerary is still vague, but we've rented a house in Tuscany for a week. Should be lovely and calorific!

I have been busy lately with my kids' school and other volunteer projects. A little exhausting when I am on the go from 6:30a to 9:30p, but it is good to be busy. Gets my mind off food, calories, etc. And I've registered for a 1/2 marathon in March, my first race in nearly a year, so it will be fun to train for that -- planning a 10-mile run this weekend.

Stay warm, everyone!

[Leaves]

Lovely to have some chat going again!

So the trips planned are another cruise with my family (they've caught the cruising bug!) but this time a longer one to Russia and Scandinavia! Then BF and I are planning to go to Thailand and Cambodia as well. There's also the possibility of Disneyland Paris at Easter, so much going on!


Krampus: That made me imagine you with an actual beetle that kept pooping! Hope you're feeling better now though What did you think to the Hobbit? I went to see it for BF's birthday in 3D at the IMAX which was all a bit gimicky but pretty fun. I'm impressed with how long they've managed to make it!

Pixel: I'm finding the last few pounds sticking are sticking around too! I've seen all the stuff on the news about the crazy weather over there, hope you're staying warm and safe, I'd be making a little cocoon and not leaving it if I were you

thesame7lbs: ooh, Italy is lovely! The seven course meals are pretty deadly though! Half marathon sounds awesome, way to go!

[skutumpah]

Thanks for starting this thread!

Just got home from a diving trip to Cozumel, QR, Mexico. It was AMAZING and it felt great to get some sun on the beach.

I just focused on having fun and living it up in Cozumel, so I didn't weigh in or work out.

And now . . . back to reality! It's snowing here in Salt Lake City, and it's beautiful.

I'm excited to get back to yoga and running. I'm doing a 40 day yoga and meditation challenge, and running on green air days (winter air quality here can be really bad). I'm training for a half in March.

I received a great vegan cookbook for the holidays, so I'm looking forward to preparing some new clean, delicious meals.

Krampus: Excited to hear about your trip! Southern Utah is amazing, and April should be perfect. I try to get down there as often as possible. Let me know if you want recommendations.

Leaves: My husband and I are going to try to go to Thailand/Cambodia/? at the end of next year, for diving and curry and Angkor Wat, etc. You'll have to share how your trip goes!

thesame7lbs: Italy sounds lovely. I've never been and would love to visit, and would surely overdo it on the meals

[skutumpah]

And I have a ticker now!

[Dollfaise]

I've been struggling and my emotions have been all over the place but I'm going to start over again today with trying to get to the gym. I don't hurt anymore and I think I can manage it, even after an 8 hour shift on my feet. The hardest part will be finding the gym because I get lost when I try to find it from work rather than my home...

[Chronostasis]

Hello all!

I've been in a bit of a rut lately feeling "fatter" than usual, or as though I've gained a few pounds. I confess my eating over the holidays and vacation hasn't been great, but I haven't crazy-binged either, just a few too many servings of chicken salad, tortilla chips, marshmallows, etc and too little activity. I hadn't weighed in for a few weeks, so I sucked it up today and stepped on the scale today. Up a measly 0.2 lbs, which is basically nothing more than a daily fluctuation...seems it's pretty much all in my head. I really would like to lose this last ~9 lbs, but for now I look pretty great maintaining where I am. Though I think I really need to make exercise more of a priority again, it does such good things for my mood and self body image, even when it isn't used as a weight loss tool. I really want to get back into running again, I've temporarily lost a fair bit of my endurance from not wanting to get out and run in the winter cold much.

[crazygurl61]

Hi guys im back and its been a long time. Bigger than ever but starting today!

[krampus]

HNNGGFFF went outside to go to the gym this morning to find my car was towed. My New Year's Resolution has been to be nice to everyone all the time and not let stupid crap get me down, so this was a trial for sure. Especially because the $ required to get the car back was supposed to go toward vet treatment for my cat, who looks SO SAD in the sweater we put on him to keep him from scratching himself.

BF and I planned a lot of our Utah trip. Lots of hiking - will be 70+ miles total probably! Training has been going pretty well and weight is consistent.

crazygurl61: Welcome back! We missed you!

Chronostasis: Keeping motivated to exercise in winter can be a real challenge, but there are so many options indoors that you're bound to find one you can stand!

Dollfaise: Finding the gym will get easier once you do it a few times! It'll be worth it to feel good for a few hours post-workout...

Skutumpah: Recommendations are ABSOLUTELY welcome! We are probably trying to cram way too much into our 2 weeks. I'm most excited so far about camping at Kodachrome Basin State Park.

Leaves: I'm basically with you re: The Hobbit, it's all Peter Jackson so outrageous yet fun. You are hitting every corner of the earth with all the trips!

thesame7lbs: I have never been, the only western travel I've done is the Sonoran Desert around Tucson. How is half marathon training going? You're lucky to have escaped unscathed by the weather...

pixellate: How are you doing? Hope all is well...

[thesame7lbs]

Hello everyone!

I am struggling with consistency. I wish I could get it through my head that sweets and treats are an occasional thing and not something I can have every day. If I can just stick with it long enough to see the scale go down (and my jeans loosen up a bit) I will be inspired to keep going. Just gotta stick with it!

It looks like the Midwest and East Coast have thawed out! I hope everyone's gotten a chance to get outside, move around, and breathe in some fresh air!

Leaves, I went to Cambodia and Thailand in 2001. Cambodia is probably the most fascinating place I've ever been. We stayed in a charming guest house called La Noria in Siem Reap (location of Angkor Wat and other temples).

Skutumpah, your diving trip sounds wonderful! That's interesting that SLC has bad air quality in the winter -- in Maryland, we had bad air in the summer. They said running on a code red day was like smoking a pack of cigarettes.

Dollfaise, I hope you were able to track down the gym!

Krampus, that is a test for sure. I didn't make an official nyresolution this year, but I am working on handling life's curveballs with more poise. I tend to freak out when things go wrong, and I'm hoping to teach myself to focus on solutions rather than the problem. Half training is going well. I ran 10 miles yesterday and felt so good I was tempted to go farther, but I'm trying to take it easy and not get re-injured. I had a nice easy 4-miler today with my dog. :-) I love running with her because she is so joyful, it's contagious! That cat sweater is so awesome, he should wear it all the time! Perhaps all cats should have clothing.

[crazygurl61]

Krampus you are looking good. Wish i could say the same

[pixelllate]

KRAmPUS- Good morning =]
Silly work keeps on preventing me from showing you actually important stuff like

Leaves-Disneyland...Paris?! That sounds all sorts of awesome! Maintenance is absolutely tricky to figure out! Can't we just "maintain" our biggest weight?! I could manage that! haha

crazygurl61-Hey there! Welcome back! You prob look much better than you think.


thesame7lbs - absolutely. I think that its great that you are taking on the challenge of balancing sweets and non-sweets! It is hard for sure, but its so worth it in the long run because itd be awesome to maintain in the long-term without having to 100% abstain from a food!

Chronostasis-that is such a tiny gain that I bet when you start to actively lose, you'll see some great results!

Dollfaise-Google maps and give yourself a lot of time to get there! after awhile it will be easy

skutumpah - I'm excited to hear how those meals turn out! Sometimes I browse the blog 101cookbooks by Heidi Swanson.


Update - so I live on the 2nd floor and the pipes burst above me and it RAINED in my bedroom last week. I was in a state of shock. Things are fixed with two gaping holes in the walls, which hopefully will be sealed up within the next 2 weeks. I kept on thinking, if this were the past, I'd order in or buy something pre-packaged...but ugh nope. It would not have been the end of hte world if I did just get takeout, but if I don't have to, I just though eh why do that?

At least for now in my life, I do so much better when I do fresh Paleo food, so I bought a ton of water to cook with for a couple days. Now the water is running again, so I don't have to but listening to my neighbors/roomie not have to adjust to their eating plans made me feel like a bizarre person for taking pains to maintain routine lol.

[crazygurl61]

Hi everyone- thanks for the support. I wanted to cry when I saw my old weight on here. Stay away for a little over a year and gain 30 lbs- eeek! No good. I am training at the gym and working out daily plus eating healthy and focused now to get this weight off!