[Novus]

You guys! You guys! OMG! Guess what?

I've got a modeling gig.

Ok, so. It's not quite what it sounds like. A local photographer put out a "casting call" on facebook for models for a shoot she wants to do to build her portfolio. I was very hesitant to respond because I am not a model. But I am kinna obsessed with fashion and photography so I thought this would be a blast. A friend insisted I apply, so I did.

The photographer looked through my photos on facebook (including the ones from a silly "fashion shoot" I did with my sil last autumn) and she said I have "interesting features, great bone lines, and an ability to pose naturally." And today she called to say....she picked me for the photo shoot!

Now, how much weight can I lose by June 21st?

[MissSMcC]

Wow Novus that's so exciting! Move over Kate moss haha do you know any details about the photos, what kind of clothes you will wear ect?

I am on a long shift at work today and I am so tired! Lots of coffee for me today and an early night hopefully. Can't believe it's mid week already.

[Elizabeth779]

Hi everyone -- sorry I've been MIA the first couple weeks also.....long boring story, but I'm here now. I was struggling with stress eating right when we got started but I got that under control and am now on track and losing. I do low carb.....I'm going to go back and read the posts for the last couple weeks and be caught up so I'll know who's who and what you're all about.

Hang in there and remember to drink your water!

For starters though, here is my information so you can get to know me....

Preferred name: Elizabeth
Location: Sunny California
What plan (if any) are you following?: Low Carb, I follow Fat to Skinny WOE
Do you have any health issues that may affect your working on your loss? Not really even though I suspect my gallbladder isn't exactly a happy camper lately.
Do you have any pets? I have 1 dog
Biggest weight loss weakness? Exercise - I put it off till last on the list so it doesn't get done. Working on that...
Fave type of music? Most everything except the really modern stuff.
Favourite quote: In the absence of temptation there is no claim to virtue.

[Novus]

Originally Posted by MissSMcC

Wow Novus that's so exciting! Move over Kate moss haha do you know any details about the photos, what kind of clothes you will wear ect?

We're doing the shoot at an abandoned "castle" (it's called that because it looks castle-like but it's actually a carriage house) so we're going with a Dark Fairytale/Victorian Gothic theme. I have a friend who buys clothes to resell on eBay and he found me some fabulous stuff today. I can't wait to try it on this weekend! I'm just silly excited about this.

In diet related news, I'm on plan with food and exercise this week. But my sleep is wacked for some reason - I'm tired at all the wrong times and when I do sleep I'm restless. I dunno what's up. I rarely have sleep probs.

[Novus]

What are you ladies planning to do food-wise for Memorial Day? Are you just going to relax and enjoy the food, eat in moderation, avoid the barbecues all together, or what?

I can't decide what to do. I freakin' love picnic food so I want to splurge but I'm not sure it's really worth it. It's probably not.

[kris2008]

Congrats on model gig Novus!
Welcome back Elizabeth!

[MissSMcC]

Sounds like a really cool shoot Novus, I bet the photos will be amazing! We don't have memorial day here so can't help you on that one.
Welcome back Elizabeth!
I am about to leave for work, got to go straight to a meeting after, I don't want to go coz it's a 45 min drive and I hate driving, especially somewhere I'm not familiar with. Can't even leave early to make sure I get there on time. Never mind. Happy Thursday!

[dangerouscurves76]

Hey RED TEAM!

Can't believe it's Thursday already. Where did the week go?

Novus: Congrats on the modeling gig! That's fantastic news! And to answer your question, I'm avoiding all BBQs. There's no way I can eat (hot-off-the-grill) chicken and ribs in moderation. LOL. Maybe by July, I can learn to some restraint.

back - nlauah and Elizabeth!

Mini-update: Ok, so this week has been going pretty good for me. I've been eating mostly OP and exercising. My only real issue has been remembering to eat dinner before 9pm and drinking enough water to stay hydrated.

This week, I've spent time looking over old food journals and training logs. Trying to figure out where I've gone wrong in the past. There are a few patterns that continue to repeat. I start off strong and then get frustrated cause I'm not losing fast enough. So I drastically cut calories and turn to energy drinks, coffee and protein bars for nutrition. Or I start off slowly, losing weight at a consistent rate and then a birthday or holiday comes up and I throw in the towel. I know...it's not an unfamiliar story. I just didn't realize how predictable my behavior is.

So I decided that this time I'm going to change it up a bit. How about I limit the amount of processed foods that I consume? (Bye-bye frozen dinners and canned soup) Continue to eat clean 90% of the time. Give my body a chance to lose weight at a healthy rate without drastic measures. And strive for a higher level of self-acceptance! Oh...and I'm doing something I've never done in the past. I'm buying beautiful new clothes in my (right NOW) size!!!! Instead of continuing to live in yoga pants and maxi dresses. Who feels cute in the same boring outfits day in and day out? Not me!

Moving forward with a positive attitude and a true dedication to being healthy and happy. I can do this!

[MissSMcC]

DC - I agree about the clothes, I totally get why people feel reluctant to buy nice clothes when they hopefully won't be wearing them for long, financially it doesn't make sense, but I think everyone deserves nice clothes and to feel smart and well dressed at any weight

[Novus]

DC, what I do to reward myself with new clothes is to set aside a tiny amount (like $5 or $10) from each paycheck and go to a thrift shop and buy one or two things. It's so exciting to always have something new to wear (and it's a bonus if I discover I've changed sizes!) and since I'm not spending much, it's really no big deal if I only wear the item a few times. Plus...shopping!

[MissSMcC]

I did a video today that involved jogging, I didn't even know I could jog!

[Novus]

Originally Posted by MissSMcC

I did a video today that involved jogging, I didn't even know I could jog!

You're a rockstar!

[Novus]

No loss for me this week. In fact, I gained 1/2 a pound. Not surprised, really...I've felt basically awful all week - tired but not sleeping well, no energy, achy.

At first I thought I had some sort of bug/virus sorta thing but it doesn't seem to be going away. I suspect I need to increase my calories; I'm probably not getting enough fuel. I'm hitting 1200 calories pretty much spot-on every day and that's at the very low end of my range. I cannot imagine eating any more food, though. Even what I do eat sometimes feels like too much.

Dilemma.

[Nightkatt]

Looks like its been a hard week for us all I think ... Novus I was doing the same as you last year and yep .. every day at the lowest does tend to wear your body down more than you really want it to ... so I started alternating my calories through the week .. so the lowest 2 days, then up it a day, low again etc ... I found it kept my metabolism moving but the extra helped keep that weary feeling at bay .. and if it hit again I would up my calories a little for the week, then carry on. Its like fasting .. you aren't supposed to do it always .. and I think the same applies for the lowest end of the calorie target. Good on you for your model shoot too My hunny is a photographer (I help at the weddings as a second one) and now he is starting to use me for some of his shoots depending on what is needed It is a buzz isn't it

Right .. off to work again .. won a free Vibra-train session for Tuesday so that will be interesting lol .. and hopefully it will motivate me to get exercising again too!

[Novus]

My friend stopped by yesterday with the clothes he found me for the photo shoot. O my g....so much fantastic. (Girls, if you need style/fashion help, go find a gay man. Cliché, yet so true! ) It was so much funny as he and his partner attempted to wrestle/stuff me into the clothing. At one point my friend grabbed my boobs and said, "Girl, these are just epically ridiculous!" So, some alterations needed in the boobage area but we managed to put together three great outfits.

Thanks nightkatt for the advice about calorie cycling. I'm definitely going to do some tweaking of some sort with my food this week.

Good luck with weigh-in everyone. Hopefully people don't get so busy with the holiday weekend that they forget!