Feathers Plan & Chat Dec. 8 - 14
 

Only 2 1/2 weeks 'til Christmas. How are we all holding up? How is the Christmas stuff coming? How are everyone's stress levels?

Let's all do our best at this very difficult time of year and forgive ourselves if we falter :hug:.

Have a great week all!

Dagmar :cheer2: :cheer3:

Staying OP together
 

It's difficult to lose weight when the people you live with are not supportive. DH was doing very well on his diet but got derailed this weekend. He was "celebrating" writing an exam and finishing a very difficult part of his course.

I was watching him eat and drink all weekend and finally caved in last night due to extreme boredom, fatigue, and depression.

It seems I also tend to go off plan whenever I'm getting so close to goal that I'm actually going to make it.

Pick myself up today and try again. I hope DH is also back OP this week as that will make it easier.

Dagmar :tired:

Dagmar, I completely sympathise with what you're saying! It's so much more difficult to eat well when people around you either aren't being supportive or are just eating lots of unhealthy, tempting foods. I'm really glad to hear you've been able to pick yourself up today and I hope you feel motivated to stick with things!

I had a bit of a milestone moment last night, when I really realised that what I was doing was a lifestyle change as opposed to a diet. My housemate baked a delicious flourless (well, almost flourless) chocolate cake. Basically it's extremely dense, heavy moist chocolate fondant - the recipe is basically just chocolate, sugar, butter, eggs - so delicious. I had a good slice, and then another smaller one (whilst it was still warm from the oven!). And I didn't feel even a smidgen of guilt. That's what felt so good - I felt like I was really thinking in the mindset of a slimmer person instead of a really fat girl who feels bad about how much she eats. I just realised that when I am slim, if I am offered delicious unhealthy food every now and then, I am going to accept graciously, because my relationship with food will have changed and because most of the time I will be eating really well. Last night, I could accept the cake and enjoy every morsel because it's a treat, not something I enjoy regularly, and therefore it's not going to make me "fat". I also really felt so full after it, which is great, because it shows my body is now used to eating "clean" instead of tolerating all sorts of junk.

I've not been losing as quickly as I did when I went from 220 down to 180lbs, over the past week or so I'm only losing a pound or two at the most a week. But I can live with it, I feel so much happier with my body now, and a slow and steady loss feels more permanent. I can't tell you how much happier I am feeling now that I know I'm doing something positive to shift these last few pounds.

Good morning Tiny, Dagmar ...

Somewhere, we did a weekend thread that really helped me. I have been quite unhealthy on weekends but this one I was more vigilant. Not good but more vigilant. Instead of the 4 or 5 lbs of puffy blah I normally accumulate, I think I'm a tad lighter than Friday. And that's better.

Well, after my baby's first birthday party and no running last week (partly due to being VERY busy, and partly due to being ill), I am back up to 140! I am also acknowledging that and changing my ticker - can't pretend to be 137 any more!

But I am running again this afternoon and there is time to get back down into the middle of my maintenance range before Christmas.

Your baby is a year old! How much fun is that?! Is there a picture somewhere?

This time of year is tough but I have decided that I can't let it all go If I slip up on nutrition then I can't slip up on exercise. I have to be consistent in something.

Jackie, I've kind of committed to making sure I get my exercise throughout the holiday season. Like you said, food's going to be tough, but control what we can!

I am back up to 142.5 this morning, arghhh!!! I think it may be PMS bloating coming on, so here's hoping.

Aargh! Too busy to really post. We're having a tax audit this week. It's rather stressful.

:hug:The Featherweights send good vibes to Allison! Right gals?

Yup good vibes all around.

iriswhispers: We do what we have to do, I'm glad you can relate. oh and the bloat, don't even get me started but after my last visit from aunt flow I went down 2 lbs so I'm wishing you much relief accompanied by weight loss.

that's one of my worst nightmares!

feathers- I'm slipping into very dangerous old behaviors. not good. i'm trying to get on track...

Don't do it Kitty! Just stop ... take a deep breath and remember we're with you!

thx susan! i need to post post post. it used to be read read read 3fc. now i read and eat. i can't eat if typing! right?

SusanB We had "weekend warriors". I feel in the need of some extra support too so I'm in as long as I have computer access. Totally blew it this weekend and haven't been able to pull myself out of this slump. DH is eating crap again and I'm following down that path due to sheer physical fatigue in the evenings.

I can't go to bed at 8 p.m. but I can't seem to summon the energy to do anything except sit in front of the TV.

Think I'll start moving stuff around in my office. It's a mess and, even though I'm not doing anything coherent it'll keep my hands busy.

Have a great day all! I'm out in snow and rain today from 9 - 4. Gonna come home, take off all the wet stuff, and crawl into bed for an hour. Hope that helps too.

Dagmar :tired: :(

Hey Dagmar,

I'll join as a w/e warrior. I was doing fantastically - even sailed through the 1st Christmas party without too much damage....then for some reason I thought it would be OK to have some chips and ribs on Sat. night
The sliding continued (won't get into food porn).
Ended in a trip to the garbage to dump the nasty leftovers.

So after that looong winded prelude - I just want to say - I will hang out here on the w/e's to avoid a repeat of this w/e.

-S

Hey gang :wave: ... Woke up to a nice surprise on Monday morning I was at the low end of my fluctuation :lol: which is surprising after a weekend... I am determined this year not to gain during the Holiday season and maybe lose a bit too... Exercise has been good too :D ...

See you later all, I'm at work at the moment, gotta run...

I don't see anything wrong with sitting in front of the TV for an hour or so in the evening, Dagmar! I mean, you're out exercising the dogs all day--you need a break. I get up at 4:30 to do my 30 minutes on the treadmill, and I'm on and off my feet all day, then I'm home running around getting dinner on the table--I deserve an hour or so to totally veg out!

hello! yesterday was close to POP, but no exercise.

today cals a bit higher than I wanted and not such great choices. also did loooong run. hopefully I can stick to tea for the rest of the night after having early dinner with kiddos.

and I agree, nothing at all wrong with an hour or so of end of the long-hard-day tv-zone out time. :)

and I'm also in for the weekend thread. :)

and congrats ilene :)

and allinell, i'm hoping things are ok in your world, tax-wise :)


i'll be back ;)

i haven't ran in about a week! my son just wont nap anymore.. lol

oh, I hate plateaus. Is anyone else stuck at one?

The thing with TV and me
 

I find I can't watch TV without snacking. Unless the show is absolutely riveting (and nothing on our 10 channels is that interesting).

I sit down, intending to not eat anything, but then the snacks start calling me. Most of our stuff is healthy and not damaging in small quantities but I can't seem to stop at 10 pretzels or one small bag of popcorn.

I've brought home veggies and fruit and those were really satisfying in the summer but now I'm craving warm stuff.

I'm gonna try low cal hot chocolate and 1% milk tonite.

Have a good night all!

Dagmar (wet, wet, wet)

I"m trying so hard, and just hoping hoping hoping beyond hope that I can fit back into my jeans before flying "home" for Christmas. I've only been gone 5 months... how much damage could I have done, really?? =(

Mudpie, I can totally relate to the tv snacking. I'm trying to stop but usually I find that I really am hungry. I've tried herbal teas but they don't cut it for tv watching. Light hot chocolate might though, I'm going to try that too.

Morning!

I can relate to the TV snacking too. It's such a passive activity that if you're not really engaged by what you're watching, it's all to easy to just grab a snack and munch away to make the whole experience more entertaining!

I'm mainly eating to stay awake until 10 p.m. so I don't wake up at 2:30 a.m. ready for the day. TV is a really passive thing and I find it tends to lull me to sleep. Which can be good, but not at 8 p.m. :p

Dagmar

Plateau? Only for the past two years!

Snacking in front of the TV? That is one of my "safe" zones. I rarely eat in front of the tv. I'll snack til the cows come home if I'm in the kitchen, but move to the family room (which is just a separate part of the kitchen) and I forget about snacking.

Hi feathers!

My biggest bad habit (right now) that I find myself battling (and not winning, at least last night) is the post dinner eating/snacking/turns into a mini-binge.

Arghh. But I resolved to step on the scale today, get back on plan.... and found the scale was up by only one pound! :)

Seriously, I had ice cream, chocolate sauce and cereal with milk. And 3 slices of wheat bread with butter. And those insanely yummy and not too caloric, if eaten in the suggested portion, trader joe's dark choc ginger pieces.
At least I put splenda and not tons of sugar in my cereal. Then it would have been a real binge, on its way to where I have been in my darker days.

gotta go to chicks in control.

Hey feathers.

When I embarked on my latest (yawn) campaign I banned food from the living room. Easy rule really given that I live by myself most of the time. Otherwise I can spend a good couple of hours and thousands of calories chomping away in front of the tv for no good reason.

Whilst I'm here with such a knowledgeable crowd I have a question. How long, in your own personal experiences, does it take for scale weight to show up if you've really overdone it? I appreciate that the answer to this is going to be variable but say you'd consumed an extra 3,500 cals on top of maintenance on a Friday night when would this reflect as a true weight gain for you?

Well, it's 10:30pm where I am and I have a pi$$y day at work tomorrow so I'm off to bed. Had a pretty virtuous day with 2 hours exercise too so am feeling smug. For now.

Night all :dizzy:

Knowledgeable? Not so much. More like opinionated!!

That said, I'd say if you really overdid one meal, you might see a slight bump in the scale within two days, but it will be short-lived. But if you overdid it for several days, you'll see a slightly larger bump that won't be as easy to get back down again.

"Real" gain shows up on me about 2 days into the "pig out".

Speaking of :ink: my DH seems to be using the holidays as an excuse to just belly up at the trough. I'm trying to separate myself in another room to avoid all the crap he's bought and brought home again.

Men! ARRRGGHHH!!!

Dagmar :mad:

Well, I had a cupcake yesterday and spaghetti with meat sauce all while watching The Biggest Loser. I did make up for it by doing an extra hour of cardio and making sure that my calories in were 1000 calories less than my calories out. I am trying to lose 2lbs a week and then hope to maintain myself at a healthy weight. This first couple of weeks has gone well but no improvement on the scale as of yet.

Thank God my family is another state or Xmas would be SUPER difficult for me. I am going to make a light meal for me and the Mr. for Xmas and make the kids a few of their favorites.

Good morning!

Hi LidiaAnain! You found us!

My job is on the line
 

I'm off to a meeting this morning with the City. I'm hoping it's not to be given the news that I'm dreading. I couldn't sleep at all last night. And DH conveniently provided a package of cookies and I dove right in.

I'm up two lbs. because of all the stress surrounding this. I'm also about ready to burst into tears, which is totally out of character for me.

Wish me luck everyone. If they announce a closing of yet another of the off leash areas I use my job will become physically unbearable and I have no alternatives.

I am between the rock and the hard place. I don't know what to do any more.

Dagmar :(

good luck dagmar :goodluck: i hope it goes ok

Oh Dagmar ... this just drags on and on ... :hug:

Hi there everyone...

Glad I found this featherweights section!

I started my commitment to eating and being healthy this week. Im actually very excited about what is going to be my new lifestyle and I already am feeling the positive effects of it!!!

I also have been a week without soda...and if you guys knew me, youd understand how big of a deal this is! I used to drink coke for breakfast at like 7 am. But instead of coke I have now switched to sparking water. I still get my morning caffiene jolt from coffee, but now I use skim milk in it.

My plan is to eat as healthy as possible, but also allow myself one treat meal a week with my boyfriend on saturdays.

So happy tomorrow is friday!

Hi Jesey girl I'm a Jersey girl too! Oh, wow, I usually say I'm from NY. Now I know my internal "move" has connected with my physical relocation of house and home :p

Better day today. I am just so stressed out (pms playing no small role) about decisions involving preschool. I mean, REALLY, it's PRESCHOOL. One is a very short day, an amazing program and actually takes place in a park (in a little 100 year old schoolhouse) is more expensive and requires very high input from parents (a co-op). The other has a lesser but still totally adequate program for the children but is less expensive and is a longer day.

It seems kind of simple written out here. So I'll read this a few more times.

But there is so much more involved with my decision, time to cherish my very last baby, time for my job, time for my other children, time for my household.... time for ME!

sorry to blab. I am looking to keep myself out of the kitchen, after I do a quick prep for DH's dinner-- for the rest of the evening. wish me luck. :)

Dagmar, check in later!! I hope things go well.