Good morning!

Hi new people!

I've got nothing fabulous to report. I've been a terrible nibbler lately and haven't even tried to put that in fitday. Yesterday was some better. Not good food but better amounts and I didn't inhale them ;)

KarenLee - welcome! Support: here. Wisdom: here. Learning: here. Opportunities for advice: here. And, SUCCESS: HERE!!! You and sweetie need to find a new routine for the kid-bedtime. My "bad time" has always been the time between hitting the door from work, and when dinner starts. You need a new ritual to replace the nibbling, that's all. The eating isn't "nurturing" - it's just a dumb habit. Nurturing would be a nice bath, going to bed early with the sweetie (also burns calories), or something else that feels really good but doesn't require chewing. :) I'm sure you'll get other great suggestions here.

Ilene - yup, back at it! Holidays are a challenge - I'm searching for Tgiving strategies already, and it's 6 weeks away! :)

SusanB - oh, that's the best ... when the scale does something a bit unexpected in the GOOD direction! :D

jiggles - I had horrible problems with hunger and self-sabotage until I started eating a lot more good fat - yes, fat! I snack on avocadoes, nuts, seeds ... and yes, I don't get to eat for volume, but I never get hungry. Plus, my dry skin, fingernails and hair went away. I'm an ex-jock, so I was used to eating huge too and that's what got me into my highest weight. I had to unlearn that - and it took a food scale to do it. Good luck!

Huge, huge day for me yesterday. Not only did I hit the scale goal, but I also learned at the doctor's office that my scale is 2.5 pounds heavy! And this morning, I hit 25 pounds off for the year - which means I can now buy my iPod Touch. :D I credit 3FC for darn near all of it - and I'm hooked! :hug: Having failed many a time on my own - THANK YOU to everyone here!

Congrats ICU! Go get that new iPod! You deserve it!

I've been eating pretty well but I didn't get a chance to exercise yesterday because I spent all my free time preparing for an interview I had this morning (cross your fingers!). Yesterday was supposed to be a c25k day but that didn't happen and then it rained all day today, so it STILL didn't happen. I did do a couple short workouts this evening and I TRIED to do more but my legs were on fire! So I'm hanging up my workout gear and going to bed!

today wasn't too bad for me...although since thanksgiving any day without pie is a good one! (my boyfriend and i got sent home with LOTS of leftovers)...and still too sick to exercise/diet....

ilene-are two thanksgiving dinners the worst ?(and best...) at least now there's a big stretch between now and the next holidays...

ICU-a food scale is a great idea. and congratulations! how inspiring. i think it's so awesome that you set up a reward like that.

Hi Featherweights! I'm just trudging along with diet and exercise but after 12 weeks my motivation is fading a little. Still I want to get rid of the muffin top! -- going to a store and trying on clothes helped motivate me a little. With even another 5 lbs off I would look and feel so much better.

ICUwishing -- congrats on the 25 lbs loss and getting into the 140s! ... and you are even below goal! That is so fantastic and you so deserve an iPod!

ShrinkingAmy -- I think "lean and more toned" certainly beats just losing weight. IMO it's really just feeling better not the scale that's the most important and sounds like you are really making progress there!

KarenLee -- welcome! just take baby steps ... eating healthy and watching portions should help you lose those 10 lbs. I really don't think anything radical is necessary. Could you try eating something healthy as a late night snack? Maybe oatmeal? I know that sounds a bit crazy but my mother, very slim, always eats oatmeal as an evening snack. Me, I'm not a snacker.

Ilene -- congrats on surviving Thanksgiving!

SusanB -- wow! you have made great progress on weight loss and exercise in the last month!

jiggles -- welcome! congrats on surving Thanksgiving too! pie is my weakness too, be strong!

Jayjay - I know what you mean... if it weren't for my upcoming beach trip, I would have already fallen off the wagon 10 times over - I've never been this motivated in my life - getting fit is hard work, and frankly not much fun! Yeah, some of it can be fun, but for the most part, not really! Hang in there. I'm with you on the 5lb muffin top! That's what I need to hit more than anything! Everything else is looking nice then I have this big tire o' fat around my waist! And I don't know what to do about it. I'm thinking the more cardio I can do, the better. Let me know what seems to work best for you!

Today for me was pretty good - ate pretty well and finished week 2 of c25k and did a little over a half hour of additional work outs this evening. I usually take Friday's off (date night), but I took yesterday off so I need to make sure to get a work out in tomorrow no matter what. I should really do it while DD is napping instead of napping myself!

I got a new Oxygen magazine yesterday but never got at it until today. I should find a mag that will come every week ... I find it soooo motivating!

I'm going to look after my grandbaby this weekend. Since I have to make her what she eats, I can make me what I want :D
We'll go for walks ... DD has some exercise equipment ... should be a good weekend (for a change)

hi featherweights!

jumping in here, if you all don't mind... been lurking around for a while.

I've been a really good girl lately and exercising every day (running, weight training, and recently started running HIIT) and eating a diet of mostly vegetables, lean meats, protein, etc. It's not hard to do because I'm back home (Japan) with my family and home cooked meals are the best! I just pick what I want out of the meal, and eat slowly, and move away from the dinner table before dessert hits. Been home for a month, probably will be here through the holidays. Normally I live in San francisco with my boyfriend, dog, and two cats (the one pictured is Ollie). :)

Anyway, I'm on a plateau. 132 is a wonderful place to be, and I feel good, fit, healthy, but there's no doubt I have more fat to give away! (don't you wish you could just give away your fat to someone who wants it?? magically, of course)

BUT being patient and seeing the same number every morning is hard...

Wanna join in here and hang out with you guys so I can keep swimming along. Thanks!

Amy - best wishes for the interview! Did it go well? Hope the good night's sleep helped your legs! Re the fat burning - consider some high-speed interval training. I have Dr. Al Sears' PACE book, and he strongly advises against too much cardio. His program only takes 20 minutes a day, which is all that I'm willing to devote to it. It's intense, though! I don't believe a nap is ever wasted time ... naps rule!

jiggles - sorry you're not feeling well. The cold I had last week did the same thing to me - nothing that was even remotely healthy sounded edible. Vegetables were totally out of the question! Heal yourself and jump back in. :)

jayjay - thank you, it's been a long slow crawl and I wouldn't want to forget a single minute of it. :) The magic bullet has been 3FC and the constant encouragement. I can relate to the muffin top - I'm wondering which pound I have to lose to make that go away! It wasn't the one this morning, cuz I have no clue where that one came from!

SusanB - have fun with the grandbaby! That time really is fleeting and she's lucky to have a grandma who can keep up with her!

chicken - welcome on board, I'm new to this thread too. It's taken me all year to drop 25, so yes, I can empathize with the same number hanging around too long. I'll be curious to hear if the HIIT does the trick for you!

I'm expecting a good weekend. DS10 and I will be swimming tonight. I have a party to go to tomorrow ... those are still a challenge for me because I'm a social foodaholic. I know all the right strategies but it's going to be a while yet before I can trust myself to do the right things.

My Dear Friends,

My father in law passed away and so we are back in India for one month. I am staying somewhere where the 24 hr internet without connection failures remains a dream!!! I couldn't contact you all for some time now. I only wish I could stay in touch with all of you soon.

I am doing a lot of exercises and less junk food at the moment. I don't know when I can send a message again.

I will be here when I come back to Germany again. Miss you!!

Well done to all the losers! Sorry to hear about your FIL lekshmiprasanth!

I have been struggling to run this week as I fell out with my mum and she normally watches my little girl for me while I go running. I think I have managed to arrange things for next week so I can train as I need to, but I have only managed one out of my four planned runs this week!

I lost 0.6 lb so all is not bad. I know it's not much but it's better than nothing.

:hug:lekshmiprasanth

Morning everyone! Joelle and I are having a wonderful time! Lots of walking outside!

sorry to hear that, lekshmiprasanth.

last night I indulged in a nice dinner + dessert for the first time in weeks, we all shared 3 different types of delicious cake. There was an entire half of a slice of chocolate cake left, and I decided, I'd had my fill, better to stop now while I'm still feeling good than stuff myself just because it's there. But I felt sad leaving it behind!

Anyway, I step on the scale this morning expecting to see the consequences and lo and behold, I've lost a whole pound!! After seeing the same number (or higher) for a long time, I was more than surprised.

Our bodies are the strangest things... maybe it's the HIIT workouts?

Hope everyone is having a great day!

lekshmiprasanth -- :hug: we'll be here when you get back....

chickennugget126 -- Love your avatar, we have a cat that looks very very similar to that...Here's his pic...

Also, just wanted to add that I've had a very good food and exercise day :yes: a good start to the week...