Featherweights Plan and Chat in February
 

It's the beginning of another bright new shiny month!

What's up?

cold February weather!
 

freezing cold weather here in Boston, but still got out for a 4-mile run today! probably going to go back to the warm indoors of the gym and treadmill starting tomorrow though...need to start building up my mileage endurance! What's the weather like where you are? Do you like to exercise outdoors or indoors?

Stepping up the exercise is my goal for February. I've honestly been a bit of a slacker exercise-wise since Christmas time! So I'm going to try to do 3-5 times per week rather than 1 or 2 (or none in some cases).

It's cold and snowy here, which has put a damper on my exercise. Walking outdoors is my favorite thing to do, but it's just way too cold for comfort! I've hopped on the eliptical machine twice this weekend, so I'm off to a good start.

Feb. and March are not my favorite months - too cold and I live in the South. I joined the gym this summer and my goal is to go at least 3 times a week. This pass two weeks I only went about once a week and now the scale is slipping back up - so time to get with it so I will be ready for Spring.

:faint: how time flies...

Februray? the same as January :rolleyes: Same ole, Same ole!!

Good morning!

February ... still needing to incorporate weights better and I'm doing a lot of reading about carbs.

Fabulous February to the Feathers!

You outdoor runners amaze me. I am up to 3.1 miles run/WALKing, in a nice warm gym...

Susan - what have you learned about carbs? Anything new?
I try to avoid/eliminate the white stuff and max out on fiber and that seems to keep everything in check.

I've been focusing more on fats. Down with the sat. fat and up with the monounsaturated (mufas)! Doesn't always work out but it keeps me eating more nuts and olive oil and less cheese. Given how high my body fat percentage is, I think I might benefit from a lower fat diet in general but I haven't done much about that yet.

Then there's protein; I never really get enough. But it's debatable about what "enough" is so I am just trying to include as much as I can.

It's hard to figure out what to do with all of the information :dizzy:

I have switched up my diet for a 9-week challenge (South Beach). It's not *low*-carb, but *good*-carb which is pretty much how I want to eat but I haven't been strict about it recently. I felt great yesterday - no late-night grazing on junk food for the first time in a couple of weeks. Yay!

Hi feathers! February is going to rock! I weighed in at 161 this morning, which is a 6 pound loss for January. I'll take it :D My diet is on point, I just need to get my lazy butt moving more often! So, plan for Feb is to continue my strength training, but also to get 30 minutes of cardio 5-6x a week! Starting today...

Let's go feathers!!

February is not off to the start I would have liked. My son was home sick today so no Jazzercise and eating was too "comforting". I will get back on track tomorrow. I would like February to be the month I make it to my 1st goal of 135.

Susan - I know for me carbs is the enemy. When I severely limit them I lose easily and my stomach is flatter. They are definitely a trigger for me but I love to eat them.

Kaw (Kim) posted some links about Mark Sisson's primal lifestyle in another thread. I've long been suspect of wheat and found this stuff interesting.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/

Good morning!

I had a weird hurrying day yesterday. Lifting didn't seem to fit. Let's see if the structure of a workday helps with that.

Yesterday was totally grain free. The rest of my calories weren't particularly good and too low but ... I eat plenty most of the time, I'm not going to sweat one bad day.

In the grocery store, I was quite disappointed to learn that cream has crap in it. Tsk! I thought I was doing myself a favour by switching from french vanilla to real cream and ... wel ... maybe.

And about the cream ... I struggle to eat every two hours if there is anything else going on in my life. I find that a nice cup of coffee with cream and sugar keeps me feeling good for 3 or 4 hours. Then I only have to come up with four nicely balanced meals ;)

Good morning Susan :wave: ... Interesting site, I'll have to read later on today...

Yesterday was good...had 1500 cals a bit high, too high to lose weight :rolleyes: ... I'm so discouraged :frypan: ...

Off to work till noon, giving blood at 1pm... cya :wave:

Yesterday was good.
 

My old website closed down and it really showed me how important it is to have support on your journey - so I am glad to find some new friends.

I retired last year and now have time to get healthy and in the best shape possible so that I can spend quality time with kids and grandkids.

I am reading books about nutrition and fittness and this time my goal is all about being healthy. I picked 125 as my goal because the funniest reason I ever heard for someone to lose weight is that they wanted the weight on their driver's license not to be a lie.

My weight started going up late in life and I would just get busy and lose it. Now at age 64 it is really going much slower. But I am eating healthy and going to the gym and I know this is the best way.

I am currently at 133, but to put things in true perspective; I weighed 132 when I had my last son (who weighed 10 pounds). Can't use that excuse anymore. LOL

:welcome: Danni! I'm 53 and I think my metabolism is slow, I can't imagine it being any slower at 64 :faint: OYE VEY!!!!! But we can always, always keep trying...

hello everyone.
february is starting out okay for me, cept im STUCK at 132. i dipped below it once or twice the past couple days but in general that is where im stuck and i want to badly to get past it.
im off to class this morning, and then some quality time at the gym.
hope everyone has a fabulous day :)

129.8!

Dancing carrots. Dancing carrots. :carrot::carrot::carrot:

I haven't been able to get below 130 for months. It's only .2 below 130, but it's .8 down from last week, which is the biggest loss I've seen since December 2008. The plateau is going down.

Congrats tkm, that is beyond awesome!!!!! :)

I am so excited!!!! Yesterday afternoon I took a shower, did my hair and makeup, and TRIED ON OLD CLOTHES! hahaha! I fit into things that, when I last tried them on (august-ish), I was bulging out of! I probably have another 10 lbs till they actually fit properly, but I zipped and buttoned things up! Woohoo!!!! There's one shirt that is a white cotton button up with little flowers that I can't wait to wear with a pair of jean shorts this summer!


!!!!!! :carrot:

Good start to the day!
 

I made it to the gym today - proud of myself and want to keep this good mood going. Exercise really helps keep me out of the kitchen. I am keeping a weekly chart of the weight so that I won't get discouraged by the plateaus. Yes, Ilene its true - you really have to kick it up when you get to your 60's. I am reading about how high-intensity bouts of activity can speed up weigh loss so I am trying that. I am using a little stepper to get in some activity while I watch TV. I also read that doing 10 minutes several times a day is the same as 30 minutes at one time.

I go back to doctor in April and I really want to have some good lab reports. Getting older is hard enough - it's up to me to make this time of my life the best time of my life.

tkm and shasha :bravo: for you both...

Hey all -

I have been really good with exercise, but not so perfect with food, the last few weeks. A bit of this was letting myself have a few "splurges" when out with friends, but unfortunately, the bigger part was emotional eating due to some crap that's been going on in my life lately. I weighed this morning at 145.0, which basically means I've been maintaining for the second half of January, instead of losing. I still have the emotional crap, but want to re-commit to reining in my eating (at least until we head to Cuba for vacation next Thursday!). Fortunately, from what I hear, Cuban resorts aren't that great food-wise. :)

Started today with yoga, and I'm having a bowl of oat bran with flax right now...here I go!

:wave: good morning everyone...

Danni -- Did you workout this morning yet?

SuBee -- Those small, small splurges kill me... Have fun on your vacation, lucky you!... This year we're not going anywhere, DH is working on an 1972 MGB so the price of the parts is our vacation $$, oh well, no biggie, it's the first time the guy has any kind of hobby...

I had a whoosh of 5lbs the first time I got on the scale this morning, the second time it was a 3lb whoosh, then the last 2 times it was just 2 :(... but hey I'll take any whoosho I can get!

Ok, gotta go pretend to work TTFN :wave:

ugh Plataea for me this week.
ive been going to the gym but its my eating that kills me. My weight loss is basically about eating. i can work out like crazy, but if i eat too much i gain or dont lose, no questions asked.

Shasha i love doing that. i have a pair of old pants that i dont like and dont wear, but i keep them because at my highest weight i couldnt button them, and now they are too lose. i like trying them on when i am getting discouraged. :)

i went to the gym yesterday and am going again today.
hope you ladies have a fabulous day today.

hey ladies! I don't think i wrote much on here in January, just wanted to pop in and say hi!

I lost nearly 6 pounds in January, pretty good, i think! I hope to do that again for February. I would love to see 118 by the end of the month...that's just 5.2 lbs away!

Goals for the month:
-drinking alcohol no more than once a week
-1100-1400 calories a day
-work out 3-5x a week (i just started 30DS today!)
-lose at least 1 pound a week

I think these are doable goals...what do you think???

Wow, 6 lbs in January :bravo: ... your February goals look very doable :yes:

Well I ended up maintaining at 102 the ENTIRE month of January :headache: . No loss, no gain....oh well at least I know I can maintain without much effort! I am kicking myself back into gear this month. I had completely stopped calorie counting so I guess I am going to have to start back up with that again. Sigh. At least spring is right around the corner, and that's highly motivating for me!

maenad: it looks doable to me, though I couldn't eat that little per day. I get too hungry! But it's a healthy range, so :cheer3:

I was 129.2 this morning after my 2 mile walk: .7 less than yesterday. I was surprised, because we had spaghetti for dinner last night (so much SALT!). However, I don't think I should put too much stake in that number, because 1.6 pounds in two days is a little extreme. It's probably water weight. Slow and steady....

By the way, have any of you ladies had trouble with hunger-induced nausea? I felt like I was coming down with a stomach bug this morning, so in desperation I ate my lunch an hour early, and now I'm perfectly fine. It must have been a blood sugar thing--but I haven't had problems like that since my teenage crash-dieting days. But I haven't been restricting my calories severely or anything. Thoughts?

Not as good today.
 

I felt good this morning when the scale showed a .5 lb. loss. (now at 132.5). I think I am hitting a plateau with this number.
Since I retired I am trying to go through the whole house and really clean out. The church is having a yard sale so this is a good time to give up some stuff. I intended to do some home exercise - but some how time went by and it never happened - and for some reason I was extra hungry - I kept going in the kitchen. I didn't eat anything I shouldn't - but even too much of the good food will stall weight loss. :( I do notice that I am more hungry right before or after the scale moves down. So here is to a better day tomorrow.

It has been 2 months today since I started on this "life plan" - so I am pleased that I have lost 10 pounds so far. Super Bowl is going to be my treat day and I am really looking forward to it!

tkm256 - I always used to get that sick feeling when I got hungry - I always kept the top drawer at work filled with food just in case. Of course I used to live on sweets and didn't know about the blood sugar rush.

good morning :)
131 this morning, tho after days and days of 132 i feel hesitant to take it, cuz im afraid that its just a little fluctuation! lol but oh well, ill just try and be happy about it today.

my guy friend who i am losing weight with has already lose 12 pounds compared to my 6! lol being a female is frustrating, but im suuuper proud of him. this is his first time on the diet journey. he's an encouragement to me when he doesnt even realize it. :)

im off to school this morning and then hitting the gym again today. then jean shopping. ive kind of eeked into a size smaller jeans so now im like mostly 6 but still some 8s. im hoping that ill be able to get fit into most 6s today, then i only have one more size to go before im the size i want to be (4/6).

tkm256 - yes i feel sick when i get hungry. its mostly in the mornings when i wake up if i had an early dinner the night before.

tmk -- I also feel sick when hungry too, so I feel sick most of the time :lol: in order to lose weight :rolleyes:

a 3 lbs woosh this morning :D

chin up danni! you're doing all the right things, and you're 10 pounds lighter than you were before!! i always, always hear the last little bit of weight is the hardest to get off... you might want to do some internet sleuthing about how/why. have fun on superbowl sunday!

100%- I personally like to believe that the low the scale shows is the proper number, and everything else is water weight, haha ;) Have fun jeans shopping!!

Ilene- YAAAAYYYY look at u whooshing all over the place!! get it girl! :)

Struggling a bit with food this week. It should be a LOT better next week when my new appliances are installed instead of just sitting in my kitchen non-functional. :(

100percent: I hate guys' metabolisms! When my sweetie put on ten pounds two years ago, all he had to do was switch to diet Pepsi and decrease the number of Totino's Pizza Rolls he had for breakfast and the weight just went *poof*! He doesn't have to exercise or anything, though I do force-feed him vegetables every other day.

I feel a little bad for skipping my workout this morning. I had to choose between exercising and going to the grocery store before work, and since it's supposed to snow tonight I chose the latter. This means I'll have to get on the treadmill after dinner tonight. I hate exercising after work :mad:

A nice surprise.
 

I loss another .5 lb. (now 132). I was not expecting that after the munchies yesterday. However, everytime I did go to the kitchen I just kept eating my planned meals and snacks. I had finished 3 meals plus snacks by 4:00 pm. But the funny thing is that I didn't eat anymore except a handful of nuts. I think that when the scale is getting ready to move down, my body fights back by telling me I need to eat - good thing I like celery and carrot sticks. I was so happy that I did a mile on the treadmill before breakfast and I feel back in control today.

Shasha 12, Thanks for the encouragement. Keep it ready - I'm sure there is a plateau near-by with my name on it.

Ilene, you sound like your on down hill skis with all that whooshing!

hi ladies :) i have not been super on plan this week! well, i have been with cals, but not so much with the exercise I'm supposed to be focusing on! ugh.

today is strength training, and i WILL get in my cardio as well. i want an official whoosh tomorrow at WI, so I can change my ticker!

Hey ladies!

I ate too much last weekend (we had a friend in town visiting) but managed to get back down to my pre-weekend weight this morning. So I'm at 128... "only" 13 pounds from my goal. *sigh*

I actually feel guilty posting on 3FC right now because I just overate. :o My laboratory is hosting the seminar speaker for the department's weekly seminar... which means we ate lunch with him. I was sooo hungry, which was my big mistake. There were subs, chips, (non-diet) soda, and chocolate chip cookies. I drank water, skipped the chips, took one of the tiniest sandwiches and added some extra veggies to it...... and then ate two chocolate chip cookies. :barf: I feel SO GROSS now. I've got a stomach of steel, I'm known for being able to eat anything and not feel bad, but I guess 820 calories worth of baked goods all at once, on a nearly-empty stomach, is too much even for me. I think I need to go get some tea. Thanks for letting me confess. :(

I've been reading this web site all week, I can't remember where I saw it first, maybe from one of Kaw's posts... I'm absolutely fascinated and strongly considering it.

I'm sorry Mayness--that's why I always get the BIG sandwich so I'm not hungry for the cookies!

Although, I think the "Primal Blueprint" is a bunch of hullaballoo. It's easy to romanticize the "natural life" of scavenging, but let's be honest: the reason adults were strong and hearty back then is because the weak ones died early. The principles for his "plan" are the same as the guidelines any RD will give you (despite his assurance to the contrary)--stay away from refined sugars, eat some unsaturated fats and lots of leafy greens. He's just souping it up with buzz words, shirt-less pictures and a faith in the fact that people will tack on to the phrase "flies in the face of conventional wisdom." If medical professionals disagree with him, he must be right!

Getting off my soap box now. I was 129 on the dot this morning. Four more to go!

Hey Mayness.......forget about the cookies and move on! I'm going to a trivia night tomorrow, and guess what I was asked to bring??? A chocolate chip cookie cake. So I bought one, and it's sitting on my counter staring at me. I'll probably have to eat some tomorrow, but I'm going to forgive myself in advance. LOL.

I'm trying trying trying to step up the exercise, but's it's so hard to get motivated. The cold, snowy weather is my challenge because I love walking outdoors. I did do 45 minutes on the elliptical this morning, so that was good. And I did agree to run a 5K this spring, so I need to figure out my training schedule for that and get going on it.

Hi to all the other Feathers!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Friday!

Re: the primal/evolutionary/paleolithic/caveman/etc diets: I think they are of value at the minimum simply because they point out that in the last few decades (and -- in the bigger picture -- centuries) food is now readily available that our bodies are not well-adapted to digest. And that we are much more sedentary in general.

I relate to many of the ideas of these diets. What I like about them: emphasis on fruits & veggies, healthy fats and moving around more in general (that's something I am trying to do more - not just "exercising" 1 hour/day and sitting on my butt for the rest of it). But like tkm said, that is all basic sound nutritional advice.

The carbohydrate curve is something to consider. Since I went back to South Beach principles, my carbohydrate levels have been between 70 and ~150 g of carbs (before, was usually >200). According to him, 50-100 g is the "weight loss sweet spot." I'm going to start looking at this more closely.

What I don't like about these diets: for sure I am not giving up beans! And tofu. And I doubt I'd ever give up grains completely.

It made me laugh that the primal diet guy says it's OK to eat tomatoes in cans. I agree that it's OK!! But not very caveman-like :)

Anyway - based on many considerations, I am strongly reconsidering the role of grains in my life. I love them but maybe they don't love me so much. My newly acquired huge belly seems to deflate when I don't eat as many processed carbs. Maybe oats and quinoa will stay in but whole wheat bread will be out :( ? Lots of fiddling to be done in this area!

For the last few days I've been eating well (since I started South Beach on Sunday). No more late-night grazing, I'm happy to report. My weight is down to 145.8, which is *only* 2 pounds ABOVE where it was before the holidays :p

Have a great weekend, Feathers. Be strong if you end up at any SuperBowl parties!

Doing OK.
 

:cool: Yesterday was my official write it on the chart day. I was down 1.5 lbs. for the week. So I was able to draw my little red line moving down. It is funny how such small victories can give such a mood boost. Now I have a whole week to try and get it to move another pound.

Since I have commited to a life plan "this time", and not just losing those extra pounds so I can get back in my work clothes, I am much more satisfied to lose it slowly. The exercise has made such a difference in my life in the last 2 months. I really had to push myself at first, but now I try to get in some activity everyday - even if it is getting up during the commercials and doing leg lifts.

I am thinking about buying the WII machine for the exercise. Does anyone have it? Do you like it?

Still looking forward to the treat on Super Bowl day - but I don't think I will over do it - no promises but we shall see! Have a great day!

Good morning!

WRT grains ... I think I had some wheat products on Sunday. All week, I've followed the life-upset-wash-it-down-with-rum diet ;) My weight stayed the same. Yesterday, I had some muffins at work :devil: When I got home DH hugged me and patted my belly which was indeed rounded out and protruding in my scrubs. I then had garlic bread.
This morning, I'm up three pounds!
That coupled with everything I've read about wheat, blood type, cave men ;), etc is plenty to convince me that I need to be very cautious about grains.

It wasn't really very hard to avoid them. I had my shake, eggs, vegetables, my usual lean proteins, coffee, cream, sugar, even a few candies ...

Again ... an experiment with only one subject but very enlightening.