May Feathers let's chat...
 

April was not my best month.

Hello May. :hug:

Up one pound. Oh well. I don't think anyone can notice that one pound, though, but I know it's there. :D

Hi Feathers! I'm what I would call "knuckling it" through the weekend food-wise. In other words, I'm doing okay so far, but I feel really really tempted to eat things that are no good for me. I'm making it, but hanging on by a thread. It's taking all of my strength and motivation to stop myself from diving in to a bag of chips. I don't know what is up with me lately, but food is just calling my name!

I have so many events coming up that I know I need to be good now! I don't need to blow it on silly things. Maybe by posting this, I'll get it through my head that I need to stop this pattern of overeating in the evening.

Congrats on all the losses of pounds and inches! We can do this! It's not always easy, but it definitely is possible and worth it!

I ran 5km this morning, easily, which was nice. Weighed in at 125.6 that was nice too.
I'm not sure why I am losing weight as I am still eating normally.
I can't go without food for long.

We'll see how long this lasts, my clothes do fit better these days :D

Off to a good start for the month of May.
Went to the gym. :strong:
Didn't get off track with the food. Ate the huge salad in the afternoon - which is my way to keek the snack monster in the closet.

Birthday party for my one-year old grandson today. Hope I can learn to have one piee of cake and not let in turn into a 4-day binge.

Kellost - Let's make May marvellous! I'm going to try and eat more veggies and see if that will help with the hungar attacks. I know that I don't have that same drive I did back in Jan. - which makes losing the last pounds harder than the first ones. I promised myself I would post everyday - it does help.

AR4Life, way to go on the 5K! I see you are in Vancouver -- I *love* it there!! I've even suggested moving there, but now it looks like my husband will be staying in the Navy another 7 years, so the closest I can get is Whidbey Island, WA. Which is llovely, but no Vancouver.

Danni, May is going to be your month! I really feel like there's a lot of bouncing around when we get down to goal. I think our bodies have to be at a certain weight for a while before we get used to it and our body begins to "defend" that weight as normal.

April was pretty good for me. I officially started my efforts with a weigh-in and measurement on April 9th. As of today, I am down 3 pounds, lost an inch off my waist, and .75 inches off my hips. (I don't really measure my bust b/c it's too depressing -- I'm really flat-chested). I've been running a lot and LOVING it. I've recruited two friends to run a half-marathon with me in the fall -- training starts at the end of June. I think we're set on an intermediate training program that includes speed work (gulp!). I've always been an LSD runner (long, slow distance) so the speed work will be something new for me.

To kick it up a notch in May I am going to mix in an exercise video I bought and try a class or two at the gym. Running is great but variety is the spice of life!

I lost 7 lbs. this month for an average weight loss of about 1.6 lbs. per week. This is up just a little bit from last month! I joined a gym on April 1st and have greatly increased my exercise, which I think has helped with my success. I ran my first 5K, injured my foot, and have had to take some time off running. I've completed three spin classes, three yoga classes, and a LOT of time in the pool and on the elliptical, not to mention the weight training! I've dropped a dress size, and am getting very, very close to the 150s. Overall I think it was a successful month--I'm just sort of neutral about the whole thing right now since I am still sidelined from running and am really disappointed about that.

stella - 7 pounds is fantastic. Just getting to the gym 2 times a week is the most I can get in right now.. I admire your drive. :carrot:

the same - you are no longer the same - you are 3 pounds lighter. ;)
Good luck on the running. I would like to kick up the exercise but so far just thinking about it is as far as I'ave gotten.

127.5 Down 1/2 pound this morning. Good way to start Monday.

I was down 1.7 for the month of April, but am down another 1.5 since then. Looks like I am done with the 135 plateau - never want to see that number again!

Back on plan since last Monday and very happy to be here and in control. I feel like a different person when I'm not on plan.

Great to see that so many of you do measurements! I have to check in on mine this week. I was getting depressed about my "pooch" still being big, and I looked back to my notebook and realized it was down 4" from when I started. A better indicator than weight, I think.

Heading to the gym tonight for some elliptical and a body sculpting class. Have a great day!

Thanks, Danni! I am trying hard to kick my own butt into gear food-wise. I've just continued to make bad food choices, for no apparent reason. Well, I could blame it on stress, but that's not really a good excuse. I'm going to do much better this week! Go May!

I've found I've lost a lot of motivation as well. I don't really mind the size I'm currently at. Problem is, if I don't quit eating the junk, I know the pounds are going to pack back on! I've got to keep this eating under control.

Maybe I'll try the veggie thing with you!

Well ladies had an awful weekend...big retirement/birthday party for the MIL at my house...all the yummy leftovers in my fridge calling my name....Damn that potatoe salad....:(

Up to 148.4 from an even 148 on Friday....minor setback, back OP this week and I'm hoping that since my DH is home from work right now he will polish off the rest of the potato salad before I get home today!!

May is a new month...let's keep it going!

May Feathers let's chat...
 

Here we are in May already :fr: are we going to lose the weight for those summer bathing suits? I know I am working hard at it :yes: working out regularly/daily, eating Clean and Primal :yes: ... What about the rest of the Feathers :D

Summer bathing suits -- eek! Our neighborhood pool opens in 4 weeks. If that's not motivation, nothing is.

For those of you who are feeling like you're losing momentum or motivation, how about "Mix it up for May?" Try something new -- a new kind of exercise (kickboxing, cycling, pilates, core work on a stability ball) or a new way of eating. A nutritionist told me she eats a cup of food every two to three hours -- lots of veggies and fruit, lean protein, healthy fats. She is *completely* away from the 3-meals-a-day style of eating. If you think about it, where did that come from, anyway? Probably fit well into a farmer's schedule back when we were an agricultural society.

For May, I am focused on working out 5 days a week, whether it's running, machines at the gym, or the butt-kicking I got from a Jillian Michaels DVD yesterday (ouch, so sore!).

I have been counting calories for two days now and hope it is something I can stick with. I do love to go out to eat and that will be a challenge!

I was at 133.6 this morning -- heading in the right direction!

That is interesting!

I eat every two to three hours, I get hungry that often and instead of waiting for a "meal" I just eat a protein and a carb usually... This way I don't get any insulin ups and downs and I don't get ravenous...

After having a terrible weekend (really bad- binges of entire boxes of cookies & bags of chips in one sitting) and not exercising, I bit the bullet and got on the scale on Monday- 138.75.

Yesterday, I ate clean and ran. This morning, I got up early to run and walk to work. The work scale said 135.5.

I know these fluctuations are water weight, especially since it was so hot and humid when I exercised. But when I looked at the scale this morning, I had to laugh because it's as if the scale is rewarding bad behavior.

I'm not going to change my ticker at the moment. I need to get a sense of what my weight really is before I claim any weight loss.

Hello all, back to 3FC after some time away as I want to lose a bit more weight for my wedding in the summer. Glad to hear everyone is getting a good start to May!

Stella, sorry to hear about your foot injury, I hope you are able to run again in future. Meanwhile all the other training sounds very dedicated.

I agree with Ilene about the small regular meals. I now try not to go more than a few hours without food - not only do I get hungry but it seems to give me migraine headaches. I have a piece of fruit and some nuts or cheese in between meals.

So, I am planning to buy my wedding dress in mid June (it won't be a proper wedding dress, just a nice, probably brightly-coloured, dress) and then the wedding is July. Only a month to lose a few pounds, then another month to keep it off! Any tips (and general advice on how to stay sane around weddings) would be very welcome. Thanks!

South - sane at wedding time - can that be done? ;) All the best to you. Just try to stay positive and make good choices.

I am hanging in at 127. What will be will be - just kind of staying in the middle of the road right now. I started at 143 so 127 is a lot better. :D

South - I can't help you with sanity and weddings. Eloping with my now ex in Las Vegas was the craziest decision I ever made (but it was fun at the time).

I can give some guidance about weight loss during a stressful time. I had a huge work event in April & managed to lose 10 pounds while working on the event. One thing I should mention is that relatively fast weight loss was stressful for me. It was hard work to lose the weight. And I felt a lot of pressure to succeed in my weight loss.

I noticed that by the end of April I was exhausted physically and emotionally. After the work event, I became depressed. And I had a few binges.

So I'd suggest that you take care of yourself- get enough rest, meditate, have moments of solitude. Do whatever recharges your batteries.

Good luck in your journey.

Hi May Featherweights!

Eating has been much much better this week! It feels good to have it under control, because I was losing my grip last week. Mother's Day is going to be tough...probably off plan if I'm being honest with myself. So I'm trying to be extra-good now in anticipation of extra calories that day.

I've gotten 2 compliments this week, which have kept me smiling. One is, a cash register attendant at my local Walgreens. I honestly had no idea she even knew who I was, but she commented that I've really lost a lot of weight and that I looked great! Wow, I wasn't expecting that! I was surprised, but I thanked her for the compliment. See, you never know who is going to notice!

Next compliment was from a mom at my sons' school. She has kids in older grades, and I've never met her. But she introduced herself, told me that she sees me walking all the time, and thinks I look great. Then she said, "I always thought you were cute when I saw you at school with your boys, but you are looking fantastic!". Wow, this was crazy! So two people who barely know me took the time to compliment me on my weight loss. The change has been really dramatic, because I've almost lost 80 pounds so far. Sometimes I forget how much I've transformed!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and grandmas!!!!!!!! Have a great weekend!

That's amazing kellost. It's funny how you are doing your weight loss thing & not thinking about it and other people start noticing how good you look.

80 pounds is amazing. Congratulations on that.

Right now, I am riding a high from getting within 5 pounds of my goal. I am exploring the concepts of maintenance, but for now I am going to stick with what I have been doing. Portioned eating & plenty of exercise. I'm guessing that will be my maintenance plan as well.

Have a good weekend everybody! :)

Wow, what a great feeling Kellost!!

Kellost :woohoo: Good for you!

Kellost, congrats on the compliments! That's so fabulous--you are gonna hit that goal weight any day now.

Motivated, you are almost there! That's awesome :) I think it's really smart that you're looking at maintenance now.

I haven't posted in a while--I've been on plan except for a couple of days this last week when I was out with friends/boyfriend. I got a big promotion at work that I've been waiting on for a long time, so I've been celebrating, lol. I have one more celebration planned for Monday night so I'm gonna try to be really low on my calories the next two days. It's also a few days before TOM so I'm having cravings and am bloated--I had gotten down to 38-28-38 and now I'm back up to 38-29-39. I went jogging for the first time in three weeks today and it was HARD, but I feel so amazing to be a RUNNER again! I also hit 159.6 after my run, a new low, and less than 15 lbs. to go to my goal weight. Obviously it's been an exciting but nerve-wracking week :)

stella - Great news about the promotion! :carrot:

Stella -- congrats on the promotion and your return to running!

The scale has been bouncing around on me a bit -- down to 131 for a couple days last week, and, for a brief moment on Saturday, I saw 129-point-something, but now I'm back around 132. We'll see what happens this week. I did really well with my meals last week while my husband was away, but now that he's home I feel like have to cook actual meals instead of making myself big salads for dinner.

I had an awful workout this morning. :( I was just *really* exhausted but I thought I'd feel better once I got going -- but I didn't. When I went to pick up my son in the child care, the manager asked, "How was your workout?" and I kind of groaned. She said, "Well hey, at least you got it done!" And there's something to be said for that!

Same7, I'm sorry you had a crappy work out--I hate that feeling! Maybe you should take tomorrow off? I find that when my body says rest, I really need to rest, or at least abbreviate my workout.

Thanks for the grats ladies! Unfortunately I've had two celebration dinners and am going to come in at 1800 average calories for the week, lol. I have been working out like a fiend though and I'm holding pretty steady at 159-160 just a day or so before TOM so I'm feeling okay. I'll make it up by lowering my calories this week.

I had my second jog post-injury today and I did 5K in 40:26. I feel REALLY good about that time, and it's such a relief that I've GAINED fitness in these three weeks I had to take off instead of losing it. I'm in a really good place right now--just have to have my big celebration dinner tonight (Melting Pot, woo!) and then get back on track for the rest of the week :)

Stella, you are so right about the day off! And luckily, tomorrow is my day off, and I will bask in it. I think I probably have been over-training a bit and I need to ease off some.

Way to go on your run! Wonderful that you are still well-conditioned and didn't have to go back to square one. Like you said, sometimes a body just needs a rest. :)

Hi all, i've been hanging out most of the time on the 40+ forum recently, mainly becuase when i signed up a few weeks ago the Feathers forum seemed really quiet - looks like you've all suddenly got a bit more chatty!!

Stella, maybe i'm your twin? I broke my foot a few weeks ago and prior to that enjoyed my running. Not being able to exercise is driving me nuts. Today was the first day i could wear normal shoes again, so i'm healing slowly but it'll be another few weeks before i can ease myself back into the running i think. Good for you that you've kept up your fitness and you're keen to get back to it.

My diet coincided with the broken foot - i.e. i knew that if i didn't do something drastic about my eating then i would pile on plenty of kilos due to not exercising, and really i needed to do the opposite, so i'm 5 weeks in now, and just past the 'novelty' stage where dieting is easy, and hitting the 'this-is-all-too-hard-i'm-hungry-and-want-to-eat-crap' stage, which i'm not enjoying quite so much.....

Thesame7lbs - a bad workout is a good thing and part of the deal. It makes a good workout all the better by comparison!

Motivatedchickie - don't i recognise you from somewhere?! Good luck with the last few lbs and the maintenance.

ange - welcome

I am going the wrong way on the scale. again :(
I guess I will just be satisfied to stay under 130 until I can get in the mood to go full force to lose another 5 pounds or so. Not so much about the number as those rolls around the middle that are still hanging on.

I am much healthier than when I started in Jan. - so I'm just going to consider this part of my life journey.

I have jury duty tomorrow - I hope we get sent home like last time.

danni - i love jury duty. I've done it once in uk and once in aus. How long is your case going to take? a biggie?

ange - I'm intrigued by you asking if you know me from somewhere. We live far from each other - maybe it's the 40-something forum. I've been hanging there a lot.

I leave for my trip to Chicago/Detroit in exactly two weeks and I'm freaking out. There is so much to do before then, but I'm procrastinating. I'm not the type of person who likes to pack at the last minute so I better get on the stick. I have to catch up on my job, clean my apartment, shop for new clothes (nothing fits), get a haircut, buy luggage... Ugh, the list goes on and on.

This weight loss adventure unfolds with a new challenge every day. And it's a pain how much my mind tries to sabotage me. Last night, I had to fight myself for over an hour to go for a run (which lasts an hour). I did it and ended up trying a new route by the waterfront in Philadelphia. It was wonderful. And the scale said 133 today.

I will stick to my eating & exercise plan today. I must. I will.

Have a good day everybody. :)

ange - I have no idea. Last time we went - we were sent home. It is only a 3 day deal so I suppose it is a small civil matter. I have never served and I would not want to. Watching crime on TV is close enough for me.

mchick - good for you on not letting you know who (:devil:) talking
you out of taking that run. I will get back in the groove one of these days.

As of now it looks like I am going to hang around the 128 or 128.5 address on the scale. I can go with that for awhile. Not the best I'ave ever been but so much better than the worse Iave been. Accepting where I am and that I have made progress helps me stay with the program of making better choices most of the time instead of just going for the binge. ;)

I am doing a little happy dance this morning :carrot: after seeing 130.4 on the scale! This is the lowest I've been since... 1990? Or maybe a day or two in 1992. Long time ago.

Now to get my butt out the door for a run on this gray morning.

I've been using FitDay to track my calories and it's been very enlightening and instructional. More than anything, it drives home how a teddy graham here and a bite of leftover PBJ there really add up... and since I spend my day surrounded by bits and bites of the kids' foods, knowing I have to account for everything has helped me give up those mindless nibbles in favor of healthy snacks.

Motivated, way to push through and get out there! It's helpful to have beautiful/interesting routes, and Philadelphia is certainly a picturesque city.

Danni, I think you have a really good & healthy attitude about where you are right now. I think we can get wrapped up in 2 or 3 pounds, and getting to goal by a certain date... and it is important and motivating to set specific goals... but I think it's crucial to remember that a healthy weight is not a destination but a way of life, and we need to be flexible about our numbers and when we get there.

OK, off to get child #2 out the door and child #3 into the jogger!

Hello everone :wave: I've been away for a long time. I've been going thru a divorce and now have my own little apartment (little being the operative word). One good thing about divorce is that the stress causes weight loss and I lost 8 lbs. in a short time. The bad news is that I am now de-stressing and feeling much better and so I have gained 3 lbs back.

Well I decided it's time to get back on track and continue my weight loss journey while I kind of got a jump start. I started tracking my calories in Fitday today and I plan on adding a little exercise into the mix. Those who know me, know that I hate exercise but there is a really nice walking trail around a lake near my new home and I have walked there a few times already. It's really pretty and I always feel good and relaxed when I finish walking there.

Anyway, hello to everyone. I've been reading the post and everyone sounds like their doing pretty well. Hope you all have a great evening :)

abbyin - Hi. Divorce: been there-done that- got down to 107.
Remarried for also 17 years now. Wish you best of times ahead.

thesame :cb: Bravo on 130.4
I went to college in Salisbury, MD and high school in Perryville, MD.
Once I decided that I was in this for the long run it helped me accept the ups and downs of the journey - now I hardly ever yell at the scale. :D

Hi Abbyin glad you're back, so sorry about the divorce but maybe it was for the best :hug:

thesame7lbs, way to go on your weightloss :bravo:

danni, you're so close to your goal you can taste it...pun intended :lol:

MChickie, way to go on getting out for your run, some days are so much harder than others...

I apologize for not posting more often in the Feathers forum, but my life is so ho hum :lol: the days just come and go with very little adventure... I eat, I work, I exercise, I sleep, next day seems to be the same :shrug: same ole, same old...

abbyin and TS7lb - i've just counted calories too for the first time in my entire life - yesterday and today. 870 yest and 1346 today, so a fair bit of variety.

I know it's inanely totally obvious to everyone else but it is amazing how bad one square of chocolate is for example! Isn't it? I was really surprised. And a strawberry seems to be 2cal but a plum is 40 cal - well that's all a surprise for me too, who'd think you could have 20 strawberries for the price of one plum????

Might have a look at fitday since i don't know anything about that.

Sorry that i'm such a newbie at this calorie stuff - everyone reading must be rolling their eyes at my total non-new-news-post......

Good morning all. Just poped in to say hello before I'm off to work.

Ilene-I agree with you on the ho-hum sometimes. I seem to do the same thing everyday too. I'm working on trying to change things up though.

ange82-I think it's great your counting calories. I find that it is the easiest way for me. I can see where I'm overdoing it (when I'm overdoing it ;)). It helps me make adjustments where I need to. I think you'll do great!

Thanks danni and everyone else for your well wishes. Well better get off here and get to work. Hope everyone has a great (low calorie) day! :yes:

Good morning!

Ange, I did not roll my eyes at all at your post -- because I totally agree! I really didn't want to count calories. I thought it would be restricting and horrible. I should have realized that I am a quantifier -- I love to count everything and get a sense of how things work in the world. And it is an education! Like you said, some things just have a bigger impact than others. I've been eating a lot of strawberries. :dizzy: Plus, it's helped me see, in concrete terms, how 60 calories here and 80 calories there really adds up -- and can sabotage even a healthy diet. I'm lovin it! I think it will be helpful for maintenance, too.

AbbyIN, welcome back. I'm so sorry about your divorce. I know that is never easy. :hug: