September Feathers Let's Chat
 

Woohoo! The early bird catches the worm and I get to start the September thread.

(You can tell I've already had my first cup of coffee. I rarely "woohoo" in the morning)

This thread is for Feathers and visitors to jump in and chat about, well, whatever. Regulars, newbies and drop-ins, we're happy to see you!

Aside from the excitement of starting this month's thread, I'm also woohooing because the last of my vacation weight is gone and I'm back to 121.8 -- and "mntng" -- as of now!

Hope everyone else has a happy day!

OH, how I can't wait till I am maintaining like you! When it comes to numbers and math, I am like you Amy! I calculate everything I have actually made a spreadsheet with all the calculations of 7 groups of 2 weeks. I calculate how much I plan on consuming, burning, and caclulating the weight loss. Then I have a weigh in day and see how accurate I am! My next weigh in day is 09/12 and I am hoping to weigh in at 134.5 if my calculations are correct! I will not lose hope if I am not though. I have learned the calculations don't lie and somtimes our bodies will hold on to the fat as long as it can and then "let go of its breath" and the fat just drops off. That actually happend to a friend of mine. Regardless, I know if I stay consistent it will come off! Yay for a positive attitude today :carrot:

I have been doing minor slip ups these past few days. But I am still making sure it is in my calorie range. Although I would rather all my cals coming from healthy foods, sometimes thats just not easy! My breakfast today consisted of 3 small publix chocolate chip cookies and 2 egg whites. WTF lol Oh well, I still have planned the day to where my calories will only be at 1500 (and thats with a glass of red wine squeezed in :D).

Happy Hump day! Have a great Morning everyone!!

Hi feathers, I'm new!
Started the no s diet (no sweets, no snacks, no seconds, except on days beginning with S) yesterday, I'm just not cut out for the logistics of calorie counting so I thought this would be an easier way to curb my food excess and constant snacking habits a little bit!
And I just spent most of the afternoon cleaning the kitchen (yes, it was totally awful beforehand! don't judge me! :p) and cooking/doing the dishes all at once, and while that's not 'real' exercise, at least I got off my butt :) So hopefully that counts for something :) Gonna go back down and tackle the living room in a bit. I'm hoping I can fit into a (UK) size 8 again someday soon!
Nice to meet you all! :)

CONGRATS on getting back down to your maintaining weight. Doesn't it feel good to know you can vacay, have a nice time, indulge and get right back on track! Knew you would do it!!

Yay, September! Oh man I love this month.

Chelsey, I am so curious to see if your calculations work out on 9/12. I'd love to hear that they do! I haven't had as much luck getting my plans/calculations to work out, so clearly something else is going on with me beyond calories in-calories out. I suspect it's what I'm eating rather than just how much, so I am playing around with that now. But I'm a bit older than you are, and I think things (aka metabolism) start to change in the mid 30s, or at least it has for me :) All new fun things to deal with! But you are so right - consistency pays off. Eventually. I have to remember that more often.

coffeeplease - the "no S's diet" - that's great. I have to remember that. :welcome: to the featherweights!

Amy - still my idol. I am almost down to where you started as your high weight, so maybe I'll be joining you with maintaining around, I don't know, the end of 2011?? My goal for this year, set in January, was 129 (I started at ~151). But I spent most of my adult life around your weight so that would be so nice to be back down there. Now if I can just work up to running 10 miles at a time... my record so far is 5 and more commonly 2.5-3 but right now 0.

Anyway, I am way off "schedule" to reach 129 by the end of the year, given my progress so far. I spent nearly 6 months bouncing around 140 lbs. BUT I have decided to start fresh, as in looking at it as 4 months to lose 10 lbs. THAT sounds totally obtainable. Today I was at 138.8. Holy cow, I haven't seen a number that low in TWO years. So YAY for the 130s!! (A few years ago I freaked out when I saw my high weight of 132. How times change).

Oh and after all this talk of numbers, I forgot that I supposedly don't care about weight per se. I just want to be smaller, look good, be healthy & strong and have more muscle tone/less fat. That's not too much to ask is it ;)

Hello everyone!
I started grad school on monday, so I've been very busy since then..I still am but I thought I would drop in to say hello! I've been doing nothing but reading for 3 days straight.

I unfortunately went back up to about 135. I unfortunately also had to leave my scale at home and start using the scale at the rec, so I think I'm at around 133 instead. The rec's scale always weighs 2 lbs heavier no matter what. I skipped the gym yesterday though because my right hip was killing me. Due to the lack of cushioning on my butt and new desks, I must have been sitting an odd way during my 3 hour class and hurt my hip, so I couldn't put any pressure on it so I gave it a break for the day. I was supposed to go to the gym early this morning, but I've been battling a cold for a week now and decided to take nyquil last night. So when I woke up at 6 this morning, I was still under the effects of it haha! So I'll be going once my 6-9 is over tonight.

But I'm back to eating normal :) So I should be back down to 129 in no time!

anyway, congrats to those who loss, keep your chin up to those who are down, and welcome new ones!!

I'm new too :)

I love the "No 'S'" Diet. I've never heard that before! I'm trying to calorie count. In the past I've only tried losing weight by exercise and unfortunately, for me, that just doesn't work. I'm going to have to be strict with calories and watch what I eat. It's definitely not something that is coming naturally to me, I've never had to think about what I was going to eat before. It's super frustrating. I hope it gets easier!

I can't wait to be at my maintaining weight! I know its not going to come anytime soon, but man, that will be a great feeling :) Happy September everyone!

Hi everyone. I've posted in this forum before, but infrequently- mostly a lurker. I am trying to recommit to logging my food every day, posting every day (which helps me to stay focused and on plan), and exercising at least every other day (exercise - or lack thereof- is really my biggest weakness). I wish I enjoyed getting up early; the logical time to work out is before the family is awake, but man do I hate getting up before 7 in order to get hot and sweaty.

So, here's to an OP month, and with any luck, getting out of the 130s before October 1st.

thanks for the welcome, everybody :) For those of you who thought the "no S" diet was clever, I'm afraid I can't take any credit for it! I can't post links yet apparently, but there is a no S diet website if anyone's interested (easy to find on google).
I just need some sort of 'structure' to moderate my food intake without calorie counting ... I am sure calorie counting works but I can NOT stick with it. Not the eating less, that's fine, but the research and calculations and recording, that does my head in! So I am hoping that this will work better for me :)

neurodoc -- exercise is the thing that I find most difficult too :( I am at a healthy weight but it's all jiggly, I have no muscle at all LOL. And I hate early mornings too :(

Good morning! I just wanted to pop in and share that after 6 weeks of maintaining and now deciding to lose a little more the scale is finally moving again! 147 this morning - a new low weight! Now I just need to stay strong through the two planned dinners out this week!

Neurodoc and Coffee I too hate exercising. If its recreational exercise, I dont mind it; I actually enjoy it. But its hard to get a recreational exercise in every day. I am aiming for running 3 miles 6 days a week. That will mean about 160 calories burned a day in exercise. Eeek sounds bad when I put it that way. Nerodoc, this is off topic but I am going to school for Sonography; do you know anything about that department?? Any advice? lol

Ncuneo CONGRATS on your weight loss!! I love when that happens!

So I messed up again last night. Was doing good and then for dinner I had 4 garlic rolls, a slice of cheese pizza, and a part of my dad's meatball sub for a whopping total of 1400 calories for dinner. That brought my calories to 2900 for the day. WTF Oh well, I am going to let my body rest and only eat 1000 today. Hopefully that evens things out.

I stepped on the scale today and it said 129. That means in one day of eating bad I lost 8 pounds. HAH My scale is broken! I stepped on again and it said 130. Stepped on again it said "E" then stepped on it for the last time and it said 133. Time for a new scale. Anyone know fo any good cheap scales?

Almost Friday ! Have a great day Feathers!!

Yay, ncuneo! I have a new low weight as well. So that's part is good.

But the whole measurements thing has me thinking.

I checked back to last year when I was near my high weight (14 lbs more than I am now). There are pretty significant differences when I look at my before and now photos. And 14 lbs is a lot when you are talking from 152 to 138 - ~10% of my weight. But my measurements don't show much progress.

@ 150.2: 36.5 - 31 - 43 :o
@ 143.2: 36 - 31 - 41 (so with 7 lbs, lost 2 inches from hips, 0.5 from chest)
@138.4: 35 - 31 - 41 (5 slow, painful lbs later, the only change is 1 inch less from my chest :()

I know that this is just the situation. Don't worry - I'm not letting this discourage me ... I am exercising regularly now (but I also was at that second weight!) so maybe things will start to shift. I guess I am posting this because 1) I am actually surprised to not see more progress; I actually thought my waist seems smaller and 2) as an FYI for others about the kookiness of featherweight weight loss.

So, in conclusion, I would say that beyond taking measurements, take photos! I was really bummed out a couple of days ago when I took some photos, feeling like in more than a year I have had no progress. When I compared side by side, it was very noticeable how much change there had been! If I ever get to what I consider "goal", I'll post those "before" photos. I may not have weighed that much, but wow I did not wear it well.

Keep on keepin' on, feathers! (And stay dry, American East Coasters :))

down to 133 from 135 yesterday. Finally going back down from my oopsie!!

I survived my first week of graduate school!!!!! No classes on friday, so I'm going home early in the morning to get my car looked at because the windshield washer fluid isn't coming out...and yes, it's filled!

Today's my boyfriend's birthday, he's 23. Old fart. I'm really excited to spend the weekend with him starting tomorrow!

I had the same issues! I got a Taylor digital scale from Costco. It was under $25 I think. It's stainless steel and weighs down to the .2. I thought it weighed low since it was a few pounds under what my own scale was saying, but I went to the doctor this week and it was comparable. I finally threw away my old scale because I was under 130 on it and now I know the amount is fairly accurate.

I've still been inconsistent about going to the gym, but we have been walking alot since it's so much cooler. Food wise has been decent, but I know I haven't been as strict as I could be. That's why the scale has been going down so slowly. Since it's still going down though I haven't been motivated to change. Slow and steady wins the race right? On weigh in day I was down to 127.2, but I did see a 126 number earlier in the week. It was fleeting though and on a day I was dehydrated so I didn't want to count it. My birthday is in mid-October so my goal is to be in the low 120's (under 123) by then. I guess that means I need to be more strict. Hmm.

I'm going to the outlets this weekend and am looking forward to getting some new clothes for my new shape! Some things are way too big. Since I'm not at goal yet I will refrain from going totally crazy!

I'm realizing Thanksgiving and Christmas is right around the corner! That's a really tough time of the year, but I know it will be easier since I'm not in an office all day. Also we don't have Football season tickets this year so less tailgating calories.

Thanks for the help! I went on my lunch break and bought it! It was only $20. Im anxious to see what it says tomorrow. Wonder how off my other scale was..

:welcome: coffeeplease and ryangirl! And coffeeplease, yes, cleaning and all that other stuff does count, because being up and about is better than being on the couch!

Emma, lol about, "after all this talk of numbers, I forget I don't care about weight..." Hard habit to break, those numbers.

Samantha, happy back-to-school week. Speech pathology, right? Both of my daughters did speech therapy for enunciation issues. We had the kindest, most caring speech therapists -- very special people. One of my friends is a speech therapist at a hospital. It's a perfect job for a mom. She works part-time, makes good money, and leaves her job at work (whereas many moms end up bringing work home to do after the kids go to bed, while they watch TV, etc). Great career choice.

Ryangirl, before I joined 3FC I always tried to lose weight through exercise alone. I could usually get down to 132 or so. Lots of people here say it's 80% food and 20% exercise, and I believe it! It wasn't until I got a handle on the food that I was really able to get my weight down... and now that I'm getting lax with the food, I see lbs coming back on, even though I'm exercising. ~sigh~

Neurodoc, good to "see" you here again! I saw on your profile that you're a neurologist and mom, so I can imagine you are not eager to give up any more sleep than necessary!

Ncuneo, congrats on the scale moving! I wish mine were moving in that direction! :(

Chelsey, boy I wish I could lose 8 pounds after a day of bad eating... well, maybe not... I'd be way too skinny I think. ;)

Ainsleymom, slow and steady definitely wins! Just keep on walking (I need to do that today, too!).

Anyone seen Bamagirl anywhere? I think she must have gone back to school and gotten busy.

Well, I had an OK day calorie-wise yesterday right up until I made the candy topper for DD's birthday cake (her bday is tomorrow -- 7 yrs old!). I ended up eating TONS of the melted candy. TONS. So much that I felt sick. The worst part is that it isn't even good candy. I have Godiva in the pantry that I haven't touched. Why am I loading up on crap? Because it was right there, I guess... but then I stepped on the scale this morning and I'm back up to 123.6. I can't really cut calories this week because my half-marathon is next Sunday, and I need to go in feeling strong, but I will keep strictly to maintenance calories and I will eat HEALTHY food between now and then, and then buckle down on the 13th. I'd really love to be 120 when I walk into my 20-year high school reunion on October 23.

Happy Friday, Feathers! I will check in after my daughter's birthday extravaganza (did I mention pony rides!) this weekend.

Amy: yup, speech pathology. i love the major! You can work with a whole spectrum of ages and disorders when you graduate! For me, I want to work in either skilled nursing facilities or hospitals. I love the evaluations and I'm very interested in swallowing, aphasia, TBI's and dementia. I guess I like the old and sick hahah! And my mom's always said that about he career...it's perfect for a mom!

So although I went to the gym, I ended up having two chocolate peanut butter chip cookies with a glass of milk, a bit of candy, and a glass of red wine. I felt like I needed a celebration for surviving my first week of grad school hahah! But my tummy is paying for it today. I have a feeling I'm taking Greg out to dinner for his birthday, but I'm not completely sure. So just in case, I'm eating a 100 calorie yogurt, a banana, and oatmeal with peanut butter mixed in. It's a big breakfast, but once I'm done the 2 hour drive home, I have to sit in the service shop so my car can get looked out, so I won't be eating for a LONG time.

So I was complaining to a friend of mine yesterday about how I can't seem to get the exercise in, and how hard it is to get up early in order to do it. She suggested that I find a personal trainer who would be willing to work with me 1-2 days/week at that early hour, both because it would help my motivation (you really don't want to stand someone up), and because it might teach me a thing or two (as in; I don't actually know everything about exercising). I thought this was a great idea, and I think I can afford at least a few weeks of twice-weekly sessions since I've saved all this money on clothes by losing weight (I reclaimed my entire wardrobe of size 6s). Now I just have to find a trainer who's willing to get up and meet me at the gym at 7.

Some comments:
Dianne- good on you for running 6 days/week. I can't believe that a 3 mile run is only 160 calories though; it must take you ~25 min. to do it, and that should be good for about 300 cal or so. Also, sometimes my scale does that too (reads 2 different weights 2 minutes apart, or gives me the "E"), but I don't think it's broken; when I move it to a different part of the floor, it reads normally again. Finally, sorry but I don't know much about sonography. Good luck in your studies though.

Emma, I totally agree with you about taking photos to document progress. But they really have to be in similar clothes, and in the same position to be accurate.

Ncuneo, you are amazing. I don't know anyone who's lost as much weight as you, and is still going strong. Good for you.

Have a good, OP weekend everybody!

Hello feathers -

So sorry that I haven't been popping by. Been so busy at this internship, having a great time but didn't get this government funding which means I now can't afford gym membership, and I no longer qualify for the community gym because I have a 'job'. Catch 22. Which has made me a bit down as I always lose a couple of pounds on the weeks that I exercise.

Although I am trying to be sensible, I am no longer calorie counting. And actually have been eating what I want. And I have been happily maintaining at 123-124 which is great. I'm very happy with that, but obviously I'd love to be down at 121 again.

Has anyone had any luck with exercise videos? Not sure what they are like as an alternative.

How is everyone else? September is such a busy month with school going back...

Best,

D x

Neurodoc I actually run 10 minute miles. The reason I think I am only burning 160 calories is because I went to a trainer and they said someone with my height and weight really is only burning about 160 for 30 minutes of moderate exercise. I thought it was a little low but I have heard everyone over estimates how much they are really burning during exercise!

My September update
 

Hi everyone! I confess I have not read everyone else's updates yet because I was so excited to post my own. I promise I will go back as soon as I am finished!

I avoided the scale for 3 weeks because I was getting back into the swing of teaching and felt frustrated after a summer of HARD workouts and little weight loss. Yesterday I stepped on and had lost 2.5 lbs. in those 3 weeks! That puts me at 132--just a step away from the 120s where I feel much more at home!

I have been eating Kashi Go Lean for breakfast every day, have cut out high fructose corn syrup, and I am running 5 miles about twice a week. This is a lot less than I was workignout, but since I am back to teaching I am not snacking and eating out much at all.

Ok...now I am off to read all of your posts to celebrate your little victories!:carrot:

Update from Tennessee. . . .
I've finished a whole week and a half here at school without failing to exercise!!!!!! Major, MAJOR personal victory for me. I have always given up when the pressure of academics pinched me in any way (and my workload this semester has been intense from the get-go. I have 20 credit hours this time, and this coming week I have a project/paper that is 1/3 of my grade, two major quizzes, and a science exam with a professor that has been named, for good reason, "heartless Hartzel." But I WILL NOT GIVE UP! :).
On the food front, I've been eating mostly vegetarian because our cafeteria doesn't serve lean cuts of meat (I will occasionally eat their chicken or turkey, but that's about it). Thus, I've been doing peanut butter, beans from the salad bar, skim milk, and egg white omelets (once in a while cheese or cottage cheese, but again, they only have the full-fat versions) to keep my protein levels up. But the fruit and the veggies are definitely at their end-of-the-summer peak of sweetness--soo good!

Hey Feathers...

September has been really good to me so far. I've been on plan for the last two weeks and I'm happily back to 153. I've found a new love in hot lemon tea. I have been drinking it during the day whenever I get a craving and that has really been helping me get back on track.

The No"S" diet? That's hilarious. It's too funny because when I think about it I have been doing that diet but wasn't aware there was one out there with an official name.

I love the fall season, can't wait for the holidays to be here and hopefully a new me after hitting my goal of 135. My first mini-goal is 5 pounds by the end of September and another 5 pounds by Halloween!

Hello everyone!

Had a great/bad weekend. Lifewise, it was great! My daughter's bday party was so wonderful. If you even need to entertain 13 little girls, I have one piece of advice: hire a pony. Everyone had a blast and a bunch of the moms hung out too, and it was nice to see them (in between all the running around). I ate way too much frosting while making the cake, but it came out beautifully and my DD loved it! Foodwise, it was a bad weekend. I had two great runs but I "out-ate' them, between the party and having my in-laws here. It is so hard to stay on-plan, even in your own home, with guest. Oh, well. I've got a good week ahead and six days til my half-marathon! WOO-HOO!!! :woohoo:

Samantha, hope you had a great bday dinner with Greg!

Neurodoc, I think a trainer is a great idea! Super-motivating and you can learn so much from them. I think I'm going to ask for a set of training sessions for xmas. I'm sure you can find one who comes early in the am -- I think early mornings are part of that profession. :coffee:

Dora, I'm sorry about the gym conundrum. I really like the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred video. It's only a 20 minute workout (plus very short cooldown). I add on more stretching at the end, and then you can add on a walk or quick jog. I think there is a forum around here or subforum or stickie on the exercise forum about videos.

Chelsey, I would think that 10-minute miles would burn a little more. I estimate about 90 calories/mile at that speed.

Kwinkle, WTG on a summer of excellent racing and now a scale victory! Happy back-to-school. What do you teach?

Oneoftwelve, holy moly 20 credit hours! Granted, things may have changed in the 16 years :fr: since I graduated, but that is a ton, isn't it? How can something so early in the semester be worth so much (1/3 of your grade?!?!). You haven't had time to learn anything yet! They go so fast in college. I remember being shocked when the professors lectured on the first day. I'm thinking, "Isn't this, 'Hand out the syllabus, get everyone comfy' day?" No such thing!

Sweetykins, :bravo: for two weeks on plan. I have been struggling with plan lately. I am going to try lemon tea. I'm so excited for Fall, too. Tomorrow morning I will start putting out my Fall wreath and other decorations! Yea!

Hey everyone! I haven't had much time to be on here lately...

Amy: You may not be doing as well as you would like to do eating wise, but I think its okay for you to be naughty every once in a while! Im sure you will get right back to where you would like to be soon enough! (your not too far off anyways!)

Dianne: how is all the running going? have you been able to stick to your plan of 6x/weekly? (I could never!!) I wish I could pick up running but its just something my body cant handle.. unfortunately.

Sweetykins: Congrats for staying on plan! I also can not wait for the holidays! and Im sure you will lose 10lbs by Halloween!

oneoftwelve: 20 CREDIT HOURS! I once took 6 classes at once but I believe it was only 18 credit hours.. is your school 3 or 4 credits for major classes? Also, I must say eating right under so much pressure and with so few options takes a great amount of will power! So keep up the good work!!!

kwinkle: CONGRATS on the loss!!!! Always a good surprise!!


As for me... I have been doing well it has been a little over a month now since I started my weight loss journey... I have been doing good, staying on plan, have had one cheat day.. which I still stayed on plan calorie wise.. I just ate less healthy. I haven't really had a hard time with any temptations. However, Starbucks just got the pumpkin spice latte back... so it will be tough resisting getting one every day.... BOO. So far I have lost 8lbs and yesterday I saw 127.8 so I'm still moving in the right direction... OH! and I have been attempting to work out! I have been doing about 25 minutes on the cross trainer which really seems to help, and makes me feel better so yay!

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

thanks for the welcomes everybody!
the weekend was all kinds of bad things since that's when I throw my rules away ... I didn't snack too much or whatever, just a few oat cookie/biscuit things. But the alcohol! Ohthealcohol. I can not drink any more, I am such a lightweight these days ... and all the calories! I didn't drink THAT much (I thought), but it totally did me in so I'll have to be more careful in future!
I did two miles/30 mins of a 'walk away the pounds' dvd yesterday ... I had to do it in two 15 minute sections. I am soooo unfit I can't believe it! I think I'm going to try to do a minimum of 15 minutes of exercise videos (more if I can) every day.
It's weigh in day for me (because I started all this stuff last Tuesday) -- and the scale reads 120.6, down 1.4lbs! woop. I know that a small amount like that could be all sorts of normal-fluctuation things rather than fat loss, but it's still motivating to see a lower number on the scale!
neurodoc, if you can afford a trainer, that's a great idea! Nothing is motivating quite like the need to NOT stand somebody else up! haha
oneoftwelve -- that's GREAT on the exercise. I have a real motivation problem with exercise so that seems like a huge achievement! :D

Hi guys!

Had a very off-plan Labor Day weekend unfortunately. Took a mini-vacation with my husband and kids to a water park resort and our eating was pretty awful. Yummy, but bad for the waistline. Everything is tight on me lately, and I have had the hardest time pulling it together. I don't know why, but I have lost motivation lately. I'm trying to find it again this week!

It's so nice to have a place like this to just vent, confess, and find encouragement. Here's hoping we all have successes in September!

OHHHH Feathers; this weekend was horrible!

I went to the Usher concert Friday and went off plan badly. Then Saturday I swore I would do well to make up for it. Got to about 8pm that night at only about 1200 calories and something inside me snapped and I binged. Shot up to about 1900 calories that night. Then I SWORE Sunday I would be good and make up for the past two days. Welp, Sunday was the worst. Drank, ate a cheeseburger, baked beans, chips, etc. Then if that wasn't enough, at 1:30 am after being out all night from drinking, drunk Chelsey thought a Frisco melt and fries from Steak N Shake would be necessary (If you havent already, look up the nutrition facts on Frisco melts; 72g of fat!!). I recorded everything in Dailyplate from that day (what I could remember :o) and my calories were about 4500. Needless to say, I am SCARED to step on the scale. I have decided Mon-wed of this week I will eat at 1200 calories and then jump back on my 1500 calories plan. I am hoping the 1200 days will get rid of any weight I gained from the horrible weekend!

At this rate, I am never going to lose weight and will just be battling maintaining. I need to stop these cheat days so much. It is NOT necessary! Oh well new week and I am NOT giving up!

Kwinkle That is AMAZING that you lost 2.5 pounds without even knowing it! Good work! That must have been a huge motivation to keep it up...

OneofTwelve :bravo: on keeping up with your exercise AND doing it with all of that school work and stress. I truly understand how hard that is so I give you major kudos for sticking to it. :carrot::cb:

Sweetykins Glad you have been doing so well with September. My September has been dead opposite. Rarely on plan, mostly off :o I too am a big tea lover! I drink a glass of hot green tea whenever I crave and it helps most of the time! AND its so healthy for you! yay!

Amy It takes A LOT of will power not to eat icing while making a cake. And raw cake batter? Yumm! Forget it, I couldnt do it :D Im glad your daughter liked it though. So it was worth it. And trust me, those little things you do for her mean more to her than you know. My mom still till this day makes my sisters (two older) and I birthday cakes every year and it means so much to me! Its those little things you moms do that just melt my heart :hug: Forgive me for being exercise illiterate but what goes into a half marathon? Sounds intense..

lilmisspope WOW! 8 pds in one month! Congrats!! You must have been really on plan. Good for you! I need to take notes from you. I wish I could do one whole month completely on plan. I hate exercising but even more so do I hate eating healthy 100%. It sounds pathetic but I need my cheat days or I will go insane! I didn't do too well with my exercise this past weekend between being sick and the mornings I was hungover :o But I am back on plan now :)

Coffee I think your exercise plan sounds very reasonable and I believe you will be able to stick with it. I find it hard to believe you are so out of shape at 120 pounds missy! But we all know our own bodies and when they are at the best and worst.

New goal - Start waking up at 7am and do my 30 minutes of running in the mornings! I would love to not have to worry/ think about it all day. This morning was my first day! And it felt a little cool outside. OH I CANT wait till Fall!!!

Happy Tuesday! Yay for a 4 day week :D

That's hilarious ... OK, maybe you don't feel like it's hilarious, but the way you described it is! I get a kick out of reading your updates. Maybe you should have a blog?

I have an update. After nearly two YEARS of trying to get back into the 130s, which included trying to lose ~3 lbs for the last SIX MONTHS, things have finally turned around for me. And the Beck books (esp "The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person") are what did it. I am buying this book for my family members who have struggled their entire lives with weight loss. It really is a whole new perspective, no matter what plan you follow.

So think about something like that to help get your groove going. The Thin Commandments has some good stuff as well, similar concepts.

ANYway, it's the thing that jump-started me out of a long, disheartening rut.
I have finally dropped into the 130s (I think for real), 138.2 today :carrot:and I have hope that I might actually achieve my goals now.

I got very discouraged last week by my measurements, but I will not be derailed. I am going to eat healthy, and exercise, and my body will end up where it ends up.
Oh, and my plan is to bump up the exercise in October :yikes:

Dianne: Im sorry your weekend didn't go the way you had planned (eating wise). I believe I have said this to you before, but I think you need some more support from your friends if you really are wanting to lose weight. Try having one of them keep an eye on you when you are drinking (this seems to be when you mess up the most) give them a few rules. Even if you are drunk if you are being questioned before you order your Frisco Melt and Fries... you might not order it. Just a thought! .. As for me I have stayed on plan ever since I started... There has not been one day that I have gone over calories. I have also cut out many things. Such as soda, fast food, most eating out and switched to only 100% whole wheat. I just decided to go for it. I gained my weight about a year ago and wanted to lose it ever since.... I attempted dieting about 10 times (I gained 20lbs in 2 months just 8months before my wedding) Lets just say all the stress over the wedding did not give me motivation to lose weight like most! So I just maintained. But I finally decided that I REALLY REALLY wanted this and that it was important to me! ... sorry to rant but I think if you have the support of your friends and you are really on board then you will lose your weight too!!!

Emma: congrats on the drop!!! You read a lot of weight loss books, any good low cal cookbooks?

Hope everyone is having a good week!

LMP, I hear you on the pumpkin lattes. I love those! I looked up the calories tho and they're pretty bad. Tho I do prefer them with only two pumps of pumpkin flavor, so if it's a grande skim no-whip two-pump pumpkin spice latte, maybe it's something I could work in once in a while. :) And the baristas love those crazy orders. They tell me it keeps them from getting bored.

I got over the final hurdle of DD's bday weekend calories -- baking and frosting cupcakes for her to bring to school. Thank goodness that's over and no bdays in the house until DS turns two on New Year's Eve.

Speaking of DS, I think I got a legitimate workout chasing him around his gymnastics class today. That child is fast, heavy and determined -- a triple threat.

Chelsey, you may be creating a vicious cycle by trying to go extra low to make up for bad days. Why not work on getting back on track with your original plan? Often, restricting too much can lead to bingeing.

Oy, I need to get to bed. I'm supposed to be getting plenty of rest this week. Just two short training runs left! Oh, Chelsey, forgot to add -- a half-marathon is just a 13.1 mile run. Exactly half the 26.2 of a marathon. Which I am threatening to do if my hip ever gets 100% better. :fr:

Morning Feathers!!

I dont know whats come over me this past month but I have just been in such good moods! My sister even said to me this morning "Oh no Chelsey, you are in a really good mood; please dont tell me you are seeing Robby again? (my first love that put my family and I through ****)" haha Sheesh am I always in a bad mood or something? :lol: Still an emotional little 23 year old, but nonetheless, Ive just been happy and content! I think my body is going through some hormonal thing. Hmm or maybe it's because Im finally on a career tract that I think I would really enjoy. I just recently started classes to prepare for the Sonography proram. Maybe that has something to do with it? Oh well, I wont ask questions and just take this happy mood for all its worth :D

Emma :flow1::bravo::flow1::dancer: You did it!!! I can only imagine how great that feels! And even more kudos for keeping such a good positive attitude. You know, I was learning in one of my health classes that they are linking your attitude with cancer. They are really starting to believe that the more positive you are and laid back and try your best not to stress, the less chance you have of getting cancer. On top of that, if God forbid you ever did get cancer (using "you" as in general), a positive attitue can really help to cure it. I dont know just seemed interesting. Our minds are way more powerful than we think. Dont they say we only use like a 1/3 of our brain power? Use a little more of that brain power, throw in a positive attitude and a little bit of faith from God and we might just have figured out a cure for most diseases :D

llilmisspope You are absolutley correct. I do need support from my friends. But its hard because I think they are all "secret dieters". What I mean by that is, they try to appear like they eat and drink everything they want but Ive noticed they choose their calories wisely. They choose alcohol as their main calories consumption and will only eat one small meal that day. Whereas me, I choose food!! My point is, when we are out drinking, they can "afford" the late night meals and arent as conscious to helping me out. It also doesnt help that they want to go out 4 out of the 7 nights a week!! Not only can I not afford that calorie wise but money wise! Bottom line, IIIII need to straighten up and be accountable for everything I eat and drink. I have control of it and I will succeed. :tantrum:

Amy 26.2 MILES?!?!?! Is this non stop? Is this even humanly possible? OMGAh! Man sure does put in perspective my dinkly little 3 mile victory. I have no excuse to not run more if you are about to run 13 miles! That is so impressive. NO wonder you lost the weight so quickly. You are a true athlete missy! Good for you! This is so random but what is your zodiac sign? You have such a maternal/ caring vibe. Hmm lets see if I can guess this. Are you a cancer, or scorpio or Virgo?

Hope everyone has a fabulous Wednesday! Tomorrow is my weigh in ever since the big Friso melt fiasco. I wanted to give myself a few days so I wouldnt be too shocked by the scale :devil: Fingers crossed it says 136 (where I left off)!!

hi all! i'm a newbie too. its so inspiring to read all of your stories and suggestions.

here's mine: i WAS at 120 a year ago. it might have been because of a medication switch but going back to the doctor this past summer i was shocked and awed (ha!) to see i was at 130. i've been battling this new bulge.

while ten pounds isnt a TON of weight i'm short and it ends up totally changing the way clothes fit. I've been hitting the gym hard and really trying to watch what I eat but I always yoyo. i devote myself for a week and i'm down to 124 and then i take a weekend off and i'm back to 130.

but the good news! ran three miles this morning, and the day before, and six the day before! hoping that with all your help i can get down to 120. and buy myself those two pairs of shoes i've been coveting. :)

Welcome! :)

:welcome: kalefordinner! I have, at least once in my life, had an entire meal composed of nothing but kale (with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper -- but still -- 98% kale).

EmmaD, :dancer: WTG on getting back to the 130s. You're on a roll! I love the Beck Diet Solution. I borrowed it from the library but I think I'm going to buy it so I can reread it periodically. (as you will see, I need a refresher, because...)

So yesterday I had a big, ugly, horrible, ridiculous binge. It was unbelievable. So before I went to bed last night I sat down with myplate and planned my entire day. And you know what? It was wonderful. I knew what I was eating when, and my only decision was whether or not I was hungry enough to eat what everything I'd planned. So guess what I'm doing before bed tonight?

In addition, I'm attempting to plan dinners for a week at a time just to cut down on supermarket trips and to accommodate my DDs' activities. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they have activities that go until 6 pm, so we won't be getting home until at least 6:30. My goal is to do a crock-pot meal one of those nights and either leftovers or a cooked-earlier-in-the-day meal the other. Somehow "crock-pot" and "low calories" don't seem to go together, do they? Anyone know of a healthy crockpot cookbook or website?

Tomorrow's my last training run before Sunday, and it's a short one. Chelsey, LOL, not only is 26.2 completely humanly possible, but I have a friend whose brother is running this race on Friday. Well, on Friday and Saturday. Now that's hardcore!

OOH, I have a great recommendation for a slow cooker cookbook, aptly named "The Healthy Slow Cooker" by Judith Finlayson. You can find it for as low as $5.99 but it's around $16 on Amazon. I check out a lot of books from the library, and this is one of the few that I had to purchase after looking through it. It has so many delicious recipes. I also bought her vegetarian slow cooker cookbook. I used my crockpot all fall and winter last year.

When I was searching for the book I found this site and this site that seem to have some good recipes as well.

Thanks for the congratulations, guys! I probably would have given up by now if I hadn't had the feathers to complain to... I only have another 10-15 lbs to go. Easy-peasy. :p

mmmm, kale. It feels like fall... :welcome3: kalefordinner!

:rofl: - I just looked at "before" and "now" photos of me today with an 11 pound difference (I'm 5'6", the difference was 149 to 138). It is ASTOUNDING to see the difference. I mean mind:dizzy:boggling. Partly it's because for the first photo I crammed myself into my jeans that I am comfortably wearing today, so it is the most ridiculous muffin top ever. Horrifying, truly, that just 11 pounds can make such a difference. So :yay: for featherweights, who can appreciate this fact.

Happy Thursday Feathers! :carrot:

I finally weighed in after my horrible frisco melt/cheeseburger/chips/alcohol episode on Sunday and I am at 136.2! Yay!! Only a .2 pd difference. Hey Ill take it! Now time to get back on track. I am going to try to stay at 1500 calories a day till I leave for NJ on the 22nd. I am hoping to be at 134 by then! We'll see!!

I am going to have to check out this Beck book. I keep hearing all over 3fc how great the book is...

Have a great day Feathers!!

Good morning, Feathers!

Happy Friday to everyone! I am in a very buoyant mood today (hence all the !) because I am done training! And have a half marathon on Sunday!

(OK, maybe time to cut back on the coffee...)

But this is such a great feeling. All the work, all those training runs are in the bag, and now I just get to do the big tuna. Unfortunately it's supposed to rain on Sunday but I am hoping it will hold off til after 9 am!

I plan to keep running for sure after the race, and have my eyes on another half marathon ini March, but I plan on mixing in more yoga, spinning, and maybe some other fitness classes. I think it's better for my body to do a variety of activities. Too much running = too much pounding and too much repetitive motion.

So I have today and tomorrow off from exercise (I think it's only the second time in 5 months I've taken two-days-in-a-row off), and I'm allowing myself to go 200 calories over so I have plenty of energy. There may be a pumpkin latte in my future!

Anyone else have fun weekend plans?

Dianne: Awesome on the loss! At least you know you are moving in the right direction, hopefully this helps you battle those urges in the future!!!

Amy: Thats great! I could never run as much as you! Im sure you will do great on Sunday! Also, get a pumpkin spice latte and I will live vicariously through you! (I can account for it in my daily calories ((obviously not everyday)) but I just don't know if I will like it with skim and less pumpkinny goodness.... I should try it.) could you give me a calorie count for that?

So tomorrow is my official weigh in day for the week.. but I cheated and weighed myself today and I am down another pound. YES! But I will weigh tomorrow as well and see how that goes (I just finished TOM yesterday... maybe some water weight still?) We will see... hoping I will be down a couple more ounces... Anyways, once I reach 126 that will be 10lbs lost. I am so excited to get to that milestone!! I think I will be rewarding myself with a couple things as well.... oooh and my mom got me a new coach bag that I get once I prove I am at 126...

Well I hope everyones weekend is good! (I am going to try and work out the next 3 days since I have time to!)

Like Same7, I too am in a good mood today. In addition to some work-related things that went well, I realized today that MY THIGHS NO LONGER TOUCH AND RUB when I walk. I think it must have actually happened a week or so ago, and I just consciously processed the lack of friction today. Yippee.

Kalefordinner, are you serious about the kale? I love spinach the same way (I go out of my way to order it when I'm eating out, because hubby and sons hate it so I can never cook it at home).