Morning Feathers!!

Changed - You are so funny. Take the "I didnt recognize you"'s as compliments. Give yourself the credit you deserve!

Amy - I have gone out with the crew before without drinking but its tough. I get caught up in the moment and it doesnt take me long to get convinced to do something I am really wanting to do. So for the first few weeks I will hibernate so I am not tempted. When Im stronger, Ill be able to handle it better Isnt your reunion coming up?? Remember, pics pics pics!!

Ilene - If youre still losing weight or maintaining and can still have your wine then I say theres nothing wrong with it.

Chicsahou - Ok youve really got to change that name lol Its really making me want some yummy chocolate chip cookies. It reminds me of the girl on here who has her picture as a cinnabon. OMG I love those. Everytime I see her post on here I have to navigate away because it makes me really crave it lol I dont really have any tips for appetizers except maybe just a small portion and only one serving? Drink lots and lots of water at dinners like those. You will fill up a lot faster and your mouth will at least be occupied

Krampus - WOW Condoms and beer on the go? Now what is that promoting? jkkkkkk

Welcome Irishlassie!!!

Soooo I have completed week 1 and Im down 3.2 pounds!!! wahooo!!! This whole no drinking thing really does work! Only 11 more weeks to go, 15 more pounds, and a hot toned body!! Woooooo IM feeling good. I didnt work out for my first week because I wanted to just concentrate on my diet. But now I am adding in circuit weight training and running. I am about to do Jillians 30 day shred video followed by 20 minutes of running. Lets see if I can keep this up the rest of the last 11 weeks!! Coffee here I comeeeeeeeeee

Have a great week Feathers!!

Dianne -- Way to go on the weightloss this week ...I am maintaining, but I want to lose!!

This weekend I FELL off the wagon!! I'm pissed at myself and getting back on ASAP ... So here I go...

Happy week everyone

I'd better make some g.dam progress this week. I'm pretty much hungry all the time which I know is what happens when you eat a deficit intending to lose weight, but I'm not sure how much longer I can smile and bite the bullet and pretend I'm satisfied...

I weighed 59.8 kg after a run which is a HUGE breakthrough, pretty sure it'll be back up to 60.0 at the very least in the morning though.

Ok so maybe Ill just run for 10 minutes after the 30 day shred lol Is it really possible to get toned just by doing 20 minutes of circuit training a day? It just doesnt seem like enough.. Especially if youre not really overweight..

Dianne- Way to go!

I'm having a VERY frustrated morning. I took 1 ONE day off and I figured the next day or two's weight would be a reflection of junky salty food. Fine. STILL? I'm back up to 130 and stuck there. Don't get me wrong, I'm sticking to Fast5 but can I really be eating too many calories? I must be. I usually try to eat well but maybe I'm more relaxed than I should be on this diet. Last night for example-
a slice of homemade pumpkin pecan bread
Turkey breast lasagna for dinner (one 5X4) or so piece, salad no dressing
handful of home made chex mix
half a PB cookie ice cream sandwich (about 1/4c ice cream)
bowl of raisin bran with 1/8c 2% mlk

My problem, besides my apparent lack of fruits ad veggies this weekend... is that I cook everything from scratch and I'm having a **** of a time counting calories like that. I was a lot easier to eat smart ones and granola bars. lol

So other than the obvious flaws (and I promise to hit the farmers market today!) can you guys help me figure out what is going wrong? Does that seem like overkill? I haven't been at this low weight since HS so I'm afraid I don't know what is appropriate to maintain or lose more.

I didn't do much of anything active this weekend but I'm challenging myself to work out for 1 hour everyday this week.

Cheers to a good week on plan ladies!

Chelsey, Down 3.2! That's awesome! Ride that momentum, baby. I wonder the same thing about the shred -- it just doesn't seem long enough. There was a thread somewhere where people were pledging to do 30DS for 30 days straight. I think the consensus was that people lost inches, not pounds. I know it makes me incredibly sore, so it must be doing something! And I've only ever done level 1.

Changed, if that menu is typical of what you're eating, I don't think you're eating too many calories (I estimated 1300 for that menu). But I don't think you're really getting adequate nutrition for your body. Not just the lack of fruit and vegetables, but the lack of protein. I'm not a low-carb girl, but I try to get at least 25% of my calories from protein. Do you take a multivitamin? (this is a do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do, as I can never remember to take my vitamin ) If you want to count cals for foods from scratch, try the recipe calculator at sparkrecipes.com or on livestrong.com/myplate. Other than that, I'd say just give it time. There are so many variables -- my weight fluctuates by as much as 2.5 lbs a day. Drives me crazy.

Krampus, it sucks to be hungry all the time. Can you add more veggie snacks, or drink tea? Is there any tea there in Japan? Are you restricting too much? Hopefully it will pass.

Irishlassie, What in the world is a monkey nut?

Want to hear something funny? The daily place estimated that lasagna at 45g of protein per serving! That's not really a typical menu for me but I'd say probably the calorie equivalent of a healthier menu if that makes sense.

And yes, I take good food supplements including a multi, cal-mag and additional B-complex and D daily.

I'm going to try sticking around 1200 this week and see if more exercising makes the difference.

I appreciate the support so much!

Wow! I hear lasagna, I think carbs -- but that's a lot of protein. Maybe I need to eat more lasagna!

OHHHHHHHHHHH Feathers, work is just SOO mind-numbing! For over a year now its been SO slow. I literally count the minutes starting from 9 to 5:30. Its literally torture! I am too active of a person to not have my mind stimulated. ahhhhhhhhh!! I really hope I can get into the sonography program for next fall. Then I only have one more year here! Theyve been good to me but a desk job is just NOT for me!

Ok sorry had to rant.

Changed - your meal plan sounds yummmmyy! What I have seen (through friends of mine who have dieted), when they eat not very nutritous or healthy foods but keep their cals down, they lost weight but it took awhile. Just an observation..

Amy - I am a little concerned that I am not doing the dvd right. I am not sore AT ALL. I just did it this morning but I am afraid I am not going to feel sore tomorrow (I want to).

Just for fun, because I am so awfully bored, what are some good careers in your opinion?!

Chelsey: Congrats on the weight loss! I knew you could do it... keep up the good work and you will be where you want in no time!

As for me, I havent been counting calories lately, but have been estimating and eating practically the same as before. I know I eat around 1200-1300 a day max. So thats good. forgot to weigh myself this past weekend. Guess I feel like I am where i need to be. But I think I might get back on track and lose a couple more lbs to make sure I stay where I want to through the holidays....

hope everyone is doing well!

60.0 this morning, totally called it.

Amy I don't think I'm restricting too much; I definitely never eat less than 1200 calories a day. I had some big meals and drinks over the weekend so my stomach is probably just re-adjusting. We'll see how today goes. There is in fact lots of tea around but it's all caffeinated green tea which keeps me up...I try not to drink coffee or tea after 5 pm if I can help it since I never sleep enough as it is!

All this talk of lasagna is making me so homesick. Moving back to NY is going to be the biggest challenge in this weight loss business (I hesitate to call it a "journey" since it doesn't feel like one).

Fingers crossed for you that you get in!

I was 130 yesterday and 128 today. I'm always amazed how much um... "digested food" weighs sitting in your colon.

Back to 128 this morning so I'm going to assume that I really DO weigh that much. Whatever, it gives me lots of motivation. lol I was nearly derailed in the whole foods bakery last night but I prevailed!

And by the way, turkey lasagna is pretty healthy the way I make it. I use 1lb of ground turkey BREAST and a ton of finely chopped or mandolin sliced veggies (zuch, eggplant, onion, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms and bell peppers). Low fat mozz and cottage cheese and I swear no one can taste the diff. Maybe because they're already confused by the turkey. lol I don't mind the turkey because I still enjoy the taste but no enough to overdo it- if that makes sense. And I only serve salad with it, no bread. Lemon juice with garlic salt for dressing.

Happy October!! Everyone seems to be doing great...

I just set a goal in the South Beach forum to reach my weight goal by the end of the year (of course that was my goal for the WHOLE year). For me that boils down to about 3 lbs per month. Doesn't sound like a lot, but the most I've ever been able to lose is about that and it's only getting harder as my weight drops.

If I am going to be a slave to the numbers, here is how it breaks down:
Oct 1: 138
Nov 1: 135
Dec 1: 132
Jan 1: 129

It will be a miracle if I ever see these numbers. It's been a long, long time.

Gotta kick it up a notch, stop eating off my plan and bump up the cardio. I've got the strength-training and stretching under control for now. Also I'm going to have to have some strict rules in place around the holiday festivities. Last year I gained back nearly all that I had lost from June-October, around 10 lbs or so.

So there it is, I want to start 2011 as a MAINTAINER. And running for 30+ mnutes at a time again.

Anyone else thinking about end-of-year goals? 12 weeks to go. Woot!

[oh and my year-long exercise goal? Fuggedaboutit. I'll make it a bit over half way, but that means I averaged more than 30 minutes EVERY DAY in 2010, so that's something!]

Good Morning Feathers!!

Ok, so how have I lived without coffee for so long? I recently started drinking it and I have enough energy to get my workouts in without absolutely dreading them, I am in such better moods, and I dont feel as stressed. OH my! What a miracle drink. Now I know why America is depenent on it. Two glasses a day wont hurt though right?

Amy - How are you doing on the 30 day shred?? Stick with it and I'm sure youll be one hot mama at your reunion. Well I'm sure you already are !! I did the shred again and was not sore. So I have made my own plan! Ive decided I am just going to run 30 minutes a day and do pushups and abs after. I figure if I do this 6 days a week - some toning will happen

Changed - Thanks for the good luck wishes and congrats on being at 128! I cant wait to be there!!

Emma - I think your goals are very reasonable and if you really focus you can get there in no time!

I love setting goals! Makes me feel accountable for them. Here are mine!

October 25 - 132
November 25 - 127 (Wishful thinking)
December 25 - 122 (More wishful thinking)
My ultimate goal is to be around 120 and toned. But I will see as I get closer to there!

Next weigh in day is October 11th!

Have a great hump day feathers!