Just signed up for a 10K Thanksgiving morning. The run will be no problem. Getting there at 7:30 a.m. on the other hand....

Wow, awesome progress everybody!!

Scale was back up to 163 this morning >_< oh well. Stick to it... I swapped cereal for cottage cheese this morning, so hopefully the extra protein will get me to lunchtime without needing a snack. We'll see.

I agree... carrying groceries totally counts! (I actually just did that).

Off to get my 3 miles in..... doing my first 5k on Saturday!

Great work everyone!

This is really, really getting old. I have been bouncing between 129 and 131 (with a trip up to 133 in mid-October) for OVER A MONTH. I have been carefully counting calories, and have been absolutely on plan for well over 2 weeks, with both weight lifting (NROL4W) and cardio on a regular basis. Why the H*LL am I not losing weight? I am so jealous of you steady losers- I seem to hit plateaus like this every other month. It just should NOT take 9 months and counting to lose a mere 33 pounds, yet here I am with still 1/4 of my weight loss to go. ARGH.

Maybe try switching up your diet/exercise habits? I hear that making changes can help kick your loss back onto track... it could be that your body has just gotten too used to what you're doing currently.

neurodoc, I was plateauing like crazy until I upped my cardio. You say you are indeed doing cardio, as well as weight lifting, which sounds like a recipe for success to me, but I only saw significant results when I increased the cardio to about 100 minutes a week out of a total minimum of 450 minutes per week of exercise. My weight-lifting and flexibility workouts (yoga, pilates, and ballet) also all incorporate mild cardio as well (AWT, power yoga, etc.). And the pure cardio I do is all very low-impact walking and jogging, for the most part (except for the very occasional HIIT workout, maybe three times a month because I really hate too much high-impact). Granted, I'm still losing really slowly, but maybe a strategy like that would help a little.

No matter what, plateaus are temporary and you can totally bust through 'em! :D

So, in order to get through this plateau, I've been trying to work on increasing my protein from about 60-70 g/day to 80+ (while keeping total calories to 1300, meaning a relative decrease in carbs) but it's proving very, very difficult. I think I would have to give up -most- fruit for awhile, which I'm not convinced is really healthy, and will probably make my constipation worse (sorry if that's TMI, but it's a real problem for me). Other than that, I'm not sure what I can do to "shake up my routine." Increasing my workout time is just not a realistic option- I have a 10 hour a day job and 3 kids. I could increase the cardio and decrease the weight-lifting, but I will still have a total of ~4 hrs/week at my disposal for exercise, and from everything I've been reading lately, lifting will give me more "bang for my buck" (burn more calories and prevent my basal metabolic rate from dropping as much over the long haul).

If anyone is interested, I log my food at fatsecret.com, where I go by the username abozoki. I welcome your suggestions.

hi neurodoc, i don't have any answers, but 2 weeks isn't that long really. Maybe start measuring yourself since you're doing some weights - you're probably changing shape, and seeing a difference on the tape might make you feel better!

Don't worry about it all, be patient, and keep remembering to congratulate yourself on how healthy you are and what you've achieved. I agree though that giving up fruit doesn't sound like a great solution.

WOOOOOO! I have some unexpected triumph to report. Yesterday I ate pretty clean all day and did some moderate exercise in the evening. Yet by the end of my day, I was randomly fatigued and feeling kind of "bleh" and sleepy, so I was not too fabulous and wound up nibbling on a tiny stash of leftover Halloween chocolate (tiny amounts, though; if I weren't actively dieting, I wouldn't have beaten myself up over it). And yet this morning, I'm down a pound! My Wii Fit chart of my BMI is showing this nice slow but still downward trajectory on its slope. Woo hoo!

However, my slip-up has inspired me to eat clean all day, even though the DH and I have date night tonight and are probably going out to dinner. Instead of feeling panicky about it, I'm going to look up the restaurant's menu later and simply be mindful about my choice. They have some awesome dinner salads and I plan on being careful enough with lunch that I can enjoy something nice later. :)

But anyway, I'm psyched. My weight loss has been pretty freaking slow, but I am most excited about my fitness gains. My friends who threw the Halloween party I went to last Friday posted some pix on their Facebook pages, and I was actually not too embarrassed to tag myself in 'em. I looked visibly thinner than I did in pictures taken at a friend's wedding last December. Go me!

kat999, that's sweet! Nothing beats seeing yourself in photos and going "hey, I look pretty good!"

Today was a bit rough. I was in a pretty blah mood all day, ate a bit sloppily and was attacked at work with chocolate covered potato chips by some coworkers. I swear they're trying to fatten me up even though I'm already the fourth or fifth heaviest female teacher (out of about 30) at work. Had to stay late and since my neighborhood is so poorly lit I couldn't run outside and opted for Tae Bo indoors instead which never feels as vigorous.

I am also a bit 'pated and unsure what to do about it. I eat yogurt (which in the past acted almost instantaneously), plenty of fibrous fruits and veggies, stay hydrated, and drink coffee and tea.

Either way, not terribly optimistic about weighing myself tomorrow. I have felt enormous and bloated all day despite weighing in at exactly 128 pounds this morning.

Ange, it's actually been over a month- I first charted a weight of 129.6 on 10/2. For my crappy metabolism, a "plateau" of 2 weeks is my norm. And alas, my measurements have not changed either, so this is a genuine plateau. My fear is that I won't lose anymore unless I lower my calories even further (1100-1200), which I'm not sure I can sustain for more than a week or two, and will regain any weight lost during that period as soon as I go back to 1300.

Hehe, I thought you were talking to me. Ange is my name too. lol

Down today to 125.2 I'm so freakin excited! I love how seeing the number drop only motivates me and keeps me on track that much more. Tonight is girls night out but I plan to eat before I go and then only have a skim milk latte or a mint lime spritzer. Probably the latter since I'm trying to avoid dairy. I'll see if they have soymilk. I haven't worn anything but work out clothes since last week so I'm excited to see how my jeans are fitting. :)

I went to my Allergy/immunology and dermatologist yesterday. I finally gave in and got a kenalog shot in my butt. After about 2 am, I slept soundly and woke up feeling so refreshed. That's been a LONG time coming. I'm not itchy, no new hives. I'm a little afraid about rebound and dependence but for now I'm just going to enjoy the benefits of the steroids.:wizard:

neurodoc, plateaus are so frustrating. Pretty much my weight loss patterns has been to stall for 6 weeks, then drop giant chunks in one week, then the stalling starts again. Not to mention the few lbs gain during TOM/ovulating. it's so frustrating to do everything right and still lose so slowly.

I hate that panicky feeling about eating out, but sometimes you just can't avoid it!
Kat, that's what I did when I went out to eat this week. I picked out the best item on the menu before we went, and didn't even look at the menu. Turned out it was delicious, and I felt so good afterwards! Just remember how good you'll feel :)

woohoo changed! Congrats :)


So I am so completely sore from my weight training. I don't know if it was the deadlitfts, shoulder presses, lat pull down, lunges or what, but my lower back, upper arms, and thighs are absolutely killing me. It's beyond pain, it feels like someone burned my back up and down in strips and I have open wounds all over. It's torture! Im used to feeling soreness after working out, and I usually even like the pain because it reminds me of my work, but this is just beyond all that. I"m going to keep doing them of course, but I'm a little afraid. I have yoga tonight and I hope I can do the poses. I hope it will help me!

Hey neurodoc - I don't know if I have any good advice for you, but if it makes you feel any better you are NOT alone... I am chuckling at your quote above. I have been trying to lose ~20 lbs for more than a year, depending on what I call my start date (I bumped up to almost my high again last holiday season) and what I call my goal (I keep changing it depending on my optimism level).

Eh, it's just my experience here, but it's so much harder when you are older (by "older" I mean like mid-30s+). In my 20s I used to be able to just "cut back" a little and drop 8 lbs in a couple of weeks. When I hit mid-30s, my whole metabolism shifted and here I am resigned to being happy to lose a single pound in a month - even though I am eating really well and exercising regularly for the first time in my life.

You got some good advice above about changing things up - that seems to be the consensus about what works to bust a plateau. Recently I dropped a bit by going more low-carb. And I keep threatening to up my cardio but am dragging my feet - for real, haha - about this. Maybe you could add something like HIIT, which apparently is also the best bang for your buck in cardio. Also, maybe try calorie-cycling? Sometimes it seems that relatively high-calorie days boost the metabolism...

Take all this with a grain of salt - I am a disastrous featherweight. I had a goal to lose 3 lbs in October and all I did was maintain. Which I guess I should be happy about since I was away for 2 weeks, surrounded by bad food and not exercising much. So now there is little to no chance of me reaching my weight goal by the end of the year. I would have to lose 9 lbs in 2 months. :rofl:

I am considering calling whatever weight I am on New Years Day my maintenance weight and moving on to solely fitness goals. But I still feel like a failure that I couldn't get back down to the size I used to be. ARRRGH. I need to think about this more. I am just looking for the mindset that is going to keep me going and feeling positive.

It definitely helps to have this forum to learn from. And to vent to!

Congrats Changed! That must feel amazing!

Between being backed up, having a mediocre/bad jogging session this morning before work and the number on the scale bouncing up ever so slightly, I'm about ready to hide out in an empty classroom and sleep all day. Really hoping I can fix this and get below 58.0 kg next week.

Pinkflower, I've had that uber-soreness once or twice before. I once had it so bad in my thighs that I couldn't sit down on the toilet- I sort of "dropped" down onto the seat, cringing in pain as I did it. It's tough to know, while you're doing the workout, what constitutes serious overdoing.

EmmaD, you are quite right. It's never been easy for me to lose weight (hence the "never under 130 pounds since adolescence"), but it has gotten even worse since I passed 40. I swear I can inhale the aroma of baked goods and gain a pound.

Krampus, I'm convinced that it's the lack of fat in my diet that causes the "backup." The minute I eat something greasy or high-fat, I have no trouble. Obviously, this poses a problem for dieting.

Good night everyone.

i know what you all mean about plateaus because realistically i've been on one (with a few bumps) for about 5 years - so i guess it could be called maintenance!!! But there's always that hope that somehow if i carry on being what i think is 'good' with regard to food and exercise, then somehow i'll miraculously lose weight even though i'm not really changing anything.

My normal cycle is to exercise more, then get hungry and eat more, then be too busy to exercise, but feel less hungry, and it all balances out.

I know i'm going to get absolutely shot down in flames for this one, but the easiest way for me to lose is to do the old soup diet for 7 days ('sacred heart' not the 'cabbage one', with extra chilli and herbs thrown in) which knocks off about a kilo, and then go back on a normal diet!

Neurodoc, I tried to look on fatsecret but I couldn't figure out how to view your foods. Here's a thought -- have you tried to do a weights routine that gets and keeps your heart rate up? I know my heart rate jumps when I lift, but then really comes down during breaks between sets. How about skipping rope, jumping on the treadmill for 1/4 mile, jumping jacks, whatever, so that your time spent lifting is also cardio? I agree, it doesn't seem reasonable to drop your calories even further if that will just lead to regain. How about increasing cals 100-200/day, maintaining through the holidays, and then going after those last 9 lbs in January. Kind of giving your body a break from the calorie deficit for a while? And lol on the "toilet drop" -- I had that kind of soreness last week when I did 4 sets instead of the prescribed 2. Ouch!

Pinkflower, I did NRLW Stage 1 Workout A for the second time but I am not sore. I will have to up the poundage next time. I really enjoy it though -- especially because it is a rather fast workout. Normally, weight lifting bores me to tears.

EmmaD, I like your idea of calling it maintenance and focusing on fitness. Don't forget -- you can always change your mind and attack the lbs (or kgs) again! But a change of focus might be a relief, and I find setting and reaching fitness goals to be incredibly fulfilling!

Changed, I just re-noticed (I'm sure I noticed it when you first started posting) that you started at 200 lbs. Is that a pregnancy weight? Did you lose it all doing Fast 5? Whatever the answers -- way to go, you're doing great! And I like your pic -- you're so pretty and what a cute little guy!

Kat, congrats on all your progress!

Fatpantsskinnyjeans, have fun at your 5K!

Chelsey, it sounds like you're doing great, too! All that frustration this summer was a learning experience to set you up for this success. Yay you!

Krampus, this too shall pass ;). Hope you get a good run in this weekend. How much longer are you in Japan? When do you plan on hiking Fuji-san? A friend of mine did it -- it sounds awesome!

Ange, I'm not going to flame you about the soup diet, but do you find you regain that weight? I fear with anything that is not sustainable, a bounce-back is inevitable, but that might just be me and my old-lady body. :)

Happy Weekend Feathers!!!

Happy Friday Feathers! Is it me or does it feel like today is everyones birthday? lol I feel like I have 230948 friends with the birthday November 5th..

I am not sure why but I have been a little "backed up" if you know what I mean. Ever since I started eating clean I was going twice a day! And let me tell you, that is amazing for me - I used to have really bad number 2 problems. I would go almost a week without going! Its amazing what eating clean does for you! But anyways, the past few days I havent been as regular and I can feel it - bloated and just "full". It's causing the scale not to budge. Actually its caused it to go up .4 pounds. Ive been at 131.4 consistently the past 2 days. I am hoping I will see a relatively big drop once I get regular again. I was hoping to be in the 120's by this weekend. We'll see.

It is finally cold here in Florida! High is low 60's and low is in the 40's!! I love it! Finally feels like fall. If only I had a special someone to enjoy it with :) Oh well I am blessed with an amazing family and great friends!

Neuro - I am so sorry to hear about your plateau. I can only imagine how frustrating that is. And I give you seroius kudos for not giving up. I honestly really admire that. From what Ive read from other successful plateau busters, they say to change up the exercise routine and/or foods you are eating. Sounds cliche but your body really does get "used" to what you give it. Our bodies are very resilient and can adapt fairly easily when it needs to. Do you eat "clean"? I noticed that really helps speed up weight loss! Also, Amy's idea of a circuit train is a great idea. I heard its the best workout to burn fat - mixing cardio and weights. Bottom line, if you dont have a thyroid problem or any other hormonal issue, you will lose the weight. Its science! I had a friend who was 18 when she lost her weight. Mind you, she was not even overweight but lost 20 pounds working out and eating healthy (Im guessing she was about 140 and 5'7). Anyways, she went a whole month losing maybe only a pd. Then out of nowhere, it just fell off! Its stubborn fat but you just need to be more stubborn :)

Pinkflower - I LOVE being sore after a good weight lifting workout. I wish I stll belonged to a gym. I would love to start lifting but I just cant afford the membership right now!

Kat - Congrats on getting through your plateau! I am SO terrified that I will give up once my plateau hits. And something tells me its right around the corner!! :?:

Changed - Congrats!!!!!! 125?! Oh I cant "weight" to be at that weight! Ok that was a cheezy play on words lol I blame all the coffee I'm drinking ;)

Emma - I agree with your post about getting older and it being harder to lose. But one of my professors has a great point! He always says "use it or lose it". Meaning, if you workout regularly (especially weights) you can beat your metabolism dropping significantly. Naturally our metabolisms drop as we get older but you CAN beat it! I really believe in his quote and its what motivates me more to get into an exercise routine that I can sustain for life! Look at Amy for instance, she has ran for I think she said 20 years; and she lost almost 20 pounds in 4 months eating on average 1800 calories! Thats incredible! She too is in her 30's (still a spring chicken) but that is typically when the metabolism drops. I suspect she has a pretty darn good metabolism and didnt lose it because of her consistent exercise habits!

Krampus - I envy how you can eat friend anything the night before a morning weigh-in and still see the scale drop! You rock! :carrot:

Ange - I dont think there is anything wrong with "detoxes" which is what I like to call them. But I have to agree with Amy, its usually weight that almost always comes back!

Amy - Thanks for the kudos! I feel great and am only more motivated to keep going! Ive already dropped my goal though. Honestly, my original goal has always been 118 but I upped it just so I wouldnt feel so overwhelmed. But as I get closer and dont see that much of a difference, I see 118 is possible. Also, I measured myself again, and I am indeed 5'5. Im not part of the 5'6 club :( We will see!

Have a great day feathers!!!

Dianne- Get some magnesium citrate. It pulls water into your bowels and acts like a non habit forming laxative. I used it while I was pregant and it saved me!

Thesame7pounds- Somewhere over 200 was my highest pregnancy weight. I stopped looking. I hit 200 a month after I got pregnant with my third and for a few months after. Then I stuck at 190 for a few years. I lost the first big chunk on WW fairly easily and have had to whittle away at the last 25 for 3 years. There was another pregnancy in there but I only gained 30 pounds so I didn't have too much backpedalling but probably 10 pounds of it had to be lost again and again. I've been doing fast 5 for like 7 weeks and have gone from 136 to 124 and it's been the easiest weight loss in a LONG time. Maybe since my first weeks losing weight ever. I just love it. <3 And thanks for the sweet compliments! Your lovely pic with your little one inspired me. :)

I got to my goal for Sunday a few days early! 124.8 :goodscale :celebrate:

Neurodoc- once you bust through those plateau's it's on! :carrot:

Thanks Changed! Ill try that. I feel like Ive tried everything else (natural) - coffee, tea, exercise, etc..

Well, i last did this in April, and i haven't put the weight back on since then, but i haven't really lost any since then either.

And i'm 42 which isn't all that spring-chick-like!

So no, i don't put the weight back on, but i'm motivated to be fairly good for a week or so after finishing because i'm feeling thinner which would contribute to maintaining the loss, and after that i'm back to my normal routine.

Therefore i find that to maintain 56kg takes pretty much the same diet/exercise as to maintain 57kg, therefore it seems to work for me. (In the range 55kg-58kg this seems true for me but i do struggle to maintain 54kg and under without really being much stricter on my diet)

Totally realise that it's not a great idea, and i'm not recommending it at all, as it's much better to diet 'properly'! And yes it would be easy to regain the weight if you let yourself.

Wow, this board is lively. Well, no miracles in the plateau department today (not like I was expecting one), but I think I'm going to take everyone's advice and try to "change up" my routine. I've been pretty consistently doing 3 weight-training days a week (per the advice of the NROL4W book that I'm following), with ~2 days per week of 20 min. HIIT on either the treadmill or elliptical. I think I'll drop to 2 lifting days, and up the HIIT to 30 min 4 days/week for awhile. I really like the idea of alternating HIIT and weights in a circuit-training way; I just have to figure out what my system is going to be (the cardio equipment is in a different room from the free weights I use). I'm also going to calorie-cycle (1100 one day, 1500 the next) and see where that gets me.

I think it's wierd that several of us are constipated at the same time (though for me, it's more like an all-the-time issue). Chelsea, for me it's the opposite of you though- the "cleaner" I eat, the worse it is. I swear that too much protein and fiber just plugs me right up. And, Changed, Mag citrate is great but you can't use it day in and day out- it is unfortunately just as "habit forming" for the bowels as other laxatives, just less irritating.

G'night Feathers.

Hello All,

I haven't been on here for right at a year... "ShrinkingAmy" has since become "ExpandingAmy" and it's past time to start doing something aboout it. This time last year I was in Grand Cayman sporting a bikini at 130lbs (not perfect, but not embarrassing either) and now I woudln't be caught dead in a one-piece with a skirt! My number one goal is to have more energy... I've been sooo legthargic lately - going to bed at 9:30 is a late night for me. Number two is to get down to bikini status by June 10th (going to Disney World, baby! lol) Over the last couple months, I've been way down to the low 120's and I'd guess up in the mid 140s currently (will weight in tomorrow). But I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis a couple months ago and a "flair up" kept me from eating anything for several days (thus the 120s). The weeks the flair was going on, once I was able to eat I wasn't supposed to eat whole grains, roughage, nuts, anything I would normally think would be "good for you" so I ate a lot of white breads and crackers, and other random junk that woudn't worsen my problem. So I got used to this and even though I'm in remission, I haven't gone back to whole grains and fruits & veggies - and I was on predisone for a while which didn't help either. I've decided to run on Saturdays and Sundays (week days it's too dark when I leave for work and when I get home) and work out to a video twice during the week - that's not a lot, but it's more than I have been doing, which is nothing.

I hope you ladies will help me to get on track and in line... I love the idea of the "red line" and am looking forward to getting to a point where I have a red line too. My goal is 125.

No kiddin? I stopped using it after I gave birth last time and never had any trouble but I'll just count myself as lucky!

I got a kenalong-40 shot on Wed and no side effects but some flushed cheeks which my derm says will go away soon BUT I am suddenly losing weight CRAZY fast. I mean, we're all trying to lose weight but I'm at about a pound a day this week. I hope it's not related and I'm not sure if I should be concerned. But hey, I'll take 123!!!!!!!!

Have a happy Saturday Feathers!

So, two little NSVs to report :)
My school cafeteria doesn't offer breakfast on Saturdays (they provide a brunch at 11:30 and dinner later), but they offered a special "continental breakfast" due to a conference we're holding. The breakfast was to be served in the basement of our chapel building, which is a quarter mile from my dorm (the far other side of my tiny campus).
I decided to go because I'm out of oatmeal and only had a little bit of fruit in my room. I walked all the way across campus in 30-something degree weather for that breakfast, only to see coffee, apple juice, and not-freshly-squeezed (cheap, from concentrate) orange juice--none of which I like--and packages of muffins. Not just any muffins, mind you, but packages of 2 muffins which combined would weigh in at 400 calories and 20 or 22 (depending on which kind you got) grams of fat. I glanced at it, turned on my heel, and marched back to my dorm.
So my breakfast of an apple, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, an orange, and 1/4 cup of craisins and dried cherries (mixed) was not terribly exciting, but I'm under 500 calories so far and full of HEALTHY food, rather than the junk they had on that table.
Plus, a little tiny bit of extra exercise never hurt a soul.
The NSV mainly is that I wasn't even the slightest bit tempted. I don't want to eat cake (which is essentially what muffins are) for breakfast. I even looked at some of the snack machines we have and said no to donuts, poptarts, sugary granola bars, and host of other needless foods. I just don't want it anymore!
Secondly, I was doing practicum (going into schools for observation; I'm studying to be a teacher) yesterday and the lunch offered was Papa Johns pizza. I chose 3 slices of a wonderful thin-crust veggie pizza and a fudgecicle. Not a nutritionists dream lunch by any stretch, but because I ate healthy at breakfast and dinner my macronutrient range stayed decent (a little low on protein and high on carbs, but better that than high in fat) and my calories stayed under 2100.
Oh, and I exercised every day so far this week! :) So I guess that's three NSVs! :)

Sticking at 129
 

I am wavering between 130 and 129, so this month I am going to try to dig really deep and go running more. I have been successfully cutting back on sodas--I am not drinking it at work or for breakfast like I used to. :o
I want to get to 125ish this month and I am kicking off this weekend with a run. I would like to run every day until my birhtday in December, but I need someone to hold me accountable for it. Hmmm...anyone looking for an email-workout-check-in buddy?

Congrats to all of you who have had little victories this past month. To those of us who have not quite reahed our goal, lets put the pedal to the metal!c

Hang in there, ShrinkingAmy! I know how frustrating it is to get motivated..... I work night shifts, and I feel like they are just sucking the energy and wellness out of me. It can feel impossible to get yourself going and really push.

But, I think with some planning and enough rest, we can get back on track!

Good job resisting the muffins, oneoftwelve! That can be a toughie when you're starving.

Kwinkle, have you tried signing up for a 5k or some other length of road race? It helped me to get myself out running more... keep it going!

Hope everyone has a productive and healthy Saturday,
FatpantsSkinnyjeans

Guess who's wearing a size smaller jeans today? Why, that would be me! :carrot:

I haven't weighed myself today, but I could tell that something had changed since earlier in the week. I was at a work event this morning and put on a pair of dress pants that I thought were 10s. They were feeling looser than they have in years, to the point where when I got home and took my shoes off, I was practically walking on the cuffs. Well, I checked the label and lo and behold, they were actually 8s. Because 8s were actually loose (which has not been the case recently!), I went into my guest room closet where I keep off season and all my "aspirational" pants from before I gained weight. I left all the 3s and 4s in the closet--no need to torture myself, after all!--and tried on a pile of 5s and 6s. This pair is actually a juniors 5/6 and while not roomy on my or anything, they fit, aren't uncomfortably snug, and, if I do say so myself, they make my rear end look positively adorable. :D

I am SO EXCITED, people! This is like finding out that I've just gotten about ten free pairs of pants!

Good luck Amy! It sounds like something that just happened and you couldn't control it. Good for you for getting in charge before it got out of hand!

Oneof12, congrats on resisting! that's the ultimate sign you are doing well to not even be tempted :)

Kat, that is so awesome about the pants!! I wish I hadn't thrown out my smaller sizes because now I have to go shopping for new pants today! I wish I could just go shopping in my closet. It sucks to spend money on things that will only fit for a few months!

I weighed in at 144.4 this morning. Can't wait to see the 130's. I probably have 2 months left until I see 139.x ugh!! But I will see it, and that's what matters! Yes, and I too have "going problems." I always have, but I never affected how I felt, it was just normal for me to go every 3-4 days. Now that I'm eating a LOT of fiber, it's gotten worse oddly enough. I've always drank a lot of water, I have never eaten healthier, but I still have issues. I know it affects my weight loss and it drives me crazy! Glad to know I'm not the only one, and I am thankful that it's not like IBS or something, because that seems to be just torture :(

Just fortified myself with egg whites and a heap broccoli before going out for the afternoon/evening.... hoping this will keep me from getting ravenous and making bad dinner decisions!

How long did it take you all to see results when you began your dietary changes? (i.e., eliminating binge snacking, portion control or calorie counting, etc). I'm on week 3-ish and I feel impatient. hahaha

:)

Pinkflower: It's nice to be able to shop in my own closet, yes, but I have to say some of the styles have gone out of favor a little bit. At least you get to start fresh and have an excuse to go shopping! ;D

Fatpantsskinnyjeans: It took me about two months of diligent eating changes to notice significant weight loss that showed up on the scale. My fat-to-muscle ratio was getting better by the end of the first month, though.

Ahhh, good to know. That makes me think I should fixate less on the numbers, and more on my habits.

Thanks!

P.S.
Did my first real 5K today.... came in at # 392 out of 1105 people in my age group.... not bad! :) Great inspiration to keep improving, stay positive, and keep making progress :)

Hello feathers!

I've been away for 7 days and already there are 70 posts on here.

I won't go through all your achievements of which there are many but will comment as they next come up. I've read all the posts and well done.

Actually just one comment for neurodoc I know how disconcerting plateaus can be. I started October at 126.2 and ending it on 126.8 even though I was mostly on plan. Have you considered zigzag calories, there's a nifty calculator here - they're known for beating plateaus.

Well personally I have some good and bad news. The bad is that I broke up with my boyfriend on Monday. He's still at uni (he's doing his master's) and he's president of a few societies. Therefore when I'm busy he's free and visa versa. It was very emotional but it's all for the best as it was beginning to turn a bit sour, so now there's only good memories.

So as I just pointed out to neurodoc I didn't (technically) lose at all over October as I gained 0.6. Since the break-up I've been off my food. I'll try to eat but after a few bites I'll just drop my cutlery and give it up. Anyway I'm 3 pounds down to 123.6, and that's with two days of eating returned to normal. I also think it has to do with a post-TOM whoosh.

Anyway I've tried to jump on the low weight band-wagon and I've been going to the gym a lot as well. 4 times this week. I need to prepare myself for if and when I get the need for a break-up binge. But i really really hope to be at 120 by 1st December. must. keep. focused.

Sorry I'll be checking in more now. I've just been a bit sadface... :( and when I'm here I always want to be :)

Spk to y'all later xx

DoraUK, hope you feel better soon. Breakups are never, ever easy. :(

Fatpantsskinnyjeans, great work on the 5k!

kat999, Juniors' 5/6?! That's amazing! I'm still wearing juniors' 9s though they are slightly looser than ideal.

pinkflower, I AM IN THE SAME SITUATION AS YOU! My boyfriend and some of my friends are urging me to see a doctor about it. It's weird because I don't feel particularly bloated or any pain - I just don't go for 5-6 days. Very disconcerting.

kwinkle, we are the same height/weight! I am also looking to hit 125 by the end of November (may be a pipe dream but hey) and run more.

ShrinkingAmy, good luck with the running! It is really frustrating having it get dark so early. Japan doesn't even have daylight savings time and the early darkness is already eating into my schedule.

thesame7lbs, I am thinking May or thereabouts for hiking Fuji-san. Haven't been on any other climbs since the last one in mid-October though.

***

Well, this weekend was a total failure. Friday night I went to a friend's to cook and wouldn't you know it, we ended up making deep fried burgers (not even kidding), two different kinds of oily sweet potato fries, and a peanut butter pie with Oreo crust that should be illegal. It was all absolutely marvelous, but obviously I went way over. Saturday was OK except for leftover pie for breakfast, and today I kept calories under 1600.

I'm somewhat relieved to see so many other Featherweights are constipated - I think I might go to a doctor this week to see what's up; I've never been a "once a day" type but this is just ridiculous. Once or twice a week is not enough.

Krampus--- I couldn't resist those treats either! (sounds like an amazing night with friends, by the way). I don't think denying yourself completely is a successful long term plan, anyway. Just have to try your best not to eat too much portion wise, and then make up for it the next day with more physical activity and hydration. Keep going!

DoraUK--- Sending good vibes your way...take care of yourself!

Checking in with you all. I finally had some movement on my scale down to 128 even though I didn't start calorie zig-zagging until yesterday so I'm pretty sure that I finally worked through my plateau- maybe. Just to be sure, I'm going to zig-zag for the next few weeks, and up my cardio as previously discussed.

Then today, for added motivation, I cleaned out my closet and bureau of everything in sizes M and L, and sizes 8 and up. I have been doing this a bit here and there, but had left loads of "safety" clothes. I now have nothing that is more that is too big for me, though I kept some sweaters that are roomy but look ok. This made me realize how much money I've sunk into my wardrobe over the last decade - I have some really sharp, nice suits and work clothes. I don't have the heart to give them all away; so I think I will be looking into some area consignment stores.

I'll try to check in again later. Have to make dinner now.

Hallelujah, someone somewhere loves me. Weighed in at 58.0 kg this morning which is actually a bit less than Friday's morning weight! I also "went" twice and feel nice and light.

neurodoc - I'm SO HAPPY to hear you're busting through that plateau! Tossing out the safety clothes is a good idea. I'd like to do that, but all I have right now are safety clothes.

warning, rambling ahead ha ha

So my old ring size was a 4.5. My wedding rings are way too big now, like falling off my hand on their own big. My shoes are too big too. I was wearing a 7.5. It's crazy all the things that change.... I really am tiny under all this. I used to get made "fun of" because my wrists are so tiny, and I have a feeling that will be coming back :( I guess that's the negative thing for me, is when I make it to my goal weight, some things won't be all that great. But it will be worth it! My boobs are finally a D, so I hope they shrink to a C or even a B (fingers crossed!)

I did another weight training work out today and was surprised by how much better I got from just the 1st session last week. I'm so excited to get stronger. I can't wait for yoga tomorrow night.

I'm also hoping this week I'll be able to fit in 1 glass of wine. I rarely drink, so just 1 glass will put me over being tipsy! Ooo maybe wine, candles and a bath would be so relaxing

DoraUK, :hug:. You sound like you're doing great, but don't be afraid to come around if you're feeling down. We're not just fair-weather friends, you know!

Krampus, glad to hear about the movement on the scale and other places, too. ;)

Neurodoc, way to bust that plateau! Patience pays off.

FPSJ, :broc: on your first 5K! Way to go!

Kat999, congrats on the shrinking pants!

Pinkflower, I'm lifting tomorrow -- hope I feel strong too!

Kwinkle, good to see you. How's the school year going?

Oneoftwelve, nice NSV's!

And I had an NSV today... 10K, 51:49. A good 4 minutes faster than I thought I could do. Usually I go out slowly b/c I'm afraid I'll tire out and have to walk. Today I decided to go out fast (for me), and who cares if I finish slowly or have to walk? So what? I wanted to see what I was capable of... Mile 1, 8 minutes. Mile 2, 17 minutes. Mile 3, 25 minutes. I don't remember the rest of the splits, just that I never tired. I felt amazing!