March 2011 Chat!
 

I was going to do something like "Marching into Success" or similar awful pun-based title but decided against it.

To start us off... I mentioned earlier that I now (recently) have this habit of blowing tons of money on exercise clothes. I'm just too excited about getting fit, I guess. Some people pay for a gym membership or WW or Nutrisystem because it helps them commit... I spend $150 on new running shoes, compression tights, and bras. :dizzy:

And just now I decided to round off my collection with a Nike+ widget, a slightly too-small jacket, and a performance shirt. The jacket should fit really well at goal -- it was on clearance and I couldn't resist. I really hope my PT clears my ankle for running tomorrow, because I am just dying to take the shoes out for a spin. I may go whether she does or not.

Lackadaisy: I haven't spent a penny on work out clothes for years. I still wear the same old rags I wore when I was in college: white Fruit of the Loom men's tee's (now gray and holey) a pair of short shorts bought in 2003, and a few pairs of old leggings that have have gotten so many holes in the crotch and have been re sown... their a mess! HOWEVER: this summer my husband bought me a really cute pair of running shoes (purple and lime green Nike's) because my old ones were so old it hurt to walk in them, let alone run.

I am doing pretty good over here. I have had several really awesome days in a row and am pretty pleased with myself. I felt really crappy on thursday/friday/saturday but I think the bloat has gone down and I am looking and feeling better about myself.

Hey guys! I want to join in this month. I'm forever stuck at 127 :-( so my goal this month is to lose just 3lbs... pushing into the closer-to-120-than-130 range, and to get better at running!

Hope everyone is doing great!

GRRRRR I just got in the car to head to my 8am class... and the key wouldnt turn... this is the THIRD time in 2 years that something in the ignition has snapped. Thankfully this time the warranty is still good. Last time it happened 1 week after the 1-year warranty ran out and it cost me $400 to fix.

EDIT: Meant this for another thread!

Hi feathers!

I am heavy right now but I don't want to dwell on it. I just want to push forward and think about my weight as a work in progress rather than "relosing." Focus is on healthy habits and reasonable eating. Also I have just discovered delicious zero calorie desserts that come in huge servings and satisfy my latent sweet tooth, so my life may have changed forever for the better.

I had my first on-plan day since last Wednesday today and through my own scatterbrained idiocy totally forgot about a work party tonight - my reminder was my supervisor ringing me, oops! I hate work parties anyway so I was sort of relieved and spent my evening taking a hot bath, watching "300" and am just geeking out now listening to video game soundtracks and drinking tea.

My biggest motivation this month is to weigh less than my mom when she gets here on the 18th. She's 5'6 and maintains around 128-130 and looks like a bag of bones - damn my tiny frame, I'll never look that thin - and I want this set of mother-daughter travel pictures to show two chicks happy with their weight (with the daughter ever so slightly slimmer...!).

Good morning Feathers!

Can you beleive we are already in March of 2011?! Crazy!

Ive been doing decent. Havent been as good as I liked. Sunday chowed down on sugar coated almonds and chips and dip. Oh it was just so hard to resist. I spent 4 days in a row (thurs-sun) off plan but I think I kept my cals around 2000 each day. So I am pretty sure I maintained. I ran 2.5 miles (25 minutes) for 3 of those days so I am hoping I didnt do any damage. Back on plan yesterday. I really want to be at 124 point anything on my 24th birthday! Its at the end of March. It sounds impossible considering I think I am only at 129.8. Thats 5 pounds in 4 weeks. It will be tough; but I am still going to try!

Krampus - what are these zero calorie desserts you talk of?!? You have about 3 weeks till your mom arrives - you CAN do it!!!!! Focus :)

LLBold - 3 pounds in March is SO doable! Ill be cheering you on :cheer2:

Lackadaisy - My problem isnt with workout clothes; its just with clothes period!!! I cant go to the mall without buying something; ESPECIALLY when I am dieting because I always feel skinnier!!

Happy March!!! My birthday monthhhhhhh woooooo!!!!!

Krampus-- You can do it. You CAN take control. It will be fine. Focus on an hour+ of cardio a day and you can burn off anything you need to and be fine!

maenad-- I'm in college now, so my justification is that I need to have bought this stuff at some point, right? ;) Haha. It's a terrible justification. I should learn from you.

Dianne, you definitely sound like you maintained well over the weekend. I have actually stopped shopping for clothes since losing -- I hate the way I look in most of the clothing styles I like, and I really want to slim down to a size 2 before I buy my work wardrobe for next year, so that's my motivation. Plus, I have great clothes from 4 years ago, before the freshman 15, that I'm determined to fit into again. But once I've reached goal... I better burn that credit card because I will be in SUCH trouble.

Weighed in at 121.6 today. Might be dehydration, but I'm just super jazzed at being at my all-time low from last week again (which may have been from bad calibration, as it turns out) -- hoping I'll be under 121 by the end of the week!

Hello everyone!
February was a great month for me. I lost a few pounds, having broken a plateau. I had wedding pictures taken in December and I hated the way I looked in them. I cranked it up and lost 5 pound since then, and in my reception photos from this weekend I looked downright skinny! I lost two dress sizes. I am not throught feeling motivated, either, because my trip to Hawaii is a few weeks away. I want to get down to 122 before then.

Krampus, I would like to know about those zero calorie desserts. I know how hard it is to break a sugar binge cycle. I was stuck in one for years.

Woah, kwinkle, well done! It's awesome that you went down dress sizes. I refused to buy clothes over size 4, so I was just unable to wear a bunch of my favorite things for a while... I think I've gone down 1.5 dress sizes in about five weeks (the larger/vanity 4s now fit loosely), but I can't be sure. But clothes fitting better is absolutely the best motivation. Weight is just a number... skinny jeans don't lie. Congrats!

Well, I started March today weighing in at 138.8....just barely saying goodbye to 139, but at least I am back at 138 after seeing 139 for the last week.

I hope to be at 135 by the 19th, but I am not entirely sure if it will happen...I seem to be going nowhere fast on my weightloss journey.

Goals for March include:

- Staying at 1300-1500 calories per day

- Trying to work in a few runs per week

- Reducing stress and getting more sleep

Ahhh, CLOTHES! I forgot about those. I am so excited to see what size I'll wear in America. I hope I am at least a vanity 4. I really don't know. My perception of myself varies from "you're huge" to "you're petite."

Down 2 lbs OVERNIGHT after one day on plan. Heck yes, we can do this.

About the zero calorie desserts...they're sort of like Jello cups, but huge - 200g - and come in a variety of fruit flavors. With little cubes of mystery "fruit" in varying degrees of chewy/soft they are satisfying to eat.

http://img01.ti-da.net/usr/protein/2...000_edited.jpg

Krampus: Those look great! I'll have to go to the Japanese market here to see if I can find some!

Disappointment sets in again. I feel like I can't commit, like something is missing this time around. This time last year I was on a roll and had lost 10 pounds by this time since the new year. Why on earth did I ever let myself gain the weight back in the first place?

Husband had a friend over, they were hungry, snacks were made by me, then enjoyed by all. And I had a Vodka drink with some soda and water. could have been worse.

krampus, We're about the same height (I'm a tiny bit shorter, I think) and at around 130 I was definitely a vanity 4, though a real 6: 36/28/37. I'm about 34.5/26/35.5 now, with extra pooch just under my waist measurement, or a real 4. I'm assuming your measurements would be somewhere between the two. Hopefully that helps.

maenad, I know what you mean about it being harder the second time. The first time I tried to lose weight I was also depressed at the time, and I just starved myself and dropped twenty pounds in five by being miserable and gained it all back within a year. Were your habits sustainable last time around?

Insomnia stinks and my thesis is driving me crazy, but two huge NSVs this evening: (1) I wore a size 4 high-waisted skirt I haven't been able to wear for months out today -- and at least above the skirt line, I looked good. Just have to work on that lower waist pooch now!

(2) I mostly resisted snacks that were sitting right next to my feet for 2 hrs at a discussion group -- only had 1/2 cup of smartfoods popcorn and 2 (!) tiny pieces of Sour Patch candy. Then allowed myself a 230 cal rest-of-my-budget splurge on pound cake and strawberry syrup afterwards, because you've gotta live a little, right? Ended up right on my target of 25%/50%/25% f/c/p ration, 1250 calories. I'm determined to have a healthy relationship with food and I think I'm starting to get there.

lackadaisy I'm something stupid like 32-27-38. I have junk in my trunk for sure and rather muscular, thick legs. I always call myself "Chun Li" and my friends kind of agree. In dresses I can get away with much smaller sizes than pants. And in general all of me is fracking jiggly as heck. >_< I'm glad you're feeling good about your relationship with food and feeling confident about the way you look!

maenad Commitment is HARD. The line between "committing" and "living a little" is fuzzy and it's easy to come up with all kinds of excuses for anything you can think of.

***

There are free pies and bread out and guess who isn't eating them?

Yay, new thread! Happy March everyone!

lackadaisy WOW look at you go! 121! I'm so happy for you. Keep up the good work. Nice job on working towards a healthy relationship with food- that seems like they to long-term success. I definitely feel your pain on the thesis- my reports were due early this morning and the last 24 hours have been crazy. It's hard to stick to a good eating/exercise routine during stressful times like these (especially when writing and researching- it's such an open-ended schedule that it's easy to stay up munching and writing till late in the night). I just hope you are able to catch some zzz's soon!

kwinkle good for you for committing and losing 5 lbs! It definitely seems like you can lose 2 lbs before your trip. What's the occasion for the Hawaii adventure? I'm super jealous.

LLBold so sorry about your car. 3 lbs this month sounds like a great goal. That's about what I'm working towards too.

Dianne great goals for March too- happy early birthday! Do you have any big plans for your 24th?

Wildflower- your goals look great too. I should probably sit down set out some hopes for March as well... it's a good idea to have something to work towards.

krampus Haha I remember buying XL shirts when I lived in Southeast Asia and not being able to fit ANY pants, so I know how much you're looking forward to American sizes again. I'm the opposite right now- Indian clothes are super loose and large so as to show modesty. I can easily fit into an XS here. Talk about vanity sizing!

--
Oh man guys, good day for me too from here. Weighed in at 129.6 this morning, down .2. Finished my reports (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and submitted them at 10:45 AM my time/12:15 AM New York City (where they were due) time, so only 15 minutes late. For consultants that is pretty much like finishing them 2 weeks early ;).

I had been staring schlumped over at a computer screen for the past 24 hours straight basically so as soon as I emailed them I ran down to the podunk gym in our apartment complex for a good workout. I didn't even need music or reading material, just doing something that didn't require any mental energy was such a stress reliever. 30 minutes of cardio and 15 of weights. I was up for more but I have a strange pain in my right hamstring/groin so I cut it a little short.

Now eating homemade daal (Indian-style lentils) like it's my job. Nails may get done later today. Life is good.

Dianne! Happy Birthday at the end of the month! Oh to be 24!

Krampus I feel your pain about your teeny mother. My mother is 4'10' and until just recently she's maintained at 90-95 her entire life. It is so terrible to look back at happy times of the past and see me looking so chubby next to Mom. Photos are the devil no?

LLBold! 3 pounds! You can do it!

Lackadaisy I want workout clothes too! My specific interest lies in pants that wick away sweat. Because when I run, I get the dreaded ring around the *** sweat. It's tres embarassing. Also, wow, kudos to you for being proactive while still in college. What is your thesis topic if I may ask?

Kwinkle...congratulations on the skinny reception pictures! I think you can totally do 122 in a few weeks.

Wildflower Keep on plodding through it. There will be a payoff!

Indiblue I have such a difficult time keeping weight off when I'm in India because of those salwaar kameez sizings. Where in India are you located?


And now we're on to me. I want desperately to get down below 120 by the middle of April...and as close to 110 as is possible.

I just started weight training so hopefully building some muscle coupled with cardio will do the trick. Have a great day ladies.

Hey all! Happy Wednesday - almost to the weekend!!

Lackadaisy OH I can't wait to be at your weight!! I can't imagine seeing 121. My essential goal is 117. But honestly, I can't really set a goal; I just have to see how I look. Some days I think 117 wont be low enough, other days I think it's too low. Guess it just depends on the day and what my eyes pereceive me as ;)

Krampus - Oh I so feel you girl. I am a total pear as well. Our measurements are actually very close. I am 32-25-37. WTF When will those *** and legs go down a bit. Actually you know what, I dont mind my bubble but, its the legs that get me. I think I measure them around 22 in. at the widest part. Have you ever measured your thighs? If so, what were they if you dont mind me asking?

Kwinkle - Congrats on losing 2 dress sizes. That is freaking awesome!! Man, that would be nice. I think that would put me at a 0! ohhhhhhhhh a girl can dream.

Indiblue Thanks for the bday wishes! NO big plans. Money and calorie budget are tight so I might just do a nice dinner and drinks with some friends :) I love when I have days like you did the other day. The scale is cooperating and you got your work done! Such a nice feeling.

justdoit Thanks for the early bday wishes!! Please let me know how the weight training goes. I have been having a never ending mental battle with whether or not to weight train..

Ok ladies so I am again rethinking my dieting strategy. This is due to a high stressed day yesterday. I have realized that I just cant go 24/7 eating on plan with work and school and so many other "restrictions". Trying not to drink or eat bad at all during the week just stresses me out and causes binges on the weekends. That being said, I think I will allow myself to eat in moderation on those stressful days. Some days I can eat on plan perfectly, run my 2.5 (10 minute) miles and not feel deprived at all. Other days, I feel very anxious and not fufilled. Also, I have decided on the days I will allow myself to have wine at night (and no not just one glass, im talking at least 3), I will keep my carbs under 100. I figure that will help to balance it out. Those days my calories will reach 1600 though. Not exactly what I planned but I hope the 1300 calorie days will help offset it!

Anywhoo, I'm rambling now. But my point is to ease up on myself. Yes, I will probably lose at a snails pace now but at least I will prevent binges and keep my sanity :D

Have a great day feathers! Ill be on here throughout the day :)

Dianne, I think indulging in moderation will cause you to lose faster -- because those binge calories still count, after all. So that's a great idea!

Do you log your calories? I think most trackers would say your 25 minutes of running + warmup is worth 300 or more calories, so there's no problem with eating 1500 a day. That would still put you at 1200 or so net calories, which is about the right level for a 1 lb a week loss.

Thanks! I hope it works. I always underestimate my exercise calories. I estimate them to be about 200 calories since it only takes me 25 minutse to run. With that being said, at 5 times a week that only is 1000 calorie deficit. I took a test not too long ago with a special health professional and they said at rest just to stay alive, my BMR is about 1600. He said I can eat around 2000-2100 a day to maintain! So I figure with all of that, it has to come off eventually. Just a lot sloowerrrrrr

Good morning feathers! I'm down 0.2 kg from yesterday despite sloppy maintenance eating and I feel awesome. I upped the core work just a little last night and did planks and crunches and pushups this morning before work. I'm really pleased with my new running sneakers I bought yesterday and made it to work in record time up the big hill today. My foot still feels weird. I think I may try to run tomorrow night and opt for a long hilly powerwalk tonight.

Dianne I can only DREAM of a 25 inch waist. Sadly I have no butt to speak of. I haven't measured my thighs nor do I feel like I really want to know the truth...but maybe I will just out of curiosity. I am also lying about my bust measurement...it's probably 31 not 32.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoot. Just backspaced and lost ALL of my personals AGAIN. Anyone know how to change a setting on my computer so it doesn't do that?

Try again:
justdoit Yes, it's the kurtas and tunics from FabIndia that keep me ignoring my true weight gain! They are so flowy and cover my butt, so I can look 10 lbs lighter in them. That's nice, but it masks the problem of weight gain. Do you visit India often for family, work, etc?

Dianne a nice dinner with friends sounds perfect. Good luck on your new diet approach. It's so important to have a diet that fits your own strengths/weaknesses!

krampus congrats on ANOTHER day of loss! Nice job. I'm glad you're able to run in spite of your recent food injury!

--

So in an effort to up my protein and diversify my diet, I made griddlecakes this morning. Wheat, bran, rolled oats, roasted pumpkin, egg, milk, and yogurt. I didn't follow a recipe, just borrowed tips from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. They turned out healthy (178 calories/3 g fat/31 carbs/9 g protein) and my boyfriend liked them (always a good indicator, since I'll eat anything and he's a picky eater). They aren't as high in protein as the smoothies I make but I'm really full and maybe next time I'll eat them with a side of a couple of egg whites.

Today is day 1 between finishing my consulting project and starting my permanent position. I think that means breaking out the books for GRE studying :-/

Greetings people! I had a great on plan day yesterday. I am having a tough time getting in all my water. This is rather curious because I tend to be a camel where water is concerned. Ordinarily that's the thing I need to pay the least amount of attention to. I'll do better today.

Did a hard cardio yesterday morning, even though I was supposed to take a slow day. Did intervals with weights then running then weights again. When I'm in the work out zone, I'm really in the zone! The mindful eating has fallen into place. I reinstalled a calorie counting app on my phone and have been faithfully logging in my food intake and my exercise! I have to be uber careful though, my mindful eating turns in to steeply cutting calories pretty quickly.

I am not going to step on the scale until the 19th morning, that's the day before we leave for Jamaica. Hope there's some loss by then.
Look at me rambling on and on! Have a great day Feathers!


Dianne: The weight training is going really well. I plunked down some money for the gym membership and so can't really justify adding the cost of a trainer to show me how to do free weights so am sticking to the machines for the chunk of my weight training. I know it's much better to use free weights but I really don't have proper form and fear straining muscles..so until I can do it correctly...machines it is.

I do my tricep, bicep weights with dumbells. Proper form on that is a no brainer for me.

Krampus: congrats! A loss is a loss! Is there any type of routine that you do?

indiblue: Oh how I LOVE Fab India. We usually hit up the huge one by the American Embassy in Mumbai. I've been in the States about 28 years but still love to wear those chicken cotton salwaar kameez to bed.

Lately the trips to India have become quite infrequent as the kids schools will not allow for more than 10 consequetive days off...and I don't think I can handle a summer visit there. But, we do manage at least one trip every two years...my entire extended family is still largely in Nagpur.

Not much to write home about. Today was a food success and it didn't occur to me at all to binge. I went to the supermarket and walked right past the Tim Tams and pounded rice cakes and bakery items.

All this powerwalking is sadly probably slowing the healing of my foot. I do think I might prefer it for the time being, but I feel like I'm doing less work if I walk than if I run. I never go faster than a quick jog when I do run and my walks are really long...oh well.

ju5tdoit Routine...well, I own exactly one exercise DVD and I wind up doing that maybe 4 times a week, which is a bit sad and not the kind of variety you're supposed to get. That's about it though. I have a regular 9-5 type job so usually I do things at regular times of day. Exercise almost always falls between 4:30-6:30 pm.

Apparently I ate 55g of fiber yesterday-- over twice what I normally do. And now I feel: 1) bloated, 2) UNABLE TO DO SUPPOSEDLY FIBER-MOTIVATING THINGS. Maybe this is why the scale remains stuck? I'm coining a new word to describe this phenomenon: poopwhoosh, or PW for short. Forget this "water retentions" problem other people have... all my whooshes are PWs.

It's nice to be on a normal sleep schedule again, though scary how little thesising I've done in the last three days. Really getting myself together today after C25K Week 5 Day 2.

Its Thursday!!!

Krampus I have a few questions. I too am now trying to change my "diet plan" to more of a lenient one. The stress and obsession is getting to me and just causes me to binge and fall off altogether. How many calories are you allowing yourself now? Did you notice a temporary "weight gain" when you changed your diet and upped your calories? Do you allow yourself one day to go all the way up to 2000 calories? HAs this approach been working?

Indiblue Awesome idea on protein! What are you going to grad school for??

Justdoit I think I just decided this morning to add in weight training. I just keep hearing how much it really helps your metabolism and I just need to suck it up and stop worrying about building the muscle under the fat. Lets hope it just burns off that layer :D

lackadaisy WOW! That is a lot of fiber. I cant imagine what your net carbs are at with that much fiber. You go girl!!

Ok so heres a quesiton for everyone that has tried the calorie cycling approach. I just decided two days ago that I am just going to eat healthy, continue running 5 days a week and allow myself to drink and enjoy yummy foods in moderation. It will still create a calorie deficit (maybe even enough for 1 pd a week). However, NOT to my surprise, the scale is showing a gain. I know its not possible for me to have gained but is it possible that I wont be able to lose on this plan? Ive always been taught that as a feather, you have to not only eat low cal, but quality calories in order to lose weight otherwise you wont. Is this true? Or does it really come down to calories? Is it possible that if I for the rest of my life stick with this plan that I have created, all the weight will eventually come off over time? Just to give you an idea, here is what I "plan" realistically doing for the rest of my life. I feel it is very satisfying and sustainable..

5 days a week at 1300 - 1700 calories (mostly clean foods) and 2 days between 1800-2000 calories. I also plan on continuing to run 2.5 miles 5 days /week. With all this being said, there would be a on average 3500 calorie deficit for the week. So it would have to come off right? Or is there other science to this that I am missing? Becuase the scale is moving up since the change, not down. But I am hoping its from the saltier foods, more calories and water weight...

Sorry for being so self absorbed in this post. Just really motivated and excited about this new plan :)

OH and PS, I am STILL counting calories. I am not just guestimatting. I log everything in Dailyplate still!

Oooooh those are three of the most evil letters when placed together! I took the GRE a couple of years ago before starting graduate school, so let me know if you have any questions! Also, will you be taking a subject test? I'm studying clinical psychology and took the Psych GRE as well.

Great job, krampus and justdoit! You girls are an inspiration for me to work out every day, even when I don't feel up to it.
indiblue, good luck on the GREs! I'll be taking them in a few months, too. Yuck.
Dianne, i'm not qualified to answer than question w.r.t what calories you're eating, but I know I feel better when my calories come from whole foods, as much as I'd rather just eat 12 cookies a day. Cycling is good but I think you might be allotting too many in your plan -- especially if you undercount by measuring off a little bit, as most of us do (and manufacturers tend to include more than listed weight because going underweight is more of a legal liability). So if you're eating processed, unmeasured food, you're probably also eating more than you thought. Anyway, 2000 is quite a bit for your high-calorie days. I'm holding steady at 1300 logged on on-plan days, with the assumption that off-days and miscounting will bump me up to 1350-1400 average. To cycle, you would probably want to do low days of 1200, moderate days of 1500, and high days of 1800.

Did C25k W5D2 in a fasted state before lunch this morning. I'm so impatient I started to run for short bursts during the "walks." I guess that's promising for Saturday when I finally tackle that 20 minute run. There was definitely a point during the second running segment when I wanted to stop, which took me completely by surprise - pushing through it (and feeling like I could go further when my run was over) felt amazing.

Back to thesising -- hopefully I'll have a healthy, on-plan day today. And by on-plan I mean... finishing chapter 4!! Please, self, finish Chapter 4 already. :mad:

krampus: Sometimes an ironclad routine is what's enough to get you to do that workout. Everymorning I drop the kids off at the bus stop and take my gym bag in the car. Right after the bus comes and goes, I go work out. It's wonderful! The worst part of exercising for me is the actually going. Once I'm in it, I push hard and long.

lackadaisy: I am totally befuddled with all this fiber talk. Enlighten me!

Dianne: Thursday indeed! Where has the week gone? I go crazy if I weigh myself everyday. So I keep the scale in my husband's bathroom. My next weigh in will be in two more weeks. I hope there's a loss!


I did weights (upper body and lower body and cardio today. And the cardio I pumped out with 3 pound weights in each arm, doing intervals of boxing/walking fast to running without the weights. Felt good to be totally drained after a work out.

Anywone have experience with the Bosu ball thingamajigs? Pointers would rock!

Later taters!

justdoit -- I was alluding obliquely (or not so obliquely) to being constipated. I got a shipment of specialty "diet food" yesterday (basically low-carb, high-fiber chocolate and some high-protein breakfast bars) and got a little too excited, so I ate them for all my snacks. Bad idea: 150 calories of chicken breast fills me up about four times more than its "diet food" equivalent. But in any case, my tracker says I ate 55g of most soluble fiber... and, yeah, it's all backed up for the third day running. :(

Dianne I aim for 1500 a day. I have never had a week where I didn't eat at least 2500 one day a week - I'm just not that disciplined and I'm sort of okay with that. I also guesstimate all my calories and don't track macro or micronutrients. I could do a lot better and really buckle down, but I get "obsessed" very easily and it leads to binging. Here's a secret: the longest I have ever stayed "on plan" consecutively was 4 days.

ju5tdoit Me too, and Anokhi! That's my all-time favorite shop. Tried to PM you where I'm living now but I wasn't able to. Is that function turned off? Anyway I'm in south-central India, but not Maharastra :)

krampus congrats on your food success, walking past the junk food at the grocery store and all that. I've been powerwalking too due to an injury, but have to take the day off and just RICE it for a while. Hope yours heels soon.

Also, it's a helpful reminder to share that guesstimating works for you. It doesn't work for me at all. It's good to remember that everyone's body and strengths/weaknesses when it comes to diet and nutrition are different, and to let that be a major guide in deciding the most appropriate (and healthy) method for you.

lackadaisy PW, haha. Nice. I used to have awesome PWs but I think I have the opposite problem of you and need to up my fiber now. I read recently about how the healthier your diet is the more your food actually weighs, since it's more nutrient-rich, so PWs make sense.

Dianne yes, I find a big difference in what I eat. Because the calories are so restricted right now, I have to put a great deal of time and planning to ensure I'm getting enough nutritional bang-for-my-buck. I can't afford to eat anything that doesn't deliver a punch in terms of vitamins or protein, fiber, etc etc. I tried more intuitive eating- letting my body guide me to what made sense for that meal- and that only worked for a few pounds. I'm having to be more and more deliberate and careful about what I'm eating the closer I get to my goal.

pavvie I don't think I have to take a subject test. For you or whoever else who asked, I'm looking at either an MPA or MA in international relations or possibly a PhD in governance studies. My background is highly specialized in one area of governance studies so it would lend itself well to a PhD. I may start out with a master's and switch to a PhD program after two years- a number of schools I'm looking at allow that. We'll see how ambitious I feel :)

Cheers, all!

Lovelies, I think it's time I 'fess up: this thesis is not getting done. I am working out every day, eating on-plan or there-abouts (finally getting my full calories now with a bunch of broccoli/carrots, thank goodness), and becoming more self-confident and happy with food, my thesis matters more. I can't even care if I gain 10 lbs in the next week; I need to graduate and maybe, just maybe, go to grad school in two years.

So I'm turning on a site blocker to keep myself of 3FC for the next five days, during which time I'll only maybe be logging in to note my daily accountability. I wish I didn't have such horrible self-control issues that they'd transfer to this, but there you go. Procrastination over. <3

Indiblue: I have no idea if my PM option is turned off. I went and rummaged through all my account options to no avail! Is it difficult to lose weight in India? Are you in a gym? It's tricky getting your cardio in, while I'm there I try to do the minimum yoga and crunches but pretty much gain 5 pounds anyway.

lackadaisy Poop! I gotcha! :p Good luck on your thesis!

I'll be back later to do more chat after my exercise for the day is done.

Yes :( It's really hard. I want to say "It's impossible!!!" but that doesn't get me anywhere in my weight loss goals so I won't. India is the reason I gained weight- when I moved here I gained 7 lbs which piled onto an already upper-end of the BMI 'normal' range.

In the US I was walking to the subway and home 3 miles a day, plus going to intensive yoga classes. I had access to health food stores where I could buy protein bars, flax seeds, low-fat versions of regular food, and all that yummy stuff. Restaurants have low-calorie options flagged on their menus.

Here, as you know, food is incredibly calorie and fat dense, and I cannot turn down seconds and thirds unless I want to completely infuriate an aunty and embarrass my host. You're totally right about getting in cardio-- I cannot walk anywhere, for both logistical and cultural purposes (forget running, psh. I'm living in a very conservative city. I have to wear pants and a long-sleeve shirt just to walk down to the gym in our apartment complex.) I joined a yoga studio for about five months, but the are not 'power' at all- and are taken by and targeted to women who have never worked out in their life. I'm not in a gym but I will definitely be joining one after my full-time job starts and I can afford it! Right now I'm using the rinky-dink one in our complex.

All that to say I love India, it's just adding some very challenging factors to my weight-loss process. I'd welcome any tips you have on how to keep trim here!

lackadaisy, best of luck on your thesis! Believe me, I understand. I was where you are at around this time about eight years ago. Good luck to you! :hug:

I haven't been around much the last couple of days due to both good reasons (lots of workouts!) and less fun reasons (too much busy stuff going on at my job that's been stressing me out). Which is probably why I've been so good about my workouts, since they're my stress reliever. However, this morning I'm down another half a pound after a multi-day plateau, so YAY for that! (My ticker is showing 120, but it's actually 120.5 right now.)

I've added a new goal for myself, to get down to 119 by the time spring has officially arrived. I think I can do it if I keep persevering! I'm going on a vacation in May to warm climates, so it'd be nice to at least have a bikini OPTION, even if I chicken out when it comes to actually wearing it in public. ;)

Hello Feathers- I wouldn't say I've been off the wagon... I've been running along side it and holding on. lol Basically maintaining.

I've been completely enraptured in knitting while listening to a book series on my ipod all week.

Today I will- stay under 1300 calories, get on the treadmill while kiddo naps and limit myself to 2 cups of coffee followed by green tea later in the day. NO BAKING.

Happy Friday Feathers!!!

Lackadaisy Im sad you arent going to be on here as much :( But I understand you need to get your work done! So kudos for making yourself get on it!

Krampus UGH! Thank you for that confession. It makes me feel SOOOOOOO much better. So you have only been on plan for 4 consecutive days and the mess up AND still losing weight? You are my inspiration. I really hope my body is the same way!

Justdoit Yea weighing every day made me go crazy. So now I am not weighing at all until I feel a definite change in the way my clothes are fitting (if they feel bigger not smaller :lol:)

Indiblue I had NO idea that India was so bad with food. I had NO idea anywhere was worse than the America lol I thought our obese rate was the highest?

Katt99 Welcome back! Long time no see (?)..Congrats at being 120!!! Ok 120.5. BUt thats awesome!!!

Changed haha I feel ya! Im running right along side with you!

Wow is it March? I was looking for the February thread and saw this one and realized it is actually March.
I have had a few rough weeks and haven't been to the gym since the middle of February.

The second last week in February was super stressful and since I had to stay late at work almost every night I did not go to the gym.

Last week I was suffering through what appeared to be a cold taking its time developing. I had a sore throat and was feeling congested so I decided to rest. This past weekend after suffering through a fever severe sore throat and headaches I saw a doctor and found out I had both a sinus and throat infection. On anti-biotics and I am on the mend but congestion persists along with exhaustion making exercise difficult.

So in the last three weeks no gym, very ill and lots of stress. To cope I have been binging on Easter candy. Surprisingly with all these obstacles I have not gained any weight. I am currently maintaining around 152-151 which I am pretty impressed with but seriously need to buckle down and focus since I have set my goal of 130-125 for June.

Dianne The food is "bad" in a different way than in the US. There's very little packaged/processed here, but portion sizes are massive and a lot of food, like curries is centered around ghee (clarified butter) and cream.

I have no idea what the obesity/overweight percentages of the population here is... I'd imagine a good percentage are overweight though (ju5tdoit what would you think?). Due to cultural reasons, women don't exercise, except wealthier women in more cosmopolitan towns, or Indians who grew up in the UK or US. That said, the large number of Indians who do manual work (domestic labor, factories, etc) get a ton of exercise throughout the day, and a lot of people walk to the grocery store, etc, elements of regular exercise that are missing in the car-centered US.

Ideas of health, low-carb, low-fat are slowly making in-roads among people, again, mainly the upper class. I'm still living in a pretty conservative, just-emerging city, so access to health food and good gyms is very limited, though definitely on the rise.

Veela sorry you've been sick lately- I hope you're able to fully recover soon and meet your goal!

--

Well, due to LOTS OF EATING OUT in the past few days I'm feeling large and gross today. I really feel like I need to focus on lots of light fresh fruits and vegetables today to clean my body of the heavy rice and curries I've been dwelling in over the past 48 hours. I'm hovering closer to 130, which is huge incentive to run away fast from that number. Hopefully will get in a good bit of exercise today. I need to up the strength training.

Indiblue and Diaane
You know, the obesity rate as well as Type 2 diabetes rates have pretty much skyrocketed in India. There's this notion in the middle class that after you've had your kids, well..it's pretty much do what you want.

I know that culturally going for a run outside is greeted with laughter. I've tried to do so in Nagpur (where I was born) when ever I go back. Also, I remember when I was a child in Nagpur and Goa in the evenings, we would (as a family) go out for a walk...just out and about. That is totally missing from today's Middle class. Now, both parents work and the kids are shuttled from school, to tutoring, to after school stuff by maids, and drivers.

In major cities, unless you can afford a gym or can't afford food, you're SOL! It's get fat or not eat. And not eating or dieting is somehow frowned upon and weightloss is commented on by (generally), "Are you sick?" You have lost so much weight!

And like indiblue said, the food is wholesome in that it's made fresh, from ingredients bought at the market that day, after being picked from the farm that morning...but the idea that you could be full after one helping is just not accepted...bla...

I go for 2 weeks every two years. And I don't snack, I don't overeat. I still gain 5 pounds.. e v e r y s i n g l e t i m e !