More If you relate more to the issues raised on the featherweights forum than others please join us. It's about where *you* feel most comfortable. We'd love to have you around here.

claire I hope your half went well!! So impressed with halfers- 13.1 miles is incredible

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Had a birthday dinner to attend last night and a brunch this morning. Ugh. Two big meals in a row . I did okay, but not great. Last night the hosts kept filling my wine glass (I only wanted to have half a glass) every time I took a sip. I asked them to stop but they refused so I just stopped drinking the alcohol. Then we toasted the honoree with champagne so I had to have a bit of that. Champagne is very expensive here and difficult to get so I can't just take a sip and waste the rest- it's quite rude. I hate, hate, hate intaking calories I don't want or need .

Brunch this morning was weird. I've been practicing IF and have gotten uncomfortable with eating before 2-3 PM. I started eating at 11 AM and tried to just stick with fruit and coffee; everything else was completely carbs and sugar (not like fruit isn't just carbs and sugar... but it was better than the pastries available). I must have had WAY too much coffee because I began to feel extremely jittery and nauseous and have felt almost hungover since brunch . Have eaten only tuna and egg whites for dinner to at least get in a little protein for the day. I still feel blah.

So... two days of not great eating. Looking forward to a bit of a detox for the next few days.

Feathers - I might be MIA for a while, I live in Raleigh NC with my family and yesterday we had so many tornados rip through the area -- a lot of houses in my neighborhood were destroyed, no power yet. Our carport, my mother's BMW, my dog's pen -- everything was wiped out by falling trees! We live in the woods.

Needless to say, I'm getting my exercise hauling chunks of tree trunks around.

Food choices are awful since we're not able to cook, lots of fast food.

indiblue, you're very sweet, thank you. I hope you're feeling better today than you were on your birthday. I get down on birthdays too.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Happy bleated birthday, indiblue!

Ack, Dorian, be safe! I have friends down there, too. Scary storms!

Unproductive run this morning. It was too windy out; I barely got in a mile, and my ears were freezing. My speed was terrible. I'm scared to death of my race next Saturday now. *whine*

On the upside, even though I ate a piece of cake yesterday (birthday party for a family member), I was at 115 this morning. I can't even remember the last time I was this small. Maybe... five? Six years ago?! I feel like trying on my secret Super Tiny Jeans, the size 3s I've saved in a special spot in my spare room closet but which I've been too scared to try on. Am I ready for them? AAAAAAA! So scary. (The silly thing is, they're so ridiculously out of style now, but I love them and don't care. If they fit, they are coming out of the closet! ;D)

Up 1.5 kg after the weekend, bleh. Saturday was way above calories and yesterday I didn't make the smartest food choices, so I wound up just having one gigantic meal - wasn't hungry for dinner. I think I'll see the 120s before the week is over though! Got in a decent workout last night. I have determined I want to learn the "Melbourne Shuffle" dance move (unrelated to that "Party Rock Anthem" song!), so that's something physical I'll be practicing.

indlblue Happy belated birthday, sorry it was a little disappointing/anticlimactic. If it means anything, I thought of you and wondered how you were doing! It is frustrating too relinquishing control over food at events etc; I am really excited to be back to routine today after a weekend at my boyfriend's.

Claire Hope the half went well! Enjoy pasta. That's really neat that your man runs with you.

Morethananumber Sure! Hope to see you around more.
Dorian5 O_O I'm really glad to hear you're safe but craaaap that's rotten that so much damage has been done to your neighborhood and things. Love the new avatar, you have really ahem "dangerous" eyes

kat999 Those runs are the worst, but 115!!! Wow! What kind of jeans are the 3s? I doubt anything could be THAAAT out of style. Is that you in your avatar? Whoever it is, she has a lovely smile!

indiblue, happy birthday!! Congrats on moving forward in your job application process. Forget about the scale for now. Not weighing myself every day has been incredibly good for me. Not knowing how much you weigh could even help you with sticking to your plan rather than being preoccupied with what we all know varies unexpectedly.

Dorian -- I'm impressed that you're being so positive. It sounds like you're okay -- I hope things continue to work out well.

Krampus, Congrats on being down to your comfortable weight! It does sound like a little more food & salt might be good for you. Do you track your salt intake (on a calorie counter)?

xty, claire, & kat, I'm so heartened to see how many other feathers are also runners at various levels (I'm still a big n00b, of course). I could never do a half-marathon, but I'm running a 10k tomorrow in a burger suit, which is longer than I've ever run before and a bit scary, but even more exciting. claire, I hope you're out celebrating now and that you update us on how the half marathon went soon.

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Haven't posted for a few days as I tried to get back in control of my eating habits. I was really worried about how many times I slipped up last week and felt unable to stop myself from eating things I didn't really want to eat (i.e the Fiber One bars that gave me a huge, horrible stomachache in addition to putting me over budget. But today will now be my fourth day of on-budget eating (1200-1400) and moderate exercise. I'm so glad to be back "on plan" and feeling sane about what I'm eating and when. Thank you to everyone who chimed in to remind me not to be too hard on myself, that was really helpful

Weighed in at 118.5 today after dodging the scale all week during my scary time & recovery -- I'll take it. "Celebrated" by getting my favorite half-healthy indulgent foods at brunch and at an afternoon concert. I even had half a Corona, a big indulgence for me. I usually overeat a lot when I drink, so I am quite proud of myself for only having a small Tex-Mex chicken salad and a veggie burger patty at the bar. My self-control muscle is getting stronger!

krampus, yup, that's me! And aw, thank you.

lackadaisy, good luck with your run! But wait, BURGER SUIT?! That's hilarious! Have a ball, hon. Don't worry about being the best or the fastest, just have fun.

A report on my jeans... the size 3s do fit today! They're not as out of style as I thought, just a little lower rise than you might find on the shelves today, but very slim fit, not-quite-jeggings sorts of things. They're maybe a teensy bit more snug than they were back when I first bought them, but I think in a pound or two, they'll fit like they did before. Which is, I gotta say, a huge, huge victory.

Dorian I hope everything is OK and you get power back soon... Sounds scary!

Kat Congrats on the super skinny jeans! That is a great feeling! I also have a secret pair I bought by mistake, but I don't have the balls to try them on!

Lacksadaisy Congrats on the self control! It is something I don't possess when I drink, terrible! I was on antibiotics until today, so i couldn't drink anyway but let's see how virtuous I am next time I go out... I bet not as good as you!

My half was great! I pushed myself to the absolute limit, and my boyfriend pushed me further (that didn't end well for him!) but I managed to knock 13 minutes off my time from last year, so score! To be fair, last year I ddin't train very much at all because I had knee problems. I think I got up to 14km in training a few months before, and then couldn't do anything for a few months. I only did the race because I was trying to impress him (we hadn't got together yet...). Haha! So no surprise I did better this year. All I have to show for it now is a medal, photos of me pulling weird 'i'm going to die' grimaces, sore muscles so I walk like John Wayne and impressive sunburn with a bandana mark across my forehead - SEXY!

My eating was pretty rubbish yesterday! Taco salad for lunch with my boyfriend's family (with his brother who ran a marathon in 3hrs 2 mins and was absolutely fine afterwards, unlike me! amazing!), lots and lots of meat at the BBQ party we went to and lots of crisps. Hardly any alcohol though, and i think the crisps were needed to sort my water/salt balance out because I was feeling like absolute crap before I ate them! But according to my Garmin I burned 1600 calories on the run, so it was allowed and today is a new intuitive eating day!

Lacksadaisy Good luck for your 10k! I am intrigued about the burger suit, you'll have to post a picture! 10k is my favourite distance to race though, long enough but not too long. Enjoy it!

Dorian I grew up in the South and went to college in NC so I totally know how much damage those awful April tornadoes can wreck So sorry to hear about the power, the car, and the property. I'm glad to hear everyone is safe and hope life can get back to normal soon.

kat I had a bad run too the other day, 10 mins in and I just couldn't go any further! I ended up doing intervals that day. I was fine the following day and today. I wonder what causes those bad runs? Congrats on your 115 low! And YOUR new avatar- you are lovely too!! So many pretty feathers around here.

krampus aw so nice, thanks for thinking of me! I hope you see the 120s this week!!

lackadaisy thank you for the well-wishes! Big kudos on the 118 and maintaining good food choices amidst your half-Corona evening. It's hard to keep alcohol in check and it's really hard to cut it out completely too sometimes; finding that middle balance is key. Can't wait to hear about your burger run!!

claire congrats on the half and your new PR!! Wow so many victories to celebrate around here.

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Seriously continued to feel hungover from my coffee binge last night. It was a waste of a day, food-wise. Today has been much, much better: only water and 110 cal homemade pumpkin bar thing (with soy flour, bran, and lots of fiber and protein yum) so far, followed by a 30 minute/5K run and a bit of upper body strengthening. It's ridiculous how awesome exercise can make you feel. I'll want nothing more than to eat a sensible lunch and dinner today, so I'll do that and be back on track. No idea how much I weigh, the scale continues to be very much out of commission.

Lovely day to you all, feathers!

Part of the problem during mine was the weather. It was crazy windy, and I was running on a bike path next to a river. My ears were full of cold air, and I just felt a little battered around, and of course it seemed like I was always running straight INTO the wind rather than having it at my back. Ugh. Too much resistence. I couldn't even get warmed up enough to where my own energy was keeping me from shivering. Bleh. The only good thing about it was I kept my speed up pretty well while I could still feel my feet, and I didn't get a side stitch. So I suppose I should look on the bright side.

I think other times the time of day and my food intake can adverse affect my energy level. Other times, I just FLY! Those are obviously the runs I love.

I've been feeling very quiet lately, like I just don't have very much to say. Eating is fine, think I had about 1300 calories yesterday and I sort of had to push myself to eat something for dinner. This morning's weigh-in was 59.5 kg or 131 lbs, down 1 kg from yesterday, up a pound from Friday. I can't remember the last time I "went."

I wanted to run this morning before work but I just couldn't get out of bed. Got caught in the rain on the way to work and now I'm freezing cold and damp, boo! Tuesday continues to be my least favorite weekday by far.

kat999 I can never figure out the science behind "good" and "bad" runs. Hopefully we'll both have some really good ones to report soon!

indiblue Glad to hear you had a better day yesterday - exercise really does do wonders. It's got to be scary not having a scale, but you seem really on top of things so I doubt you'll go off course!

claire Awesome work on the half, you definitely earned that taco salad and then some.

Running the first leg of the Boston Marathon today was SO much fun -- the energy of the runners and the cheering masses was infection. I went a bit slower than I usually train and instead of just jogging at a steady pace, I dashed from side to side giving all these little kids high-fives! The benefits of running in a burger suit, right?

We're all over the news but I especially like this Boston Globe article: http://www.boston.com/sports/maratho...tional_attire/

Congrats on your awesome half marathon, Claire!! I think instead of resting on my laurels after my 10k today I'll try to push for longer runs every week from now on -- it would be amazing to be ready for a half-marathon by mid-summer.

Between carb-loading last night and celebrating Passover Seder today, I've been a bit high in my calories, but, shrug, I like to think I deserved them between LOTS of walking and that hourlong run. I'm looking forward to more regular exercise next week -- just me with no burger -- and staying more on-track with food. Finally bought the "under-120" reward I'd planned for myself -- wunder under pants from Lululemon -- which are are FANTASTIC, but also reveal how much better my thighs and waist could look. It's definitely major motivation to stay on-track and keep recomposing my body.

Lacksadaisy Hahaha cool! How was the burger costume? Respect to you!
I figure we were allowed to be high on our calories, one or two days after a run like that you defo need more food to regenerate..!

I like your reward system, I have a reward system for every personal best I run in a race. I get either Raybans or a new Ipod Shuffle for my 1/2 marathon PB! From today on I am training for my first ever 5k race, which will be nice! Up to an hour of training is much more manageable than 2hrs and interval training is fun!

Kat I hate those days where running just doesn't happen. I had my last one three weeks ago. I went out, perfect weather etc, but I just wasn't feeling it. I turned around after 15mins and went back home. I got ill with strep throat a few days after though, so maybe my body was trying to tell me something!

Krampus I hate Tuesdays too!

I'm trying desperately to get my intuitive eating back on track today. So far, so good (it is 11:30am haha). i've even downloaded a hypnosis cd (Paul McKenna 'I Can Make You Thin') to sort it out. I'm getting pretty happy with my body now so I think I might start maintenance soon. I could tand to lose another 10lbs or so, but if I keep up the exercise and get the intuitive eating down, they might come off naturally. I'm fed up of thinking about how much I weigh...

ps:
Indi I completely agree. Exercise makes me eat so much better! I am just more motivated to not annoy my body with junk food. On the days I don't exercise my eating is terrible! It is a nice feeling anyway, enjoy it

Ugh, you guys it's a monsoon out there today! Major thunderstorms, lightning, etc. No run this morning, and my head is killing me. I was starting to get panicky stress from the idea of not getting in enough training for Saturday's race.

But then I read lackadaisy's account of running in a burger suit. And you know what? That's reminding me what it's all about: having fun. My race this weekend is a charity event for Earth Day celebrations and preservation at a local ecology reserve, a park and campgrounds that hosts science programs for middle schools. It's a great cause, and everybody who finishes gets a tree sapling at the end of it. I'm trying to tell myself that if I do this one and get through it (even if my time sucks), I'm going to have done a good deed and enjoyed some nature at the same time, right? Right. If one of our own can run in the biggest marathon in the country wearing a crazy costume for the sake of entertaining others and having fun, who am I to say I'm feeling too wimpy to do a piddly three miles on gorgeous hiking trails just because I might not get in enough "practice" this week? Pfft, practice. I've jogged over a hundred miles this year. I think I've got the practice part down!

8 am and I've already eaten 450 calories and am still hungry. I hate those days when I'm a bottomless pit even though I'm eating enough -- I register that it's my body figuring out I need more food just as it gets ready to use more fat, but "the noms" are still a terrible feeling. I might actually be developing sugar highs/crashs again after eating too many sugar carbs over the last two days -- super irresponsible of me in retrospect.

Kat, I'm glad my burger suit run is doing good in the world!! You should definitely not worry about training for the weekend run all that much. I mean, run a bit beforehand if you have time/weather to do so -- but it is all about having fun. And I promise that in any race the energy of the crowd will pull you through.