krampus - sorry to hear the intuitive eating isnt working…maybe it will for maint but not for loss? at least you havent gained (and sounds like you have even been losing slowly?) good luck with the events and remember to have fun :)

lackadaisy - glad to hear your 'episode' is over and your workout mojo is back. awesome.

Dorian5 - I am sure you will look fab, bloat happens to the best of us…hopefully it will diminish a lil by then.

Weighed in at 128 today! Today was my first day on the second phase of my plan and I thoroughly enjoyed a steak (despite being a vegetarian 99% of the time)....I was craving it, so I went for it. Actually finding it hard to eat enough after being on such a strict plan, love that..maybe my tummy shrunk.

Annnnnnd, I grocery shopped. Being prone to binges I dont keep food in the house. But with my goals of low carb, I need to super plan ahead. Wish me luck in not having any binges. I can do this!

The rice cakes got eaten before bed in a fit of weakness, oh well, can't be perfect all the time. I weighed this morning again and came in somewhere between 132-133 lbs. I'm constipated as heck and dinner was hearty and salty, but I think that number is about right. Today I am watching calories and aiming for 1200-1400 with plans to run after work. It's the first really warm day of spring today and I want to be outside in it!

xty Good progress, esp on the grocery shop. Hang in there, you're going to be just fine.

indiblue Technology is the worst. Sorry to hear that keeps happening!

Dorian Wear something you feel confident in, even if it's not your "super-skinny" clothes, and pamper yourself! It's not worth feeling self-conscious all night because of bloat.

lackadaisy One of the biggest in the class?! That's pretty unbelievable but I guess yoga class is kind of like Japan. I'm definitely one of the biggest female teachers.

I think I found a way to fix the backspace problem. Apparently it's a feature of Chrome that Google refuses to allow an opt-out for. I had to download a sketchy add-on to disable it. I think it's working.

Things here are so blah. Job searching is never fun. I have no idea where I'll end up- somewhere in Asia or the US, I have no idea. I feel like I'm in a black hole- so "over" the here and now and really really tired of waiting for the next step to begin. I realized earlier today I felt the same way when I was waiting to move over to this side of the world and counting down the days until my last day at work, which I was also "over" at that time. Ugh. Hate the in-between and in-the-dark not-knowing phase.

Trying to focus my restlessness on working out (which is going decenty) and GRE studying (which is not happening). Weight loss is sluggish at best and GRE is in a month so I really need to get both of those moving into high gear. I just have so little motivation now :(. Blah

Whiny rant over. Time for a shower. And GRE studying. Personals tomorrow now that my backspace key is no longer enemy number one.

krampus - Rice cakes are a super-virtuous binge, don't worry! It's good to see your weight trending down again. It is kind of surprising that so many women in the class are so small. I imagine some are more muscular and less flabby than I am at the same weight, and others are just incredibly petite. But it's nice to have a higher standard to strive for, I guess.

xty - you can definitely do this! Having tried low carb before, I can promise you it's a lot harder to binge on fats, so you don't have to worry nearly as much.

indiblue, what's the backspace fix? I need that too... Definitely sympathize about the weird feeling of being "done" and waiting for the next thing... I feel like I'm waiting out the end of college. I think that's why I've been so single-mindedly focused on weight loss and fitness; I know it'll be hard to stay healthy when I'm traveling and working in a new city, and there's nothing else to do.

Going on an all-day hike on Saturday to clear my mind before oral examinations (and burn those 2300 calories -- who am I kidding). Looking forward to eating "anything I want" -- muffin! Granola! Yes! :D I'm kidding, sort of... I actually plan to bring 1500 calories of fruit, granola, tuna, veggies, PB, a Clif bar... It's going to be great.

Feeling sane enough to recommit to weight loss. Today was an awesome day, food was totally under control and was happy with exercise. I almost petered out around the 25 minute mark during my jog but wound up going for around 55 minutes total. Had to stop and walk a few times but there's no shame in that since I haven't been running regularly in at least a month or two.

I'm starting to consider going into maintenance mode instead of hitting my goal weight. I'm stalled for a week now and this morning I read a brief news item that said the "perfect" BMI was 20.85, and I'm at about 20.7 right now. I want to work on building muscle tone and staying fit, but is there any benefit to me going to 113 other than my own vanity? *sigh* I don't want to slide into an unhealthy preoccupation with anything, after all. :/

Had a bad day yesterday, huge candy binge! Getting back on track with lots of water, clean eating, low sugar, and yoga tonight. Think I can make it to this week's goal of 128 by saturday if I stay focused.

And kat, I know the feeling! I always want to lose a few more lbs but it does get to a point where I know I should just focus on staying fit, healthy, toning up, etc., rather than the number on the scale or even burning fat. It definitely can turn into unhealthy obsession if you push it too far... plus since BMI isn't the best measurement of health or appearance, sort of silly to be fixated on that "perfect BMI" (even though I totally do this too! I see that prettier number and want to be there, but in reality, it may not be the better weight for my body).

Im also following a somewhat low carb/ south beach type eating plan. Do you ladies follow a low carb diet ( for the most part) as well?

True enough. I should try to remember if there was a comfortable weight in my past maybe that felt and looked good for me rather than just looking at these charts that go in generalities. I'll have to start thinking about that.

Definitely sympathize with the worry about letting it become unhealthy. Even as a very small-framed person, measured by my wrist / hand / foot size, I've made a promise to myself to stay above a BMI of 18.5 as my redline "underweight" weight (I'm just under 5'4", so that's 106 lbs).

I think I could look equally good -- though obviously different -- at 115 and at 107, depending on how I held those 8 lbs, and I know I look better at 119 now than I did at 117 three years ago, when I wasn't exercising at all. Given my ethnicity (we tend to have higher body fat) and small frame, I chose a goal weight in the middle.

At my weight, when fat loss is 100% vanity (though fitness isn't), I know what really matters is permanently banishing any unhealthy attitudes toward food and being happy with any progress I make. I like the size of my body better now than five lbs ago, and I will like it even if I never quite reach my goal. That's hard to remember, but if I say it enough times, I think I'll finally permanently believe it.

krampus - way to go on the run! and its cool you are feeling up to recommitting yourself to weight loss. will you follow any specific plan?

lackadaisy - enjoy your hike, sounds amazing.

kat999/lackadaisy - maybe I am the only person, but I feel like BMI is such a silly measurement. It doesnt consider body composition at all. I use body fat as my guideline. I have no boobs and decent muscle tone, so my redline is based on bf% not falling so low I lose my period or have other issues. I like what you said, lackadaisy, about focusing on a healthy attitude and not compromising any aspect of heath for looks. 100% agree.

skinnyelle39 - what is your max daily carb intake? I am playing around with mine currently, just bumped it up from ~50 to ~65 (total, not net). And I am trying to be careful not to eat more than ~20g at any one time. It seems to be the key to not having binges for me…

Exciting news feathers! I am wearing my size2 pants!!!!!! They havent really fit all year. Weighed in at 127.8lbs today and felt daring so I tried them on and woo they fit again :)

Could you guys tell me if what I'm eating is considered a low carb diet? I feel like that's what I'm following but I'm not convinced. I think the more I lose the more I start to second guess EVERYTHING. Do you guys experience this?

Drink only water about 160 oz. a day. Sometimes a little more.

Breakfast: I mix this all up
1/4 cup low fat ricotta (60 calories)
handful of blueberries (about 20)
between 7-10 raspberries
about 2 tbsp of almonds (in pieces not whole)
about 2 tbsp of unsweetened dried coconut
2 tbsp ground flaxseed

Lunch:
half an avocado: ill either wrap it up with green onions with nori rolls usually eat two sheets with half an avocado.
Slice or two of oven roasted turkey breast (not deli meat)
One hard boiled egg
Half a grapefruit

Snack: about 3-4 times a week only
One pop (used instead of bread. It's 10 calories an 3 carbs)
Tsp or less of fresh roasted honey peanut butter

Dinner: Salad
A cup of cabbage (napa, red and green that i mix with cilantro and green onions)
about 5-10 small cubes of baked tofu marinated with about a tspn of dijon mustard
5 roasted brussel sprouts, baked with 1/2 tspn of olive oil and 1 tbsn peach balsamic vinegar
1/2-1 tbsp(never more) Dressing is super light and barely any oil. It's sesame lime that is made fresh everyday.


Sometimes I like to add 1/2 of a large apple during dinner with my salad. But im not sure if I'm already eating too much fruit. Would you guys say this is low carb?

mca10 - I didnt use a nutritional calculator, so I cant say with certainly...but just eye balling that it seems ~50-60g carb a day, which is definitely considered low carb. Wisely it is mostly coming from good sources too (veggies, some fruit, nuts, etc).

Weigh the same as yesterday but feel much smaller and I swear my clothes fit better. Awesome!

kat999 If you're worried about sliding into fixation and obsession it might be good to try maintenance for a bit for sanity preservation. It's VERY hard to let go of numbers as indicators of success/failure but you are doing wonderfully and I bet you look amazing.

lackadaisy Sometimes I really, really hate our genetics, though I do enjoy the "no leg hair" and "no possibility of having cankles" parts a lot...

xty No specific plan. Target calories 1200-1600, regular exercise, not putting bans or mental boundaries on what I "can" and "cannot" eat. Congrats on fitting into your size 2s again!!!!!!!!!

xty I can't deal with low-carb. Tried it, couldn't survive it. May try it again if I have a plateau later, but for now, my diet of 70g+ protein a day and 1300-1400 calories is working really well. I just checked, and my carb intake is something like 160g (130g net), including muffins / pie / fruit juice / etc. I try to keep it under 50% of my total calories and don't always succeed.

126.8 today. That's the good news. Bad news is I was looking back through old posts and realized I only lost 2 lbs in the month of March. Good grief. I know this is within the expected range for feathers but it's still frustrating. I may ramp up my exercise this month to see if I can strive to 124 by the end of the month. Not sure I can cut calories without reducing nutrients.

lackadaisy There is a Chrome extension you can download that works wonders and is free. It's located here: http://www.chromeextensions.org/appe...eansbackspace/

xty Congrats on the pants! I also don't aim for low carb. Whole wheat, bran, oats, and beans are four key sources of protein for me. I also live abroad and bananas and pomegranates, both high in carbs, are sometimes the only fruit I have access to. I don't eat bread, pasta, added sugar, cereal, or refined flour, but it just wouldn't make sense for try to cut the carb sources I *do* eat and risk not getting enough protein each day.

krampus nice job on the weight/clothes victory :) Also never any shame for any sort of exercise- whether it's a 55 minute run nonstop or a 55 minute run with stops or a 5 minute walk. I've noticed we feathers often justify not being 'perfect' in some way (getting enough protein, eating too many carbs, exercising for 15 instead of 45 minutes) and I wish we didn't have this mentality. One person's 25 minute run could be a cakewalk to them, but it could be a huge victory to someone else. So I'm really happy for your run not because of the distance or the time as it relates to what I perceive is an impressive run but because YOU are happy with it.

Sorry for the mini-rant, it's not really about your post specifically, it's just a mentality I've noticed we (myself included!!) tend to have around here, apologizing or justifying if something about our diet or exercise isn't what someone else's is. I see it more on the Featherweights board than on other threads so I had to comment on it. Habit I myself need to break...

indiblue -- Thank goodness for that extension. I just installed it.

TOM insomnia continues to act up, but I've been surprisingly okay with cravings. I was hungry more often than I'm comfortable with today but stayed within my calories (1291 exactly).

To celebrate my low weigh-in (which I fully expect to have partially regained by tomorrow morning), I tried on some of my old skirts and dresses, and nearly all of them fit again! I'm especially happy about a (vanity) size 2 Anthropologie dress -- that thing was not cheap, and it has not fit since my freshman year of college. The real victory, though, is that my bra band suddenly feels loose... if I can justify new lingerie in a few weeks, I will be a very happy loser. :D

Had a bit of a fail with some sweets at work, but all is not lost. Felt the urge to binge for the first time in almost two weeks but beat it down. It's not worth it.

Aw, thanks. :) I didn't make the decision to go into maintenance mode just yet, but I did up my calorie allowance yesterday and didn't work out last night. Snacked without guilt. And yet now I'm 116 this morning, so methinks I may hit goal unintentionally now. *heh*

I think I'll stay on this plan through the weekend and see what happens. I've got a lot of endurance training to do for my 5K so I'm going to deliberately eat back all my workout calories for the sake of the tough workouts to come.

Lifting weight?
 

Im seriously considering adding lifting more moderate weight into my training to get the pounds off. Right now my strength training mostly consists of body weight exercises and calisthenics. If I work with dbells its between 3-8 lbs. But I am curious about how much weight, if any , you feathers work with other than your own body weight. And has it helped or stalled your weight loss.

XTY- As far as carbs I try to stay between 30 and 65 grams per day ( big window, I know). I find myself binging on peanut butter ( yum) and almonds ( had a 50 almond consumption episode yesterday :-/) So that really ups my carb count and I havent done so well with it this past week. But re-committing as of today. I just feel limiting the carbs to nut and nut butter sources and some veggies works for me. Some ppl can eat them with no problme, I dont think Im as lucky. Can someone explain how net carbs work?

Thanks

Net carbs are "total carbs" minus fiber. Fiber is generally indigestible, after all. :)

Right now, I don't do weight training other than 3x week yoga/pilates. I have the P90x system and am trying to work up the motivation to start it. But it seems so brutal.

I started very slowly, using only my body weight at first, then moving up in 1 lb. increments to using 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, lb. dumbbells (some of the in-between weight sizes are hard to find, but I always had good luck online). Now I'm using a set that consists of 1 lb. weighted gloves, 2 lb. dummbells for cardio fast cardio, 4 lbs. for slower cardio, and then a set of 6, 7, 8, and 9 lbs. for my strength-based training. I also have a 9 lb. weighted stick that I use in place of a barbell, and I occasionally use a 4 lb. medicine ball as well as various stretchy bands. Oh, and I also have a 5 lb. kettlebell.

The heavier weights I mostly use when I do workout videos from the FIRM, which have sections that are not cardio-based at all, and I just go with the general size weight they recommend based on how I'm feeling strength-wise that day. For example, when they say "medium," I usually grab 7 or 8 lbs., and if they say "heavy," I grab the 9 lbs. When they say "light," it depends what the upcoming move is. If it's still strength-based, I'll use 6 or 7, but if it's cardio at all, it's 2 or 4. Heavy weight moves like French press, military press, lat pulls, upright rows, etc., I always go with the heaviest I can lift while still maintaining good form, and that does vary from day to day. The most important thing is to build up your highest weight size very gradually. I'm only now at the point where I'm starting to contemplate buying myself a set of 10 lb. dumbbells, and yet I've been strength training consistently for almost a year now. I just have a very wimpy upper body, so I know it would take me way more dedication and time than I have to ever get to, say, 15 or 20 lbs.

I tested some 25-lb. dumbbells recently just as a point of comparison, and even though my biceps are very defined and make me look strong, I was only able to hold them, not lift them.

Weight lifting--even these tiny sizes--has done wonders for making me look fit even at a low weight. I don't look emaciated or scrawny, I look like I have nice sinewy muscles, my shoulder caps are wider and more defined which makes my waist look smaller by comparison, and I can do functional things much more easily, like carting around heavy things around the house. Without the strength training, I seriously think I'd be "skinny fat" at this weight, which is IMHO not a great look. It's the difference between, say, Linda Hamilton or Angela Bassett at their fittest look versus the way Natalie Portman trained for Black Swan. I'd rather look like I could take out a Terminator, personally. ;) The willowy ballet body is a great look on some people, but I'd rather fill out my frame with a little extra muscle. Believe me when I reassure you I don't look "bulky" from weights, though. More just conveying a sense that I'm strong when I need to be, if that makes sense.

krampus - way to go on avoiding the binge! high five on that one for sure :)

indieblue - agree that 2lbs is a victory, even if it feels slow it is progress.

skinnyelle39 - even with very bad back pain, I have (with a trainer's watchful eye), worked up to using kettlebells (18lbs) and dumbells (15-20lbs). over the course of a year it has added some lovely definition and tone without making me look at all bulky. I tend to be very careful on nuts or peanutbutter too…dont keep em in the house, only eat them at work which seems to be easier for me to control.

lackadaisy - glad to hear you are pretty craving free, I struggle with that during my tom for sure.

Weight was up by 1lb to 128.8 today, but Im not worrying about it. I saw my trainer last night, ate an hour later than my normal eating window, had a massage AND weighed in an hour or two earlier than usual. So hoping it is an anomaly and tomorrow will be lower. If tomorrow shows another gain, I will have to reconsider my carb intake. Hopeful this wont be necessary.

Oh! And treating myself to a 90minute 'Deep Sea Detox' treatment at Bliss tonight. Yay :)

[QUOTE=lackadaisy;3797541]Net carbs are "total carbs" minus fiber. Fiber is generally indigestible, after all. :)

Thanks :)

It's 10 pm and I have an all-day hike planned for tomorrow, so I really should be spending the night studying, but I'm so consumed with stress i can't study. i don't know why I've spent last night and all day today procrastinating my work by reading 3FC or online-shopping for hiking gear I can't afford, but I think it has something to do with not having done yoga since Tuesday and not having done any cardio since Wednesday.

I might go for a run in a few minutes... not to burn calories, but just because I can tell it's now one of those things that helps me unwind.

Hope you had a good run lackadaisy.

I cannot be trusted around alcohol if I am at a boring party with buffet-style food. Not only did I blow $30 on the "second party" which turned out to be super dull (usually there is karaoke and other antics), but I ate a rather disgusting amount of junk and crap and have reintroduced sugar into my system. :( Definitely qualified as a binge; you know it's a binge when you're so full you can't even finish a piece of fruit at midnight.

Just got back -- I jogged around for a bit in a loop, then saw a 'free books' table about half a mile away from my dorm, stopped, got engrossed for a little too long (maybe 5 minutes?) and developed the beginning of a cramp by the time I tried to run again. (I failed, of course... and had to walk the rest of the way home.) Serves me right, I guess -- I'm still new to running and I've never really experienced the sudden cramping that comes from forgetting a cooldown (I used to be so slow it didn't matter). But I do feel a lot better. Tried my Nike Frees barefoot today (instead of in thick running socks) and, surprisingly, they fit/feel a lot better this way.

Krampus, one of the major things that has affected my weight loss so far is alcohol -- I cannot stay on track if I drink anything at all. Basically, I'm committing to doing the rest of this thing sober. It's weird to not go out much during senior spring, but abstinence definitely keeps me on track. Have you thought about staying away from alcohol so that you're generally in better self-control while working on staying binge-free?

Thank you MiniFluffy and xty. You are right. I think my concern is that if I don't see the regular positive feedback (clearly losing 1 lb a week) I will peter out and lose motivation. I'm also concerned that I'll convince myself my current status quo is good enough when it's not... and waste a lot of time assuming my plan is working when I really need to be making changes. Does that make sense? Basically it's not that I need the 1 lb a week necessarily- I want some sort of feedback to say "yes you are on the right track." Calorie counting is helpful but I'm not convinced it's always accurate.

I think I'm rambling now.

kat pretty nice gig you have going with hitting your goal unintentionally ;). Good luck training for your 5K! Thanks for sharing your workout- that was really interesting. I'm way into the idea of weighed gloves now...

skinnyelle I weight train but I don't know enough to give advice. It's an area I really need to get more knowledgable though.

Just for a point of reference though, I usually do 3 x 12-15 reps of chest flies (7 kgs), lat pull downs with dumb bells (7 kgs), dumb bell press (15 kgs in each hand), standing shoulder press, lunges (3 kgs in each hand), squats (i can't remember how many kgs), jump roping (3 3 min intervals) for calves. Those plus abs and back with my own body strength. There are others I do as well but those are sort of the go-tos.

Oh yeah and I couldn't agree more with kat's statement: "More just conveying a sense that I'm strong when I need to be, if that makes sense." YES YES YES!! I totally feel this way. I want to feel capable and independent and having muscles helps me achieve this.

oh krampus I'm sorry to hear that. What happened? What usually seems to trigger the binge? Is it a mentality of 'I went 11 days I get a treat' or 'I'm going to have just one drink' which turns into five plus food, etc? Are you gaining any more insight into what starts the binge and therefore how to avoid it?

--

I haven't weighed myself this morning. I had a good workout (30 min run, 10 min bike, 15 min weights) and only ate 400 calories going into dinner, which was a wine and cheese party. Stocked up mostly on fruit and veggies, though I did eat a LOT of cheese, 2 glasses of wine, a slice of tort and 2 homemade cookies. I did about how I expected to do- not go overboard but not restrict myself too much.

It was a reminder as to why I rarely eat outside the home these days. I really do eat about 50-100% more calories at a party or a dinner or a restaurant and I can't have that happen at this stage of the game.

Today made up nicely for yesterday. The weather was gorgeous - around 21 C/70 F and sunny - and I went on a fairly spontaneous adventure with my neighbor to a nearby village, where we found a trailhead on the side of a road and decided to climb. It was a pretty modest mountain, pleasant enough to do in nonhiking shoes, but it reminded me how much I enjoy hiking as a hobby. Made plans for a much more challenging hike next weekend, and since I pretty much just ate one big meal (bibimbap with an extra side of vegetables) today, I feel good about minimizing the effects of the binge. Unlike sugar binges past, I don't feel like I want to/need to keep eating sugar the day after.

lackadaisy WORD. I don't drink much to begin with, and I can't say I've really had a good experience with alcohol at all in the past few months. Most instances end in either "why did I eat that?!" or "I am a belligerent b!tch" or falling asleep at the bar. This event in particular was a very formal office/school party and devastatingly dull and boring.

indiblue It was a mix of alcohol and boredom that triggered the binge. I'd say the mentality was "God what an awful party, I don't have any interest in what's going on so I'm going to sit here and eat" followed by "That party sucked and since I was chowing on chocolate almonds, I now suddenly want EVERYTHING sugary in the world." And I TOTALLY hear you on eating outside the home, it's such a monumental task to keep calories even close to the level they would be when you're preparing food for yourself.

windows media player was being a pain, got it working and about to do jillian's yoga vid, also pondering the south beach diet...

Weighted gloves are awesome! They're an easy way to make any workout a little more vigorous without making it seem ridiculously hard. Most types are much lighter than wrist weights, which I feel aren't very ergonomically designed and can put undue strain on wrists and arms. Weighted gloves, OTOH, are better because they're designed with your natural hand size and shape in mind and don't put the weight somewhere unnatural. Most I've seen (and the ones I own) use sand-based weight, too, so it's softer, more pliable, and moves with your natural hand flexion much better than old rigid-style wrist weights.

Trying to keep my chin up today, grrr. My detox spa treatment was amazing last night, so I thought that might help move the scale down a nudge. But I woke up and it was up to 129.4lb. Ugh. That is dangerously close to my absolute red line/unacceptable weight of 130lb. I was so bummed I literally crawled back into bed. Days like this just confuse the heck out of me. Pulled myself together in time for my hair appt...which cheered me up slightly.

Maybe I upped my carbs a little too quickly...maybe its water or colon bloat...maybe I have no idea! Just going to try to be super low carb today, eat perfectly and see how tomorrow's weigh in goes.

krampus - so glad to hear you had a nice spontaneous hike. that is a lovely way to rebound. and congrats on not going back at the sugar, way to not make it a pattern!

kat999 and indiblue - fascinated by this weighted glove thing you speak of!

lackadaisy - let us know how your hike goes today and I love that running is now not just a means of working out for you but a mental cleanser, neato.

xty- I had a similar experience today after the gym. I try to weigh only once a wk on saturdays and after a vigorous spinning class, weight training, and some treadmill work I actually weigh 2lbs MORE than I did last week saturday. I do feel a little puffy and bloated so Im thinking it may be TOM approaching... I know what you are going through....

xty, weight gain after vigorous exercise is to be expected -- it's all water weight from muscles trying to recover. Don't worry! I only log when I lose weight, ac

I just got back from my first hiking trip of my life! It was fun, relaxing, AMAZING to be outdoors for so long, empowering to see my steady improvement in pace and gracefulness as the day went on (from being unable to go up a tiny hill to figuring out how to really dig into a powdery, steep incline). And I feel really good about the calorie burn -- I logged it as 7 hours, but we were actually on the trail for about 8 -- apparently I burned at least 2,300 calories (though I suspect it was more, given the rate we were going, carrying a heavy backpack, hiking uphill most of the time, and all the falling down into snowbanks & scrambling back up when "hiking" downhill).

I just logged all the food I ate, and surprisingly ended up under 1,500 for the day. I actually packed 2,000+cal of food and prepared to eat dinner on the road, but found that refueling throughout the day with my favorite healthy snacks like bananas, carrots, green beans, fiber crackers, and whey protein with almond milk kept my energy level up without contributing that many calories.

It's odd, but the eat-when-hungry method means, for me, that I eat more the days following a heavy workout than I do on the day of the workout. Is anyone else like this? I'm motivated to still exercise on recovery days because otherwise I'd overeat a lot.

I felt REALLY good about yesterday. I did a 30 min run that I felt good about, and ate at 1150 cals. Lunch was a SlimFast shake, boiled egg, homemade bran muffin, apple, and orange. Dinner was one slice of pizza and my go-to faux "bibimbap" sald: shredded red cabbage, carrots, celery, with rice wine, soy sauce, sriracha, lime juice dressing, a crumbled up seaweed sheet and a sunny side up egg on top. Sorry I always describe it when I eat it, it's just one of my favorite meals these days and I get so excited about it :P. Dessert was a frozen mashed banana.

Anyway so I felt wonderful about everything, woke up this morning feeling leaner than usual and then weighed myself. 129.8. Say what! Up 3 lbs! After already fluctuating upwards a lot last week and then finally getting back to 126.8 on Friday! Are you kidding!!!!!

I have no idea what happened. The only sodium yesterday was one slice of pizza that I know did not cause 3 lbs of water weight gain. I just had upward fluctuations last week so once I settled back down I thought I'd see a little bit of a drop, or at least a hold-steady. NOT another massive fluctuation upwards.

I'm not deterred though. I feel much, much smaller and leaner and I know my food choices have been good. Will power on.

kat Thanks for the info on the gloves. I really will look into getting some!

xty Urg, so sorry to hear about the little gain. I'm sure it is just a blip and you'll be back to your usual weight (or lower!) in a couple of days. What did the detox spa involve? It sounds interesting.

lackadaisy hiking!!! I love hiking! I haven't been in so long. I also surprisingly eat less on days I work out. This is a recent phenomenon. I've often been very full after about 900 cals on days with 2.5 mile runs, 20 min bike rides plus strength training. It's bizarre.

I really loved reading about everyone's use of weights -- I'll be completely honest, I've never used a weight in my life. :o Nor have I worked out in a gym, I have a home treadmill and some DVDs covered with dust, that's about it. I think I worry about people looking at me while I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing on a machine? I don't know, the thought of going to a gym fills me with a little anxiety. Definitely an obstacle I would like to overcome.

At any rate, my super weird TOM is pretty much over and I clocked in at 132.2lbs this morning. I'll take it. :D

lackadaisy, your hike sounds totally awesome. I've never been on a hike, but always knew it was something I would definitely enjoy.

indiblue that salad sounds amazing! And good for you for not letting that weird little "gain" shake your willpower.

Dorian, home workouts are a great way to get fit without gym anxiety. I've done gyms, yoga studios, and home workouts, as well as outdoor fitness things like running and hiking, and I tell you I have the most fun working out to videos, personally. But for some people, that's deadly boring. I just like variety, and DVDs can give you instant variety on the cheap. :)

Everybody's on the hiking thing, so I'm off for a hike today. Whee! I need it. DH and I had pizza, wine, and cheesecake last night. Oy. :o Fortunately, I'd logged a four-mile run yesterday and ate very light early in the day, but after a point in our evening out, we both stopped logging our calories out of sheer embarrassment. *heh* Hence today being our plan for a long hike. ;)

I'll tell ya, though. Even though I know I'm going to pay for all that great food later in the week? Sometimes splurging is downright fun. I'll never not be a foodie, but hopefully once I'm maintaining, I'll always remember to keep it in moderation. Even with this splurge, I was making higher quality choices than I might otherwise, sticking with vegetarian pizza and in smaller quantities than I might have inhaled in the past, and eschewing chocolate and crazy amounts of other fillings with my cheesecake.

Started the day off right with a jog and grocery shopping for super healthy raw food for the week. Spent the rest at a weird bubble-economy space themed amusement park with friends and went out to dinner at Hard Rock Cafe to celebrate a birthday. All of us ate a rather disgusting amount (er, typical American restaurant portion) of food. I realized tonight that I don't really like burgers and fries much at all. I spent my whole dinner staring wistfully at my friend's chicken fajitas with veggies and guacamole.

I noticed that all of us, save one, have put on a few pounds since the holidays. My friend whose birthday it was mentioned that she felt "like a dog that needs to be walked" and is getting back on the health/exercise wagon, which may help keep me motivated. I need to be kind to my body this week since I'm doing a 6+ hour mountain hike on Sunday. :)

kat999 Excellent point about making better choices and being pickier about what foods are worth splurging on! That's something I need to really instill in myself. Glad to hear you were able to enjoy pizza and cheesecake without feeling badly about it. :)

Dorian Nice work on the lower weight!

indiblue How you feel > what the scale says, I'm glad you were able ot keep that in mind. You're doing really well and I bet you look fantastic.

lackadaisy WHAAAT 2,300 calories burned on a hike? That's great! Snow sounds like a big challenge. Where did you go if I may ask? And yes, like you I am hungry the day after a big workout or long run, but am less hungry the day of than I would be on a rest/sedentary day.

kat, I completely agree that it's important to still enjoy and love food. I consider myself a "foodie," but for me that means appreciating new and unusual foods, not the same-old greasy, sweet things. Not that I don't appreciate those foods, too, but I'd rather go for the unusual dessert over cheesecake or ice cream every time.

Just now I had a HUGE breakfast of three crepes with different kinds of preserves (including Nutella), an egg-white-and-veggies frittata, green beans, and spinach salad. Like I said, I'm always starving the day after a lot of exercise... doubt I'll stay on-plan in caloric volume today, but hopefully I'll stay on-plan with still getting enough protein and veggies and making good choices. But crepes are so rare in the dining hall that I had to indulge.