Thanks for the low-carb comments! I'm not purposely trying to eat low-carbs (I don't limit my fruit, dairy or bread) I'm just trying to cut back on my pasta and rice intake, since I used to eat one or both AT LEAST once a day.... I'll start trying to load up on my carbs in the morning before working out to see if it helps!

The scale finally moved down a little to 138.8 this morning. I went on a 3 mile trail walk with my 5 month old and two year old and it was h-o-t! I'll be hitting the gym this evening for an hour of cardio. Happy Monday!

did my weekly weigh in. Down one pound. That's about the rate I should be losing, so I'm pleased with that, although of course in my dreams I magically lose 5 pounds, just because.

Wow, OhThePlaces. a 3 mile walk with two little ones is impressive!

Good afternoon after a bit of an absence again, gang! Still maintaining at 115, which is now feeling like the comfortable weight for me. My neurotic idea to get to 113 is now dead, and I'm so happy I let go of that. I feel strong and happy and not deprived, and my goals are just maintenance and fitness. I started taking a yoga class on the weekends, I'm jogging about 20 miles a week (slooooowly, mind you, and broken up into multiple sessions a week), and I'm gearing up for my second 5K this weekend.

Just keepin' on keepin' on. I am trying to stay centered, happy, and focused on status quo and peaceful mind. Eating around 1700 calories a day in maintenance mode and while not depriving myself of treats am working on making consistently healthy choices (whole foods, organic produce) rather than junk. This mindset seems to be working, because now I look at food as fuel for energy and muscle tone/health.

I hope everybody is doing awesomely and enjoying the first tinges of summer!

Dorian5, getting back on plan after vacation is HARD since you don't have the vacation itself to work towards. Don't pull a krampus and regain 5-10 and give up!

kat999, so happy to see you are happy. 115 is a perfect and even weight, and 20 miles a week is really good! It's great to see someone living what I would consider an "ideal" lifestyle.

I have been having TERRIBLE runs lately, the past 3 were all garbage. The humidity probably has something to do with it, but I feel like I'm gasping for air the entire time and my muscles don't seem to cooperate. Energy is low too; wondering if I should be eating more if I am running every other day but I don't run THAT much (average 2.5-4 miles per run, at no jackrabbit pace).

ann Well done for the 1lb loss! Good rate for a featherweight I think.

Ohtheplaces Good for you for getting your kids into exercise and nature. I work in a primary school and always think it is amazing how many kids sit on their backside and play xbox all weekend when naturally most children would rather be outside given half the chance.

kat nice to see you again! Well done on the running and maintenance!

Krampus If you are running a lot you do need a bit more food. I don;t know how many calories you are eating at the moment. I personally think food after exercise is more important, something reasonably high protein.

Dorian You can do it! This time of year is crap for being on a diet, too many BBQs, holidays etc etc. I am having a hard time keeping reasonably on track too, because I hate turning down invites/food/drinks just because I am supposed to be on a diet.

I've had a few days of eating a bit too much (around 1,800 or 1,900) but my weight has stayed the same since Friday (68.4kg - new low!) so I guess that must be maintenance level. I've got one week to go before my foot operation, and I'd really like to get under 68kg before then so I'll try and be on my best behaviour for the next 7 days. On the bright side, my thesis is nearly done. I can't wait to not to have to use all my free time writing about genocide. Ole!

Have a nice day

Ann, congrats on the 1lb loss!

Kat, it sounds like you've settled in a great place physically/mentally. I look forward to one day enjoying maintenance!

Krampus, I give credit to all of you outdoor runners... I don't think I'd survive the heat and humidity! I'll stick with treadmill running until the fall. lol

Claire, I totally agree. I taught elementary school before having my toddler and it was sad to realize how sedentary a lot of young kids are these days. One of my biggest motivations to lose weight and get healthy was so that my kids would always see fitness and health as a normal. Good luck with getting under 68kg this week!

AFM, my weight is up .4 lb from yesterday.... I'm exactly the same as I was a week ago and it's a little frustrating. I've been eating healthy and in the 1200 calorie range, drinking a ton of water and working my butt of at the gym. What gives??? I'm just trying to look at the bright side, I'm in the 130s still.... eventually it has to go down... right?

129.2lbs this morning. Got in a very short jog last night, also walked the pooch for a while and played DDR until my companion arcade-goer got too tired (I need to start going alone, I seem to have more energy than everyone I go to play with, they all want to sit down in between playing.)

Anyway, hoping that I can wrestle this weight down by Friday. If I'm not back at 127.5lbs or less then I'll slide my ticker back up. I don't want to now because I can tell I'm still retaining some serious water because I feel bloated and gross. My upper arms are especially yuck.

BUT my boyfriend got the pictures from our vacation posted on Facebook and I look downright skinny in one or two pictures! So that's good news!

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OhthePlaces - I'm so impressed that you managed a 3 mile walk with 2 young kids! As a child I think I would have started throwing a bored fit after 1/2 of a mile. I wouldn't sweat being up half a pound. Did you work out particularly hard yesterday? Your muscles hold on to more water to heal when you work them a lot, maybe this is the reason for your gain?

ann71 - I would be glad to lose a pound a week regularly. As it is, when I'm putting the effort in, I'll lose no weight, then 2 pounds, then .5, then none, then gain 1... lol.

kat999 - So glad you're feeling content at 115lbs! That's my goal weight at 5'3" as well, so I especially love hearing how well you're doing!

krampus - Ugh, it IS hard! I found that I really do need to make goals so I stick to my plan. I would like to be at my final goal by October, but my short term goal is 125lbs by the Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows pt 2 premier on July 15th. Those little goals keep me focused. As for your runs, I have to get some carbs and protein if I'm gonna have a kickass run. It's humid as **** here too, I feel for ya! I like drinking my water, not breathing it.

claire0412 - At least you're getting some maintenance practice! Never a bad thing! I haven't the faintest what my maintenance is going to be, I guess I'll just have to be sure to figure it out before I get there. Glad to hear about your new low weight and your thesis almost being done! Woohoo~!

GOOD LUCK everyone!

Bedtime soon, I'm so hungry that I just keep reading websites about food. I am not counting strictly lately but keeping weekday calories in the 1350-1500 range. I'm a small person and not that active (sedentary job, isolated workouts/commute on foot) so I'm not sure if low calories is keeping me from having decent runs. The best run I've ever had came from eating a whole pizza and 6 donuts in the 24 hours preceding it, which is probably not the way to go if I don't want to weigh a thousand pounds.

Belated hi/welcome to ann71!

kat999: Congrats on maintaining and being happy with your body. Which one is harder?

claire0412: That sounds like a doable maintenance level! Enjoy your week before your surgery, and I hope all goes well there.

OhThePlaces: It'll go down! Maybe you could use a day off exercise to let your rest & reset? Sometimes that helps me.

Dorian5: Sounds like you're already recovering from vacation! Don't you love thin pics?

krampus: Hope the hungries go away. Sometimes I end up browsing my cookbooks when I have the munchies--it can be torturous.

I will finish P90X today (woot!). Only lost 4-5 pounds of scale weight, but lost an inch-and-a-half most places, and 3 inches off my bellybutton measurement. Gained a lot of strength, cardio fitness (which I was weak on), overall badassness, and even flexibility (I was already naturally flexible, but I have my front splits back!). My mother is coming for a week-long visit tomorrow, so I'll take some time off exercise and attempt to have a maintenance week. Then I'm going to get back to video workouts--probably a combo of P90X, P90X+, and Tony Horton One on One, because I've become a big Tony Horton fan.

As I mentioned in the 120s thread, I'm also having to get off the birth control pill after being on it for 10 years, since I was 18 (migraines with aura, can't take estrogen, blahblahblah). So I'm curious to start monitoring my body for changes. It's oddly exciting.

A few weeks ago, I would've said "being happy," but now I'll say "maintaining," because the maintenance calorie counting is a little bit of a chore.

Dorian, the key to exercising with kids is bribery! I just pack some Goldfish crackers and a book in the stroller and my toddler is pretty content. My workout yesterday was pretty intense, so I'll choose to believe that my muscles are retaining water.. thanks for that. YAY for skinny vaca photos!!

Sumire, congrats on completing px90 and losing some inches! As for BC, I'm in the opposite boat. I've only ever been on BC for a few months about 8 years ago. We now have two babies and don't want to take the risk of getting pregnant again anytime soon so I'm going to get on BC. I am nervous to see what effects it has on my body, especially since it already seems to hard to lose these last 10 lbs!

kat999: Love it! I guess perpetual attention to calories is a necessary evil.

OhThePlaces: Everybody's body seems to be different on BC, even from pill to pill. But my experience originally was that in the first week, I suddenly felt "squishy"--I think I must have gained a lot of water weight--and my boobs grew a cup size almost instantly! They hurt for the first 3 months. I noticed a lot of other niggling side effects, but I think they calmed down over the years (though my boobs never shrank--I'm hoping they will now!), and when I found the right pill for me. I gained a lot of weight at first, too, but I had also just entered college and started stuffing my face.

I am also wanting a really reliable birth control method--no kids yet, and totally not ready, hubby would freak. I'm hoping to get the non-hormonal IUD, Paragard, but first I need to see what my periods are going to be like off the pill, since Paragard tends to give you heavier/crampier periods.

kat999: 115 seems like a great weight, with fitness as a really great goal.

krampus: love the new picture (well, it's new to me anyway).

claire: woohoo on the thesis!

Dorian: What fabulous hair you have! I'm new here; it's fun to see all the photos in the avatars. Someday I'll get organized and add one.

sumire: I also had to make a birth control change due to migraines with aura. I liked actually being able to track what my body was doing while off it. I now have a Mirena, and it's been great for me, but now I think I'm heading toward menopause and things are getting wonky. Good luck with it all!

I'm trying to motivate to go for an evening run. Actually the run isn't the problem. It's the yard work I should do before the run.

I did finally make it on the run. It was short, but pretty good.

sumire I came off the pill in February because my periods kept coming a few weeks early on it (scary!!). I love not having to take the evil little pills of doom. Already told my boyfriend I'm never going back on it again. I was planning to get a non-hormonal coil but we seem to be OK without at the moment. I'm all for not having to take all the responsibility for birth control for once. I did retain water for a few months afterwards though.

Krampus, Dorian Nice new pics! I am still waiting for my bf to upload a funny one from my last race then I'll change it too.

Ann Well done for the run! I am so jealous. Hopefully I'll be able to run again in September

I am doing well so far today. Chocolate is starting to creep back into my diet though, bad claire! So I will save my ration (25g of dark chocolate) until the evening every day, so my bf doesn't tempt me with cake/worse chocolate after dinner (he is evil!).

In other news, finished my thesis so all is good with the world! Just have to write the abstract in German and my CV in English to tag onto it. Got a meeting later this afternoon with my supervisor to discuss it. I'll probably have to wait a million years for a MA exam date though, the bureaucracy here is terrible!

Have a good day