Hi guys! Any room?

119lbs! The idea makes me excited. I weighed in at 124lbs today so hopefully I can get to 119lbs by... the beginning of August? HOPEFULLY. If I try very hard.
You're all scaring me with this exercise bit though. I keep trying, but I'm not very good at motivating myself.
Do you find jogging gives you muscles in your calves? I've already got quite a lot of calf muscle and I just want it to disappear!

And you've given me a closer goal to look forward to! I was too busy focussing on the 8 stone goal that seems AGES away. Now I can focus on 119lb, then the 8 stone. Breaks it up a bit.

Anyone else on Slimming world?

plenty of room cantgetenoughchoc! and to be honest i do not exercise at all. actualllyyy, when i stopped going to the gym i lost weight.. i think it's because the exercise made me ravenously hungry so. its really really easy to outeat what you do in the gym or where ever. especially since exercise really doesnt burn an astronomical amount of calories like everyone believes. exercise is good for stress relief, heart health, and the bones and muscles of course. however, my case, i used to get stressed out going to the gym because i put so much pressure on myself i guess? or the intense cardio just triggered these panic attacks? i dont really know. and if i ever did not go or went and was too tired or didnt do much i would get really upset or stressed. so, the most exercise i get is the occasional walk and the amount of standing and working i do at work as a waitress for like five hours a day, four days a week.

still havent weighed myself. however i have a feeling i am not doing well. i only have a few days before TOM and so, i am constantly hungry and i have been unfortunately trying to feed said hunger even though it doesnt work. and of course its been mainly carbs. popcorn, chips (with salsa), french fries, fruits, ice cream, aaaah. water retention from carbs+water retention from TOM coming up=super bloat!

OH and cantgetenoughchoc, i also always had large calves, (15 inches in diameter thank you) and i am not really sure if running actually caused them to grow more but it would make them sore so...it is very possible. sprinting is a bit better as that helps work the whole leg, including the butt biking helps you focus more on the butt and thighs also. jogging and running...not ideal for me.

I had trouble losing the weight when I increased my exercise as well, and stalled out for like a month. I was able to break the plateau by keeping up the increased exercise, but eating back ALL of the exercise calories and sticking to a formula--if I'm doing basic cardio I eat protein before and carbs after, if I'm doing HIIT/anaerobic workouts I eat carbs before and protein after.

The anxiety and dread of working out is just something I had to work through. I forced myself to make time to do it and now if I choose to just sit around during that time I feel twice as miserable for NOT working out.

I also found that going over 1 hr of cardio really was not worth it, I do 40 minutes to an hour tops. I don't have all that much time and doing an hour of cardio makes me bloat up and hang onto water like a baloon...I get exhausted and like you said, I'm a marathon GRAZER so all of the carefully portioned leftovers I had in the fridge would just disappear rapidly.

I finally got down to 122, even with it being TOM...but then y'know I decided to go to the bar last night and one thing led to another~ At least with the water weight I have this morning I still didn't go over 125! I won't change my ticker till next week when I'm absolutely sure!

inteventionn - Encouraging me not to do exercise? You're my favourite person ever. :P
The problem is I am not losing weight! I have started this fantastic diet that cuts out all fat, (slimming world if you've heard it) that my family are on and they are losing loads of weight while doing no exercise! The first week I lost 4.5lbs! But I've just finished the second week and I only lost 0.5lbs. I had kept tabs on it during the week, because I felt my belly was bigger, and I put 3lbs back on half way through! Fortunately that has come off again, but as I said that only leaves a total of 0.5lbs for the week. Absolutely gutted.

Losing motivation already! But my family all had a chinese tonight and I resisted. Go me.

cantgetenoughchoc, i am not a big fan of no fat diets at all. i am actually on the other end of the spectrum where i do not eat carbs, (even "healthy" ones like whole grains) and eat more protein and fats (even "unhealthy" ones like saturated fat). so i cant give you too much advice on your diet buttttt might suggest, if you feel hungry often and you end up just eating too many calories, try adding some fats in because they are necessary in a diet and will help aid in satiety.

oh but good idea on avoiding chinese, that is not good for any kind of diet. unless you get the boring like, steamed chicken and vegetables...

as for me, i probably either gained some weight or i am just a bit loosened up because my arms were jiggling last night and they havent done that in awhileeeee. ive been eating ice cream, in small amounts but still, almost every day. chips and salsa too. idk why i cant avoid them.

Have you tried mullerlight yoghurt? I don't know if you have it where you live, but it's basically fat free (i know what you said about the fat thing, but it also means it's healthy and only 92 kcal) and I have loads of fruit in it. It really hits the spot for sweetness! I have vanilla flavour, because I miss ice cream. I'm addicted to the stuff, but fortunately for me it's free on my diet. You should try it if you can

I hate it when you can feel your body getting bigger though. It seems to take ages to feel less bloated, but then it can so quickly go downhill. I still don't feel anywhere near as good as I did just after my first week when I thought I'd lost 6lb. It's so daft how a couple of pounds is making me feel so much bigger when I know I probably wouldn't feel any different if I were to lose a couple of pounds! :P

Oh well, I'm still going. I think I wasn't eating enough so I'm trying a slightly different tactic. My greatest weakness is chocolate though. I can't cope without it!

I want out of the 120's sooooooo bad! Can't I just wish it away? LOL!

Anyways, I think I need to drink more water. I read somewhere that If you don't drink enough water your body just retains it. So, my goal this week is to drink more water!!!

Also, I am at a loss for what to eat for lunch. I am soooooo sick of salads right now. What do you guys eat for lunch?

Ha ha, if only.

I eat salad. I'm no help, sorry. But have you tried having fruit in a fat free yoghurt? It's delicious. Probably not in place of lunch, but you could definitely have a smaller salad to include it. I love it! Such a tastier way to enjoy fruit.

Yea, that's right. However my lecturer at uni did claim that this whole water-drinking is a bit of a farce and hasn't been confirmed, but it can't hurt! And I personally think it makes sense, so what does he know, he's only a professor in renal physiology. :P And it will take the edge off your hunger and I find improves my skin. Lots of advantages to drinking water so go for it.

I couldn't help but notice that we're pretty similar! You're a couple of pounds lighter (I'm up to 125lb but I can't bring myself to change my ticker :P), but we're the same height! Nice to meet a fellow shorty! How long have you been dieting for, and by what method?

I have been dieting since June 5th ish. So about 6 weeks. I mostly count calories, and try to cut carbs. I've lost about 4 pounds- but only 1 pound since I have been on here. It is nice to meet a fellow shorty!

Yeah, salads do work the best for me-but I am sick of them. I haven't tried fruit on my salad. What kind of fruit? What else do you put on it? I love yogurt-funny you said that, it's on my grocery list for this week!

I work out a ton-mostly running and playing soccer. Do you find that it's really hard to lose weight at our height?

What are you doing to lose weight?

Not fruit on the salad, but like a fruit salad instead. I say the word salad loosely... no lettuce. :P I have alsorts... strawberries, raspberries, mango, grapes, apple. And if you make sure it's low fat yoghurt, and I have vanilla flavoured, it's still healthy! I just had some now in fact. Gorgeous!

I don't work out. :P That's my problem. I foolishly thought I could diet and lose weight without exercise, just because I ate SO BADLY before. I lost 4.5lbs in the first week... but then haven't lost since. So I need to exercise now, that's my main struggle. I would really enjoy a sport, because I need to be actively doing something to take my mind off it. Like I can't just go to the gym and do 20 mins on treadmill or the crosstrainer. It's just so repetitive and all I have to focus on is how much I'm hating it! Zumba's proved good, if I go! :P

So yea, I find it very hard, but also it means that every pound does actually make a difference. Last week I lost 2lb randomly (I quickly put it back on) but straight away I felt so much better. And now I've put it back on I just feel really chubby again. So strange! I think once I lose another 7lb I'll be happy and much more confident. I just can't wait to get there. Then I can tackle the remaining 7lb.

cantgetenoughchoc, we are almost the same height and just about near the same weight. We can support each other!! I'll motivate you with exercise (because I love it and have no trouble with it), and I'll need you to motivate me to STOP EATING when I'm full. Like, virtually bash me over the head. Ok? Hahahaha

I totally need to join this thread. I am so done seeing 120's!

Actually we're the same weight. My ticker's wrong, I went up a pound, but I don't want to change it. Lol! *sigh* I should do it now....

Sounds good though!
Are you doing calorie counting or another plan? I'm on Slimming World, which basically involves no fat, and no weighing and measuring the food. Just keep eating "free food" until you're full. It's healthy though, mind you. It's great, I would really recommend! My family are doing amazingly well with it. It's just me that seems to be having trouble, but I am a lot smaller than them so I imagine that may be why. I have to start exercising. I'll start tomorrow I promise!
I see you've lost 5lb, well done! When did you start?

Yay for the shorties!

I'm just calorie counting, sticking to natural and whole foods, and exercising. My "start" date is a little mucky, because I got all the way down to 122 back before Christmas, gained it all back over the holidays/winter, and had to start over back in May. Ugh! I'm an extremely slow loser, primarily because I eat too much. I also went on vacation recently and gained back about 2lb, which is a lot when you're 4'11. I changed my ticker to make myself look at the evidence everyday, and remember that extra calories = extra weight.

Oh well. I'm learning..

Your plan sounds great!

runningaroundincircl, perhaps you can have soup! i love having soup even in the hot weather. like minestrone, italian wedding isnt too bad, and really any kind of hearty vegetable soups that aren't made with a creamy base. my other typical "lunches" (i hardly ever eat three meals a day, too scared from trying to eat six meals a day and being constantly hungry) eggs and bacon. and if i really dont feel like eating lettuce ill have other vegetables to just eat or i will eat like a piece of meat by itself or with some veggies. anddd occasionally, if i really just want some junky food, i have junky food and i usually just dont eat the rest of the day or i have something small.

still havent hopped on a scale. ive been drinking a lot. been doing a bit better with the eating. being hungover is a good incentive to not eat much. and really ive heard people only gain weight when they start drinking because they drunkenly have crappy food and or are less motivated the day after to keep it healthy.

this inactivity makes me sad

weighed in at 126 at the gyno