Meh, Mom has been pretty cheerful lately and asked if we could go get banana splits together last night -- AND she cooked a "healthy" dinner. So I went and ate my weight in frozen custard, whipped cream and hot fudge with her. Oh well, it was worth it to spend time with her and make her happy -- and I won't want ice cream for a LONG time! 124.8lbs this morning, blech. I've gotta get back on the wagon!

I meant to come back from the ice cream shop and get on the treadmill to work off a bit of that banana split, but I had a throbbing headache and went to bed at 9:30pm.

TODAY WILL BE BETTER!

Hey Feathers!!

Well, wish me luck because I'm skipping breakfast tomorrow when I start IF. Hopefully, I can do it. Anyway, I went for a evening run last night and you know what? I hate running in the evening. It was so crowded, everyone was out mowing the lawn or cycling or jogging. Too busy for my tastes. I also ran two hours after eating which slowed my time down by two minutes...which stinks. I definitely run better super-early in the morning when it's quieter and in a fasted state. No food makes me run faster, weird or what?!?

This is a NSV: I was dressing yesterday and caught sight of my back in my bathroom mirror and holy Batman! there's like the slightest hint of some muscle definition by my shoulder blades. Not crazy but enough where I noticed it. I've been moaning and groaning about my upper body not being muscular and who knew that I'd start to make some progress (alright a little compared to all you muscular ladies, lol) eventually.

The scale is up by a pound but I think I'm holding water, didn't drink enough yesterday so I have to make a conscious effort to do so today. Although I don't really pay attention to daily weight fluctations just keep an eye on it weekly.

Dorian5: Glad to hear the wedding was nice. I think going for a banana-split with your mom trumps just about anything. I should know, I'm a mom, so listen to me. And I love your attitude, today will be better. Just do a few days of HIIT and the weight will fly off, seriously.

Well, school starts in less than two weeks and I'm a little nervous about rolling my diet and exercise into the very hectic school year. I'm going to try my hardest to stay the course. I thought it would be harder during the summer with my boys home all day but not so. They are at an age where they play by themselves and pretty much leave me alone except when it's meal time so I've had loads of time to spend on self-improvement, lol.

Have a beautiful day ladies!

I'm back on track after blowing up to a bloated 140 lbs Friday morning - I weighed in at 131.5 this morning, whew! Went for a run yesterday and huffed and puffed the entire way. Those puffs of cigarettes and hookah pipe here and there really add up. It feels really great to be eating nice normal healthy food again. Tonight is Zumba and I just got back from a 3.5 mile walk with my mom. Just gotta make myself do pushups...why does it feel like such a chore to do them?

philana I absolutely cannot keep from picking at food on my plate if I decide to leave some at a restaurant. It's something everyone struggles with and I don't think it's really logical!

fitmom You'll do great! Congrats on the muscle spotting. I'm not muscular at all up top so when I've been vigilant with pushups etc I get very excited to see the slightest hints of definition. Running on empty is more pleasant than running with food in the stomach for me, too.

Dorian5 I'm glad your mom is feeling better. I went to the movies with my dad and watched some Dr. Who with him the other night and it seems like he's been cheerful too! The ice cream will fall right off, but the mother-daughter bonding won't

claire Nicely done on the weight loss AND being happy with your body front! Long distance and missing people stinks but I'm glad you have a chance to soak up Vienna now.

Amy3680 I like to eat the way your husband does, minus the snack at night and with more fruits/vegetables in there. But lately I've noticed I'm really weak around afternoon which may not be ideal. Have you found a balance that works for you?

Magalo In years past Activia worked like magic for me, but I got "used" to it. I dunno about the salami but I find that fiber, getting enough fat and staying hydrated keep me "going." I feel your frustration on the bloating though - feeling bloated can ruin a great weigh-in!

mamamorgan At least you're keeping up with exercise! For a lot of people, workouts are the first to go. You'll get back in the swing of things!

I am not able to get back in the swing of going to the gym. I'm only home for a day and a half, but have been taking the bus to work and haven't gone to the gym at all. Atleast I am eating super good for 2 days now.

philana,
I think I'm pretty similar to you about food. I don't have Issues with a capital I, but I don't have a lot of willpower and if the junk is there, I'll always eat it.

For me the only solution is to keep junk out of the house, but that's not very useful on vacations or at parties, etc.

I think your basic approach is pretty healthy, though. Do your best, try to get better, don't beat yourself up over it.

Hi krampus
I don't know about finding a balance. I'm sort of struggling right now w/ feeling overwhelmed by my diet and daunted at planning and fixing healthy meals. In order to keep from binging (a problem in the past), I eat a fairly large substantial breakfast, and focus on protein, whole grains and veggies at lunch and dinner. I usually eat an afternoon snack if I feel like it. Tonight I had bedtime snack, too, but that's not every night. If I cut back too much I overindulge later. I have not had much trouble lately eating sweets at home, but after a week at the beach and an out of town wedding, I'm up to 123, pretty high for me. I started logging meals yesterday, hopefully it helps-looks like it's what most successful dieters do.

WTG on losing 9 pounds-I know water, but still. Good luck getting back into a normal routine.

fitmom: good luck w/ IF. I've read to make sure you drink lots of water or tea during the fast to keep hunger away. ITA about working out on an empty stomach, too. Before DD came I liked to work out first thing in the morning. Then, my favorite time was morning nap, so I could have lunch double as workout recovery. Since morning nap has disappeared, I've been pretty slack on working out. Did you start working out when yours were small? Any advice?

fitmom Good luck with IF, let us know how it goes! I tried it once, and it worked really well for me personally. I gave up because it was difficult to fit around social lunches/brunches. I know the feeling about school starting up again, same for me (from the other side). I love the summer holidays, boo for work!

philana I can never leave food alone unless I am stuffed. It is completely normal, don't worry! I like your philosophy, it is pretty much the same as mine

Dorian You are such a nice daughter! Don't worry about the ice cream lbs, you can't possibly have eaten 3,500 cals in ice cream so it'll come off quickly!

Krampus Wow that sounds like a lot of exercise, well done! I hate push ups too!

ann Hello, long time no see! How is the dating going ? (you don't have to answer that, i am so nosy!)

amy Good luck with logging, it really helps some people. I always forget to do it though

I spent my afternoon yesterday preparing a turkish feast for my bf's parents to say thanks for looking after our flat. I made dips and salad to start, then spinach and feta gözleme and köfte for main and we had this pomegranate wine we bought there and turkish delight for afters. Yum! I had a stress stomach though so didn't manage to eat that much after rushing around the entire day worrying about how it would turn out! Now we have tons of leftovers

As it is absolutely boiling here (35c) and I'm on summer hols still, I've been enjoying myself by cycling 10km to the part of the Danube where you can go swimming and spending my afternoons doing prep work for my teacher training course there. I figure swimming + 20k cycling there and back is enough exercise for now! I'm doing it again today with a friend and my bf will come by after work. I've got to make the most of seeing these people and enjoying how awesome Vienna is before I have to move back to dreary, rioting London!

fitmom - good look with IF, I know I could never do it. I am SO hungry in the morning and don't even feel functional until I eat something. I actually enjoy eating every 2 or 3 hours, it makes me feel like I am constantly eating so I have no reason to ever be hungry and binge.

claire0412 - MMM...that dinners sounds absolutely delicious! You sound like you get in a lot of exercise to me, I know I couldn't do 20K in one day, that takes some stamina and endurance.

Krampus - You sound like. I weighed myself yesterday after TOM was officially over and lost 5 lbs just in bloating/water weight.



Morning feathers! It is middle of the week and things are going well. School is in full swing for me and I have managed to keep up with the exercise and get my diet back in check. I am down a pound from last week, weighed in at 138! I haven't weighed this since I was like 3 months pregnant, yay! I feel so good to be officially down 10 lbs, I feel like it has taken FOREVER to get here though, well two and a half months to be exact. I just feel like I have been working my butt off so hard and its a rewarding feeling to know that I am getting somewhere.

Last night was really weird, I was in the process of cooking an early dinner last night so that we could head to the gym and I got really light headed and I felt that way for awhile, up until I ate my food. Then after the gym, I got home, made myself a protein shake, put my son to bed and its like my body just died. I could barely get off the couch, walk, or even hold a conversation, I was just dead to the world and at 8:30 at night!! I haven't felt like that in ages. I am wondering if the light headedness earlier in the day is in anyway related to the exhausted/drained feeling I had after the gym. It was all really weird. I was in bed, and asleep by 9:30 and feel a lot better this morning.

My job is driving me nuts. This has nothing to do with weightloss or anything. but I need to VENT. lol.

So, my boss is a former CEO of some big company who has now set up a small non profit kind of organization. My job is also to just basically do all sort of assistant stuff for him. But we somehow don't communicate well. First he was annoyed because I'd put stuff off. I explained that I did that because I wasn't sure about things and was afraid to ask. So he told me to just ask. Now I am asking a lot of questions, and he tells me after 3 days already that he is annoyed that I ask so many questions. UHG. I am so not cut out to be a good assistant. I am better at just running my own show I think. I was feeling really optimistic about my job the last few days because I was doing stuff and not putting them off - but now I just feel bummed.

Any tips from you girls are more than welcome, this is the part of the boards where I hang out most.. so I'm posting this here.. sorry if I shouldnt!

Edit: I just walked into his office and told him it frusterated me. That's a major relief. LOL. And he was kinda understanding. I still think we are on a different level - but now it's atleast out there that we need different things.

--
Oh, on a weightloss note: I was back at 141 again this morning, so the 4lbs from the holiday were just bloating or so.

Good morning Feathers!

Amy3680: I've been drinking loads of water and green tea to stave off any hunger pains. I've got about two hours left of the 18 hour fast so it's going okay, actually. Advice on working out? I worked out very sporadically when my first son was born and then stopped for a few years had my second son then got serious about it four years ago. I worked out primarily in the evening once they went to bed. But this summer is seriously the only time I ever went hardcore because the impending number 40 is looming (lol) and also my sons are now 9 and 6. Their ages make a big difference in when I workout. I can get up in the morning and run before DH goes to work. The mornings are not about me feeding and burping a baby or dealing with toddlers anymore -- thank God, lol. Evenings were key when they were little, now mornings and afternoons (once school starts) are where I'm currently at. Hope this helps.

claire0412: Ditto on IF getting in the way for social functions, that's why I'm only doing this on Mondays and Wednesdays. Most of my socializing takes place on the weekends. Don't you hate it when summer comes to an end? I wish I could incorporate cycling into my routine, it sounds like so much fun.

mamamorgan: Congrats on the 138! It sounds like your hard work has paid off. Eating six times a day did help me to reshape my body but it's just exhausting me with my two school-age sons starting school again. I don't have the time to devote to eating that often with all the school-related things that go on during the school year. But whatever works for you. Your son is much younger than mine are and you need more energy than me. As they get older, the kids aren't as physically draining like when they are real little IMO.

philana: I haven't worked in ten years but I so feel your pain. I've been there many times. Just don't let the work stress cause you to eat excessively. You've come too far to let your boss steal your thunder, so to speak.

I went to Target yesterday and bought a new kettlebell and dumbbells (finally). I did the workout last night and boy the heavier weight was just want I needed. I was sweating like I'd run several miles, lol. I was so pooped I fell into bed after my shower. This morning I was sore but not crazy. I did my body weight circuit and was able to complete it three times instead of twice. I wonder if the IF had something to do with it. I had like a sudden burst of fasted energy.

RE: IF: It's not as bad as I thought it would be. Although I'm only skipping breakfast for the next few weeks to ease into it. It's nice not to have to constantly think about food. I feel so good that I could skip lunch as well but I don't want to overdue it. The only time it got hairy for me (so far) was right when my kids were eating this morning. I had to walk out of the room and sip my green tea. And on a purely vain note (lol), my stomach has never looked so flat/firm, no bloat from eating, ab definition seems sharper. I'm doing a new core routine but I can't help thinking that all the additional water in a fasted state is helping as well. I'll keep you ladies periodically posted on how IF is going for me.

ETA: It's now 11 a.m. and I did it!!!! Yay for me!! I made it 18 hours without a single morsel of food, I feel like I just ran a marathon, lol. I'm hoping by mid-September to completely implement this new way of eating. I hope to do the full 24 hour fast in another week to ten days. I'm also nixing my cheat meal because now I can create a weekly calorie deficit to enable me to have some "wiggle room" with my diet. I'm going to go eat my salad with tuna for lunch now.

Hope everyone is having a nice Wednesday thus far!

HA I BUSTED MY PLATEAU GIRLS.
I was 105.2/.8 during a week and a half. It's SO discouraging when you are doing everything well, eating well and in my calorie limit, exercising...
But yesterday I weighted in at 104.0, and 103.2 today! I'M JUBILATING. I'm drinking a ton of water and... AND... Activia Yogourt! Haha! I was like
"maybe it's a digestive problem" so I bought a lot of activia yogourt. I'm ****ting several time a day (sorry!) and I lose weight! Yeah!

I just got back from the gym, took me 2 days after my Holiday, but OMG! It was so nice. Like, really nice. And the strangest thing, I did better than ever before. Must be because I had a long rest. Or because I didn't have a rest but had other activities like hiking, mountainbiking for real and swimming. Or because the c25k is really starting to affect my fitness level. Who knows! haha.

I'm gonna do personals in the morning you guys! Off to bed now so I can run my next c25k run before work tomorrow morning.

philana, that sounds tough about the boss. maybe you can have a set time to ask questions, so you're not interrupting him, but you don't have to put work on hold. Or, hopefully you'll just figure out his system better as time goes on? Good luck.

fitmom, glad the IF is going well. I do a semi IF every Saturday that I don't have a lot of physical activity planned, usually waiting until 1 or 2 to eat.

claire: welcome back! Glad the trip was good. Your feast sounds great. My dating is going, well, I'm not sure. On date three with a promising guy, it all went to heck, so... I think I'll go back to the trying to meet people in the real world approach for a while. Or not. I'm reasonably happy single, so to be happier, I feel like I want to be pretty fussy about finding a great fit. There you go, more than you wanted to know, without any good juicy stuff.

My tomatoes have just started to ripen, and the beans are going wild, so I can snack from the garden, which is fun.

Mamamorgan I get that feeling sometimes. Dizziness for me is normally low blood sugar, normally the result of not eating enough or eating too many simple carbs and then nothing for a few hours. The general feeling of exhaustion is normally the sign of a minor infection/virus for me, take it easy for a few days and let your body recover (still exercise, just not quite as hardcore).

Philana I don't know what to say about your job. Maybe tackle the things you are sure of and leave the questions until he end and ask them all in one go? He sounds like a treat! Good luck! PS: well done for the gym

fitmom Good for you! Mmm salad with tuna! Cycling is great, do it if you can! I realise how lucky I am that I can cycle basically right through the centre of Vienna without having to cycle on the road for more than about 100m. We are lucky to have such good cycling infrastructure, all part of the joys of having the Green Party in the city council My boyfriend went to Texas for a few months in March and said the infrastructure there was based around cars and it was a nightmare trying to walk or cycle anywhere. I'm not sure if it is different in other states but it made me realise how lucky I am here and in the UK (which is good because I hate driving!)

Magalo Yay for you! Be careful that you don't overload on the fibre, if everything goes through you too quickly you won't be getting the vitamins and minerals from your food and your bowels will rely on 'extra help' to do anything. (sorry for the tmi!)

ann Ooh sounds interesting! I agree, being picky is the way to go. I was happy single too, and now I'm happy in a different way (not more so, not less so). I'm sure that if I started dating some of the 'just-OK' men I met, I would have been less happy than I was single Single and happy is a good place to be, not many of my friends manage it and then they lurch from one unsuitable to the next.

My day started out well. Woke up with extremely tired muscles from the cycling and swimming yesterday (yay, love that feeling) and my bf had let me sleep in while he made me fruit salad, greek yoghurt and honey for breakfast. Now I've got a busy day of helping a friend interview potential flatmates (love it!) and I might cycle back from hers the long way so I can get a bit more of a workout in, and maybe a quick swim! Have a nice day

It really exist? "Too much fiber" haha!? :P