I just double checked stumptuous (sorry can't post link, it's the Diets 101 Part 2 article), it recommends 8-12x bodyweight depending on gender, age, and activity level if you are trying to lose weight. When I counted calories, I used 10x bodyweight. It also says 13-16x for maintenance. I would think if you are building muscle and losing fat at the same rate due to training/diet, you need maintenance calories even though you are getting leaner/smaller. Any thoughts?

I'm just trying to get DD to ride the tricycle we got for her birthday. She can't quite reach the pedals well enough when the wheel turns, she's short like her mama. :)

My personal favorite! Basically the only way I eat avacado! Though I prefer lemon instead of lime.

nikki - I love how creative you get with little money! I am trying to learn the same thing after having spent so much when I had it I now need to adjust to spending less because I don't.. haha. And this time around I intend to actually save up more money than one can spent being without a job for 2 months. LOL.

dorian - how exciting! the best of luck for your weigh in tomorrow :D and I envy your self control!!! hihi. That's my next thing to tackle.

ann - it's always nice when off plan days don't result in major off plan weight ;) goodluck with it!

--
Well, I am super excited. I haven't been using an app to count my calories, So I know i've not been doing so great on it. I start counting again today because otherwise it's hard to stay around 1250cals. Anyhow - the reason I am excited is because I was able to drag myself out of bed and go for a c25k run (w1d2) before I went to work. This whole weightloss thing is really just a personal growth thing. I am learning so much, from self discipline to learning to push muy own boundaries. And also that things I thought I couldn't do for the past 25yrs, I actually AM DOING with a lot of enjoyment. I am just constantly psyched. I am more psyched about that than about the weight loss. After 6kg/13lbs in a lil less than a month I really don't see as big a physical change as I notice a mental change.

Hoping to start noticing the physical change as I keep creeping closer to goal weight though. Kinda silly how 6kg down the road people don't notice a thing. Though I know I've been hiding the upperbody weight neatly the past year and my legs are in no way smaller yet. LOL


Have a great day Feathers!

That actually sounds more on the money. 1400 calories for someone who exercises as much as me is just too low IMO. Thanks. We are doing the same thing: I'm trying to teach my DS who's 6 to ride without training wheels, he's almost got it. Almost. LOL.

philana: My sister is your height and weight and she looks amazing, very muscular. No one ever guesses her true weight because the muscle makes her look smaller. I'm sure you look great even if you didn't lose another pound IMO. The mental part of losing weight and feeling good is half the battle. I'm so excited for you!!

Dorian5: Avocados are my new favorite condiment. Try it in place of lowfat mayonnaise on a turkey sandwich with lettuce on whole wheat bread. It's awesome. Sometimes I put a slice or two on my steamed brown rice with a few grape tomatoes for a light lunch. Delicious!

krampus: Is it weird to say that I thought of you when I landed in JFK a few days ago?!? Glad the move went well. Good to see you arrived here safely.

I did my cheat meal yesterday for lunch. Wednesday at lunch works for me for some reason. Anyway, I had a bowl of full-fat macaroni and cheese, a glass of white cranberry juice, a pickle and 4 nutter butter cookies for dessert. My older son likened my cheat meal to putting gas in your car once a week so it can run properly. I love that analogy. It's nice to see he's starting to listen when I talk to him about being healthy. The boy can learn, lol. ;)

Well, I did my Pilates last night. I'm still sore but it did help soothe the muscles somewhat. I look forward to it because after the morning run, I needed something gentle to relax me. My hubby came home early to paint my younger son's room so I was doing my exercises at 10 p.m. which is usually when I go to bed. I'm just exhausted today. Tonight is my weight training and core work.

I always think of you ladies whenever I work out now. It's nice to know I have people I can talk to about this even if only in the 'virtual world'. Have a nice Thursday everyone!! :)

jens10 - thanks! :)

philana - thank you & congrats on getting started on your c25k!

Well ladies, I finished the Gator (cup)cake! I got off work at 6 last night. Got home around 6:30 & got started right away. Ran out of green icing 4 cupcakes in!! LOL i had to go back out and buy more. Oh, and I had to make the orange icing myself because I couldn't find what I needed pre-made. Let me tell you, mixing icing is a P.I.T.A!!! My hands were so sore after. Haha. Anyway, 3 hours later - here was the final product! I am really hoping he likes it. Only a couple more hours & I will have the verdict ;)

New low -- 122.6lbs this morning! I hope I'm at 122.4lbs on my official weigh in tomorrow so I can slide my ticker down to 122! I love that silly little ticker. That will put my at only 7lbs to goal! Holy crap!

So I went and had a light beer and a diet coke w/raspberry vodka cocktail with a friend last night. Then we went to taco bell! I got some lower calorie fresco tacos with chicken, ~300 calories. I counted it in my calories for the day and had a long run. So I tried hard to make good decisions.

BUT yet ANOTHER friend who is leaving soon wants to hang out tonight and get frozen yogurt! Sheesh. BUT I already went to the frozen yogurt site and printed the nutrition so I can make a good choice, they have sugar free, non fat varieties for 80 calories per half cup and lots of fresh fruit. Not to mention we're playing DDR beforehand, so I'll burn the calories.

It not so hard to make good choices if I put my mind to it! :D

--

nikkinouille - OMG I love your cupcake alligator! It's SOOOO cute! I can't wait to hear what your boyfriend thinks, I'm sure he'll love it! I also saw your hedgehog in another thread, OMG IT'S SO CUTE! I've wanted a hedgehog for a while, but I have a tarantula and Mom says that's enough exotic pet for one person. :lol:

fitmom - Yum, I'm a mac & cheese freak! Those nutter butter cookies are another guilty pleasure of mine! I have been thinking of doing something like you do with avocados and grape tomatoes in your brown rice, expect with quinoa. I love quinoa! :T Hop you manage to get to bed a little earlier tonight, good for you for getting that workout in late instead of just going to bed.

philana- My self control is really good for a while, and then really awful for a while. I swing back and forth like a pendulum. :lol: But it seems to balance out, and you seem to be doing well with your own self control anyway! I am SO impressed with your before-work run, I have NEVER woken up early to work out and so admire people who do. Keep it up!

jens10 - I will definitely try the avocados, salt and lime! I'll just have to make sure that I don't pair it with a Corona. :T

ann71 - Glad the weather there is nice! Here it's still HOT in the HIGH 90'S! And humid! Blech. Glad to hear about your increased exercise too, keep it up!

Keep it up ladies! :carrot:

I do the maintenance weight X 12 and find it works for me. I am just 5' tall and small boned , I eat about 1400 calories a day and find it works just fine. It is unreasonable to think that I would need the same number of calories as someone 5'9" and a maintenace weight of 150 pounds.

Dorian5: That's awesome!!! Wow, only 7 lbs. to goal. You go, girl! LOL. I love quinoa too. I tried it when I went away and it was really good. I'm thinking of buying some the next time I go grocery shopping. Oh, I so remember those days when I used to have an active social life. But I digress. ;) Keep going! I know you can do it. :)

That's what I figured as well. I'm 5'6" tall, 117 lbs. and small-boned as well. I try to stick to 1600-1800 calories a day. Anymore I'd be stuffed, less than that and I'd be fainting from hunger, lol.

I know you've already had your night out, but I just read about a low cal drink I'm going to try on vacation next week: diet ginger ale with a splash of beer. It's supposed to taste like the beer, maybe like a beer version of a wine spritzer? I don't know how many places have diet ginger ale, but I can make it at the condo. Hope it's tasty :crossed:.

Hi, room for a short person?
August already, oh wow! I’m a month into my diet, and it’s not going too well!! I lost 4.5lbs in the first week, and last week I had a massive slip up for a few days and gained back 1lb! But I’m back on the straight and narrow and hopefully on Saturday I’ll be able to report a loss!

Nikkinouille- wow! What a great idea, but I don’t think I’d have been able to make all those cakes without eating them. Well done for the effort and the self control. :P

Philana – I’d seen ‘C25K’ on the boards before but hadn’t known what it meant. That plan looks really good, especially if it works! I’m heading back to uni soon and I won’t have the money to go to fitness classes or a TV to use a fitness DVD so I was hoping to get into running, except I’m awful at it! This sounds perfect for me to try. By the time I get there I’ll be on week 6/7 and so hopefully I’ll be able to jog for long enough to actually be efficient! My only thing is I am a bit of a self conscious exerciser, so I’ll have to pick antisocial times to go jogging I think... :P

Dorian5 – I really struggle with alcohol when it comes to socialising. I’m no alcoholic, but I really don’t enjoy being the only sober person in a club, and although there are drinks that are better than others, they’re all pretty bad once you have 5 of them. :P I do need to find an alternative though, I’ve turned unsociable this past month since I’ve been trying to lose weight and I hate it! I need to get out there and find alternatives like you’re doing, instead of just wussing out and staying home. :(

fitmom - you're a machine! AS IF you do that much exercise! :P From now on you'll be my inspiration! ;)

I went to the cinema yesterday and nearly treated myself to a Magnum ice cream. But on my new diet it is ‘20 syns’, and the most you’re supposed to eat for the entire day is 15 syns!! It really shocked me... before the diet I would have had one without thinking and wouldn’t have even classed it as a special one-off treat. But now I know that in the future I may allow myself to have one if I save my syns for that entire day (and maybe the day after!) So even though I’m not losing weight like I’d like, at least my attitude towards food is changing. :)

fitmom - i would think your sister has been working out a lot? I am in no way all muscle ;). I am getting there. But fr now this height and weight puts me into a skin with lots of fat under it. ;) Mostly my legs. The rest is really no problem.

dorian - great way of doing your research before going some place! I get too lazy and just don't bother. Hahah. Congrats on the loss! So amazing!

cantgetenough - it's really an eye opener to just see which foods have what kind of nutrional value. I have that with baked bread. I never ever thought it would contain 1/5th of my daily calorie intake! Dangit. LOL. And magnums are the worst I would think :P - I can't tell you yet if c25k is gonna work for me. I never was able to run, but all the posts in the c25k thread of people that are further along inspire me. The thought of running 30mins straight in just a few weeks baffles me really!


---
I have to kick myself off this lazy place. I do my excersise a bit half arsed the past few days. And I've not been really counting my calories. I haven't eaten badly.. but I ate more carbs than I did when I was loosing weight, and probably about 1400cals instead of 1250. So, I got the 2/4lbs off that I packed on after my bday last weekend - but all I see is that the scale is about 0.5lbs higher than it was a week ago and that doesn't motivate!

In a week I am going on a holiday - well, I'm working as a 'cook' for a week at this retreat/workshop thing in France and other than that have beautiful surroundings with no supermarkets or anything close by. And no internet. But, also no gym. So I need to come up with a way to have LOTS of physical activity. I could really loose a lot of weight that week. I am cooking vegetarian and organic a whole week. I just fear getting bored and having an abbundance of fresh figs hanging off the trees and eating them allllll.

Tips are more than welcome on the outdoor activity. Limiting factors: no equipment, no bike, no tv, no internet.

I haven't been around 3fatchicks since the very beginning of June, so I figure this is as good a place as any to jump back into the swing of things! I was travelling like mad this summer (around Finland and Estonia, then back Stateside to visit family in Texas and California, then to India to see some high school friends), and I'm finally home! I had an awesome time, but I think I stressed about my eating, exercise, and weight a bit more than was strictly necessary. Glad to see that I've only gained about five pounds, though. Now back to the trenches!

Philana, sounds like your holiday destination would be a really good place to hike! Or just walk around a lot. If you're the type who enjoys wandering around beautiful locales for several hours at a time, it really can be an excellent way to lose weight. And if that seems too time consuming or not as effective as you'd like, you can always go for a jog. I hope you have fun on your vacation; it sounds lovely! How did you find out about this place?

cantgetenoughchoc, excellent on resisting the magnum bar! And re: running/jogging, one of the nice things about it is that you start to see noticeable improvements in your stamina (and looks, too, really) quite quickly. I also started out jogging at the oddest of hours, trying to avoid the streets when I thought people would be out and about, but I found that I began to feel comfortable running and being seen running fairly quickly. Highly recommended!

Good morning! I am 122.2lbs this morning, so I slid my ticker on down. :) Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked about the 1 pound loss from last Friday, but I worked hella hard this week! It's so funny how it is glued on TIGHT towards the end! :lol:

Today will be a struggle as I'm going to lunch at a barbeque place my boyfriend likes, but I'm planning on just getting a pulled pork barbeque sandwich with slaw. And tonight we're making a pizza together. I'm excited about that, the last time we made pizza together it was SO delicious! Think I'll manage to stay at ~1500 calories if I watch myself with portions, and I will hopefully be able to get some treadmill time in before pizza. :dizzy:

---

cantgetenoughchoc - It's SO hard to sit and not drink while everyone else has a good time. I generally have to make myself the designated driver every single time I go out with friends in order to keep myself from drinking. At home with the boyfriend is much harder, as we always have wine, beer, and liquor on hand.

Amy3680 - That sounds delicious! I really like Jack Daniels and diet ginger ale, but beer and ginger ale will cut the calories further! I'll definitely try it!

fitmom - I'm ready for my social life to slow down! :lol: I wanna relax and save some money and not have to worry so much about what I'm going to consume while I'm out! :dizzy:

philana - Yeah I try to have a plan, if I don't then I will just consume any and everything that I want. YUM I LOVE FIGS! Is it going to be hot there? I try not to go outside, so other than running/walking/jogging/hiking, I'm not sure what you'd be able to do? fitmom may be the one to answer this. ;)

Nienna - Wow, your travels sound awesome! And only a five pound gain? That's amazing!! And that will be off in no time, I'm sure! Way to go!

Have a good day, everyone!

I'm feeling so uninspired today. I ran this morning and I just can't seem to bust through the plateau of 26 minutes for 3.1 miles. Maybe I'm expecting too much. Although I wasn't breathing as hard those last five minutes as I trotted up the hill before turning into my driveway so that's progress, right? Oh, I don't know.

I really have to go to Sears this weekend and get some heavier dumbbells and kettlebells which I've been meaning to do for awhile. My arms are toned but I want like Serena Williams biceps and forearms, lol.

My TOM is right around the corner and I'm just feeling blah. I don't even have the effort to write personals this morning, sorry. I guess you can't be 'on' all the time, huh? I wish it was Saturday already so my DH was home to help with the kids. They are driving me crazy today but I love them dearly. ;)

Have a nice weekend everyone. I'm just really, really missing my mom today. I wish she was still here to talk to. Sorry to be such a downer. :(

Dorian5 Congrats on the new low. You are absolutely killing it! 7 lbs to goal is amazing!

nikkinouille I love that idea especially because Im a UF Alumni! Hope it goes well!

fitmom I love reading your post. Your attitude about all of this seems so upbeat and real. 3.1 miles in 26 minutes is great! You are such a superwoman with the exercise dont even sweat it. You will get there! Im sorry you are missing your mom today :hug:.

nienna - welcome on the board here! it's great fun with all the featherweight gals :D. I think I will probably hike yeh, but I am a bit "lazy" where it's long walks concerned. I just sit down a lot and stare at the sky. LOL. I am gonna help out the mom of a friend of mine. They have a huge piece of land in france and her dad's got alzheimers and can't help with the group they have this year (they have it once a year, just a spritual/workshop/nature thing). And since I didn't have money nor time to go on a big tript his year - my friend set this up for me. I get to go for free and just help out with cooking and such - which I LOVE.

dorian - thanks! enjoy all the going out for foods! it's hassle but also a very nice luxury!) That I don't have the next few months - but no complaining, I had enough of it to last me for a year atleast. LOL.

fitmom - *hugs* some days suck! Just want to let you know you are such a work-out inspiration! You just work so hard, and know what you want with your body beyond "less fat". I hope I figure it out once I get closer to goal.

----
I'm psyched again. Yes. I get psyched a lot. LOL. I am back on plan completely! I went to the gym and worked out like crazy. I ate healthy and did cheap but good groceries. I ate so much - and I still have 300calories left for the day so I am baking carrot-muffin-cake-cranberries-almonds-stuff. If it comes out alright (i'll know in 15mins) it's 6 servings of 140cal each. So I get to have 2! And I am giving the other 4 to my housemates.

As I type this I realise I don't feel like the cake is a cheat or a bad food. Because the only 'bad' thing in there that I wouldn't eat in my yogurt or so is the flour - and I used as little as possible of that. And did low sugar also. And no butter or anything. So... I feel completely justified eating cake for a friday night snack. LOL.


Update on the muffins: Well... I guess there is a reason they put so much sugar in muffins. It was nice, but I had too much cinnamon so it had a weird "spicy" taste to it somewhat and it made me miss the sugar to even that out. Next time no cinnamon and some extra vanilla sugar I think. I am absolutely stuffed now though.

@ Dorian - congrats on being so close to goal!

@ skinnyelle - Thanks! He loved it!

@philana - let me know how those muffins turn out. they sound delicious & i may need the recipe ;)

My boyfriend's 24th bday is today. Of course, as luck would have it, I am working and he is off. I am completely miserable about that. I have roughly 5 hours left at work, then I am off to the house. I am cooking one of his favs, chicken parm for dinner (I'm having half a piece of chicken breast w/ no pasta). I have to say, thank goodness for the level of self-control I have. If I didn't, that combined w/ the way he eats would set me on a path of self destruction! Haha. After dinner, we are getting froyo then going to see The Change Up w/ Ryan Reynolds & Jason Bateman (I love them both). I hope you all have a great Friday & wonderful weekend :)

cantgetenoughchoc: Inspiration to you? Aw, that's so nice. You ladies have helped me in more ways than one. I'm constantly in motion, what can I say? LOL.

skinnyelle39: You. Are. The. Best. :) And here I always think my posts sound like a high school cheerleader, lol. It's nice to know we can lift each other up when we need it...and today I needed it. You have no idea. P.S. I'll trade you my 34B's for your gorgeous face, lol. You need to be modeling, I'm just saying. Remember, small boobs aren't gonna be down to your knees when you're eighty. My mom told me that - she was a 34B too. :)

philana: My sister's had three kids so I don't know if she's exercising all that much. My nieces are all younger than my sons so she's still in the thick of things, lol. I think she walks on the treadmill at night after they are in bed. She's just always been really muscular, that's why I hate her. ;) Thanks for the cyber hug. I so needed it. And I'm so jealous of all you bakers on the board. I can't bake even cookies, I burn them. I'm glad you're back on plan, good for you!!

Dorian5: Hurray for the ticker moving down!! Ooo, I do love a good pulled pork sandwich. Yummy, lol. Have fun. I live vicariously through your posts, just so you know. ;)

Well, I cheated at lunchtime (gasp!), I had a blueberry muffin which is so off my diet. It was 230 calories - eeks! but to counteract it, I had 7 egg whites, a glass of water and a small bowl of strawberries. I still came in on plan with my calories but the muffin wasn't the healthiest choice. I'm PMS-ing and human, what can I say? Tomorrow's another day.

For dinner, it's an egg white (I'm boring, I know) omelette with baby portabello mushrooms, green salad, blueberries and another glass of water. Pilates is tonight. The soreness from the last couple of days is gone, thankfully.

Tomorrow morning is my run. I'll see if I can go even thirty seconds faster, lol. I found out I'm burning around 250 calories with my runs. Once I hit 4 miles, it moves to 300 calories. Not bad, right? Anyway, I need to get to bed earlier tonight. I went to bed around midnight last night which isn't helping my mood. I'm a crank-pot if I don't get my 7 hours of sleep in!

Thanks for making me feel a little bit better. See you all Monday! Bye!

Okay, so, I totally MEANT to just have a barbecue sandwich. But we went to lunch at 2:15pm, by then I was STARVING! And my boyfriend got into my car with a chunk of gourmet chocolate for me. OMG... it was so good, I ate it on the way to the barbecue joint since I was so hungry! Then when I got there I was like "F*ck it, I already ate a bunch of chocolate" so I had a big plate of pulled pork, a side of mac and cheese, some hush puppies dipped in butter, and cole slaw. I ate every last crumb. Yikes!

Oh well, at least my official weigh in was this morning. :lol:

fitmom - I wish I had just had a muffin! Haha. I'm glad to see you're feeling better! :hug: You're runs aren't bad at ALL, very impressive! Keep it up and have an awesome weekend!

That could technically be considered your cheat meal, Dorian5. Just a thought. Not necessarily a bad thing, you know? ;)

@ Dorian - Idk where you went, but there is a BBQ place in Durham that me & my guy LOVE. It's called the Q Shack. Mmmm. Now my mouth is watering! Haha

Coming up for a difficult week next week. One of my friends from uni is coming to visit so this means probably little to no work outs and possibly some off-plan eating.

Hoping to just try and maintain this week.

TheManekiNeko - GOOD LUCK! But have fun while it lasts, because afterwards you're gonna have to make up for it. :)

Dorian - Oh dear! And after I had so much respect for you with your healthy drinking. :P Yea I'm with fitmom - it was a cheat meal. Forget about it, move on, and hopefully it won't affect next weeks weigh in. :) And it's good practice for when you're maintaining your weight. You're not that far off, so maybe it's okay to start introducing these bad days. You're going to have them once you finish your diet. :)


Well I have had a bad/good day. Firstly, I weighed myself a day early... I couldn't help myself, I was sure I hadn't lost anything this week and I was getting fed up - I was wrong. I've lost nearly 3lb!! My official weigh in is tomorrow so hopefully I'll be able to move my slider 3lbs down. :) Yey! And so I went back to the mirror and tried to suss out where this weight loss was coming from.... and I was delighted to conclude that it's coming from my boobs! My bra is looking a little roomier for the first time ever! I'm so relieved - everyone told me that the weight wouldn't come off my boobs.... they lied! :P I have very big boobs, and my friend thought I shouldn't lose weight because they'd look even more ridiculous (He still calls me fat though. Urgh.)

So it got me all motivated to do some exercise, and I bravely decided to go to the "Boxercise" class at my local gym. Oh my GOD! It was awful. It was so hard. I felt so unfit. At the beginning I was worried I was going to faint. Nearer the end I was kind of hoping I would so it would all be over! :P What made it worse was there was only two people in the class - the other girl being a regular, a basketball player and with super muscular legs (like trunks) so she was crazy good! I was embarrassing. And you're going to say "at least you stuck it out!" ... well err, I didn't. It was like circuits... 90 seconds jogging, 90 seconds doing resistant training over and over again. I just stopped after about 40 mins. The man kept trying to encourage me with "Come on Nicola! You can do it!" Which didn't help. My name's Nicole. I'd already corrected him once, it felt rude to do it again. :P And then he finished the class 15 mins early. I think it was for my benefit. SO HUMILIATING!

And I ache ALL OVER! I doubt I'll be able to move tomorrow, let alone exercise. :(

Hey feathers!
I've been reading your posts, and I'm glad to see we're all sticking with our plans and making progress.

My focus today is on some self reflection, namely surrounding my emotional eating. It feels like a never ending battle... but I'm trying to view it as an ongoing self-improvement project.

Hoping to have a peaceful, take-care-of-self day today.

A few personals....

cantgetneoughchoc-- Hello again! There's always room for shorties. hahaha. Let's try and motivate each other! I'm pretty much right where you are. It's so hard to lose any weight at this height. Rhhhhggh! Congratulations for making it through that class, it sounds like it was brutal!

philana-- Hope your retreat is lovely. :)

Ninenna-- Welcome back!

Dorian-- Wow, what progress you're making! Totally admire your dedication. :) I agree, the BBQ was a cheat meal.

fitmom-- You are always an inspiration, and there is no shame in having an off day. No guilt here!

TheManekiNeko-- Sending you positive/strong vibes for your tough week ahead. You've got this!


Keep on sharing your progress, gals. I love to read about how you're doing, it's always inspiring. :)

Off to enjoy this day, rain or no rain!

--FPSJ

Hey gals! Still on plan here, still staying around 126. Thursday evening a friend came in town and wanted to have dinner. Hubby suggested we go to a sports bar in the neighborhood. There was not one healthy thing on that menu! I'm vegetarian, so I settled on the veggie burger (one that was noticeably lacking in veggies--the patty appeared to be made up of fried white rice and tomato sauce??). I sat there frowning at it and thinking, "A calorie splurge for this?" :p But I estimated calories and figured them into my daily range, and went home and had some Greek yogurt for protein and some actual vegetables. :dizzy: No harm done, I guess, as I didn't gain any water weight or anything.
------

FatPantsSkinnyJeans: I feel your peace from here! :yoga:

cantgetenoughchoc: I'm always happy to lose from my boobs, too. They're nearing a size I'd consider "normal" now. :) I think you did great in your class. Sounds like you pushed yourself really hard, but stopped before you risked injury. Yay for you!

TheManekiNeko: Good luck! A friend of mine always tells people, "Make good choices." :) I'll be visiting family for a week in the middle of this month, so I'll also be facing an off-plan week where I try to maintain...

Dorian5: At least you enjoyed your cheat meal! Those calories need to be worth it. :)

fitmom: Hope you got your sleep and had a good run! I've always needed my sleep, too, but I need it even more when I'm exercising hard or eating at a deficit.

nikkinouille: Happy bday to your bf! Hope you guys had a nice evening.

philana: Hope the muffins turn out better next time! At least they were edible. :)

Nienna: Welcome back! And good luck getting rolling again.

Well I just thought I'd quickly share my good news with you guys...
Officially I lost 2.5lbs this week! Woop! :D

Oh and another great achievement - I've just come back from a house party. All my friends were there, and they usually can count on me being drunk (not proud of myself, just unfortunately bad with handling the alcohol. :P) But they were shocked to find that I only turned up with Fanta Zero (A drink that's FREE on my diet, I can have as much as I want!) and no alcohol! At first I sort of regretted it - they wouldn't shut up moaning about it! So they went on and on... offering me drinks and trying to get me involved in playing drinking games... but they eventually stopped. And I'm so glad I didn't give in, because I feel so much better for not drinking! I had a really fun night too! YEY! Very proud of myself. :)

fatpantsskinnyjeans - Hello again! :D Argh I know what you mean. This has been my first loss since my first week. Only two losses in a month! Not good. But I'm happy with this one. If I lose 2lb every week I'll be a very happy girl! :P What rate are you losing it at?

sumire - Glad to hear! I hope mine get to normal size too. :) OOoh it's such a shame that you didn't enjoy it! I feel that with chocolate now. I LOVE chocolate, and normally I like all chocolate, but now that I am days between chocolate treats, I am very picky. I have had lots of different chocolate treats that I've been disappointed with - chocolate that before the diet I loved! Out treats don't come often, so when they do come I expect to LOVE it! :P

Uhg. I gained 2lbs. Though it might be waterweight because I had really bad salty-carb snacks yesterday. I really can't get myself back into the swing of being on plan again. Argh. I don't know whats up with me!

cantgetenoughchoc-- Uhhmm I'm not losing at any rate, really. hahaha I wish I was, though! I'm struggling with my eating, unfortunately. Anyway, congrats on your progress, SO good! :)

One week has passed and I feel gross and bloated and ready to eat light and clean and get some exercise. I have been somewhat depressed since coming home - doesn't feel like home - and am hoping I can jump-start myself into feeling human again with more exercise and better food.

krampus - goodluck! sucks when you don't feel joy over being home, hope you can get settled in quickly!

--
A co-worker brought in petit fours. So i've had about 1200 calories worth of those. Uhg. I'll go to the gym tonight and go running and just won't eat more than 1000 calories tomorrow. lol. This kickstarting myself again is really difficult. Don't know what's up with me!

Morning Feathers!

Since we had monsoon-like rains by me all weekend long, my Saturday run was unfortunately cancelled. Oh well. I'm still feeling not like myself b/c my dreaded TOM is due any day which b/t the scale moving up and my stomach looking bloating is not making me a happy girl, lol.

On the positive note, I trimmed my bangs this weekend and bought some new makeup. That always helps. I spent some quality time with my boys and DH so that did boost my mood slightly. My hubby recognized that I was in a funk, so to speak so I basically went out to eat all weekend; not having to cook is so nice, lol. I did stay on plan. I was proud of myself for that. I didn't give into any of the sugar cravings that I had so that was great.

This morning I planned to do HIIT outside but there were so many puddles that I quickly nixed the idea. I geared up in my exercise clothes and went down into my basement while everyone was still asleep and ran in place really fast for 20 seconds bursts followed by 40 seconds of walking briskly in place. I did this for about 20 minutes. I was sweating up a storm but wasn't as tired as I get with the sprinting/walking combo I normally do. The only thing I can think is that maybe I'm a little more conditioned that I was before. But make no mistake, I was tired just not dragging. Although I'm fully prepared for DOMS to set in later on tonight. Looking forward to my Pilates later on as that always helps with the soreness. I'm gonna try to work up to 40 seconds of fast intervals and 20 seconds of slower recovery but baby steps, you know?

krampus: I'm sorry that you've been feeling blah. It takes time to make any major change. Moving is a big adjustment no matter what the circumstances. Getting back into your routine will definitely help. Hope this week is better for you.

philana: We all have days like that. Don't sweat it. Just continue onward. You're doing great!

cantgetenoughchoc: Congrats on the progress thus far! What an inspiration, seriously. You should be really proud.

sumire: One question: is that you in your avatar? If that is, you have awesome arms!! I'd kill for those arms, for real. Glad to see you are doing well.

FatPantsSkinnyJeans: Thanks for saying that. I guess there is no shame in having an off day as long as I keep my eye on the ball. We all need a self-reflection day every now and then. Losing weight and getting fit is as much emotional as it is physical. Sometimes I think we forget that. Good to see you are taking care of your whole self in this progress.

There's a heat advisory by me until 6 p.m. so I'll be indoors all day today. I plan to finish a few loads of laundry and do my nails later. Hope the week is a good one for everyone!! :)

philana- Sometimes it's so hard to pass up those "little" treats, and then you eat more of them than you intended. Sounds like you're going to be right back on track tomorrow though, so kudos!

-----
I've been eating more healthily and going to the gym the past few days, but I am so sore! My back feels like it's been run over by a truck. Going to the gym again today anyway because I feel so much better than I have in a long time. Sore but happy!

I just ate chocolate cookies to the point of sickness, then a spoon of peanut butter, then a devil dog. I have no idea why, and I still want more.

All weekend I ate and ate and ate and drank a TON of alcohol. Ugh! I'm so frustrated and I feel so fat. :(

Joining the chat for the first time!

Weighed in at 126 this morning, the size 4 pants I bought over the weekend seemed a little big by the end of the day (feeling GREAT about that), and a coworker asked if I've lost "a ton of weight" - ha! :carrot:

I went for a walk in my neighborhood this evening after work -- what part of me thought it would be a good idea to walk briskly in 99 degree weather? I was sweaty and beet-red when I got home - LOL. I probably shouldn't do that again.

Have a couple of events this week that will involve tons of food and drink, so I need to stay on plan the rest of the time. I really need to see these cankles get outta here. And the arm fat can join them.

Keep on keeping on, feathers!

125.5, ladies! Another half-pound down. I'm psyched by the changes I'm seeing in my body. Went and bought new bras today--bought some 32DDs and one 32DDD. My boobs haven't been this small since I was 17, and I am totally happy about it! I have been wearing some grossly oversized 36DD bras for a long time now, and my new bras make me look much better in my t-shirts. Yay!

cantgetenoughchoc: I'm exactly the same way about treats now. My mother is like me, gained weight over the years, then got thin again and has maintained for a long time. When she visited in mid-June, we came across an ice cream vendor. We asked him for one type of ice cream off his list, which he didn't have, then another, and he was out of that, too... then he told us what he had, and we decided not to get any of them. The old me so would've gotten whatever he had, but we both knew, when you're going to splurge, it better be really good. :D

krampus: I'm sure it must be strange, coming back home after a long time. But you strike me as a super-capable gal, so I know you'll get back in the swing of things soon!

philana: Back on the bandwagon, girl! You can do it! :D My two cents, for what it's worth: be careful not to overcompensate by restricting too much... binge/restrict cycles can get pretty nasty, as plenty of people here at 3FC can attest. I'd just put it down as one lost day and continue as planned.

fitmom: Noooooo not the bloating! :) Hope it goes away soon. I agree, cooking breaks are awesome--and kudos to you for staying on plan. And yes, those are my arms. They were sort of semi-flexed, so they're a bit more impressive than they are when they're just relaxed. But I'm pretty proud of my arms--worked hard for 'em, ya know? (I know you know... 'cause you are the ABS QUEEN. :D)

Dorian5: :hug: You'll bounce back soon. I'm always amazed by your progress!

skinnyminnynow: Welcome! Congrats on your losses so far--you're doing really well! 99 degree walks... that is so hardcore, lol.

Hope everybody else is doing well!

sumire - you are calling 32DD small? Hihih! Then I just have no boobs at all ;) - you must have a wonderful hourglass figure if I you have those measurements. Im jealous! And thanks for the advice, I actually don't eat very restrictive - my problem really just is -not- eating something when it's right infront of me. And there's been too many temptations. I need to learn how to not eat something when a co-worker brings in petit fours or when there is bags of chips leftover at my house from a party.

-
I am so HAPPY. I am back on the bandwagon. I did my excersise last night (gym + c25k) and I had been eating a little below maintenance but not on plan so wasn't expecting direct results from one day back on track - but I lost 1lbs already. Finally below the 143 where I'd been sitting at for a week. I am hoping to get to 140 by saturday - because sunday I go to France and need a good start!

Dorian At least the food sounds worth it! Gourmet chocolate, mac and cheese, pulled pork YUM! I hate when I waste calories on something that doesn't have the "Mmmmmm, that was soooo good!" factor. And it was after official weigh in day, no doubt that you will be back on track for a loss for your next weigh in!
Krampus Sorry you are not feeling at home yet. I'm sure it will take awhile to feel to get the feeling that this is home again.
Sumire A fried rice and tomato sauce burger? Shudder!
Cantgetenough Minus three pounds when you thought you lost nothing, double bonus!!!! WOOHOO
Dorian, again Ooops, just got to the point of the devil dog, cookies, and PB. Ugggh, I hate that, it always takes something delicious and worth it to zap my willpower, but it seems once I pass that wall, my mouth becomes a magnet for junk for days lately.

I am wondering if my scale is broken. I gingerly stepped on for the first time in at least a week thinking "Oh, please don't say 140. Top out at 135-136 please, please, please." And then it said 130. I swear I don't know how I am maintaining. Maybe I am so used to the "dieting" mentality that I really am eating at maintenance levels and it just feels like I am overindulging? Even if my mouth isn't eating, my mind is constantly rummaging for food, thinking I am hungry, what should I eat next, even if I *just ate
Little League football season has begun. This usually entails me sitting on my butt for THREE hours five days a week at the practice field. The park has a one-third mile loop around it, so it is the perfect time to get my run in this year while still being at the field in case of an emergency. It isn't my ideal time of day for running as it is still sunny and hot, but if my 7 and 10 year old can work for three hours in helmets and uniforms, I can surely run for 45 minutes in a tank and shorts.

sumire: Ooo, I knew they were your arms. I wanna cry now for real, lol. Consider me very impressed. :D They remind of my sister's arms, she's muscular like you. Think of Tori Spelling - her arms and mine could be twins, lol. Congrats to you on the scale moving down, always a good thing. OMG, the Abs queen? That made me chuckle, seriously. I know what you mean about your t-shirts fitting better with the right bra. Foundation garments are the basis for any wardrobe IMO. And by the way, not only would I give my right arm for your biceps but um, your boobage as well, lol. Give me just one of your D's and I'd be happy. Mine are looking full again b/c the TOM is here but once it's gone, the fullness will be too. Oh well.

aimeebell: You are so close to goal, that's awesome! I wish I had a field closer to my house so I could run on it too. I bet you look really good at your height at 130 lbs. That's funny that we have kids that are similiar ages, mine are 9 and 6. They don't play baseball though. Older son is into music and younger son wants to play football. I knew there was a reason I liked you and we're even the same height too. :p

philana: Can you stow me away in your suitcase? LOL. I hope you have fun on your trip. Good to see you are back on track. Having somewhere to go on vacation is usually a great motivating factor, at least it is for me.

Well, there's still a heat advisory today with on and off showers so the kids and I are stuck indoors, again. Oh well. I'm sore as heck from yesterday's HIIT but in a good way. Last night was Pilates and I slept like a baby, lol. Tonight is my weight training and core work.

This is a weird question but do any of you find that as your abs shape up that your innie belly button is starting to slightly protrude? Mine is ever-so-slightly. I've seen photos of other women online who exercise regularly and theirs does as well. I wonder why this happens. Weird or what?!?

It's almost time for me to start making lunch. A mother's work is never done. Have a great Tuesday everyone!! :)

I've come to the conclusion that I don't like lifting weights, lol. I LOVE LOVE LOVE cardio. I don't get a 'runners high' from lifting weights and I find it boring. Plus, I have to really concentrate on my form which with two kids my mind is all over the place. I do love my kettlebells but I'm finding that I've mastered the 15 lb. weight so I've got to buy at least a 20 lb. weight to challenge myself. And the whole, 'whoa is me thing' that I don't really build muscle all that much because of my body type is depressing me too. It seems like everyone on this board has muscles but me, lol. Oh, I don't know. I just love the way running has changed my body, I can't really say that for weights. Ugh! End of my rant.