sumireHa! Now that I think about 20 inches is the goal size. Im at 22 right now! My mistake sorry! lol

I actually have an answer to my belly button question, lol. I asked my personal trainer friend and he said that as you begin to lose body fat sometimes your innie could become less of an innie. Mine's still an innie but not as deep as before, if that makes any sense. So that's a visual helpful fact to let you know that you are, in fact, losing body fat.

Don't be jealous of my thighs - they may be a bit on the lean side b/c of the running but they need to become more muscular, lol. I am working on it though...it's just a slow progress. Very slow.

Hi girls--

Don't know if you saw my thread a couple of days ago, but I'm finally back and seriously recommitting to 3FC. I finally weighed myself at the gym today after about two months, and found to my utter shock that I am now 110 lbs -- closer to 109, if I know how to use an old-fashioned balance right -- which was my original goal.

I don't know how I feel about that. Strange. Not skinny, of course -- I still think my thighs are huge (although they're not) and dislike my waist (even though I recognize that it's objectively much smaller). But I'm now back to work on maintenance and body image and becoming more fit. I'd like to lose a bit more fat, but I want to be able to bike up the 13th street hill in downtown Washington much more.

With that, I'm jumping into the conversation -- I'm glad to see so many familiar usernames, Krampus and SkinnyElle and Minifluffy and everyone else -- and great to see new people too!

Philana I am always incredibly hungry around my TOM too. Don't give in to the carb cravings -- I have a bit of dark chocolate and whole wheat, but nothing light, refined, desserty, because it'll just make me the cravings worse. Good for you for being responsible in the supermarket. Hold strong!

Sumire I actually get stuck between wishing my boobs were smaller ("AUGH why won't this dress fit") and wishing they were bigger ("and yet it shows no cleavage!") So you're definitely right. Another silly body image thing we all have :)

Also - I think my thigh measurement is also ~20. But I'm really short and it's all in an inner thigh flap. If only I could turn inner thigh fat into back-of-thigh muscle... one can dream...

I am so uninspired to cook or eat. It's soooo hot here today, yet another day indoors, lol. My TOM is making me cranky, irritable and not too fun to be around. I gave in and had some pretzels but I figured that could be my cheat snack. ;) Didn't do my cheat meal, I couldn't imagine eating mac n' cheese in this heat and humidity.

I ran this morning and that helped my cramps and my overall mood. Can't seem to break out of the 26 minutes though. Next week I plan to do 3.3 miles instead of 3.2 so we'll see.

Tonight is dinner with my sons - haven't the foggiest idea what to make - bathtime and then Pilates. I am switching up my Pilates routine and doing a circuit from a book I have to prevent boredom. Some of the moves are downright acrobatic! There's one called the 'open-leg rocker' and it's basically a v-up where you grab your shins, holding the pose for 5 seconds. Sounds easy but I was shaking and rocking back and forth like crazy. My DH came home and just shook his head while cocking an eyebrow when he saw me in that crazy position. 'Nuff said.

Happy 2-Month Running Anniversary to me!! LOL. I started running exactly two months ago today. Hard to believe I could barely jog for five minutes without getting extremely winded.

I also started hard-boiling eggs in the morning for snacks during the day. My older son loves them so he gobbles them right up, I almost have to fight him for them. My younger son just likes his eggs scrambled or over-easy, lol.

I'm starting to get a tiny bit stressed about school starting next month but I'm trying to take it day by day and just enjoy the rest of the summer with no homework, projects or after-school activities.

Well, I'm off to make myself a cup of green tea. Happy Wednesday ladies!

Sumire: I totally agree with skinnyelle39! Gosh, you look amazing! Your thighs are totally fine even if you didn't lose another pound/inch IMO. And I'm still so jealous of the way you fill out your t-shirts, lol. :p You should be so proud of what you have accomplished thus far!!! Way to go! :)

Up a pound today, but I guess I should feel fairly ok given I went out to dinner last night. Let's hope it's mostly water retention. Did light weights and lunges for 30 min and stationary bike for 30 min this morning. Feeling as prepped as I can for calorie-craziness at a work happy hour tomorrow.

I'm pretty darn curvy in the rear-end area and have been in size 30 jeans recently, and today I tried on an old pair of size 27 jeans and THEY FIT!!!! Big victory -- that time of my life was a high-body-confidence time, and it felt really great to be almost back where I was. Need to lose a couple pounds before I feel really good in those jeans, but THEY FIT! I know size 27 ain't much for some of you teeny featherweights, but for me that's almost as small as I'm going to get with this booty!

@ all of you - I envy ALL of your thighs! The day I have at least semi-toned thighs, whether 18" or 25" I will be happy!!!

Keep on keeping on!

Hello everyone I am not sure if anyone remembers me but I was here a few months ago. I stopped visiting this site in February when I hit some major stumbling blocks with my weight loss. I was really sick for a while with various infections, and the flu. I also was dealing with a lot of stress in my life in general.

After a long hard fall off the weight loss wagon I am back and 13lbs heavier. I am not sure I really fit into the feather weights anymore since I have close to 40lbs to lose. I am not really comfortable posting on the other boards because I have been previously told that I am losing "vanity weight" even though I am technically overweight.

I just though I would let everyone know I was back and I am hoping to become a contributing/losing member again. I am getting the ball rolling so hopefully I can meet my birthday goal of losing 15lbs by Sept/26.

Aw, shucks, gals. :o You are too sweet.

MiniFluffy: I'm sure you're smaller than you think you are! At your weight, you must be pretty lean. I've been following your thread in the Maintainers' forum, by the way. I'm rooting for you & your month of clean eating! :cheer2:

skinnyelle: I'd love to get to 20", too. I'm guessing that 21" may be more realistic for me, but we'll see!

fitmom: Thanks! I am proud. I'm still losing for the sake of those "trouble spots" that are noticeable when not covered by clothing, you know, but I'm more happy & satisfied all the time. Man, I love pretzels, and hard-boiled eggs, and green tea! Your day was yummy. :) Happy "running anniversary". You've made amazing progress in 2 months! Wowee!

nikkinouille: Ow, pulled muscles in both calves! Glad you're recovered & back to it. I'm heading off for a vacation soon. I think I'll take a resistance band with me, and otherwise wing it with bodyweight work and my iPod to fuel my cardio.

lackadaisy: I lurked around here for quite a long time before I started posting, so I "know" you from your previous posts. Welcome back! And congrats on how well you've been doing. Body image is so tough, I hope things improve for you there & that you can see how FABULOUS you must totally look. :)

skinnyminnynow: Congrats on fitting into those old jeans! That's a great feeling. A 27 is small to me! (That's like a US 4, yeah?)

Veela: Welcome back! Sorry to hear about the illness & stress--I hope things have cleared up for you, and good luck getting back into weight loss mode. You're totally a feather! But I know what you mean about finding the right group to fit into. That was part of the reason why I lurked for so long on 3FC before posting--I wasn't sure I was a feather, but I didn't know where else I'd fit.

Wow, there is so much to catch up on, I'll get some personals in the next time around. ;) I haven't been around since I've been sulking about my awful weekend of eating everything I could get my hands on, but I'm at 123.6lbs this morning. So I'm glad to see it coming off.

I'm staying on plan for the rest of the month except for 3 days where I will have to be a little naughty -- I'm attending a wedding, my boyfriend's birthday dinner, and then for his birthday the next day. The wedding I should be able to be pretty good, they are my boyfriend's college friends so I can drive so he can drink. I'm taking him to some very nice restaurants for his birthday dinner though (bar hopping between some happy hours at ritzy restaurants with excellent appetizers) -- so all bets are off. :lol: Plus I can't whine about "Oh, I can't eat this" or "That has too many calories" on his BIRTHDAY, that's just silly!

I am maintaining 122-125 with ease, I'm not having any trouble at all with it. But again, the goal is 115-120! If I'm slacking this much right now when I'm 7lbs to goal, how hard is it going to be when I'm at 119?! :rolleyes:

Glad to see you back, lackadaisy! Sounds like you're doing so well!

Keep at it everyone!

God, I hate the TOM!! :(:(:( The scale has creeped up by 3 lbs. and I'm just a bloated mess, lol. Anyway...I'm totally sore from working out this week. I know you're supposed to revel in the fact that you're confusing your muscles and all that but I'm old, you know? I hate soreness, lol.

I'm taking my older son with me on Monday to do my sprinting. I haven't done much of it since I got back due to the weather being rotten. He's pumped to do it again because he says it's so much fun. I love being able to bring him with me now that he's older. I look forward to our talks as we jog down to the playground together. It's awesome mother/son time. :love:

I am determined to teach my younger son how to ride without training wheels so that's my focus today. He finally learned how to tie a shoe so that's over with. He can do it - I know he can, lol.

I'll write personals next time. Have a good day, Feathers! :)

Hello ladies....it has been a rough week to say the least. I broke up my boyfriend of 3 years and father to my child as of last Thursday. I am stuck in a lease for another 5 months with him which makes being home all the more taxing. My exercise hasn't been on track, I believe because my eating has not been on track. I have gone over my daily calorie count anywhere from 200-800 calories each day except for yesterday, I got myself back on track. I feel tired, dragged out, and all around not motivated. I did run Tuesday, along with an hour walk in the evening with my son. And then went on another long walk with my son yesterday evening to get out of the house. Today, I am treating myself to a gym membership after I get out of work (along with an intense workout). It will be a great way to get out of the house, burn off my anxiety/aggression, and they have childcare so if I need to bring my son.

I was reading everyone's posts and it sounds like everyone is on track and doing great. I am so envious of everyone who is sticking to their workouts! I need to get back on track, starting NOW.

Veela - welcome back! And goodluck on starting anew :D Hope you reach your goal!

Dorian - nice to see you again. Those foodmoments sound great. And just enjoy them. So, weightloss wil go a little bit slower, but it doesn't really matter much if you stay on plan the other bunch of days of the month! It's not like you are never gonna go out for dinner for the rest of your life.

fitmom - goodluck with TOM. lol. just remember it's gone before you know it!

mamamorgan - sorry to hear about the hardship right now. It's good that you are actively looking for ways to leave the house if that makes you more comfortable, the gym is a great place to be anyhow!

---

I don't know how many calories I ate today, I totally guesstimated and didn't care because I wasn't overeating. I really am too lazy to count calories lately. The app on my ipad is great, but the ipad is huge and don't wanna constantly carry it. And no app works nice on the blackberry. And there's no app that works good for Dutch brands except FatSecret, but only on the ipad or blackberry.. the online version is American/Uk. So... now what?

Just did my w2d1 run! I am so proud. It's late in the evening and I dragged myself off the couch for a run. I like evening running because the streets are empty, but it sucks because I can't go into the woods with soft surface. And the street just hurts my shins.

Another late day at work. Easy to stress-overeat, so I have to stay conscious...

I weighed in at 112 this morning after a "heavy" breakfast of fruit and a smoothie, which was a little sad for one second until I sanity-checked about (1) having eaten more weight in high-water/fiber food, (2) not being as dehydrated as yesterday (post-1-hour-biking). Nice to know my weight "range" is still where I wanted it to be. But I guess it does motivate me to stay conscious and delays the inevitable maintenance stage. I can so lose those last 3 lbs or so and stay under 110! Yes! It will happen!

More personals, later, but I'll start with this --

mamamorgan, nothing but hugs -- hold strong. A long run always makes me feel better -- or a kind, relaxed yoga class.

philana -- FatSecret has a great app for BlackBerry -- effective/comprehensive, great tools, integrates with its iPad/internet apps, and really cute as well. Also completely free. Tracks food and exercise, looks up menus for restaurants, etc. No excuses ;)

Hi all. I'm still here, but haven't had time for personals and I feel bad about that so I haven't posted. I will get to them soon! I'm still reading, though.

I'm doing pretty well with eating, although I think a lot of it is stress. Better than emotional eating, I suppose.
Nothing huge going on, just a bunch of little things. I'm not good with uncertainty in my life.

Well... the ipad one is great. But the blackberry one does not work properly for my area yet. I've been in contact with FatSecret about it.. and they tell me eventually it will be fixed but for now it is the way it is. Which means no syncing (cant sync the ipad either).

Anyhow.. when I get back from France I am gonna get a scale for measuring my food. That will help with the guessing. Because this way I am not loosing any weight. Not gaining either.. but uhg! The first 14lbs went so fast, this is just annoying! Two weeks of not being able to go completely back on plan.