September Feather Chat
 

It's the 4th! Time for a September chat.

I've got a five day weekend, through Wednesday! I'm debating whether I should work on my house, or just sit around and read.

Any other U.S. folks have Labor Day plans? Maybe you all do, that's why the posts are so slow.

Going to a party tomorrow but i hope it doesn't throw my weight off. i'm trying to lose a couple pounds this week.

Hi feathers, can i join you?

My diet started last week, and the plan is to set some targets to meet before mini-holiday in October, with a view to some better targets to achieve before bigger holiday in December. Um, still thinking through exactly what they're going to be but in the meantime the diet has started!!

I was here last year and the beginning of this year, but since easter it's been a slippery slide of gaining weight (about 10lb!!) and not looking at this website.

So i need to lose it again. Just back from an hour run round at lunchtime. 24C temps and sunny - spring is on it's way!!

Hi feathers,

I have moved back to the UK so I am in a bit of a find a flat/do my prep work/sort out bike, phone etc stress before teacher training starts next week. I thought I had found a flat but it turns out the landlord doesn't want my bf staying for a week at the end of Sept. He's already booked his flights so I wouldn't tell him he can't now so it looks like I'm back to the drawing board.

Weight is the last thing on my mind atm but I will be starting again once everything is settled. I think I'll try the Paleo way out for a bit, I read Paleo for Athletes and the science of acid/alkali foods etc seemed interesting. I think it could suit me as a maintenance plan (80% of the time, maybe?)

Have a nice start to the school year!

Hey gals! I've been lurking since I got back from vacation. Took a two-week break from exercise and calorie counting and managed to more or less maintain. I got back to exercising a week ago and have been up on the scale with MAJOR water weight due to muscle soreness. But I know it will settle down soon.

I finally couldn't ignore the running bug any longer... so I suckered hubby into starting C25K with me! We went for our first run Friday and will do our second one today. I'm letting my hubby (who is truly coming from the couch) dictate the pace, so it's really low intensity for me, but I had a great time and am looking forward to our second run today! Yesterday I went to the gym for the first time in several months (normally do my workouts at home) and felt kind of badass outlifting all the gals, plus a couple of skinny dudes, haha. (I hope that's not too rude. :o)
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ann71: I'd vote for reading, but I don't own a house. :) Hope that whatever you do, you enjoy your long weekend!

liliesinmycereal: Good luck at the party! And if it does affect the scale, well, the damage can be undone.

ange82much: Welcome and good luck!

claire: Welcome back! I hope you get settled in quickly & that everything works out well. My brother does the Paleo thing & it works fabulously for him--he's Mr. Fitness, too--in insanely good shape.

sumire You are my hero! Lol PLEASE share some workouts/eating guidelines with me. Specifically the kind of things you did to go from high 130's to where you are currently. Im DYING to reach my goal!

Oh dear September is NOT off to a good start for me! I had to get a tooth pulled a week ago, and got a dry socket. On the plus side I'm not allowed absolutely ANY soda. Unfortunately their version of "soft food" is ice cream and hamburgers. Most of my healthier snacks I have been trying to choose are out, because they're crunchy! SUCH a pain! I hope I manage to survive the dry socket without gaining back the like 2 pounds I lost last month!

Claire- moving is the worst! I hope it starts to go more smoothly for you.

~Katy

Hey everyone, I thought I would jump back in. :)

September is shaping out to be a good month for me... after being out of control with my eating (and laziness) during July and August... it's good to be back on the right path (even if I'm a few pounds heavier!) I'm back to keeping a food journal and I've been hitting the gym almost every day and feeling great! I have major motivation... my 5 year wedding anniversary is on the 30th, and we're going to visit my husband's family (who we haven't seen in several years) and going to his high school reunion on October 1st!

Katy, so sorry to hear about the dry socket! :( Can you eat yogurt? That would be a healthy alternative and still qualify as soft food!

Ann, I would have worked on the house some and taken breaks to read. How did your weekend turn out?

Hi Ange! Welcome!

Claire, sounds stressful! Why would your landlord care if your boyfriend came for the week? How odd! I hope you get everything figured out and settled soon!

Lilies, hope you had fun at the party!

Sumare, I loved C25k! Congrats on maintaining for the two weeks that you were on "break". It's difficult for me to maintain if I'm not working to count calories... I need to find that balance!

Jamie that's great that your 5-year is coming up so soon! I'm sure you are going to look just fabulous :)

I can eat yogurt but the only kinds I like are full of sugar, plus I'm just not a big fan of sweet foods except in moderation. I mainly eat salty or meaty foods. Most soft options are sweet and I do NOT need all those carbs it's driving me insane. I just want something salty and crunchy!

~Katy

How about hummus? It's not crunchy, but it isn't sweet either. :) Mmmm... Hummus.

Hello everyone, I've been blowing up slowly and being a total slacker on exercise. My weight is high - somewhere in the high 130s - and while I still fit into my clothes, I just feel like a gross bag full of pudding. I've been rather depressed pretty much every day, and instead of losing my appetite I have gained a wicked sweet/booze tooth. I got up early this morning to run before work but it's raining...ah well. It'll get better.

krampus Yes it will get better.

I have found lately that my clothes are fitting looser, but I still don't feel particularly like stepping on the scale. Last I checked I was 127, and I've been putting in some longer runs lately, so hopefully the scale has gone down a little bit. It's weird too. I haven't changed much, but I've found that I'm recovering faster from longer runs. I've still been running 30+ miles a week, but I've been feeling better...

...however, I never feel like I'm doing enough. I've been trying for such a long time to lose weight, and while I've always had the exercise part down, the food part still eludes me. I wish I was one of those people that could eat a piece of cake and say, "that was good, but one slice was enough".

This one has never worked for me. i.e. the more i run, generally, the more weight i put on BUT i do change shape for the better and my clothes fit better when i'm running more. So don't be too disappointed if the scales are being mean!

I had a run round this morning although stagger would have been a better word as it felt like hard work, and to prove it i actually fell over on a tree root and went sprawling (and yes, there was someone sat in a car just there, to watch me!).

pinkrunner: I hate those people. :P I don't think I'll ever be able to put down a chocolate bar or refuse a 2nd piece of cake. I really need to go cold turkey - but that's just as hard! If I were you I'd probably not bother with the scale. Sounds like you're becoming motivated with the weight loss you can see visibly - it would be awful if the scales ended up disappointing you. :) Keep it up!

krampus: You'll get there eventually!

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I've been so bad!! I went away for a weekend for a friends leaving party and two 21sts, and I ate sooo much cake!! Then I had a week where I volunteered with adults with learning disabilities and the care home fed me. The meals were so unhealthy (delicious) and as I was by the seaside I had icecream ALL THE TIME. I daren't get on the scales. I know I'll have put loads on, I can feel it. And honestly, I don't feel super motivated. I feel fat and I want to slose weight, but I've had ample opportunity to work out or eat healthy for the past few days and I have found a lot of excuses. I'm going to weigh myself tomorrow and hopefully it will shock me into dieting again. I think I just feel so disappointed that I'm no where near reaching my target, and I know that once I'm at uni in a couple of weeks it will be even harder. And after looking at celebrity BMI's in a magazine I don't even think my target is low enough anymore! :( :( Wish there was a quick fix.

Krampus, I was in your shoes for most of July and August (not the depression, but the blowing up. I reached 142 at one point, when I was 132 at the beginning of July) and I felt like total garbage. I couldn't even fit into my clothes and had to buy a couple pairs of bigger shorts. I finally pulled myself together at the end of last month and it's amazing how much better I feel after a few days of working out and healthy eating again. It will get better for you too.

Pinkrunner, it's awesome thtat you're running and recovery is improving. If you are feeling good and your clothes are getting looser, I don't know that I'd even need to step on the scale. I totally hear you on the cake.... I can't stop eating cake until it's gone! :(

cantgetenoughchoc, it sounds like you've been busy! Celebrities have nutritionists, chefs, personal trainers, and it's there job to be perfect (sometimes too thin) so try not to let it get you down.

As for me, scale went down this morning, so I'm happy about that! I signed up for a RUNdead Zombie Adventure run on October 30th. I haven't been running since June... but I thought, 3 or 4 miles, no big deal (you have to find your own path, so there's no set distance). Well I jumped on the treadmill last night and wanted to die after 5 minutes. There's definitely some motivation!

I've been so, so bad for the past 2 months. I believe the binge/restrict roller coaster is coming to a stop now and I'm averaging 1300 calories or so a day lately. TOM is going to be a pain this week but hopefully I can satisfy the sweet cravings with things that are better -- I made healthy banana bread last night, I had a slice of that with a smear of peanut butter before bed to bring myself to 1300 calories.

I don't want to even LOOK at the scale! I was 124.4 last Friday after getting to 120.4 the Saturday prior! That's crazy, ugh. And TOM is sure to screw with the numbers.

Everything still fits okay as far as my clothes go, but I just feel jiggly! Blech.

I was doing great with my running for a while but now I think I'm going to focus on getting my eating habits under control before getting back into it again. :dizzy:

krampus - I hope you feel better soon. :hug:

What have I done to myself? Ugggh. I bought a new (to me) minivan last Friday. Saturday night, we had a quick but strong storm and two big tree limbs smashed my new van. I spent Saturday cleaning up the yard, 16 bags of debris. My body was pretty sore Sunday, but manageable. I wanted to go for a run and figured it would help to loosen up my tight muscles, so I went for a 2.5 mile run, the low end of my usual range of between 2.5 and 4. Sunday night, the backs of thighs were pretty sore, Monday morning I had some mild pain, by Tuesday walking, bending, and stairs were killer, now today it is on the high end of what I would call moderate pain and hurt to push the gas peddle driving, both thighs, but the left is getting better, while the right is getting worse. I would say a pulled hamstring, but odd for both legs, and would it a hamstring get worse as the days went on? It just felt like regular muscle soreness after a new workout at first. I know, I know "see a doctor." I don't have insurance and am not going to spend a couple hundred dollars to hear RICE. Just a whine and moan and wondering what the heck it could be.
On a good note, I have ended the summer wearing the same size as when summer began. Normally, all the clothes I buy in June are too tight by September, so this is a major victory for me LOL

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I have been 135 the past two mornings and have calmed down with eating. Exercise is still more or less nonexistent with this rain, but I am doing little things here and there like crunches, squats, or throwing boxes around at work.

I wonder sometimes where it all went wrong...I'm still up like 10 lbs from Christmas!

aimeebell - If i were you I'd just leave it for a few days. Rest those aching muscles, and hopefully you will be better give it time. If it's no better in a few more days then perhaps go see a doctor, but as you say if it's all over then the chances of you injuring lots of muscles is a bit slim. They probably weren't warmed up before you used them.

krampus - Oh dear. Well Christmas is ages away! Hopefully you'll be back around the same weight again by then. :)

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I dared weigh myself again today. I was 124.5lbs! Only 1lb gain for a couple of weeks of eating crap! I'm surprised, but so pleased. It doesn't explain why I feel so big though. Oh well, I can't complain! I still didn't exercise today, but I have eaten healthily at least. :) Hopefully I'll exercise tomorrow... I have 2 and a half weeks left until I go back to uni. In that time I can potentially get down to 120 ish. Well... probably not, but wish me luck!

oh my gosh, aimeebell, your poor car. I hope your legs get better. Could just be from the cleanup. are you driving the new car? Is it possible the seats hit your muscles strangely? I had that happen to my back when borrowing a friend's truck.
Whatever it is, I hope it passes soon.

Sounds like some of us have struggled through the last month. I know August was a bust for me. I've kicked up my exercise in September and now I'll work on the eating part.

I agree with Jamie, cantgetenoughchoc, celebrities are barely real people, so no need to compare your BMI to them. :)

Well, 10 whole days in to the diet and i'm feeling thinner!! And still motivated - hurray!! And the scales says theres 1.5kg (about 3lb) less of me - double hurray!!

So after putting it off for literally months, i finally showed up at a weights class at the gym last night (BodyPump). I went fairly moderately and I was ok when i got up this morning but now i'm at work the soreness is starting to kick in, and i know i'm going to be hobbling around like aimeebell by tomorrow!

Hi Everyone,

I'm trying to get bikini ready, for what I don't know since I live in NY and beach weather is now ten months away. I suppose if I reach my goal weight earlier, I can always arrange a trip to Florida!

I'm just started Medifast and I'm surprised at how much I like it. I'm hoping to lose ten lbs by Halloween!

Ange- Good for you for showing up at the weights class! Krampus- maybe a short term goal would help?

About 10 hrs since my last update and i'm finding stairs particularly challenging! Oooohhhh, my quads, and inner thighs!! Pecs are sore too.... (whinge whinge)

Hi featherweights!
I've been maintaining 135-138 for the last five months and am trying to make that 130-135 range by the end of the year. I would really like to make 136 my redline instead of my median and fit into size 6 across all brands. Also, tonight is the first night of a four month rotation on graveyard shift. I always eat more on graves, it's just part of staying awake I guess. I lost most of my weight on overnight shifts, so it is possible. I'm just so worried I'll pack it back on. :(

So, here I am. First night on graves, 136.0 this morning.

Hi everyone!

I've missed too much and have so little time to do personals, next time! I am still living with my mum, moving into my new houseshare on Sunday and start my course on Monday eek! I'm trying my best to eat healthily while I'm here, which is hard because nobody else does! I am taking the puppy for walks though so that's helping. I can't wait to move in on my own though (would be better with my bf :((( long distance sucks) and order my organic fruit and veg box, cycle to uni and run along the Thames! I've decided on Paleo (+ yoghurt at breakfast time!). I'll get my body fat and fitness tested soon then it is game on!



Have a good week everyone :)

ange82much : You are so making me want to try body pump!
claire0412: What is Paleo?

The party didn't do any damage and I tried my first Zumba class on tuesday. I'm thinking about going to an ab class tonight if it's not raining too hard.

from the box- Wow! You have lost a lot of weight. I have never worked a graveyard shift, but I know a lot of people gain weight on them. Best of luck!

Claire- Where does your bf live? I agree, it is difficulty to eat well when nobody around you does. That is why these forums are so important.

You should definitely try BodyPump if you've not done it - but go easy on the weights first time!

I'm not coordinated enough to do Zumba, it looks scary!! I like BodyAttack and Combat and Step though although to be honest i mainly stick to RPM or other spin classes most often.

Ab class sounds like torture too. My abs are shocking at the moment, but i'm working on it.

Hey Feathers,
I'm taking a break from losing weight for a while. Today I had a positive pg test! We were trying, but I didn't expect it so fast. I will be continuing eating well and exercising as much as possible. With my daughter I was lifting weights until 3 weeks before she came and walking the whole time. I am feeling so fluffy already, bleh. I would like to not gain as much weight as the first time, but without morning sickness to curb my appetite, I gained right from the beginning. I just need to remember that I don't really need to eat for two.

GL to everyone, I may still pop in sometimes.

lilliesinmycereal Paleo = 'the caveman diet'. Basically, no grains and dairy because they weren't around before the neolithic era, and as such humans aren't accustomed to them yet. It is hardcore if you follow it to the letter, but I don't tolerate grains very well at all and the diet has been said to help acne/period pains, both of which I suffer from at times. I think I'll still eat yoghurt for breakfast though!

skinnybacon My boyfriend lives in Austria. I was living there but have moved back home (London) last week to do teacher training (10 months and counting!)

Amy Congratulations! How exciting!! Relax and enjoy it :)

I'm still working on getting everything ready but my diet has been OK. I'm not buying scales for my new flat but I will have a body fat test next week and then again before Christmas. I've found a triathlon club to train with, if I can muster up enough courage to do so!! Have a nice weekend :)

Where the heck is everyone? Today I ate cheetos. :o

:yikes: wow, I just looked at the full smilies list! This one, supposed to be "yikes!" is sort of freaky.

I'm getting frustrated! I was 134.4 and now I'm back up to 135 and have been for a few days. My eating has been great and I've been exercising like it's my job! I'm just going to keep on trucking....

Bleeeeh, 125.4lbs this morning since I ate and ate all weekend. PLEASE let me break the cycle this weekend and actually stay on plan! I don't want to be chubby in my birthday dress or my Halloween costume! :p

I keep ordering pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. Even the smallest size made skinny is 200 calories. And I can't say that I've ordered the smallest size every time... and they haven't all been skinny, the full fat ones have managed to creep in there to! Ugh.

I also keep drinking alcohol copiously on the weekends, I don't even want to know how many calories. I mean, sure, it's light beer, but that doesn't matter when you drink 9 of them.

The beau and I watch football together and have season hockey tickets, and fat food and heavy beer go hand in hand with both of those things. I am going to have a hard time losing weight once hockey season starts, I would like to get into my maintenance range in October so I can enjoy the games and then cut back during the week. (That's what I'm doing now -- and I'm basically maintaining -- but I need to be going DOWN, not staying the same!)

Amy3680 -- Congrats!! Wow!

ann71 - That smiley reminds me of Large Marge in Pee Wee's Big Adventure... anyone know what I'm talking about? lol. :yikes:

OhThePlaces - It's just a fluctuation I'm sure, you'll dip back down soon. :)

Good luck feathers!

Dorian5 Keep up the good work. I know how you feel about struggling to maintain when you want to be losing. You have done really well and are 10lbs from goal. Its good to be mindful of your end goal but since you are so close its also okay to let yourself live a lil in moderation.

ohtheplaces You've got the right idea! Just keep at it! Something has to give with you working so hard.

amy3680 Congrats that is very exciting! I say relax and enjoy as well!

amy71 Sometimes you just need to eat cheetos or whatever junk food snack you see that sounds good :D. Its all about moderation

Ive been having a really good month so far. Ive dropped almost 6lbs that needed to go since the start of September. Had a couple of off plan moments this weekend while visiting sorority sisters and attending a tailgate party and going to a game. But I have worked out just about everyday this month and I woke up this morning really eager to jump back on track and finish what Ive started which is new for me. Usually off plan eating makes me crave more junk. Im pleasantly surprised. Have a great day ladies!

Hi Ladies!

Ann Are Cheetos crisps (chips)? I think I liked those when I was younger, haven't seen them for years! If you enjoyed them, why not? ;)

Ohtheplaces Keep trucking, it'll come in a big whoosh soon! ps: Is your user name based on the Dr Seuss book? That is my favourite children's book :)

Dorian I am having the same trouble at the moment. I think if you break the cycle next weekend you'll be on the right track again, easier said than done! Good luck!!

Skinnyelle Go you! Excellent progress!

I am all moved in (don't like the house but hey ho, it is 9/10 months) back in London now, and my course has started. I've been walking at least 4 miles a day to and from campus (I am a bad bus passenger and don't like driving) and have been eating reasonably healthily because the supermarket is too far away to keep going to. I tend to eat what I have planned and that's it! One habit I'll have to kick is drinking coffee at uni all the time, but that is more for the environment (paper cups, I feel so guilty) than anything else.

I don't know how much/if any weight I've lost but I'm flying back to Vienna on 22nd October (counting down the days!!) and I will weigh myself on my normal scale then.

Have a good week everyone :)

I started dieting 2.5 weeks ago, lost 4lb over 2 weeks (which is very good for me) and seemingly put 1lb back on over the last few days.

I know this is totally normal and to be expected etc, but it's annoying and i wanted to have a whinge about it anyway!

Hubby's away this week and just me at home though, so no excuses for not buckling down and getting on with a bit of discipline (oh, apart from thurs night drinks and meal in town with a friend from interstate!....)

Claire, it is. :) It bums me out that my two year old won't sit through it yet... He likes 'Green Eggs and Ham' amd 'Mr Brown Can Moo' though. Ha! All of the walking you're doing is awesome! Hope your course is going well.

Dorian, I don't like football or hockey, but fatty food and beer sounds great! I've been enjoying some Pumpkin Spice Light frappucinos.... so good.

Ange, I TOTALLY understand your frustration!

AFM, went to the gym today (I've been going daily). I am slowly picking up running again after a 3+ month hiatus. I foolishly entered an adventure race on Halloween, so I feel the pressure to get back into shape. I huff and puff and wheeze after about 6 minutes. LOL

Skinnyelle, it's great that you were able to hop right back into your healthy lifestyle after a weekend of indulging a bit. 6 lbs so far this month is awesome!

Hey everyone. I'm hanging in there somewhere around 135 which isn't great but could be worse. I broke up with my boyfriend of almost 5 years on Sunday and that sucks but I think it was time for it to happen.

Today I went hiking and shot a gun for the first time ever and had giant dinner because it was my parents' wedding anniversary. I walked 3.5 miles before hiking, did pushups and didn't really eat aside from dinner, but now it's 11:35 pm and I'm thinking about the leftovers........

Krampus, resist, resist! Those leftovers will be there tomorrow...eat them for breakfast or lunch? It's easier said than done, because I probably would have already eaten them.

Today I had a pretty good day. I didn't eat too much and ran nine miles at an easy pace (~8:15/min miles). It was better than I expected given that the past three days I ate like crap. I could feel the extra jiggle and that was my incentive to keep going. Does anyone else feel like after just a few days of overeating you've suddenly expanded and you're more sluggish? I really need to lay off the cake.