December Feathers Chat!
 

Come on guys, I disappeared for almost a month and no one started a December chat? ;)

Things are going so-so over here. Weighed in today at 134, so I've put on a couple pounds but nothing major. I'm working a busy job I don't particularly care for, pay is lousy, and my hours are generally 10-6 or somewhere around there, which is not great for exercise since I don't like getting up early and by the time I get home I feel too lazy to do anything. Eating is ok, I am packing healthy lunches most days. Not in peak physical condition as I started smoking again and my muscle tone is way down. :mad:

Some of you might remember I ended things with my bf of 5 years a while back...I swear I intended to be single for a long time but I met someone cool and now we hang out almost daily. I hate the idea of being a serial dater but you can't time everything perfectly. He weighs 100 pounds more than I do, first big (not fat, he's tall and muscular) guy I've ever been with, and is looking to lose weight. I really want to keep that 100 pounds between us, so I am looking to slim down a bit too. I've been trying to lose 5-10 lbs for something like 10 months now.

How's everyone doing???

December is starting alright. Is he looking to lose or just gain muscle without getting bigger? I'm feeling more like a featherweight everyday but I need to break my habit of eating at Panda Express in avoidance of making real food. I've been pretty stressed out over things which is helping me make excuses this week for only doing Zumba and not weight training. Sigh. I wish steamed vegetables were my favorite food. Having trouble sleeping now.

Krampus, that doesn't make you a serial dater. I think one can be classified as that if they intentionally jump from one person to another because they can't stand to be alone-- but this doesn't seem like the case for you. Just go with it :)
lilies, I love panda express. There isn't one near me or I would be there often too.
Things are going well over here. I swore off treadmill running 12 years ago because of an absolutely horrendous workout I had to do on one once (no details necessary). However, given that there is a foot of snow on the ground or the road is coated in ice has limited my time outside, so I took up with the treadmill again. I was surprised-- I managed to get through a 10 miler with relative ease despite the fact that the gym was stuffy. Weight is remaining constant at around 127, but I haven't weighed in a couple of weeks and I've been working out harder so maybe it's time to get on the scale. Hope everyone is doing well!

I dont know what happened our chats they used to be sooo lively I miss that :-(. But I stopped posting in this particular board as well so I guess I am part of the problem. Things are going ok. 1 week weight is up and the next week its back down. The usual. Im signing up for a 12 mile bike ride this saturday and I dont know what to expect. I spin regularly so I ASSUME Im in decent biking shape. But if this is more than a leisurely bike ride then I might be in over my head, lol.

Hey All,
Krampus - congrats on the new guys, it's sounds great so just go with it.
Skinnyelle - I did a 30k (similar distance) charity ride in September and I'd mostly only done spinning and I was totally fine.

Weight has been really slowly droping. However this is the point where I normally get stuck and I have 4 holiday parties, christmas at my family's, and a weekend away with my boyfriend this month so I kinda doubt I lose any more.

pinkrunner115: The treadmill is a great idea!! Do you think that running on the treadmill and doing Zumba (4 hours a week for zumba) would be too much cardio?

skinnyelle39: How many miles do you usually do in spinning?

LisaTcan: Good luck with the parties!!!

Lilies, I think that doing the treadmill and zumba isn't too much, depending on how much you're doing. Maybe light treadmill days on zumba days, and one or two longer runs during the week? It's hard to say, I think it depends on the intensity of everything.

Something I always find funny is how we can be in excellent shape with one sport or activity, and absolutely terrible at something else even though we're in shape. Man, you guys that spin... ouch. I can run 35+ miles a week and be fine, but get me on the bike at the gym and after an hour I feel like my quads are going to fall off of my body! Excellent workout though!

Hey everyone! I'm sort of trying to figure out maintenance right now and focus on building some muscle in the meantime. I'm toying around with changing my diet...but I'm not sure if I'm ready to go the extreme with something like the Paleo diet. I'm not looking to build a lot of muscle or anything like that—I just want to get more toned. I've been increasing the amount of weight I lift each week and I'm feeling great! And strong!

I guess with trial and error I'll find the right formula.

pinkrunner - I envy you runners! I just don't have the drive to go running, but I really love my spin classes and weight lifting :) We're all different I guess.

skinnyelle39 - I go spinning A LOT and I found biking so easy as a result. My brother and I went on an 8 mile bike ride without breaking a sweat.

Lisa - good luck with all of the holiday parties!

Krampus - I totally feel you about the job. I had a job like that over the summer and I wound up quitting and not giving my two weeks when I found a better one. :(

I envy you runners too! I used to years ago before I completely destroyed my knee, Ive never gotten the same 'rush' from spinning that I get from running.

I've also been doing hot yoga lately which I'm really enjoying.

Thanks ladies! I have 2 parties this weekend, we'll see how they go!

Wow, what? I ate like 700 calories worth of mini peanut butter cups last night and weighed in at 132 this morning, the lowest I have been recently. What's going on? Maybe the scale's broken.

I sat down and banged out my writing samples to apply for a new job so here's hoping, sent them to work with my dude this morning (he works in that building and is a good connection, it's a big building). Chili and beer party tonight. Probably not going to weigh myself the morning after that one!

lillies Im really not sure how many miles i do in spinning class. The bike is pretty basic so it doesnt calculate. But thats a really good question

pinkrunner Im jealous of runners as well! I was doing C25K for a while but I never finished the program. And I always had to psyche myself up for a run. Not sure its my "thing" lol. But I have been spinning for years and enjoy every minute of it.

lisa & sontaikle I hope you are right! Goodluck with the parties!

krampus Lucky you! Dont ask questions just go with it girl, lol!

OMG have I been fighting the binge monster & the munchies this week! It ALWAYS gets me right around TOM. I go absolutely ape*#!% with junk food consumption and barely move. I usually pack on a good 5-7 lbs of water weight. Its gross and the SOLE reason I have not been able to reach and/or maintain goal within the past 6 months. Grrrrrrr.

sontaikle, good for you that you're feeling strong. And BTW, love the user pic. Man, I watched that show growing up all the time...and I still have all of the subtitled DVDs. Yep.... I've never grown up.

Krampus, maybe those PB cups are your weight loss weapon, haha!

Lisa, good luck at the parties. Sure you'll do fine

Skinnyelle, sometimes I get the junk food monster just because... no time of month necessary. Wish that was one thing I could kick!

Stepped on the scale, nothing has changed. Maybe I'm just meant to be at this weight???

Yay, a December chat. I've been bad at posting, too. I'll try to do better.

I'm in a weird cycle where I do great eating on the weekends, and horribly during the week, which somehow seems backward.
My weight is steady and if I can keep it there through the holidays, that's probably great, but at SOME point, I'd like to get it heading down again.

A strangely dry December for the NW has allowed me to maintain my exercise, biking to work and running 2-3 times a week, so that's been nice.

Hey everyone!
Both parties went really well and I was able to fit into an my favorite dress, it's a size 6 and I bought it from a cute boutique a few years ago. A bunch of people told me how great I looked so I guess the 12lbs I've lost is noticable! I also have recently changed my hair so it could be that too. It was a great confidence boast thought :)

It's good to hear the parties went great! Hope everyone is doing well!!

Ugh I'm having a bad week :( I didn't go as well as I wanted to on the GRE's last night and I'm having my wisdom teeth out tomorrow which is going to hurt and drain my bank account!

I'm down to 135 which is 10 lbs away from my goal but I'm not feeling good about myself at all. I guess it shows it's all psychological.

Sorry you're having a bad week, Lisa.

Hope the teeth go okay, and I'm sure you look fabulous!

We had a bake sale at work this week. Between baking and buying, I did not eat healthily this week. And the next two weeks will be a challenge for sure!

I'm going to hop on in here... only 12ish more days until 2012, guys!

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about making it to goal this time. I made it all the way from 160 to 130 at one point in 2010, then stopped a while, then made it from 137 to 123 earlier this year... And now I'm just ready to finish this thing for good.

I make myself kind of nervous with my goal weights sometimes because my original goal was 120... then it went to 115, then 110, and now between 106, the lowest possible healthy weight for my height, and 110. I do happen to have a tiny frame, so being that small isn't unhealthy for me by any means, but I'm starting to wonder what I'm going to do when I make it there and there's no longer a challenge. I think that's been in the back of my head sabotaging me, which is why I keep stopping right before goal. Does anyone else feel like this when you're this close?

bama girl, I would say why don't you re-evaluate your goal along the way. You may get down to 115 and feel great there. It could also just be lower then your body is willing to go? You might have a tough time maintaining 106 and leading a normal life.

I'm kind of in the same boat, I've gotten done to 135 several times before (my height weight was 175) but I've always had an ultimate goal of 125. Now I'm getting close to that I'm like "maybe 115 would be better". But I don't know if my body is meant to be that weight.

Lisa, I think you might be right. It seems like one of the biggest challenges when you get to or really near your goal weight is knowing when to *stop*. The last thing I really want is to be unhealthy... that was the whole reason I started losing in the first place. For now, I am going to drop the 106 and set it a little higher at 110 (4 lb makes a BIG difference at my height!), but if I feel good at 115 I'm not going to go lower.

I'm really frustrated today because I went up 2 lb from yesterday morning, probably due to water retention from alcohol and salt. (I had a margarita and Mexican food, which is a rare occurrence for me). Logically, I know I did not gain 2 lb of fat, but it can just be so discouraging because 2 lb feels like so much MORE when you have 10 lb to lose than when you have 50. I know I should probably not be weighing every day, but I get curious and sometimes it can be helpful to keep track of fluctuations.

Aaaanyway, sorry for the ranting. Anyone have any exciting plans for the holidays?

Merry Christmas feathers! Yesterday was my birthday and among my gifts was a digital scale...I did the stupid thing and got on it this morning, and apparently I am all the way up to 138.5! SH!T!!! I can't blame any of it on muscle because I've been slacking severely on exercise. I guess here on marks the end of my "new relationship careless eating" period.

Hey krampus! Just happened to notice you here. Did you know you've got a happy birthday thread in Maintainers??

Hello Feathers! This is my very first post here on 3fc. I feel like one of you because I've been reading you for what feels like years, but never felt bold enough to post. I'm at the tail end of my weight loss goals; the last fifteen have taken about two years. It's been a really long haul for me, but I think I'm in the home stretch of what will amount to a 40 lb weight loss. And these last pounds are being STUBBORN. Here's hoping that joining up will help me stay on track and finish what I started. I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season and wish you all much happiness in the new year.

Ugh as if I wasn't having a bad time already, on the 23rd I fell and broke my foot and bruised my spine. I had a pretty good Christmas regardless, and despite not worrying about calories I maintained my weight.

Happy New Years everyone :)

I'm struggling with all of the holiday food. I did get down to 136 earlier this month, but have been afraid to step on the scale lately. I really don't want to see 140+, but frankly can't imagine that I'm not there, given all the crap I've eaten over the last few weeks. Thank goodness the madness is almost over. I'm back to work today after about a week off. I'm much better at managing my food intake when I have structure.

AmyCO maybe you should try weighing your self, I was really suprised to see that I'd only gained a pound over the holidays in addition to being in bed for 3 weeks because of injury/surgery.

Ah, how good it is to come back to a forum after 9 months and see familiar names and faces! I am a little late on the December board here, but didn't want to wait until tomorrow for January.

I left to have a baby, because really who wants to read about weight los when you are steadily tipping the scales? My weight topped out at 156 full-term, and 2 weeks after my son was born I am down to 135. I can handle 135. I have been here before and know ho wto get past it. The only trouble is I can't work out for several more weeks and I am so exhausted I am back to my old nemesis--soda. When I consume sugar I gain weight pretty quickly. I will have to make the switch back to good old water or at least diet stuff soon.

I can't wait to be moving my ticker back down. My goal is 115, like always.

I've been gone since July, but after 5 months away (and 8 lbs gained :( ) I'm back and ready to get at goal and STAY there! I have it set at 130 for now, but I honestly feel that I'll probably eventually move it down to 125.

Kwinkle, congratulations on the new baby! It sounds like you're doing amazingly well with losing the baby weight. My baby will turn 1 on Wednesday... time flies so quickly!