philana : I'm glad you had a great time at the carnival. I love your picture, you look like you were having a great time!! And once in a while it's nice to just relax on the calories count and just enjoy life ;)

moviegrl : Giving up yogourt for lent is the the sign that somebody eats super healthy! Good for you LOL! ;)

Nienna : No problem on checking out the programs (they were super easy to find before they REMOVE it LOL) Big hugs for the break up news, those time are always hard ones :( But I get you on the point that getting new running gear is always an awesome motivation. go get it girl!

Lisa : yay for size 6! That is so small! and awesome! And congrats on your first acceptance letter. Public healthy is a god field :)

krampus : I'm so glad for you that your job interview went so well! And yay for being stunning at you party! You totally diserve some ''throw the compliments my way, people!''-times!

LoveSweet : pilates privates lessons? lucky you! it definetely can breack the routine of just running and jogging. Have fun with that!

***

Hey all!

I'm a little up this morning, but I think it's mostly water weight, we decided to treat ourselves (well, mostly me, because the boyfriend was playing the cheerleading along the pathway of my run LOL) with some sushis. We haven't got some in soooo long : we basically stop getting them after we start dieting. So I guess the gain this morning is probably due to water retention with the tamari sauce (low sodium, but still) I got with them. I still controlled myself really good, I ate my 11 pieces and was not craving for more. Victory!

I'm taking a week off from running this week, after training for 6 consecutives weeks, one of my hips hurt a bit and I want it to get heal correctly. I still need to figure out what will be my next objective... I hesitate between trying to improve my 10k time or getting a shot at the half marathon. I really don't know what I want to do right now.

Have a great monday, feathers :)

Will back up and do personals tomorrow, but just wanted to check in here for accountability. Had victories on Friday and Saturday, but a bit of a set-back on Sunday. Am back on the horse again for Monday and am seriously considering giving up sweets for Lent, too.

Love the pic and was encouraging to see that you had such a great time at Carneval. Maintenance seems like it'll be easier than you thought, which is definitely a good thing. Re: giving up redbull for Lent - do you feel like it will make you a better person or would you just be doing it for the people around you? If it's expensive and making you feel bad, that's one thing, but replacing Redbull w. guarana pills just seems like a swap, you know. either way, let us know what you decide!!!

Congrats!!! on the race AND your great time!!!! How frustrating about the website not displaying the times, though. The book might be a good investment and you can always look at it a memento of all your hard work. Hope that you were able to recuperate over the weekend!


((((JoJoP))))


Hurray for new clothes (however you got them...) How lovely that bf is being supportive. BIG HUGE CONGRATS on the ACCEPTANCE!!!! YAYYYY!!!!!:carrot::carrot::carrot: When do you find out about funding? I have such good memories of American, too. My mom used to work at the Kogod School of Business. You now have me researching RA and MPH programs in my own area. You're inspiring!

Yay for feeling good. And you're so right that "no one's ever had a good eating day and regretted it." Any temporary feeling of deprivation is more than made up for on the scale, you know?


I used to teach in S.Korea and ate Korean food all the time. Delish!!! I have allergies to sesame and shellfish that have gotten worse as I've gotten older, so I can't eat it as much now. For the most part, it's low-cal and high veggies (although the oil kind of makes it less than completely healthy). How did the Pilates go? I've done videos in the privacy of my own home, but never taken it from a proper studio. Would imagine that it's a better workout with the machines, etc.

~~~
So after Friday and Saturday's victories, the past two days (Sunday and Monday) were kind of "big" food-wise. My momma was just back from a trip to Kenya and had a layover in Amsterdam, so she brought all these interesting Dutch goodies that I felt like I just had to try. Then I thought it'd be a good idea to bake a whole bunch of red velvet cupcakes and on top of that, I didn't keep my cut-off on Sunday night. All this lead to a massive gain on Monday that may partly be the fault of TOM, but really now, is mostly from my crappy eating. I'd so like to be out of this weight decade by the end of the month, but it's going to take some serious dedication...

Onward and upward!

Krampus - Way to go!

Pilates went well. It was a one on one using the reformers. I didnt love the teacher so I am going to try with someone else as well. I worked out this morning too and then weighed myself - 130.0. WTF. This is annoying.

Yesterday I ate super well and sunday I did well too. I dont know whats going on with my body but I used to be able to eat a little less a few days and loose 3lbs. I dont know if I am eating too much, not eating enough, working out too much...!

Heres what I ate yesterday - let me know what you think

B: 3 pieces of low fat quiche
s: Berries
L: Salad with tofu, eggless tofu salad, veggies and a couple tbs of dressing.
D: 4 small turkey patties (75 cal each), salad with veggies, feta and miso dressing.
Desert: 150 calories brownie.

to me thats not a lot!

Let me know your thoughts!

I am giving it up because it's unhealthy. I drink the light stuff, and it's the only chemical junk that I poor into my body. Other than that I eat pretty darn clean, and I don't drink anything but water and a latte every now and then.

The pills are just for transitioning. They are also way better than the drink because they are just herbs where the redbull isnt. But I understand your concern, I am doing this for me. My body doesn't need to be so addicted to something so bad. I get headaches without it...

As I type this I am drinking my last one... *dramatic sigh*

((((Nienna))))
SO glad that you took the plunge and just cut it off w. this guy. I wasn't sure if my post was too strongly worded, but am glad that it helped. You might still love your ex (from a distance), but realize that he is just not the right partner for you. Props to you for being strong enough to realize that you deserve better.

Double-good for you for channeling your sadness into healthy activities rather than bingeing. If you need to, give yourself some time to grieve the loss of the relationship, but don't go too overboard. Hurray for your "5k by whatever means necesesary." This is just the start of fantastic things to come!!!

Well, if health is the motivation, then run with it, girl!

Krampus - Congrats on getting out of the 130's!!! That's amazing!!

Philiana - I used to have a serious addiction to coffee and diet-coke..we're talking 8 - 12 caffeinated beverages a day! When I was younger I thought you could substitue caffeine for food..very dumb. Anyways I kicked it and I felt sooo much better. Now I'm able to have one coffee every morning and feel good about it. You can do it too! I'm sure you'll have so much more energy once you kick the red bull habit.

Nienna - props to you, it normally takes me a couple of weeks to get out of the crying and binging stage after a break - up. You seem like you're really taking good care of yourself.

Alexis - Thank you!! Yeah I visited American in the summer and I really liked the atmosphere, it's pretty but small and very liberal minded which is what I'm all about it. My school in Canada has the same political philosophy but it is huge, over crowded and ugly. Good for you for looking into grad programs! MPH is really flexible..you really just need a stats course.

Lovesweets - that seems like a pretty good low calorie day to mean!!

So I had a fitness assemsment at my gym today and I am out of shape!! My cardio vascular health is really good but my muscle tone is terrible since I stopped working out/ dancing professionally 3 years ago. My body fat is 32%...that is freaking terrible ladies!! No wonder I feel so flabby..I am!! So i'm committed to start lifting weights 3x a week. I've also decided to cut out snacks other than a protein shake after I lift or an apple mid-day. My meals are pretty healthy but i'm bad with having snacks that aren't necessary.

congrats!!!!!

Krampus ~ YAY!!!! Congrats!!!!!

Lisa ~ I feel the same about between-meal snacks. My goal is to eliminate them as well, although I like your idea of an apple midday. Love those apples. ;)

Lovesweets ~ That doesn't sound like a lot of food. Looks like maybe a cal total of around 1500? Only thing I can think of is maybe cutting out the brownie? (although it's only about 10% of your total cal intake...) How are you doing on water consumption? Sometimes increasing water can push out extra fluids... Dunno, though.

~~~
So I've decided to give up "recreational sugar" (mostly unhealthy snacks and desserts) for Lent. For example, chocolate chips in oatmeal are fine but a chocolate chip cookie is not. I've done it before and am actually looking forward to having a reason to stick to this resolution.

Am also going to try to focus on eating my 3 meals with nothing in between. Fruit is allowed if I'm hungry, but I'm mostly aiming to cut out mindless eating.

40 days until Easter!!! Let's kick this into high gear!!!!

Alexistrophic : Dutch goodies, yum! It's probably hard to keep the focus with all those! But you can do it! Don't put too much pressure with your goal of the end of the month... Anything you loose will be a step in the right direction :)

krampus : AWESOME! Changing decade, you must be so thrilled! Good job!!!

LoveSweet : Your menu sounds healthy and not an overload of food. Might it be sodium? Were you meals salty? You also said you workout, if you're sore you might be getting some water retention because of that. Hold on!

Lisa : you were a professionnal dancer? how cool! with the shape you got in the past, you'll get it back in no time ;)

***

The boyfriend is living for conferences until friday, meaning I'm alone with the cat for 2 days! My bf is a carb lover, so I'll cook mainly low-cab and veggies stuff while he's gone... I'm planning Black Beans and Corn quesedillas for tonight and the most delicious spinach/mushrooms/feta crustless quiche ever for tomorrow. Yummy!

I also want to be extra careful with my food until friday cause I'm going showshoeing all day long saturday with a friend I haven't seen in month and we're planning the have the most decadent cheese fondue saturday night to celebrate our reunion LOL. Lucky for us, we'll burned a few calories climbing the mountain during the day ;)

Have a good day, feathers!

Alexis - Ugh I don't observe Lent but you're making me really want too! Both us those things I could really use to give up. I eat too many snacks and too much sugar. I may just give up something for lent anyways!

Turbo - yeah, well I worked in musical theatre. I did a lot of dancing but I'm not a ballerina! I was happy with my body before though so I think if I work hard I can get back there. My boyfriends going away on the weekend, it is def. easier to eat low carb when he's not around.

So my commitment to cutting out sugary snacks starts today :) It is bad for my weightloss and makes me feel like crap..I literally had to have a cookie last night to get through work..that is bad times!

Observed "Fat Tuesday" yesterday. Unnecessary Clif bar (last I checked I'm not an all-day-hiking mountain man) and a pile of brownie and ice cream. 130.0 this morning. Was worth it. I went for a walk yesterday, only about 40 minutes because it was windy/cold and I got too hungry mid-walk. I live in a really hilly area right next to a college campus - very convenient for walking/jogging.

Hey guys! Well, my weight has been crazy strange, going way low, then like 6 pounds up, then back down again. I don't know what that's about, given that I haven't been overeating or have had excess salt or anything like that... My scale is wacky or my body is. Regardless, it's back down now so that makes me feel better. The past few days I've eaten really well with calories around 1300-1400.

In a few hours I have the job interview of my life. Wish me luck!! I'll write personals later!