Dorian : Awww *hug* So sorry to hear you had a crappy start of day I'm glad it got better, though. and the cream cheese for the strawberry cake is SUCH a good idea. I have to carry mine somewhere too (much closer though) and I though about melting some white chocolat and whipping it through the cream, so when is cool down it would make the cream a bit more stiff... Hope it will work!

Leilajey : I did not really work with the cattle in my younger years, for some reason my dad thought girl were not really needed to do that (I wasn't not going to fight for my woman right on that LOL) I helped with the hay though. We were also keeping chicken, I was helping more with them. Really happy you were not killed by that fork, by the way!!!

JossFit : your Thai chopped chicken salad sounds amaaazing. Is Snowwhite and the Huntsman any good? I'm not the biggest fan of Kristen Stewart but I don't mind some Chris Hemsworth Hihi

Philana : welcome back on track, girl! You seems like you are having fun with your bike!! Blah, I really need to go back on mine too, I haven't been riding in 3 weeks! A 16k in september will be an awesome race to judge your level of ''ready-ness'' for the half!

DottieMae : On your maintenance concerns, I'm sooo going through that stuff. I'm struggeling to adjust everything so bad. Last night I ended up eating an english muffin with PB because I was still at only 1350 calories. I'm starting to go back to yogourt that are not 0% fat for exemple, for what it worth.

Lisa : Glad you stopped by. I hope your doing good!

***

Hey! 138.something BLAH this morning. My tummy is huge. I need to drink. And to poop. I don't really care for the number though. I'm just sooo bloated.

I did my 8k intervals run this morning and it went great, even if I slept really bad last night.The cat is in a horrible mood at night these days and is just doing everything in the world at night. He's acting so weird, my boyfriend says that he must be planning a revolution or something and he now calls it Che GevaChat (Che GevaCat) A few nights ago, a cushion was on the couch and he was laying by. He stand up, went to the cushion, looked at it, push it to the ground, went back to his spot and lay back there. Like, pure pleasure of throwing stuff to the ground.

I hope everyone is doing great!!

He is the only reason I went to this movie. Unfortunately, he has on more clothes than when he did Thor -- boooo.

Thanks for the support girls! That's why I love this place!

Just a quick update:

I ate 1500 calories of mostly healthy food. Yay! And I went cycling and running. I wanted to go cycling so badly but knew I needed to run. Just when I had decided to just cycle I managed to get a flat tire 4 miles in. Haha. So that's when the walk-of-shame started because I ofcourse, procrastinator that I am, have not yet bought my 'fix a flat' pack to always bring on my rides. After like a few steps another roadbike cyclist stopped and asked if I wanted his spare inner tire. I thanked him and said I'd manage. I mean, how uncomfortable to have some stranger give you something that's his. But the area I was riding was full of cyclists and a tourgroup even passed me. I felt so emberassed so by the time the next guy offered his help I just took it! Haha. He fixed my tire for me and I stood there like a really typical girl, watching him do the work. I was so relieved to get on my bike and hurry the heck home after that. I NEED to invest in gear a bit more before I go out again. And the guy pointed out all these things on my (second hand) bike that I should clean/look at. I felt like such an idiiiiot. So, when I got home my HRM said I'd burnt like 550 calories between the cycling and the walking with my bike. That was the good news. But I just... wanted more exercise. So went for a short 3mile run. HRM again said I burned 450 calories. So I just decided I burned 700 calories on exercise today. I rather guess it lower than too high.

Anyhow. Gosh. I need to learn everything about how my bike mechenically works and I am not leaving the house without my own gear and a pair of new tires. Mine are rotten. I was so emberassed. LOL

Practical AND figure flattering. A girl really can have it all.

Happy Tuesday Feathers! I hope everyone is getting settled into the week and back on plan!

Today I went to the doc about my chest cold and found out that it is instead bronchitis. It's not really any big deal, except that this annoying cough will probably last several more weeks. I just hope it's gone before I leave for Las Vegas in 30 days... I don't want to spend my wedding night and honeymoon coughing up a lung! Sexy, huh?

Other than that, things were generally okay today; got some studying done for an upcoming test, had a decent workout (40 mins on the stair machine, 20 minute run) and made an appointment for a consultation for some facial fillers! Eeek! I have this huge, deeeeep furrow in my brow that drives me insane, so I've decided to get Restalyn or Juvederm and have it filled. I figure now is the time, that way I won't be scrutinizing my wedding photos staring at that line.

I'm also not so sure that I'll get my Whoosh this week. I've been working hard and eating OP, but I just have a feeling it's not going to come this week.

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Philana - I've always been more of a morning person, but even more so since I've been into working out seriously. I do NOT do heat well, and by the afternoons it's so hot and humid there is no way I would get my butt into the gym and have any sort of decent workout. It just drains me!
I'm more of a gym goer anyway, not like you and all your biking and running! That was a lot of activity in one day! I thought I was doing good with my 60 minutes of cardio today... hahaha. Tomorrow I have weights and a bit of cardio first thing in the morning and then a CrossFit WOD with my unit at 0900 so I'm sure I'll be burning massive calories after all of that.

And I'm glad you're back on plan! Sometimes I too have to do things just to prove to myself that I can. Some days (If I've been slipping up a bit too much) I will only eat totally unprocessed foods instead of allowing myself the little additives I like such as coffee creamer, Sugar-Free Jello pudding mix, cereal, etc.)

Leila - It sounds like with this being bronchitis, there isn't much I can do about it, but they do recommend a humidifier so I think you're onto something! I'll have to see if I can find one this weekend. In the meantime, I'm just taking Nyquil before bed, since that's really the only time I get the coughing fits.
Oh, and stay safe out there will ya? haha, it sounds like you've had some close calls lately!

Dottie - Fortunately it's just the cough... no achy feelings outside of what my workouts are doing to me.
For me when I'm in "maintenance" (Definitely not now... stupid wedding dress) I actually keep my calories just under maintenance on a daily basis and then sort of bank those calories for a big meal out and special occasion things like that. I find that it averages out pretty well for me that way.

Dorian - I'm glad things ended up turning around yesterday and you had an awesome dinner to boot. Right now I'd just go for the wine! My problem, like a lot of us, is that I can't have a glass or two of wine without getting myself into other things as well. I RARELY drink at all, so when I do it only takes me one drink to get a buzz going, and it's not usually a good situation from there! One drink leads to two, and two leads to snacks, more drinks, a hangover, hangover cure foods... no good for me at all!
I LOVE that salad. Of course if I really had my druthers I'd be eating their sandwiches and pastries instead, but the salad is still pretty darn delicious and I always feel satisfied after having it.

Turbo - How does your diet look in terms of fiber? I don't generally have a problem doing the deed, but I eat a lot of broccoli, asparagus, wheat bran, apples, etc. Maybe eating more fibrous foods and then going for a run (somewhere near a restroom of course) would help you to speed things along? That's a magic combo for me!
The movie was so so... I think the general consensus (and I agree) is that it would have been better without Kristen Stewart in it. She couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. I also agree that less clothing on Chris Hemsworth would have been a nice touch, but his face is so handsome that was enough for me. Overall it was okay, but I would wait until it comes out on Demand or on Netflix... not worth the trip to the movies if you ask me.

Lisa - thanks for stopping in!

Sorry no personals...
Just checking in here. Having a ROUGH week job-wise... Ticking down to the wire with the job situation (friend comes back on 7/14 and I want to give my notice before then...Would REALLY like to have somewhere else to go before I do...) I aim to send out three resumes per day, but I don't want to keep applying for jobs I don't want... I got a call this morning and I'm not at all interested so I didn't even call back.

Food-wise, am getting into the on-plan groove. It's been awhile since I've gone off the rails, which is good. I'm kinda stuck when it comes to weight, but I'm not dissatisfied with where I am right now. Just hoping for some kind of a drop soon...

Stay on target, everyone!

Good morning feathers! Jumped on the scale this morning (not sure why, had a salty dinner, couldn't go to the bathroom, knew I was still up from the weekend) but I clocked in at 128.8, for whatever that's worth.

It still frustrates the **** out of me to see that number, I have already wrestled with it. I was stuck at 120-122 for 6 months last year trying to get lower, now I would love to be stuck there again!

Went on a longer-than-normal walk with the dog last night. I try to jog with him, but he is such a porkchop that he will just lay down and pout if I try to go faster than a brisk walk, so that was out. I tried to run a bit the day before without him, but my asthma kicked in immediately and my inhaler is expired, so I just walked the rest of the way. Ohhhh well.

I am so damn determined to stay on plan this weekend! We don't have any plans to go anywhere out to eat or to visit with anyone, and that will definitely help! I am going to go ahead and plan the weekend meals so I can STICK to them!

Chicken tacos with chopped onion, cilantro, and lime wedges tonight!

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LisaTcan - Hi!! Hope you're enjoying maintaining! It's great to hear from you.

TurboMammoth - YUM white chocolate in the whipped cream sounds like it would stablize it in the most delicious way. Sorry about your frustrating weigh in yesterday -- that's what I've got going on this morning too. Your cat made me laugh!! I was going to ask if maybe it was going into heat, as my cat would do stuff like that when it was about that time -- but it looks like your kitty is a boy, so maybe he is just up to something villainous.

philana - Oh no, I'm sorry about your flat! PHEW that's quite a work out, I hope you don't burn yourself out! You are getting it DONE! I'm impressed!

LeilaJay - SEXY poncho!

JossFit - I'm so sorry about your bronchitis! I do hope it clears up soon. NICE workout, you're right back on track! I hope you DO get your whoosh this week! But I understand the feeling. PS - I had to go to Panera yesterday to get that salad after we were posting about it. What I USED to get at Panera was a pick two combo with a bread bowl filled with broccoli cheddar soup and some kind of cheesy bacon half sandwich with baguette on the side. That's a lot of bread/cheese/fatness, it's really no wonder I was overweight.

Alexistrophic - I'm sorry you're having a rough time with the job hunt. Proud of you for staying on plan in the face of the job stress -- I hope you get your whoosh soon!

KEEP GOING EVERYONE! XOXO

Hey Feathers! I've just been lurking with nothing real to report, only reading your posts everyday for the motivation. Sorry no personals today... my job has been a rollercoaster. Bossman was being an a$$hole on Friday for no apparent reason so I quit on the spot (which I've never done in my life!) and last night I made a deal with them to work a few more days to straighten out the mess and they agreed to pay me straight through like nothing every happened. DRAMA! On the plus side, I'm back down to my pre-memorial day weight, almost a month later.

philana : oh god, flat tire SUCKS! You've been lucky to be in an area with many other cycling people passing by. What a nice move from the guy to give you his tire ... I think I would not even know how to change one on my bike LOL

JossFit : Bronchitis? Aww, so sorry to hear that. Did you got some med? Good job on staying OP, you'll totally rock your next WI! And thanx for the advices, I checked my food log and I did not have as much fiber as I used to in the last week... I'll cook some beans tonight

Alexis : I sooooo feel you about how uncool is the jobhunting. Hope you'll get some answers from interesting places soon!

Dorian : your dog is so cute! He doesn't seem to enjoy running much Hihih Your plan of chicken tacos with cilantro sounds yummy!! And yeah my kitty is a big boy... who is apparently in some kind of evil mood right now LOL!

LeilaJey : Rock that poncho, girl!!!!!

***

I'm still bloaty as h*ll, like my tummy is HUGE, and I WI at 137.8 this morning. I'm just patiently waiting for the weight to go down. Story of my life!

I had my first outdoor sangria last night with a friend in town, it was so good. I decided to meet my friend and dress up a bit, so I wore some really short jeans short and my blue heels. My friend said that that got me never ending legs and that 2 guys litteraly turned around when I passed. Take THAT, Tummy Bloating! My legs are still hot! (flabby a bit, but still hot :P)

I woke up during the night (again) because of the cat who was on a raid to push all my earings from my desk on the ground (...) and when I turned in the bed, it was weird, I had calves cramp. I talked about it with the boyfriend in the morning and he said that people get that when they don't have enough calcium. Hello body, what is wrong with you these days. I'm eating yogourt everyday and having milk with my cereal.. I checked the nutrition values stuff this morning and I think I'm probably just having about 50% of the recommended calcium. I stopped by the drug store and got a package of calcium and vitamin D supplement.

Still having trouble pooping, but we are eating turkey meatball with a tomates, corn and black beans salsa, so that will boast my fibers intake... at least I hoped so! (talkign about poop and my food intake of the day in the sentence... I'm charming this morning)

Dottie Bikram sounds great! Even if it is just water weight it's nice to see that kind of a loss eh! I was also thinking about maintenance foods.. I was like oh I could eat 2 icecreams haha. I'm not planning on doing that really (cough cough).

Dorian Aww I know the feeling with your dream, it's weird how those numbers have so much power. Sometimes when I step on the scale I'm still expecting to see 176 and then I get really confused when I don't.
LOL your dog sounds awesome! Most dogs are really into running but there's a few like that. My sister's dog is super lazy, when you say "walkies!" she hides behind the couch and one time I had to pull her with the leash and she slid on her bum the whole way haha.. lump!
Don't worry about the scale after the weekend...but you know that, hey you're under 130 and that's awesome!

Lisa Hey! Good luck and enjoy maintenance and the Summer!

Turbo Chicken are terrifying in their own way! With their claws *shudder* I like the cattle, they never do anything and I get to carry a big stick just in case and look like a total bad *** (in my mind anyway)

Your cat really made me laugh out loud! Haha! My cat's attacking my sheepskin rug right now, I think she's training for this kitty revolution

I think a lack of potassium can cause cramping too, do you get much?

edit: also I think apple cider vinegar helps a lot with bloating/water retention!

Joss haha, yeah made me think of that film Final Destination nothing since so now I've decided I'm invincible! Hope your lungs feel better, bronchitis sucks. Poor thing! Also my fingers are crossed for a whoooooosh!

Philana I did the same thing when I was getting help for my tyre blow out! I know how to do it now though so it's ok. Soo many guys stopped and offered to help me, I was a total damsel in distress hah

Alexis Hope a good job comes up for you soon!

ToniMaroni That's awesome that you stood up for yourself by quitting on the spot! Way to go!

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Went for an even longer cycle today with a friend, talking shite really makes the time fly! Then I got home and had my meal all planned out when my boyfriend said he wanted to take me out to lunch! So off I went, I know it sounds terrible but I wasn't crazy about it as I had my food planned out and it's only my second day trying to be back on track. I ordered a veggie panini and asked for them to add chicken haha, I'd be a terrible vegetarian .. no idea how many calories or whatever but I'm still stuffed so I think I'll eat soup for dinner instead of roasting that chicken...hmm.. yes...soup..

Have a great one!

Hi! Been super busy and will update with personals later. I am soooo tired and have a morning of VBS before my airport shuttle comes to get me...fun fun!

I am at 134.6 so 1 lb from where my low weight was. I don't have a scale for the next few days but plan to scope the hotel to see if there is a gym which has one.

Will update once I get to the airport!

Just have to vent. I am 1 week away from TOM and breaking out terribly! Good grief I am way too old for all these pimples! Anyway...

Leila: LOL! The poncho is Hilarious. Capital H. Sorry to ask, I forgot - do you have a roadbike also? Or 'just a city bike'? And don't frown upon soup. It's what got me back on track! lol

JossFit: I love cardio yes. I am trying to get into weights for ages but still haven't found a recipe that makes me jump up and go do it. LOL. Anyhow - I can see how working outin the morning is a must when you live somewhere hot. I wish I had to sacrifice my sleeping in over the 'problem' of heat. I can only dream about that. All the long mornings I sleep in. hihi. What unit are you in? And what's crossfit?

Alexis: HUGS. Hope you figure it out with the job. Jobstress sucks. Nice staying on plan .

Dorian: Porkchop? Haha. Is it because of his race or is he fat? I don't want to insult anyone - but I just told my mom how I seriously don't understand why this lady in our street let's her dog get and be so fat. It's like animal abuse. Dogs can deal with being fat even harder than people can. Anyhow - no speach. Hihi. Your food sounds good. I think people that are 'on a diet' eat so much nicer than people who aren't. The easy foods are really not the nicest foods. They are satisfying, but that's not the same as nice.

Turbo: I hate cats. Well, I don't. But at night they are absolute horror when they have this idea in their head. The worst is when the cat sits next to me and stares into the dark like some maniac and I can only wonder what it sees. I don't believe in ghosts, but on those moments my believes are not as solid. LOL. As for the legcramps - it's actually a potassium and/or calcium shortage. So eat a few bananas! Google on "charley horse" as that's slang for the cramp you describe and it explains it. If you figured you are low on calcium you might be low on a lot of other vitamins too. I started taking a supplement a while ago (multivitamins) and it has done wonders for my skin and healing from exercise.

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So, Dorian said something that triggered me to go into detail a bit about exercise & me. LOL. She said "I hope you don't burn yourself out! You are getting it DONE! I'm impressed!". A few months ago that would have been something that I'd nod at and tell myself "Yeh, I am doing good. And I have to make sure I don't overdo it". Lately though - I only exercise when I want to. The cycling is something I ADORE, I do it because I love it so much, I just want to go out. I obviously like that it burns calories - but me being able to go out for 2 to 4 hours and burn calories only happens because I love it so much. The same goes for running. Though to a lesser extent. I have also changed my approach in that even though I might do a lot, if I really don't feel like it I wont push myself. So I can't get burnt out. I am seriously starting to 'dream' about doing a half Ironman someday. Maybe next year. I just... I think I've turned into an exercise nut. LOL. A year ago I had never ran a mile. NEVER. I hadn't gone to the gym more than 3 times a year. I'd never done any sports. And now I run for an hour and a half and cycle for 4hours. I stopped going to the gym, though I should - right now I am doing stuff I like. I think once I am at goalweight I will start doing stuff my body needs a bit more than the cardio only. But for now, paying attention to what I eat is enough of a "suffering through something for the end result". Once I close that chapter, there's space to do exercise stuff that needs doing. If only I could enjoy weights as much as the cardio! Hihi.

So yeh. A rambling bit, but I just wanted to reply more in depth. Oh also, just got home from another ride, did 27miles. My top speed was 26miles an hour. That was awesome.

philana - Dorian's a little thick, but he's definitely not fat. He's got a lot of muscle since he's a pit bull mix, but he's just round like a lab. He weighs about 100lbs, but it's right about right according to the vet since he's such a large/tall dog. I think the biggest problem with him running is that he's jet black and gets SO hot being outside in the sun, his tongue is always lolling around everywhere.

I think he's just lazy, see?



I hate seeing overweight pets too, it cuts their life short -- and who in the world would want that?!

It sounds SO great that you've found yourself really enjoying exercise!! I wish I could get there, it's still a chore for me. Maybe I should get a bike. That is SO excellent, and I am PROUD of you!

Hey Feathers! Another day, another dollar over here... nothing too exciting. I got up today and was sort of on autopilot and didn't realize until after I had breakfast that I separated ALL of my eggs/whites instead of just two, so I was short on calories for the day! I added a greek yogurt that I sweetened up with some Truvia and cocoa powder for "dessert" so hopefully that does the trick. I did two workouts today so I need to make sure I eat enough to recover.

Speaking of workouts (and to answer your question Philana, CrossFit is basically the concept of incorporating all kinds of elements of training (Cardio, gymnastics, olympic lifts, bodyweight exercises) into dynamic workouts that seek to improve more "functional" elements and improve overall athletecism. There is a new workout each day, and they post them on their site; www.crossfit.com. It's a pretty big craze these days. I don't do it every day, but I do train with the same principals... basically never doing the same workout twice.

My unit (can't tell you which one specifically) does CrossFit once a week together, and today the workout (or WOD) was; 5 rounds for time of; 10 squats holding a 45 lb plate, 15 plyometric pushups, 100 meter walking lunges with the plate overhead, 200 meter run, and then you pick up the plate again and walk it back 100 meters overhead to the starting line. So yeah... did that 5 times aiming for the lowest time. I did it in 12:10, and dominated everyone else in my unit. Not only did I totally school all the men (and women) by a large margin, but that was AFTER my first workout lifting weights for an hour! Whoot whoot!

I was feeling it later in the day though... I was falling asleep at my desk! haha

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Alexis - Sorry about the job woes... I hope things look up for you soon! Good on you for being proactive and trying to find something that makes you happier though.

Dorian - Maybe your next WI will go better after you've dropped a bit of the sodium and gotten everything back on track down below. LOL I hate seeing a high number so much that I'll practically wait for the planets to align before I get on the scales!
I do love that salad, but I have to admit that the bread bowl of cheddar broccoli soup, cheesy bacon-y sandwich and bauguette combo sounds pretty good too. If I didn't care about ever seeing my abs ever again, I would eat that much bread (with butter please!) every day.

Toni - Congrats on getting back down to your pre-memorial day weight! Better late than never... no reason not to be totally proud of that!

Turbo - I do worry that no matter how well I think I'm eating that I'll miss out on essential nutrients, so I always take a multivitamin and an extra calcium supplement. Hopefully that will help you out too. LOL, I know it's not funny but I have to giggle at your poo issues the last few days. I've never wanted someone else to use the bathoom so badly! hahaha
Your stories are making me miss my kitty too; I deploy a lot so for the next year my kitty is living with my fiance so that I don't have to keep finding a kitty-sitter for him, I'll get to see him next time I go to Colorado, but that's not until the end of August!

Leila - I don't feel too bad actually, I just get coughing fits at night. It was a little better last night, so hopefully it will continue to improve. Your chicken and veggie panini sounds delicious! Between that and Dorian's chicken tacos I'm ready to eat dinner again! I had some grilled tilapia and mixed sauteed greens, with my chocolate Greek Yogurt afterward and that was pretty tasty too.

Sorry if I missed anyone... my computer is being silly and keeps scrolling up as I'm trying to go back and look at everyone's posts!