JessicaB ~ Hard to get on plan after being off, but a conscious decision is always better than one that sneaks up on you. Hoping that this weekend is better.

Krampus ~ Yergh to your psycho neighbors... And dog blood is almost worse than human blood. Yelch. I never really do many gym exercises... Almost exclusively running/walking or yoga. I build muscle at the drop of a hat, but I've heard you ladies have had good results from lifting, so as I get closer to my target weight, I might give it a try.

Joss ~ Thanks as always for your responses. I've heard the quote that food is the number one most abused anti-anxiety drug, and it's SO true... It's like I'm trying to kick the habit and I miss the comfort. Any day now. Will have to give "Secret Eaters" a look. I'm a huge fan of supersize vs. superskinny (the UK version). And yay! For your hubby coming to visit!

Leila ~ Yuuuummmmm!!! Spinach and salmon lasagna sounds fantastic, although if I had spinach and salmon, not sure my first inclination would be to put them into a lasagna (unless they were leftovers... hmmm....).

Turbo ~ I have developed a fondness for colored Sharpies. At first I couldn't see the appeal... but then they grew on me. Hope that you and the bf get to go apple picking! Best fall activity EVER!!!

~~~~~

Have been super-tired lately. Staying up late like a fool reading trash books ... grrr. Not a good decision, but at least the food seems to have calmed down a bit.

Going to try to work myself up to go to a women's group tonight. Must not isolate... Grugh.

Gotta accentuate the positive. :)

Gaaa!!! Can I just vent for a sec and come back for personals later??

My husband got mad at my kitty and kicked him out of the house, and he hasn't come back. He just told me and that was on TUESDAY. WTF?! I have had my kitty for over 8 years and my husband lost him. Awesome.

Not only that, but I lost a diamond out of my wedding ring today and the warranty doesn't cover it. Not only will I have to give up my ring for a while to have it fixed in Colorado but I have to pay for it.

On top of that stuff, today was just **** in general. I am pissed off today and want to drink a lot and veg out and be a fatty. Yes, TOTAL emotional eating and drinking urges. Grrr.

((((((Joss)))))))
Vent away, hot stuff.
Poor kitty. It sounds like she's a survivor, though, and if she realizes what a good thing she has going, she'll come back on her own. Losing the diamond from your ring blows, too, but at least you still have the ring. And your finger, btw... (I've heard stories...ring avulsion, yurgh)

When all this has past and you look back on this, how would you like to have responded? Then respond like that. Easier said than done, for sure, but it's a start.

Hang in there!!!

LeilaJey : I hope you're gonna be a super fun weekend away! :) Have some good times!!! And yes apple picking sounds cute, but they are forecasting rain and storms on saturday. Not so charming ^^

Alexis : You make me want to get some sharpie too! I took out my old sketchs book last week and my old charcoal pencils... As you say, it's a nice way to take out mind from the food! How was your women group thing? :)

Joss : OH NO!!! Vent all you need, girl! I understand you must be so frustrated. I get so pissed when my boyfriend pass on some frustration on the cat... Your hubby was probably feeling bad, explaning why he only told you today... Plus your ring.. *HUGS!!!!* Even if you totally have the right to feel bad, turning to the food will just comfort you temporaly :(

I feel you though. Hold on! You'll get pass that bad time :(

***

136.6 this morning. Up from 0.2 lbs from yesterday, +0.4 lbs from 1 week. I have no reason whatsoever to be up, no TOM or anything. I probably just ate to much at some point. I have a long un plan on Sunday, I hope it will help me get back down a bit.

I went for a run tonight by the lake. The water was just PERFECT. It was my best run in weeks, it's like I got new legs. I felt like flying when I sprinted the last kilometer. That was a good confidence boost for the upcoming half marathon

Jessica - I'm glad you aren't stressing this past weekend's dietary indiscretions. :) That's the key, isn't it? Losing weight is all well and good, but the balance of that and your real life is what is important. We all have days off plan, whether we anticipated those days or not. I know that there are holidays and special occasions to look forward to, but that I will also have days where honestly, I just don't care! haha The key is doing what you did and picking back up and carrying on.
Sure, you could be at your goal weight by now if you never strayed, but that's not realistic for most people. I think you're doing fantastic!

Turbo - Apple picking sounds like so much fun! I'm going to drag my hubby out to pick apples and pumpkins when he comes to visit in October. :)
I feel you on the veggies lately... I don't know why, but I just want to eat piles of them lately! I suppose there are worse things huh?
Thats fantastic that your run went well yesterday, and anything that helps to pump you up for your marathon coming up is good in my book! LOL have you seen Forrest Gump? I read what you wrote about having new legs and immediately thought "Lt. Dan, you got new legs! Magic legs..." hahaha

Alexis - I find it ironic that I'm over here trying to help you out and tell you not to beat yourself up over comfort eating, and then you have to turn around and tell me not to do it too! LOL shows you how it all comes full circle around here huh? It's nice to know we all have that support when we need it.
Did you end up going to the Woman's group? What does that entail? Is it just a social thing or more of a therapy thing?

Leila - Your meals sound delicious! I'm always curious about what others are eating. :) I hope you have a good weekend away!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, I did end up staying OP last night, even though I was frustrated with everything. The funny thing is, I knew I wouldn't really end up deviating... that urge is just gone for the most part. I almost wish I had stuffed myself though, because I got freaked out by the scale this morning!

Since I started eating natural foods primarily, my weight has been holding steady which isn't a surprise; I haven't really changed my calories at all or my macronutrients much, but I do find that I am eating more fats (which is good) and getting much closer to the 40% protein/30% carbs/30% fat ratio that I aim for. Anyway, last weekend I had the one day where the hubby and I ate a ton of decadent french food and a ton of desserts, but then got right back on plan after that.

I checked my weight on 30 August and saw that it was 116 lbs. Okay, perfect. 1 September was the day I ate like 5000 calories... :) Today, 8 September, I am at 113.4 lbs. Seriously?! Wow. I honestly think that eating more naturally and eating more fat made that whoosh happen. I guess I should bump up the calories again.

*sigh* does anyone else constantly have to adjust their calories to prevent losing too much or gaining too much? I find it exhausting!

Anyway, thank you so much Turbo and Alexis for the kind words and encouragement. I am just so mad at my husband right now, but I also understand why he kicked the kitty out. It makes me angry though because I have had Jack (my kitty) for 8 years and he's my baby! When my husband agreed to house him until I move out there he agreed to take care of him, and now he's missing. It just makes me sick to my stomach. Then of course on top of that every time I look at my wedding ring I get mad about that too. Ugh!

Okay, something more fun to talk about... food! I did an open-faced breakfast sammich yesterday with Ezekiel bread, dijon mustard, prosciutto and egg whites. It was yummy!

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I also made myself a tilapia "paella" with the miracle rice and lots of fresh herbs for dinner last night. Also delicious.

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This morning I treated myself to those amazing chocolate chocolate chip pancakes. I want seconds... hahaha

Okay, off to the gym to try to work out some of this frustration!

Joss : I LOVE the Forrest Gump movie. I guess I was a bit Lt Dan last night ;) (without the big pre-being a *ss and finding redemption while fishing shrimps LOL) You made good choices with your food even if you were angry. Being angry about the food wasn't something that was needed to add to the pot! Did your hubby checked animal shelter around you? Maybe someone found him and took Jack there?

***

130.0 this morning, yay! Thank you, late night run!

The weather is weird, no apple picking for today :( We still have next week though.

Might go do some shopping this afternoon, I have like noooo pairs of jeans that really fit left.

Plus last night as I was driving home after the run, super hype from it, and the Bryan Adams song from the Disney movie Spirit the stalion of the (can't remember the word) was on the radio. And now I really really really want to watch that movie. The boyfriend is ''thrilled'' about our upcoming movie night plan :D

I am purposely overeating lots of carbs today. My weight yesterday was 113.4, which is a bit too light for me considering my muscle mass. Sooo, the goal is to train heavy and eat a ton and see if I can bump things up a bit. I am doing this today and started yesterday, so the only trick is getting back on plan and not hating the way I look for a few days!

I totally suck at keeping up this month! :( just got over TOM, got my Botox shots last Friday, celebrated hubby's birthday, got an insane-in-the-membrane migraine yesterday, felt better today and took my boys for a picnic at the park. And we just sold our first puppy. I couldn't dream of a better home. The puppy will "replace" one of the same breed that passed this year of old age. It will be trained as a therapy dog for the mom, who has MS. They travel as much as condition allows, and of course the dog goes, too. I saw the cutest pics of their old dog n cruises, at the grocery store, in monaco! Lucky dog....LOL. :D

I keep debating whether I have started binging or not. Silly question, right? Nt whenever my period hits, I am not on,y ravenous, but I physically stuff myself past the comfort zone, eating not always great things. I wouldn't think twice about ice cream cake, just not my thing, and yesterday I ate two big leftover pieces! I feel so bloated and doughy today. I've done great today, and I made homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner, Scott will be easy to stay on track.

Anyone heard of or tried Go Picnic lunches? They are a gluten free, whole foods lunch kit. I found them on sale at target, and not only are they yummy, they are so healthy! My kit today, that I took to the park, had seed-rice crackers and veggie hummus, a packet of dried fruit and nuts, a packet of assorted seeds and dried edamame and a small dark chocolate piece with sea salt. It was so filling I had to break it up into two smaller meals, and it was only 380 cals! :carrot: I'm going to go back or night and see if they have any more left. Lots of variety. They would be great for me to take to work on Mondays, nstead of my usual Lean Cuisine.

128 here and saaaaaaaaaad, but totally my fault. Being a lump and definitely letting the stress of everything get to me. BUT....I see my routine slowly coming back!! Woo hoo! There is light!


Sorry for no personals...I hope everyone is well and had a great weekend!

I was temporarily rejuvenated by working out this evening. It's been a week since the last disaster. I decided to do something moderate, so I let my boys ride their bikes while I jogged. Or that was the plan... Holy insanity. My youngest, bless his heart, decided that TODAY he was afraid of going fast. This is the child that I am sometimes uncertain if he will live to see middle school, because he is so crazy. It was so slow and painful, like herding mentally challenged turtles....wow. I was walking backwards faster than he was pedaling his bike. At one point, he was on my back, hanging like a baby opposum, while I tried to steer his bike one handed back home.

Instead of killing the desire to get exercise, it set off my crazy mojo mode. I booted those kids so fast when I got home and set off for a wild bike ride. Sweet freedom! Lol ;) of course it felt great and I just kept pushing it. I never learn!!! Never! Got home and right during my cool down stretch I got an instant migraine. MF! :( I just don't get this! And my personality prevents me from even grasping the concept of taking it easy.

Joss- oh no! Pease tell me your kitty is back! Is he usually and indoor/outdoor cat? Does he have your number on his tags? :( so sorry about your wedding ring. Are you sure the diamond isn't covered? I thought for sure they were. If not, it definitely bites the big one to replace it. We have some jewelry pieces covered on our insurance for like, six bucks a month or something. I think you have to get them appraiser first, but it is worth the piece of mind. Especially since as you get older, you will probably add to your collection. What a crap week. Hugs.

Joss : Awww, increasing carbs intake, what a perfect situation!! Yummm. How is this going?

Chickie : So sad about to hear about your migraine :( It must be so frustrating. I have to admit that I worship you for having such a good attitude about it, trying again to working and finding alternatives! I had to laugh at your kid who suddenly wanted to go suuuuper slow. It always amazed me how kids can be so RANDOM hehe!

***

I was 136.0 on saturday, 136.6 on Sunday and 137.0 today. BoOOOh! I had a pretty heavy meal last night though (the boyfriend cooked a lamb and white beans stew and we had an appetizers of melting cheese with pesto on bread) I tried kept the cheese to a small amount, but the he was insisting that I eat more : I barely ate after I came back from my run and he said it wasn't good for me. He's right, as usual, but I barely get hungry after long runs.

I'm not freaking out yet for the weight increase, I have been rabbit-pooping for the last 3 days. On a good note, my 18k was FREAKIN AWESOME, I could have kept going forever. I was even able to sprint in my last kilometer. After a sh*tty training this summer, it was a huge confidence boost for the upcoming half in 2 weeks. Now I know I at least have the legs to finish it.

I also decided to increase my twice-a-day abs routine today : I'm not doing 60 crunches every morning and evening (except on long run days) (I was doing 50 before) and I increased from 60 sec to 80 sec plank every morning and night. I'm gonna increase them slowly every 2-3 weeks.

Have a good monday, Feathers!!

Hi Feathers!

I had an amazing weekend in Connecticut visiting bf's family and whatnot. His sister and her boyfriend have 3 cats and his mom has 2 so I got my cat fix (I absolutely love cats but my landlord is allergic and I'm not home enough to warrant having a pet). I ate like 7,000 calories over the weekend but who cares, not me. His mom made special brownies for us - that combined with the huge amount of incredible food she cooked just for our visit = WORLD'S MOST INTENSE MUNCHIES. Also too much hotel-catered bar mitzvah food. TOM came in the middle of Shabbat service, so in the name of unholy blasphemy I shook the rabbi's hand. :P What a relief!

Had a crappy workout this morning (who knew eating junk food and pot brownies would make you slow, haha) but I'll be fine. Up a couple lbs in water weight but it will go back down. Yesterday we went walking in the woods and ended up flipping over big rocks to look for cool bugs and snakes, and bf found a really cool purple mushroom that his mycology-nut sister identified as Cortinarius iodes. Poisonous (seems intuitive to me, it's BRIGHT PURPLE and SLIMY!).

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TurboMammoth Congrats on kicking the 18K run in its @ss! I'm glad you feel more confident about the half. How are the abs routines working out for you? I feel like I should be doing more to work on my middle on non-lifting days.

ChickieChicks Hooray for light and a return to routine. I think something about "back to school" and the onset of fall inspires everyone - I have been really motivated all morning to pursue hobbies and go to random meetups and just put myself out there more. I'm so sorry about the post-bike-ride migraine :(

JossFit HUGS to you, I can't believe your husband would lose your cat. That's a huge breach of trust. Has he been found yet? He'd better be doing everything he can to get that cat back! Sorry about the diamond falling off too, when it rains it pours and that applies to sh!t too apparently. Don't need me to say it but it's pretty awesome that the urge to eat and drink away the frustration was nipped before it happened. Would you say you're "bulking" right now or just consciously trying to feed better workouts?

Hi all,

Sorry no time for personals at the moment I am insanely busy. I have been going to a lot of parties and getting to know people (and probably drinking more than I should). Though I am walking everywhere here as it is such a small city, plus the food here is so much healthier and I have so little time to eat that I don't think I am eating as much as usual.

I tried this dish called pulpo the other day, it is octopus, it tastes better than it sounds. It's actually quite delicious. But not to fear I am keeping an eye on what I'm eating. It's frustrating that I have no real way of measuring any progress because I couldn't bring my scales with me and I don't want to waste money on a new set that I can't bring back to the uk with me. :/

Hope everyone is doing well, when everything settles down a bit here I will actually be able to do personals and maybe some photos of the food as well.

Turbo I am glad that my dad is doing the 5k with me now. If he hadn't told me that he had started running again, I'm not sure I would've ever committed to do the race in the first place, so I am looking forward to a bit of father daughter bonding.

And thanks for the speed work tips. I'm not sure that I'll do much speed work before the race, as I have a million things to do and might be cutting my running down a bit to accommodate. I'm just happy enough knowing that I can run the full 5k.

Leila It was more like 7 lbs of water weight, but the 2 lbs was what I was up the last time I posted, which was a few days after the binge. It's all off now, plus a bit extra, so I really did work myself up for nothing.

Alexis This past weekend went much better. I managed to stay on plan, and I don't think I'll have anything get in the way of my usual eating plan until about 2 weeks from now, which I've totally planned for anyhow.

Joss Any word on the cat yet? Did your husband put up missing posters? My sister's indoor cat got out once, and was gone probably about a week before a neighbor brought him home, so even though he's been missing a while, there is still hope.

Chickie I have debated going for a run with my daughter on her bike, but haven't for the exact reason you stated. A lot of the time when she rides to the park, I have to run to keep up with her, but some days she just lags and lags behind. She is just shy of 3 though, and rides a balance bike, so I'm sure it's not quite the same, but still!

Krampus I also had a really crappy workout post junk food last week. But I have overeaten a couple times where it totally fueled my workout and I did awesome. I guess it just depends on how far down the junk food scale the food I'm overeating on is.

-------------

I had a productive weekend of painting. I sent my daughter away Saturday night for a sleepover at my parents house, and started painting her soon to be playroom (which has been sitting empty for months, waiting for me to paint it). I must be a very slow painter, because I probably spent 12 hours between Saturday and Sunday painting. I finished the whole room, except for one wall, which is going to be a magnetic chalkboard wall. I put one coat of the magnetic primer on, but it went on all lumpy, so tonight after she goes to bed, I'm going to sand it down, and try another coat, and hope it works out okay. On the bright side, magnets do stick to it, so that's something. After that, I still have 2 coats of the chalkboard paint to do, so I'm hoping if I'm diligent, I can have it done by the end of the week. I also still need to paint her bathroom, and hoping to get that done by the end of the week as well.

Sometimes when I get preoccupied with a project, I forget to eat and hydrate myself, so I actually saw 128.9 Sunday morning, which is a low for me. This morning I'm back up to 130.5, but that's still under what I was before overeating, so I'm good with that.

I'm not sure if I'll been running too much over the next two weeks, as I want to finish my painting project, and then clean and organize the house for my daughter's birthday party in 2 weeks. I also go way overboard, and have a menu planned that will have me working on it the whole week before hand, so I'll be keeping myself occupied. I am happy knowing that I can run a full 5k though, and then will have 2 weeks to get back to a normal running schedule before the race.

Hey everybody! I'm busy with this work trip right now, and it was a long day... just got back from the gym. I will have more time tomorrow and will catch up on all the personals. Lots going on in here!

*And no, no kitty. :(

Turbo ~ Running by water is so soothing. Glad that it gave you the boost you needed. Remember that you're probably in the BMI range where you might arbitrarily gain or lose. PLEASE don't let the scale freak you out.

Joss ~ Full circle, indeed. ;) Sometimes it's good to have people around us that remind us just how far we've come and I'm majorly impressed and inspired that you stayed on plan. That "miracle rice" looks yummy! May have to go on my grocery list for this week... Glad that you've decided to up your carbs a bit. You need FUEL for all those workouts!

Chickie ~ Sounds like you did pretty darn good for being stressed. Instead of looking at where you'd like to be, take some time to look at how far you've come! You go, girl!

Krampus ~ Your bf's MOM made "special brownies". Wowza! ;) Sounds like one heck of a weekend.

Manekineko~ Sounds like just an adjustment time. Food and mood will calm down.

JessicaB ~ Glad this week was better for you. Doesn't it seem to go that when you're more productive, food seems to level off? Good luck on training for the 5K. This is the season for it!

~~~
So I've set a pretty audacious weight goal for October and I've realized that both in weight and in life, my EMOTIONS have been my major stumbling block. (they also tend to be one of my biggest assets, but not in the case of accomplishing goals) I do tend to get in my own way quite a lot.

The plan is to try to remove emotions from food in as much as is possible. Just this awareness is a big step for me.

Orchestra tonight! WooHoo!!! This week is also shaping up to be one of the more active ones in a long while: have dinner with a friend tomorrow, a "young adults" group on Thursday, and am planning on going to an "Italian Feast" with another friend on Friday, then possibly apple picking and a BBQ on Saturday. It seems like it's either all or nothing in my social calendar, but knowing this helps me to plan better.

Make it a great day, ladies!