Krampus – Ohhh, I was under the impression it was like a buffalo CHICKEN burger… those are my FAVORITE. I’m slightly less jealous now…but I’m sure it was greasy and delish and everything you wanted. I’m not much of a beer drinker either, but on the rare occasion I do have one the chocolate stouts are what I head for. Good choice!
Pizza wars sounds like a beast! I’m sure they won’t be serving full slices,r ight? A ton of wings seems less intimidating than a ton of pizza. That’s really great of you to agree to go with your friend’s socially awkward brother. Is anyone else joining you two?
Yeah, WTF with my weight indeed?! I did express my concerns and he made some changes in short order… *eek!* Now I get to start seriously complaining about the amount of cardio.
Its going to take a bit of time to get your groove back after being sick, but you will… and you’re a rock star for even doing the damn thing… so many people make excuses and skip out on it.

My ‘ice cream’ for tonight is vanilla whey protein, lots ofice, a bit of glucomannan to thicken it up even more, cinnamon, ground flaxseeds and coconut extract. The texture of the ground flax seeds and slight nuttiness with the coconut extract make it feel seem like it’s actually shredded coconut in there.

Dorian – I do think the increase is partly due to muscle soreness and partly due to sodium because that’s all it COULD be! LOL even my coach was like yeah… I don’t know what that’s all about… haha
I hope you’re feeling better! I had always been relatively symptom-free when it comes to TOM, but I haven’t had one in a long time. Hmm, I wonder if this increase might actually be a sign that I’m going to get it back soon?! I have been eating a lot more calories consistently for the past couple of weeks and obviously a LOT of extra calories over the holidays. Maybe I am due for a period soon… weird… I just thought of that.
I drove from CA to NC when I moved here and it wasn’t too bad. I drove from Northern CA to San Diego on the first day and picked up my cousin who lives there, and then he drove with me the rest of the way. We stopped at my parent’s place in Texas for a day but it was mostly driving. For going with me and helping me drive, I paid for his plane ticket home. Can you make a little road trip out of it? Plan out a route and see a friend or two along the way? Having Dorian with you will make you have to stop more often anyway. The only issue might be finding pet-friendly hotels if you need to do that.

Yes, MFP is awesome! I still use it constantly to make sure that when I use my ‘exchanges’ the calories and macros are where my trainer wants them to be. I’m also a weirdo and just like logging. J

Turbo – I did speak with him… details below. J And yes, look at my chickie eggs! I’m going to eat them all up! LOL I love the variety of colors and they feel so heavy and sturdy. My friend who has the chickens said the yolks are so vividly orange. I can’t eat egg yolks right now but I’m sure they’re still great (the whites) and they’re cheaper than the stuff I get from the store.



Even skipping the elliptical that sounds like a great workout to me! No slacking off in my opinion! LOL @ your boyfriend… sometimes my hubby says out of nowhere “I’m going to be a fat kid and order a huge pizza and eat it all” (and he does… usually the kind with 34 million meats on it) or he also gets these burritos that I call “baby burritos” because they’re so huge they look like a baby all swaddled up. He sort of pretends like he feels guilty for eating it but he and I both know he couldn’t get fat if he tried. He’s the type who has to work hard to keep weight on. Jerk. Don’t you hate them sometimes?!

Jessica – yeah,right there with you… we KNOW we can’t really be gaining fat or whatever but that ******* scale! I’d ignore it all together but I learned that only allows me to gain very quickly, and my trainer wants tosee my progression during this program. Meh.
Meh, who gives a crap what the other parents thought? I bet you had more fun than them AND you burned those calories! LOL just more ‘boring’ exercise to go along with your totally boring SENSIBLE HEALTHY sustainable way of eating! People are dorks sometimes. J

Wildflower – Have you recently added anything new to your diet? Anything that you might be having a reaction to? It could explain some of the water retention if your body is trying to flush something out. Just a thought. It definitely sounds like you’re getting a lot of exercise in today… that should make up for some missed workouts!

Whats on the menu today? I’m always interested in your meals… they sound so colorful. J


OKAY – since all of you gorgeous ladies asked me here’s the basic wrap up of the check in with my coach; I definitely let him know that I am feeling discouraged at the recent upturn on the scale. I was okay with a slow-ish progression because it was averaging about .2 pounds per day, but that isn’t OK if it goes the other way! He did give me a explaination about my weight and said things that I already know (sodium, muscle soreness, etc.) but he has such a good way of talking to you its informative, but not at all condescending yet he doesn’t treat me like I don’t know anything. He was reassuring.

Anyway, he did say that from my photos my upperback/shoulders look “fuller” (which is good) and that “the area under my glutes” looks “cleaner” – basically “yay, you have less cottage cheese on the back of your thighs!” LOL so that’s a bit of positive. He agreed that from the front and sides there isn’t really any change, and I appreciate him not trying to blow sunshine up my @ss.

So, he increased my cardio from 35 minutes 6 days per week to 45 minutes 7 days per week! Yowza! I can do whatever kind of cardio I want but I have to keep my heart rate between 70-80% of my max, so it’s not walking… I gotta run, hit the elliptical hard, fast intervals on the stairs, etc. He also took some of my calories away mostly from carbs and a bit of fat, but I’m still going to be eating more than I would’ve if I were dieting on my own. There will be more subtractions later I’m sure.
So… as predicted… fewer carbs, more calories, scared JossFit. I’m excited to kick it up a bit because it hasn’t felt like a challenge yet and I am not really seeing results.
He assured me he’d get me where I want to go… yikes. LOL

Joss :

He assured me he’d get me where I want to go…

That is almost frightning LOL

Are you starting all that tomorrow?

And prettyyyyyyyyy eggs!

I know right?! LOL
I actually sort of started this evening. I went ahead and cut the starch from my dinner meal since I'll have to start doing that tomorrow anyway. Tomorrow I'll implement all the changes.

There is light this DEDICATION in the sentence that was use mixt with the sliiiiiiight thingy that sounds like ''we'll do whatever it takes to get you there. Like WHATEVER.'' LOL

You can do this!!

Good evening! Big news is that I signed up for a half marathon for the end of April!! Now I'm really stuck, LOL!

I did better today and counted most of my cals before dinner. Got fed up with exact counting just before dinner, but had what I think is a very healthy chili (and a small amount of it), with ground turkey, black beans, and tons of veggies, mixed with tomato soup. I made it super spicy and it was yummy.

I'm still grappling with all the issues I have with yo-yo dieting in the last five years or so (only with me, I was barely successful at even initially losing weight, in that I maybe would lose 5 pounds before I'd bounce back up). I'm leaning more and more toward needing to develop a whole different attitude and it feels a little insurmountable right now. I need to create a "me" diet, and it has to allow me to live and to enjoy treats and to enjoy life and not need to overeat followed by undereating over and over again. The closest I've come to that is what I was telling Alex about in my last post, where I just naturally ate less, mostly healthy foods, but some treats.

@bayzee - your meals sound beautifully healthy and delicious!

@Alex - thank you for sharing your story! Hmm...a lot of food for thought, so to speak! Seriously, I think there is an element of fail in the "fight" to lose weight sometimes. But I do want to revisit and re-find that "me" from about 10 years ago when I dropped about 15 pounds without even thinking about it or trying, by eating mostly healthy but not worrying about every single calorie or carb and enjoying some treats. Raisin Rum Ice-cream! That sounds wicked good!

@Jossfit - thanks for your input on the frozen meals! I do like to have a few on hand (I try to go for the healthier stuff like Amy's stuff with a lot fewer preservatives and extras, but those are expensive, too) Also, soups. I do like to take a can of lentil soup and add extra spinach and maybe a bit of feta cheese to it! Oooh, and I get real farm eggs from a friend at work on occasion! LOVE the different egg colors and sizes!!!!

Oh my gosh, I'm so eager to hear how your training will go now with the added stuff! I do hope it's just the boost your body needs!

@Dorian - yep, in the past when I've tried to go for 1200, I always end up closer to 1400! Gosh, an office with a view of the ocean, what could be better!

@Krampus - thank you for sharing your story, too! I love hearing success stories, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

@Turbo - LOL on your bf's celebration meal with that pizza! That actually sounds good, grrr, LOL!

I HAVE MORE PERSONALS TO ADD, but seriously, I need to go to bed right now, my eyes are burning! How is not the end of the week already? How? Night-night!

whoa, dropped 2 pounds overnight. Yay for water weight going away!

Whatever little rain dance you did, do that for me too! I'm glad to see it... I'm sure you feel a lot better.

I am EATING TOO MUCH. Beau came home with a stack of swiss chocolate bars from his boss (he goes on a ski trip every year and comes back in January with something for all the boys in the office) -- he isn't a sweets fiend like I am. Oh, and he had a box of miniature chocolate bottles filled with a vodka/red bull mixture. I had one; they weren't good, tasted like good chocolate filled with rubbing alcohol and maple syrup.

Anyway, I made homemade chicken noodle soup and boyfriend baked herb bread, so I had a healthy dinner planned. But I had too much bread, too much wine, too much beer, and too much chocolate. We stayed up late giggling at youtube videos and taking shots of southern comfort and building a new lego set he bought me together. TOM is still bothering me, and I am bloated from that and alcohol this morning. I need to stop drinking like a frat boy!

Some mornings I lift up my shirt, look at my tummy and think, hey, you know what, I still look pretty good. But I know I want to wear my drawer full of thin jeans, and I KNOW that what I'm doing right now isn't "maintaining" what I look like at the moment, I'm GAINING. And I get the feeling that if someone were to show me a picture of myself at the moment I'd be horrified. The mirror is tricking me.

Still no word on San Diego! I'm on pins and needles! Guess his boss is waiting until Friday so we have the weekend to think about it?

---

krampus: I haven't noticed my skin get worse with TOM, but I have noticed that it is MUCH WORSE in my 20's than it ever was in my teens! What gives? I would love to move Mom out there, and she would like the beach, but since my sister has children and my mother LOVES them to death, she wouldn't want to leave them. San Diego would be temporary anyway, and I told her I would fly her out there whenever she says the word (if we end up there) -- we wouldn't be buying a house or anything, just renting and probably ending up right back in Raleigh. That burger sounds so good! Good luck with pizza wars, I am violently craving pizza now and it's 9am. Sorry you were feeling bloaty, but NICE WORK on the cardio! You'll get up to par in no time.

Jossfit: Your eggies! They are precious! My mom's friend has chickens and gives her eggs, one of them lays those greenish colored ones too. Maybe you are due for TOM. I can always make TOM appear by wearing my absolute cutest underwear. And then POOF! TOM. Oh man, I am so glad to hear someone that has made the trip say it wasn't awful. They would give us 5k as moving expenses, I think let them move my car and just rent a van or something to take Dorian. That way I'm not putting the miles on my car, and Dorian would have more space than in my hatchback. I probably would need a pet-friendly hotel. YIKES, cutting your carbs and upping your cardio?! That would scare me too; but I have faith in Jossfit! You can do it!

TurboMammoth: Nope, never have cramps, so I'm due. Nice workout! Congrats on your poop! (Yeah never something I thought I'd say) Your boyfriend ASKED for a veggie omelet? Awesome. Hahaha, your boyfriend's celebratory meal cracked me up. I LOVE those cinnamon breadsticks from Domino's. How are the Canadiens doing? Hurricanes whooped the Sabres @sses TWICE in back to back games (one home, one away) but we lost to the Bruins on Monday, dangit. We have a game tomorrow against the Senators, hope we win.

JessicaB: Yeah, it's never good when it's a surprise. Before birth control I was irregular, and even now on birth control it's happened where it started anyway (see above where I tell JossFit that I can get TOM by wearing my cutest panties, haha) Boyfriend and I are planning on buying a house soon, we were looking at December maybe but if we go to San Diego, we definitely won't be buying there, phew. YUM, I love steakhouses, happy birthday to your husband. You could always take home the lamb you don't eat, right? It sucks how so many celebrations are centered around food, I went a year once promising myself that after the NEXT holiday/birthday/anniversary I would start my weightloss. I gained 10lbs that year. You're such an awesome mom, how is your daughter doing with her anxiety?

Wildflower: I'm sorry you're feeling discouraged about the scale. I hope the coffee helps with the water bloat, and be sure to flush with lots of water too. That's a lot of walking/yoga! I remember the Amy's Kitchen person, but not the username... hm. That's gonna bug me. That Amy's stuff is really good, I LOVE the frozen pizzas (that's probably not in the diet plan though, haha) Yeah, the San Diego move would NOT be permanent, as neither of us wants to buy a house out there or anything. My mother works from home, so she can come stay with us for a while and bring her laptop and work. Yeah the boyfriend makes a pretty good salary now and we live comfortably, but it would NOT hold up in San Diego. They would need to at LEAST double it, but triple is kind of what we're holding out for (he would be getting a promotion/a lot more responsibilities) Mom offered to ride with me and fly back to NC, but I'm sure the boyfriend would come. SOMEONE would have to, I wouldn't want to do it alone!

Olehcat: Yep, I might have to try and get a job at his office! Congrats on signing up for a half marathon! Your chili sounds fantastic, I LOVE spicy food. Everything you say about figuring out how to make a diet that is about YOU is exactly how I'm feeling. Sure, I can conform to some diet specifications for a few months, but what happens after that? I would love to train myself to eat in a way that I enjoy, that helps me feel good about my body, is healthy, but lets me enjoy the things I love. Moderation. I do that overeat/undereat/overeat too, subconsciously now. It blows my mind that I can't stop myself from eating 2500+ calories one day, and the next I could skip every meal and just have water/diet soda. Not healthy. I hope we can BOTH find some balance!

I hope I got everyone -- have a WONDERFUL day feathers!

Good morning Feathers!

I saw a glimmer of hope on the scale this morning. It said 131.6 when I first stepped on it, which is 2 lbs down from yesterday and the first time I've seen 131 in a decade. Of course, I had to press my luck and step on the damn thing again, which then proceeded to read 132.6. GRRRR.

So, I have this fear my scale isn't quite accurate because I live in an almost 100 year old apartment and the wooden floors are all slanted. There is nowhere in the entire apartment I've found that the scale sits evenly. I know it's not crazy off (more than a few pounds or anything) because hubby weighs at the gym and at home. He says that he weighs more at home than the gym (just by a few pounds) which I find interesting, because he is at the gym during his lunch hour after he eats and drinks and stuff.

Anyway, the stupid floors might explain the change in weight i got because I stepped on it differently and it didn't tilt the first time (usually it tilts a little when I set my first foot down.) I don't know which is right and I am obsessing about it too much for one measly pound. However, there is this glimmer in the back of my mind that maybe I really weigh 2-3 lbs less than I think I am!

Anyway, I was still down at least a pound, if not 2, so I'll take it!

Got up and ran at the gym already this morning. My workout sucked, but hey at least I did something. I had the burning lung thing happening (maybe from whatever I was fighting off the last few days). I would run 5-8 minutes, then walk a few. Didn't feel like a great workout, but I guess it was better than staying home in bed.

Joss since you were asking about what I've been eating, here is my Wednesday:

B: tea and then a green smoothie (1 cup frozen berries, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 T peanut butter, 1 Banana, several handfuls of "power greens" which are baby kale, baby spinach and baby chard.

L: Lunch was an utter fail. I usually bring a lunch but was supposed to meet a friend who canceled. I decided to go ahead and walk up to the place we were going to go as it would be good exercise (.8 of a mile to get there) and the place is a raw vegan restaurant so fairly healthy. I left work, walked up there, got the food, look a longer way back so I got in about 2 miles of walking at lunch (I got in another 1.5 walking from the train to my office and back). Lunch was raw sushi made with some sort of sunflower seed pate, veggies, avocado. It was gross. The seed stuff tasted fatty and the nori was super chewy. Ugh. I ate 6 pieces and gave up, left the office again and went out and got a soy latte (a cheat due to the sugar in the milk) to finish the meal off.

D: dinner was light as I had yoga in the evening. so I had leftover stir fry veggies in a homemade peanut sauce (broccoli, peppers, pineapple, tofu, white onions, green onions, water chestnuts, garlic, ginger).

Still hungry after yoga so I had a 1/2 banana.

Yoga was a 90 minute iyengar class.

Today I'm working from home and I've had a green smoothie, just boiled a pot of chickpeas to make hummus for lunch and am planning to make a big pot of veggie soup for dinner.

Also, Joss you asked if I've been eating anything differently and I have been. I've been eating peanut butter every day for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to make this peanut sauce for stir fry, but also I usually have 1 T of sunflower seed butter for breakfast and Whole Foods was out of it this week! So I've been having the peanut butter instead, as I like to have some fat with breakfast to help with nutrient absorption from my fruit. I've also been blending my fruit with greens to get more greens in my diet. Not new foods, but maybe more liquids with the usual fruit I have for breakfast now being in smoothie form with milk.

I'll stop back later for personals, just wanted to check in this morning before I start working!

Ok...so I had a pretty bad eating day yesterday. I ate all of my healthy stuff by 1:00 p.m (including the emergency apple) and I went home starving. It is my first real failure in about 28 days so I guess I was due. We decided to go out for dinner so...pasta for dinner and wine afterwards with a couple handful of chips. Hubby was eating them, so what the heck! I'm sorry...but it was so worth it. BUT...I am back on track today. No problems with hunger so far today, so maybe I needed a refeed I'll know tomorrow about the damage because I plan to weigh-in if TOM hurries up and gets a movin'!

______________________________________________


Dorian...Glad things are settling down for you with your bf. Sounds like you have tons to think about right now. I'm almost 40 and I have three things I wish I would have done differently in my life so far...

1) Move to another country for a year or two to travel and work before committing to buying a house
2) Moved to another part of Canada
3) Been in better shape earlier

So...I think your move will enhance you as a person and you will have no regrets! In fact, you will say one day that your move was probably one of the best things you did...even if it doesn't work out. Because you will be a stronger person for it regardless.

I take prescription acne meds and again I'm almost 40. I didn't have any acne issues as a teen, but in my early 30's it went crazy. Hormonal obviously and I was getting cystic ance (the ones under the skin that don't pop) , not breakouts. Wait till you hit 30...spider veins, wider hips hormones out of control...NICE! lol!

Something you said really home with me...sacrificing social situations for the body we want. I am making a tough decision now. I have done well on my own up to now, but I am ready to change my body even more. I want to commit to a 12 or 16 week body transformation but it means cutting out alcohol. But what happens when I add it back??? Will I be right back where I started? sigh...

Joss...The change-up is great. You need to see results right now and I'm sure your coach has you on the right track. IMHO the faster you see some results, the more motivated a person is.
I buy farm fresh eggs too...$3/dozen. But I'm back to cartoned egg whites...Hubby eats the eggs. They taste so much better!

Turbo...You seem like your right back on track with your workouts. Keep up the great work. My only good poops are when I eat crap or drink alcohol! Now were talking...6/5 ones then! lol!


Wildflower...Yay on the loss! Take the 131! I would. If you moved the scale a hair you will have different readings. I actually put tape on the spot where I weigh in...hubby hates it but he has to stop moving the freakin scale around. I need to be consistent!

Krampus...I'm loving those food challenges. If I could pick any career and be paid well for it, it would be professional traveler who does restaurant reviews. I LOVE critiquing food. I am a good cook, so I hate when I get a crappy meal at a restaurant. And many of our "good" restaurants are overated and overpriced around here.

Olecat...Good loss! Slow and steady is great! Don't worry about a slip, get right back on track!

Jessica B...How are the French lessons going for your daughter?

Krampus ~ *I be rockin that granny ice cream* Oh, yeah baby. Gettin' jiggy with my inner senior citizen. No granny panties, though. I think you're right that getting back to the gym will help deal with my cravings. It's interesting because when I'm in the exercise zone, I sometimes find that my appetite gets bigger. I thought that it was directly due to the exercise, but it looks like a big appetite knows no bounds. but you're absolutely right that regular exercise regulates the rest of life. :thup: Hurray for Pizza Wars! Let us know who wins!

Turbo ~ lol @ your bf and his sad puppy eyes after eating that WHOLE Domino's haul. Oh, boys and their metabolisms... Gold star for you, bringing your own protein source to lunch with your cousin.

JessicaB ~ How much fun it sounds to crawl around WITH your daughter! You sound like a terrific mommy. Speaking of indoor play space, they just installed this MASSIVE four story obstacle course in a mall by us (of all places) that uses all the free open space in between the floors. (I see at least as many adults as kids on that, too.)

Ohlecat ~ Good for you, signing up for the marathon! And you can't back out either. We DO seem like eating buddies when it comes to figuring out what works for our bodies. I'm definitely of the opinion that an eating plan must include some treats to be sustainable over the long run. For me, depriving myself just doesn't work.

Joss ~ Those farmer's eggs are scrumptious looking! We used to get ones like that when I lived in SoKo: the yolks were crayola crayon yellow. An adventure in natural food! My pizza last night was Target brand spinach and feta. Sauteed some onions and garlic to throw on top of it, too. It was nom-tastic. Sounds like a good thing that you had that chat with your coach and that he was able to reassure you. I like the idea that you're not

Dorian ~ I now associate you with your bf's stack of Swiss chocolate bars. (I swear I remember 'em from this time last year!) The vodka/redbull chocolate mixture doesn't SOUND good, either. Like something a drunk frat boy cooked up in his dorm rooom. I hear ya on feeling like you're looking pretty good... but realizing that you're slowly going up. Awareness is key. As long as you're AWARE that it's happening, you can be prepared and start to make changes.

Wildflower ~ Your eats sound yummy and full of health. I'm not injured, just took a bit of a break from full on running/working out. I still go to a few yoga classes here and there, I just wasn't as intense as I used to be.

~~~~
HURRAY for the last day of January. I feel like this has been a month of *preparation* and re-learning old lesesons for me. I want this February to be a month of action and growth.

This is not weight related at all, but I had lost track of my favorite pair of dress shoes and last night I FOUND them randomly stuffed in a shoe box in the spare bedroom. What was lost is now found! Hurray!!!

Gratitudes for 2013 - Manifesting Intentions:
(I want to be able to say these in December of 2013...)

~I'm grateful that I have stuck with a moderate, sensible eating plan, keeping a reasonable nighttime cutoff, not eating out of emotion or falling into crash/fad diets.
~I'm grateful that I care for my body and mind by exercising regularly at least 3-4 times a week.
~I'm grateful that I feel a sense of calm and focus about my body.
~I'm grateful that all the clothes in my closet are either comfortable or baggy on my slender frame.
~I'm grateful that I am confident enough in my body to lay out on the beach without a cover up.
~I'm grateful that my pride in my body gives me confidence.
~I'm grateful that my strong, slender body allows me to be of better service to others.

bayzee ~ Good work getting back on track right away! (And I second Joss's comment about your "emergency apple") Doesn't sound like that big of a dent at all. Right side up and keep on walkin'!

I'm tired today and not really feeling this whole 'work' thing. I want it to be the weekend but, I am babysitting my roommate's kiddo Saturday night, and then my nice relaxing Sunday (though I do have an appointment for a massage) is now less relaxing since I have to do 45 minutes of cardio EVERY day now. I am going to have to go to my massage early and then go straight to the gym from there to do cardio. It should be the other way around but time isn't on my side in this instance.
Friggin cardio. Oh yeah... it's going to get worse. With 10 weeks remaining I anticipate 2-3 hours of cardio per day and weights 4 times per week toward the end of it. *Reminds self that she signed up for this...*
I'm just hoping at some point I'll have a carb-up so I can enjoy an apple or something... LOL. Its funny, but of all the things I could be jonesing for the thing I want to om nom nom is a f*cking green apple.

Today I did my back, biceps and abs workout and then did 45 minutes on the elliptical. The elliptical has always seemed like a joke to me, but when I'm wearing a HRM and trying to keep my HR up to at least 70% of my max, it's no joke! That sucks! I have to alternate machines (stairs, treadmill, bike, rowing, elliptical) because if I just start trying to run like crazy I'll end up injuring myself again. (I had a really nasty fracture to the head of my femur as a result of rapid increases in my running a few years ago.)
My plan is to only run every 3rd day, and gradually increase the time. I ran for just over 30 minutes the other day and that was plenty... I think doing 30-35 running and then finishing on something else is the plan for tomorrow.

I got another dozen awesome eggs from my buddy today, so I'm set on eggs for about a week now. I can't have the yolks right now, but even the whites tasted, I guess... eggier(?) this morning. I had fun picking out a little combination for my breakfast; one spotted egg, one green shelled egg, two brown eggs. LOL I'm easily amused I suppose.

Wildflower - Hmm, can you find a spot in the house that has more level flooring? I know we typically weigh ourselves in the bathroom but heck, if it's more accurate in the kitchen do it in there! LOL

I have to admit, your lunch from yesterday SOUNDS like a fail... hahaha normally I'm pretty open to food combinations but your description of that meal you picked up didn't really sound like something I would enjoy either. I'm curious though, you said the latte was a 'cheat' due to the sugar in the milk... why? You have sugar in your breakfast smoothie from the fruits and such.

Hmm, well my idea was that you might be having an allergic reaction to something, but unless it's a peanut allergy it doesn't seem like that is the case. No matter... the scale moved! Yay! Now I just hope I can get some of that. I still don't understand how with ZERO change in my program I went from 129.4 on Sunday and bumped up to 131-ish. Yes, it's not much I know, but it's been holding steady for 4 days and the 129's were holding for several days as well.

Oh well, maybe I will see a drop in the next few days. I'm just hoping it's a drop BELOW where I was on Sunday at least.

Dorian - Your BFs boss might very well be waiting until Friday to let you two think things over, but he might also just not have all the details he needs right now. I am the most impatient person ever so I can't really offer much advice on this one; I'd be sh*tting myself in anticipation too!
I know my head would be swimming with all the stuff that would need to be done (heck, with my move coming up in July you know I've been thinking about stuff related to traveling an whatnot since LAST July! LOL)

Is there anything better than real Swiss chocolate? If so I don't know what it is. My other favorite thing is just some great crusty french bread with real butter. If I ever wanted to have a foodgasm and die, I'd get some of that real Swiss chocolate and sandwich it between two hunks of hot crusty bread and let it melt a bit. (Why the F did I just do that to myself?! Treat meal = planned... LOL)
Anyway, my ex's father used to travel a bit for work and he brought us back some of the most amazing Belgian chocolate a couple of times... *drool* I don't blame you at all for getting your fill of the good stuff. Thats not Hershey's... you can't get that any old time or place!

Thats a difficult spot to be in right now with your weight/self-image/mirror-image. It's GOOD that you don't look at yourself and think "Ugh I look like a cow!" but you're right; you don't want to see a picture of yourself an suddenly feel like you have had your head in the sand. You're going through a lot of changes (potentially) right now and things may get hectic. It's great to indulge but those little indulgences build up and if you might soon be facing a cross country move I can only imagine your gym time might suffer. A situation like that makes getting your eating under control even more important.

I know its back and forth of me to say "Mmm, eat the chocolate" and then say "Okay now Hunny, watch what you eat..." but it's a matter of picking and choosing. Eat a bit of those amazing things that are special and leave the stuff that isn't. You just have to dig deep sometimes.
Honestly it could also be that its not a huge priority for you right now, and that's okay too! I think it might just be best to keep logging with MFP and try to keep a tighter rein on things when you can.

Olehcat - I'm hoping with you and Wildflower both dropping some lbs overnight that it is a sign I will too! LOL here's to hope!

What made you decide to sign up for a half? Have you done one before? That's exciting! I can definitely relate to the feeling of motivation from starting something new... *wink wink* not that I'm doing some hardcore 12 week bikini competition program or anything...

And thanks for the support! I'm hoping that the changes my coach made this week will get things moving in the right direction. I'm still skeptical that he can get me where I want to be in only TEN weeks now, but he assured me he can...

Bayzee - It's sort of a catch-22 when you get smaller, isn't it? You have to sort of keep the reins on things pretty tightly to make progress and maintain your progress, but you also have to restrict a bit more and sometimes that makes it harder to stay on track! Ugh, vicious circle!

As far as the alchol thing goes, yeah... you might rebound a bit when you add it back in (if you decide to do the program you mentioned) but I think it's worth it to see some REAL changes. After all, you're talking about building more muscle and stripping off more fat, and a couple of glasses of wine can't undo the muscle part of it. The added muscle will help you burn more calories as you know, so the wine added back in will have LESS impact than it does now. Like any fitness goal, its how bad you want it. I have given up pretty much EVERYTHING I love to eat aside from a few kinds of veggies and chicken, hahaha and we still have a long way to go. Its worth it to me, and I know its temporary. I'm not going to gain back all this fat when I add it back in but right now taking it out will help me to get to my goal. I certainly never eliminated dairy, fruit etc. in the past to get lean, it just took longer.

Alex - That pizza does sound good! I guess I'm too much of a carnivore because what jumps out at me is "needs chicken on it..." LOL. The yolks of my eggs were just like that... SUPER bright. I was sad to have to get rid of them but I'll enjoy them all the more in 10 weeks! I'm excited to add egg yolks, apples, cottage cheese and coffee creamer back in my diet.

I love your list of affirmations! I guess they aren't really affirmations but I don't know what else to classify them as.

I think your post to me got cut off a bit... "I like the idea that you're not..." dont leave me hanging! I can't take the pressure!!

Happy Day-Before-Friday, Feathers -

122.4 this morning, I had a great lifting session last night and a little more before work today. Last night the BF and I planned to have shrimp cocktail but the (frozen) shrimp had a weird texture so he tossed them in butter, garlic and olive oil and made pasta - I had a little more than I planned on but calories-wise was fine. We both got stomachaches and fell asleep at like, 8:30 PM.

Not that excited about Pizza Wars tonight but browsing the photo gallery from last year has me at least looking forward to hilarious people watching. It's going to be me, my roommate, her brother and my bf - so a good crew, not just me and roomie's bro standing around trying to think of things to say to each other. He's such a funny guy - he eats a rack of ribs WHOLE like pizza or corn on the cob instead of cutting the ribs off individually.

This weekend I'm going to be on a COUPLES CABIN WEEKEND with my bf's friend and his gf. I don't know either of them that well. She's super thin and a small eater so hopefully I won't compensate for what she doesn't eat by overdoing it all weekend long...I'm getting kind of nervous that I've managed to stay at or under 123 for a few days now!

JossFit Lovely eggs - though I would weep tears of despair throwing out the yolks which I'm sure are incredible. Don't reinjure yourself overtraining with regards to running! F*$k doing anything at 70-80% max would leave me in a puddle on the floor. I am dreading Pizza Wars but I also don't like pizza as much as I like wings, so it's really up in the air. I am getting stressed out that my libido is disappointing my BF (even though he says that's not the case and understands that being sick/constipated doesn't make anybody feel sexy) so that's some incentive not to overdo it too much...

Alexistrophic Thank gosh for no granny panties. If I don't exercise I don't notice my appetite decreases at all, nor have I found the opposite except sometimes the day after intensive weight training I have to fight with myself to not break my self-imposed fast. HOORAY for finding those shoes - I love when that happens. You get all the immediate pleasure you'd get from buying it new.

Bayzee You've been pretty strict for 28 days so no wonder you got hungry! What kind of pasta did you have? My dream career would be food reviewer too - maybe "food and drink" in "Lonely Planet" guidebooks, where they'd pay me to eat and then drink and then go clubbing...

Dorian5 If SD is just temporary I'm sure your mom would hang in there ok knowing you would return! Sorry you've been struggling, it's hard when you know you aren't like 300 lbs with type 2 diabetes and have a happy relationship with a partner who doesn't care how much you weigh - and have great food and drink around Are you weighing regularly? I can't trust the mirror either...

Wildflower The uneven-floor scale scenario you mentioned is the worst thing ever for a hopeful weigher! My friend was just telling me about how he was doing the same thing this week and thought he went from 204 to 202, but putting the scale on a flat surface put him at 208 for the "after" weight. Sorry also about the raw sushi fail, nothing sucks like going out to eat and being disappointed.

olehcat Woo woo half marathon! That's something fun to work toward ("fun," LOL) - finding a sustainable "me" way of eating takes a ton of trial and error but you will get there!

TurboMammoth MEN, I don't think I will ever get over my jealousy of guys who stay fit while eating BIG! Deep frying things is not one of my interests but there are a lot of people out there who will fry things and let me try some.

Joss...I agree; It's so worth it. I know I'm pitty-pottying on my age here, but there so many attractive, fit women in their 40-50's and I want to be one of them. I'm kind of getting tired of hearing, "You already look great". I do look thin, but I am certainly carrying more bodyfat than I want.

Maintaining is going to be harder for me than losing..If I do the program, which I pobably will, I need to learn how to break my "circle"

Alex...I love that...a month of action and growth! I'm in!