Joss ~ re: your plantar warts... I used to get them as a kid, too. Kind of gross, but fascinating! And I have a bff that's getting ready to "ship out", too, only for 6 months, to Italy, and for her doctoral dissertation, lucky stiff). Hope that by now the puffy, yucky feeling is fading away and your natural awesomeness is busting through...

Krampus ~ Good shot, thinking of food as fuel. I forget that all the time... And I triple the comment about the phallic fruit...

Turbo ~ Glad you're out of the car for a bit and my word, your skiing looks like such great fun! I'm going skiing on Sat, but it's my first time since I was 13... Looking forward to it! And I'm secretly chuckling at your calling Jessica Biel a stick figure with no soul...

Lockitup ~ Oh, the bag of clothes... Kind of like a sick, daring question, but it does seem like today would be the day to try 'em. I'm happy to be back at work, too! Once I got over the grumbling about actually having to get up and go to work, I'm happy to have the routine and occupation to keep me busy. What kind of work do you do? (I'm a medical sales recruiter...)

Ohtheplaces ~ It does sound like a first date, but then it seems like usual dating advice applies: "be yourself" and "relax!" How'd it go??? And yes, re: the binging... I don't usually consider taste when it comes to late night eating, but sometimes just any kind of "this doesn't end well" reminder will help break me out of the food hypnosis spell...

Olehcat ~ I did about 6 lbs over the holiday and am considering it not that bad at all. And it sounds like you had quite the "this is it!" moment in that dressing room... Onward and upward! Props to us for facing the music!!!

Bayzee ~ Ha! I just bought a loaf of Ezekiel bread yesterday. My bff came over and we made grilled cheese sandwiches (w. bacon!). Delish!

Dom ~ Helloooo! And gosh, you didn't do too much damage at ALL! Well done, you.

~~~

I had to get blood drawn this morning for a physical, which meant fasting last night, so was actually good motivation to keep to my 8PM cut-off. Didn't get a chance to officially weigh in before I downed my liter of water in the morning, but I promised myself I'd start weighing in now, so I'll just clock it at 155 and call it done. Sad I'm up about 6lbs, but really, it could have been so much worse. Am working on re-tooling the way I'm thinking about my fitness/eating plan... I was looking at pics from last summer and I keep thinking to myself: "I can do better..." Bring it on, bikini season!

On a completely non-food/body related topic, I'm shopping for a new work- type bag (top choice brands include Tumi, Cole Haan, and the classic Coach). I went to the Tumi outlet and the sales girl asked me what I was looking for and I said (in jest)"a non-soul sucking business tote". She was not amused. (Turbo's "stick figure with no soul" comment made me think about it). I was like, really now. I know you work here, but I'm here, too. Oh, well...

Is anyone else into purses/handbags? Any good "work tote" recommendations?

Target has theirs on clearance. I have one like this but in black alligator print that I paid $30 for, they're now on sale:

Ok you guys, I went and braved it up and tried on my sister's pants. The verdict is as such: size 5s FIT! Dear GOD could this be so!?!?!?! I mean, a little muffin for sure, but they're freshly washed too. I'd have to wear them with a looser-ish top, but I'd wear them out.

AND (get this $hit) there were a couple pairs of capris and a skirt that were like SUPER tight, not looking good, but buttonable (keep in mind in MARCH I couldn't even BUTTON size 20s from WALMART!!!!), I take them off, and they were a size 1s! She put them in by mistake. I mean granted I couldn't wear them out of the house, but they fit ON!!! I'm doing some serious right now.

Cloud 9!!!! Gotta be careful though, whenever I get to feeling too good I go do something to make myself feel bad. Here's to a new year and no more self sabotage!

Back for more personals later (maybe tomorrow), but wanted to share my VICTORY!!!!!

Hello Feathers!!! I just returned from a nice workout at the gym and am making a big pot of red beans and rice. I plan to take some to work with me later for dinner. I am still working on not weight but once a week or so, but man my scale keeps calling my name. I should probably put it under the dresser so I can't see it! I've been doing well with staying with in my calories and making sure to get my workouts in, hopefully this friday/saturday weigh-in will be good! I recently bought two new pairs of levi's, one skinny denim pair and a pair of cords. I bought the denim first and in a size 30, though fit well, I really like them. Well I bought the cords in a size 29, they are much tighter but the 30s were too loose in the waist/butt area. I can get them on but its tight. I really want to wear them this weekend, my birthday is Wed. and I'm going out on Sat. But I don't think they will be loose enough to be comfortable. Why do I do this to myself!!! As long as i keep up with my workouts and eating they should fit fine in a few weeks but I want to wear them now!!!

*******
Krampus Your post usually have me laughing! That breakfast actually looks pretty good even if a bit phallic..

Bayzee I hope you had an amazing trip. I went to Jamaica in Feb this past year and had super poops too! I bet it has to do with being more relaxed as well. Your New Years dinner sounds really delicious, I too hate to see good food in the trash.

Turbo Snowshoeing looks like so much fun. Those pictures are beautiful.

OhThePlaces Good luck with the mommy group!

[B]LockItUp/B] good luck with bag of clothes. I usually stay away from junior sizes as the cut is different and don't usually leave room for my hips, thighs, or butt!!! If you are slimmer in the hip, thigh, and butt region you may not have much of a probably. Try em on! They're just clothes and don't determine your worth.
** I took a million years making this post and you already came back to let of us know how the bag of clothing went. GOOD FOR YOU and the dedication you have put in this past year to improving your body!

Alexistrophic It sucks when sales staff don't have a good sense of humor. What have you been thinking of doing to change up your workouts?

JossFit You and your hubby are super cute together. That really sucks about the wart and that the doctor missed it.
Sorry you were having a bad body day . Those days are never fun.

I feel like a lot of my meals are super delicious and some are pretty creative, but I'm only able to take pictures of the occasional breakfast and dinner so you get the same food porn all the time! LOL

We're having fun with shiritake noodles again over here;

Last nights dinner was turkey meatball pasta with tomatos, Trader Joes' turkey meatballs, chicken breast, spinach, some fresh parmesan, and a Virgil's Root beer! Yummo!



Tonight I had a crazy mix of chopped eggplant, miracle rice, shrimp, onion, a dash of lemon, some Italian dressing, and artichoke hearts. Weird combination, but really delish.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gotta do dishes and call the hubby... back for personals later (or tomorrow). Oh, and I'm making a s'mores pancake for breakfast tomorrow so I will try to remember to take a picture of it!

S'mores pancake was a success! I did take some photos of it, and it's not pretty, but I'll share this evening when I can.

Domlacha - Ah, the clothes woes! I too bought a super cute pair of jeans (the black skinnies I was telling everyone about) and I haven't even worn them yet! They fit great when I got them and I packed them up to wear over Christmas vacation but I was so bloated they gave me SUPER bad muffin top and were not at all cute or comfortable. I might be able to get into them again this weekend for my trip to AZ but I don't think they'll really look GREAT again for a few weeks.

Hey, it's tangible and measureable motivation right?! Thats what I am using (along with the mirror) to gauge my progress for the next few weeks/months so perhaps that would work for you when you are trying not to hop on the scale each day.

Yeah, the stupid wart on my foot DOES suck, but I'm glad I know what it is for sure and I'm treating it now. It's already getting better but it also comes with a side effect; I had been unintentionally altering my gait to compensate for the pain, and now that I'm not, my foot muscles are sore! LOL

LockItUp - YEAH, DANCING CARROTS ALL AROUND!! ****, I'll even throw a banana up in this b*tch for this occasion... It's a clothes fitting fruit party up in the feather's chat today! (Well, not MY clothes but I digress... haha)

Alexis - I wish it were still a 'puffy, yucky feeling' but that's all me baby... solid yuck on my body, not water weight or something as forgiving. I've got a Kim Kardashian sized badonkadonk again and it's really weighing down my pullups... haha. I don't mind that so much but dang, I HATE how my stomach looks right now.

(I know, I know, woe is me... whaaaaaa)

As for the bag, I do love Coach but I also love Michael Kors. have you looked at any of his? A lot of his stuff is a bit sleeker and more office appropriate than a printed Coach bag. Either way, I think you can't go wrong with a simple black or tan leather bag.

How large of a bag are you looking for? What do you need to carry in it?

True, being up six pounds sucks, but it could be worse... you could be ME! HAHA
Seriously though, I saw one woman posting on the other places around the site who gained 30 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas and bless her heart, she seems pretty upbeat! If she can stay positive about 30 pounds you and I can stay positive about our 6 and (um, 10? 12? Whatever I gained).

Bayzee - Ugh, I'm SO SORRY you're having to fight cravings and increased hunger! I look at it as though your metabolism got a boost, so if you just keep your calories in check that extra hunger might just be a sign you are burning off some of those exess lbs a little more quickly.

How are things going today so far? Any better?

Krampus - A lackluster workout is better than no workout at all if you ask me! You still made the effort, got in there and DID the damn thing... be proud of that! Besides, you're back down in the 125 range again... nice!

LOL I have been planning meals around the gym/post shower bang too! hahaha! I already have the day planned out for Valentine's day and you know that will come before we go out! haha
I just don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, so thanks for the suggestion (and turbo too if I remember correctly). I think it might be part of the solution to a happy marriage at least in that regard. No "I'm too tired" or "I'm bloated and gross" excuses from me!

A quick drive-by on my break...

I was within calories yesterday despite eating my whole lunch BEFORE lunch! LOL! I've worked out hard everyday since I've been back, and some strength seems to be coming back. I still feel puffy and bloated and my weight's not moving...117.8 again today but I'm not surprised and I haven't been having those great poops! Actually...I really need good a one! LOL!

I've packed a healthy lunch and I am determined to stay OP today.

Have a great day everyone and I will be back for personals later

Lockitup ~ Double triple SCORE on the pants fitting!!! Win win win, girl!!!

Dom ~ Lol - I don't blame the sales staff, it was probably just me being obnoxious... And I'm looking to do more strength training (to lean out rather than bulk up) but haven't been doing much of anything lately...)

Happy (early) birthday to you!!!

Joss ~ lol - at least your weight goes to the right places. I feel like all 6 lbs went straight to my upper arms. wtf....? BUt as you say, we'll all be back down lean and mean in no time.

I've seen a few nice looking Michael Kors bags (the Hamilton line springs to mind) and if I did Coach, I'd probably go more for their basic black leather rather than the printed fabric line. And the bigger the better. Ideally, I'd like to be able fit in my laptop, but not be overwhelmingly large. That's the goal, anyway.

Krampus ~ Thanks! I had a bag from Target that became my go-to interview/work bag, just a simple black tote (it may have been Isaac Mizrahi for Target) but that fell apart ages ago and I'm thinking it might be time to make an investment in a solid piece.

Also meant to comment about that pic with you in front of the door... You, as always, look adorable, but did you mention that the door/apartment was exceptionally large? (It's all about perspective). Sometimes I like using oversized mugs because it makes me feel all teeny and petite (which is pretty rare, these days).

Bayzee ~ Welcome back! Hurray for being on plan!!


~~~
Rolling in this morning...
The sooner I post, the better. I also think it kinda helps me with my work day. Makes me focus and gives me a routine. Well... Breakfast was a pear + two slices of Alvarado St. sprouted multigrain bread w. butter and jelly (not the best, but better than the bagel that I wanted so badly).

First orch rehearsal after the winter break tonight. (lol-our "winter premiere"). Looking forward to it, but kinda nervous after the debacle that was our last concert...

Last night, I took down all the old calendars and cleaned off my "inspiration" wall to make room for new quotes and pics for 2013...

Along those lines, I've been thinking about my food/body goals and I feel like I'm in the process of reshaping the way I think about food. I like the way I feel when I'm eating now-- I don't "worry" about food so much. I want to get to that state of mind where there's nothing that I "can't" have, but I don't eat when I'm not hungry. As someone who's prone to out of control bingeing, this would be huge.

I don't want to gorge. I don't want to feel deprived. There IS a happy medium!!!

ohlecat : There is no snow in Illinois? I always thought it was snowing in this state!!

krampus : Snowshoeing is fun and a good workout,thanx to the snow for adding some resistance! Did you finally end up trying skiing with your boyfriend during the holidays?

Ohtheplaces : Oh god, mommy dates! This is one thing that frighen me about getting kids : let's be honest, there is some crazy acting-mamma out there (... or on my facebook at least) LOL I hope it works for you!

lockitup : So we'll be two going back to running, then! Woah you had goal of running a marathon, you rock hard!! I'd like to run one, in many years... That is soooooo COOL for the clothes you were trying on! You skinny thing!

Jossfit : Oh jeez at your plantar wart story! It is frustrating that this little thing was causing so much pain but at least now you know what is going on and you can treat it. I had a few of them when I was a kid (while I was doing a lot of swimming) and I don't recall them being painful... but it was a looong time ago!

SMORES PANCAKE! What did you use for the chocolat inside? And did you use real marshmellow or this american marshmellow spread thing that I just CAN'T FIND over here? :P

Bayzee : Hope you survived the remaining of you hungry day! I've been feeling so hungry since I got back from holidays : eating so much everyday and then ''ok back OP and get used to it, body'' isn't so much fun *sigh*

Alexis : OMG OMG OMG I would have PAID to see the face of the girl in the store "a non-soul sucking business tote" BWAHAHAHAH. Did you find one yet?

(and I just DON'T LIKE Jessica Biel LOL. I put a lot of passion in my hatin'! )

Domlacha : I'm sure your 29's jeans will fit and be super comfy in no time Between being 2 sizes do sucks, though. And I get you, I had this mental fight about getting on the scale or not this morning LOL

***

HI feathers!

First day OP yesterday, and it was okay. Could have been better, but could have been worst too. I did not snack after dinner and drank tea instead, which is a huge win.

I have tons of thing to do today, harrass my third thesis jury for this freaking paper she needs to send me back in a hurry, undo the Christmas decorations, shovel the deck, tons of laudry, go for a first run in forever...

Have a good day everyone!

Turbo - The pancake was super simple to make! I just made my basic pancake recipe (for me that means 20g of wheat bran and 3 egg whites) and then to that I added a bit of cocoa powder, some sweetener (I use Truvia) and then a bit of baking powder to give it some fluffiness. After that was all mixed, I folded in some mini marshmallows and some mini chocolate chips and then just cooked it on the griddle like any other pancake.

I would definitely recommend that if you try it you use the mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips. Using fluff or full sized versions would make it too messy. Another option you could try would be making regular pancakes and putting marshmallows/marshmallow fluff and chocolate chips (or even chocolate spread like Nutella or something similar) between two of them like a pancake sandwich. That would be easier and putting the goodies between two pancakes would melt them a bit.

It's interesting how many of us had plantar warts as kids! Mine never hurt either, but I did see in my research that most people afflicted with it get it as children. You are definitely right though; I'm glad I know what it is and am treating it!

Good luck with the run today! I hope your hip feels well enough, and that your eating stays on track. I've been doing well with eating but going out of town this weekend is already making me a little uneasy. I KNOW there will be drinks and indulgences but as long as I keep it to one night I should be okay. I just feel like I have a bit to lose... oh well... after this weekend I don't have any more reasons to be off track until Valentines Day... and I plan on spending that day naked so I want to look good!

Alexis - This is true, when I gain weight I gain it evenly and I definitely appreciate that. Even at my heaviest I still had a flat stomach and roughly the same proportions I have now.

Do you have a Coach or MK outlet anywhere near you? Is there a certain price range you are trying to stay within?

Bayzee - Lots of water, ground flax seeds, broccoli... That should do it for ya!

As soon as I red SMORES PANCAKE, my ''COOK ALL THE THINGS!'' head started spinning and thinking on how to make such fabulous things LOL What came into my mind was actually something like the sandwich idea... But the pancakes would have to be rather slim, to let the time to the marshmallow and the chocolat to melt without burning the pancakes... Oh, so many problems to solve in this world. LOL

Edit : Just saw your new picture, you and your hubby look AMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZING So much love!!

***

Edit no 2 : For Christmas I received a thingy to foam milk, you know to put on coffee stuff. My boyfriend own a italien esspresso thingy (not the big barista thing, but the little steel that you put on the oven) but I never used it, esspresso is too strong for me. BUUUUUT I just prepared myself the best skim milk latte EVER with my foamy thing and the italian esspresso : goodbye pricy latte at the coffee shop and wayyy less calories with my skim milk! WIN WIN! (and now I'm high on about 4-5 espresso shot, OH YEAH)

I attacked the gym with fervor yesterday afternoon after eating lunch late and came out victorious - good workout, I'm nice and sore today, and since I went twice yesterday if I don't go today I'm not gonna be upset about it

Had haddock and freezer veggies and a few dumplings for dinner - somehow that resulted in feeling SUPER FULL, uncomfortably so - maybe gas bloat from all the broccoli? My bf came over to play Scrabble with my roomie and I and he was being a huge a$$hole for some reason so I got really frigid/pissed and it was terrible and tense. Went home with him and yelled at each other for a bit and resolved things, but that took a while so I'm tired today!

TurboMammoth You sound like you have a busy day ahead of you...ughhhhh undoing Christmas decorations is so painful! Good luck on your first run! You'll probably love it!

Alexistrophic Retraining the brain to "happy medium" versus "perfectly on plan" and "awful out of control binges" is a huuuuuuuuge step! That's my boyfriend's apartment door and it IS pretty tall...I'm not a short person so I think the door + camera angle made me look like a miniature.

Bayzee Good luck sticking to it today and well done on such restraint yesterday! Is the carb headache situation getting any better??

JossFit Great photos as always, looks good! Sometimes weird combinations just taste the best. Like parmesan cheese sprinkled over...well, anything. Bleu cheese on veggie stir fry...hmm I sense a theme here. I am proud I inspired you to revamp your love life to exclude "sorry I'm too full" from the mix :P

Domlacha I weigh anyway - I think it would be harder for me to go a week without weighing and then risk being disappointed when I did weigh. I completely understand your impatience with the pants - argh!

LockitUp YEAH GET IT GET IT, congrats on the teeny tiny pants!!!!!!! I think I nearly shat myself when I tried on the pants I'm wearing today (size 2, from Marshalls) and a size 0 (vanity sizing ahoy) miniskirt from Express! It's all the vigilance and the workouts for sure.

Krampus – I definitely nearly shat myself, HA! Workouts are one area I’ve been SORELY lacking, and my poor body has paid the price. Lots of weight loss in a relatively short amount of time plus not consistently working out equals a very unappealing amount of flab. YUCK!!! I’m back to it now though, no excuses!

TurboMammoth – Your coffee sounds delish! I’ve gotten into making yummier coffee at home to save some cash. It’s definitely not fancy but I like to make it very sweet with splenda and half and half plus flavored coffee. It does end up being pretty decent! I’d love one of those milk foamer thingies! Your descriptions of things always make me laugh, I love it! You’re right about there being crazy moms out there, honestly it seems like MOST are crazy – just a different crazy than ME! I don’t know if I could ever be as brave as OhThePlaces and join a mom group. There would be one mention of a Vaccination argument or whether or not to spank and I’d be out of there!!! I don’t care what other people do with their kids, I sure as heck don’t wanna argue about it!

JossFit – I don’t know if I have ever seen any of your wedding pics, WOWOWOW!!! I ALSO had plantar warts as a kid. Pretty common I suppose. I’m so glad you figured out what the issue was. It’s so frustrating when doctors dismiss things without even looking! I LOVE the dancing fruit party you gave me! HA! I STILL haven’t ordered those miracle noodles, and every time you post a pic of them it reminds me how much I want to try them! I will have to think about any tips on places to go in Phoenix, I’m such a lame-o homebody I’ll have to think back to my more exciting days when I actually, you know, WENT places LOL!

Alexistrophic – That non-soul-sucking comment was HILARIOUS! You know that happens to me all the time; I say something truly hilarious to some unsuspecting person out in the real world and they just don’t appreciate my humor. Oh well, their loss! I also like to use giant things to make me feel small. I’m all about a humungo coffee cup! HAHAHA! I am not familiar with happy mediums yet, but I hope to be soon!!!

Bayzee – Gosh I was hungry between breakfast and lunch yesterday too!!! I really hate days like that!

Domlacha – Thank you!!! I’ve gone as far as to put my scale in our outside storage room in a box on the top shelf, and I will still go to all the trouble of going out and getting it daily LOL!!! I just can’t NOT weigh.


I'm always afraid I've missed someone and they will feel snubbed.


Soooo, I was going to wear one of my newly acquired size 5s to work today, but upon second look, in the light of day, they are a little tooooooo booty and leg hugging to wear to work! Especially since I work at a high school, I felt it would be poor judgement on my part to wear them, even though I wanted to so badly. Ah well, I shall try them again in another 7 pounds or so.

My weight was a up a bit today, but I'm hoping it'll be back down plus a tad tomorrow. I'm so very close to that 100 pound mark.

@lockitup - wow, you lost a lot of weight! So what did you do for weight loss? (just curious). And wow, your sister IS very tiny. I would be emaciated if I were ever under 100 pounds. My dream weight is 109-110 (I'm her same height). But yay, you found some stuff that fit!

@krampus - go you on the fabulous workout! And nice purse/bag!

@jossfit - those pancakes sound AMAZING. And I'm happy that I am down .6 of a pound today. Heh, onward! Ugh, I'm sorry about your wart!

@turbo - I LOVE it when you can make cheaper, tasty alternatives to things at home! WIN ALL AROUND! And nope, no snow here. We don't always get a lot where I am (I'm about 2 hours south of Chicago - Chicago tends to get a lot more in general, although not so much this year). And the last few winters have been pretty mild. We've had little bits of snow and ice, but today was a bit above freezing and most of it melted!

@alex - you're in an orchestra? I played the violin for years when I was a young'un! What happened at your last concert?

@domlacha - I shoudl do that - buy some pants that are smaller than I can really wear and keep it as motivation! Who knows, that just might be the bullet!

@bayzee - I feel you. I started work again yesterday after a vacation and it was paaaaaain.

Olehcat - my sister is emaciated for sure! She looked much much better at 110! And even then she was tiny!!!! As far as what I've done to lose weight: calorie counting, but then I get sick of it and just watch portions. Then I'll count again, the stop etc. Wish I could say I've worked out a lot but its been sporadic. Nothing fancy or specific really.