krampus : What, wait, some fat man ate your burger? but... how did it happened!? He took it from in front of you? The man REALLY did want a burger :P - Okay, I red your answer to Joss about it. Bwahaha. Don't know why but it happens to me all the time I go to Starbucks.

I am so bad at Street Fighter but I looove when it comes to Super Mario Bross 3. Like ''my boyfriend thinks I'm a freack because how well I know the game'' issue. Sounds like you had a fun night!

Bayzee : Ah jeez, sorry to hear you are still feeling like crap. The cough, fever, sore throat really does sound like the thing my boyfriend is coming around with right now. Sounds like NO FUN.

OH GOD, removing the scale tape?? but whyyyyy! Scale tapes are so important when leaving in uneven floor places!

Dianne : I have so much trouble getting rid of the tummy too. Sometimes I'm starting to think I might actually never really lose it, it seems like whatever I do, it stiiiiill hangs there. Bummer :/

olehcat : LOL I love how all super secret / bad *ss it gets with your hidden microwave ;) But good job on lifting the thing and being all ''oh that's easy'' about it! :)

Dorian : Awww, god, everyone is sick right now! :( Hope you'll feel better really soon... And oh god, you are such a good girlfriend, you're even watching the games with your boyfriend on tv? Do you watch them all? I always seem to lose interest somewhere in second period and regain it if they are winning in the third/''I'm outta here'' if the are losing bwahaha

Alexis : It might be the dairy, or the combination of dairy + beans (beans sometimes trigger intense bowel movements to some people heeh). Anyways, I'm glad for you you might have pinpoint something! :)

and AWWWW DATES. I love them so much. Why are they so full of calories :(

Joss : Oh, I saw the otters thing somewhere online and I almost teared up. This is so cuuuute! I love otters. I was working in a zoo when I was youngers and we had 2 of them, they were my favorites animals, with the racoons :)

Your dinner sounds nice! You seem to be in a much better mood about the program today, despite fighting the hunger monster. Good for you! :)

***

Hi ladies! I was at 140.0 this morning, so got back a bit from the ramdom yesterday's gain. Yay!

I had a super awesome workout today ; I had a nice 5k run, did some arm and shoulders weights (my glutes are SO SORE from tuesday) and than pushed it real bad on the bike, it felt greeeat. I finished by doing 80 crunches on an inclined bench.

I tried a new Tuna thingy for lunch, it has a Satay Spicy Peanut flavored. It tasted sooo good! On the bad side, I realized after it had a lot of sodium in it... At least the rest of the lunch was low fat low sodium crackers, cucumbers and a bit of greek yogurt.

The boyfriend got sick and is working from home.. I soooo don't want to catch his bugs, I'm stuffing myself with Vit C supplements. I don't know if it is because he is sick, but he ENJOYED BROCCOLI last night. He was as surprised as I was. Great couple moment.

Have a nice day feathers! :)

Good evening! I did SO WELL all day until the evening. Then I overdid it. I was absolutely starving when I got home and I dug into this enchilada mix thing that I had made, not terrible since I made it myself and so was able to limit some of the higher calorie things, like tortillas (I didn't use any) and the cheese. Still, I'm sure I ate too many calories since I feel gross right now. TheN I ended up having a cookie (unplanned). Ugh, it's the snow! Makes me want to stuff my face.

@Dorian - wow, sorry you're still feeling so sick!!!! :( That just sounds nasty! LOL on the 2.5 servings on the soda! :D So true.

@Alex - haha, yes, the microwave "rule" is one of many clownish things that happen at our school that make no sense! And by the way dairy rips me apart. If I have a LOT of cheese or anything milk-like, like ice-cream (I haven't eaten ice-cream in years), I will be in major stomach pain or bloating. Yogurt doesn't seem to bother me at all, but then I've never had more than a serving at a time.

@Dianne -- where are you that you've never seen snow?? I used to live in Florida. I did not miss the snow when I was there (for about 5 years).

@Jossfit - wow, Colorado! I've heard great things about it, as far as people really being into fitness, lots of outdoor activities, lovely scenery, etc. I'm definitely feeling better today in general, am ready to do some major planning for my future and get a kickass body while I'm at it. I'm tired of being in a weight loss (or lack thereof) funk, too, and I know it's all interrelated...Time to take control for real. *nods* You are doing SO GREAT on yours. I seriously admire the crap out of you for reaching the nearly halfway point without giving in or cheating or doing anything other than sticking to the program!

@krampus - Hee! LOVE that pic! It's so artistic! :) My poops, by the way, have been 4/5 in general. I have no idea why, but I'm like clockwork first thing in the morning! Sometimes it's even soon enough that I get a weigh-in right after a poop! Those are always awesome. I think I always weigh about .4 of a pound less. :D And very sweet of your roommate to pack you lunch!

@Turbo -- hehehe, I live for breaking rules, lol. And your workout sounds absolutely awesome. I hope you don't get sick!

Check-in time! Sorry I haven't posted regularly--I've been very busy. My Mom was in town for a full three days and we got to hang out, go out to eat and shop together. Not going to lie, I overate for three days straight! Saw a jump up on the scale but I'm back down to 110 today. Nothing much else to report. Doing the same stuff: lifting, spin biking. :) Hope everyone else has been doing well...

Turbo ~ Ace workout, girl but boooo for bf being sick. Away sickie germs, Away!!! Eh, they are pretty high in calories (about 60 cals per date) but I feel like it's worth it. My co-worker keeps 'em in the freezer and compares them to frozen snickers bars. They keep my sweets cravings at bay and don't seem to bring on any cravings themselves. Win.

Olehcat ~ Something about being snowbound makes me want to go into hibernate food mode, too! Do you have any workout equipment at home? Can you maybe turn the snow time into strength training time? (easier said than done, I know...)

aiden ~ Glad you had some hang out time with your mom. Sounds like you're doing well in food/weight world, too.


~~~~

Feeling pretty good and symptom free today.

Also had a bit of wheat yesterday (honey wheat pretzels... nom nom nom) and was fine, so I think that's either a "safe" food or lower down on the symptom list. Looking back over my food diary from the past few months, even though I don't normally eat a lot of it, I see little doses of diary here and there (pat of butter, bit of cheese...). So if even a little bit of dairy can cause symptoms, I can see how this might be the problem.

Victory for last night:
Got home and went for a run straight after work. It was really more of a walk than a run (30 mins), but it's been a long time, so that's a definite WIN for me. Reading about all of YOUR workouts has inspired me, too.

Haven't seen any real losses on the scale, but haven't really been doing that much to warrant a loss. Just working on moderating my emotions and NOT using food as a crutch. I had a moment last night when I was just "done" eating. Did not want anything else. I was feeling frustrated, sad, a bit concerned about other things in life, but had absolutely no desire to eat anything else and was just eager to get to my journal and hash it all out. In that way, I'm doing HEAPS better than in the past. I'm still up a bit from where I want to be, but I've learned that for me, going on a "diet" is like trying to put out the fire by pouring on gasoline.

Note to self: now entering PMS territory. Hunger is NOT as large as it appears.

olehcat : Snowy weather definitively a huge trigger for food... I always crave whatever comfort food there is around. At least it was only a cookie :) Stay strong!

Aidanqm : It sounds like you had a great time with your mother :) Great for you being back at 110!

Alexis : Oh I get you, dates reallyyyy do worth it. My mom had this killing zucch/high fiber/raisins recipes but now when I do it I put chopped dates in it. It gives this awesome sugary twist without all the calories that adding chocolat chips would throw in the mixt.

.... aaaaaand now I want dates so bad bwahaha. I have half a zucch in the fridge, might get some this weekend and bake the muffins! ;)

Great job on the workout!! It is so awesome that we were able to recognize the ''okay I'm done eating moment''. It really shows you get the sign your body is sending you and this is GREAT. Good luck fighting the PMS!

***

I am super excited, I WI at 139.0 this morning, being my lowest weight since my major gain over Christmas!! I was so happy to see that results, I was not expecting much, I only had rabbit pooping yesterday (but I did drank tons of water though). Anyways, it get me a 2.2 lbs pounds compared to last friday, and -4.0 pounds since I started to WI daily 2 weeks ago. OH YEAH

Just had an awesome lunch of a veggies zucch onion and grated carrots quesedillas with a bit of grated cheese and salsa with a green salad on the side. I found in the kitchen this morning a package of fat free butterscoth pudding ; god, this thing is only 70 calories per serving. Had a serving after my lunch and it is stupid, but having the little sweet treat made it feels like such a complete meal, I'm super full and satisfied.

My workout today will consist on shoveling our 25'x25', of the heavy snow covering it. My shoulders are a bit sore from my workout of yesterday, so it will probably be a lot of fun :P I might add a bit of abs stuff when I'll get in.

I'm trying to use stuff that we had in the freezer for a while and last night we found this bunch of hot dogs sausages we still had from a BBQ we hosted at the end of last summer. The boyfriend was thrilled and pushed to have hot dogs tonight for dinner (...). I gave up because I had nothing better to suggest for them. I might have one and had a salad or veggies on the side...

Have a good day ladies!

Uggghhh, I'm struggling today ladies. Big time. I don't know how well this day is going to end up for me.

Turbo - Congratulations!! I am so looking forward to the day when I too can say that the holiday pounds are finally gone. Man, It's nearing the end of February and I still have like 8 pounds to go before I can say that... gross.

Is your BF feeling any better today?

Alex - Great job knocking out that run! I find that with my schedule as it is (workout-wise) and having to split my cardio into two 30-minute sessions I sit around all day DREADING the second session, but I don't know why! It's not particularly challenging and I always am so glad that I did it and feel great afterward. I'm doing it right now though! "Whaa, I don't wanna..." but I have to do like you did, suck it up, and just go straight from the office to the gym and let it be done with.

I'm glad to see that the wheat might not be a culprit.

Sorry that things in your life have you feeling upset and are messing with your appetite. I suppose a lack of an appetite is better than the opposite, but its still not ideal is it?

Aidan - Thats great that you had a nice visit with your mom, enjoyed some delicious food and your "jump" was still only up to 110! Nice!

Olehcat - Yeah, I love Colorado so much... 5 more months! It's coming up quickly!!
I appreciate the support and even though it feels strange to say so, the admiration as well. I wish I could say its easy but today is SO HARD. I feel like a fraud or something and I haven't even strayed from my program. Just WANTING to do it and 'start again' tomorrow makes me feel incredibly guilty. What kind of fitness professional can I be if I can't even get through contest prep without breaking under 6 weeks?!
I know it's so melodramatic but it scares me. What if I'm not cut out for this? What if I'm making a mistake trying to go into fitness full time?

GAAAA

Anyway, sorry...

Needless to say I can definitely understand wanting to stuff one's face. I'm sorry you feel bloaty and gross today, but maybe a run will make you feel better? Are you planning on doing that today or is the weather making it impossible?

{{Krampus, Dorian, Dianne, Kakers, Bayzee and anyone else who might be out there today... I hope you're having a great Friday!}}

:dizzy: Hi Feathers! It's Friiiiiiiiiiiday. I weighed in down 0.4 from yesterday at 124.0 - the 5/5 star poops are over it seems and I'm back to rabbit pellets and pushing like I'm giving birth even though my food is comparable/the same.

I found out February 22 is "Cat Day" in Japan - that is fitting because if he were still alive, my beloved family cat Cinnamon would be 21 years old today! Awwwww.

Tried spin class for the first time last night! I was kind of hungry when I went so it kicked my a$$. And speaking of posteriors, the seat was so uncomfortable - today I notice some definite soreness there and a little in my legs. I even noticed it hurting my junk, which is usually a non issue because it's relatively compactly packaged. Maybe I need to bring a donut cushion or riding shorts next time (or just not sit - extra workout!).

After spin I had a couple girlfriends over for what ended up being an epic potluck. I used the rest of my veggies to make a big arugula salad, my roommate made dumplings and tempeh in peanut sauce, one friend brought homemade hummus/pita crackers and lentils with apple and walnut, and another brought a half gallon of ice cream :p The friend who brought ice cream is off alcohol until June so we all drank water and tea; it was a lovely evening. My BF is sick (Bayzee and Dorian and Mr. Turbo must have given it to him when I wasn't looking) and I think I am catching it.....noooooooooooooooooo!

Tonight BF is hauling his sniffles to a mountain in VT to ski with his friends from NYC, and I along with the rest of our crew am going to see a bluegrass/banjo/folk type band play at a bar in Albany. Should be a fun night out and I have no reason to be up early tomorrow!

I'm getting my hair cut Sunday. I like it now - I might just get a bang trim and some layers. Anyone have any great ideas? This is it now. Maybe something like this would work:

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...h-dizon019.jpg

JossFit Here is a HUG! :hug: and a whole slew of encouraging animal pictures:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3JFUXfgvQy...ith-a-kiss.jpg

http://www.icebergtees.com/wp-conten...g-in-there.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrxT4-q5Hr...-can-do-it.jpg

What's wrong today? Just hungry and food-tired? Have you seen what Ke$ha and Beyonce look like on the beach when they're "off" from award show or live performances? No one can be "ON" 100% of the time and I'm sure your coach's other clients ALL struggled to stay on plan during their program time. Regardless - I hope you don't stray too far and feel better soon!

TurboMammoth Oh NOOOOO our men are sick! I took Airborne (1000 mg Vitamin C supplement) right before bed and am going to try and use some of "grandpa's cough medicine" (aka WHISKEY or hard liquor) to clear out my congestion tonight...ehehehehe. Nice work on those awesome workouts! I need to use you as an example and hit it hard tonight.

Alex Hooray for not being allergic to wheat and for running - getting back into it is very humbling and physically exhausting but it comes back to you! I am glad you have been feeling in control of your food and emotions lately.

Aidangm People visiting always, always = eating like five times more than normal. Seems you're doing well in that regard though - not binging and the like - awesome!

olehcat That doesn't sound so bad - eating a hearty meal when you're hungry - but I understand that "maaaan I don't need to eat THAT much" feeling very well. We're supposed to get snow this weekend - ughhh. You're lucky in your 4/5 star poops!

Joss : Did you manage to through the rest of the day yesterday? :S :( Hope you are doing okay. Maybe having a little relaxing time to yourself this weekend will do you good :)

Krampus : Your potluck with friends sounds like a lovely evening :) But serioulsy everyone is sick since 2 weeks or what!?

I love the haircut! I love when there is really long AND short layers at the same time.

And I am really wondering why we don't have Cat Day in America. Ours beloved cats deserve it!

***

Hi ladies. Still holding at 139.0 today, yay. I went for a run with the boyfriend this morning, our first couple run in forever. It showed more than ever how much I lost cardio during my ''not running for 7-8 weeks because I'm hurt'' GOD. He was always in front of me and I felt lame to slow him down. (''Oh, do you want me to slow down?'' '' Oh, why do you think that? oh YEAH I'm a 2' panting behind you JESUS YES SLOW DOWN''). I did 50 crunches and 8 push ups when I got home and now I am having fun doing NOTHING at home. It is snowing outside so it's like the perfect weather for that.

We are having a seashells pizza tonight with garlic and bleu cheese, I am so excited. I've bought some pop corn to pop (like not in the bag, home made popping!). I've also found this thing at the grocery, it is called a végé-pâté, which is like a pâté/liver pâté, but vegetarian, it's local, bio and has this awesome nut taste, it was amazing. The boyfriend HATEs végé-pâté which makes it even more awesome because he won't eat it and just finish the thing off. YAY.

Have a great weekend feathers!

Haven't had time to read here, but want to say good morning so I stay in the habit of checking in here. :coffee2:

I've been doing good with getting back on track. I finally had that "click" into gear I'd been looking for. Oddly it came from bribing myself with frozen yogurt. I bought a pint I wanted to try but thought was too expensive, and reasoned if I log everything, stay in my range, and avoid other cheap treats for a little over a week then I could have it. It worked really well so I might try it again this shopping trip.

krampus I think that hair cut would look adorable on you! Although you're pretty adorable already. ;) I tried cutting my own hair a couple weeks ago. It turned out... interesting.

Happy Sunday Feathers! I hope everyone had a good weekend.

I still have this terrible cough, runny nose and sore throat. I finished the anitbiotics a couple of days ago, so I'm guessing it's a virus with the bacterial infection :(

Things are crazy busy right now...I feel very overwhelmed. I hope it settles soon.

My weight is all over the map. I'm staying on plan and working out, but I certainly think it's stress induced. I'm trying not to weigh-in on the weekends to avoid adding more stress and pressure to myself to do well.

Take care and have a great week :)

Good morning, feathers!

So here's my situation. My weight went UP, and I htink it's sodium-based, but it could also be because I was really pretty depressed this past week and while I showed restraint on some days, I didn't on others, and I drank WAY more wine than I planned or should have. So yeah. New start, new me. I went back in a diet journal I have on another site that I've had since 2010, mostly boring and full of whining, but I use it to look back at what I was doing during periods of success. And just this last year, before I got sick in December and before the holidays kicked in, I got down to 141, which was SO CLOSE to back where I was in December of 2011 where I was hovering between 136-139. And so I read back at what I was doing then:

so at breakfast I would have eggs and veggies in olive oil, at lunch I'd have a giant salad with a hardboiled egg, a bit of cheese, half a chicken breast, 1/4 avocado and tons of veggies and a fruit, at dinner I'd have stirfry (without the rice) - just veggies and protein of some kind and I would make it really spicy. Or I might have turkey chili. For snacks I'd have almonds. No wine. I did this Monday through Thursday. On Friday I mostly stayed the same, but at dinner I might have something more treaty, like pizza. I would usually have some wine. Then on the weekend, I would pretty much eat what I wanted, but not over the top. For example, I'd mostly make healthy choices, especially if I was alone, but if I wanted to have a doughnut on Sunday morning, I would.

So I think I am doing that. That's something I can really do for life, it was not at all a strain, and I have no idea why I went "off" that before, except that the holidays came, I was too sick to exercise, and I just went off the tracks and then forgot to get back on.

So today I did amazing at my workout at least. I ran 5 miles and then did a strength workout afterwards, all before 9 a.m.!

Today my challenge is: I am bringing my dad some dinner (my mom is out of town). He often likes food from this particular barbecue place, as do I. I will have it, I think, but just have a salad for lunch. I think I've already had about 500 calories today. I am going to estimate that meal I get at the barbecue place at about 800-900 so if I have a salad for a few hundred, that should be okay for me.

This week's challenge. I'm going to wean myself off of wine, mostly. I think I'm going to go for 4 days off (Monday through Thursday), 3 days I can have it. Then once I establish that as a firm habit, I'm going to take another day away. Then another. Once a week is a reasonable treat.

@TheBunneh - good idea on the expensive treat idea!

@Turbo - haha, that's why I actually don't like running with other people! I always feel that I will either slow them down or I will feel impatient that I can't go at my own pace. Also I don't really like talking and running at the same time. I like to space out or listen to music.

@Krampus - Cat day! What a great idea! My kitties approve!

@jossfit - hope your'e doing well today! Oh, man, though I hope you are feeling more confident. You are doing so great. Nobody is absolutely perfect all the time. Even the best fitness people give into temptations sometimes and you haven't even done that yet. So you're doing great in my book! Weather IS a factor right now, although it hasn't been for most of the winter. We got five inches or so of snow during that storm last week, although some of it has melted because we had a few days above freezing. But today there is still ice and snow on most of the sidewalks AND it's very cold. So I definitely ran in the gym. Treadmills are my best friend when I can't run outside! I don't know what I'll do during the week. I sort of depend on having at least one outside running day on at least one of my class days since I don't like to go to the gym so late in the day and I sort of like that outside running in the dark and quiet.

@Alex - yeah, I do want to eat everything when it snows. Have no idea why! I guess I want to feel cozy. Yeah, I do have some workout equipment at home, so I could survive being snowbound, hehe. At least we didn't get it as bad as some other places. The streets are all clear and it's easy to get around. And go you on the run! :)

@Bayzee - sorry you're still sick! :(

Olehcat: Were you consistently losing on that plan you did a while back? For me, being so close to goal, if I don't tow the line, then my body doesn't respond. I can't do what I want on the weekends without paying for it with 2 or 3 lbs. I would suggest sticking with your Mon-Thurs plan until you are where you want to be & then add in some treats in moderation. You'll get back down more quickly & you'll feel good about it. IMO, of course ;)

Just checking in during a blizzard :P Hoping for a whoosh tomorrow because my body is all over the place. Since my miscarriage in August, my body is HUGELY affected by all the hormonal changes. It never used to show on the scale - not even TOM - but even ovulation shows now. Go figure! Sticking to it though. Snowed in with only healthy stuff so I can't stray. And I think I'll crochet today :) Perfect activity for a blizzardy day!

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...psc2a64d65.jpg
View from my back porch :)

TheBunneh : In my opinion, I think it is better to make place for a treat you reallyyy want in the calories budget instead and just truly enjoy it instead of just pushing away all kind of treats (... and then having a major binge!) :) What it this amazing frozen yogurt brand?

Bayzee : Ahh I really hope you'll get better soon! :( The flu/bugs going around this year are HARD.

Olehcat : Going back to something that you know worked before might worth a try! 5 miles, great run!!!

LOL, I used to love running with someone, but yesterday was hard. Usually the boyfriend is better at sticking with a slower pace better than that, but he started to run a bit by himself on a threadmill while I was on a injury break, so he is now clearly in a better running shape than I am ... and he really just like going FAST (is that a guy thing!?) lol

Maddie : Crochet is definitely a cool thing to do when you are snowed in :) What are you making?

***

Stiiiiiiiiiiiill 139 this morning, despite overeating a bit last night. I tried the home made popping popcorn (and I was just amazed how well it worked), I had a few cups of it.. but with just a little butter and a really small amount of olive oil.

I just had the leftover of the bleu cheese pizza of yesterday with the boyfriend, not wanting it to go to waste... but I really just wanted a salad or something in reality :/ I am going to my cousin's tonight for a Oscar night and I am eating there, I would have like to make room for extra calories just in case, not knowing what we are going to eat... Anyways, it is not such a big deal, just need to control the portion I guess.

My workout for the day consisted of shoveling AGAIN our deck (with the boyfriend this time, so much faster!), going for an hour of snowshoeing, 50 crunches and 10 pushups.

The snow that fell yesterday was really wet and sticky, it was holding on to the trees. It was sooo pretty! Here's a picture :

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/1429/img1171h.jpg

Have a good day ladies! :)

Turbo: I'm making this for my daughter!! I can't stand how cute it is!!

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...ps7811befd.jpg

Good morning ladies.

Sorry, I haven't checked in for a few days. Its been a bad few days. Caught my boyfriend in bed with another girl the morning of a friend's wedding. Then of course the wedding dance song the couple danced to was my boyfriend (now ex) and my song. It was horrible. And Ive been binging ever since, to say the least. And seeing all of your snow pics make me sad :( I have never seen snow and he booked a trip for us for my birthday next month to go see it in CO. Not happening anymore obviously.

I just feel so gross. Bloated, KNOW ive gained at least a good 4 pounds of fat. Disappointed that I reverted to food and alcohol because of this break up. Now I probably feel worse than I would have. Self soothing in destructive ways never works in the long run.

@Turbomammoth - Actually, I was saying my stomach is never my problem area. Ive never had fat there. But now that I continue to binge, fat is going there. So that scares me :(

Do you have a cheat day? I notice you treat yourself every now and then. Do you make your own lunches? How many calories do you try to stay at?

@olehcat - I love your plan you were doing back in December. That sounds like a plan I could stick to! How many calories were you allowing for the days mon- thurs? Did you still try to stay in a certain calorie range over the weekend when you were "allowing whatever you want"? Do you drink on the weekends?

@Jossfit - So sorry youre struggling :( How much longer of this diet plan do you have to be on?

@Alexistrophic - Great job on your run/walk. After all Ive been eating that sounds amazing. Good luck entering PMS :)

@Krampus - NOOOO Youre getting the cold everyone has!! I just got over mine for the THIRD time! Sucks!! I tried spinning once. I hated it. Left after like 20 min. Oh goodness, how embarrassing :o But hey must of done something, youre down .4 pounds! Oh I miss seeing the scale go down. I think my scale has dust on it now. I guess its a good thing I left it over my now exboyfriend's house. No need to really put me in a tail spin of anxiety seeing how much Ive gained :( I think a bang like the girls in the pic would look awesome on you!!

@thebunn - that is so funny the way you bribed yourself. I need that "click" in to gear bad. Ive been trying ever since August of last year! I just cant seem to get into it. I never last more than a few days MAYBE a week :/

@bayzee - Feel better!!

@MaddieBPhoto - LOVE that !! The little girl in the pic is adorable!