May Feathers' Chat
 

Hey! It's May 1st on my side of the world, so I'm making the May chat thread.

I've gotta make this quick, as I want to get a bit of work done before I head out for a nice long run today.

I did really well with my running last month, doing at least 45 mpw comfortably. But now that I've worked myself up to a good training volume, I've got to start paying attention again to things I've neglected -- namely strength training and abs. I'll probably go renew my gym membership today, where I guess I'll have to start again at square one with the arms, and will probably be really, really sore tomorrow.

Because I've plateaued a little bit at a 26.25" waist (I'm not bothering so much with scale weight), I'm going to make an extra effort to cut calories this month. Maybe 1600, 5 days out of the week, with >2000 2 days of the week, in order to fuel my longer training runs. We'll see how this goes. My days here in this little Chinese city are so uniform that a diet in which I eat the exact same thing everyday would not be difficult to do. I might do a pilot trial of that this week.

I'll carry over my personals from last month either later tonight or tomorrow.

Happy May, feathers!

:carrot:

Hello all, mind if I join?

I've been lurking through the other chat thread and you girlies are so inspiring! I'm just starting out with running, so reading about all the miles that are done round here is so motivational :)

Hello! Can i join too? I was here before actually a year (2 years?) ago, but somehow, here i am again!!

Diet (sorry - lifestyle change) started on Monday, but today was the first day i weighed myself. Sigh. Looking forward to getting in to it again. Or rather i'm looking forward to getting in to my clothes again anyway!

xiao: Thanks for starting the May thread. I've been waiting for the new month so I could join in. You've been racking up some awesome runs lately.

leaves: Welcome. I too am a lurker attempting to come out of lurkdom.

ange: I know what you mean about "back again x years later". Just look at my join date...and I'm still not at goal. This time we will see goal. ;)

Happy May, Feathers! My May resolution is to actively post instead of just lurking. I've started to feel like a creeper/voyeur.

AH JESUS I wrote personals and then close the tab. Sorry, they will be short! I'll do better tomorrow!

xiao : 45 mpw is impressive, YOU GO GIRL! Bleeeeeeh, don't tell me about core training, since I increased my mileage, I ditch completely the abs stuff. I need to get back to it.

BlueIsis, Ange and Leaves : Welcome!!!! :) Can't wait to read you!

Alexis : Did you finally invite Hans Solo/Martin Freeman to your concert? ;) For the faith stance, there is something about everything working out in the future, but at least for now he knows where you stand and everything, which is probably better than just all getting this out in a SURPRISE style further on (jeez, does it make sense? I've kept re-reading myself and I can't come up with a better way to write it LOL - it's all so clear in my head!)

***

Hiiiiiiiiiii. I was not even hangover today, just so badly dehydrated, which is actually worst for me. What we ate was salt last night and the resto, so this morning I was up to 133.2 pounds. NOT STRESSING, yes I indulged a bit, but maybe around 2400 calories. Plus we had a great time with the bro and the food was amazing.

I'm trying really hard not to get all crazy about the number coming up on the scale, but it does not help that my tummy is so bloated that I feel I'm going to deliver something LOL. Seriously, I would not mind seeing the 133 if the bloated feeling would go away.

We had burger on the grill tonight, they were great but way too thick. I'm kind bad with the grill, at least now I am using it, that is a great improvement after being scared to turning the thing on...

5k run done today, 8k planned tomorrow, might go out for a beer tomorrow night, heading to Montréal on Friday to help some friends that are moving (I smells some pizza ahead, uh-oh).

And JESUS I really need to go shopping, I have away all my last summer clothing because most were getting a bit bigger and now I have nothing left to wear. Yes, #firstworldproblem.

Good night!

hey girls! I can't believe we're already into May! Just a quickie mid-week check in. this week has been MUCH better – eating on plan and no major cravings! So far, the bloat is gone, and I *THINK* I might be back to my weight a week ago when I weigh in on Saturday – or be close – I really want to see under 160 again!

For exercice, I’ve been doing zumba, kind of slacking on the arms challenge (I haven’t actually started that), but my main focus was to get the evil carb/sugar cravings under control this week. I planned on going running today (er…starting to run today) but I forgot I had my last follow up dr appointment (from the horrible bout of sciatica) that I made a month ago so I had to scratch that idea since I didn’t want to go all sweaty. The good news is dr complimented me and said she could tell I lost weight since I was last there last time, yay! Regardless of whether or not it's true, it was a morale booster. Plus I’ve been cleared 100% for going back to my workout routines (which, I kind of cleared myself a while ago but it’s good to be official).

These next few weeks are going to be crazy busy – only 1 month left of school and lots of tests/final exams to grade, ughhh.

I promise I’ll be back this weekend for personals!

Goals for the rest of the week: WATER, WATER, WATER – stay on plan – EXERCICE (zumba tomorrow, Friday running, Saturday.. not sure!)

have a great rest of the week!!!

Xiao Wow. I wish I could be half as good as you at running! At the minute I can't even do a mile without wanting to curl up and die afterwards...argh.
Does your tagline under your username say 'eat a lot, eat a little'? I've been studying Mandarin for two years, but haven't been able to do it this year and feel like I'm forgetting it all :dizzy:

Ange, BlueIsis Glad you're both back on board. I'm on a restart too, let's make this year the one!

Turbo Sounds like you're having a busy week! I think a summer wardrobe is an excellent reason to go shopping, especially when you need the new clothes because of weight loss- must be a fab feeling. I can't wait to go summer shopping, but I'm going to leave it until as late as I can in the hope I'll be a bit smaller by then!

Chahma Good news about the doc visit, and yay for the compliment! Good luck with your plan, I love zumba. I've only been to a class once but it was hilarious, such a fun mix of sexy and sweaty! haha

---------

Going to try for another run this afternoon. Probably be about 5 minutes of running and 30 minutes of wheezing mind you. How do you all do it? D:

Having been shamed in to giving it a go by reading about you lot..... i tried to have a bit of a run today and managed about a 2km stagger around a 4km trail. I used to run round that trail with the dog and not even count it as exercise, and then go off and do other stuff, but now i'm so unfit - i've really got some work to do!

When i'm not actually physically doing it, i'm quite enthusiastic about getting fitter again - when i am physically doing it though its de-motivatingly bad!
Priority 1 is getting the eating right first though.

I did used to run a bit - a few HM's and some longer trail runs, but it never really worked for me to keep the weight off - there's something about running that makes me hungry, and because i'm running i think i can eat more than i should, so every time i've got in to it much i've actually put weight on (although that's clearly not the reason for the latest weight gain given my non-fit confessions!)

Love to read about others running though, so have enjoyed your updates all!

Looking forward to being here a bit, and doing some losing again. Thanks for the warm welcomes Leaves, Turbo, Blue

oops, yesterday I posted in the April chat thread, although so did a few others after me! So I have now moved into May.

Oh, feathers, I finally finished my classes!!! For those of you who are new, this past semester I worked full time as a literacy teacher PLUS I took 8 graduate level credit hours. NEVER AGAIN. I think that aged me about 10 years. Seriously. Anyway, yesterday I finished my final project.

Now I can focus on my health again, losing weight, real exercising again (I've taken a break since the half marathon), feeling more relaxed...

@ange82 - welcome! I've never been to Australia but hope to get there someday! Sydney looks so lovely in pictures! Anyway, running has never allowed me to lose weight either, but it's good for maintaining, I've found! Like if I'm at a weight I feel good at, running will allow me to get away with eating more to maintain it. But if I'm trying to lose, it's only diet that matters.

@chahma - are you a teacher, too? What level? Good luck with the final push for end of the year!

@turbo - go you on not stressing about the weight being up. Of course you're up from overindulging and eating something salty! :) It will be right back down in a day or two, I'm sure!

@Blueisis - you and I have similar goals and we're the exact same height! I would like to be anywhere from 110-120 as my final weight (will see what I look like at 120...may be satisfied there) and currently am in mid 140s. What are you doing to lose weight?

@xiao - wow, 45 m per week!!!!! That's really incredible. I am lucky if I get 20 m per week! ;)

@leaves - welcome!

xiao ~ Dang girl! That IS a lot of running! Personally, I love the idea of a "core diet" but it's usually easier said than done. What would you eat? What's standard for you? Personally I tend to go high lean protein, low carb, to the point where I don't notice hunger so much, but it's the monotony that eventually gets to me...

leaves ~ Hurray for delurking! Watching the miles that other people log IS great motivation. :) For me, it proves that it can be done. In spite of a busy schedule (that we all have) you CAN find time to make it work.

Ange82 ~ Welcome back! I remember you, too, and I've unfortunately been in the same boat (posting on and off for about 2+ years) but as they say, it's never too late...

blueisis ~ This is a good and noble resolution that we fully support. :thup: Hope to see you around in here!

chalma ~ WooHoo for the doctor noticing your loss! That's always a boost, no matter the occasion. Water + Exercise are the silver bullets. Hang in there, girl! You can make it 'till the end of the school year!!!

turbo ~ So I DID invite Martin Freeman to my concert and he said that he would love to come, but that he had to get out of something (departmental farewell) and I was like, no, you should probably go to that, so we're meeting for dinner on Tuesday.
lol @ "SURPRISE" style later on -- you know, it's funny you mention that b.c my mom and I had almost the same conversation yesterday. Trying to relax and realize that not everything needs to be set in stone today. He knows that it's important to me and that's where we'll leave it for now.

oleh ~ I said it in the other thread, but bears mentioning CONGRATS ON THE FINAL CLASS!!!! HURRAY!!!! (sending strength for the final push on the project and the end of the year) Do you have plans for the summer?


~~~~
Knocked out 4 miles after work, but switched to walking midway through b.c my feet/calves were killing me. I've needed new sneakers for... oh, going on three years now... :rolleyes:

Rehearsal tonight, concert tomorrow, friend reunion/dinner saturday, church/party sunday, board meeting Monday, dinner w. guy friend Tuesday, OY VEY!!! Lots of heavy food-shaped events ahead, so exercise will be critical for maintenance AND sanity!

I was looking over my food/exercise logs from this time last year and it looks like I was at almost the exact same point. It's mostly encouraging because I remember being content at that point. CONTENT, but not at my best. I feel like if I'm just a bit more conscious of what I'm eating, I can be just that little bit lower than I was this time last year. I think I'm definitely in a better place life/balance wise, so there's a huge plus. Now to focus and actually apply myself.

Summer Shape Up, here I come!

Have a great Thursday, Feather Friends!!!

HI guys! Well I reached my April goal two days late, but woohoo anyway!!! 143! It's been a rough week or so (just no weight coming off, some temporarily coming back apparently?) but I'm glad-- seems like I'm past all of that for now and starting to lose again. I seem to gain/stay the same when I'm exercising crazy amounts, then a few days later of no exercise/light cardio (like yesterday I biked just 4 miles) I lose a pound overnight! Anyone else experience this? I know if dumb, but I feel like if I go super hard I don't get the results and let's face it: we're all here for the process..... BUT WE WANTS RESULTS! :D So, yea. Someone else suggested drinking tons of water right before bed and tons more right when I wake up.... I think I'll give that a go. I do wake up feeling sticky and dehydrated....

I was positive I had gained a little since I was slacking at the gym (and gorged on pizza over the weekend) but I mustered up the courage to get on the scale which showed I didn't have a real gain. What a relief. :dance: I am a little sodium bloated from dinner last night but I am sure the extra few ounces will come off. Last weigh in was 139.8 and now I'm 140.2. I'll take it! :)

I WILL be at the gym tonight, or jogging outside once I get home from an appointment. I don't care how tired I feel. I need Jillian to make house calls and whip me off the couch. I am on a total mission to never have a muffin top again.

Did everyone have their BM's today? :carrot:

TurboMammoth: That's awesome that you were able to spend time with your brother and enjoy some ggod food (and wine). I can totally relate to the grill situation. I'm a fairly good cook, but the grill is entirely my husband's domain. He will be away this summer though (military) so I guess I'm going to have to learn how to operate the grill. #firstworldproblem :D

chama: Congrats on getting back on plan. It's such a great feeling when you feel like you're totally on plan. Love Zumba. Did I mention, love Zumba?

leaves: You can read Mandarin? That's pretty cool. They say it's one of the most difficult languages to become proficient in. Are you a runner that has just not run in a while, or are you new to the whole running gig? If you're new, you might want to try the "couch to 5K" plan for a less wheezy experience.

ange: Getting back into exercise after being away is so hard. You keep comparing your "current self" to your "previous self", but if you used to do long runs like half-marathons, you'll be back up to speed in no time.

olehcat: You were taking eight credits while working full-time? No wonder exercise got put on the back burner. What are you studying? You are my height/weight/goal twin. I'm counting calories and macros. As you said, you can't outtrain a bad diet. I am attempting to recomp because I want to lose weight and fat, but am interested in physique as well. I lift heavy with an upper/lower body split four times a week and do forty minutes of steady state cardio twice a week and thiry minutes of HIIT/interval training three times a week.

alextrophic: I'm glad to hear i'm not the only one that keeps old diet and exercise logs. I was feeling a little silly the other day realizing I had several that were more than a couple years old. You have such a busy extracurricular and social life, but you seem to balance things so well.

shivaya: Great job on making your April goal. I've also noticed the weight loss after taking an exercise break. I wonder if your damaged muscles retain water which is flushed out on a rest day, hence the "whoosh".

novangel: It is nice to see people able to enjoy "real life" without appreciable weight gain. LOL @ the BM carrot!


As for me...so far May has been a good month. Granted, the month is yet young. I've stayed on plan, within my calories and hitting my macros, while still going to a Mexican restaurant with my family last night. It's a constant challenge when your family has traditions like, every Wednesday we go out for fish tacos, but I'm starting to make it work better than I have in the past. I have also hit all my workouts this week (so far). I'm lifting upper body and a three mile run today. See, I've written it down, now I have to do it. :dizzy:

BlueIsis~ Horray for a great start to MAY!!! Way to go hitting all your macros AND staying under your cal counts. Studies have shown that we tend to eat more when we're out in a group (or with family :rolleyes:) than when we're alone. Good for you for being aware of what you were eating.

Nova ~ Isn't it rewarding when you clock in lower than you thought you would? Win!

Om ~ Welcome! And totally agree with you on the "we want results" cheer. The process is important, but so is the outcome. I try to stay hydrated throughout the day, as well as at night. Can definitely feel a difference if I don't.

chahma : I'm glad to know everything got back into control for you! :) I wish you'll see the number you want!

Leaves : I did exactly what you are doing right now for the summer clothing shopping last summer actually! I was not willing to go and spend tons of money on clothing that would be too big, so I just wore them anyway... I just now remember I gave them away last fall :P ahahah!

Have fun with your run! :)

ange : Good job on getting back to running!! If you used to do it before, you'll probably get back to it quickly, once you pass the first few weeks of ''OMG I wish I would not have stop''. I hurt myself last fall and had to stop for a while, and when I got back to it, it was a bit frustrating but so rewarding in the long run. Keep up the good work!

olehcat : OH YEAH for your classes being done!! Enjoy your extra free hours/day!!! ;)

Alexis : Yay for Tuesday dinner with Martin Freeman! And great job on the run :) And, girl, go get some sneackers! Running a lot got me really freak on running shoes related stuff LOL. It is nice too see that your food log is pretty much the same from last year, it means you made good and long-lasting changes! Props to that!!

om_namah : Your body might be retaining water after your workout :) Congrats on reaching your goal.

novangel : The scale result is awesome! It is nice to see that the damages are not as bad as we thought ;) Question : what does BM stand for??

BlueIsis : I'm kinda glad to know I'm not the only one with grill related issues ;) LOL Actually, the boyfriend is really protective of HIS grill, we almost had an arguing when I headed out to grill the patties last night lol. Oh well. MEN.

Have fun on that run!

***

Seriously, it seems everybody is running on this thread ;)

I was up more this morning to 133.8 (BLEH). Might be still fighting the salty food we had Tuesday? I'm trying hard on not going on restriction mode to hard while being up (after all, it is probably water) but after saying ''okay, I'm in maintenant and my upper red line is 134.0 - so I'm really close) I feel like

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/2812/youfail.jpg

I know it is mostly a mental thing at this point, which is even harder to control than just a calories log, in my opinion... OH WELL.

I had a nice 8k run this morning while it was not too had. I worked on negative splits and I was very happy of my time. Also did a few crunches and lying leg raises. Tomorrow is rest day and I am SO EXCITED.

We are supposed to head to the pub after the boyfriends is out from work and than back home to eat the tuna-spinach stuffed shells I prepared while whatching the FIRST PLAY OFF GAME OF THE HABS. Crazy hockey fan mode : ON ;)

Take care ladies!

Bowel movement. :p

Maintenence eating is a little scary but yes it's nice to know I can indulge a little sometimes without damage.

Since we're all runners what is everyones running shoe of choice?? I am in love with my Brooks Ghost 5's...like marriage in love. I used to get horrible hip joint, thigh and posterior shin pain after jogging but these ended all of that nonsense.

I'm an alternator, and i've got different brands of neutral/slight pronation runners. Brooks, Nike, Reebok, Pearl Izumi. Can't resist a bargain, so that's why i've bought so many different things - because they've all been on offer in an un-missable sale at some stage!! Depends more on where i'm going as to which i wear - some of those are for muddy wet runs, some for dry trail, some for road etc! I'm built a bit wonkily though, so have a tendancy for ITB problems if i run too much.

Went out this morning again and loved it. Beautiful sunny cool day. I didn't go far but stuck to the trails and did some really steep sections (where i could have walked faster probably, but kept 'running') and got suitably out of breath. Fun fun fun. Love winter here - perfect running weather.

I have some Adidas ones, not sure what their name is but they have metallic purple bits which makes me want to wear them, therefore making me exercise more! They're my first real pair of running shoes, so I'm not sure if they'll be the best type for me, but I haven't had any problems yet. We'll see.

Tonight's pizza night here. I want to buy some low fat cheddar and smuggle it onto the pizza to see if the boyfriend will notice. I've mentioned it before and his reaction was 'it'll be HORRID', but I don't think he's ever tried it! Might sneak out to the supermarket while he's at work :)

Good morning! I have been happy not weighing for awhile, but I'm a bit restless because I do like to work in numbers. But I do not want to weigh until I sense that I have lost at least 5 pounds and feel it in my clothes. Otherwise I run the risk of being discouraged or angry. However, so I'm going to start counting calories again, now that I have time to dedicate to it. The goal of this is not to count calories forever (good lord, that would turn me into a basket case because there are too many places/events that I go to where I can't get accurate counts) but because I want to get a good feel for what portions will help me lose weight. For example, if I have a 300-calorie frozen dinner and I put it on my regular plate, I will know what 300 calories worth of food looks like on my plate, which will help me when I'm at a restaurant or at someone's house.

So as for quick counting of calories, my fitness pal app has something where it has a bar code reader, which I love, and it is always consistent with what the food package says. However, what my fitness pal app does NOT have is an ability to log fruits and veggies and other non-packaged things by grams. It will sometimes only let you log in by what they think of as servings. For example, I had a 137 gram banana I wanted to log. My only option was 100 grams. Or I could choose 1 1/3 of a serving, which got me to 133 grams, lol. That kind of thing drives me nuts, which is what drove me away from calorie counting before.

I think today I start running again for the first time since my race. I think my muscles should be recovered enough (no longer sore or stiff or fatigued). So if the weather isn't totally crappy when I get home from work today, I will take a 4-mile run/walk.

@Alex - THANK YOU!!!! I can't tell you how utterly relieved I am to be done with those stupid classes! Now of course work-work is piling up, but that's not the same thing, so I can take it! And all those food events! They are impossible to avoid! We somehow have to learn to navigate them without getting crazy -- enjoy but not too much. :) I think that might be my new motto!

@om - I always gain weight after a big workout. Must be the water retention or something! :)

@novangel - that's great that you didn't gain weight! That pound or whatever will fall off with back to normal routine. And yes, I had a nice, satisfying BM this morning! ;) Oh, and as for running shoe, I like either aesics (I have small, narrow feet) or Brooks (I can't remember which series of either of those I have gotten recently! I need to get new shoes soon anyway)

@blueisis - your workout sounds like something I need to get back into! I was doing something like that over the summer, but just didn't have time once work and school started! And yes, exercise was VERY challenging this past semester! (I'm taking grad credit hours in order to update my license for being a reading specialist) There were so many days that it was weather or class or work I had to do for class or work obligations got in the way. Somehow I still managed the half marathon, but that wasn't my best, that's for sure! :) Anyway, when you do the steady cardio days, are those separate days from your HIIT days?

@turbo - that picture cracked me up!! And nope, no fail. You are in beautiful maintenance mode!

Oh man, I'm really sorry guys! I've been trying to finish this essay for an upcoming contest, and getting all my research in order has taken a lot more time than I thought it would. I'm happy with where it's going, and think it should be basically ready to roll in the next couple of days. When I finally feel happy with this thing and submit it, I'm gonna thow myself a little party with white wine, chocolate, and banana chips :)

So I'm still here! Just a bit wrapped up at the moment. I did run about 9 miles today and 11 the day before yesterday, neither of which were particularly good. I've been feeling awfully sluggy since my big 19+-miler last week, and am wondering my body could do with a little break from the high-impact running. If I took a week off, or at least cut back for a week, that'd certainly give me more time to check out the city on my bike. That's something I've been meaning to do ever since springtime's come around in full, but haven't, because of the miles I'm trying to log each week. I was hoping to hit 50 miles this week, but I may have to satisfy myself with 40. If I'm not back to feeling light on my feet in the next couple days, then it's a week off for me :)

I want go get back to work here, so just one single response:

Leaves: Yeah, that's what my signature thingy says! Or maybe like, "eat a little more, eat a little less". Where did you study Mandarin? Have you ever been to China? When I studied for 2 years in university, all that really stuck were the fundamental basics, as well as maybe like, a core set of 300 characters. Now that I've been here for going on 1.5 years, my listening has gotten to be pretty good, as has my reading (probably my strongest suit). However, my pronunciation still suffers badly from my laziness with phonics practice. There are just some sounds I cannot produce! Basically speaking in general is a bit of struggle for me, which sucks, because it's often the situation that I can understand what's being said to me, but have a tough time putting together a coherent response.

Hi! Not much time for personals today, I'll do better when we get back from Montréal this weekend :(

I was back down to 132.8 this morning, which was a good thing for my nerves, finally escaping the ''it's probably just water weight... but IS IT REALLYYYYY'' mode. Food tonight and tomorrow won't be the healthiest but we'll live through it ;)

Have a good weekend ladies!!

Nova ~ I'm trying to find a pair of sneakers worth the plunge. Broke at the moment, but in the past, fave brands have been Adidas and New Balance.

ange ~ Jealous of your "winter weather". It's beautiful and temperate now, but will soon be hot and muggy. YUCK! Glad you got out for a run.

Leaves ~ :heh: let us know if the bf suspects that it's lf cheese....

Oleh ~ I hear ya on the food at social events. Enjoy, but stay on the wagon. I find that personally it isn't so much the event that's the problem, but rather the time AFTER the event. Many's the evening that I come home after a party and dive face first into a bucket of whatever junk happens to be at hand... Must get back into the habit of just having a cup of tea...

Xiao ~ Do you count miles you ride on your bike toward your weekly total, or is it only miles you've ran? Sounds like you're busy being a worker bee over there. For some reason, I read your post-article celebration party food as: white chocolate, banana wine, and chips. Lol.

Turbo ~ Way to go, you! Rockin that maintenance. Looks like you'll still have room left for whatever food designs you have for the weekend. And I know, I do need new sneakers. Remember the last time I posted about that (*ahem* about six months ago.... :rolleyes:) And I had a private "lol" at the "You Fail" picture. Our orchestra conductor is famous for that phrase: "Violas, you fail." "Cellos, YOU fail!" Always makes me giggle a little bit. No shame. He has standards and ain't no one gonna get in the way of them. Tuna spinach stuffed shells sounds AMAZING!!! You're like chef of the year. Have a GREAT WEEKEND!!! Whatcha goin' into Montreal for?


~~~
Slow day at work. Made some marketing calls and did a bit of a call around for candidates this morning. Now just running board searches and trying to be as productive as possible. Bleh. I ate a yogurt that was past its "sell by" date, thinking that I had at least another week before it was REALLY bad... urrrrrgh. Not so much. Tummy is telling me otherwise.

Oh, well....
Now hoping to get in a nap before the concert tonight. *exhausted*

Happy Friday, feathers!!!!!

TGIF FEATHERS, I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Busy at work and nothing interesting to report. NYC with friends from the UK and Canada this weekend and a tennis game with the BF before a bonfire tonight. I promise I will have more personals soon!!!

TGIF indeed. I start my new job Sunday, I'm both excited and nervous. :)

I ran the treadmill like a boss but now it's 10pm and I'm freaking starving so I'm gonna have to eat a little something. There is a downside to exercise in the evening. I can't do mornings..I'm not human till late afternoon. I'm definitely a night owl.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. :)

Hi everyone.

WALK OF SHAMe coming your way. Today was an horrible HORRIBLE day in term of eating. We were in Montreal for helping friends that were moving and ... massive food fest. It is kinda weird, everytime I sleep at my friend's place, as soon as I put my head on the pillow, I start having some allergic reactions (to her pillow? her cat? we don't know) so I barely slept 2 hours. After moving things around all day, I had no energy saying no to food. I probably made it to 4000 calories.

I'M SO BLOATEEEEEEEEEED.

Hope you are having a good weekend!

Official weigh in this week: 158.8.
This morning weight 155.8 (uh...what?? must be a fluke)

I'm sorry I don't have the energy for personals my dearest feathers, I am going through a very difficult time right now in my marriage, and I am emotionally spent. I really don't have much of an appetite right now, so eating shouldn't be a problem this week :(

I think I will probably abstain from posting for awhile, I just need some time to myself and losing weight is kind of taking a back seat to what I really need to focus on.

Sorry for being the debby downer - I hope you all have an excellent week, and I will be back!

chahma Sending strength to cope with the hard times. I hope you'll be OK and your marriage will heal and grow.

Turbo You're not alone! I don't know how people in Montreal and NYC are so thin, I'd be SUPER MORBIDLY OBESE if I lived there and had access to all that great food all the time.

novangel Good luck at your new job! I hope it brings you the positive change you've been needing in life.

Thanks Krampus, today went well!! :carrot:

Turbo, I am so bloated too. I haven't gone #2 in over two days. :mad:

No gym tonight, I just want to chill after standing all day but I will go tomorrow night after work.

Hope everyone is well. :)

Good Sunday evening, feathers! I did well today eating-wise. I think I'll still have an unpleasant surprise with weigh-in but I think I have to do a weigh-in tomorrow. I can't stand not knowing. I did have two big poops today, though, so yay on that.

@chahma - I was where you were a year or so ago. It was very hard to focus on anything other than surviving the day, so I think it's wise that everything else takes a back seat. Just take care of yourself and nourish yourself the best you can.

@Turbo - ugh, that's an icky feeling, but I kind of think that occasional days like that might actually be good for our weight, to sort of startle our bodies and shake things up a bit!

@Alex - heh, I've actually done that when I've been super GOOD at a social event and not had something tasty. THEN I go home and say f*** it and dive into whatever. If I have the things that aren't so good for me at the party, then I'm satisfied and there's no problem when I get home, lol!

Alexis : Did you survive your busy weekend? ;) You had a full schedule ahead of you! Still seeing Martin Freeman tomorrow?

Krampus : Hope you had fun with your friends visiting! You always has so much nice activities to go to, aaaah a bonfire! I grew up by the sea and we used to make a bonfire every single week with my friends, but now that we live in cities, that is not as easy lol. Can't wait to go camping to drink beers around the fire and grill marshmallow!

novangel : I understand your lack of motivation to train in the morning, I am slowly starting to run in the morning again because it is getting a bit too hot in the afternoon and I have to KICK MYSELF in the b*tt every single time LOL

chahma : Awww, I hope you're okay :( Take all the time you need to refocus. Sending good vibes your way!

Olehcat : I hope you'll see a number that you like better on the scale today!

***

Hello ladies!

I survived this weekennnnd yes. After the overeating of saturday and the obvious I'm-6-months-pregnant tummy I woke up with on Sunday, I decided to just skip the scale yesterday morning. I tackled my 10 miles run in a gorgeous weather ; I seriously don't get how my body is working, I spent all the previous day going up and down stairs, carrying tons of boxes and the next day I have the best run I had in weeks. Won't complain about it though, it gave me a huge confidence boost for the upcoming half. We have the Spartan Spring race in 3 weeks though, and I am so not strong, I am terrified by this one.

ANYWAY, I was up to 134.2 this morning AND I lost a lot of the bloated tummy already AND had a first glorious pooping session in 3 days after weighing in.

Today is a rest day, which is nice, my calves being sooooore from yesterday run. Since I am flirting with my upper red line, I'll pay attention in the next days to not massively over indulge.

Still aiming for around 1800 calories a day (a bit more if I train) like last week, since I'm up because of this weekend and I don't know where I really stand. It is CRAZY how better I'm feeling since I increased from 1600 to 1800! No more under feeding myself :)

Have a great week Feathers!

Hi Feathers -

I ate EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD all weekend long to the point of total discomfort. I think I've satisfied my "fatty fatty cholesterol carbfest" urges. Weighed in at 128.2 this morning, ha. I look like I'm gonna have a kid tomorrow.

Some pictures of some of the things that were tossed into the black hole:

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...78380734_n.jpg

Burger in a fried bun - was like a donut! That white stuff is mayonnaise.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...93895643_n.jpg

Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese from Ess-a-bagel. Think my next bagel will be in Montreal.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...86779650_n.jpg

Vegetarian japchae from the Korean food court in Koreatown.

After all that in NYC with my friends I came back NOT HUNGRY and went to a friend's Cinco de Mayo BBQ, where I probably ate at least a third of the 2 bags of tortilla chips that were there (there were 6 of us there) and 2 tacos and wound up feeling like I couldn't touch my toes.

Back to routine/gym/pilates today and tonight. I feel absolutely disgusting and I hope this isn't the start of the pattern that resulted in me regaining 10 pounds two years ago. -____- I probably can't run for a while because I have been having sciatic pain from deadlifts on Friday morning - I wonder if being semi-injured is playing games with my mind? I can't wait to be better since I bought new running sneakers Thursday:

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/pi/106/96...697871_640.jpg

TurboMammoth Ohh growing up by the sea must have been so lovely - I wish I were near an ocean and not just a dirty river! Actually BF's landlord came and told him we couldn't have any more bonfires because the neighbors don't like the smoke. Sad times. It often works out that the best runs occur when you would expect them to be crappy! 10 miles is no joke.

olehcat Not knowing is worse than knowing, I think. I have been thinking about not weighing but I am pretty desensitized to the number and I think I would wind up feeling crazy trying to not gain without actually having hard data available. Whatever the scale says - don't let it have too much power! The weather is perfect now for running/walking being outside, just enjoy the activity!

novangel Really happy your first day went well!

Alexis Yikes - are you alive after eating the yogurt that went off?

xiaobaicai I think feeling sluggish is a pretty surefire sign you need to change things up or take a breather from long runs - runners get more injuries than almost all other athletes (besides the ones who get hit all the time like footballers and boxers obviously)! I hope you win the heck out of that contest and have a fantastic celebration.

Leaves Did you carry out the experiment with the low fat cheese?

angie Hi! Nice to see you here again!

Krampus ~ Do you play tennis often? I'm absolutely terrible, but sometimes my guy friend and I will take a racket and balls and have at it in the park. What kind of sneakers are those? They be lookin' supafly, girl.

Turbo ~ Yep. Seein' Martin Freeman tomorrow. I loooove bonfires, too! There was a firepit at the party yesterday and my hair smelled like smoke when I got home. Love that feeling. :)

Nova ~ Good luck on the new job!!!

Chalma ~ *hugs* hang in there, girl!

Oleh ~ I could have done a lot better at the party yesterday.... Errr... three cupcakes, a slice of cake and some flan later... ugh. AND I came home and had an "f-it all" moment, too.

~~~
Kinda feeling bummed today.

Slept through a 7:30AM therapy appt this morning. That just set the stage for a hairy day all around. Gah. Hate sleeping through stuff. I never hear my alarm and I totally thought it was Sunday morning instead of Monday.

Then I had a 3 lb jump on the scale this morning, although given my overindulgence last night, this is not surprising. It's also right around TOM time, which is fun also :rolleyes: Must stay on target through this.... *repeats to self* clooooose the fridge.

Ugh.

Party yesterday was lots of fun, but there was one guy in our carpool group that just managed to find my last nerve and get on it. ("Oh, [Alexistrophic] doesn't like talking about how old she is..." "I didn't know you were friends with so-and-so... he got in a lot of trouble in college." "Wow, you couldn't wait to get out of there, could you? --wtf? we were at the party from 2:30-7:30...) I dunno. Reports have indicated that he may have had a crush on me, but come on now. That is not the way to win over a woman... Ugh. He just seems super duper less than suave in social situations... Oh, well.

I've been very good on overall cals but I did have a sausage/egg muffin from McDonalds this morning, those things are damn good. I'm not a big McD's fan but I love those....and Shamrock Shakes which are like 600 cals so I only get one or two when they're around.

I spent an hour at the gym and hope to go again tomorrow night because Wed I won't be able to.

TOM is due so it's bloat city. :^:

very exciting news at work...... a new trail has just opened up literally 3min walk away from the office!!! So for the last 10 years whenever i've done a run at lunchtime, it's been round the industrial estate, or down the busy main road next to it. Not my idea of fun really. But today i went on the new trail and it's lovely!!! Its gravel, flat, with grass on either side (so you could run on that too for a change of surface), it's got streams, little bridges, newly planted trees, lots of birdlife, and fields and woods along the way, and goes 2.5km to a little country station.

So i ran to the station and a bit of the way back by which time i'd reminded myself that i was very unfit and not used to running, so i walked/ran the rest.

The only slight concern was that every minute or so, mounted neatly on the fence, were little boxes that said 'snake bite kit'!!.......

^It's funny, we used to get excited about food (well, still kind of do) and now running trails turn us on. :lol: Snake bite kit though? Glad it's available but still a little unsettling. :/

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum, but have been on 3FC for a while now. I completed the Ideal Protein diet and successfully hit goal (118), but then when I "phased off", I quickly started to gain it back. It's pretty frustrating, but I think I went so long without the things in life that I love (beer, wine, pizza :) ) that when I was finally "allowed" to have them again, I went a little crazy.

Well, it's time to get back on the wagon, and I think this forum is a little more appropriate for me since I only have ~5-7 lbs to lose. Looking forward to adding in some exercise and feeling better. Have a great day everyone!

nova ~ man, something about that McDonald's breakfast is just so darn addicting... What is in the "shamrock shakes"? I've seen them advertised, but never been tempted to indulge... I do eye their eggnog shakes come the holidays... Disgusting, but something so intriguing about them...

ange ~ Great news about the trail by your office! Hurray for new places to explore! Do you get all sweaty when you walk/run at lunchtime?
Re: Snakebite kit... er... be prepared? Better safe than sorry?

PacNW IP Welcome!

~~~
Urgh. Am in a jacket and dress b.c we have a candidate coming into the office. Uncomfortable mostly b.c I'm not used to the "business corporate" uniform, but a teeny tiny part of me likes dressing up for work.

Date with Martin Freeman tonight (so just staying in my work clothes...) Am excited for it! This whole idea of "seeing someone" is just so totally foreign to me... I have no idea how to feel or act and it's completely throwing me for a loop (in a good way, though). Over the weekend, male orchestra colleague (the Polar Bear Bassoon, if anyone remembers) posted a pic of the two of us together. MF clearly saw and I wondered how he would react... then he referred to himself as my boy-friend (hyphenated?) in a text the next day... Hmmm... lol - as my friend commented: "poor *******"

This all relates back to food b.c sometimes I feel like every new feeling feels like "hungry". There are moments of "I never want to eat again!" and then moments of "gosh, is the fridge going to be enough?" Bleh. Knowing the difference between "tummy hungry" and "heart hungry"... that's the key.

so much catching up to do! I went home to my parents for the weekend and piggied my way through all the food they buy. Luckily, it seems I maintained rather than gained, so back on plan today.

I'm in a mad paper-writing frenzy so I'll be back later for personals :dizzy:

krampus : I saw your woosh on the Daily WI thread, you must be relieved a bit. YOU GO GIRL. (I hope giving birth to your food baby was not painful! ;)) Hamburger on a fried bun? This is a first time seeing that for me! (seriously, is that slices of apple on the side? I find it hilarious : GIGANTIC fried thing burger + apple slices LOL). That sucks that you won't be able to do bonfires anymore. And nice shoes!

Alexis : Aww, the sleeping in through something sucks :( I hate this feeling, it feels like the ''ahh crap'' just lingers and lingers through the day. Hope it got better for you! :) Woah, hello, douchy guy! Yeah, you're definitely help your case by talking to the girl you had a crush on like that LOL

have fun with Martin Freeman!!! :D

novangel : As long as you don't have McD mcmuffin everysingle day, you are fine ;) Have a great workout!

ange : Having a new trail to run is AWESOME! (not so awesome for the bite snake kit though) Is there that many snakes in the areas? We don't have any dangerous snakes and stuff in Canada to care off in trails, but when I traveled to Arizona and we were hiking, all the horror stories of snakes and spiders that could kill you were terrifying me LOL

PacNW : Welcome!!! :)

Leaves : Welcome to the ''I ate my life away in food last weekend'' club LOL

***

Hi! Still holding at 134.2 this morning. I had a good meeting with my bathroom though, I hope I'm gonna be down tomorrow morning :P Just patiently waiting to get back down to 132-133.

Food was good and in control, actually my mind kinda still think I need to eat 1600 calories and than at night when I realized I still need to eat more to make it to 1800, it feels like I am allowed to eat SO MUCH. We had Tofu Chili last night and I had enough room to indulge on a piece of Crêpes Cake I prepared yesterday.

My workout for the day is done, I ran my hills training 8k this morning. It was a bit harder than I would have liked it, but I think it was mainly because of the heath. Hill training is now DONZOOO and I am starting intervals next week, I am sooo excited!

I am now off to declare war to my cat who keep jumping on the freaking table, despite being pushed away 12 times in the last 30 minutes.

Have a good day, Feathers!