@aiden working in a gym must be good motivation! sounds like you’ve been enjoying the beautiful weather!

@turbo hope you get settled into your new place! are you going to “pendre la crémaillère” (not sure if they call it that in Canada)

@leaves I’m moving to Marseille in southern france also congrats on your degree! I’m not sure what 2:1 is but you seem happy so that must be a good mark!

@oleh enjoy the time with your friend and forget about the scale until she leaves!

@krampus sounds like sooo much fun! I haven’t been on a river camping trip in years! we call it “float trips” here, but last time was when I was in college, ahhh the memories. I hope TOM holds off until you are back
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Hey ladies ! Well things have been moving fast on my end. I have an appointment at the Consulate next Thursday, so I’m flying out Wednesday and coming back Thursday afternoon – just a quick trip.

Also, my school was extremely understanding of my situation and they have agreed to release me from my contract AND they will give me a favorable reference in the future which is good! I am SOOO relieved because I read lots of horror stories online about how teachers broke their contracts for relocation and the school district revoked their teaching license and other crazy things so I’m glad I’m leaving on good terms with my district. I worked my @$$ off for them last year trying to get things up to par and they knew that and I’ve always been very professional so given my situation, I think it all turned out well.

I sold my car this morning (only 1 day on craigslist, yippee!), so that is another thing I don’t have to worry about.

Otherwise, I have been sticking to my WW points. This week TOM is funky (started the pill again) so it’s not a “true” period and I don’t have any horrible cravings or PMS which is a nice relief for me because normally during this week I’d be shoving food in my face nonstop and crying at dumb things, LOL. In fact when I find myself wanting chocolate I asked myself is it TRULY a craving or is just because it’s TOM and I’m used to feeding myself whatever that I feel I NEED it right now. Hmmm.

I’ve gotten adjusted to my points – I try not to use the weekly allowance but this week has been difficult because I went way over one day since I had to grab subway for lunch and the points added up quickly. Then last night I had all my points but I had a late night craving, so I settled for a glass of chocolate soymilk which was 4 pts! They all add up quickly - I’m having a hard time finding filling snacks that aren’t a ton of points since almonds are 4 pts, string cheese is 2 pts, greek yogurt is 3 pts, and those are the typical snacks that I have. I know I could just snack on veggies but I don’t really feel like they tide me over unless it’s like baby carrots or something like that.

The scale hasn’t budged since Monday – I’m still at 159.4, sooo hopefully it will move by next weigh in on Tuesday. I don’t like to stall out only in my 2nd week!

Today I ordered some workout DVDs for when I move. I bought 30 Day Shred, Ripped in 30 and then Jillian Michael’s new kickboxing video. I have another one of her DVDs that I really like, so I took the 3 pack on amazon.

I hope you’re all having a wonderful Friday!

Hello ladies,

Leaves - I'm about 5'5 (5'4 1/2 lol!) and when I was 130 lbs in 2011 I was not satisfied. I actually lost 7 more pounds. That's why my goal weight is 120-123 lbs. Not trying to say that 130 lbs on a 5'4 frame looks terrible, just stating my opinion based on personal experience So all I wanna tell you is that I absolutely agree with you! Congrats on your results

Cattails - Aahh congrats on hitting 127 lbs!! I'm so envious, can't wait to get there myself About the running: Everybody has to start somewhere. I've heard that C25K has helped many people to improve their speed/stamina. You can do it as well!

Aidanqm - God I miss my steamed edamames! I haven't found them here yet

chahma - Who the **** invented Nutella anyways? And why does it have to be so good with absolutely everything? Gaahhh. Oh wow, you're going to France? You're not gonna be far away from me (well, depending on where exactly you'll be). I'm glad to hear that you were able to work things out with your school. It's nice to see that there are good people left in this world. Be safe on your trip!

TurboMammoth - How's moving going for you?

olehcat - Sounds like you're really busy, I hope you get enough YOU-time in Hmmm, I'd probably not weigh-in either. It would drive me NUTS if the numbers were a little higher than usual now that your friend will be there. HAVE FUN though

krampus - Jeesus, you're always out doing fun things, girl! Have fun Oh - I have someone like that at work. I like her, she's really nice and fun to work with but the attention-seeking gets kind of annoying after a while, only because it affects me in so many ways.

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Okay, this might be really weird and probably TMI but please tell me I'm not the only one who HATES getting out of the shower and then feeling the urge to poo? Like really? Can't you knock on the door befooooreeeee I hop in? Gaaahh, lol.

Anyways...
These past 2 days have been great - I stayed OP and was very active. I had to though since I had indulged way too much Nutella the 2 days before that. So I told myself - if you wanna see the numbers on the scale move then you're gonna have to do something. Simple, right? And here I am, trying to resist. I even almost ate some ice cream at work today which means the cravings were really bad! I usually EASILY say no to the food there. Thankfully it only lasted for a couple of minutes. I tried occupying my mind and it went away.
I'm off from work tomorrow and my 3-year old niece is coming over for the day DH and I plan on taking her on a little bike ride or a walk on the trail. The weather has been horrible over here. Our streets are flooded! But tomorrow is supposedly going to be sunny so we're definitely going to have to take advantage of that.

I saw a long-time friend of mine at work today and she told me that I had definitely gotten skinnier since the last time she'd seen me. Score! Two co-workers of mine told me the same thing so yay
I weighed in at 141 lbs this morning, no digital scale though.

Other than that - I have a cold but it's slowly going away and there is a big, fat, black, hairy spider somewhere in our bedroom because DH totally FAILED to kill it this morning (I'm still mad!).

That's it! It's 12:50AM over here, time to go to sleep.

Have a great weekend, feathers!

Check-in: Hella' busy weekend, gals! It's been fun. 1,600-ish calories today. Followed my meal plan as closely as possible. Had small extra snack though (2oz goat salami from one of my favorite butcher shops, yum!). Full body lift today as well. ... This morning I went to the Farmer's market with a friend. Had tea in the afternoon with one of my best friends. Was a great day! Felt really good about my lift.

Yesterday was a rest day for me. Ate a bit too much in the evening when I went over to a co-worker's house for a movie. Gah! Lol. We're both big "foodies" and he always has such amazing food at his house. He pulled out two awesome cheeses, artisan crackers and hummus, cherry apple compote, dried cayenne-lime spiced mangoes, and he cooked up some really yummy pan-seared garlic shrimp. So yeah, I indulged a bit, went over my limit. But hey... I've been doing really well so far. I'll just need to watch myself better next time I go over to his place. I shouldn't trust myself around all that awesome food!

Good evening feathers,

I had a great family get-together on Saturday. This is exactly what I missed so much when I was in New York! Anywho, I had some catfish and black prawns with peas and carrots and some yogurt sauce. Of course I had to eat some ice cream as well but hey - I didn't go overboard. Oh, and I finally got to do some squats and bicep curls with our weights woohooo!

Weight this morning: still 141 lbs. I had a very stressful day at work. Some people, I swear! I totally forgot how much patience you have to bring into that job. Some people are just so rude and disrespectful and STUPID. Anyways, my Mom made her delicious Filipino dessert today. It's basically fried coconut milk-dough topped with sugar (what a calorie-BOMB!) but it's just sooo good. I had 3 of them and I was satisfied.

Hope everybody has a great Monday!

HEY LADIES!!! ok so I know I popped in a few weeks ago with a weigh in and now it's way worse again. A slippery buttery slope of eating and not exercising. Mentally I feel pretty **** and apathetic which is BAD as I'm not happy like this, I feel really fat and uncomfortable. I've been binging a lot. Like tonight. It hurts. Soooo I want to start regularly posting again when I have time as I've been busy. This should really be a priority. Anyway, just wanted to say hi! <3

I've been awol for a while. This normally means I've been naughty and don't want to confess, and that's true this time too as I was off plan (but not horrendously) for about 10 days, but I've been back on-plan for the last week at least. Just back from a week working in Brazil (yes, I managed to go tee-total and watch my food throughout a whole week of conferencing - no mean feat if I do say so myself!!)

Only got back a few hrs ago though, so it's not worth jumping on the scales straight after a long flight, and i'm off away on another flight tomorrow morning so it's not worth jumping on the scales til i'm back home next week really.

Also managed 4 sessions on the treadmill during my trip and did some interval stuff since I didn't want to do too many km as I only had my Nike Frees with me which i'm not used to running in. So all in all i'm feeling pretty pleased with myself, but need to make sure that i'm still being good during this next trip too.....

@ Hoopty - Thanks for the grats! I'm so amazed; never truly thought I'd see the 120's again. Last time I was at this weight was just before getting pregnant with my second DS - and he's 19 years old. Now I'm wondering just how low I can comfortably go...
Hope your spider packed his bags and took a hike!

@ chahma - Wow, you must have some great karma built up! Everything's going just right for you, that's awesome. Have fun with Jillian; that woman is a beast.

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Thanks, feathers, for the jogging encouragement. I've been doing multiple 5 minute and 8 minute intervals every other day or so, and today went all out for a 20 minute jog - whew! I managed to cover 2 miles; that's not too incredibly slow, is it?

I've had to accept that I just can't eat sugar anymore. After being a sugar addict my whole life, any sugar now brings on stabbing sharp pains in my head that then turn to throbbing for hours. So sad... so I give my DH strawberries with Cool Whip and take mine plain, though I don't really miss the white stuff anymore. Without added sugar in anything, everything tastes so much better! One thing I'm not ready to give up is my very dark chocolate bars; a couple squares most nights is worth the pounding in my cranium.

Here's to a great week, everyone!

Hi! Quick check in, I'm still alive, we jut got back the phone and Internet connexion back, we are officially moved in our new place YAY. Still have to go back to the old one to clean up a bit this week but we love your new apartment, it's nice, pretty, clean and without drugs dealers neighbors so YAY.

I'll try to post more this week when I'm less busy, there is tons of stuff left to do (and tons of things to find in the amount of boxes laying around everywhere :P)

Ciao ladies!

P.S. WELCOME BACK LEILAJEYYYYYYYY!

Just a little check-in over here! It's ridiculously hot in my apartment, as I don't have A.C. I'm currently eating cookies (calories calculated and on plan, though) with coffee in bed. My head feels all mucky and my throat's beginning to hurt, so I'm hoping to caffeinate myself out of this crap and get some good work done today.

Will be back around soon for personals!

Canoeing SUCCESS! It was beautiful all weekend, gorgeous scenery made for a wonderfully fantasy-ridden mycological adventure, and I got some exercise from all the paddling. I had a fantastic time and despite eating my weight in brownies and steak fajitas and peanut butter Oreos I'm not "growing."

Weight's good lately. Temperatures are too high to be good. I have felt cranky and PMS-y for a week now! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Have a phone meeting with my landlord tonight to determine my living situation as of August 1st. He's been weird lately and we suspect he has just not been handling the 11 day Internet outage at our apartment. Hnnggfff.

xiaobaicai Yikes, the humidity gets awful over there - take care! When are you back?

Turbo SO GLAD moving went well for you! Having good neighbors is a big one, phone and Internet too! I love moving and having it be all clean. Wish that lasted forever...

Cattails 6 mph is not shabby at all, especially for a 20 minute jog when you'd been doing intervals! ^__^ Sorry you get such bad physical symptoms from sugar - it is totally better not to be filling yourself with it but it stinks when everyone else enjoys it and you can't. I'm that way with alcohol.

ange82much Wow, Brazil - wish I got to go there for work. Safe travels on your next business trip!

LeilaJey Pleeeeeeeease don't go away again, we miss(ed) you! Sending you strength to battle the binge demons, that overstuffed feeling is the f*@king worst.

Hoopty Family get-together food sounds amazing! You're absolutely right that losing requires "doing something" but you can still have ice cream and things too. Also you're just a weirdo, I never ever have to poop after a shower or bath. Warm water has a dehydrating effect that makes it retract back inside, LOL!

Aidan Eating too much good food >>>>>>> eating a bunch of sh!t you don't even really like! How has the meal plan been going, are you 105 yet?

chahma Thanks for the well wishes, TOM is still MIA. Wishing you all the best with the really quick life changes ahead. Hope all the DVDs wind up being enjoyable and productive!

olehcat How is/was your friend's visit?

Leaves Congrats on being solidly in the 130s and on good marks at uni!!! Goal weight is hard to determine. I would recommend weight training or something for composition - that makes a big difference!

hi, guys!!! *weak, weak waving from exhaustion*

This past weekend I moved, and TWO friends came to visit and my one friend is still here (the small one that makes me feel self-conscious) and it's crazy self-consciousness indeed. Oh man, 100 pounds is SO TINY. I feel like an elephant, I do! Her legs are like HALF the size of my legs (granted I have huge thighs, so even when I'm at my thinnest, I still have bigger thighs than other people of my same weight). Anyway, aside from that, I'm having a great time, although exhausted to the bone between hostessing guests just after moving into my new place (whcih I LOVE), still having to go to a daily 4-hour class, and yeah. So everything is off food-wise and exercise-wise right now, but when my friend leaves, this will change. I'm sooo tired of being "big" compared to my friends these days, when it used to be the opposite.

Hey, I see Turbo and I moved at about the same time! ;D

I promise will come back to do personals later! A big storm is rolling in right now, it's like black as night outside! Eep. Better turn off my computer.

Hiii! Quick check in! I swear I'll be better with personals in the next few days.

We finally found the scale in the boxes :P and after peeking at 134.8 on Monday, I hit 132.8 yesterday and today. Pretty happy about it, considering the crappy food I had this weekend (for exemple, saturday, my food intake was : pizza, chip, pretzels, coffee and donuts. THAT'S IT lol) I guess moving tons of boxes up the stairs was a good workout

I ran for the first time in 5 days yesterday, it was HOT and humid, so it was okay, but not great. I'm just being relax with the running this week, my legs are tired from the 4 months training + intense moving times and I want to keep them fresh for my half next Saturday. I know my legs are not top shape and I'm a bit stressed about that.

Well, off to IKEA to get furniture. Have a good day everyone!

Olehcat : OH we moved at the same time! Hope everything is good with your new place

]ange82much[/B] whoa a week of conferencing without over eating? You're my hero! Seriously!

cattails No sugar sounds like the way to go then, and if you can balance some pain and tasty dark chocolate that's great. I feel like I should probably quit too but I live in this nice place called denial.

xiaobaicai I hope you feel better soon! Cookies and coffee in bed sounds amazing

TurboMammoth AHHHH MISSED YOU!!!<3 How did moving go? Enjoy IKEA, you're living the dream. And and and your weight is awesome since I was last here, way to go!

krampus MISSED YOU TOO!!! Your life sounds as fun as ever which is excellent and your weight. **** yeah.

Is everyone having internet problems? Mine is **** at the minute too for some reason. It's a conspiracy I tells ya. God damn it I need to tell people about my pooping already.

SO HI GUYS. I posted a few months ago saying I've moved and all, anyway my life's super busy now and I have an amazing social life and all that.. lots of wine though and eating. And living with people where I have less control over what kind of food's around and all the stuff at work is a new challenge for me. That coupled with lots of major stresses but hey **** it I'm not doing too badly (denial). I was fiiiiiine for the first while, maintaining the 130s like a beast and then I started trying to lose weight again, hit 134.8 and then BOOM here I am months later like "the **** just happened?". Oh and I joined the gym then and it freaked me out for some reason... but but but going on Friday DEFINITELY DEFINITELY. So I'm binging, what a shitty coping mechanism and I'm always constipated lol

Anyway, want to make time for you guys and this place again. Goodbye denial, hello sorting out my life.

Love from your bloated friend

hey all! just a quick check in - this week's weight in 159... pffft I lost .4 lbs but I was totally expecting that. I was doing just fine until this weekend, had a stressful day, my friend brought homemade gluten/sugar free almond cookies (YUM btw) and I kind of ate the entire dozen. UGH. Then Sunday I had a dinner with friends, which I managed to eat well on but I know I ate all of my "over" points this week, so I knew that was going to happen. Annoying because I saw the 158's on the scale during the week but I blew it all over the weekend!

Oh well, today re-starts my points week, so I really need to stay on track.

Today I'm leaving to go to the Consulate (yippeee French bureaucracy!). I have a flight later this afternoon. I am planning on packing a dinner, and I'm taking my own oatmeal for the hotel tomorrow morning, then the afternoon I'll grab another sandwich or something healthy at Panera/Subway type of place then I hop on a flight back home - so really I shouldn't fall off plan.

Also I got my Jillian Michael's kickboxing DVD - I plan on trying it out this weekend.... my motivation is KIND of coming back.

Have a great rest of the week!

Turbo and olehcat, your new places sound awesome! Hope your half-marathon goes well, Turbo, can't wait to hear all about it.

krampus, thank you - I'm thinking of signing up for a 5k in the fall, and if only I can maybe not be the very last person finishing, well, that'd make me really happy.
Canoeing, what fun! Hope your living situation gets sorted out satisfactorily.

xiao, hope you're feeling better by now. Cookies and coffee should do the trick, right?

LeilaJey, sounds like your life is busy with all kinds of fun stuff. And yeah, Denial City is a great place to live!

chahma, good luck on staying within points this week. The advance planning should really help - good going!

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You feathers are such jetsetters, going all over the globe - how exciting! I feel so boring.

I keep bouncing between 126 and 125; feeling like maybe I should put the darn scale away for a week and see what happens. That one pound makes too much of a difference to my mood all day.

I've been out to eat way too much this week and that isn't helping much; plus tonight we went to the movies (Man of Steel) and I of course had movie popcorn - how could I resist? LOL Now my head is pounding after getting into a huge argument with my middle son...He and I are way too alike, which means we're both SO stubborn and tend to lock horns until one of us (by god it will be him!) gives way - well, neither gave way this time, at least not until I threatened to throw his computer across the room. LOL Sigh... have to smooth things over tomorrow.

I brought home lots of veggies this week; tomorrow I'll put together a broccoli salad, maybe with feta and lemon and garlic.

Tomorrow's another C25K day - two 10 minute intervals. It's supposed to be stinkin' hot so probably do it after sundown; have flashlight, will night-exercise. I just hope no skunks are nearby when I'm out there. I've started doing a bit of a strength routine, easy on my silly shoulder. Two days a week should be enough for now - my arms are starting to look really wimpy.

Weekend's almost here, feathers - yay!