September Feathers Chat!
 

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How is it already September? I'm so not ready for the fall yet. Good thing it still feels like a gross humid sauna in the Northeast. I had a very lazy long weekend (Chinese buffet, laying around not going to the gym, petting the cats for hours while staring into space eating ice cream...).

My roommate and I spent Labor Day renting a U-Haul cargo van and moving a washer and dryer from her parents' house in New Hampshire to our apartment in Troy. I'm glad my BF was around to help us in Troy because we ended up having to move them up a flight of stairs, and my roommate and I both have bad backs. I don't feel too bad this morning though, and ran 2 miles and lifted weights at the gym.

WI was 120.6 today after lots of sweating, 121.0 yesterday, 119.6 Sunday, and 118.0 Saturday. Clearly I have been overdoing it a bit - it's pre-PMS time and I just feel like a bottomless pit of gluttony. We're going to CT to visit BF's family for Rosh Hashanah on Thursday so the moment I drop any water weight I'll be packing it back on and then some. Oh well! This is what autumn is for, right?

Orange/tan cat is named Rusty Shackleford, Dekopon, or Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson depending on the day (but we call him Rusty).

Black cat is named Lucy Lawless and she is on the road to obesity if we don't figure out how to moderate her food intake while feeding Rusty enough...

Moving Forward That soreness after a break from exercise hurts so good. You will regain lost strength in no time! It's amazing how resilient bodies are when it comes to that sort of thing. Congratulations on surviving a household with two teenagers - I would say as a maintainer that as long as you balance indulgences with lighter meals you can "go ham" on a regular basis with no long term gains.

olehcat WOO WOO mini-goal! Congratulations, sorry if it's belated - weddings are awkward events even if you know almost everyone there! I'm glad to hear you made it back safely in the fog. I always weigh myself even after awful day(s) as a reminder that it's probably not as bad as I think it will be but I know that's not fun for everyone.

archaic1 Being hungry sucks and is a necessary evil to lose weight as a featherweight. What are you eating now? Sometimes changing around meal timing and increasing % protein in your intake helps. And sometimes you're just hungry and have to go to bed to stop being sad about it. :D

Leaves Welcome back! ^___^ Holidays are always tough but you can bounce back (just in time for Christmas madness, the hardest time of year!). How was the cruise? Where did you go?

Cattails I'm really sorry to read about experiencing pain while jogging and walking - injuries are the worst and I hate that our bodies betray us when we're trying to help them stay healthy for the long term! I hope you feel better soon and rest and whatnot.

Hoopty It really blows your body is all out of whack and you are struggling so much. It sounds like there is just a lot going on and I know for me and probably a lot of people, bad BMs/water retention/feeling bloated are huge binge triggers - like you want to stuff yourself just to push it out of you! Is there an end date to the hormonal madness? Any big changes on the horizon to look forward to?

Hi everyone!

I'm joining in after about a year off, I'm such a fair weather feather :(
I just finished my Master's degree and I moved to Washington, DC for my fiancee's job but I'm currently looking for a job so I've decided to try and actually get down to my goal weight before my wedding in December (I always get stuck 5 lbs above it).

I remember some but not all of you ladies, looking forward to getting to know you!

I figured I need to step it up with my workouts because a) I just moved to like the fittest city in the USA and b) I need to look hot in my wedding dress. So I went to bootcamp for the first time and...man am I out of shape. It was embarrassing, I was the slowest person there!! I couldn't do the stair runs or the pushups at all! At least everyone there was really nice I'm going to try and get the nerve to go back on Friday.

Hi LisaTcan! I've heard about those bootcamp classes... they're pretty tough! You're not supposed to be able to keep up! :P Good luck

I'm a bit of a bad dieter. I always seem super motivated to begin with but then 2 weeks later I'm stuffing my face with KFC. But I've been dieting for nearly 5 weeks straight now, and I've lost about 6lb. I'm happy with my diet, which is basically calorie counting using an app, and I'm also doing the C25K and swimming because I'm trying to get fit! So I'm feeling positive about this weight loss attempt, I've gone further than I ever have before! :D

I still eat a chocolate bar a day though... :P

@LisaTcan - Hi to you and good luck on getting to your goal weight before your wedding - looks like you don't have far to go! Oo, bootcamp class - that sounds like fun. :)

@cantgetenoughchoc - I can totally relate to your name! Your current diet looks to be working well for you, good job. I, too, have chocolate every day; that is a necessity, right?

@krampus - Very cool kitty names! It's hard to settle on just one, isn't it? Our pets always have multiple names. LOL Rusty sounds perfect for your little guy. Enjoy the challah, yum.

I'm holding off on jogging for the time being, and upping my walking and strength training. So far, so good; I've dropped a couple more pounds! 121 - this is pre-children weight and I'm just...wow, amazed. Never thought I'd see that number again. After 22 years, it's a nice thing to see.

@cantgetenoughchoc - congrats!! I know how hard it can be to stay on track and 6lbs is awesome. I'm trying to get into running too, I'm not very good at it yet.

@cattails - wow, that's amazing you're at you're lowest weight since having kids. You must feel amazing!!

Derr, forgot about the changing of the month and was wondering why people were so quiet! ;D

Not so bad today, weighed in at 149.8, about a pound less than last week at this time and that's after eating pretty poorly over the whole weekend! My running is going well! I'm doing about 30-40 minutes of mostly running (some walking) about 4 times a week and meeting a friend to go on a walk about two times a week. So far! I wish I could get away with more weight-loss wise! It all seems so slowwwww...especially because I do allow myself a little bit of looseness on the weekend. As long as the scale goes down, I don't care how slow it is, actually...but why can't it go a little faster? :D (had to say it)

I've been eating very healthy during the week. Eggs for breakfast, gazpacho and avocado for lunch, a date for dessert, stir fry for dinner (or roasted vegetables or artichoke with dip).

@krampus - petting cats for hours while eating ice cream and going to a Chinese buffet sounds like heaven! :D And keeping my cats from getting fat is somehow worse than keeping myself from getting fat! D:

@cattails - you seeing 121 gives me SO much hope! I haven't seen anywhere around that for about 20 years myself! (well, I was about 125 7 years ago, but not down to 120).

@LisaTcan - congrats on your upcoming wedding!

@cantgetenoughchoc - hey, we gotta survive somehow. If a chocolate bar a day keeps you in line otherwise, then I'd say it's a good thing!

Okay, ladies, I need help before Sunday for sure!

My last week's "official" weigh-in was 148.8. I'm worried because today's weigh-in (not official) was 150.8 (up from yesterday!). Usually water retention from the weekend has calmed down by this time in the week. But I really, really want my weigh-in on Sunday to be right around 148.0 or preferably 147.something.

Any healthy way to make that happen that you know of, to get rid of 2-2.5 pounds of water retention in a few days before my Sunday weigh-in? I know about drinking tons of water. Does lemon in water actually help with that, do you know? Any foods that you know of that help release retention?

I don't even know if this is possible, since I'm meeting some friends out Friday night anyway, lol...

@olehcat - I actually find drinking a ton of water with lemon does really help :)
I struggle with water retention big time too! There is this thing at health food stores called "skinny tea" but I don't really trust it..

Thanks, LisaTcan! :) I will try that, probably not today becuase I can't spend all of today in the bathroom (at work), but Saturday I don't have to go anywhere...

Ugh, I really sabotaged myself yesterday! I had a HUGE pile of highly caloric homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner (a binge for me because I had a WAY bigger portion than would be recommended for something that caloric), and then had candycorn for dessert. Eep. And I don't do well with dairy overall and have been trying to mostly avoid pasta. And sugar. Still and surprisingly, my weight was down .4 of a pound this morning, so just think if I had just stuck to plan yesterday *eyeroll* my weight might have been back where it should be. Oh well!

Today's challenge is going to a tapas restaurant with some friends. Does anyone know of healthy choices at that type of place?

Krampus: I totally can't believe it's September already, but like you, said gotta get in shape for Christmas! The cruise was great- went to Croatia and some Greek Islands, so warm, so much food! Cute cat names :3

Lisa: Welcome back! I know how you feel, trying to get back when you've been out for a while. And bootcamp sounds tough! Wedding is a great goal though, good luck!

Cantgetenough: Sounds just like my plan! (including the chocolate- but I found that having just a couple of squares of dark chocolate really makes me appreciate it, ya know?)

Cattails: wooo 121 post baby!? Man, I don't know if I can get there PRE-baby! haha! Way to go! :D

Oleh: really not sure about getting rid of water, it's always been pretty hit and miss for me. Isn't it crazy how crappy water feels when you're actively trying to lose? When I'm just maintaining/eating what I want, I don't really notice it :s good luck with the weigh in, sorry I don't have any tried and tested suggestions other than waiting it out :(

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Really don't wanna change my ticker, eugh. I know it's truthfully more like 140lbs now though. Getting back to routine now though, and my teacher training starts on monday so hopefully I'll be super busy and distracted and not wanting to eat all the time!
Can't believe it's autumn already- I started looking at new coats online today. Want to get a nice one before they all sell out like last year!

okay, wow, I guess I just sabotaged myself to not weigh in for Sunday's official weigh-in because there's no way I'll be down after the last few days. All I can do is do my best for the NEXT weigh-in.

Yesterday I went to a lovely tapas restaurant and had bread (which I have been trying to not have often) with some yummy spreads and steamed mussels and a glass of wine. That would have been okay except that I had Thai noodles earlier and McDonald's even earlier. WHAT? It's like I ate all the forbidden foods yesterday in one day. Also I shared part of a chocolate cake with someone at like 10 p.m. last night.

I was trying to figure out why I did that, why I sabotaged myself like that, and I realized it's because I had a higher weight than I wanted the other day. It's almost as if...if the weigh-in had been LESS than expected, I would have done everything in my power to keep the momentum going, but because it was heavier than I wanted, I just throw in the towel and give up for this week. I guess knowing what's going on in my head is the first step to trying to get around that but geesh...Too bad. I was doing so well for awhile there.

Okay, so I have a big birthday party for a friend on Wednesday that will involve homemade pizza and cake and my own birthday dinners (a few of them!) at the end of the month. I wonder if it will be possible to eat completely healthy on every other meal except for those two to four meals? Wonder if I could do it. I KNOW I could add more exercise. To me that's never a problem. Doing (doing exercise) is so much easier than NOT doing (as in NOT eating too much, NOT eating this or that).

@Leaves - Teacher training? What are you training for? Or are you training people?

Aw, olehcat, you did have some fun yesterday! Sorry to hear about your struggles. Like others have said elsewhere, weight loss is mostly mental and hard to get your head wrapped around. So kudos to you for figuring out one trigger for self-sabotage, that's something! One thing struck me when I read your post, the comment that you ate "all the forbidden foods in one day." Does forbidding foods help you or hinder you? I don't consider ANY food off-plan, though I very rarely ever CHOOSE to eat many things, or eat very tiny portions of certain things. I like what JohnP says: "I eat whatever I want, just not however much I want." Anyway, I'm cheering for you, YOU CAN DO THIS! :cheer2:

@ Leaves - I think I remember you from before! Are you a teacher or becoming a teacher?

@olehcat - I can totally relate to losing motivation when the scale doesn't go down. I think that's a big part of the reason I never get to my goal weight. I get so frustrated that I'm working hard and not losing weight so I decide to throw in the towel and eat yummy food! You can do it though!! Don't lose faith :)

Hi Feathers!

By way of introduction... Hello! I'm 41, a stay-at-home mom, and I live in San Diego. I have three lovely children.

I used to be on here quite a bit and had a lot of success losing weight, getting down to 120 at one point. I'm not so good at keeping it off, though, so here I am again! Not aiming quite so low this time, though as discussed on another thread, it can be hard for me to know I *can* be that weight and sometimes I'd like to be there again.

Ohhhhh, I SO do this! It is one of my greatest struggles. Lately I've been doing a lot of self-talk (I admit, some of it out loud), reminding myself that if I just stick to plan, the loss *will* come. Congrats on identifying the trigger -- and if you come up with good ways to defuse it -- please share them!

nope did not weigh myself this morning. Will avoid the scale for another week, I think! I think it will take at least that to get rid of any damage done this weekend! Really, it all started on Thursday night when I made this huge pile of mac and cheese (homemade) but oh so yummy and I ate too much of it. Then Friday was a crap eating day all day long between McDonald's at lunch (even though I only had a few of the fries) and two "out" meals essentially in the evening (the Thai noodles and tapas with friends). Then yesterday I just couldn't pull it together just yet and had a lot of crappy food during the day. Then went to my parents' for dinner and had more wine than usual. Ugh. So yeah, my body finally put its foot down and I had stomach cramps ALL NIGHT. I think that was the few small squares of pizza leftover I had right before bed (and that's another thing, I normally don't eat ANYTHING after I finish my evening meal and the last two evenings I ate stuff late at night right before bed, no wonder my stomach hates me right now!)

So even though I spent (TMI ALERT) a lot of time on the toilet this morning, I knew my weight would be WAY up, even if it was mostly water weight. So why put myself through that. I can see my stomach jutting outward so I know that the weight part would be bad.

So I am highly motivated to be on plan today and in fact feel good about it. Had my eggs for breakfast. Protein and fat for breakfast is my go to for success. It satiates me for a long time and no urge to snack.

@thesame7pds - hi, welcome! I love San Diego. One of my best friends used to live there and because I have family in the LA area, I used to visit pretty frequently. I miss it! (AND I miss the ocean big time because I used to live in Florida). And 120, that's where I want to go, too. My ultimate dream weight is 110 or so, but I'd be VERY satisfied somewhere in the 120s...:) And I will definitely share as I work through this!

@LisaTcan - yes, we can do this! I am ready to hop right on today and I hope I remember the stomach pains I had last night when I want to indulge too much again!

@Cattails - well, as for the forbidden foods, it's complicated...It's sort of like, I do allow myself to have treats as stuff comes up, like a birthday party or a wedding, etc., but if I let myself have it any time, I really will, as evidenced by this past summer where I was having treats EVERY day and ordering Thai noodles (my big food addiction, haha) almost every other day instead of maybe once a month, which would be reasonable. So I try to keep myself pretty strict during the week and then loosen up a little on the weekend and allow myself some stuff I don't allow during the week, but for some reason, I just lost control this past weekend. I am working on this! I want to have a more normal relationship with food, that's for sure! Thank you for the cheer on! :)

Happy Sunday to you all!

Ugh olehcat I'm totally in the same space as you I didnt stick to my plan yesterday and I'm up two lbs this morning!!! It's so infuriating!!! I'm starting to have that feeling that maybe I can't get any lower and shouldnt even bother trying. I didn't even eat that much..I was at like 1900 calories.

Olehcat: just started training to be a music teacher. Had my first session today- lots of introductions to lots of things, and so much listening! Looks like it's gonna be a tough year. I totally understand about birthday dinners, I just have to accept that they happen. I always intend to be good and just have a little, but end up pigging out!

Thesame7lbs: Hello and welcome! Good luck with getting back down, but don't feel too bad about not getting so low- 120 after 3 kids seems very difficult!

Lisa: Yep, just started! Isn't it crazy how much sodium can affect us? I always wonder if other people have this problem? Doesn't seem to bother my boyfriend or my dad!

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Such a headache from not eating very much today :( But back on plan now and had a big dinner with all the leftover calories so feeling pretty happy :) I've even got enough left for a piece of chocolate tonight, yay!

Hello Feathers,

I had a great weekend -- two baseball games (Friday with just DH, Sunday with kids) and a beach day on Saturday, plus a nice 5-mile run yesterday, about 1.5 miles of it on trail (which I love but have been avoiding due to injury). Miraculously stayed on plan at both baseball games (by eating lightly so I could have a hot dog + beer at one game and a soft-serve cone at the other).

LisaT, I know those 2 lbs are discouraging but they are *not* from eating 1900 calories yesterday -- just some sodium or something else throwing you off. Don't give up!

Leaves, I like saving during the day for a big dinner, too. Enjoy that chocolate! What ages/type of music will you be teaching?

Hi everyone,

Well I'm still up 2 lbs today, I'm due for my period and feel bloated so I'm hoping I'll eventually drop. I'm going to try and stick with my plan. I've also way upped my exercise which could have something to do with it. I went to bootcamp yesterday and It wasn't as bad!

Thesame7lbs Thank you for the support! Just what I needed. You sound like you had a fabulous weekend! Good job staying on track at the baseball games.

Leaves I used to be a music teacher! That's so funny, it was really fun. I went back to school for public health though.

@olehcat - Okay, I see - that sounds very sensible: limiting certain foods rather than outright forbidding them forever. Well, I think the big mental game of weight loss/management is figuring out what works for each of us, so every little thing you can figure out about yourself is a very good thing!

@Leaves - Being a music teacher seems like a really rewarding job, very nice.

@LisaTcan - Yeah, exercise really causes a lot of fluctuation, I find, but is so worth it.

@ thesame7lbs - Welcome, and love the name.

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This is not a good day/week/month for me. One of our senior cats is ailing and probably not going to be with us for much longer. Ugh, it's so hard to see a family pet deteriorating like this and having to decide when enough is enough. After seeing the vet again today and not getting any good news, I capitulated to eating a handful of tortilla chips and a handful of Fritos. Hm, I guess that's not so bad, but I don't like to see myself eating junk for comfort - that is a slippery slope I really don't want to go down.

Sorry for the downer. Hope everyone is having a pleasant week.

I've definitely been bloaty lately, although not weighing. This has overall not been good. It's been REALLY hot here and so I haven't been running. Even running indoors on a treadmill is not okay when there's a high of 98 F. The place isn't air conditioned and well, it's just as miserable as running outside. So I'm taking a break until this (hopefully) final heat wave breaks. Also that means that I don't meet my walking buddy for walking outside after work. So really, I'm going to blame the heat for my lack of exercise lately. But part of it is is also a motivation problem because I feel like I'm not seeing success in weight loss. Whenever I do see some success, my schedule gets off and I sabotage it.

@Cattails - I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. It's so weird, I've just heard from about 2 friends recently about ailing cats, too, so sad. :(

@LisaTcan - good luck getting rid of the bloat! I know it's really hard to do that time of the month! I am on medication that gets rid of TOM for me, but I remember the days when I'd put on 5 pounds sometimes in the week just before!

@Leaves - ooh, good luck with the teaching training! I'm a reading teacher and we often have a lot of trainees at our school from the local university!


I'm probably going to ask this somewhere else, too, since there're only a few people here, but I was wondering...for those of you who successfully lost your weight and are mostly maintaining now, what were some typical days of food for you during weight loss mode? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.

Hello everyone,

Long time no see! I've been struggling to get back on track after the huge hormonal chaos I had to deal with. My "diet" for these past few days consisted of Nutella, mug-brownies, croissants, chocolate, cake and Nutella. My cravings actually went away once I started taking the BCP again but it's the "I can eat whatever I want" mentality that got in my way. No sorry, I got in my way.
Today's my first OP day so far. I wasn't gonna hop on the scale because you know...I just knew what to expect, but I somehow did it anyways. Well, I got 2 numbers for you. The first one from this morning before breakfast: 146.something lbs. YIKES!! Then I weighed again after breakfast because somehow my body decided to get rid of so much water (I literally peed every 10min): 144.8 lbs, STILL YIKES!! I knew I had gained a couple of pounds because my clothes have started to become much tighter on me which is not cool. I've also been feeling really depressed and mad due to my horrible relationship with my parents. Not using that as an excuse for my poor eating habits, just trying to say that I feel like crap mentally as well.

As far as exercising goes, I thought "why work out now when you just ate tons of crappy food, you just ruined it all anyways". Pretty stupid, I know, but at least something clicked in my mind last night at 10pm and I lifted weights for about 40min. Needless to say, I felt great afterwards.

So that's about it. I will try my hardest to get back to where I left off before all of this happened which was our anniversary on August 17th (wow, can't believe I've been off track for THAT long!). I weighed 137.0 lbs that morning and I want to see that number again as soon as possible and then make my way down to my next mini-goals.

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olehcat - I feel you! Bloating is no fun, neither are sky high temperatures. Have you been able to get rid of some of the water? I've heard that avoiding carbs helps!

Cattails - I'm so sorry to hear that your cat is not doing well :( :hug: Sending positive thoughts your way!

LisaTcan - Wow, bootcamp sounds like fun! I've always wanted to try it! You're probably gonna have a big whoosh once TOM rolls around especially if you already feel bloated now.

thesame7lbs - Sounds like you had a terrific weekend! Congrats on staying on plan and also on the 5-mile run. You must have felt so accomplished afterwards! :)

Leaves - I can't believe it's fall already, either. I absolutely LOVE this time of the year, it's my favorite right after Christmas :) How have you been doing?

cantgetenoughchoc - Congrats on losing 6 lbs so far! You're already so close to your first mini-goal if you've not already achieved it by now. Keep up the great work!

Krampus - LOL that gif! Awesome! :D No big changes on the horizon for me, just gotta get back up and dust myself off, I guess. How was your weekend in CT?

Hi Feathers,

Not much going on for me, just trying to keep up with the kids' schedules and find low-cal things to cook for dinner that everyone in the family will like (impossible, but I keep trying). Ran 4.5 miles this morning, felt great. I think my plantar fasciitis is almost completely resolved, thank goodness.

LisaT, that new bootcamp is probably causing some water retention as your muscles recover. That whoosh will come!

Cattails, hugs! I still get teary when I talk about losing my dear old dog, and that was 6 years ago. It is very difficult to have to choose when to say goodbye.

Olehcat, I will send you some good weather. Our heat wave just broke and I hope yours does soon! Hot weather makes exercise so miserable and maybe I'm crazy but it makes me feel chubbier. So maybe a break in the weather will give you a whoosh, too! :)

Hoopty, I'm almost scared to know what a mug-brownie is because I'm guessing it could be my undoing. :dizzy: Hormones wreak havoc, don't they? But it sounds like you're feeling better and the weight lifting was a good choice.

Hope everyone has a great day!

So I'm back down two lbs today, I'm hoping that I can drop to 140 by the beginning of next week because I really want to make my goal of being at 135 by my wedding shower on October 19th. I have a dress that is just a little bit too tight!

After bootcamp today I went into this sandwich shop called Jimmy Johns to get a soda water and impulsively ordered a vegetarian sub for lunch. It was delicious but had a ton of mayo and I knew it was not good for me! I can home and checked and it had 620 calories :O I'm going to have to have a light dinner tonight.

@cattails - I'm so sorry to hear about your cat, losing family pets is very tough. I think a handful of chips really isn't that bad though. I totally get not wanting to slip into emotional eating though.

@thesame7lbs - thanks I'm sure it will come! What are some of your low cal dinners?

@Hoopty - Nice to 'meet' you, I'm sorry to hear you're having such a hard time!! You can get back on track though - 137 is kinda my immediate goal too :)

@olehcat - Sorry you're bloating! I'm sure the woosh will come. And yeah this heat wave is terrible, I think it was over 100F here in DC. At least my gym blasts the AC all the time so I could still go. I'm so ready for sweater weather

Ahh I'm disappointed and I know I shouldn't be...
I haven't lost any weight this week. I weighed myself during the week to find I put on a pound... then watched it slowly come back off. And now I'm the same weight as I was last week :( I really had wanted to get to my first mini goal (just 1 more pound) before this weekend as I'm going for a boozy weekend with my old uni friends and I know it will be impossible to diet with all the meals out/takeaways and drinks we'll be having! It seemed to be coming off so nicely as well! And the lack of progress makes me more inclined to eat the bad stuff... it's not that I've done anything too bad but my calories are about 1500 most days (still exercise 3/4 times a week so my net is around 1200kcal) but the calories aren't necessarily healthy calories :( I know its best to lose it slowly but it makes me feel like all the healthy eating is pointless! I miss my chocolate :( (Although I still have a chocolate bar everyday :P ) Just wish I could see some kind of progress on the scales!

@hoopty - Nutella sounds absolutely marvelous right now!! Heaven! :P But well done for exercising afterwards. It would have definitely lessened the impact of the muffins

@LisaTcan - 5lbs in 5 weeks... definitely do able!

@ohelcat - Don't complain about the heatwave... over here in the UK autumn has just hit us and it's awful. I miss summer :(

@cattails - sorry to hear about your cat. I know that pets can feel like members of the family. :( We had to put our dog down last summer. It was such a hard decision and we did keep him going for longer than he should have (for selfish reasons to be honest) but only you can know when the time is right. It will be hard, but it's for the best. I hope your cat isn't suffering too much.

@leaves - I wish I could learn some self control so that I had calories left over for chocolate cake at the end of the day! Altho I had a piece of chocolate fudge cake the other day for someones birthday. I've always loved cake but I don't think I ever appreciated it as much as I did then! It's been FOREVER since I've had cake! Yummmm. I love it far too much for my own good :P

Thank you, everybody, for your kind thoughts and words. Rosie has suddenly begun to eat more (she's been basically starving herself), so we hope that she is going to rally - fingers crossed here. The vet thinks she probably has cancer somewhere in her abdomen, but we can't know for sure without spending a LOT of money that we just don't have on more involved tests. But miracles do happen, so keep those good vibes coming!

@Hoopty - I was thinking about you on Sunday; what a game, huh? Glad to hear you're hormonally getting settled at least, that's a big help.

@thesame7lbs - It is a challenge cooking for a family, that's for sure. I cook what I want and tell the others to fix for themselves if they don't like it! :D Incidentally, they've all slimmed down a bit.

@LisaTcan - Isn't it awful how the seemingly healthy 'vegetarian' entrees can be so high in calories?! Grats on the 2 lbs., here's hoping that dress is just perfect on the 19th. :)

@cantgetenoughchoc - Keeping even is better than gaining! Hope your weekend is fun - time enough to tweak the diet next week. ;) I know it's hard sometimes to keep on, but healthy eating is so worth it for so many reasons other than just losing weight. You're doing a good thing for yourself!

@olehcat - I hear you on the heat thing. Often when it's too hot here, I'll end up going for a brisk walk at night with a flashlight, but it's just on my driveway (it's a 1/2 mile long) and I take a dog or two as well so it's pretty safe. I imagine your humidity is pretty high and that makes the heat that much more uncomfortable, doesn't it?

In response to your question, oleh, here's a typical day of eating for me:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup cottage cheese with a 1/4 cup of chopped fruit
Lunch: Greek salad: 2 cups of romaine, 1/2 a carrot, 2 tomatoes, 1/4 of a cucumber, 1/2 cup of kidney beans, a tablespoon of kalamata olives, 2 tablespoons Greek dressing, and 2 tablespoons of feta cheese
Snack: 1/2 an apple or banana with a teaspoon of almond or peanut butter
Dinner: 1/2 a chicken breast and as many veggies as fill me up, stirfried with Szechuan seasoning
Before bed: 1 oz very dark chocolate
Beverages: water and unsweetened iced tea

This has been typical of me for the past year, and still is now that I'm maintaining. A lunch salad with plenty of protein is really my main meal, I guess. If I find myself getting a little hungry before I'm really ready to eat, I'll have an extra piece of fruit or munch on a cucumber. As you can see, I don't typically eat any bread, rice or pasta (probably once or twice a week I have a little), and my diet is pretty low sugar; this is really satisfying for me, though, and keeps my body feeling and running well.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Oh, Feathers, I am getting lazy with my BLT's -- bites, licks and tastes. This is especially hard because I spend a lot of time prepping food for other people, and it's just so easy to have a little taste of that peanut butter or help finish a peach or snag a miniwheat (frosted, of course!). Not good for a calorie counter.

Cattails, good to hear your Rosie is doing better. I've been there with the sick, elderly pet and the expensive tests -- and I must say, we usually hold off. There is only so much you can do for them when they pass a certain age.

Cantgetenough, I have a girls weekend coming up to and I just know I will come home a few pounds up -- but really, that is part of the fun of it!

LisaT, I was ambushed by a restaurant meal the other day, too! A beautiful salad with baby kale, quinoa, chicken, a few almonds and a smattering of feta... and 800 calories! For light meals, my favorite cookbooks are by Ellie Krieger, or recipes from Real Simple magazine (most of theirs are not low-cal but each issue usually has a couple, and their website is great). I try to squeeze in as much seafood as possible since it's so light. Tonight we had grilled shrimp with a glaze of orange marmalade + a bit of grainy mustard, served over arugula. Steamed carrots on the side. My husband and kids had some pasta on the side, too, but I skipped that. I usually skip the rice/pasta/potato part of whatever I make them. My husband is skinny and the kids are skinny + growing, so they all need it! Baked salmon and fish tacos are favorites. Turkey burgers (I use whole wheat sandwich thins instead of a bun) or grilled portabello mushrooms. Roasted chicken -- I skip the skin. Lots and lots of steamed and raw veggies at dinner.

Off to watch Project Runway (oh, guilty pleasures!)

Good Friday morning, Feathers!

I feel good because I dropped a few pounds of bloat. But still higher than I was when I hit my first goal *sigh*. Oh well, if I play my cards right, then I should get back down in a few days. I really got careless this past week. It's not like I stuffed myself or ate junk per se, but I didn't restrict myself and I ate stuff like bread again (which I had been taking out of the equation for a bit). And not even good bread. I was eating crappy grocery store bread like a hamburger bun. Ah, well. Also I was making some REALLY yummy Thai noodles (trying to get that take-out taste but making it at home). And I did a very yummy version of it, but it wasn't QUITE good enough but I still ate a lot of it. Also had a birthday party for a friend on Wednesday night. So yeah, that explains the overeating and bloating. And still no running. I will restart tomorrow when I think it's supposed to be gorgeous as far as the weather (no more heat). I did have a vigorous game of table tennis yesterday, though!

@thesame7 - haha, I like that term (BLTs). I can't imagine how to keep from that when you cook for other people! And yes, when it's really hot, I feel more "swollen" :D I think our heat wave has finally broken. It's supposed to be much cooler today, yay!

@Hoopty - oh man, that must be so frustrating, to hit 137 and then go up. I can sympathize, as I hit 137 er...two years ago and then it's gone up since then. And I used to complain bitterly about 137. I will be ecstatic when I hit 137 again, haha. You can do it, though. You are aware of what's going on in your head, and that's a major step!

@Cattails - thank you for your food response! I absolutely LOVE hearing real stories of what works for people. I agree on not eating a lot of the pasta and bread products. My body feels so much better when I don't! My lunch is really similar to yours! I often make Greek salads for myself (I add pepperoncini peppers, too) to take to work. I hope your kitty continues to rally!

@LisaTcan - yes! I am looking forward to crisp autumn weather! I think it's supposed to be way cooler today and so I'm excited! ;D

@cantgetenoughchoc - I hear you so much on how if there's no progress I do tend to go and eat the bad stuff. You're so close to goal that it's bound to go a lot slower at this point, alas! And I will cheerfully send you that heat, lol! I think it may have finally broken and we might be into my favorite season of the year (I LOVE early autumn when it's still warm but not too warm and the leaves start changing color).

Hi Feathers,

Wow, it's quiet around here! Is everyone too busy exercising? :)

I'm feeling a little frustrating, like I should be losing faster. It's hard to stay on track day after day and then bump UP or stay the same. I did have a bit of a whoosh -- and then a bump part-way back up. Boo. I am very susceptible to going off-plan when my weigh-in is too high -- that whole, "This is not worth it! If I'm not going to lose anyway, I'm going to eat this [fill in the blank]!" My mantra right now is, "It's just math." As in, if I stay on plan long enough, the calories and sodium and digestive flow and hormones will work themselves out and I'll see a loss.

I've been running a bit more. 5 miles on Friday, 6 on Sunday, 6 on Monday. The Sunday-Monday was the first time I've run back-to-back days since my injury and my foot is a little sore, but should be OK in time for Wednesday's run. I thought I'd attach a picture from one of my favorite running routes. I ran here on Friday. So yeah, I feel blessed to live in San Diego!

Olehcat, I'm glad you beat the bloat -- and glad to hear your weather is cooperating and you'll be able to run again!

I hope everyone's having a good week!

@thesame7lbs - Thank you for all of those dinner ideas!! I only recently went from working full-time and being in grad school to moving to a new city for my fiancee's job. I have a lot more time on my hands so I'm trying to focus more on cooking a healthy (low cal) dinner ever night. Last night I made a cobb salad and tonight I'm making turkey/veggie chilli. I'm totally going to do baked salmon!! Ps I watch a lot of bad TV!!

@ohe

I totally understand the frustration, I lose really slowly and at this weight my set point is about 145 so I have to work really hard to get it below that. If you just keep on plan you will lose! It just might happen slowly. I'm pretty bad with snacking in between meals sometimes I try and have a goal for the day to not eat anything expect breakfast, lunch, dinner. It seems a bit drastic but I find it works.

@Olehcat Glad you beat the bloat, fingers crossed you keep losing!! I really enjoyed having a chai tea and wearing a hoodie today!! I love fall.

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So good news!! I stopped exercising for four days and ate a little bit over my plan for the weekend because my family was visiting and I had a whoosh down to 140!! I'm now feeling pretty optimistic I can make it to my goal of 135 before my shower in 4 weeks. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing - eating 1300-1500 calories a day and doing spinning or bootcamp plus walking most days :)

Hi, all!

I've been calorie counting the last few days! I honestly don't know how people do 1200 calories. I was starving the last few days and ended up eating closer to 1400. :) Which is probably actually better for me anyway. W'ell see what happens at my weigh-in this weekend!

I always wonder why people don't eat the number of calories that is maintenance for your ideal weight instead of deleting 500 from current weight's maintenance?

@Lisa - YAY for the whoosh! How awesome!

@thesame7 - I wonder where everyone is, too! I hear you SO HARD on feeling like giving up when not seeing the scale move. Like why "suffer" if it's not going to do something for you? Great runs you're having! :)

@oleh I find eating 1200 a day impossible!! I can do 1400 but I have to work hard at it.

Salmon ideas...

Salmon recipes at NYTimes

and I made this tonight... so easy and so good!

Cauliflower Soup

@thesame7lbs Thanks for the salmon ideas!! I saw from the daily weigh in thread you're getting close to your goal!! Congrats.

I'm up a pound today but I lifted weights yesterday so I think it's just water. I'm throwing a house warming party next Saturday and I'm really hoping I can be at 137ish by then. I have this size 6 dress I love that is just a tiny bit too tight right now.

Olehcat, I often wonder/worry about all the people on 1200. I can understand some of the Feathers, who are at low weights, but I think it's rather extreme for a lot of the people on 3FC, especially those over 200 or so. I know we are not supposed to criticize people's plans (so I've never commented to anyone), but I think people see "1200 is the lowest you should go," and choose it for that reason, when, especially at high weights, it seems they could lose on much higher calories more safely and sustainably. On the flip side, we are all impatient creatures.

As far as eating at "goal maintenance," I have heard of people doing it and it makes great sense except for at the very end. Unless you are incredibly diligent about weighing every single ingredient and every single bite, it would be hard to lose the last few pounds because the deficit would be so small you'd have no wiggle room. Plus, our bodies have a way of accommodating a small deficit -- that's why if you change nothing else but add a slow 30 minute walk each day, you won't really lose weight. Your body can overcome that small deficit (from what I've read).

This is from an old NYTimes article:
"The body’s determination to maintain its composition is why a person can skip a meal, or even fast for short periods, without losing weight. It’s also why burning an extra 100 calories a day will not alter the verdict on the bathroom scales. Struggling against the brain’s innate calorie counters, even strong-willed dieters make up for calories lost on one day with a few extra bites on the next. And they never realize it. “The system operates with 99.6 percent precision,” Dr. Friedman said. "

Full article here

I have to say, the New York Times is a font of weight-loss information. I found a very interesting article on weight-loss myths that I was thinking of posting on the main Weight Loss boards but I think people might freak out (it was not very encouraging).

As for me, I am a weight-loss myth today. Back up, in spite of being on plan and putting in the miles. Sigh.

LisaT, I'm rooting for you to get into that dress for your housewarming party!

@thesame7lbs - Thank you!! And I'm about to read that article.

Ugh - I am sooo frustrated!! I ate about 1600 calories the past two days and worked out hard both days and this morning I'm up to 143!!! I'm feeling like I'm going to need to cut to 1200-1300 calories.

I'm a failure story today as well! I had been losing weight steadily this week, then this week I was suddenly up 1 pound. Okay, fine, that happens.

but then this evening? I went and blew my calories by eating 2/3 of a frozen pizza and a bunch of wine and a small slice of cake! D: What gives? It's almost like I'm sabotaging myself on some level...

So discouraged... I'm getting really, really tired of this struggle! But yet I keep trying! I guess that's what counts! :)

Gah, so behind! and my laptop is in for repairs so I have to use my phone which is hard :(

Oleh: Sorry you're having a tough time :( *hugs* but you're right, the keeping going is the most important part! You'll get there :)

Thesame7: I totally get what you mean- I'm currently on 1220 a day, but started out higher and have cut it down with each 10lbs lost. When I see someone who is at a higher weight saying that they're doing 1200+ 5hrs cardio or something like that (sometimes 800cals/day!) I'm kinda like, yikes! You can have more and lose weight, enjoy while you can!

Lisa: 1200 is difficult, when I first started it, I couldn't do it. However I was eating all the wrong things, things that were high calorie but didn't fill me up for long like hot chocolate! Now I've got it mapped out with a go-to list of meals and snacks it's much easier. You start to realise that you could have a small chocolate bar, or you could have three oranges for the same calories! It's hard work :(

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Really want to get down to goal by Christmas, whatever that number is. I'm so looking forward to it already, 14 weeks to go :D

Is everyone here a calorie counter? I don't like counting calories. It brings out my competitive edge, so I start thinking of it as a game of win and lose, and start cheating.

Oleh-cat: hey, it was only a SMALL slice of cake, right? And I'm guessing you really enjoyed the wine, so there's nothing to do but remember it fondly and say goodbye. Move on. Keep going. You'll get there.