Sum38 - CONGRATTTTSSS! I volunteered a bit last summer and I spoke to other volunteers and we all complained that sometimes volunteering can be really competitive.
Leaves - Awesome, you're reaching new territory!
pavvie - Winter is brutal. Makes life's tough parts seem way worse!
skutumpah - the fact that you are even running totally impresses me!
Tilly5 - you can totally do it! Do your relatives know that you are watching what you eat? Maybe you can plan out some restaurants and pre-check out some menus! thats always pretty fun!
LongColdWinter - I count even walking through the snow as exercise, so yes!
I'm just avoiding the scale. I've got a nasty chest cold that came back and that bcp bloat, so I already know what things will look like. Why see a sad number when I already know its coming. Winter is tough, so I'm just making sure that I do what I need to do and do them effectively (work, laundry etc) and my only current goals are to save $ (35K in nyc and those rising electricity bills? ickkkkkkkk) and weight. Sometimes the two conflict and I just enviously gaze at the prices of carby bargain foods as I continue to get my more Paleo friendly ingredients. I welcome spring and the joy and possibilities and excitement that comes with it =)
Congrats on the volunteer position, Sum! I absolutely can confirm that it's often competitive, I'm looking for volunteer work myself at the moment and it's rather hard to get into :/
I'm also with y'all on being tired of winter...ugghhh. Been subzero more often than not for WEEKS and I have zero motivation to exercise and want to wear more than usual. Bleck.
I'm also struggling today... to my abject dismay the scale was up 5 (!!) lbs this morning. Mainly water weight and bloat and whatnot, I'm sure...but at my weight 5 lbs makes a HUGE difference in my body image and possibly how I look. At <145, I feel good...above that I feel fat. I'm getting frustrated that I'm only about five or so pounds from goal but it's SO HARD to shed that last few pounds.
Thanks Ladies! I really did not think that volunteering would be so competitive.
Something nice happened today. -- This is a great NSV; I wore a pair of jeans that I wore year ago. A year ago I had to wear spanx underneath them; the only way they fit me. They are size 8 (large 8 IMHO). Anycase I decided to wear them today and they are literally falling off me. I have been yanking them up all day long. I look like one of those teenager boys whose pants are hanging and showing their underwear -- I guess I will retire these jeans.
OK I found out last evening that I am 2 lbs away from goal. I increased my eating last night, and I might do some days of increased eating to sorta feel out what it will take to maintain. Want to do a song-and-dance but this chest cold has me so worn out - its funny I never thought I'd get to goal feeling like THIS haha. How...unglamorous - I'm hacking and sniffling my way to thin.
Hi Featherweights!
It's great to hear how everyone is doing.
Pixellate - So cool that you are 2lbs away from goal.
Sum - It is wonderful that those pants are loose.
I am visiting family. Not really on my eating plan, but trying to be wise when I have options. I've had hardly any exercise. But on a positive note - I wore a bathing suit and didn't look too bad. Last year at this time, I wouldn't have worn a bathing suit.
Tilly (who is enjoying vacation, but also hoping I don't gain weight)
Pixelllate, that's great! Hope you're feeling better. Tilly5, I say that vacation is just maintenance time--enjoy yourself (especially if you live in MA and are vacationing somewhere that allows for swimsuit wear!)
According to the scale here, I have actually lost 1/2 pound on my vacation. -- I don't know how accurate the scale is. But it gave a pretty accurate measurement for my DH, so I think it might be spot on.
I have been trying to be mindful what comes to my eating, there have been too many snacks about and I have dipped my hand into them quite a bit I will vow to stay away from the snacks the rest of the vacation
We are in Colorado, hitting 5 different ski spots. So far, Aspen got thumbs down, what an awful ski resort and mountain; I really don't know what the hype is about it. I guess it is a good mountain for beginners. Buttermilk was okay, Snowmass was awesome! As was Keystone. -- Next on the agenda; Vail and Breckenridge.
I took a six mile amazing hike. I was sooo tired afterwards. It was a really steep climb. I thought I was in excellent shape, but the "thin" air made me gasp for air. After 5 days here, my lungs are starting to get used to this.
Today is a rest day, my boys are happily snoozing.
Sum, I haven't been to Colorado much, but the one time my husband and I went hiking in the mountains I was *shocked* by how much the altitude/thin air affected me. A six mile hike is awesome!
We finally got a snow day. It is brutal out there, windy and cold. I am keeping warm at Starbucks. I hope to explore the village a bit if it gets a bit warmer.
The rest of the days have been sunny, but hills have been icy.
I broke my ankle 5 years ago and I can't wear the ski boot comfortably, so I don't ski any more. Makes my husband sad, eventually I will have to have a surgery to get all pins and plates removed. It will mean 8 weeks in a cast :-( The ankle does not bug me though. The only two things I can't do are skiing and running.
I lost another pound yesterday. I can't wait to see what my home scale says. I will be happy with no gain.
All my 10's are big on me now. I brought 3 pairs of size ten jeans with me and they all hang on me. A nice feeling :-) I am officially now size eight.... Six here we come!
Sum -- Good job on the six-mile hike and I'm looking forward to being a size six too. I'm fitting into eights now (and happy about that!), but really looking forward to settling into a six, as I have a feeling that will be my size at my goal weight.
Pixelllate -- It must feel great to be so close to your goal! Congrats and keep it up!
Chronostasis -- Have you thought about switching up your exercise routine? I usually run at a steady pace but lately I've tried intervals, and I'm seeing some interesting progress.
I am back on track after a bit of a challenging Valentine's weekend. French bakeries are romantic, but they are often accompanied by delicious treats I find it much easier to eat well during the week, but I have a harder time on the weekends. Anyone else experience this, or have tricks to avoid it?
I'm still geeking out with my fitbit; I've found that I love the night walks that come from trying to make sure I hit my daily goals.
skutumpah, I've had that issue with weekends, and my (partial) solution has been to make sure to do at least one intense workout over the weekend (for some reason that gets me in healthy mode and I eat more sensibly?), and to not deprive myself too much over the course of the week.
skutumpah Fitbit is such a great gadget. It is amazing how a small thing like that can be such a huge motivator.
LongColdWinter I have noticed the same thing. I usually lift weights and swim on Saturdays and do aerobics at 9 am; that will get me on a healthy mindset. I have not had any weekend gains since the beginning of this year when I started my weekend exercise regime.
I lost 2 pounds whilst vacationing! I hope to have left the 140's behind me, for good.
I have a weird mindset going on though; I feel fatter than ever. -- Anyone else had this while losing weight? -- All of my clothes are loose on me, even baggy, but all I see are the fat rolls that I have left. I think I looked better when I was pleasantly plump (naked). Everything was tight and taunt. -- I definitely look better clothes on than before, but seeing myself naked horrifies me.
Really funny thing; at 172 pounds I had no problem wearing a bikini, now at 138 pounds I am shy about it.
I had entertained an idea of stopping at 135 pounds, a while back, but now I see that I won't be happy at 135 pounds. I have a feeling that I won't be happy at 125 pounds either. I have so much fat to lose. I look "skinny fat" right now. -- I guess, I will continue with my exercise regime; swimming, lifting, aerobics and walking. Eventually my body will rid itself of this outer layer of fat and my toned underneath will surface, right?
It took forever to start seeing results at first. My clothing sizes came down very slowly. I felt that I was stuck at 10/12 forever. Now the clothing sizes seem to fly by. I am 8 right now, but those 6's are only a few pounds away. I actually fit snugly into them now. But I don't do snug clothing I think the 6's will breeze by quickly as well. I am hoping to end up at 2/4 at the end. -- I am very small boned (at 172 pounds I looked huge!), so I could easily go as low as low 110's and not look sickly. (Fear what it would do to my face though, as I mentioned before....)
LongColdWinter That's good advice. I actually got outside and did some hiking/playing (beautiful spring-like weather here) both days this weekend, and I'm feeling much better than last weekend.
Sum Losing pounds while vacationing is quite the feat! Good job! I'm sure as you keep up your regimen and maintain you will become more confident. On the way to yoga today, I felt chubby and blah. I had to tell myself to shut up and remember that I've made good progress and negativity isn't going to sabotage me! Just remind yourself how far you've come and how much progress you've made!
I don't really know how I chose my maintenance goal; it just seems reasonable. I'm tall and muscular, and I don't want to lose any muscle. When I reach my goal, who knows, I may make some adjustments to my maintenance weight
I look like one of those teenager boys whose pants are hanging and showing their underwear 
-- I guess I will retire these jeans.
I will vow to stay away from the snacks the rest of the vacation 
I hope to have left the 140's behind me, for good. 
I think the 6's will breeze by quickly as well. I am hoping to end up at 2/4 at the end. -- I am very small boned (at 172 pounds I looked huge!), so I could easily go as low as low 110's and not look sickly. (Fear what it would do to my face though, as I mentioned before....)
