Your elliptical may be even better than the one at the gym, if it's making you burn more calories. ;)

As for being a meat person: me, too! I'd normally get a tuna sub with an extra scoop of tuna, but I can't afford that, calorie-wise, on an IF day. I do eat a lot of meat on my two "eat whatever you want, however much you want" days. Today we're having boneless short ribs and then scallops later. :hungry: (Googles "how to cook boneless short ribs...")

Playdate sounds so fun! Good for mommy and baby. :carrot:

Mmm, ribs (:

Where are all the other people here?? Haha.

Oh man, The baby's got me so used to waking up early, today she decided to sleep in but I'm already wide awake at 7. Oh well, got some free time I guess!

Hellooooooo Feathers!!!

Happy February to ya!!!! It's been a loooooong time!!!

mottainai ~ CONGRATS on the new little one!!!!! Last I remember, you had just landed in Japan and were getting to know your (future, at the time?) inlaws.

oneten ~ I hear ya on the "time poor" bit...

Hungerwerks ~ Yuuummmmy on the boneless short ribs. Sounds delish! I used to be a huge meat person, but lately have just lost the taste for it... No idea why and now I'm kind of strapped for meal ideas... dunno...

~~~
I have a new gig, as marketing coordinator for an architecture firm. Really loving it! Just passed my 1 year last Friday!!! Pretty much everything else is the same, though.

I'm a stress eater, too. Managed to make it through the holidays intact, then got sick, took a long time to get better and ended up comfort eating my way to health. I'm up about 7 lbs from my former new adult set point (145). Hoping to get back down there slowly and then possibly ease down lower (somehow, that phrase sounds dirty... lol)

Have a friend's wedding at the end of March, so it would be nice to be svelte by then.

Hoping to get into a good routine and move into better territory.

Love to all!!!

Welcome back, Alexis! I wish you the best on your quest - never give up, never surrender! :)

And, yes, I am quite dedicated to meat. So dedicated, in fact, that when I "charred" the heck out of those ribs, I ate them anyway! :o

Alexis- Hey! A familiar name. (: Hope you stick around here!
I'm such a stress eater too, and there's plenty of that with a baby! Trying to find other outlets. And yep, I'm now all settled here in Japan, got a great job, got pregnant and got a new daughter, and now we're working on finding a permanent place to settle down.

I'm going to keep track of some measurements in addtion to just weight, because we all know how fickle weight can be. Today my waist was 71 cm, thighs 24.5 and 23.

We had an awesome day yesterday. It was a holiday so all three of us went out to eat ramen for lunch and then walked in the park. Sara slept the whole time so K and I got a much needed day out together to just talk and hang out.

Mottainai ~ Your "together day" with the hubby sounds lovely. Keeping track of measurements also sounds like a good plan.

Hungerwerks ~ That is dedication for sure. ;-) Even charred meat can be good, man.


~~~
I have this habit of eating whatever crap wanders across my path. "Dinner" last night was leftover quinoa salad, bean dip, 1/2 a mini pizza, broccoli, and an entire container of merengues from Trader Joe's (ate the entire thing... oops...)

Also did a 10 minute pilates routine, which was helpful if only in my mental state.

Thinking about making myself take a picture of food before I eat it, just for the discipline of slowing down enough to think before I shove it into my pie hole... Some people are all creative and artsy with the food pics... That would not be my goal. This is trench warfare, man. Thin me against glutton me...

I clocked in at 152.4 this morning. Ugggghhhh!!!!!

Setting up a 14 day (ish) challenge.

Here's my affirmation -

I am so grateful and happy that I've been able to reach and maintain a healthy weight of 148 lbs by Saturday, 2/28/15 or sooner. I'm enjoying my slim, lithe and confident body.

Might be a little cheesy, but hey! Neuroscience tells us that it works!!!

Sounds awesome, and perfect for Valentine's week! :)

Do the Japanese celebrate Valentine's Day at all? Also, I lived in Asia for a while. Do they have the ramen in Japan that you can eat straight out of the package? It's just crunchy and spicy and delicious. I don't remember if that was Taiwan or Japan...

Affirmations definitely work. They probably even change pathways and such. And you're planning and strategizing. All these things will pay off! :)

Hungerwerks ~ Thanks for the encouragement. Oh, the best laid plans.... The strategy that has worked for me in the past has been:
"The 5 Point Plan"
1. No eating after 8pm
2. Yoga every day
3. Drink 90 ozs of water (it's a lot, I know)
4. Cardio
5. Focus on healthy foods (we know what they are...)

Aim for all 5 points a day.

It's worked in the past, but nOt sure how well it's going to work now that my body composition has changed a bit. Am going to give it a whirl and just try to cut out mindless eating... Oy.

~~~~
Ended up going for all-you-can-eat sushi with a girl friend yesterday. I did remember to take pic of everything I ate, which was strangely helpful. Felt like I ate like a pig, but looking back at the pictures, it probably wasn't all that much. Also managed to wake up at the same weight (albeit one that I'm not happy with right now)

Forgot to take a pic of the blueberry muffin and pear I ate for breakfast, but hoping to stay on track for lunch.

Have been experimenting with different teas as well. I have Cinnamon Apple slim life from Yogi, and Get Lost from World of Teas. The slightly nutty side of me wants to do that "Fit Tea" thing that's been going around youtube, but the rational side of me is rolling her eyes...

Have a rehearsal for an orchestra concert I'm playing tomorrow. (How a sassy single lady spends valentine's day...) Then hoping to meet up with a guy from a dating website on Sunday (that should be... an adventure)


Make it a fantastic day, feather friends!!!

So much good stuff here. One tiny sniggle: My math isn't that good, but you might want to research about the water amount. I've "heard" that too much water can wash out your B vitamins. Maybe just a rumor... :shrug:

Tea is my savior on those IF days where I've eaten my 600 calories in the morning (like today - total for week will be over 8400 cals). Practically any flavor is just so yummy when you're looking for those lovely lower numbers in the morning! :goodscale:

Do you mind if I ask what instrument you play? You don't have to say, if you don't want to. Sounds so fun to be in an orchestra, though! :)

One more thing: I try to do yoga, but always seem to end up doing the same routine (back on heels, back on heels with toes under, touching toes, neck rolls, twist, leg lifts, those stretchy things where you put your knee on the opposite side to stretch your hips, cobra, and a few other things - it's comprehensive, at least, I think). How do you incorporate variety for yourself, or do you? Sorry if too nosy. :o

Hungerwerks ~ I have heard that about drinking too much water, but I'm definitely an extreme person and find that if I have to do something to an excess, it might as well be drinking water (Rather than eating cartons of whatever)

This website has a guide - It's not super scientific, but she's suggesting something roughly in my range.
http://www.slenderkitchen.com/how-to...-drink-a-day/#

I play viola/violin. :D Started as a kid and have become that "community player" I swore I would never be... It has been an on-off kind of relationship, but I will probably always love it. Playing is just something I have to do!

Re: Yoga - I don't usually have a set routine. I do a few sun salutations and the see where the mood takes me. There are tons of good videos on youtube, too. If you also do Pilates, I HIGHLY recommend Lara Hudson's 10 minute dvd. I don't usually like Pilates as a rule, but she is probably the only routine that doesn't make me feel like my neck is bearing the brunt of the workout.

Very valuable role, bringing the beauty of music to the community. Amazing! :)

Thanks for the yoga info. I might have to just get a book, as we don't have wifi or a smart phone, and I don't want to haul my laptop into the exercise room. There are probably millions (or so) of books on yoga, so I'll check out our local library. :carrot: Not sure I have the patience for Pilates...

Hungerwerks- Valentines Day here is weird. The February one girls give chocolate to guys, then March 14th there's a separate day for the opposite. And there's weird cultural expectations about giving chocolate to friends and coworkers and stuff. We don't really celebrate that way though, we're too foreign, lol. And I have no idea about the ramen, probably not Japanese!

I was pleasantly surprised because my usually non-romantic gesture-doing husband came home with several gifts for me and my daughter and a bunch of cake. I didn't even get him anything because I was so sure he wouldn't care! He's been extra sweet ever since the baby...

You guys doing anything for V-day?

Werks ~ I've used books for yoga in the past, too. They're helpful as a guide to get you started, then before you know it, you've memorized the routine and are off and going.

Mottainai ~ SO SWEET of your hubs to come in with all those gifts. (I remember those chocolate giving days.... (I taught English in Korea for 2 years). Had been meaning to ask: What's the origin of your username? Does it mean something?

~~~
Weighed in at 150.2 this AM!!! (big win!!!) Was super hungry after coming home from rehearsal, BUT kept the cut off last night, had a cranberry weightless tea before bed and presto! Then kept up the momentum and did Shaun T's 6 min Hip Hop Abs. Also researched a bunch of power yoga routines and hoping to add that into my day (5 point plan).

I feel like every single time I'm craving a "comfort eat" and choose not to, something better fills the space where a binge would have been. Case in point: last night rather than eating, I followed up on an inquiry into taking a cruise and ended up booking it at 11:50PM. Called my sister and mom to let them know. We are not really a "vacation" family taking family, so this is the first time we've gone away as a group in a looooong time (since 2006, i think). So we're taking a cruise in November :D

Happy Valentine's day, Feather friends!

Yes, the Japanese have an interesting approach to so many things. Like I think there's one - maybe it's antiquated now - but they say "no" to an invitation six times before they'll say "yes"? So cute. That would never work with me, as I'm a pretty straightforward person, and if you say "no," I assume you mean it the first time!

That's funny - and sweet - about your hubby. I almost did the same thing, thinking he wouldn't go all out. But then he mentioned something about a receipt, and I got an inkling I'd better buy something while I was at the store besides a card (just lots of nuts and jerky and a couple things of very high cacao - 86 and 90% - chocolate). Sure enough, he got me a very thoughtful gift. Usually, we keep it kind of mild, but he stepped up his game this year! :)

But he's working today, so I will be spending my time not clearing the office table, and eating! :carrot::hungry:

Yes, happy Valentine's Day to all! :)

Alexis, this is so full of good stuff! Congrats on the weigh in. It sounds like you're making so many excellent choices, and that is one of the payoffs, plus your extra time and other benefits, including a great feeling of being in control.

I'm finding I get a lot more done with this new IF approach, because I'm literally spending about six hours a day less than I used to eating (five days a week). And that would include: cooking, cleaning up afterwards, and the actual time it takes to eat. Interestingly enough, I feel like we're spending about the same amount of money on food...hmmm. :chef:

And a family cruise - how fun! I can hardly imagine anything better. And that is quite a thing to look forward to for all these months. I'm going to give an early "Bon Voyage" - no doubt the first of many! :cool:

I have to be quick my pc keeps cutting out to the internet. The wind I think.
I didn't weight in today so nothing important. Did eat good today so far. :carrot:

Good going! Yeah, it did seem a little windy here, too. It's supposed to calm down in the next couple of days. :)

Glad you were able to long on. Congrats on eating well today!

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! Cruise isn't until November (and it's super 'budget'), but I'm really excited! It's been ages since we've had a family vacation.

Glad that IF is working for you! I did it awhile back and remember that I liked it, but it's a bit of a challenge now with my lifestyle. If you find something that works, work it!



~~~~
Concert went well last night, then came home and chilled out with a mug of tea .... and glass of wine (shhh!!!)

BOOM!!! Weighed in at 148.8 this morning! :carrot::carrot::carrot:

(lol - the affirmations work!)

I definitely notice a correlation between posting on this site and doing well with my diet/exercise. I'm more likely to come here if I'm doing well and I'm more likely to do well if I know I'm coming in here.

*sprinkles losing dust over the entire thread*

Stay strong, all!!!

Congrats! Yes, I get very motivated by the site, too, and I'm very appreciative to you all for the support. :)

I was wondering: Is your signature quote from Geneen Roth?

The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you tell yourself about why you haven't gotten there yet.

I'm just now reading her God, Women, and Food. Definitely love her, though I disagree with some of her principles, like "natural weight." But adore that quote, and much of what she says! :D

Alexis, I realized I didn't answer your question about my username. A couple years ago, I was caught in a bad diet/binge cycle, and one day after I'd gone off and ate a crap ton of food and was whining about how bad I felt, my husband said it was "mottainai," which means kind of close to "wasteful," meaning how I kept destroying all my progress. For some reason that really struck me, and I was inspired to stop that from happening! And then I joined this website, so it became my username. (:

Good job to you and Hungerwerks!

On the topic of books like Geneen Roth's, even better I really liked Gillian Riley's Ditching Diets and Josie Spinardi's book, something something Cake and Skinny Jeans, too. They're also both about getting rid of the restrictive diet mindset to lose weight and stay healthy and trim more kindly and naturally. Really helped me out a lot!

I mentioned it on the other thread but I'm still just at 130, even after eating huge dinners (all you can eat Korean BBQ and a kind of double dinner on Sunday, plus more cake). Usually I actually eat less on the weekends, because I'm better at controlling portions and eating just a normal amount of food I really enjoy when I eat with my husband or we are out with friends, whereas during the week is when I'm alone for more meals and go off track with the boredom eating too. But since I actually had a lot this weekend, today I wasnt so hungry so far, so I'm doing good! Even haven't snacked on a bunch of chocolate and cakes and chips while I work, as is my vice...

Also it's interesting you mentioned the "natural weight" thing, Hungerwerks. I've thought about it, and personally I think that everyone does have a "natural weight" but it's more a creation of your habits and lifestyle, and it changes over time depending on your circumstances. For instance, my natural weight as a busy mom of a baby might be a little higher than it was when I was single and had a lot of free time to work out as my hobby, so I don't mind accepting that and realizing it's not the end of the world if I'm not super skinny. That way I don't out undue pressure on myself to try and workout, and then rebel and overeat when it fails becaus I have no time!
That's just my take, anyway!

Way to maintain, Mottainai! And I'm glad Alexis asked you about your name. I was curious, too! I definitely believe in the concept of "waste not, want not," but had not thought about it in relation to food - clever. :bravo:

As far as the concept of "natural weight," I can see what you're saying, and it makes sense. But, imo, it should be called something else, something that connotes temporary-ness. Because "natural weight," to me, kind of makes it sound like a sentence, like "this is the weight nature intended for you to be, and this is what you will be."

With my new approach to dieting, with which the loss is very consistent, I can decide what my weight will be, God willing. My body and my appetite are not going to do that, because I'm in control of what I eat, when it comes right down to it. Kind of empowering! :)

Edit: I just realized that, when one is breastfeeding, hunger cues would mean something very important, so they could not be ignored. I would think that much of what I'm saying about dieting would not apply to someone who is breastfeeding, so please excuse or ignore whatever doesn't apply in that case.

It's okay! To each his own! I've just had enough of denying my hunger and not eating what I really want without worrying about it, breastfeeding or not! So I've learned to find a way of eating that means I get to do that and still be thin. But in the past, I definitely did make the choice to do just like you said, to put my desires away for the sake of being super super thin and fit too. That's just not my life now, priorities have changed the past couple years, but I totally understand where you're coming from too!

Werks - I agree the idea of a "natural weight" does sound like a life sentence, but I firmly believe that one's "natural weight" can change over time. It seems like the word "natural" applies more to the act of maintaining it (ie - "natural" as opposed to "forced").

Seems like the key is to give up struggling and work with your body to achieve whatever goals you set.

Mottainai - Thank you for sharing about your username! Such a cool concept. Seems like you're the embodiment of maintaining a "natural weight": you eat what you want and stop when you're full. (and PS - can't stop staring at your avatar. SUCH a beautiful pic!!!)

~~~
weighed in at 149.2 this morning. Ate a truckload on Sunday, so it's to be expected.

Busy days at the office - have a deadline coming up on Wednesday, oy.

Went on a coffee date yesterday with a fellow I met on the onlines. Interesting in a good way, I think. He's a pastor at a church upstate, which was intriguing enough. Same denomination, different division. Hoping to be able to meet up again soon...

Sending feather love!!!

Alexis- that's cool about your coffee date. I met my husband online too, haha. What denomination of church do you go to? I'm a Catholic-turned-Presby. (: Good luck at work!

Hi everyone! Sorry for being MIA again. Flat out here with work, Masters and building a house (did I mention I was building a new house?)

Long story short I weighed myself this morning for the first time in ages and I am up :( Oh my goodness. I think I need to stop and make some time for my health. The thing is I feel great and I think I must be carrying it well because people have been complimenting me on my figure lately. How bizarre.

Anyway the goal is still 110 but I am going to have to make more time to post here because you ladies keep me on track!

Alexis - welcome!

Hey, Oneten! :wave: I don't remember the house part - that is monumental! You have one busy, exciting life. Sitting down doesn't sound like something you do too often! I hope you're making some time for yourself. :)

Thanks HW - so sweet of you! Well I sit down all day at the office but I always try to make time to get out for lunch :)

Oneten- Wow on the house-building! I can't imagine. We are going to have to buy a place this year, and just finding one is enough work!
It's nice that you're getting compliments, regardless of whatever the scale says. (:


Weighed 129 yesterday, lowest yet! Had a double cheeseburger and fries for lunch and pork cups for dinner, so lots of salt, so it's back over 130 today, of course.
I got a pair of "motivation jeans" by chance from a friend who gave me some old clothes. They're very expensive and look great, so I'd love to wear them, but they are a size 26 and still slightly tight on me. So that'll be a good first step goal, to wear them comfortably! Pre-pregnancy and pre-some fertility work, I wore 23/24's though, so still a little bit to go after that..

Mottainai - Motivation jeans - love it! Which ones do you have? I'm Size 25 in J Brand at the moment but holding off on buying more jeans until I hit goal.

HW ~ I realized that I didn't answer YOUR question about Geneen Roth. I don't think the quote comes from her, but it may. I don't remember exactly where I got it, but I really like the meaning.

Oneten ~ Work, Masters AND building a house??? My word, girl!!!

Mottainai~ Woot woot for motivation jeans!!! I'm a Presby, too!!! (the Pastor is PCUSA, I'm PCA) Hoping to see him again on Sunday...

~~~
I weighed in at 147 this morning. Wasn't expecting that much water loss, but there you go.

Almost at the finish line for this proposal at work. (my life will be easier after Thursday...)

Oneten- They're non-stretch ultra skinny Joe's Jeans. I have J Brands in 24 and 25 too! I think we basically the same size and weight and with the same goal! You are now my motivation buddy, haha.

Alexis- That's so cool. I'm PCA as well. (: Good luck on your proposal! I'll be done with my latest work project Thursday as well, if all goes according to plan!

mottainai ~ No way about the PCA (too funny!) When I read that the pastor was PCUSA, I was like what the whaaaaaaat? (because, as I'm sure you know, they're SUPER liberal) He's reformed, though, thank goodness. And I, too have a pair of Joe's Jeans (no idea what size, but they're definitely stretchy).

Hopefully all will calm down after Thursday. We're all trying to pull together but there's definitely a lot going on. =

~~~
Weighed in at 148.6 this morning. Think I'm holding water from some veggie flax chips I had yesterday. Argh. Still keeping to the five point plan, though.

Stay strong, feather friends!!!

I googled "goal clothes" and got this:

http://rlv.zcache.com/top_victory_sl..._wio57_324.jpg

Is there a corresponding American size to 25/26?

My motivational jeans just say "small" (they're actually capris). :D

HW - 24 is AU6 so American 0- small 2 to my understanding, 25 would be closer to 2 (but depends on the stretch of the jeans of course).

I have recently found out that I am both lactose and gluten intolerant and have been ignoring this as the symptoms are fairly minor. However now I think I will take it seriously, as I am also asthmatic and apparently dairy products and gluten contribute to asthma symptoms too.

Will try to have more rice I guess, and tofu and vegetables. I'm a bit stumped as I am always on the go so need to find restaurants/cafes that provide these foods rather than cooking at home.

Any ideas?

Oneten, I am lactose intolerant too, but I love cheese and ice cream too much to stay away, lol. I find that as long as I have at least some dairy everyday, instead of only occasionally, the symptoms are not so bad, and the rest I just deal with as being worth it! YMMV though. And of course there's always Lactaid!! Miracle worker. Just can't buy it here!

I need some motivation today. Had a loooong sleepless night with the baby, and have a long day ahead of me alone at home. Tired + stress + bored = eating all day on junk food, but I don't want to do that today, so.... I'm giving myself permission to lay in bed with baby and watch hours an hours of Netflix.

Mottainai - do you use tumblr? I find posting pictures and quotes therapeutic and it's a billion times better than pinterest.

HW - HA! Love that "goal shirt". Teriffic. :)

Oneten - I think I'm slightly lactose intolerant, too. They say it just gets worse with age. Wonderful...

Mottainai - Laying in bed watching Netflix w the babe sounds like a pretty sweet day (minus the stress, of course...). If I have a long unstructured day ahead of me, I find it helps to plan out my meals (or an approximation of my meals) so that I can have something to look forward to and not go too far off the rails. Did your project get done???

~~~

So minutes after my post yesterday, I got terrible news that a friend from church had a massive seizure and passed away yesterday morning. She was young, married with a 6 year old son. Completely unexpected. I thought it was an awful misunderstanding at first. Still kind of in shock. Her husband runs the AV team and I do powerpoints with him on Sunday mornings. Still can't believe it. Was just with their family on Sunday.

Food was minimal yesterday, but really weird. Got home super late and ate a can of sauerkraut and condensed milk (emotional eating for sure...) weight is back up to 150.8. Ugh. I also think that I'm mid cycle, which doesn't help at all.

Just turned in our proposal (was a bit hairy in the office up until the final hour, but alls well that ends well, I hope...) Oy.

Have a small group tonight, then hoping to do some more work on a personal project that I have. I'm about 10% done and have given myself a soft due date of Sunday. We'll see how that works....

Have a fantastic feather day, everyone!!!

Oh Alexis, so sorry to hear about your friend :(