Happy Friday Maintainers! and Happy New Year all!!

Just checking in. Sounds like all of us are planning a reboot after the holidays. I will be as well. I have this weekend to get thru with events. My daughter is leaving on Saturday after an extended Christmas break. She wanted to go eat all the foods that she can't get in Oregon...tacos, BBQ, chicken fried steak. She can handle it though, she works out like a demon and has maybe 3% body fat. Then I have my son's 35th birthday party on Sunday. And then starting Monday, calorie reduction and a P2 style to get off the 8 up lbs. My daughter has shown me some great moves in the gym for core and overall muscle strength so I'm going to be doing that as well.

Liana: I wish I had learned how to ski. It seems like it would be so peaceful doing the cross country.

Eve: So great to see you again. Welcome back!

Jenny: Glad to see you are doing so well at going to the gym and maintaining.

Amber: Yay for no gain on vacation! That's awesome. The dating thing is going well. I'm not really sure what I'm doing but I'm going out on dates and having fun. Men are really hard to figure out!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.

Andrea- I smiled when I read your post, you sound happy. I'm sure yo have done great dating stories. How is your knee?

Eve - great work only getting focused and the holiday weight off quickly. I think a few of us are doing the reboot. I wish mine was 5 but I need to stick it out for 10. Only 8 more to go! Struggling to do struck p1. I am doing a bit of a mix with P2.

I really worked hard this weekend around not self sabatoging and I did well.


Have a good week!

So far, so good with maintenance (weight wise), although it has / remains difficult balancing calorie needs with the 1/2 marathon training I am doing.

Saw a post in the 2014 starters I believe where someone was doing P1 & 1/2 marathon training...holy cow!

So I went into maintenance thinking I would stay low carb - but as my running has increased (up to 8 mile long runs and 5 miles in general), apparently so have my needs. I'd be lying if I said I've completely stayed away from sugar, but I HAVE tried to minimize my daily intake. I've also been trying to stay between 1,500 - 1,800 calories....but

Last week I started having some serious issues post-lunch with energy levels / sheer exhaustion and hunger. This week I am returning to a more "P4" diet - steel cut oats and fruit with breakfast, more veggies at lunch and a starch with dinner - going to lower fats / avoid nuts & cut back on the nut-butters.

Andrea - my chiropractor showed me a new way to plank - hard as heck, but I finally know I am working my core.

Best wishes to all the rebooters.

So... I need details on this new planking thing. My core needs a lot of help.

Beth and I are about on the same page as far as length of time on maintenance, and we're both running. I've been in P4 about 9 weeks (I've lost track) and am just now starting to figure out what works for me. So that's a message I'd pass on to anyone new to maintenance: IT TAKES TIME. It's normal for the scale to bounce around a little until you learn how to manage different foods at different times. And once you learn what doesn't work, you can quickly stop weight re-gain.

Overall, I'm pretty content in maintenance. Sure, I wish I could indulge in sweets more often, but that's not realistic. Mostly I get to eat the foods I like, though, and I don't feel deprived. I'm still adapting to being hungry more often than is comfortable, even with 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. Working on balance in that area.

I'm curious about what everyone does for supplements in maintenance? I've been taking the multivitamin and cal/mag (extra cal/mag, because of my history of fractures) regularly, and the fish oil occasionally.

I take Reishi mushroom extract and 'hormonal balance' before breakfast, a mega multi plus extra magnesium and Omegas at lunch, and my 'dessert treat' calcium & D3 'caramel' chews after dinner.

Liana

Happy Wednesday Maintainers!

Things are chugging along here. I have had a ridiculous nasal drainage for the last 3 1/2 weeks. It just won't go away. I was at the Dr. for routine blood work and talked to her about it. No chest congestion so it's not developed into bronchitis. I don't have a sinus infection, my nose just won't stop running. So much so that on Monday I didn't have a voice...and I had to cancel a date!!! She put me on steroids to try to dry me up. So this will slow down the losses some but I just want to get well. I'm just so tired.

Jenny: The knee is doing well. I notice some pain now and again especially if I have been using the sled at the gym. That's the one where you lay on your back and push up with your knees after adding weights to each side. That's the only weight bearing move my ortho will let me do. And yes...I am happy. Life is good!

Hysteria: My daughter showed me that I was planking ALL WRONG. My butt was too high up in the air. She also showed me side planks but they are so hard that I can't even hold them for 10 seconds. Now that I am doing it right, my core is letting me know!!

HereIStand: I am still taking all of the supplements that I took in P1. I've discussed it with my Dr. and she approves of them. Cal/Mag(for bones since my density test came back less than) Potassium (since I get bad cramps in my feet & legs at night if I don't) Vit. D, Omega 3's for heart health, Glucosomine for my joints that don't work right, a multivitamin and a probiotic.

Hi Liana!!!

HIS & anyone else interested...if you would like me to email you a copy of what my chiropractor sent me for planks, please IM me your email address - I tried to load it here, but its too large.

It has written out instructions with pictures

She also sent one for side planks if anyone is interested

Happy Monday Maintainers!

I had a great weekend. I am taking basic two step lessons on Thursday/Friday nights for the months of January/February. Wow. I never knew walking backwards could make me so sore or that I could work up a sweat doing it. But it's great exercise and I'm having fun. But there has been some beer drinking involved so the reboot is not going as well as anticipated. But today is a new day and this week I'll just drink water.

Hope you all have a fantastic day.

Andrea: Your new pic is so cute...you look great!

I second that!! I like the sparkly dress too!
Liana

Too cool that you are doing 2 Step - it is fun and can be an amazingly good cardio workout!

Nothin like dancin'!!!!

Happy Thursday Maintainers!

Thanks for the pic love ladies. That was at my company Christmas party. I had such a fun time that night.

My second dance lesson is tonight. I'm looking forward to it.

The reboot is not going well. I haven't fully committed to it and that's why. I have some social obligations this weekend so it looks like Monday I will go into full reboot mode.

Hahaha, you are in my head, Andrea!! Same with me... Last night was a bag of S&P CheechaPuffs AND a bag of GF Popcorners Cheddar & Jalapeno while driving at work. Too bad Walmart is open so late, because I DID take good on-plan food, but let's face it, cucumbers & peppers in Bragg's Aminos is not quite as appealing. It was a crappy weather night with lots of sleet and 1C temp. I also need to commit seriously or I won't be in bikini shape for late Feb travel....
Still haven't decided where yet, checking the last minute stuff and will hop on something awesome, favorably priced. I thought I found a great trip to Cancun, but then realized after talking with the operator on the phone that it was in USD, so x1.35 for CAD! Yikes! Not such a good deal then.
Liana

I hear you Liana! I have a trip to Cancun on 2/14 for work. Trying to keep on the straight and narrow until then but struggling not to keeping adding extra items everyday. Nuts are such a trigger food for me. Good luck finding a good deal on your trip!

CenTxChk: I found a smokin' deal tonite... Cancun from kitty-corner across the continent for $557 CAD ($412 USD). So we arrive on the 19th. Msg me here if you want to meet in person (if you are still there at that time) - a low carb drink or something, lol. Here's to our bikini commitment!!!!
Liana