My vacation is over and I AM ALL IN! With the holidays looming I NEED to knock off these pounds. If I can pull off 1lb/week, I can be back to my red line by my four-year maintenance anniversary (which is right at Thanksgiving, 10 weeks away).

Sadly, the "holidays" are already arriving since I'm Jewish. This weekend we're hosting Rosh Hashanah. Hopefully it won't be too bad! I promise I will eat NO MORE THAN TWO slices of challah. If we have leftovers, I will send them home with our guests.

My plan:
1) Only one snack per day, in the afternoon.
2) Work out at least 5 days a week.
3) Make all runs HIIT runs.
4) Sign up for a 5k and get my running back in shape.
5) Go back to basics and suck it up and count calories. Aiming for no more than 1400 per day to start with. I guess that means I should go calculate what I already ate today...

I haven't checked in for awhile. Good job everyone. I'm down 2 since the start after a weird 5 pound gain for no reason...other than a terrible cold. Last Thursday I came down with a sore throat, followed by all the great cold related symptoms and by the next morning I was up 5 pounds. It lasted for 4 days even though I was POP all of those days. This morning the fog has lifted and I was down 6 pounds. (The 5 I was up plus an extra one). I guess I was retaining a lot of water being sick. I must have blown a few pounds of liquid from my nose, and yesterday I had to pee about 20 times...(sorry TMI). This is the first time I can remember being sick in a LONG time. Keep on trucking everyone!

I need some daily accountability for my action plan items. Here's my run-down for yesterday:
1) Check, I had my one snack of two small apples at 3:30.
2) Check, I ran last night.
3) Check, it was a HIIT run.
4) Semi-check, I didn't sign up for a 5k yet but I did run.
5) Check, I calculated my calories. Turns out yesterday only came in at 1000. Oops. No wonder I had a headache last night.

Random question . . . It's common knowledge that you should average at least 1200 calories per day. Does that mean you should eat at least 1200 every day, or that if your average for the week comes out to 1200 then you're still good? Suppose for example you ate 1000 M-F, then 2000 Saturday and Sunday. Your total cals for the week would be 9000, which is an average of 1285 per day. I'm not really proposing doing this, I'm just curious.

Hi Team!

Not sure, Jessica...seems to me that a less wild variation might be easier on your body, but who knows?

Most of the Portland weight has disappeared...I'm now up 1.5 lbs from my lowest (or 2.5 over redline) and I still have TOM weight going on, so that's positive. Just trucking along!

Jessica~I think there are two camps on that issue. One says that keeping a steady 1200 per day is the better approach. Others use the calorie cycling thing where they're up for a day or two and then make up for it for a day or two with much lower calories to come out to an average of 1200 per day. I don't know if one is any better than the other except that if you do come in way low for too many days you can actually sabotage your efforts metabolically.

There is a number of calories that differs slightly for each person that you really need to get EACH DAY for your body to function smoothly - that being said I'm sure you can occasionally dip below that amount but have more another day you will be fine.

Jessica, what is your basal metabolic rate (BMR)? That number should serve as your lower limit, on average, instead of an arbitrary 1200 cals. And keep in mind that your total burn takes into account your activity level--that total is what you should use to calculate a possible deficit.

It's OK to swing above and below, but don't go too far either direction. 600 one day and 1800 the next is average 1200, but that's really tough on the body.

I usually take a weekly average.

Jay

Jessica - I am right there with you, vacation is over (as of tomorrow) time to buckle down and stop mucking about.
I didn't really police what I ate and drank this past week while on vacation and I am paying for it now! The scale reached up and slapped me in the face.
Enough said
So it is time to get serious! No time like the present - I am off to do a strenuous hike - 1 mile straight up.
Will check in later with my proposed regime.

OK, hump day tomorrow - let's stay OP


Jessica - while I like calorie shifting, and an occasional dip below 1200 won't hurt - I really think keeping it in that range is important. Your body needs basic nutrition and fuel to function optimally.

I've been a day ahead of myself all week - I was totally thinking TODAY was wednesday. What a letdown!

I had a grueling track workout this evening for half marathon training but it feels good and I've been eating OP. I started planning out ahead of time on thedailyplate so I can keep track of calories again... so far so good!

Thanks guys, like I said I don't really intend to do the 1000/2000 thing, I was just curious.

My status for Tuesday:
1) Check, had my two small apples at 3:30.
2) Check, did NRLW.
3) N/A, Tuesday was strenght day.
4) Still haven't signed up for a 5k, running is N/A.
5) Check, Tuesday came in at 1309 calories.

Today is a little rougher so far. I'm pretty hungry right now but lunch isn't for another hour and fifteen minutes. I'm just telling myself "it is normal to be hungry before a meal. This doesn't mean that I have to eat every time I get a little hungry."

Jessica - I did the 1000-1300 cycle by accident for several weeks last summer. I wasn't paying attention and was just learning about calorie counting, didn't realize how little I was eating until I started logging it. I didn't notice any strange symptoms, other than I was a little tired on the lower calorie days. When I evened back out to more of a 1200-1300 swing instead of the difference being so drastic that seemed to go away. Though, don't know if it was caused by the low cals, or just a coincidence.

Hang in there, it will be lunch time soon!

ugggh, hello TOM. I'm feeling exhausted and bloaty but trying to at least wear a cute shirt. The temptation just to slip into an old tee is strong.... sometimes I wish I had a job that required me to dress nicely.

Jessica, I agree it's okay to get hungry before meals, but I always have to be careful not to get TOO hungry or I'll scarf my meal and feel gross and still hungry. I find it better to grab something tiny - I have almonds in my desk and I'll eat 5 or something - sometimes I really think it's mental with me and that seems to help.

Since I've got doctor stress going on right now and have been spending significant time in doctors' offices, I would like to take this time to say that:

1. I don't appreciate the huge Reese's Pieces and M-n-M gumball machines in the Radiologists waiting room.

2. I also don't appreciate the chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies and variety of crappy muffins that I must stare at in the women-specific mammogram waiting room. Not a single item of fruit in sight.

Even our medical establishment is pushing crap food on us, and it pisses me off. Here I am, stressed and vulnerable, and *that's* what they put in my face?

Thanks alot jerkoffs.

In the mammogram waiting room??? Okay, sorry, but I'm in public health and that's completely ridiculous! There are proven links between good nutrition and reduction in a number of cancers - including breast cancer. How can you have cookies and crap but no fruit in the waiting room where they are screening for breast cancer? That's missing a perfect opportunity to reach people!

*end rant*