Good morning! How's everyone doing today? Fun weekend? Lots of leaves to rake? Anything exciting happening this week?

I'm be back in a bit - cardio's done for the day, so it's time for oatmeal and egg whites.

Morning Meg and the Maintainers
I'm off to the gym for a few clients then my own workout.
Yes, my weekend included leaves and VERY little food, but somehow I manage to gain weight! UGH, my body makes no sense

Mel

Hello Mel, Meg and fellow Maintainers!

I've had my eggwhites and oatmeal, now I'm off to the gym to do legs ... I feel good I hope I have a good workout, they usually go hand in hand... I've put on #s too but I know why!

Back later TTFN...

Hello Maintainers,

Good weekend very busy with the race Saturday and the long, long training ride on Sunday. Just had what was possibly the worst run of my life, so wiped out from the weekend, but got through it and then had some nice yogurt.

I'm off on business travel for a couple of days. Will have to work hard to limit the damage--so easy to overeat in an uncontrolled environment.

Anne

Ds has a ped day today, so it's something of an extended weekend around here. Dh also orks at home monday mornings, so I didn't need to get up at the crack of dawn to get a run in, get the kids breakfast, and get ds off to school on time. I slept in to 7, got the kids breakfast prepared and my coffee ready to go in the pot, then went for a run while dh ate with them. I'm home, showered, ate my oatmeal, and am now sipping at my coffee while dh is off on a bike ride. Baby dd is sleeping on my shoulder and the other two are actually in their bedroom without fighting (at least for now). I like relaxing morings like this.

Hey all,

Had a chocolate incident yesterday oops... I lacked protien yesterday and had too little sleep. This week is busy... I am working my part time job tonight, tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday. I have to find time to do a 5K and an 8K in the next three days to stay on my training schedule, I am also helping with a beginner clinic on Wednesday night and seeing a concert... My one saving grace is that I do have Thursday during the day off from my main job due to rememberance day and I get Friday night off (I am buying some running supplies, going to dinner too).

Anyway, I am back on plan today. I ate a good brekkie with lots of protien and good carbs so here's to a good week!

Cheers!

Ali

Good morning! Had a bad day yesterday with my eating (comfort eating in response to being sick and getting some bad news - argh) so I woke up today anxious to get back to feeling good. Just got home from the gym and a great weights workout. The day's off to a good start.

I'm back on nights (again) when nothing makes sense. I eat all the time and lose a couple anyway. At least now I've figured out that it's going to happen and I don't panic.
It snowed here!

Hi all! I had a pretty good weekend. I stayed op and managed to get in most of my regular exercise. I sometimes have trouble with those since the weekends are not as scheduled as weekdays. We took my DD to see The Incredibels, which was fun, cute movie! I've got a challenging day coming up Friday. We will be taking a one-day trip with my in-laws, traveling out of state, to visit my husband's grandmother's gravesite. We will be leaving early and getting back late, driving about 5 hours each way. I'm trying to plan for the inevitable fast food pit stops, and very little chance to exercise. I'll also be trying to keep my seven year-old occupied, playing interference between my DH and MIL, (who should never, ever travel together!) and making sure my FIL NEVER gets the opportunity to drive, SCARY!! So wish me luck, this should be interesting!

Beverly

Hi,

Corrently I have to battle with myself telling myself everything will be fine. THis Sunday I finally made a decision to join running clinic. For half marathon. Like really I became a runner about 6 month ago when at my work we organized a team to run during lunch hour. We run somewhere from 4.8 to 10km.

Now tell you - I am severe asthmatic and I was very much afraid to join anything. But running with my coworkers taught me that I can do anything, probably I am slower, but I can still reach a goal... So I finally gained curage to join a clinic... And they kicked me out... Really, they said I am too slow for them and they do not have a pace group for me. I think I cried right there. Well, I do not remember. But I was so upset, that when I came home I did not even want to go on treadmill! Really, I do 13-14 min/mile and they want 11 minute!!! So I can not join...

I am still upset but I decided that probably half marathon is really not for me, probably they know better? i mean, if I run each mile 2 min longer than slowest runner in the clinis, I will run 12 miles basically 24 min longer - what is THEIR PROBLEM???

ANy support? Or do you think that it is easier to just give up and get my money back? They did not even gave me a cupon, they just said - well, if you want to try next week... Yes, I want to try, I want to run, and I want people around me and I truly do not beleive that to start training for half marathon I have to run 11 min miles.... Is there a special rule?

Anyways, I hope to overcome this one, and I still will go there next weekend...

Sash -- I'd be upset too, I'm blank for words too, I have no idea what to tell you except DON'T give up! Keep running, find a group more suited to you... You and I run about the same 13-14 min mile... Did you try asking the question at the runners forum on 3FC?
There are a bunch of knowlegeable people who run regularly there... Try your questions there....http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42909

But DON'T give up!

Hi all, Non-maintainer here, but what the hey. I had a very good week last week. I ate very well in all senses including taste, and exercised every day including playing some great tennis. Even lost a pound bringing this phase's loss to just over 10. I have been back eating well for about 2 months now and am making little breakthrus all the time both mentally and food-wise. I am in a very good place. Wouldnt it be nice if it were to continue this way? ONe can phantasize, LOL. Might as well ride the wave while its here.

Our weather here in coastal so. calif was cloudy and cool, but good enough to work outside comfortably. My roses are in full glory right now after early rains this fall and its a pleasure to look at and sniff them.

Jan

Hi Maintainers!!!

Wow this maintenance thing is scary!!! I keep struggling with where I'm at and how much more I should loose...Should I loose any more? I keep freaking out that I will regain all the weight that I've lost and therefore am obsessively journaling everything I eat. I haven't allowed myself any extra treats since I hit my Weight Watchers goal since I'm not loosing I'm afraid that I might gain if I up my calories at all.

I'm driving myself nuts...I'm obsessing about Thanksgiving. About 2 months ago I submitted my vacation request to my boss for the Friday and Monday following Thanksgiving so that my husband and I could drive 8 hours to see them. I didn't think that my request would be granted...in fact I was half hoping it wouldn't. I haven't seem my grandparents in 2 years and every holiday that passes I worry that it might be my last one to spend with them. So instead of being thankful that I am able to see them this year and spend this thanksgiving with them I'm stressing about it. My grandma is the most incredible cook...of course that may have something to do with the pound of butter that goes into everything that she makes. I'm not afraid of coming into contact with large quantities of tempting food, but I am afraid of being without MY comfort foods and treadmill for 4 days. There will be no fresh veggies. Probably the closest thing to a vegetable that will be there is the sweet potato casserole laden with fat, sugar and caramelized nuts. I'm completely panicked over this visit. I'm planning to pack my staples and take them with me...if only I could bring my treadmill with me too. Unfortunately running outside is not really an option where they live. The other thing that I'm afraid of is that they haven't seen me since I was at my heaviest. In fact they've never seen me when I wasn't over weight. I will be by far the skinniest of all my relatives at Thanksgiving this year.

Morning, everyone! I'm not quite a maintainer but I'm very keen to learn. And you've got some fantastic insights. This really is the cutting edge of practice.

Isn't it strange how you can read something a million times but it doesn't make sense ... until it makes sense. I've read Ilene's stuff about never being more than 2.5 hours from a meal quite a few times but suddenly, it's made sense to me. This is what I should do: eat a meal and then make an appointment with myself for the next one. Be clear about the half-hour window when it's going to happen. Make it happen, come **** or high water. I'm doing it, though it can be hard to make happen (you know, life stuff happens ...). For me this plan is a good thing.

Syushenka - you are a runner. That group seems very unhelpful. They shouldn't take your money if there isn't a pace group which suits you. That is wrong. Is there another group with a better pace group? Ilene is right - DON'T GIVE UP. And ask the running group in the exercise thread. Stick at it! You are a runner. You are an athlete.

Good morning Maintainers

Dee ~~ Take a deep breath and relax... I know you can do this... Plan ahead strategise a plan of action, visualise yourself eating small portions, drinking your water, enjoying the company, your grandparents, instead of the food, keep your hands busy by helping doing dishes, cleaning up the kitchen, placing the table, use portion control... Heck, even make some food, to "help your gramma out" , but don't tell her it's healthy, bring a casserole, .... Plan, Plan, Plan, then when your finished Planning.... Plan some more! Enjoy the compliments because I'm sure you'll get some since they haven't seen you in a while... Be wary of saboteurs, they will be envious, and with good reason, but don't let their words "you're too skinny" or whatever deter you from your mission...

Hi Silver .... Thank you, I'm happy my strategy is helping you also.... This plan is a good thing for me too... It's so true Silver that we can read something a million times and not having it "click". I am presently reading "Thin for Life" by Ann Fletcher, the book Karen recommends all the time. Although I've read alot of the suggestions in the book on this site, OFTEN, I getting many "AH HA!" moments. It's fun, it keeps me motivated....

My plan for the day is food and gym.... How's that for details ?