Maintainers - April Chat!
 

OK. how did it get to be April? What happened to March (and February for that matter?) :?:

The time change tonight has to be the biggest April Fool's joke of all. Ugh! But I am so ready for some spring and sunshine so I guess we have to put up with it.

I'm still rehabbing my shoulder and have FINALLY reached the little pink dumbbell stage. I promise I'll never laugh at them again! They're kicking my butt but it's an awesome feeling to finally be allowed to do something again. :strong:

My project for the week is finishing our taxes. After that, I need to put all my winter clothes away and get the spring and summer stuff out. Got to say that one of the cool things about maintenance is knowing that last year's stuff will still fit! :lol:

So how's everyone doing these days? How are the moms and moms-to-be? It's wonderful to have so many new maintainers checking in - be sure to post and tell us what's on your mind. :)

It's spring here and we're actually having wonderful spring like weather for once (I don't know how many April Fool's Days I have woken up to snow, though it is raining, it is much better than a blizzard or freezing rain). If this afternoon is decent I'll go for a nice walk!!

Meg: Wow, another early riser. I woke up really early after a very strange dream (ah the joys of pregnancy). I couldn't fall back to sleep which sucks since I am fasting for a long blood/glucose test this morning. I am glad the rehab is going well, I am sure it's frustrating. I am not running right now and when I see the beautiful, but not overly hot weather I get ansy and want to go for a good run. Luckily at this point in the PG a good power walk does give my cardio a good workout.

Anyway I am grumpy right now. I started my pregnancy at a healthy weight (BMI<25) and being very active which apparently cuts your risk for gestational diabetes drastically, and now I might have it (the only two risk factors I have are being over 25 and having a family history of diabetes <as far as I know though no gestational> and I was shocked to hear my blood sugar was high since it's usually low). SO I am off for a glucose tolerance test this morning argh (I had a screening on Monday)!!

Anyway ladies hope your day is sunny (even if it does rain!)

Ali:)

I've subscribed to this thread. I'm going to eavesdrop and hopefully join you in May or June.
I bought my first set of 'not pretty coloured' dumbells this week :)

Well, we are all sick again. No exercise, eating is bad although there isn't much of it, but to put it in perspective, I'm not getting a chance to brush my teeth everyday, so I don't feel like I'm just blowing it off.

Sorry for the drive by post, but DD is sleeping and I'm going to try to get in about 30 min myself. Please stay asleep, please stay asleep...

wunderAnne

Susan - don't wait for May or June ... join us now, please? :) You don't have to be at goal to post here.

Good luck on your test, Ali! :goodvibes:

:hug: to Anne - stay asleep, stay asleep ...:crossed:

Good Morning,

Meg - I'm so happy for you...on to the next phase of recovery. Now that you're able to lift weights, I'm sure you'll start seeing big improvements. Good luck with those taxes, I gave up doing them myself a few years ago.

Anne - Sorry to hear you are sick again, I hope it doesn't linger. Did you get some sleep?

Ali - Let us know how the test goes. I'm thinking of you.

Pregnancy this time around is going well, although I have been sick as a dog for about 4 weeks now. Eating is OK, no sugar for the most part, but lots of other comforting foods due to feeling so utterly disgusting. I've gained about 4 pounds, I'm only at 9 weeks. But trying not to panic, I tend to stress too much about only gaining a certain amount of weight each trimester, etc. But I know it will all even out, especially if I continue to stay away from desserts. I'm so excited, November seems like a lifetime away.

I hope everyone is well!

Susan -- I am definitely not at maintenance yet, so post any time, I do :D...

This month I want to drop some # and get closer to my maintenance goal :yes: that's the plan...

Why thank you! I think I will. April? Goals? I definitely need to work on intensity. A few more pounds would be nice. So I'll kep my eye on my food and my head in my exercise :)

hi maintainers,

Susan, ssst...I also am not at my target weight. But I am at a weight that I last saw before I got pregnant with my oldest, 14 years ago. So I guess I would like to get some more off, but I'm not sure I can make that. After all, I am 14years older now, and all that wisdom weighs in !

Anne - I hope you had a good rest!

Meg - so you're starring in "revenge of the pink dumbells??"

Hi to all the others,
Rabbit

So THAT's where it comes from. I just KNEW there was a logical explanation for it. :D Rabbit, you're a woman after my own heart.

Once more I'm on the eve of the silly season at the university: commencement time. But this time I'm prepared -- when I set out in May, I'm taking the Coleman cooler packed with clean foods! For those who haven't heard my saga before, I spend a week on the road participating in eight -- count 'em -- eight graduation ceremonies on our various campuses. Being on the road in Indiana is an eating challenge; it's not for nothing that we have one of the highest obesity rates in the country. So I'll take fruit and protein and all manner of yummy foods. I'm also taking my CD player and a pilates CD; and maybe some resistence bands. Finally, the swim suit's going into the suitcase, too. While those hotel pools are small, I figure I can do enough to stay limber. I'm actually looking forward to it this year.

I'm recommiting my efforts today. Food has been sloppy, although exercise hasn't been too bad. So, I have a lovely piece of salmon from last night for lunch ... in fact, I think I'll have it now.

Have a good one everybody.

It's been a while since I've posted here. I was out of commission with a really bad back episode for a couple of weeks. It turns out that I've developed scoliosis in my lower back.

The good news is that I'm back up to my normal exercise schedule and seeing a wonderful physical therapist who thinks that I'm actually fixable :D I'm doing all my homework faithfully and seeing a lot of improvement after only 2 1/2 weeks. The hope of never being down like that again is a huge motivator.

Now to get rid of the two pounds that seem to have crept back on while I was unable to stand or walk!

I coming here to calmly read. I must remember that though life gets in my face, it's going to do that whether I'm thin or fat. Right?
A bill collector called for my son this evening. When I called to tell him about it, he informed me that he's coming home for the wedding but he's probably going to move to where he is now.
I suppose people's children move far away all the time. Just not mine ... so far. He assures me he'll handle that bill.
I calmly did some abs ... looked at the peanuts ... came here. Calmly. Nobody's hurt, nobody died. I'm calm.

Good for you, Susan! You know the peanuts aren't really going to make you feel better, right? :hug:

My DD lives 2000 miles away -- which is entirely too far. I feel like I'm missing a piece of me, though she'll be moving closer to home at the end of the year. Guess we'll always be moms, huh?

Stay calm and think how proud you'll be of yourself in the morning. :)

Susan B,

Congratulations on staying calm. You are absolutely right, life does has a habit of gettin in your face when you do not expect it.
You can be proud of yourself for handling a difficult situation in a way that did NOT increase the problem to yourself.
Go Susan !!!

Rabbit

Yay Susan for staying calm :yoga:...

I lied :devil: I supposed none of you noticed :D I wasn't calm and I did eat cheerios with brown sugar. But I still had a deficit and did some extra abs!

How close to the surface those old habits are! Your head gets spinning and you head for the kitchen!

Hi everyone!

I don't even remember if I posted on March chat. Whoops! In any case, things are moving along here. I'll be done with my masters degree in about nine weeks. My fiance and I put down a deposit on an apartment in Carmel, Indiana. We both have jobs lined up, so now it's just a matter of waiting until we get there. I can't wait! We are totally sick of Rhode Island and graduate school has been a very unpleasant experience for me, so we are really looking forward to the move.

Also, once we move, I can finally start planning our wedding!

I'm really looking forward to the summer, so I can get some more outdoor exercise. I'm hoping that I can get a chance to try canoeing or kayaking this summer. It's always good to change up the exercise schedule a little!

Good job, Susan!

I've signed up for another half marathon :D 10k just isn't a challenge any more...

Clippy -- congrats on the upcoming nuptuals and graduation and job and home, whew you have a lot of things going on :lol:...

Susan -- I think you did great even if you did :nose:

Hi Anne,

How are you and your DD doing ?? I hope you are both well.

Rabbit

Hi Rabbit,

The antibiotics are helping quite a bit, though I still have a hacking cough, and I can't take anything for it since I'm still breastfeeding. Hopefully it will get out of here soon. DD is fabulous. I wish I had her immune system. She is just too cute!

How are things settling down in your life?

Anne

Oh yeah, go Helen go!

Hi everybody else! I'm going to get my head back in the game here soon!

Is This a Good Forum Group for Me?
 

Hi guys - just wondering if this is a good place to be posting.

I'm one of those people who has never been terribly overweight but struggle with 10-15 pounds. Right now I've just finished about 6 months of a healthy eating period, used the Sonoma diet and have been doing various exercises and feel extremely excellent. My clothes all fit and I just feel so good.

The tricks for me are:

1) Eat less (duh).

2) Stay off sugar especially when I'm hungry. A bit of dessert doesn't bother me after I'm mostly satiated with healthy food, but nothing makes me feel worse and sets me into overeating like donuts or candy when I'm really hungry for food.

3) SLEEP. It's the best coping strategy for me when I'm stressed, better than exercise, reading a book or whatever. I find just going to bed and then waking up refreshed with the joy that I didn't eat ice cream or potato chips is highly successful.

4) Reasonable exercise. I tend to be all or nothing and it's been a challenge to get to where with a busy schedule I do it in reasonable amounts. Walk sometimes, elliptical sometimes, exercise bands sometimes, workout video, etc. and if I miss a day or two, so be it. I can get so into it and I do look great, but I burn out.

I also have to strive for the satisfaction factor - I tend to pick myself apart and find places I'm not happy with and then I get kindof down. Overall I just feel so good.

I'm nearly 53 now - you'd think I would have figured all this out years ago, but older but wiser they say. I just want to keep on keepin' on and avoid those bad overeating patterns that set me up for yo-yo thing.

Hi Anne,

Things are settling down a bit...passed the 1/2 year marker last friday. Up to the next 1/2 year! All in all I think we are better off without XH, we can be our own persons more. it is a pity that we couldn't be with XH in the house. All the same I wish him & NL a lifetime of unhappiness, because I think that he treated me and the kids shabby, and looking at his proposal for the financial arrangements, he is continuing this

bye,
rabbit

Hi Cindy, and welcome :wave: I think you've come to exactly the right spot. It doesn't matter whether one has taken off 10, 20 or 200 pounds, we all have to cope with maintenance. Although each of us has some individual demons, I think everyone would agree that there are a number of commonly shared issues, and we all derive great strength in learning how everyone else deals with them. I suggest you stroll through the stickies at the top of the main maintenace page ... there's LOTS of great information there. And then, come on in; the water's fine :)

Clippy ... here's a warm Hoosier welcome from one transplant to another. I think you'll like Carmel (and for all you non Indianans, you'll want to know that it's pronounced CAR-mel -- like the candy -- and not car-Mel -- as in California). Let me know if I can pass on any info about your home-to-be.

Anne, I hope you and DD are feeling in the pink asap. Sounds like you've been through quite a siege.

I think I'm going to join a poster over on Ladies Who Lift in a 12-week BFL for Women challenge (the program outlined by Dr. Pam Peeke, which is a great book if you haven't read it). I seem to need a little more structure than usual these days, and that seems like just the ticket. Should carry me right through Commencement season and into the summer.

Other than that, I'm happy to report it's an absolutely glorious day here, so I think I'll go out and enjoy some of that sunshine. Have a lovely Sunday.

:welcome: Cindy this is the place for maintainers or maintainer wannabes, like me :D, because being a maintainer isn't much different than when you're regularly losing weight...

Hi all, I am coming out of lurkdom on this thread, as I am determined to "maintain" my weight loss, and continue the downward trend. I find this thread very inspiring, and would like to join in.

As a number of you know from LWL, I was doing well last year, but then tore my miniscus jumping rope. 15 pounds later, with a knee that still isn't totally honkey dorey, I am trying to get back on tract. In the interim, I have also begun doing personal training at Bally, which has helped alot to keep me on the straight and narrow. I figure at age 63 I should serve as an example of what is possible to many of the women (and men) who come to the gym.

So, here I am....on a bright, semi-warm day in April, determined to maintain and move on down that road...

Artmaker

Gosh Artmaker - a personal trainer. I keep thinking that would be a good idea to really get in a good routine. Do you like your trainer?

I've had a pretty good day - I fixed an interesting dinner, sauted a seasoned halibut filet and put it over baby greens with avocado, grapefruit, and raspberries - a light vinaigrette dressing. Quite interesting combo of flavors, it called for mango instead of the raspberries which I didn't have on hand. It was a nice meal before my walk, though. So PRETTY here - got out and did 5 miles. I'm now very ready for a hot bath, lavender spray on the bed linens, perhaps a little self-tanner on my legs. Getting ready for spring - tomorrow it will be 72 here. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.............FINALLY.

I like to cook and find that planning and fixing a nice meal that really pleases me makes me so much more satisfied. If I don't really eat a meal, have this and that, I pick around and nibble and eat a lot more and enjoy it a lot less.

Ilene - thanks for the well wishes! Life is about to get busy busy busy around here!

Anne - glad to hear that you are getting better! It seems like you and your DD sure have been sick for a while now!

Cindy - Welcome!!

Robin - thanks for the welcome! Where are you transplanted from? I'm originally from Los Angeles!

Artmaker - Welcome (out of lurkdom)!

Things are moving along over here . . . I am counting down the days until I will be done with school (the end of May cannot come soon enough!). We're enjoying the spring weather though, I am so glad it's warmer this year than last year! I am really looking forward to the farmers markets starting up again! Mmm, fresh fruits and veggies!

Hello ladies,

I haven't been in this neck of the woods in a while. I hope I find you all well and in good spirits! I just returned from Boston for a long weekend of playing tourist (usually in Colorado, I'm playing tourguide so it was a nice switch!) What a cool city! I've been to other east coast cities before, but this one made me feel right at home. I was able to tour Symphony Hall- by myself!- before a show. It was a Mozart program, which I wasn't too wild about and the tickets that were left were over $100! A very nice usher who asked me over and over if I was a terrorist (I said, "No ma'am, I'm a tourist", maybe it was my wester accent?;) ) let me in to look around- how sweet! I also stopped by a firehouse to get a shirt for my boyfriend and ended up taking some pics with the most adorable firefighter who in turn groped my butt when we took the picture! Certainly a highlight of my trip...

I did have a "mainainer" realization. I went out there t see my best friend and she has put on about 65 pounds in the past year. A lot of it is due to drinking and of course, taking terrible care of herself. I took a look in her fridge and there was absolutely nothing clean, maybe some yogurt (but the bad kind). She whined about all the weight she had put on, but made no indication that she was doing anything about it. i'm not the kind of friend that's going to harass her about her weight. Lord knows I know how that can backfire. But she was the person that I lost MY weight with. It just sucks that instead of maintaining it, people lose weight only to put it back on and lose it again. The 8 pounds I fight with is such a viscous cycle, I can't imagine what it's like for her to lose the same 70 pounds. Perhaps I'm still incredibly naive. But I did have a bit of an "a-ha" moment of my own. I know maintaining is difficult, but I've gotten to a point where the decisions I make about what I eat is so natural now. It actually HAS gotten a bit easier. When we were in line for coffee, said friend ordered a venti caramel latte, extra whip, extra syrup, etc... Something about that horrified me. That's a meal, folks!!! I realized that I could just never do that again. I don't know, it was a small moment, but one that speaks volumes to you i suppose.

Thank you for letting me vent. I really feel like a mental weight has been lifted

Hi maintainers,

Just zooming by...
Anne - I hope you and DD are Ok now.

Meg - how is the rehab ?? I think of you in power class and I am super carefull with the shoulders!

Junebug - Good for you to recognise the lightbulb moment. I can imagine that it is much better to have the 8 pound on-and-off cycle than the 70 pound on-and-off cycle. Maybe the struggle would be easier if you make the amplitude smaller ? So go to an 6 pound on-and-off cycle etc. Untill you're at the natural measuring error cycle of about 2 pounds?

No weight loss at my place, but I do have upped the weights in power class, and I see some muscle definition coming along. Also the jeans that I inherited from my 13 year old niece are beginnen to get loose. There is progress!!! I might have to get some clothes of my own next summer!!

have a great day all,
rabbit

HI everyone.

So last night, DH and I are eating dinner (lamb chops, sweet potato and spinach) and he looks at me sweetly and says, "Why all the interest in sweet potatoes all of a sudden?" Bless his heart ... I'd given him a long shopping list, along with orders to bring back only LEAN protein and he complied perfectly. He's really supportive. But he says he's confused. So I explained that for a while I was really going to focus on high protein, lower carbs. He looks at me and says, "OK ... but what does that mean?" :shrug: We had a brief session of Clean Eats 101, and he said it sounded good to him! Actually, we pretty much eat like that all the time, but we've strayed into T-bone land and pasta dinners several times lately, which for now is not a good thing in these parts. I really have to give him credit; not only does he believe in the link between good nutrition and good health, he was quick to see how positively I respond to vigorous exercise and, conversely, what I shrew I become without it. He never nags, but he does "encourage" me to keep it up. What a guy!

Paper, this is really a small world; I, too, am originally from L.A. I was born in the valley, lived all over, and DH and I lived in Alhambra for 10 years -- my favorite house of all. Indiana has come as something of a surprise :)

Rabbit, the pants-o-meter is my favorite gauge of all! I absolutely love the feeling of being at ease in my clothes and in my skin.

Welcome back Junebug. Great story about the latte. I can relate. Yesterday, I went to an all-day meeting, and I simply packed a day's worth of clean eats in my little insulated bag. Got lucky with the served lunch -- was able to serve myself a big plate of salad and chicken -- and then had my own treat trove to take me through the day. I felt SO GOOD when I got home.

Artmaker, I'm glad you've joined us. I've decided a small number of us should become Master Maintainers, like Master Athletes, to show the world that adding a few years and a few gray hairs should NOT get in the way of good health and good fitness! That said, it's always comforting to have someone to commiserate with when the body refuses to do what it's always done.;)

My, but I"m feeling garulous today. My staff hates it when I wake up on this side of the bed. I think I'll go torment them with a dose of good cheer. :D Have a good one everybody.

Junebug - thanks for posting your story about your friend. I've had some similar moments. It kind of came as a shock to me when I visited an old college friend I hadn't seen in a little over a year, and he looked like he had gained about 30 lbs in that time. I suddenly realized that that was how *I* looked to my other friends back when I was gaining!

Also, after I had lost a significant amount of weight, my mom started complaining to me about her weight. Then when I went to visit, we were at the mall, and when we stopped at the food court for lunch I went and got some veggies over rice, while she got a philly cheesesteak sandwich with fries! She also bought some chocolates later. I was like, you say you are eating clean, but it sure doesn't look like it! Since then she's been doing better and has actually lost a good amount of weight, but I am a little concerned about both my parents because I don't think they really get the "lifestyle change" thing, and my dad's weight loss method is to just eat one meal a day, but he eats whatever he wants for that meal (he is borderline diabetic, btw). That can't be healthy, but he is very stubborn (so am I, it must be genetic!) and won't listen if I try to convince him to eat better (or, horror of horrors, exercise!). The funniest part is that my mom used to be a dietician!

Robin -- wow, it really is a small world!! I was born in Tarzana, and my parents still live in Canoga Park! I went to college in Claremont, and I've spent the past two years in grad school in Rhode Island. Was it really hard to adjust to Indiana? I always start getting homesick for LA about halfway through winter!

Yesterday I tried a sort-of circuit training approach to my workout. My original plan was 30 mins cardio, followed by working on abs and back. But instead I did 10 mins on the elliptical, 5 mins abs, 5 mins running, 5 mins back, 5 more mins running, 5 mins abs, 5 mins stairmaster, 5 mins back, and 5 more mins stairmaster. And OMG are my abs and back sore today!! It's good though, I haven't managed to make my abs sore in a long time. The only bad thing is that in the middle of doing some ab work on the floor, my right tricep suddenly cramped up and twisted or something, and it still hurts today. I was planning on going to a yoga class today but I'm not sure if it would be a good idea (yoga usually makes my triceps sore).

paperclippy- I don't want to be one of those folks that analizes everything about everyone's weight. What works/clicks with me won't necessarily be the same for those around me. It also kind of scared me. This is someone who is so good at losing weight (in a healthy way) and to watch her struggle as she is now is kind of heartbreaking. Perhaps I'm also a little worried that I'm one caramel latte away from making that a normal part of my life again. Who knows! I'm just gald I'm not the only one!

Airegrlll- it's always nice when they make it easy on you (serving healthy stuff!). Also, partners can be a driving force in helping someone maintain a healthy lifestyle. It's nice to have support.

4Rabbit- that sounds like good advice.I'm sort of at a loss at how to go about that?

Junebug, your story resonated with me too. I often wonder now what people thought during the period where I was gaining so much weight. Especially those I saw once a year, it must have been such a shock to see me, but I never really thought about it at the time.

There is a woman in my office who has gone from a job where she was on her feet a lot to one where she is primarily sitting all day. She's gained probably 30 or 40 pounds in the last year. I wish there was a way for me to say/do something to help her, but I know from personal experience how *unhelpful* such outside advice usually is. I'd rather jump in front of a bus than offer un asked for advice on weight. It's hard enough when people ask for help, even then it doesn't always work out so well ;)

Junebug,


Hmmm.. good question how about to go for a smaller weight swing..
possibilities come to mind:
1) daily weigh in at the same time with no clothes on to see what your "normal" fluctuation is (I guess that would be the +/- 2 pounds depending on TOM, salty dinner the day before, pumped muscles from training or not etc)
2) "line in the sand" of current weight +6 pounds, and when you approach the limit be exztra strict to stay in the zone
3) when that works, make the line in the sand at + 4 pounds

My idea was that if you give yourself a range and take your normal day-to-day variations into account you might find it easier to keep it up. I find that if I focus too much on keeping the current weight I can get really glad at -1pound, and really angry at myself if I have +1, and I know some people therefore do not weigh in that often. but then it is very easy to go over your "line in the sand" weight.

That is all I can think of for now,

rabbit

Hi everyone. I'm just weary and there's nothing good on TV so I thought I'd have a little read at Maintainers.
I'm apparently at the same point some others are. I hope soon to hit goal and then maintain 'under' a 'ceiling' weight. Maybe 124 lbs. At which point I'll have to cut back my extras and kick in some cardio.
It feels kind of vague and vain to type that. An odd combination vague and vain.
I hope to ... like there's some other possibility ... some mystery force that can prevent me. And I'm not sure what the vain part is. My confidence is probably a little knocked for having screwed up a few times.
It's an interesting pot of gold here at the end of our dieting rainbow. Maintenance is.

Thanks gals it's always thought provoking to come here.

Hi Ladies,

Thought I would join in here. Hope everyone had a nice Easter. Mine was fun with my grandson here who was so excited, his enthusiasm was contagious. I reached my goal 2 months ago and have not quite got the maintaince things down properly. Trying to figure out how much to eat and not gain and not lose either. This is going to take a bit more practice.

I'm having small weight swings so Rabbit I really like your ideas thanks

Junebug your lightbulb moment will probably help you stay on track . I know there is no way I want to gain all my weight back. I hope I always keep a close watch on my weight and lose a few pounds right away before it gets out of control.

Robin you are lucky your husband is so supportive, makes eating healthy easier.

Cindy I'm 53 and I agree older and wiser at least we have learned it and are not in our 80's and still reapeating the same patterns.

Susan I had to really focus on believing I would reach my goal. I had gone off track sometimes but you just get up and keep on going.. You will reach your goal, you are so close.

rabbit- thanks for the advice! I had about a month around Christmas when I was pretty depressed and not working out and def not eating as well I as I usually do, which led to my current war with this 8 pounds. I've managed to get it down to 5 doing basically what you've stated above. If I can get it within two, I will be happy. I feel pretty lucky that I was able to stop what was happening before it got out of hand. I guess part of maintaining is being able to recognize those big, red, flashing warning signs.

Good for you junebug!!!