Camaswa-love the "used to, but now I..." I'll have to do some thinking of some.

I lost the initial 3 of the 6 I want to take off...now kinda stalled. But I know if I stick with it one day one will drop then another...I'm trying to plan what I'm going to be doing for exercise for the next 3 months. I want to get into a good routine and really focus on rebuiling muscle, cutting down body fat. I've been reading some information about studies comparing calories consumed, exercise routines, etc. In general, if you want to lose weight you have to do what we've all done, consume fewer calories. When you are at the place when you wan to do what I want to do (lose body fat, gain muscle, maybe lose a few or maintain), it is important to up the calories just a bit-I way too often use this point to over eat- and then really focus on strength training and doing HIIT (high intensity interval training...alternating hard and easy intervals for 20ish minutes...time can vary). Both strength training and HIIT are supported by the research...which I teach every semester...but I haven't really been able to mentally accept that I can do a few shorter, high intensity workouts then just go about my normal week...i.e. just generally being active walking the kids to and from school, biking for errands, cleaning, yard work, etc. I'll let ya-all know what I decide to do for a program. I also want to be sure to work in recovery days and some yoga/pilates days to stay injury free (usually with a new workout plan I end up flaring up my knees about a week into it, always setting me back).

What a day!! hopefully next time i post i may have a new job opportunity...cross your fingers!!!! this girl needs a change!
vacation in 9 days! countdown begins....ordered my Syntrax and pink lemonade and protein bars. am not opening the Fed Ex box or the bars will be gone before vacation! going right in the motor home!

bought 3 new bathing suits today at the clearance sale at Belks and a couple pairs of some really cute board shorts. still need to firm up but looked pretty dang good if i do say so myself! :-) still a slightly bloated belly but i'm blaming it on work stress and the two margaritas i had to have tonight while discussing office politics w/ DH. guess they went to my head because left the "doggy bag" right on the dang table w/ our leftovers. of course i'm talking my poor DH to death! he said, plz get this resolved before our vacation! well, alrighty then! 7 years w/ this company...oh, well, on to better things..
Life is too short not to be happy!

Just a quick update. Hanging in there. Have had a crazy week...hubby was gone, some late nights working, and then yesterday spent much of the day with a family member having difficulty with their mental illness. So a few of my "plans" were ruined...but no worries. I hung in there...even survived a Chinese buffet today. I loaded up on steamed veggies and chicken...and didn't even have a crab rangoon which is usually the only reason I eat Chinese (thus I haven't eaten it in a LOOOONG time).

Be proud of yourself. You did fantastic.. Oh my.... crab ragoon. I remember
that LOL. Have a great weekend.
Patzi

Well, it was a tough weekend, but I survived two grill-outs with minimal splurging for the most part. It does help, I think, that I've upped my running again starting this weekend so I can be ready for a 5k next weekend.

I'm probably just going to drink a ton of water the next day or two, then see what the scale has to say. A couple handfuls of chips, smoked brisket (which was brined beforehand, I'm sure), and chimichurri chicken which was oversalted (it even tasted too salty) are all probably going to cause me to retain some water, so I'm not even going near the scale for a couple days, lol.

Hope everyone else had a relaxing weekend and managed to combat the typical potluck/grill-out entrapments!

Whew, that was quite a weekend. Three nights at the beach with two other couples. Lots of wine, snacks of all kinds and homemade blackberry cobbler. I took syntax protein and Greek yogurt for my breakfasts, skipped breads and most of the snacks... But I'm up two pounds. Here we go again!
Last week I ended up losing all three that I had put on the week prior. I know my posts are somewhat repetitive, but wow, this really is how it's gonna be, isn't it? I used to _______,but now I _____: I used to get depressed and feel sorry for myself when I gained, but now I know this is just how my body responds to a weekend of extra carbs and salt. I know how to get right back on track.

I so love your attitude:) Would you share what works for you getting right back on track please? I am all over the place and think I know what to do because it has worked before...then it doesn't work?! Do share please!!

Well, I just go back to one or two breakfasts and lunches that I have liked and have seemed to keep me relatively satisfied, plus I have a small, high-protein snack between meals, then for dinner lots of salad and veggies plus some simple grilled meat or fish. Maybe yougert again for evening snack. I like lemon HNS in yougert quite a lot or syntrax brand.

Typical breakfast1: 1 scrambled egg plus 2 whites (or more) and a cup of berries
breakfast 2: 1 cup Greek yougurt plus 1 scoop syntrax protein plus some PB2 and a medium fruit

Typical lunch: big salad with 3 oz protein, 1/4 cup quinoa, sprinkling of feta cheese and olive oil. Maybe some berries again - they are so good right now.

Lots of water and maybe 1/2 protein bar between breakfast and lunch, then the other half between lunch and dinner. I am currently liking Atkins peanut butter chocolate bars- they are dense. Water, water, water.

And I think attitude is really key. You just have to tell yourself this is what's most important. During the week, I seem to do pretty well with the discipline it takes and I am hoping that by watching it closely I will eventually get in a groove of relaxing during the weekend, then tightening back down during the week. My work week is pretty structured in terms of when I get up, exercise, get to work, etc. If I were at home I would find it more difficult, I fear.

I dont think I should ever let more than 3 pounds creep back on. This is SUCH a change from past efforts for me! I would get so sick of it all that I would just abandon any kind of plan and then of course I would gain it all back.

I hope this helps, Tami. I know you get get back in the groove. You might like that book 100 Days of Weight Loss for some mental motivation, too.

Tami, sometimes after a weekend like last one, I'll actually just do 1-2 days of MetaQuick (shake for breakfast, bar for lunch, regular dinner) with the clear HNS with each meal. In these cases, I just feel like I need a "cleanse" or fast of some sort to get my system cleared out. Then I go back to regular green menu for a day or two, then back to the last couple weeks of stabilization for a few days, then back to maintenance.

Other times, I'll just go straight back to green menu for 4-8 days.

And, as usual, lots of extra water!

O Great learned ones - I have been in stabilization 1 week and feel totally lost. Why, I don't know :shrug: but it seems that adding back food that I have not eaten for a year is causing great angst and self-doubt. Suddenly I can't get in my 64+ ozs. of water everyday and I feel bloated. I will visit with counselor later this week but would appreciate any guidance any of you can offer. TY

This is totally normal, if it makes you feel any better, lol. I was totally overwhelmed by the choices as things were added back in. In addition, I was totally anxiety-ridden about the possibility of stabilization not "working" (it does!) and me possibly gaining weight (I didn't!) from the changes. Also, I got soooo full soooo quickly with the added food. But your body gets used to this.

Try and keep it as simple as possible, trust the program, and get yourself to drink your required water (it will help reduce the bloat feeling, too). It's possible that you may simply need to slow down your stabilization, repeating one or more weeks of it while your body adjusts and you figure out what you weight-gain "triggers" are.

Hang in there!

Ditto with the above! First priority: water! Second, just because you have all those choices doesn't mean you have to go eat them all. Like, pretzels came on the starch list at some point- I don't love 'em so I just ignored that one. Also, if you look closely you will notice that even though you have more choices, the quantities aren't very big, so that's why you don't gain. At some point you get "another fat" but on that list is 6 almonds- six! I can't stop at 6, so I usually just go a little more generous with the olive oil- or have a slice of avocado.

I have felt the same way you do- and I have taken stabilization a little slower because I did veer too far off and gained 3 a couple weeks ago that I have since got back off. I hope to get my maintance plan tomorrow. And I fully expect that whenever I go carb or salt-happy, the scales are gonna show it. But finally I think I understand that one little gain does not signifiy that I'm out of control and doomed to put it all back on again. Take it as slowly as you need to and trust yourself to make good decisions. You will be fine.

nwcgina, I, too, am interested in building muscle and cutting down body fat....not dropping weight but the fat. Have always been a little confused as to go about it. Can you recommend any books or websites that would help me towards this goal? Can i ask what workouts you are planning for yourself?

brainsgirl-I'll try to keep it short and simple and can always answer more questions.

To build muscle and cut down body fat the 2 most effective types of exercise are strength training (where you are doing a strength exercise to the point complete fatigue...i.e. pushups until you can't do them anymore) and high intensity interval training (going hard for 30-60 seconds, going easy for 30-60 seconds) for 12-20 minutes. Each should be done at least 2x a week and up to 3...but you need a day break between strength training days (i.e. don't strength train back to back days unless you are using different muscles). There are so many different ways to strength train. Most people can see results with body weight training. I like using dumbbells and machines at the gym.

My current routine is:
Monday: 20 min HIIT (usually elliptical), 30 min full body strength
Tuesday: 30+ min low intensity cardio (usually walk or bike)
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 20 min HIIT (usually run/walk)
Friday: 30 min full body strength
Saturday: 30+min low intenstiy cardio (usually walk)
Sunday: rest

I teach a class and we are actually doing an experiment this fall to see if different types of exercises lead to a change in lean body mass. I'll let you know what we find.

For long term weight maintenance, longer cardio and strength sessions help keep the weight off. My counselor pointed this out to me Monday. I had gained a few pounds over the summer. Recently got back on track but didn't eat as perfectly as when I initially lost, but I was still losing. She pointed out the biggest difference for me at this point is when I am consistent with exercise (I wasn't this summer with vacation and the heat) and getting my water. When I do both those things I can even enjoy treats without seeing it on the scale. And if I can build more muscle that will help. So we'll see how my routine does.

Water and weights. That's my motto this fall.

There is a mind boggling number of books and websites out there. Many have good information. I like anything by Tom Venuto. Jamie Easton (a bodybuilding gal) has some good stuff as well. Jackie Warner is my favorite DVD workout go to. I see big results with her power circuit DVD and it's not all the pounding or jumping of others. The biggest thing is doing something. Some have you do a certain number of sets and reps. Others have you do exercises for a minute at a time. Research supports both. The big thing is doing something that fatigues the muscle sufficiently. That's how you see change.