Maenad ... Ilene and I have talked about alcohol, just not that long ago. I really enjoy the odd drink. A glass of wine, a really frosty beer, a good gin'n'tonic ... But my weight does not respond favourably. On Saturday evening I had one lite beer and that's the first in weeks (maybe months). One didn't have much impact but ... I'm not sure what a few would have done. And I already know what happens if I have a few scattered throughout the week ... stall, bloat ...

Can you take a bottle of water in your purse?

Maenad I think I will join you! I drink a LOT of beer and I'm sure it's been a big part of why I've put so much weight on in the last couple of years. I never really drank at all before I met my husband. I have recently been limiting myself to Friday and Saturday nights only, now I am making a pact to only drink Saturday nights and change up to something with lower calories...still trying to figure out what lol. I can blow the entire week with one night of imbibing!

maenad - I've already cut way, wayyyyyy back. I really enjoy a glass of wine, or a snifter of single malt, like some people enjoy pedicures and bubble baths - to me, settled in a cozy chair and sipping something excellent is the ultimate relaxation. That being said ... because the frequency and the quantity have both dropped off, I find that I'm willing to up the quality. I have given up completely on a lot of the mega-calorie bombs like margaritas and most mixed drinks - just not worth it any more.

Susan I am so proud of you ... and will follow in your footsteps...

Alcohol, ugh, if it weren't for that I think I'd be at my goal weight... Wine just screws with my metabolism, also the less I drink the less I can drink and darn it all I love my wine .... I've promised myself, last night after a dinner with some old friends, had 2 glasses of wine, that I would only drink at parties this Holiday season. This means, the first party is next weekend, after that it's the 2nd week of December.... NONE during the week!

On monday I ordered some books for Christmas gifts on Amazon, I do this every year, so at the same time I ordered The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess for myself... I'm hoping that this will motivate me to do better... I actually like starting a plan before the Holidays, I've done this before, it keeps me focused for the party season, and I don't gain any weight ....

Anywhoo, this is the plan...

Thank you so much for the advice. It is hard for me because the social life where i live revolves around drinking. Everyone drinks, and they drink a lot. It is hard to not participate.

SusanB: I try to travel with water, and i notice that if i am drinking water, i do drink less.

ICU- I gave up the fancy mixed drinks when i moved here (a margurita is like $20) but the beer is still pretty high in calories. I need to give up the full blown drinking nights!

Ilene- good to just keeping it to weekends!!

Carbcrazy- funny that i hardly drank before i met my BF as well, and it has been since i met him that i have put on weight. Hmmm, I think i would loose all this weight if i just gave up the drinking!! SO lets make a pack!! We will only drink one night a week! you on Saturdays, and me on Wednesdays (my Friday night)

Today was alright, a small breakfast (300 cals) and a eggplant kabab for an early dinner with a big salad. and diet coke. Have a big day tomorrow, teaching Infinitives and Gerunds. woot woot! should be fun! Good luck ladies, off to sleep!

Good morning!

I didn't have much luck finding smaller scrubs yesterday. Darn ... guess I'll have to go shopping again

The weekend is filled with traps and pits gals. Be wary!

Morning everyone

Good morning!

I got nibbling nuts last night. I know they're good for you but wow the cals add up in a hurry!

DH is cooking today for the people he sings with in church. I've set a lovely table for 12 and am going to work. He's experimenting with his smoker and the crockpot. I'll probably eat too much. Or if I'm careful ... I'll have leftover turkey and pork tenderloin for my lunches this week

3 pound jump from eating the types of foods that bloat me. We went to a friend's house for dinner and a movie (The Ugly Truth - ) and some euchre. I avoided all the sugar without any problems, and I don't think there was much salt ... I dunno - I have some potential culprits to keep an eye on. Either way, it'll be off again quickly, I'm sure. Today will be better.

SusanB - be strong! Sounds like you have some very tempting tidbits in your weekend!

Hey girls

The weekend has been excellent I am extremely happy to say... I didn't have a drop of wine .... Food was spot on and so was exercise, jogged yesterday and weight trained today... Did the first w/o of the New Rules of Lifting for Women, I quite enjoyed it

Please be aware … long thought filled post ahead

Did I sound like I was well prepared to deal with the fabulous dinner my husband was making for Sunday evening?
Well I was and I’ve learned a lot from it.
In truth … I wasn’t all that good on Saturday. I nibbled into the evening. I didn’t really ensure I had enough sleep all weekend either.
On fitday, I’ve recorded that I’d dropped to 135.2 lbs on Friday. This morning I’m 138.8.
I can hardly clench my fists and my face looks terrible … squinty eyes! Even my lips feel puffy.
3.6 pounds is a lot for a featherweight. It’s a lot for anyone.
I’m not discouraged. I know what it is. I know what happened. I know how to stop it and I know what to do now.
I also know that it will happen again.
Is it Glory87 who talks about a red-line weight? The weight at which corrective measures must be taken!
I now know that whatever weight I chose, my red-line weight is 4 lbs heavier. For example 125 and 129.
However … what if I’m sitting at 128 and have a dinner like that and bump up into the 130’s. Ack! Grrr … my brain is starting to jumble.
I think it’s safe to say that a very sudden 4 lb leap is explainable and manageable.
A slow 4 pound creep is … um … my fault. Still manageable, but.

I’d love to know what the rest of you think about this kind of thing. Anyone?

It's Monday. Yay. I've decided that I'm going to look at Thanksgiving as just another dinner at the in-laws. My MIL is a very good cook, but she does have a tendency to try and sweeten everything way too much. Sweet is not a sensation I particularly gravitate toward ... so I think as long as I watch portions and go heavy on salad and white turkey, I'll be just fine. The bigger issue will be the alcohol that FIL likes to push, but I can deal. They're nice people with hopes and dreams like everyone else. (breathe, Becky - you've got 3 days to talk yourself into this!)

SusanB - I'm new at being a featherweight, but I'm learning fast that I have a real problem with getting on the wrong side of the 150lb mark. The Maintainers do talk about a "redline", and a bunch even keep a ticker in their signatures with the redline at the left, and their tolerance range and goal. I have a mental hangup with that "decade change" from 149.5 to 150, and one of my goals is to get down far enough to permanently put 150 in the rear view mirror.

And yes ... I had a sudden 4# gain last week. Which came back off quickly. Now I'm wrestling off a 3# gain, 1/3 of which is gone already. I'm getting a little numb to those because I've had them throughout the year. I think what's kept me sane is seeing that (except for the November mark) there's been a steady downward trend every month of 2-3 pounds. I've been a lot more interested in that slow trend than the fast stuff. The fast stuff - oh yeah - rings are tight, eyelids are puffy ... it's the poster child for "I made a bad choice."

Chug the water and the green tea and behave yourself.

Good morning.. hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

We had a friend in town visiting with us this weekend, and I ate entirely too much. I also didn't go to the gym at all, and sat around playing video games a lot. I think I was also kinda celebrating the end of the worst TOM I've ever had. Even though I gained a couple pounds (probably some bloat - too much fast food yesterday), I'm still under 130 (woohoo!). And I'm actually looking forward to getting back in control, which is a weird but awesome feeling.

Hi all! I'm new to the featherweight thread. I just reached my initial goal of 135 and now I'm working on getting to a good, maintainable weight for my life (and a lower body fat %).

SusanB-I am your height and intend to try and maintain at about the range you mentioned (124-129). If I had an off meal and popped out of that range I'd just foods more closely for 2-3 days and I'm sure it'd come right off.

I am TRULY looking forward to being in "the range", though. I don't even care about whether I can eat any more calories. I'm pretty satisfied with my food now. I just look forward to staying a size long enough to build a wardrobe, having a more modest exercise routine, and having an occassional treat meal without beating myself up for it!

A quick note about me: I joined 3FC last November and have since lost approx 65 pounds. There have been good and bad months, but I have stuck with it for the entire year. In 2 days, it'll be my 1 year anniversary on here! I'm a married stay-at-home mom of 3. I look forward to knowing you all as I say goodbye to these last 10 or so pounds!