LindsB Your workouts sound awesome, I wish I could get up earlier to do it but I love my sleep way too much. Working out in the evening is going ok though so I'll stick to that. Maui sounds amazing!!

Philana Oh man, now you've talked about cupcakes I want them haha. Sorry if I missed something, but are you doing a VLC (very low calorie) diet? Didn't want to jump in having missed out on something!

Kawaii Oh cute, I read what you were saying about your bf and that all sounds soooooo sweet, I am jealous!! He sounds awesome, I'm so happy for you! I know I do need to count in weekends, even if I'm going over, just to be aware of how much... it could be scary! Hope your headache is gone!

~Right well I am feeling good! I went for a jog/walk and I made a healthy dinner! Have any of you been on skinnytaste? I love the look of the recipes, so today I tried one out - Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets. They were pretty easy to make and they tasted delicious! I also made a ratatouille of sorts to go with it, it was all pretty yummy.

Now I'm way too low on calories for the day so I'm trying to figure out what to eat. We have NO fruit in the house at the moment...oops.

I am so happy because I have leftovers for lunch tomorrowwwww!! Now I'm gonna go have a look at Pinterest - a friend invited me (I'm sure it's old news to a lot of people...) and it looks kind of fuN!!

rainbowstripe: no, I am not. I just messed up over the weekend so I wanted to have a really good day. Also, I have been hovering between 1200-1400 calories but it's not done anything to my weight so I am for a few days trying to stay around 1100. Though if I can stay as active as I was yesterday (I am usually pretty lazy) I think I can go back to 1200-1400 quickly enough. I just -NEED- a small small small sign of weightloss occuring.

Guess I should measure myself again. lol.

Hey ladies!

Sorry, going to have to make this brief, but just wanted to say sorry I haven't been around much. I'm running the Bikini Challenge and a lot of drama went down that has taken up a lot of my intarweb time to clear up. Not much else is new with me personally, except I'm sorta FREAKING OUT about my JET interview. So much is riding on it, I just really want this job =(. I really don't want to mess it up!

Personals are a-coming!

Rainbow- def. stick with what works for you in terms of working out! It feels good to be re-committed! Good to see you around again

Kawaii- you and your BF sound super cute! I def. don't feel 100% in my own skin just yet, but if I was more toned all over I really wouldn't give a crap about the number on the scale.

I am so anxious to get my new lifting book. I really think it is going to give me a huge jump start. I was so upset last night because my tummy was so bloated and squishy (not normal for me as I don't carry my weight in my middle). I was convinced I must be gaining, but I woke up this morning and it was mainly gone- THANK GOODNESS! I think it had to be bloat from increased fiber and protein.

You guys are too chatty - I can't keep up!

I'm doing good. On "forced" vacation this week seeing as I had no much time off leftover at the end of 2011! I'm taking this time to study for a finance exam I'm taking in Feb and getting back into a workout routine. My knee is better and my dry cough is finally gone so I went to spinning on Sunday and went for a run this morning. Amazing how the body forgets its own endurance. I was dying at the end of my run!

Eat has been better too. I threw out some junk food I had gotten last week and I'm going to start tracking again after a couple of weeks of not doing it.

My ex (the one who ended things with me on Christmas Eve) started texting me a lot last week and my naive/stupid self was partly excited by his sudden interest again...and then he said something really stupid on Saturday and now I'm all bummed again. Stupid boys.

Rie - When is the interview? Good luck!!!

Philana - Good for you getting back into it! I know what you mean about the eating. I was doing soo great that first week, but got really discouraged by the slow weight loss, given that it was my first week and my diet had changed so drastically. Just keep at it, the results will come (hopefully for us both!)

Hey ladies! I have been super busy since student teaching started yesterday. I feel super busy anyway. I'm going to have to get used to waking up at the butt-crack of dawn every day. I'm so worn out by the time I go home. Then, I have so much to do at home too...(((sigh)))...I hope it gets better soon.

I'm sorry for not doing personals today, but there's a lot to read. I'll try my best to catch up tomorrow...I just don't have it in me tonight.

Riestrella Might be too late by the time you read this, but GOOD LUCK!! you will do great ^_^

Linds I wish I carried weight elsewhere! Actually no... I mean middle is no fun, but at least I know that my thighs and stomach are basically the only place fat can come off, which is only good! Glad to hear your bloat was only a scare!

teamcoco Forced vacation sounds kind of good - give you time to relax and such! Sorry to hear about your ex...sounds like a bit of a dummy - talk about a terrible time to break up and then to text you... I would tell him to give you some space (not that I know the situation, so sorry if I'm overstepping the mark!)

sgregg I hope you find the balance it sounds like you need!

~Weight is steady on 63kg. I feel like I'm just teetering around here, but the worst part is I feel like I look like I did at 65kg. I know it's not a huge difference, but I'm sure I remember being smaller before.
I dunno. I just feel like some of my dresses are the teensiest bit snugger, which I'm not keen on - but I can't beat myself up, things don't happen over night and I'm making a real effort right now to get back to where I was. I'm still basically the smallest I've ever been in my life, so I just need to keep remembering that I know what I'm doing!
I've done this! I can keep doing this! God, I sound like some poster child for positivity, which is kind of pretty far from the case.

Anyway, I'm already a bit freaked out about the next 5 days. Boyfriend's parents are going away tomorrow - which is great, house to ourselves, I get to choose food...but it's also the weekend coming up, I have quite a few parties on and also a music festival on Monday... oh man.

Just a quickie before I go off to work:

I am sorta proud! Yesterday was a really crazy busy day, I hurried out the house at 9 and wasn't back till 11pm. But I took healthy foods and did well. Untill dinner with friends... haha. I went about 400 calories over. So when I got home I straight away went on the twiststepper for half an hour before bed. Wanted to do an hour but the sound drives my mom crazy. Haha. So I burned off half of those calories. Coulda gone to bed and just not care, but I like how this felt!

Have to learn to not eat food that is right infront of me though. As appearantly I can't control myself yet.

Looks like we've all gotten busy this past week. I don't feel as bad about having to slip away from the boards. I hope all of your are doing well! Like, Shauna I don't have time to read over messages, but just wanted to drop in and offer some support to everyone. I know you all are pushing through!

CoCo I would love a forced vacation! Hope you're taking some time for yourself.

After a few days of intense work (and I ate a small cheesecake a friend made for me yesterday!), I still managed to lose 2 more lbs. I'm excited that I've managed to stay on track this long. I'm almost at my January goal, which was 8 lbs. Confident I can manage that.

Rainbow- You are doing great! If you keep the working out up those dresses will feel loose sooner than later And yes, you certainly know what you are doing! Good luck on the next 5 days! I hate feeling stressed about upcoming periods of time that could derail me. You'll get through it!

I have been SO exhausted the last 3 days! It is killing me! I made it to the gym on Monday and Tuesday mornings but I was so worn out at work yesterday that I could barely hold my head up! I ended up eating extra cals. looking for a boost of energy- horrible! I didn't sleep we at all last night so I decided to skip the gym this morning and get some extra rest. I have been really hard on myself if I don't go 6 days- which is a lot really. I'm going to stick to making my goal 5 days per week and if I get more-GREAT!

I wish my New Rules of Lifting for Women book would get here already! I want to read it this weekend so I can get started ASAP! I need to drop some fat and I have 16 weeks before I have to be in a bikini!

Wanted to share a funny story:
On the radio yesterday, they were telling a story about "don't trust women if..." and they had a list of things (like a woman with only guy friends. A woman that went to catholic high school, etc.) Well, one of the things was that men shouldn't trust a woman with bangs (fringe)! And I have bangs!
So they were talking more about it, and one of the radio guys, Samy, says that he thinks women are hiding something if they have bangs.
So I sent in a text to the radio show that said:
Bangs mean you're hiding something? Yes! My five-head!!
And they read it on the air! Haha It made me really happy. The Radio hosts all laughed and said "aww...I'm sure your five-head is beautiful!"

On a less-cheerful note: I think I'm getting sick. Blah. My nose is all stuffy and I just feel yuck.
Fell off my eating plan a little bit yesterday because I really wanted some comfort food. But I don't think it'll affect my weight too much.

Shauna - Sorry to hear about your long days! I hope that your body adjusts to it soon

rainbowstripe - Good luck this week! I know the feeling of being afraid to lose control over your eating, but just keep busy and remember who's boss. You were totally not overstepping...he is an ***! It's a long story, but I didn't want to date him at first but he was so persistent, and then when I came around, he freaked out and broke up with me. On Christmas eve. What a winner

Philana - I don't trust myself with food in front of me either. 9am-11pm sounds like a long freaking day! What do you do??

Stronger - Thank you! I am trying to relax a bit, unfortunately this week is going by so fast and I can't believe it's almost over. Good for you reaching your January goal! Keep it up I wish I could say the same!

Linds - I wouldn't be so hard on yourself either. Five days a week is a lot of gym time, but you're doing amazing! I've been so good about going to the gym this week, but that's because I'm on vacation. I hope I don't lose momentum next week.

Quiet Ballerina - That's hilarious. I would have fallen out of bed if my comments had been read on the air. Get lots of rest and drink loads of water for the flu'ey symptoms. I just got over it myself, it wasn't pretty!

Another gym day today! But I weighed myself this morning and I was at 186, which is 1lb higher than my Jan 1 weight. *Le sigh* I bought a bunch of produce today, and meat. It's just so discouraging. I swear, these last 30lbs have been such a daunting task. I feel like it'll never come off.

Hey thanks,Coco-- counting calories? I know when I was fluctuating and starting counting calories (not closely, but making sure I knew what was going in), it made a huge difference. Plus plenty of water. Which is tough because it means I'm leaving every class once or twice just to use the restroom but... hey... the pounds are coming off!

philana: haha… yeah, I used to go clubbing a lot before I met him and the boys I met there were never good news… haha… but every once in a while… another girl I know also met her bf-now-husband! at the very same club! lol. so it does happen! oh yeah… that would complicate matters a bit… but you never know! but I know how you feel cuz I would often go clubbing with a good friend of mine who is gay and he would always complain that he could “look, but not play” lol. well, I didn’t like going to gay clubs with him for the same reasons, haha… but anyhow. yeah! hurdles suck!! been doing good for these last couple of days though! congrats on staying on plan too! the trick is not giving up! eventually, you’ll see a result!

rainbow: haha, thanks! how are things going with your man? yeah, I think someone posted the link for skinnytaste on here ages ago, cuz I’ve been following it since then! of course, it usually ends up making me hungrier than anything, as it’s hard to cook any kind of “western recipes” here in japan, to do lack of equipment and proper ingredients… good job on the job and healthy meal!! aaah, but I know the feeling, with clothes not quite “not fitting” but being a bit too snug… it sucks when you think they used to fit so well, or even be too big!! but don’t let it discourage you! I’m sure you don’t really look like you did at 65kg

Rie: good luck with the interview!!

Linds: thanks. I’m really so happy! I don’t want this cutsey adorable phase to ever end! lol. what’s the book? I think that when you are working out a lot, especially on toning and stuff, you’re not gonna see a dramatic change in weight loss, but mostly in how your body looks, so don’t worry about the scale too much anyways!!

teamcoco: forced vacation sounds like a good thing! you need to relax sometimes! indeed, stupid boys!! gah! just don’t reply to him next time… and hang in there! sounds like you’re doing good with your diet and workout, so good job!! btw! I just happened to glance at your picture and it says you’re from Montreal! I’m from there too!! *high five*

sgregg: student teaching is HARD! harder than actual real teaching! hang in there!!

stronger: congrats on the loss! I’m excited for you!

ballerina: wtf?! that is the most ******ed story ever! (also, I have bangs, so I am insulted, haha) aww… sorry to hear you’re not feeling well though… get plenty of rest and hopefully it’ll go away soon!


Hi guys! missed a day yesterday cuz of stupid headache that I realized was NOT due to my eating Kasugai peas (lol) but TOM-related… it got much worse and lasted 2 days and just sucked, but then the minute I took my pill (BC) yesterday, it like magically got better in like 15 minutes. I swear that never happened before. I didn’t originally thing it was a period migraine because it wasn’t as incapacitating as the ones I’ve had in the past, but I guess that’s what it was. it just sucks though cuz it means they are coming back. I changed my pill about 5 months ago cuz my migraines were so intense, and I hadn’t really had any since the new pill… I really hope this is just a fluke… meh.

well in other news, my scale is also refusing to move. it’s given me the exact same number (higher than last week’s Friday number) for the last 3 days, which sucks. I’m really reluctant about having another cheat day this weekend because of it, but I have no choice since I’m going to Tokyo again and eating at restaurants, and he will be miserable if we can’t go anywhere cuz I can’t eat anything…

other than that I’m good! I’m doing these music lesson with my special 9th grade English class, and I’m planning the one for next week now and doing the Spice Girls… lol. it’s really fun and nostalgic for me to be looking up pictures and videos and info… aaah… my kiddies were being conceived around the apex of Girl Power… makes me feel OLD! lol.

hope everyone has a good Thursday~

philana Congrats on the exercise, I would have gone straight to bed - so go you!!

Linds I am with you on the exhaustion. Whew! I'm glad it's Friday for me tomorrow!!

QuietBallerina Ooh.. I wonder what I'm supposedly hiding then haha! Sorry to hear you're unwell.

teamcoco Glad I didn't overstep, wow, what a weird thing to do! I think busyness is key for this weekend - just worried because a lot of the gatherings involve food!!! Hang in there. I'm sure you will get where you want to go!

Kawaii Yeah, skinnytaste makes me hungry too, and some of the recipes are a bit more time consuming than the time I have! I can't wait to move out and get a slow cooker, I feel like I'm going to save a ton of time. Maybe. Hah. Things with my boyfriend are good, we will have been together 4 years in a month and a bit - scary! I'm also stuck with weight so I feel your pain. Spice Girls class sounds fun!

~Weight is the same. My glands have been swollen and sore since Sunday but I'm not "sick" as such, so I'm a little confused. I do feel kind of lethargic and run down...but then again, I'm one of those people that is tired a lot of the time anyway... it's a little confusing.

Made dinner again tonight, lamb steaks, balsamic mushrooms and lemon garlic green beans. The lamb steak was coated in panko breadcrumbs and cashew/basil/parmesan pesto. The pesto was a little higher calorie than I'd have liked, but I'm all still good for the day, so I'm not too worried!

Today I finally got back into eating breakfast and regular snacks, so I'm happy about that. I didn't exercise because of the glandular pain/run-down-ness - I'm listening to my body.

Bring on the three day weekend!