Beautiful mostly-sunny Saturday. It's good to see the sun again (but I'd love to have the 83 degrees with it!).

My world got rocked at work on Thursday. I've often said that the only reason I stay where I am is because I dearly love working for my boss. The guy is smart, young, fit, good-looking, and a born leader. He also is married and has two young (infant and 2) daughters, so he treats his employees the way he wants to be treated - lots of flex-time, telecommute options, etc. He announced he's moving to our product development group to take over the reliability management. Great for corporate, great for him ... and I'm suddenly the interim "quality point person". I refused to let anybody call me the interim quality manager - my lack of managerial ambition is renowned (I am a REALLY good "Indian"). So, I pouted my way through three days of food and alcohol disregard and am coming out the other side. And it's TOM as well. Fabulous.

It's spring. Change is in the air. I became motivated enough on Friday to register for the coursework that will help me become a licensed gemologist/insurance appraiser - quite excited about that. My spouse has decided (after seeing pictures of himself in his bathing suit on the beach) that it's time to try a little portion control , so he's been asking some questions and thinking about his approach to food.

Good quote - "I'm not retreating, I'm just advancing in a different direction."

It's time for me to join this thread. I've been up around and slightly over my red line weight for months now.

Last 2 weeks I totally let myself lose control and now I weigh 141 lbs. - 6 lbs over my red line weight.

I know what I have to do to get back down to the weight on my ticker. I'm keeping 133 lbs. there as a reminder of what I can do.

Time to do it.

Great Monday all!

Dagmar

krampus my niece lives in southern Japan and she is there teaching English. She took three or four years of Japanese in college and applied for a government job in Japan to teach English for a year. She applied for a second year, but she's worried that due to the devastation the government might not renew her contract. They certainly have a lot on their hands with all that.

I'm trying a new attempt to stay away from nightly cocktails. I bought some Clamato juice and will make myself a vodka-less Bloody Mary each evening. I know it's still pretty empty calories, but I think this will work for me and it will be far fewer calories than glass after glass of wine.

Okay folks, I am in it to win it. I want to be 133 this summer and I'm toeing around 138 right now (up 3lbs in the past week apparently). That's 5lbs to lose. I have been eating poorly and barely exercising. I can't increase the exercise right now due to injuries, but I can certainly clamp down on my calories.

This is such a cyclical problem. I can't exercise because of injuries. If I don't exercise I lose motivation to eat well. Because I'm upset about my injuries, I turn to food to make me feel better. As a result I just end up gaining weight. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow and hopefully something useful will come out of it, whether it's a new treatment to try or a referral to someone else. I need to stop allowing myself to eat junk because I'm upset.

Numbers **** aside, I feel like I lost 10 pounds overnight simply because I stuck to healthy on-plan eating and exercising yesterday. Being a little hungry no longer feels like an emergency; in fact I am learning to savor and enjoy it. After starting today with 100 pushups, it really feels like I'm "back."

Like I do, I'm shoving the mammoth task of moving my life back to the U.S. into the closet and tackling new projects, namely a musical collaboration with my boyfriend. We've never played music together despite both being pretty active with our respective instruments, so this is exciting.

***

paperclippy, that was a big reason I started binging and feeling so down and distressed - that awful feeling where you feel yourself getting flabby but you can't do anything about it because putting more stress on the injured areas could cause permanent damage. I really hope your doctor visit brings you some answers or at least some peace of mind.

alinnell, depending on where your niece is I might know some details about renewal as it sounds like we work under the same program (JET)? PM me if you'd like. I was offered a renewal and I am not exactly a superstar employee; I hope she can get a second year!

Mudpie, I'm 6 lbs over what I had hoped would be a red line weight too. Best to you!

I knew there was a "scientific" reason I loved my chips . . .

. . .but the link I tried to insert here just disappeared. Basically they did a study involving salt and what areas of the brain were affected when we ate it.

"It seems the salt has a very distinct impact on how we feel, according to a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Increased sodium levels increase the circulating and brain levels of oxytocin — a hormone that decreases stress and increases social behaviour. At the same time salt also suppresses angiotensin II, a hormone that increases stress response."


krampus I hear you on feeling a lot better after getting back OP. I managed to eat one banana last night as a snack.I am down 2 lbs. from yesterday as a result of making the correct choices!

jessica Hope the doctor can do something positive!

alllison How did the "mocktail" work out last night?

Good Tuesday all - stay strong!

Dagmar

Krampus, yes, I do think she's there under the JET program. Interesting. I'll have to figure out just where she is and let you know. EDIT: She lives in Hitoyoshi-shi, Kumamoto, Japan and is in the JET program teaching ALT at Mizukami Jr. High, Iwano Elementary/Nursery, and Yuyama Elementary/Nursery. She's also into triathalons, boating and skiing.

I had a good (not great) day of eating and exercise yesterday. A renewed feeling that perhaps this time it'll stick. The mocktail did help, but I should try to find an alternative to Clamato--first three ingredients are water, tomato juice and HFCS. Somewhere in there is also beef broth and clam juice. Not the healthiest, but I don't like regular tomato juice as well. Time to investigate options.

I think I'm going to jump in and join you all as well if that is okay.
I maintained my weight very well (123-125) for almost three years, and for some unknown reason it keeps creeping up the last few months until this week when I hit an all-time post weight loss high (132). I swore I would never go over 130. I returned from a trip to Vegas a week ago so perhaps the weight gain is delayed? I was 130 when I got back and 128 two days later, but then the scale jumped up. This morning I was 130.2 and I am determined to get back under 130 and stay there!

Like Jessica I have thyroid issues (Graves Disease) but they are SUPPOSEDLY under control. I have my physical in June and if my weight isn't under control it will be on the top of my list of questions. I may also make an appointment to see my endocrinologist though I'm not sure that he can or will do anything if my "numbers" are okay.

I'm trying to change up my food choices to shake things up a bit to see if that helps.

The only other change I made was starting Bikram Yoga 2 weeks ago. I'm really enjoying it and thought that sweating for 90 minutes a day (with heart pounding!) would make me lose weight if anything??? I bought a 30 day pass so I'm going most days but once it expires I'll have to decide how much/if I want to continue.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

BTW... my sister-in-law's sister also was living in Japan when the earthquake hit. She lived in Sendai and was teaching English. After being in a shelter for a couple of weeks, she was evacuated to London (where my sis-in-law lives). She wants to go back to Japan but doesn't know when or if she'll be able to.

Wondering ... just how bad is the sweet and sour sauce used in the Thai version of sweet and sour chicken? I left about half of the rice, and I did not dredge the stuff through the sauce - just let it drip through to the bottom. I wish I'd taken a picture of it - it was colorful with all of the peppers and pineapple, and less than half a cup of chicken.

Almost 100% OP yesterday. I ate a spoonful of PB in the evening though (caved when DH sat down next to me with a PB sandwich).

Trying hard to stay OP today. I just need to hold out for one more hour here at work, then I'm stuck at PT for a while so nothing to eat there. When I get home it will be late enough I shouldn't be hungry after dinner.

All riiiight, weighed in this morning at 60.0 kg or 132.3 lbs. Lowest I've weighed in 3 weeks and down more than 2 kg since Monday. Have been totally on my "fast loss" plan, under 1400 calories the past two days plus ample exercise and (mostly) clean eating. Yesterday the only sweet things I ate were an apple and some sliced pumpkin.

It's making me feel so good that I actually got up at 6 this morning to run 3 miles before work. Really set a great mood for the entire day; hope this lasts for more than just a spell! I'm ready to see kilo-weights in the 50s again.

***

alinnell As far as I know, Kumamoto's goings-on should not be affected by the earthquake/tsunami at all. Seems a lot of Boards of Education follow a pattern; when cutting ALT positions, they just don't recontract third years. First years are often relatively safe from cuts. Hope she can stay! My boyfriend lives in Kumamoto City, it's a nice (if stupidly conservative and old-fashioned) place.

Mudpie Nice work! Bananas are pretty great but I think they're partially responsible for errr irregularity problems so I'm taking a break.

traveling michele Funny how easy it is to find yourself above "never again" weight - wishing you the best in your loss! I'm really relieved to hear your sister-in-law's sister was safe. One English teacher in my program died in the disaster and many, many others including a couple friends lost their homes. I hope she can go back someday.

ICUwishing I doubt it's "bad" at all, how can anything so delicious and colorful really be bad?

Yesterday (day 2 of being OP) was really hard. Usually it's the third day for me. I had a headache after the post adrenalin crash associated with breaking up yet another dogfight (Miss Chloe is going to wear her muzzle and stay on leash all week if she has to). Couldn't shake it.

I ate a bun with margarine after my evening banana. DH had been popping microwave popcorn and the smell was through the house. I'm trying to stay away from eat-in-front-of TV snacks like popcorn and chips so the bun with marg was the alternative. 280 cals I didn't need but craved.

I am down to 138 : from Monday's 141. Mostly bloat but I'll take it!

Anyone care to comment on the sodium in diet soda? Does it make anyone retain water (like sodium rich snax)?

Great hump day all!

Dagmar

2 days pretty much OP for me. I haven't managed to stay under 1400 cals but I did stay under 1500. Weight is back down to 136.6. My wrists are starting to feel a little better so I might be able to get back to *some* exercise soon (bike perhaps).

I need at least 1 week OP for my stomach to readjust to eating less. DH and I will be on a couple crazy diets in the coming weeks. Next week is Passover, so we'll have some low-carb craziness. DH also ordered the P90X system and wants to try following the diet in it once Passover is over, so we'll be doing that too.

Got some blood drawn at the doctor's yesterday so we'll see if my thyroid is acting up again. They're also testing my vitamin D levels. Maybe I just need to start taking multivitamins again...

Because I do WW, I don't track my calories, but instead track "points". I'm still going to do that but I'm also going to use a calorie counter for at least a few days to try to pinpoint where my calories are and see what I can tweak. I was reading that bananas can be EITHER constipating or cause diarrhea depending on the person and how ripe the banana is. I've been eating 2 or sometimes 3 bananas a day (and have been plagued with constipation issues), so I'm cutting them out as of today to see if that helps anything.

I'm trying not to get too depressed about my weight. Dh keeps telling me I'm obsessed about my weight and exercising. I know he is tired of hearing about it. I have an optional meeting after work today and I think I'm going to skip it so I can go to Yoga and Target. I was looking to dh for support and not guilt, and he said I should go to the meeting (unpaid by the way) and not be so obsessed about exercising. Sigh....

krampus - thanks for the reassurance! I've had a lot of luck with my "non-beige" food standards. I may never know what they used for the sweet side of that sauce - best case, honey or real sugar ... but I decided I'm not going to make myself crazy over it. Please continue to post your inspiring return to the groove! Love your new profile pic, btw!

michele - yup, yup, yup - today I am a full 6 pounds over where I swore my red line was going to be. I never wanted to see anything in the 150's again. I think I've been here in the Operation 5-10 thread for what, a year and a half, the majority of which has been spent in the 150's. So far, I've been more annoyed than depressed ... but I haven't been trying like you have, and no one's going to call me obsessed. Heck, I haven't even been diligent.

Dagmar - welcome aboard the thread! May your stay be short. I saved a clip of Saef's "graduation post" - I expect to use it somewhere around mid-July, if the plan goes according to plan. I too fall prey to the salty/crunchy combo, far more than sweet stuff; I may never be able to comfortably eat a single serving of chips or pretzels. Good to know there's some science behind it.

allinell - totally empathize with the drive to replace the nightly drink. I'm following your tomato juice/V8 trials with great interest. So far, my only concession has been to cut an ounce off my wine serving. Baby steps!

Jessica - good luck with sorting it all out. Thyroids are miserable little glands - fickle! I'm a fellow hypothyroid. Recently have been taking a Vit D/K2/Iodine combo, and I think it's improved my moods and sleep a bit. My doc is suggesting that I consider heavy-metal chelation to see if that might wake up my thyroid - he's had a couple of patients who were able to get off the meds completely.

I'm succeeding at returning to logging, and am working on the difficult 2 hours between my arrival home from work and dinner. Those are my focus points for this week. Next week's goal is just to do what I did two years ago, when I was losing 2.5 pounds per month. I'm eating well this week so that the bloat will be gone for Monday's official kickoff.