Gosh, what happened to September? Another week toward goal...

Daisy - you are so motivated! i envy you and am trying to have your outlook. Whatever I can do is good! And I want the legs of the lady in your pic Killer!

Amanda - I think it's just that time of year. It's crazy at work for me too. Does it ever get uncrazy for you? Glad you're hanging in there! At least if you're busy, you're not eating, right?

PilatesGrl - Love you goal! I think that will be my gift to myself for making goal weight..a vacation to a tropical place where I can sunbathe my new bod! What a great idea!

LockItUp - What plan are you on? I am not following a diet plan right now, and losing more than I did on Weight Watchers, but I'm interested in what other people are doing that's working for them.

Kery - You are so right, FitDay is sometimes like homework! It's kind of hard when you can't find exactly what you want to put in, but i like having the accountability, and it's free! I'm pretty new to it and still trying to figure out all the cool tricks.

Steph and Dolly - CONGRATS on the weight loss!! I hope to be there with you on my WI day.

Lizzie - Good luck with the gym! I just started back after a two week hiatus, and it was hard! Got any advice?

LadyJames - Way to go! Just hop right back on the wagon. Jazz class, that sounds cool. Is it jazzercise or at a gym or something? I love to dance, and what a cool way to work up a sweat!

Glasgow - I have the same problem, I just can't seem to push away from the table. And when crap happens in my personal life or at work, my first instinct is reach for a candy bar or some junk food. But lately I've started trying to do something productive when that happens, like play with my dog, phone a friend, take a walk, read a book, anything to keep myself out of the kitchen or away from the food. It's really sad that I have to trick myself into it, but until I started doing that I was the same way, the scale wouldn't budge. You can do it. Find your triggers and substitute something for them. Post on 3fatchicks, anything to stay away from the food. Good luck!

Well, I'm in training all week, which means sitting on my tush more than I usually would. But I am making up with it by going to the gym. Why shouldn't i, it's free? But in order to motivate myself, I've decided to rent a locker, ($7.50 a month, what an investment!) but that way I'll feel guilty if I don't go work out. It'll be motivation to have stuff over there ready to shower right after and head home.

Happy dieting!

Miss Traveller - I am not on a specific plan. Just trying to eat often and healthy. I'm not even counting calories. Just using common sense! The plans were driving me nuts and making me obsessive.

Well, here I am..

I didn't want to work out... still depressed over last week's complete fiasco, I really felt like binging and hiding myself in my fat. But I didn't... not really (I did eat a bunch of leftovers, something I normally don't do.. but that really ended up being breakfast, so it works). And I did exercise some, and im planning on doing more later.

On a somewhat bright side, I did an unofficial weighing of myself jus tnow (I forgot to this morning, and I like to weigh myself BEFORE I eat anything) and it said 212... which is not nearly as bad as I feared. Tomorrow morning I will weigh, and tell you all what the real number is.

And bah, I think I caught a cold from my sister... Im sincerely hoping not, because I cannot afford to take time off of work.

Micky - *hugs* I hope things get better.

Slimming - Haha, aren't random runs to Waffle House fun? Ive done that before... not drunk, but still amusing.

Ladyjames - welcome back! baby steps are the way to go. We're glad to have you here again!

Hi ladies!

Well I've decided to come back. I miss all of you and the support I got and tried to give. I haven't lost a single pound the whole time I've been gone, but I haven't gained either! Woo-hoo!

Can't wait to catch up around here. I need to make some tickers and join in the challenges.

Stacy

morning ladies

well i have finally finished my new strength and cardio routine. tonight is shoulders and cardio at the gym - i am actually looking forward to it the boyfriend just called and he is out of town now for the rest of the week for work so its just going to be me and the dogs at home. mind you, i will be at the gym most evenings so boredom and mindless eating shall not get me!

the biggest loser started here last night (the latest US one). i have always admired kym lyons so it is interesting to see her on the screen - i like her. she's tough but knows what she's talking about.

stacy - i was thinking about you just the other day. glad to see you back on the boards!

fae - fingers crossed you haven't got a cold. glad to see you came back too.

misstraveller - thanks! its alot easier to say it than do it. a saying that works for me is "pretend to love it, until you do". seems to be working so far

glasgow - i hear you! my eating although relatively junk free is still too high in quantity and therefore my downfall. keep at it. break the day up into 3 sections - each meal. if you mess up at the first meal, start again straight afterwards and aim to eat properly at the next meal, and so on.

Heather - take care of yourself

ladyjames - good to see you back. ROFL at the K-Fed comment.

stephie - great start. i saw your goal - you certainly have stepped it up this month. as jaime has said - this month will be "ROCKtober!"

And a new day is starting here! Good morning everyone!

~newarmywife: I had to toughen myself up. Colds are my weak spot, and I've come to learn to live with them after so many years. If I were to veg out each time I get one, I'd be down half of the year, and that pretty much sucks. The good thing at least is that, eating healthier foods, the colds still are my weak spots, but at least they last a few days only, not 3-4 weeks like they used to.

~fae: Crossing fingers for you as well! Did I say that colds suck?

~misstraveller: I guess the main problem I have with Fitday is that lots of the foods in it are, well, geared toward the US public. For raw veggies, raw meat, etc, it's alright, but as soon as I need something more specific, I have to weed through brands I don't know, and it tends to take much more time than I thought at first. Yeah, it indeed feels like homework.

~glasgow: I hope you will soon feel better regarding this hunger thing. Are you eating whole foods and the likes as well? Sometimes the right amount of calories is here, but not in "suitable enough" foods--and I've found out that this time of the year can be horrible regarding hunger: winter is coming back, bodies are obeying the old reflex of preparing to stock and wanting "filling" foods ("filling" here being akin to sauerkraut with tons of sausages... uhh, no thanks )... It can be something hard to battle when put on top of the rest. The only thing I've found to keep those pangs/cravings at bay is to keep busy. Fortunately school work helps. Can't really binge in the campus library, right.

Last night I was proud of myself for dinner... salad, a grilled chicken sandwich on wheat bread, and brown rice. The boyfriend made chicken nuggets and fries... whoo I rock.

Im feeling a little better than I did last night, but not tons... and yet not nearly enough to call off of work, so I guess I'm goin in. At least I get a break today, so I can break up my day into 2 smaller shifts (it makes me feel so much better to look at it that way, hah) Breakfast is 1 cup of cereal with 2% milk, cranberry juice, and lean turkey breakfast sausages (normally I get the normal sausages but they were out... these make me happy because 2 of them = 1/2 the calories of the normal turkey sausages, mostly because they are smaller, but 2 of them together really don't seem smaller so I'm happy.. and rambling) I might do some cardio later if I'm feeling up to it, but today very well may be a rest day!

*edit* I forgot to mention that I stepped on the scale this morning and it red 210... better than 220, but still... part of it is water retention due to TOM I know, but Im still editing my Thanksgiving goal to 195 instead of 185.. just to be realistic

stacy - welcome back, and congrats on the no gain!

Daisy - Yay! Keeping yourself busy = he gets home quicker! And have fun at the gym. And of course I came back.. I like to think that I had an "involuntary seperation" from you guys...

Kery - Good morning! And colds do suck *beats hers with a stick*. It's my sister's fault, I swear.

Good morning ladies... I'll have to catch up on personal responses later, right now I woke up super early (okay, 7:15 am ) so I could write a response paper to Richard III which, obviously, isn't happening yet! Damn the allure of 3FC!

I'm off to a non-start on the October exercise challenge! I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off (eeew) for the past few days, I started a new job and had papers due and am trying to get a start on then 900-page novel I have to have read for next week and also clean the apartment for the boy's return tonight (which in and of itself will take 4 hours to accomplish, since I have to drive up to Dulles to get him)... I'm going a little nuts! I haven't even gotten to the cleaning the apartment thing... Part of the reason why I haven't gotten any exercise is I keep driving to campus instead of walking so I can get home quickly and work work work. Things will slow down a bit soon, I hope.

Okay, I have a little bit of a dillema to put to you girls (and totally off topic). I live in a basement apartment. Four girls live in the house above me. There is only one thermostat for the whose house, which I don't have control of. Now, in the summer it was fine because the girl who lived here before me said they don't ask to be reimbursed for a/c... it's too tricky to figure out how much of their electric bill went to cooling a fifth of the house. So even though I was going around in sweaters and slippers in the summer it was so cold, I never complained. Now, it's October 3rd, and yesterday they turned on the heat. Seriously. We're in central VA. It's still in the 70's during the day. And they turned on the heat. When I was in Canada, we waited until Nov. 1st to turn on the heat. Canada! Where it actually gets cold earlier! I was so hot last night I kicked my three blankets (which I needed in the summer due to the a/c) off. Now for the dillemma:
-the house also shares a water tank, and in theory I should have to pay a fifth of the water bill, but they have not approached me about this. (And I have issues with that anyway since their boyfriends are always up there... using water... and I'm just one person thereby using far less. Anyway.)
-I want to complain about the heat, because this is RIDICULOUS, and it's gas heat so it's expensive... but if I complain about it, it will remind them that I ought to be paying for it (and probably also the water for the past two months), which is the problem in the first place because I don't want it on and I have NO money until my second job starts paying at the beginning of November... and besides, how do I overrule 4, sometimes 8 people who obviously want the heat on? I feel bad opening a window when it gets too hot, because that's a waste of heat.... but I kind of feel like I can't go talk to them about it.... of course, they might get their gas bill at the end of the month and go "dang, this is expensive, we need to get the girl downstairs to help" and I'll have to suffer silently because if I had it my way, the heat wouldn't even be ON in the first place.... And if they remember I should pay for heat they might want me to pay retroactively for the water and ****, even the a/c if they think of it. ARGH. I don't know what to do.

I seriously don't mind paying for my share of things. What I have a problem with is paying for something that I didn't want to buy. I guess it's an inherent problem in this apartment, but there has to be a solution! I just don't know what it is!

Man, I spent way too long writing this out. MUST get that stupid paper done in an hour! Later ladies, have a good Tuesday.

Jaime, I feel for ya. If you really don't mind footing your share, I would bring it up now. If they haven't remembered yet, I bet they will when it actually gets cold and the electric bill has tripled, which it tends to do in the winter. I know that every year I always become super-energy saver-all that is efficient when I get a look at that first winter bill. I would def deal with it now instead of when people are hashing it out at Christmas. I hate suffering in silence more than anything in this world, but that's me.

Have fun with the boy! Ahhhh, I remember back to long distance relationships and that mad flurry of house cleaning...

Miss Lambert- glad to have you back!

New Army Wife- Welcome to the boards! From reading your previous posts, it sounds like you are on a good plan- good luck with it!

Fae- What is with everyone getting sick already?!?!?!?!?! Hope you are feeling better.

Stephanie- I swear, girl. It's before 7am and your posts put the "Rocky" theme into my head. I'm going to go run now- you're killing me, smalls! Brutal!

These threads move so fast that if I don't hop on first thing I feel like I've missed it! I'm playing catch-up though, because I have a little over a week until the beach. Time to kick it into high gear! I have been doing ok work-out wise, but I never feel like it's enough. I got an a.m. and p.m. run in yesterday, so hopefully I can keep it up until I leave. The only obstacle for the beach will be the alcohol, but we are bringing our own groceries and have made "plans" to run on the beach and stuff. I will also be chasing aroud my rambunctious 9 year old brother. My only goal for next week is to come back the same weight as when I left (and with a tan!!!). Did you know that there isn't a single solitary swimsuit left in the state of Colorado?

Is it really October?!?!?!

Hi everyone,

Ok, TERRIBLE weekend food-wise, and it continues. We had a tasting party at my house Saturday to celebrate our home beer brewing and besides the beer there were tons of snacks that were just so good. And then there were tons of leftovers. I seriously ate 6 cupcakes Sunday. And 4 yesterday. Only 1 today...so far... My roomie and I even brought all the leftovers to work yesterday so they are not at home and our office mates haven't eaten them all, so we are still eating them! (Of course what I'm eating is my fault, not the office mates' at all, I'm not trying to shift blame off myself.) I weighed myself this morning and I was 10 pounds up from a week ago. 10 POUNDS!!! I am trying to first of all tell myself what do you expect when you eat junk and haven't tracked food/calorie intake since Saturday. Tons of pretzels, peanuts, beer, and TOM on its way is bloating me, but the junk food has also definitely added several "real" pounds. Working out is good, exercise is not the problem. After 3 weeks of eating SO well and cutting my summer bloat/weight, it's all back in 4 days! @#$%^&!!! And I have only myself to blame.

Ok. First of all, I'm going to take the leftover cupcakes and cookies out of the room I'm in, and put them in the kitchen. I have boiled shrimp left from the party, too, for lunch (yumm! and healthy!) and raw veggies and low fat yogurt and fruit for lunch for several days already cut up. Ok. Gym after work, before rehearsal, and no beer despite all the good beer in the fridge, until maybe a few this weekend. But only if I deserve it. And no weighing myself until TOM is over.

britomart, having been the more frugal/environmentally minded roommate in most living situations I can relate but don't have a great solution for you. I think that, no matter how intimidating it may seem, you must try to talk to your upstairs neighbors about the heat. You don't need to bring up the expense or environmental implications if you don't think that will work. Instead, simply tell them you are uncomfortably hot to the point of sweating, opening a window, etc. Just act understanding on their part "oh, this old house seems to heat so unevenly!" instead of an accusatory "I can't believe you can crank the heat up that much!" and request they turn it down a few degrees and ask everyone else in the house (if you don't talk to all the girls and their boyfriends) to keep that in mind. Do you have a thermometer? Maybe the basement is really a lot hotter than the upstairs, and they really don't realize how hot it gets down there. At least see what their response is, then take it from there, but you need to approach them about it now before the situation gets worse.

This from the girl who is trying to build the courage to put down her foot and tell her landlady that she MUST hire someone to fix the wiring in her house this afternoon, and doesn't want to hear how expensive electricians are, it's a d!@# fire hazard!

Hi everyone else. Hope your weeks are going better than mine food-wise.

Just checking in this morning. Made it too the gym. Did intervals of highest resistance on the ellipitcal, man I am tired. So many posts to ready. Sorry in advance if I don't reply to all of them.

Brit: I have to agree with the other responses you need to address the issue now instead of later. You don't want to put anything off and then it become a really big problem.

Megan1982: I am a very frugal person as well and can't through anything away. Although when it comes to food left over from a party or family gathering I have no shame. If it is unhealthy I take it outside and put it in the trashcan. I usually put something on top of it then as well. If it is in the house temptation is there I will not win, so just through it away.

Junebug: Have fun at the beach. Walking and running on the beach is a really good workout.

Fae: you back on the right track with your eating. We all have our lapses in judgement, but we can all get back on track.

Welcome back Stacey!

for you glasgow!!!

Hey girls. Well im feelin quite a bit better this morning. I finally took my migrane meds last night(i dont like taking them often cuz they make me feel wierd..) and it got rid of that crazy headache.. I really think these may just be different kinds of migranes than i usually get, not Tension headaches like the dr said.. I mean they may be related to stress, but i dunno.. SO yeah.. i think im gonna go back and talk to her, and let her know that so far the anti depressents havent helped prevent the headaches.
Well thats all thats really new for me.. I didnt get any exercise in yesterday cuz i didnt feel good, but im going to try and atleast go for a quick walk later on. Hope everyone doin good!

Well yesterday was a bust but onwards and upwards right? I need to get some cardio in tonight. Too cold to run outside I think I will give my home treadmill a try. I have some work, and some house work to do so I will be busy busy busy. 20 days till my new job man I need to get on the ball!

slimming - congrats on your loss, doesn't it feel good?

Wasted Thermos - glad your staying busy, sorry you are stressed though.

Ladyjames - ofcourse we remember you! Welcome back ...

Heather - Hope you feel good enough to get your workout in. Nice about the energy, too bad about the being unable to eat thing (depending on how you look at it j/k)

amanda - Having someone to workout/walk with is so great isn't it? Thats awesome sounds like you have a plan. Your right you aren't gaining and I bet your body is rearranging, in the end isn't it more imporant how you look and feel than what number is staring back at you on the scale?

newarmywife - Strength training never feels good to me, running is great though. Sounds tough managing workouts around an itty bitty Good luck .

glasgow - Vent away...just think though had you not been working out you would have gained from all those calories...you have half the battle down.

misstraveler - Hey any motivation is better than no motivation. Make it to the gym, you will feel much better!

Fae - I know what you mean about just wanting to punish yourself sometimes and eat and hide...always ends up being a bad idea though so I am glad you talked yourself out of it. I hope your not getting a cold!

Stacy - Welcome back

Ange - Yeah I have a lot going on and I think it is time for me to take things up a notch...

brito - Unfortunately I say complain to them. You probably will be approached about paying eventually...

Jen - Hey you long time no see hehe. I know what you mean about swinsuits...check out tanning places they tend to keep them year round.

Megan - Bad weekends happen to good people, tell that landlady off, its a safety issue!

dolly - Great job getting the gym in early. I need to start doing that...foool proof way to get it done eh?

wow- I give up on trying to post with you all! Have a great day though-EVERYONE

Hey girls! Well the Jewish holidays are officially over (woohoo!!!) Not that I don't love to get together with my family, but holidays mean big family feasts all weekend for lunch and dinner and big family feasts mean normally huge binges. I stayed VERY VERY (x5) motivated and did not binge AT ALL. I made sure to sample a little of everything and never took seconds. It was rough, but I made it. I haven't weighed myself in a few weeks. I'm scared to because after all of my work while I was careful I wasn't good enough to lose weight and if the scale shows I gained weight I'd be so upset that may cause a binge in itself.

I know I can't believe it's October already... where did the summer go?