Happy Friday!

Laurie Hang in there!

Diane Have a great weekend.

Amanda Woot! Woot! On the new low when you weren't even looking for it. Kick boxing sounds awesome!

Weight steady this morning. Skipped my workout because I was tired, but going to do C25K week 3 day 2 today. Hope it goes well.

Uber: Hope you got a chance to do you C25K. How did it go?

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

For me, I did some regrouping. I kind of had an off week last week, so I worked on getting my head back in the game. I forgot to get a battery for my scale, so I didn't weigh yet. I am hoping it isn't too bad... But I thought about what I needed to do to stay on track. I didn't have any breakthroughs on why I am struggling so much, but I do know I just need to dedicate myself. I can't let the time off I had because of injury become the normal routine. I am disappointed that it could take me so far off my game, but it did. Now I need to move back to normal. It just seems like since my back issue, there are always new little issues coming up. My feet were hurting, my endurance is off, etc. So, hoping for a better week this week. I need to make sure that while I get back in my workout groove, that I'm getting back in my appropriate calorie range with food, too!!!! UGH. So hard sometimes.

Hi Everybody!

Hope you all had a good weekend.

Diane Sorry that you are going through a difficult time right now! I know it's hard when the motivation just isn't there. I have a feeling that you being so busy at work is probably taking a toll on your general level of drive-- it seems like the weight loss/fitness push is easier when we have less on our plate, and sometimes a lot of our brain space is just taken up by something else. Just bear in mind that even with slower, less intense exercise, your fitness level will bump back up pretty quick. I have a tendency to be kind of all or nothing with exercise-- I either do nothing or I'm constantly ramping it up-- and you seem like you might be pretty competitive with yourself about fitness, so maybe you can make a deal with yourself to have a couple of hard days per week and a few easier days-- you'll still see progress, but it might be easier to ramp up that way. Just a thought.

So, I came on here and saw my ticker and I realized that I actually lost a pound and didn't realize it. I'm down to 275. Had a bit of a loose weekend food-wise. My daughter came home from college for a visit so we ate out once, then we had bagels after church on Easter and then I made Easter dinner-- but it was super healthy because my daughter is a vegetarian and a super healthy eater. So I clocked in more like 1500 which is ok for a holiday. I'm really noticing crampy legs with my workouts unless I really focus on hydration. I'm taking a medicine that is a mild diuretic, so I think I have to concentrate on hydration prior to workouts. I think it's running at the heavier weight that's doing it, but my legs are giving out before my wind. Usually it's the other way around. Going to do Week 3 Day 3 today... I suspect I'm going to have trouble once I move to week 4.

Hope everybody is doing great!

Uber: Yep, I think you are right. I need to just keep going, and stop thinking of where I was before. I can get there again, it might just take time! So glad you are doing so well! Just keep drinking lots of water, I guess.

Went to Body Pump this morning. I'd like to run tonight, but I need to check in with my daughter first. It is her birthday and even though we already celebrated last night and she's going out with her boyfriend tonight, I need to see if she'll be home after work. I would hate to not come home to say happy birthday if she's going to be there. We'll see what she says!

Hi Everybody!

Diane Hope you end up being able to go to Body Pump, and Happy Birthday to your daughter!

As for me, I've been a little less diligent with food for the last 4-5 days, but not ever slipping into crave/binge type eating. I don't know why but the running has turned into a slog. Not fun. Ran yesterday and I'm having trouble getting my cardiovascular up to where I want it because my legs hurt when I run. I suspect this is mostly bc of my high weight for running, but I'm sort of wondering if I was doing better with what I was doing before, which was 30 minutes of walking at a variable pace with an interval incline. I actually got my heart rate up higher doing that, I think. Also, since I feel more virtuous after the run, and my legs hurt more, I'm taking days off between the runs, whereas I was doing the walk more like 4-6x a week. I'm going to go back to alternating walk days and run days and I think I'm going to repeat week 3. I think if I do it a second time, hopefully my legs won't hurt so much.

Waving to everyone else! Laurie? Amanda? Lillion? Carter? Hope you guys are doing well.

Good morning!

I tried to post yesterday, but by the time I was able to make it here, 3FC was down. 3FC is never down! Bad timing.

Uber - I understand your struggle so well! I hate to exercise for an hour when I know I could burn the same amount of calories if I exercise more intensely for a half-hour. But then, sometimes the intensity makes it difficult or impossible to function the next day, so the extra half-hour would probably have been a better investment of time. I have these discussions with myself ALL OF THE TIME. I always want to push myself. I am aware that too much pushing could result in injury or excessive soreness or even just an inability to finish the work-out. I think your idea is perfect to alternate and see how that goes. There's definitely value in feeling the victory after being able to run, and it does good things for your fitness level. But walking on alternate days sounds like the perfect mix of sustainable and maximum exertion. And, I don't know if it makes you feel better or worse, but my legs almost always hurt after I run. And I've been running with some consistency for a bit.

Diane - Hope your regrouping is going well. And that you got yourself a new scale battery! The regrouping is, I think, probably the most important part of this. I wish it could be all autopilot and just maintaining consistency in nutrition and exercise, but that only happens, at least for me, for a limited period of time.

I ran out of time again. I am going to try to come back this afternoon, but am going to just post this before I go another day without posting.

Uber: Sounds like your body is rebelling on the running. I think alternating days with walking is a really good idea. Running is just such a tough thing. Love/hate it. By the way, I've been thinking about what you said a while back about work being so demanding really cuts into workouts and food plans. I think you are very much on point with that. I can't seem to get past overwhelmed at work, and it really makes it difficult to think about anything else. I don't really know what the answer is on it, but I wanted to let you know that I appreciate you saying that. I needed to see some light on the subject and I couldn't get there alone. Thanks!

Laurie: Yeah, I think I'm stuck on regrouping mode. I am not completely off but not completely on either. Autopilot would be awesome.

Not much else going on for me. Just working and stressing! Ha! Looking forward to the weekend, as I have a nice hike planned. So ready.

And another quick check-in. I weighed on Monday morning. I was back up to 163. So, about a ten-pound gain. I know it's not "real weight," at least not all ten pounds, but I decided that I needed to break from the scale and to focus on getting back on track. I had about four or five days in a row where I was pretty consistently feeling sick because I could not make myself stop eating. I am doing better. I still have an overwhelming desire to eat everything in my sight, but I am doing better.

Hi everyone! No time to check in or even read the thread. Work (too much), sleep (never enough), outside stuff (when the weather cooperates), inside (when it doesn't) - Spring means I just have too much going on. Plus I have a cold. Boo Hiss.

But I just wanted to say I am still plugging away. I know when some folks go quiet it's cuz they've given up for a bit and that's not me. Although I did rather inexplicably impulse buy and promptly eat a whole bag of fancy caramel popcorn last week. And i don't even particularly like sweetened popcorn. And halfway through the sizable bag I'm thinking "what the heck are you doing?" but i still finished it. But that insanity aside, I'm still hanging in and looking forward to getting back here to hang out with you guys!

Vladadog - Love your breezy update! I am feeling the crunch of work and spring and activities too. And I love that your bizarre popcorn transition was a quick blip that didn't really upset the apple cart at all.

Diane - Work man. Work. It seems like it's overwhelming many of us right now. Can't wait to hear about you fantastic hike this weekend, and hope that the regrouping leads to autopilot soon enough.

I still didn't weigh this morning. And I am now recognizing it's not because I don't want to know what damage I've inflicted so much as I don't want to be accountable for the damage I will inflict. And just now, I realized I have fifteen minutes before my next appointment, and decided it was a good time for a vending machine trip. What? I haven't done a vending machine binge for months. And it wasn't the cumulation of a craving. It just popped into my head as a thing I planned on doing. But I decided that I would come here instead. So, I guess all of my choices are not terrible.

Going to run today. And tomorrow. And Saturday, I think. I have a 9 days before my scheduled half-marathon. I am not as prepared as I could be, but I am prepared enough to finish it. I just need to get over my recently-acquired dread of running. Just do it. Right, Nike?

Hope it's a good day for everyone!

Vladadog: Good to hear from you! And yes, when people don't post, you start worrying about what they might be going through, so very glad things are still going well for you. Oh, and I love caramel popcorn!! I would have trouble putting the bag down until it was finished.

Laurie: Even when you think you have it figured out, the autopilot still doesn't stay engaged. Sounds like you recognized the gains, though, and are working back toward a better plan.

For me, I skipped working out again today to come in early to work. I don't really want to do that, but it is just out of control right now. What is really weird today is that I woke up with a black eye. I don't remember hitting it or anything like that, so no idea what happened. Lots of jokes at work today. Wish I had a better story about it!!

I'm alive! Just busy lol. It's Shark Week and I'm dying to eat everything in sight. Started up the gym again after getting over being sick and then just being lazy. It's the start of Fiesta season, and I'm working some of the events for work. Busy busy busy. I bought a pre-workout powder to try for a small energy boost before hitting the gym. We'll see how it goes.

Hello, everyone! Don't have time for personal responses. I miss you guys! I'll be back in full swing soon. I haven't given up or dropped off the earth! lol

Good morning!

Like everyone else, work seems to be crushing everything else in my life. I am going to do my best for a complete post, but I may just end up posting before finishing the post.

Amanda - Super glad to see your check-in! Hormones too often trump good intentions. Hope Shark Week ends with success, and good to know that your short absence was due to the craziness of life rather than a lack of commitment to your new fitness and nutrition regimens.

Diane - That autopilot just isn't happening for me lately. Fortunately, I'm not waking up with mysterious black eyes. I do have a lot of unexplained bruising lately, though. The internets tell me it might be because of nutritional deficiencies, so I'm trying to increase my intake of spinach for its Vitamin K. Probably need to increase green leafy veggies anyway, so it's just more good motivation. I like to joke that my husband hits me in my sleep, but he doesn't seem to be amused by that, so I've stopped doing that. (For the record, my husband is not physically abusive. Just annoying in other ways at times. And pretty great in still other ways.)

I weighed today. I'm adjusting my trackers to reflect the gained weight. Guess I get my unspoken wish to be back on the losing side of things again. My size 8 jeans were just a little too tight, so I'm wearing the size 10 jeans now. I packed my lunch. Great first step. And then I ate all of it before 10, even though I included enough for a late afternoon snack.

I am going to refocus. Right now. I really can do this. No more sugar for a few days. Maybe go back to the liquid diet while my hunger cues get readjusted to eating very little again. My metabolism is geared to gain very quickly if I eat more than that. And I am going to run today, regardless of how busy work is.

Dread: Good to see you posting! Glad you're still hanging in there!

Laurie: Yeah, I'm definitely not on autopilot either. Don't be discouraged on the gain. I know you'll get it back in check. You've done so well, don't beat yourself up!!

And, with me, still going crazy at work. I haven't worked out because I've been coming in early. I hope to get in a better place today. Have a good weekend!

Shark Week was a disaster. My sister baked us some blueberry lemon pound cake, work bought us hot wings for lunch, and my boyfriend brought home stuff for margaritas. I've eaten horribly the last few days. BUT, I bought protein powder to add to my smoothies. Gotta recommit myself this coming week. I'm not weighing till Sunday morning to see what the damage is.

Diane: I leave you alone for like four days and you get a black eye??? What on Earth??? lol

Laurie: We're gonna refocus, recommit and get our crap together, lady! We got this!