onestar - way to go!

blueridge - nice to have you back and good job on maintaining!

onestar and blueridge - way to go on the losses!

kpme - congrats on your WHOOSH! 2.2 lbs is awesome!

Wow, I had some major TOM cravings this weekend. Managed to hold off on a lot of them except my salt consumption was astronomical (and water consumption, by comparison, was laughable). I knew I was in trouble when my rings didn't want to come off... lol. So I'm back to being a fish today...hopefully the bloat will be gone by the end of the week. I'm so tired of the 170s.

Onestar and blueridge - Good job!!

Fatpants - I'm with you on the salt thing. Ate way too much yesterday so I've been avoiding it all day and drinking tons of water. I'm really hoping some of my gain is from that. Seeing the scale go up today was a really big bummer and it's the highest weight I've seen since I started maintaining, but I know it's natural and it's a good reminder that I need to constantly be vigilant, even if I'm not trying to lose.

On a positive note, I ran 6 miles today!!!! That's a whole mile longer than I've ever run before, so it was awesome. The treadmill even shut down because apparently it just stops at 60 min. I felt pretty badass...haha. I also came back to school today after our 2 month summer break and a lot of people noticed that I looked "slimmer and fit", which was so great to hear after my scale upset this morning.

Congrats again to all of you for working so hard and thanks for inspiring me to keep at it!

Ladies,

Congrats on all the victories - whether they are losses or maintenance - they are all valuable! Salt always wreaks havoc with my weigh-ins. Probably by a pound or so!

TakingCharge, I can't believe you have to go back to school already! Makes me feel so lucky that I have a month left (Well sort of...I'm actually in the middle of a summer paper now...) Awesome to get all the positive feedback!

takingcharge - congrats on the long run!

Hi ,
I haven't been checking in for awhile.But,have been doing pretty good.Today I was 260!
100 lbs left for goal!

as much as i hate to say this i have to take a rest from exercise today. i dont think my knees can take it and they probably need a rest. i've been pretty busy at work too so they're getting a lot more action these days. i work at a pediatricians office so i think i'll be pretty busy till the end of august with school starting back up. will eat OP and drink all my water. hope ya'll are having a great week!

I'm down another pound. It's not much, but I'll count it! I think I'd have done better if I weren't entertaining my brother the past few days. Lots of meals out, and while he's a healthy eater, he's a hearty eater, too, and we're both members of the Clean Plate Club. I've been working out, despite stubbing the bejeezus out of my little toe on Friday. I don't think it's broken. The nail's not too happy with me, tho . I have my annual check up on Wednesday morning, so that will be one of the first things on my list to ask about.

Congratulations to everyone. Good work

judy

Nice job, Judy and Tracy!

Onestar - lots of trainers think a rest day is a good idea to give your body a chance to recover. I think you're doing great!

Good morning all - I second all that has been said about salt. And does anyone else think stress has anything to do with this? Yesterday, the scale said 211, and today the scale said 213. I mean, I know daily fluctuations are normal, but how is it that I go from my Boston life of having wine with dinner and going out for ice cream with friends and I maintain weight loss and then when I am back in VA where I don't eat after 7 pm, exercise, have a healthy breakfast, etc I gain two pounds in a day?!?! It has definitely been overwhelming coming back...in the Slow Down Diet the author talks a lot about stress and how it wreaks havoc on your digestion and metabolism. So I think maybe the most important thing for me is to just stay calm in the midst of being back in the office after a month away and not let myself get stressed. Hard to believe that it can be as important or me as what I put in my mouth and how much I move my body, but it seems to be the case. Anyone else want to weigh in on this one?

Let's make it a great day, friends! Thanks for all your encouragement.

Hang in there, blueridge! I think a big part of the issue is we use the scale to measure fat loss but of course it measures our whole body which changes due to all kinds of things. Keep doing the right stuff and you will keep making progress overall even if you have some weird and unexpected fluctuations. If you're sticking to plan, no way have you gained two real pounds of fat, in my opinion at least.

Blueridge, my doctor told me that stress affects our hormones--cortisol--and encourages our bodies to retain fat, especially around the middle. Another good reason to try to chill out!

I'm having a so-so week. I did a little grazing at a reception last night, nothing horrid but not on plan, plus the wine. On Saturday I'm going to a good friend's birthday dinner, which will be at one of the best Indian restaurants in town. It will be a challenge to make good choices!

judy

You can do it, Judy! My latest trick with social occasions is eating a bunch of carrots (or something like that) ahead of time so that I'm not starved when I arrive. It seems to help me make slightly better choices - maybe that would help you a bit on Saturday.

Hi ladies,

Sorry I've missed the chatter this week. Judy - I agree with Dancer. When I worry about an event I'll often pop a small handful almonds before I go to curb my hunger. It really seems to help for me.

Blueridge - sorry you're having such a hard re-entry. I agree with what the others have said - I wouldn't worry too much about the number on the scale. Just keep your focus and try not to be too preoccupied with the number. I think ---no, I know -- that stress, travel, and salt all do VERY bad things to my scale.

And on that note --- tomorrow's going to be a mixed day. Going to attempt to do a long 8 mile run in the morning (I'm a bit scared, actually... slow and steady...) and then I am off to NYC for my sister's bachelorette. I have no doubt I'll reconsume all those calories in liquid form. Aah, all the more reason to get out on the roads tomorrow morning because I know I'll drink them anyway. Better to give myself a fighting chance on Monday morning.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Kp

Hey girls! Sorry I've been MIA this week and missed the chatter! I have to head off to class in a few but thought I'd post here before I ran out the door. My week has been pretty good so far! I've stayed within my maintenance range all week even though my calories have been pretty high (weekly avg of 1750) but I've also been working out a ton so I think that balances it out. I'll definitely have to cut back on the calories when I don't have time to work out twice a day! I was able to get up this morning at 5:50 to get in a 4 mile run, which was awesome and now I have more time to study this afternoon (sad that I'm excited about having more time to study!) but I guess it's all about time management. Anyway, i'll check back in later tonight to see how you all are doing. Hope all is well!!

5/21/09(SW): 147.4
5/25/09: 145.8
5/31/09: 144.6
6/8/09: 143.6
6/15/09: 140.8
6/22/09: 140.4
6/29/09: 138.8
7/6/09: 137.4
7/13/09: 137.4
7/20/09: 138.4
7/27/09: 137.6
8/3/09: 139.0
8/10/09: 138.4