New low -- 122.6lbs this morning! I hope I'm at 122.4lbs on my official weigh in tomorrow so I can slide my ticker down to 122! I love that silly little ticker. That will put my at only 7lbs to goal! Holy crap!

So I went and had a light beer and a diet coke w/raspberry vodka cocktail with a friend last night. Then we went to taco bell! I got some lower calorie fresco tacos with chicken, ~300 calories. I counted it in my calories for the day and had a long run. So I tried hard to make good decisions.

BUT yet ANOTHER friend who is leaving soon wants to hang out tonight and get frozen yogurt! Sheesh. BUT I already went to the frozen yogurt site and printed the nutrition so I can make a good choice, they have sugar free, non fat varieties for 80 calories per half cup and lots of fresh fruit. Not to mention we're playing DDR beforehand, so I'll burn the calories.

It not so hard to make good choices if I put my mind to it!

--

nikkinouille - OMG I love your cupcake alligator! It's SOOOO cute! I can't wait to hear what your boyfriend thinks, I'm sure he'll love it! I also saw your hedgehog in another thread, OMG IT'S SO CUTE! I've wanted a hedgehog for a while, but I have a tarantula and Mom says that's enough exotic pet for one person.

fitmom - Yum, I'm a mac & cheese freak! Those nutter butter cookies are another guilty pleasure of mine! I have been thinking of doing something like you do with avocados and grape tomatoes in your brown rice, expect with quinoa. I love quinoa! Hop you manage to get to bed a little earlier tonight, good for you for getting that workout in late instead of just going to bed.

philana- My self control is really good for a while, and then really awful for a while. I swing back and forth like a pendulum. But it seems to balance out, and you seem to be doing well with your own self control anyway! I am SO impressed with your before-work run, I have NEVER woken up early to work out and so admire people who do. Keep it up!

jens10 - I will definitely try the avocados, salt and lime! I'll just have to make sure that I don't pair it with a Corona.

ann71 - Glad the weather there is nice! Here it's still HOT in the HIGH 90'S! And humid! Blech. Glad to hear about your increased exercise too, keep it up!

Keep it up ladies!

I do the maintenance weight X 12 and find it works for me. I am just 5' tall and small boned , I eat about 1400 calories a day and find it works just fine. It is unreasonable to think that I would need the same number of calories as someone 5'9" and a maintenace weight of 150 pounds.

Dorian5: That's awesome!!! Wow, only 7 lbs. to goal. You go, girl! LOL. I love quinoa too. I tried it when I went away and it was really good. I'm thinking of buying some the next time I go grocery shopping. Oh, I so remember those days when I used to have an active social life. But I digress. Keep going! I know you can do it.

That's what I figured as well. I'm 5'6" tall, 117 lbs. and small-boned as well. I try to stick to 1600-1800 calories a day. Anymore I'd be stuffed, less than that and I'd be fainting from hunger, lol.

I know you've already had your night out, but I just read about a low cal drink I'm going to try on vacation next week: diet ginger ale with a splash of beer. It's supposed to taste like the beer, maybe like a beer version of a wine spritzer? I don't know how many places have diet ginger ale, but I can make it at the condo. Hope it's tasty .

Hi, room for a short person?
August already, oh wow! I’m a month into my diet, and it’s not going too well!! I lost 4.5lbs in the first week, and last week I had a massive slip up for a few days and gained back 1lb! But I’m back on the straight and narrow and hopefully on Saturday I’ll be able to report a loss!

Nikkinouille- wow! What a great idea, but I don’t think I’d have been able to make all those cakes without eating them. Well done for the effort and the self control. :P

Philana – I’d seen ‘C25K’ on the boards before but hadn’t known what it meant. That plan looks really good, especially if it works! I’m heading back to uni soon and I won’t have the money to go to fitness classes or a TV to use a fitness DVD so I was hoping to get into running, except I’m awful at it! This sounds perfect for me to try. By the time I get there I’ll be on week 6/7 and so hopefully I’ll be able to jog for long enough to actually be efficient! My only thing is I am a bit of a self conscious exerciser, so I’ll have to pick antisocial times to go jogging I think... :P

Dorian5 – I really struggle with alcohol when it comes to socialising. I’m no alcoholic, but I really don’t enjoy being the only sober person in a club, and although there are drinks that are better than others, they’re all pretty bad once you have 5 of them. :P I do need to find an alternative though, I’ve turned unsociable this past month since I’ve been trying to lose weight and I hate it! I need to get out there and find alternatives like you’re doing, instead of just wussing out and staying home.

fitmom - you're a machine! AS IF you do that much exercise! :P From now on you'll be my inspiration!

I went to the cinema yesterday and nearly treated myself to a Magnum ice cream. But on my new diet it is ‘20 syns’, and the most you’re supposed to eat for the entire day is 15 syns!! It really shocked me... before the diet I would have had one without thinking and wouldn’t have even classed it as a special one-off treat. But now I know that in the future I may allow myself to have one if I save my syns for that entire day (and maybe the day after!) So even though I’m not losing weight like I’d like, at least my attitude towards food is changing.

fitmom - i would think your sister has been working out a lot? I am in no way all muscle . I am getting there. But fr now this height and weight puts me into a skin with lots of fat under it. Mostly my legs. The rest is really no problem.

dorian - great way of doing your research before going some place! I get too lazy and just don't bother. Hahah. Congrats on the loss! So amazing!

cantgetenough - it's really an eye opener to just see which foods have what kind of nutrional value. I have that with baked bread. I never ever thought it would contain 1/5th of my daily calorie intake! Dangit. LOL. And magnums are the worst I would think :P - I can't tell you yet if c25k is gonna work for me. I never was able to run, but all the posts in the c25k thread of people that are further along inspire me. The thought of running 30mins straight in just a few weeks baffles me really!


---
I have to kick myself off this lazy place. I do my excersise a bit half arsed the past few days. And I've not been really counting my calories. I haven't eaten badly.. but I ate more carbs than I did when I was loosing weight, and probably about 1400cals instead of 1250. So, I got the 2/4lbs off that I packed on after my bday last weekend - but all I see is that the scale is about 0.5lbs higher than it was a week ago and that doesn't motivate!

In a week I am going on a holiday - well, I'm working as a 'cook' for a week at this retreat/workshop thing in France and other than that have beautiful surroundings with no supermarkets or anything close by. And no internet. But, also no gym. So I need to come up with a way to have LOTS of physical activity. I could really loose a lot of weight that week. I am cooking vegetarian and organic a whole week. I just fear getting bored and having an abbundance of fresh figs hanging off the trees and eating them allllll.

Tips are more than welcome on the outdoor activity. Limiting factors: no equipment, no bike, no tv, no internet.

I haven't been around 3fatchicks since the very beginning of June, so I figure this is as good a place as any to jump back into the swing of things! I was travelling like mad this summer (around Finland and Estonia, then back Stateside to visit family in Texas and California, then to India to see some high school friends), and I'm finally home! I had an awesome time, but I think I stressed about my eating, exercise, and weight a bit more than was strictly necessary. Glad to see that I've only gained about five pounds, though. Now back to the trenches!

Philana, sounds like your holiday destination would be a really good place to hike! Or just walk around a lot. If you're the type who enjoys wandering around beautiful locales for several hours at a time, it really can be an excellent way to lose weight. And if that seems too time consuming or not as effective as you'd like, you can always go for a jog. I hope you have fun on your vacation; it sounds lovely! How did you find out about this place?

cantgetenoughchoc, excellent on resisting the magnum bar! And re: running/jogging, one of the nice things about it is that you start to see noticeable improvements in your stamina (and looks, too, really) quite quickly. I also started out jogging at the oddest of hours, trying to avoid the streets when I thought people would be out and about, but I found that I began to feel comfortable running and being seen running fairly quickly. Highly recommended!

Good morning! I am 122.2lbs this morning, so I slid my ticker on down. Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked about the 1 pound loss from last Friday, but I worked hella hard this week! It's so funny how it is glued on TIGHT towards the end!

Today will be a struggle as I'm going to lunch at a barbeque place my boyfriend likes, but I'm planning on just getting a pulled pork barbeque sandwich with slaw. And tonight we're making a pizza together. I'm excited about that, the last time we made pizza together it was SO delicious! Think I'll manage to stay at ~1500 calories if I watch myself with portions, and I will hopefully be able to get some treadmill time in before pizza.

---

cantgetenoughchoc - It's SO hard to sit and not drink while everyone else has a good time. I generally have to make myself the designated driver every single time I go out with friends in order to keep myself from drinking. At home with the boyfriend is much harder, as we always have wine, beer, and liquor on hand.

Amy3680 - That sounds delicious! I really like Jack Daniels and diet ginger ale, but beer and ginger ale will cut the calories further! I'll definitely try it!

fitmom - I'm ready for my social life to slow down! I wanna relax and save some money and not have to worry so much about what I'm going to consume while I'm out!

philana - Yeah I try to have a plan, if I don't then I will just consume any and everything that I want. YUM I LOVE FIGS! Is it going to be hot there? I try not to go outside, so other than running/walking/jogging/hiking, I'm not sure what you'd be able to do? fitmom may be the one to answer this.

Nienna - Wow, your travels sound awesome! And only a five pound gain? That's amazing!! And that will be off in no time, I'm sure! Way to go!

Have a good day, everyone!

I'm feeling so uninspired today. I ran this morning and I just can't seem to bust through the plateau of 26 minutes for 3.1 miles. Maybe I'm expecting too much. Although I wasn't breathing as hard those last five minutes as I trotted up the hill before turning into my driveway so that's progress, right? Oh, I don't know.

I really have to go to Sears this weekend and get some heavier dumbbells and kettlebells which I've been meaning to do for awhile. My arms are toned but I want like Serena Williams biceps and forearms, lol.

My TOM is right around the corner and I'm just feeling blah. I don't even have the effort to write personals this morning, sorry. I guess you can't be 'on' all the time, huh? I wish it was Saturday already so my DH was home to help with the kids. They are driving me crazy today but I love them dearly.

Have a nice weekend everyone. I'm just really, really missing my mom today. I wish she was still here to talk to. Sorry to be such a downer.

Dorian5 Congrats on the new low. You are absolutely killing it! 7 lbs to goal is amazing!

nikkinouille I love that idea especially because Im a UF Alumni! Hope it goes well!

fitmom I love reading your post. Your attitude about all of this seems so upbeat and real. 3.1 miles in 26 minutes is great! You are such a superwoman with the exercise dont even sweat it. You will get there! Im sorry you are missing your mom today .

nienna - welcome on the board here! it's great fun with all the featherweight gals . I think I will probably hike yeh, but I am a bit "lazy" where it's long walks concerned. I just sit down a lot and stare at the sky. LOL. I am gonna help out the mom of a friend of mine. They have a huge piece of land in france and her dad's got alzheimers and can't help with the group they have this year (they have it once a year, just a spritual/workshop/nature thing). And since I didn't have money nor time to go on a big tript his year - my friend set this up for me. I get to go for free and just help out with cooking and such - which I LOVE.

dorian - thanks! enjoy all the going out for foods! it's hassle but also a very nice luxury!) That I don't have the next few months - but no complaining, I had enough of it to last me for a year atleast. LOL.

fitmom - *hugs* some days suck! Just want to let you know you are such a work-out inspiration! You just work so hard, and know what you want with your body beyond "less fat". I hope I figure it out once I get closer to goal.

----
I'm psyched again. Yes. I get psyched a lot. LOL. I am back on plan completely! I went to the gym and worked out like crazy. I ate healthy and did cheap but good groceries. I ate so much - and I still have 300calories left for the day so I am baking carrot-muffin-cake-cranberries-almonds-stuff. If it comes out alright (i'll know in 15mins) it's 6 servings of 140cal each. So I get to have 2! And I am giving the other 4 to my housemates.

As I type this I realise I don't feel like the cake is a cheat or a bad food. Because the only 'bad' thing in there that I wouldn't eat in my yogurt or so is the flour - and I used as little as possible of that. And did low sugar also. And no butter or anything. So... I feel completely justified eating cake for a friday night snack. LOL.


Update on the muffins: Well... I guess there is a reason they put so much sugar in muffins. It was nice, but I had too much cinnamon so it had a weird "spicy" taste to it somewhat and it made me miss the sugar to even that out. Next time no cinnamon and some extra vanilla sugar I think. I am absolutely stuffed now though.

@ Dorian - congrats on being so close to goal!

@ skinnyelle - Thanks! He loved it!

@philana - let me know how those muffins turn out. they sound delicious & i may need the recipe

My boyfriend's 24th bday is today. Of course, as luck would have it, I am working and he is off. I am completely miserable about that. I have roughly 5 hours left at work, then I am off to the house. I am cooking one of his favs, chicken parm for dinner (I'm having half a piece of chicken breast w/ no pasta). I have to say, thank goodness for the level of self-control I have. If I didn't, that combined w/ the way he eats would set me on a path of self destruction! Haha. After dinner, we are getting froyo then going to see The Change Up w/ Ryan Reynolds & Jason Bateman (I love them both). I hope you all have a great Friday & wonderful weekend

cantgetenoughchoc: Inspiration to you? Aw, that's so nice. You ladies have helped me in more ways than one. I'm constantly in motion, what can I say? LOL.

skinnyelle39: You. Are. The. Best. And here I always think my posts sound like a high school cheerleader, lol. It's nice to know we can lift each other up when we need it...and today I needed it. You have no idea. P.S. I'll trade you my 34B's for your gorgeous face, lol. You need to be modeling, I'm just saying. Remember, small boobs aren't gonna be down to your knees when you're eighty. My mom told me that - she was a 34B too.

philana: My sister's had three kids so I don't know if she's exercising all that much. My nieces are all younger than my sons so she's still in the thick of things, lol. I think she walks on the treadmill at night after they are in bed. She's just always been really muscular, that's why I hate her. Thanks for the cyber hug. I so needed it. And I'm so jealous of all you bakers on the board. I can't bake even cookies, I burn them. I'm glad you're back on plan, good for you!!

Dorian5: Hurray for the ticker moving down!! Ooo, I do love a good pulled pork sandwich. Yummy, lol. Have fun. I live vicariously through your posts, just so you know.

Well, I cheated at lunchtime (gasp!), I had a blueberry muffin which is so off my diet. It was 230 calories - eeks! but to counteract it, I had 7 egg whites, a glass of water and a small bowl of strawberries. I still came in on plan with my calories but the muffin wasn't the healthiest choice. I'm PMS-ing and human, what can I say? Tomorrow's another day.

For dinner, it's an egg white (I'm boring, I know) omelette with baby portabello mushrooms, green salad, blueberries and another glass of water. Pilates is tonight. The soreness from the last couple of days is gone, thankfully.

Tomorrow morning is my run. I'll see if I can go even thirty seconds faster, lol. I found out I'm burning around 250 calories with my runs. Once I hit 4 miles, it moves to 300 calories. Not bad, right? Anyway, I need to get to bed earlier tonight. I went to bed around midnight last night which isn't helping my mood. I'm a crank-pot if I don't get my 7 hours of sleep in!

Thanks for making me feel a little bit better. See you all Monday! Bye!

Okay, so, I totally MEANT to just have a barbecue sandwich. But we went to lunch at 2:15pm, by then I was STARVING! And my boyfriend got into my car with a chunk of gourmet chocolate for me. OMG... it was so good, I ate it on the way to the barbecue joint since I was so hungry! Then when I got there I was like "F*ck it, I already ate a bunch of chocolate" so I had a big plate of pulled pork, a side of mac and cheese, some hush puppies dipped in butter, and cole slaw. I ate every last crumb. Yikes!

Oh well, at least my official weigh in was this morning.

fitmom - I wish I had just had a muffin! Haha. I'm glad to see you're feeling better! You're runs aren't bad at ALL, very impressive! Keep it up and have an awesome weekend!