Namaste, I'm in school too! Nice to know someone else will feel my pain.

Hey Philana, Rie

The program has 4 key goals which are reinforced by listening to one 25 min. cd daily and employing some techniques to help with cravings, body image, etc. I don't actually listen to the CD for its insight, but more so to force myself to be mindful of the images and perceptions I allow in. It also puts me right to sleep and I just let it play while I'm sleeping. I'm at the point where I can recite the CD so I'm tired of actively listening to it. Hoping it works while I'm sleeping :-/

The key things are:

1. When You Are Hungry, Eat

2. Eat What You Want, Not What You Think You Should

3. Eat Consciously And Enjoy Every Mouthful

4. When You Think You Are Full, Stop Eating

It's mainly #3 that does the work b/c if we all slowed down and ate mindfully, we'd eat much less because we'd actually feel when we're full. I've been surprised at how little food I actually need. I used to just scarf down whatever was in front of me. Not binging, but just assuming I should eat it and not let it go to waste--and that I wanted it! But I can enjoy food and have less of it now. I used to think it was crazy that people believed servings should only be the size of the your first lol

The root of this for me so is #1, I don't always eat when I need to. I've been doing well so far but slipped up today. I had a reasonable breakfast and lunch today, but didn't eat dinner until late tonight because I was running errands and getting work done. When I finally cooked, I knew I didn't need to eat it all, but I did anyway because I stopped listening to my body and just fell back into old habits.

Tomorrow is a new day and time to get back in the habit!

Rie: eheh, look at me! trolling the boards! lol. actually, i'm sooo bored today... lol. no classes. yeah, i know how stressful the waiting periods for JET can be! the worst is waiting AFTER your interview... takes about 2 months to get the letter! and then another month or two to get your placement! actually, scratch what i said before, THAT one was the worst wait! knowing i was accepted but having no clue where i was going! and btw... YAY for the super nsv of seeing your obliques!


oy... here in my boredom, i'm gonna do another little salespitch for my current diet... lol. i just looked at the clock and saw that it was 12:15, and this means it's almost lunch time (12:30) and thought "huh... i'm not even hungry!". in the past, surviving until lunch time was completely unbearable cuz i wake up at 6am, eat shortly after, then had to wait 6 hours til lunch! i was hungry by 10am no matter what i did. these big protein breakfasts my diet has me eating keep me so full all through morning! it's awesome! (just thought i'd share)

Hello again and good morning!

My weight is still around the 218-220 mark. I just need to step it up, I know. So, I'm not even going to talk about that right now. Ha! I had a weird dream this morning. I was looking at myself and I absolutely hated the way I looked. I was bigger than what I am now and my face was fatter. I felt so bad looking at my pictures or my reflection. And that was it. I don't know why I would dream something like that. Maybe deep down I feel like it is hopeless to even try?? I don't know. Like I said...weird.

Kawaii - It's amazing how changing what you eat can make such a huge difference. And my weight loss has been at a standstill since October. Last semester kicked my butt, but I didn't gain and I've been trying to keep up with the chat. Thanks for asking!

Stronger - Definitely feel the school pain here too. Last semester of my senior year starting Jan. 23rd and I'm hoping for a stress-free semester for all of us!

Rie - Wow! What a great NSV! I know you must be very excited. And don't beat yourself up about the pizza...it's just one day. It happens!

philana - yay for staying on plan! Good for you and keep it up!

Riestrella: Thank you, and yeh.. just say NO . Though.. it's really not so hard when I am committed. Mostly. What a great goal you have to look forward to. How much did you lose between last he saw you and when he'll see you?

namaste: goodluck on the studies! what are you studying? I am wrapping up uni this semester. That is if I get this procrastination-mode behind me.

Kawaii: Awesome on the feeling full for so long. I am racking my brains trying to come up with the perfect and affordable super-proteine food. I am sorta fed up with cottage cheese. lol. Might just have to invest in shakes or whey powder. I do so much better when I have lots of proteine.

stronger4me: that sounds like a good system, but also quite difficult. Me and my body never really communicate . My motor skills suck and when I get asked to watch how I am breathing I just get so confused. Haha. Maybe I should put more effort into learning to feel my body. Then I'd know when I am full or not too.

sgregg: thank you!

----

So, today is the hardest day as of yet. I decided to kick my redbull addiction the exact same day that I started counting calories again. Which is 3 days ago now. And it was hard but okay, then yesterday I worked till 2am and I had to get up this morning at 7am for an important meeting. Tonight I work till 2am again. Needless to say I am tired and hungry. So all I want is a redbull and lots of food. I just took a nap and am about to hit the gym so I hope I can stay on plan mostly. I had lunch at my meeting so it was way more calories than I wanted cus I had no choice and wasn't prepared. And I gave in and had a bit of chocolate. I can still stay on plan today calorie wise I think, but I've already decided that if I dont, then that is fine also. Because it's not everyday I ask myself to function properly on only 5hrs of sleep.

Ah well, that's my rambling for today. If I actually get up and go to the gym then I am doing great this week already. So.... 15mins and then I am off. Hihi

Kawaii, what's your diet plan? Looked backed through the previous posts and maybe I missed it. But would love to know what you're doing.

Shauna, just heard about my fitness pal from my mom. definitely going to download it today.

Philana I tried counting calories and doing meal plans. Even brought a good scale. Never works for me. I eventually stop keeping track. I also tend to feel a lot more tired and get brain fog when I'm trying to cut my calories. I spent a whole summer counting calories and didn't lose a pound.

Different strokes for different folks :-)

Kawaii So far the 'wake up at 5am' hasn't been a success. Plus, I really like showering at night vs in the morning....so I might need to rethink my plans. Good luck with all of that trash sorting! Sounds complicated.
What are some of the protein heavy breakfasts you eat?

Philana That's awesome about your day that you were on plan! Keep up the great work!

namaste what are you studying in school? Not sure if you've said and I missed it.

stronger count me as another in school. though I'm really fortunate that it's online...so I can be in my PJs while I'm in class.

Right now it is cold...and rainy...and I'm at work, doing homework, and posting on here. (I'm a nanny, and the babies are napping. Have to be quiet so I don't wake them sooo....I get online. Parents are fine with it.)

I felt really gross and bloated yesterday and I think it's because of having too much soda, so I'm taking a break from soda for the rest of the week. Sticking to just water....hopefully I won't get headaches.

Don't know about the rest of you, but I am looking forward to the weekend so much! It's a 3 day weekend for me!

Hi everyone!

I have lots of catching up to do in this thread...I'll post personals later

I've been totally MIA in the last week. I had a busy weekend and then I got sick. Not a very good start to 2012 between the knee and the virus I'm getting over.

I kind of went nuts with the eating this weekend before getting sick, then I got my period today. Haven't been to the gym once this year I went Sunday morning but was feeling so sick that my friend sent me home.

stronger - Hmm, if it works for you then that's amazing! I really don't think it works for me...and it doesn't really seem to promote healthy eating which I think is key to weight loss and just staying healthy in general.

Kawaii - I just need to start prepping for the interview now! Eep! I might be emailing you again in a panic haha. Protein is amazing like that, it just keeps you going and is really good for you! Go protein go!

sgregg - I know it was just a dream, but it sounds like it might be some hidden feelings that you have about yourself. You are a beautiful, wonderful person who is very lucky. Learn to love yourself before you try and embark on this journey, because weight loss is the biggest act of love you'll ever treat yourself to. That's right, I said treat! You can totally do it, if I've come this far then you can too, you just have to WANT this and dedicate yourself - no excuses!

philana - Is that your in your pic? If it is, you're so pretty! I've currently lost 19 lbs since he last saw me, but I'm hoping to bump that up to 24 lbs. It might not seem like a lot, but my body has made some major changes in that time. I've lost 6 inches from my stomach and 4 from my boobs, so I'm quite hopeful that he'll notice the difference!
Eep, Red Bull is TERRIBLE for you! I was drinking a LOT of energy drinks and eating a lot of junk during my third year at Uni (which is what got me to 200 lbs) so good luck kicking the awful habit! You'll be doing yourself so much good for it!

Quiet Ballerina - Yeah, soda is pretty awful for us! Definitely stick to water! I would be looking forward to the weekend if I wasn't working it =(

sgregg: lol. I’m the queen of weird dreams. maybe it just means you’re afraid to get to that point but scared that’s where you’re going? or you feel that you look that way? I think your subconscious is trying to tell you something… get on it, girl!! yeah, WHAT you eat makes a huge difference.. I wasn’t losing any weight last summer, just calorie counting, and when I switched to protein/low-carb diet… woops! pounds started melting off! I guess everybody’s body’s different. just gotta find the thing that works for you!

Philana: I eat mostly meat, eggs and beans… I’m lucky that they sell these packages of differently flavored beans at my grocery store that I REALLY like. some of them are a bit sweet so I’m sure it’s not 100% diet-perfect to eat them, but at 160 calories a pack, I don’t really care and it doesn’t seem to have hurt me so far. I eat the sweat ones with breakfast and the non-sweet ones with dinner… and yikes! poor you! I can’t even imagine trying to give up coffee (that will never happen) so big props to you. and I also sympathize with the lack of sleep this morning… *wave*

Stronger: oh I haven’t mentioned it! (in a long time anyways) it’s the 4-hour body (which is a book by Tim Ferris). It’s kinda meant for men… but I like how easy to follow it is for me, AND the fact that you get a cheat day (although I’m not doing the cheat day this time around… or at least not every week). I also did calorie counting most of last summer (along with exercising) and didn’t lose a pound and was soooooo frustrated! then I started 4HB in September and lost like 6lbs in a month… I went off the rails cuz of personal stuff (and I’m stupid) but if I had kept on with it, I’m pretty sure I’d be at goal by now! anyways, I’m starting again and I’ve lost 3lbs so far and am not even exercising

ballerina: haha, oh well I eat the same thing almost every single day: 2 scrambled eggs, 5 half-strips of bacon, a bit of spinach, a pack of the aforementioned beans, and coffee. I used to not eat the spinach, but started getting better results when I was trolling the 4BH boards and people were saying it was really important to have greens with your meal. honestly, when I first started the diet, I couldn’t believe I was even allowed to eat that much, but I’m still losing, so hey! oh and, I’m on at work all the time too… eheh.

teamcoco: aww… feel better!

Rie: sure, email me whenever you want! I hope you hear from them soon. Did you at least get the letter yet?

ok folks, how are you today? I’m soooo sleepy this morning because I stayed up really late talking to my boyfriend on skype… lol. one of my friends this morning said I was like “30 going on 13”, which is about right. lol. too old for this, but anyways. didn’t weigh-in this morning cuz I was tired and felt bloated so I figured I’d just wait til tomorrow. I was OP all day yesterday so it’s not like I have anything to worry about anyways.

I’m slowly starting to start sorting things in my house and gonna start packing soon since I got a few boxes from work! this morning I threw away 2 huge bags of stuff (mostly magazines though I’m a hoarder…) and that felt kinda good. I also found an apartment that I’m interested in an waiting to hear back from the agency! I’m just worried cuz it said on the thing “must be employed in Japan” to rent the place… and though I have a job now, and will have a (new) job for sure in april, I don’t have details about said new job yet, or a proof that I’m gonna have a steady salary, so I’m worried they might turn me down cuz of that wish me luck!

I actually DO have classes today, so I only have a few hours to kill this morning, haha. y’all have a nice day!

Thank you, Riestrella and KawaiiCandie for your words of encouragement!

I just got back from my second night of my biggest loser program. Since the first night was mainly just measurements and so forth, it was the first real night of working out, and I am feeling it already! About 45 minutes of things like lunges and squats, interspersed with laps around the track, followed by an hour of floor hockey with the two teams competing against each other. My trainer is also having us all keep a food journal that she will review every week, and expects us to work out an additional 2-3 times a week outside of our 3 training sessions with her. It's much more intense than I expected, but that's probably the best thing for me. Now that I have a better idea of what to expect and am learning my teammates' names, I feel a lot more confident with the whole thing than I did Monday!

stronger4me: counting calories really worked for me in the past, twice.. so i'm sticking with it. Though counting calories is not done the same by people that do it. I think mine is a mix of counting calories and low carb diet. If I get the right foods in the house.

Quiet Ballerina: thank you! And enjoy your long weekend . I just signed up for 2 extra shifts this weekend. Ah well, the money is nice!

Riestrella: It's me, yeh. And thank you! - 19lbs is a LOT! How awesome. I am sure he is gonna notice. Though if he doesn't you can contribute that to the fact that it's a guy. They don't have eye for such things. Hehe. Goodluck on reaching the 24lbs!

KawaiiCandie: Ah, I am vegetarian so meat isn't an option. I dropped being veggie the last time I started to try and eat more proteine because it was so much easier, but I really am not so comfortable with eating meat so this time around I have to find a way to incorporate the proteine without meat. It's hard for sure. But I'll manage! What are you gonna do in Japan? I've missed previous conversation so if you'd want to clue me in i'd love that! hihi

Astrix: That sounds hard but also great. What kinda program is it? With a local gym or something? Goodluck!

---

Ah Girls, I am going bonkers. It's this whole balancing living at home for a while and not wanting to burden my mom with my eating habits thing. She is so NOT considerate. It's not like she means to be inconsiderate. But she can eat what she wants and has a weird sense of what is healthy food. It basically means I am gonna have to do all my own groceries and cooking because I can't rely on her buying a single thing I can eat, or cooking anything without meat. For tonigth there is fried italian patato cubes on the menu, but it being prepackeged means there's salami and other meat in it. Then she has chicken and sausage for with it. The only thing edible for me is gonna be the salad. Which consists of a few leaves of greens and tomato cubes. #whining

Yesterday I had the massive tired day and though I didn't go over my calories too badly, I spend 1/3 of my calories on junk. It's mostly because of the trying to kick my redbull habit. It is seriously hard. I've not had one for 4 days now, but I'm so near ready to go buy a tray of redbull light. Thank the gods for facebook en twitterfriends who know me as a notorious energy drink-addict and support me kicking it. Hihih.

On a more positive note: I went to the gym and am serious about c25k again. So if I stick to my calories a bit better I know i'll be losing weight soon.

Hey Quiet Ballerina, school is school!

Philana- I definitely think you're right. I think it works for me because I tend to eat super healthy and then give in to cravings, but with this I feel comfortable eating healthy most of the time and allowing myself a little of the really good stuff too.

Kawaii- I love the tagline on his site: AN UNCOMMON GUIDE TO RAPID FAT-LOSS, INCREDIBLE SEX, AND BECOMING SUPERHUMAN ... who does not want those things? Sounds really interesting.

Good morning, everyone!

Philana - yay for not giving in to the Red Bull! I tried kicking Diet Dr. Pepper, but I just couldn't do it. I'm not ready for that yet. However, I did cut way back and I upped my water intake. Did you start over with c25k or pick it up in a later week? The last time I did it, I was at week 4. I quit going to the gym because of school and family, however, and I now miss it.

Stronger - I actually stopped using myfitnesspal and started back with livestrong. I think myfitnesspal will come in handy when I need to keep track and I don't have something to write with, but I don't like that I'm so limited. You can't just enter how many ounces you have eaten and it's hard to modify the serving sizes. That's the only downfall about it, but other that, it's great if you are away from home and have to get snacks from a vending machine or whatever. You can just scan them and go and you know you have it all recorded. I haven't tried the livestrong app because it cost money and it had low stars.

QB - What kind of soda do you normally drink? You could have a cup of coffee in the mornings or some tea and it may help with the headaches.

Coco - Hey! Glad to see you around. How's your knee?

Rie - Thanks for the words of encouragement. I really appreciate it.

Kawaii - Oh yeah, I forgot you went to low carb. How's it going this time around? Good luck on the apartment!!

Astrix - That workout sounded awesome. I love group workouts like that. And I miss them. Keep it up! I feel like you are going to do very well.

Whew! I think I got everyone now. LOL! It's great having so many people to talk to, but it's hard keeping up. So, I'm sorry if I missed anyone.

Yesterday was the best day since I've started back tracking my calories. I still ate a little too much at dinner, but it wasn't enough to hurt me. I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to get a workout in after I start student teaching. I will have to be up at 5am every morning to start getting everyone ready to get where they need to go (DS to school, DD to the babysitter, me to work) and then I know I won't be done at the elem. school until 3:30 or later. Which that puts me getting home around 4:45 after picking up the kids. Then, I will have to start supper and eat around 6 and then DD's bath at 6:30, and get her ready for bed, and then DS's bath around 7:30, and get him ready for bed. Clean the kitchen, laundry, etc. DD and DS's bedtime at 8:30, and then collapse on the couch to work on homework, lessons, etc. Ok, yeah, I will have no time to myself...ugh! So, yeah, focusing on diet until school is out. Haha!

A short post, while I take a quick break.

sgregg the soda changes, depending on what I want at the store. Usually coke zero. Yesterday I had coffee (tried to drink less than normal though) and today I skipped coffee. So far it's...1.15pm and no headache. I did bring a little chocolate though, so that probably helped.

Also keeping track of how many times I'm filling my water bottle, so I know how much water I'm drinking.

...and the baby is up and crying. So I have to go. Poor thing has a cold so naps are just not working today.

Oh, and I know Quiet Ballerina is a lot to type, so it doesn't offend me at all if y'all refer to me as QB.

Just a quick pondering: I think I am gonna give up on the redbull-quitting. It's so hard and I am so tired which makes me eat more and just feel like not going to the gym. After not having it for a bunch of days, I think I can do with just one a day or one ever 2 days though. So that's an imporvement to the 3 a day I was having.

What do you guys think? I know it's unhealthy.. but I don't drink any other sode's, and I also don't drink coffee or tea. I eat clean mostly. Just one bad habit left... hehe.