Morning ladies!

I feel kind of bad for starting the weekly chat for the 3rd week in a row - like I shouldn't be doing it or something haha or like I'm bringing Monday to you all too soon! Anyway I hope it's ok!

The family dinner last night was pretty good - no one hassled me for weighing my portions and I even got to try a new fruit - rhubarb - it was in a flan thing with creme fraiche...but I only had a small bit and used one of the calorie counter things for the whole recipe, never done that before and it worked pretty well!

Unfortunately this morning I'm feeling grumpy and groggy and like I didn't just get a good 8 ish hours of sleep. I know it's going to be a struggle to exercise after work today, but I have to do it because I know that this week on Thursday I won't be able to exercise for the stupidest of reasons - I'm getting my hair re-coloured on Wednesday afternoon and I can't wash it for a day or so afterwards otherwise the colour (red) will not have set quite properly and I'll risk lots of colour fade that I could otherwise avoid!

I don't have lunch today. It's silly. Usually I go to the supermarket on Sunday nights to get salad ingredients and any other snacks that I'm running low on but because of the family dinner, I didn't get to go after work yesterday and after the dinner I was way too tired. I have a whole bunch of snacks and I was kind of hoping they would do - but I know it's not a good thing for me not to eat something decent for lunch. I just wish I had more options around my work/a proper lunch break!

caseygail Thank you for the reassurance! I know that my "plan" was never going to be one of those all restrictive can't have this or this plans, because that wouldn't work for me...but I did get used to not having spur of the moment type things as it hadn't happened since I'd started until the weekend - I guess I just need to remind myself that those things happen and I want them to happen sometimes. And it was fun! And next time I guess I need to just not order quite as much and if I do, avoid dessert. I know we're going to a similar restaurant for a friend's birthday in a couple of weeks so I know how to plan for that now! Your weekend sounds fun! The only thing I know about tailgating is from when I watched Gilmore Girls and they had like a fancy version of it - I still don't really understand what it is but from what I gather it's a lot of food - so congratulations to you for taking your own and having the willpower to stick to it! If I'd seen the ribs..well..I love ribs haha. Also I hope the cough/cold isn't too bad! Anything with green involved is usually not that good...

Ok. I hope you wonderful ladies had wonderful weekends! Feel free to start the week off on a more positive and less sleepy note than me!

Rainbow Yay for trying new fruit! Thats always exciting. It is also a struggle for me to work out today. I tried doing a video on Exercise TV but stopped because the lady wasn't explaining anything as she was going along and I got frustrated. I will resort to a bike ride later tonight.

So my sister decided to cook dinner tonight. Pretty nice since it gives me a break, but when she cooks, it is never that healthy. I have been trying to get most of my recipes from the Cooking Light website and have been doing really good with that so who knows what tonight will bring. I also need to plan this weeks recipe and go grocery shopping soon.

I hope this is a good week of shedding pounds for everyone!!

Kaitlyn I too have a sister who does not always cook the healthiest of foods - she is an amazing cook and makes the most delicious meals and desserts, but most of the time there is nothing calorie/fat/sodium/sugar conscious about them, which is possibly why I haven't been to her house for dinner in a while! Since it's Monday morning here I'm going to try to psych myself up to exercise after work...but I don't know how well it will work. I can pretty much see how it will turn out - I'll do 30 mins on the stationary bike and will be yawning and not making as much effort as I should. I cannot wait for the weather to stop being so unpredictable so I can ride my actual bike in the actual outdoors haha.

Rainbow: It's completely fine that you start the weekly chat! Somebody's gotta do it right?

I'm just going to copy and paste what I wrote in the weekly chat earlier.. because it pretty much sums up my weekend.

Lots of tailgating went on yesterday and I had a blast. I'm so happy with how well I did. I went to the grocery store before and I got some fresh sushi and a turkey sandwich out of the deli. We had chips and dip, ribs (not really a fan anyway, so that made it easy), cupcakes, and cookies. I didn't eat any of it... I enjoyed my sushi and my sandwich. I drank my Sportea, and a ton of water. I didn't have a single drink. And I enjoyed every minute of it. I didn't feel deprived. I felt good that I wasn't doing something I would regret the next day. Everyone kept asking me why I wasn't drinking. I just said i didn't feel like it and that was that. No peer pressure or anything like that. It was a good day. And the Hogs killed Tennessee Tech!

Today, I'm just laying around the house. I'm still feeling sick. I'm probably going to the doctor Tuesday if I'm not better by then. My cough sounds terrible, and the color green is involved. I won't go into anymore detail than that! lol

Rainbow: There is nothing wrong with going out to your favorite restaurant with good friends on the spur of the moment. My main goal when I do things like this is to not overindulge. I have a huge overeating problem when I go to my favorite restaurants. I try to avoid them, but every once in awhile I will go, and my goal is to not overeat. I don't really worry about counting calories, but if I can leave the restaurant without feeling like I'm about to explode then it was a success! Don't beat yourself up! Like you said, this is your life. Part of this process is learning how to deal with situations like that. I'm glad you had such a good night, sounds like fun

Rissa: That is a really touchy subject. I'm all for the whole "accept your body" movement. Especially for the younger girls these days who think they have to look like Lindsey Lohan or Paris Hilton to be beautiful *gag* But, sometimes I think it's taken too far. I think the focus should be a lot more on health (healthy: body, mind, body image etc) instead of the way we look. I don't know.. there is a very narrow line there that can be easily crossed. Interesting subject.

My sister still lives at home, so it would totally offend her for me to make something for me. LOL. She is making some yummy smelling tostada thing.

Just did a treadmill workout... decided to just get it over with. Have to do something else tonight to make up for not working out yesterday

Hi Girls! It's still Sunday night here. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

My little one was running a fever most of yesterday afternoon/evening, so we read lots of books and watched Wall-E and Bolt. He was feeling better today, so we went to lunch (Chili's - I got an Avocado Burger -on wheat- and a side salad) and bulk grocery shopping. I made Crunchy Parmesan-Mustard pork chops for dinner tonight (http://www.southbeachrecipes.com/die...ard-pork-chops They were pretty tasty! Last night I made Cheese Stuffed Beef Rolls http://www.southbeachrecipes.com/die...fed-beef-rolls I was a little worried, but they were really good. Very similar to Lasagna or Stuffed Shells. Tomorrow night I am making Cheddar Stuffed burgers http://www.southbeachrecipes.com/die...tuffed-burgers I'll get wheat buns for DH, but i'll probably have mine bunless. I'll let you guys know how they turn out.

I did work out yesterday morning. i did a 10 minute bun workout from Excercise On Demand. My butt cheeks are SORE today!! I love that!! I feel like they are already firmer

Off work tomorrow *YAY!* I'll probably take the little one to the park to play.

Jenn: Can I come live with you? Lol... all of your meals sound really good, I'm jealous of your cooking skills!

Rainbow: I feel grumpy and groggy every Monday. I hate Mondays, I think we should have 4 day weekends and 3 day work weeks It is Sunday night here and I have yet to go to the grocery story... and don't really plan on it. I think I can scrape by with a sandwich for lunch, but I have to go to the grocery store tomorrow. I hate not having options in the house!

casey I think I shouldn't complain too much since I only work 3.5 days a week anyway...but this Monday is worse than any I've had in a while.

Jenn All of the Southbeach recipes sound so so good! I am yet to try one but from the ones you've posted over the past couple of weeks, I am definitely going to do so soon.

I just bought some sashimi for lunch. Basically raw salmon. I am craving a sour dough roll from the bakery by where I work but I haven't had one in the whole 7 weeks I've been on plan so far ever since I found out they were over 300 calories for a roll. That is something that I just can't justify.

I also forgot to mention that I figured out how I sometimes used to overeat at family dinners - last night, as I guess happened every time we have one, after dinner the food gets left out on the servery. My cousins often play indoor netball at odd hours so they'll be there and then leave and come back to eat after us and my uncle hunts deer sometimes so he'll be later as well, so the food stays out for them. And after dinner it's so tempting to just be standing around talking in the kitchen (which is open-flow to the dining room/living room at my aunt's where the dinners take place) and just mindlessly nibble. I had to stop myself last night from grabbing at the roast potatoes and kumaras and my grandmas chicken stuffing. I wanted some of that so badly, but I didn't. I had about half a teaspoon of the stuffing (which is just ground beef and rice) and then I walked away and sat somewhere else. But it wasn't that easy.

Oh and also - Friday night was really cold but my boyfriend wanted to have a shisha pipe with his friend and I did too. I haven't smoked a cigarette in 5 weeks so I still allow the occasional weekend shisha, but anyway, the point is, it was really cold so I thought I'd better take off my skirt and tights in favour of jeans. No can do. All 3 of my pairs of jeans are now too big. Saggy butt, saggy front, gaping waist bands, not tight in the thighs or anywhere. BLEH. But good! But bad because I don't want to buy jeans right now. And those pairs were only a few months old and about $130 NZD each. -_-

Rainbowstripe- agreed on the weather. I think i am so vitamin D deprived im going mad!

Regarding mondays: yes yes yes 3 day work weeks, 4 day weekends pleeeease. I woke up from a dream this morning where i didnt have the motivation to go to work and just was procrastinating and fighting myself to go to work lol, i took it as a hint and had a 30min sleep in

I need help.

I guess most of you have heard about the earthquake in Chch, NZ.
I am finding it really really hard not to turn to food. I have eaten crap for the last two days. I didnt realise I was such an emotional eater. Gahhh. I am a mental wreck. I haven't been affected personally but I just cant get over what has happened here. It is insane. So surreal.

What do I do? All I want is chocolate and chips.

Oh bex. I am so sorry that Christchurch has been hit with this. It's horrible and I'm also sorry you're feeling very shaken up (rightfully so). I hope someone else has some good advice because I think that I'd probably be similar to you unfortunately, turning to food for comfort. Here for you though, just not very helpfully I'm sorry.

Good morning ladies!! Oh how I wish I had the day off today...but nope I have to work at 4:15. My TOM has been probably the worst one I've ever had...clothes have been ruined...wishing it was over. Hoping that if we decide to have a 3rd baby they dont get worse after that one!! With that being said I haven't worked out the past couple of days....there's just no way its going to happen while this is going on.
On a positive note I went to a wedding last night and all I ate was a salad and didn't have any cake either yay

Jenn- mmmm I wish that I had the scheduling to cook dinners....but I mostly work nights and my fiance works midnights sooo things are kinda screwed up. I love SouthBeach recipes though!

Rainbow- Your Monday comes before most of our Mondays do so its only fair that you start the thread And yay for trying new fruit.

Bex- I'm sorry....I dont know what to say except keep on trucking so you can be stronger.

Casey- Yeah if there is green involved I would probably get it checked out. But good for you for sticking to it when everyone else is making unhealthy choices woohoo!!

Rainbow, I know how you feel. Saturday my calories were not what they should be. I went to a bbq and then had nachos for dinner. I did get a good serving of fruits and veggies in, but I know I ate more than I should have. And yesterday morning the boy made pancakes and bacon for breakfast – yum!!! I did balance it off with a smoothie (getting my fruits and veggies in) and steamed veggies and a veggie burger for dinner. I am not sure how all this is going to effect my results on the scale on Tuesday. Only time will tell. But I do know that this will not turn into a downward trend. Rain, just enjoy the meal and keep on your healthy eating track. Deprivation does not yield positive results. And yeah for saggy butt jeans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But that sucks on the price of new pants.

Congrats Casey girl!!!! I am so proud of you! You are inspiration!!!

Kaitlyn, try and have a good side of veggies to compensate if you are unsure what you sister is going to make. Have you asked your sister to support you on your weight loss journey?

Bex, I am sad to hear about the earthquake (I missed that news). I know how hard it is not to turn to food but try and find an alternative.

I am still sore from my training sesson on Saturday. My trainer killed me!!!!! She taught me how to do a proper deadlift and made me do burpees (I hate burpees).

I have set a nice reward for a goal – weigh the same as my boyfriend. Found out a few days ago (from my scale) that the bf has 10% body fat (I spent the rest of the weekend calling him “10%”). And I have a fitness goal to do the Chief (I really big hike) once I weight 171 lbs and I get to go to the Lululemon Outlet store!!!!!!!!!! I am stoked about the second one. And if I reach this by Christmas (that is 20 lbs in 15 weeks) I get to talk him shopping and put him in clothes that I like. These are all great motivations to help me stay on track. (I cannot wait until I am allowed a signature).

It sucks that you ladies have a such a horrible TOM.

Have you tried using a resuable cup like the Diva Cup? I started to use one a few cycles ago and its the best decision I've made. No leaking and only have to change it twice a day.

I feel gross this morning. I didn't have anything to take to work with me for breakfast so I went to the gas station next door and got a sausage egg and cheese biscuit. It did not set well with my tummy, and I'm feeling yucky. Lesson learned. That's what happens when you don't keep healthy options in the house. I MUST go get a few things at the grocery store today. I have just felt soooo crappy, I didn't even get out of my pjs yesterday, let alone leave the house. I'm feeling a lot better this morning. I'm thinking I should still probably go to the doc tomorrow though. I'm still coughing up some disgusting crud and I have now developed a pain in my chest (awesome!) I'm ready to get back to running...this crap has been going on for over a week now.

Bex I am so sorry. I know how easy it is turn to food. But just remind yourself you're not that girl anymore. It's just like I told Rainbow yesterday, part of this journey is learning how to deal with these situations in a different way than we did before. I believe in you!

Raiinbow I'm jealous of your work week. And what is a shisha pipe?.. I mean I've heard of it before, but I don't know what it is. Sounds like fun lol

BL You are not alone.. I am at work as well. I seriously felt like the only person in Fayetteville going to work this morning. My boyfriend was all snuggled up in the bed when I left and there was seriously no traffic. I was pissed before I even got here.

Rissa You're so sweet I think those are great rewards. I like that you are using things that will promote your healthy lifestyle, like the hike. I've never been hiking before, but I recently moved to an area that has some great trails. I am looking forward to getting into it once the weather is steadily cool. My boyfriend is even interested