Hi ladies! Here it is, Sunday AGAIN. Can you believe how fast the weeks are flying by?

Sacha--congrats on having an awesome week, I'm pumped for you! You have inspired me to want to have an awesome week, too. And BTW, in response to your question, my DH's family lives here in SC--his parents are about 30 min. away from us.

Well ladies, I have a PLAN for these next few weeks. I'm ashamed to admit that I had trouble with sweets-bingeing AGAIN yesterday.....blech. ARgh. But I refuse to allow this pattern to establish itself, and I'm going to nip it in the bud right NOW.
So here is the idea: DH & I are going away for Valentine's weekend (woo hoo!), and there are 2 weekend in between now & then. I know when we go away that food will be more indulgent with lots of eating out, etc., SO--I am planning to allow myself one indulgent treat per weekend until we leave (that's 2 special desserts total). The rest of the time, and especially during the week, I am going to be more restrictive in general, & only allow a few lowfat/diet-y treats, if any at all. That way, I will feel like I have sort of "saved up" for the weekend away, and will feel OK about indulging some during those 2 1/2 days. I think this is going to work well for me, because I generally do really well with a specific plan set up in advance. I've even got these treats written on my calendar. The idea is to be more mindful about the whole thing--trying to strike the right balance between allowing myself latitude, and being restrained enough to still lose weight.
The fact that I have only about 30 (actually 29!!!) lbs. left to lose kinda further complicates things....weight loss generally becomes harder/slower toward the end, so I'm really going to have to experiment with new & different ways of doing both my eating & my exercise. So here I go.....

Have a wonderful Sunday ladies!! Sorry so LONG. (-;

Jen, your plan sounds good - good luck!!! Where are you and DH going? Out of town?

I'm giving my first professional recital (flute) this Friday - I'm going to be so busy getting last minute practicing in! I'm starting to feel that the exercise is helping my playing - especially with breath control/support. That's so cool!

DH & I are spending Valentine's weekend in Asheville, NC--only about an hour away from here. It's in the Blue Ridge mountains--so pretty!!! I can't wait. (-;

I am reposting this...I guess I didn't write this in the right weekly chat thread!

Hello ladies!

How's your weekend going?? Well, Sacha is in a great mood!! This past week has been amazing for me...I ate extremely well and exercised like a crazy horse everyday! I could feel my pants getting bigger everyday! It is a good feeling because I've had a hard time getting back on tracks right after Christmas. At one point, I thought I wasn't going to be able to go back on these $$### tracks but I am doing it! Thank you to everybody here and thank you to myself!

I am also in a good mood because I got my hair done yesterday! It looks awesome. All I have to say is: watch out Charlize Theron!! (haha..yeah right...) My hair is a lot blonder now and I have mini bangs on the side. I don't know if you can picture the bangs but I promise it looks good! It is a lil bit like Jennifer Aniston's new bangs but not as thick...I'm telling you, if you want a mood booster, go to the haidresser this week!!

I also bought a pilates DVD, thanks to "pilates thread" of this forum! See how you girls are helping me?? I was thinking of going to the gym 5 times a week and do pilates during the weekend...We'll see....

Katia ---- I am so sorry about fall! These @##@ winters!!! I hope you will feel better soon!

Jen ---- I understand you wanting to be close to your family. I am only 1 hour and a half away from mine and I love it...I can go every weekend if I want. Where is your hubby's family?

Gonzo --- I am praying for those 2 days off!! You deserve them!


Have a good Sunday everybody!!!

Sacha
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Hi Ladies!
I'm jumping in on this too I can't believe its Sunday already! The weekend just flies by. I saw "Big Fish" on Friday night. Has anyone seen it?? It is wonderful. I loved it. I think it is one of my new favorite movies.

I bought a Pilates tape last week too. I like it alright so far. I think I like yoga better but I haven't given Pilates enough devotion yet. In fact, I may do a little bit in just a few minutes since I've been sitting on my fat behind all day!

Have a great week!
Amy

Jen ---- You are so lucky to have a nice weekend away coming up! And you can wear sexy lingerie and feel sexier than ever! Lucky you!

Your plan is a good one...It is a good thing to allow youself to eat a treat from time to time so you do not go crazy. Do you keep sweets in your cupboard or it is when you go out that you eat a lil bit too much? If it is scenario 1, keep the sweets out of the house ! They are calling your name girl! During the last holidays at my parents, I could hear the chocolate and the fudge calling my name and asking me to take a bite...And of course, I had to listen to them!! But when I came back home, there was no more temptation because there are no treats in my house. Just an idea...

My problem is when I eat out on the weekend. I feel tempted by all the bad food on the menu and it is really hard to say no. I try to make good choices even if the lucky fiancé can eat whatever he wants! Sheeesh...life is unfair.....

So Jen, we are in this together since day 1, so we are going to do this no matter what! I hope I am hearing a: YES SACHA!

*hugs*

Sacha

Amy - Yes, I LOVED "Big Fish"!!!

Sacha - I have trouble when eating out too. I find it very difficult to make good choices. Especially since things that seem healthy, like salads and such, are often worse calorie/fat-wise than other stuff on the menu. It's frustrating and I start to not care... then get something really *really* bad. Ugh, it's a vicious cycle. And then those pictures of the desserts (especially Chocolate Rush at TGI Friday's, OMG!)

Can you hear me? "Yes, Sacha!" (-; Hee hee. I agree with your idea about not keeping sweets in the house. Here's my own personal spin on it: I do fine with "diet" sweets in the house (such as, low-fat ice cream, sherbet, fudgesicles, etc....) I sometimes have trouble with "sinful" treats around though, so I definitely limit that. Earlier on in my weight loss journey, I was so motivated that even a bag of Hershey Kisses in the cupboard, or a bag of milk chocolate chips in the freezer couldn't de-rail me! Now, that's not necessarily the case. SO--since I know what I can & can not handle, I'll stock my kitchen accordingly. I guess I just don't like the frozen treats all that much, because they just don't seem to tempt me! I AM, however, a real sucker for a warm soft brownie with vanilla ice cream. In fact, I already have next weekend's big treat figured out! DH & I will be going OUT to a restaurant nearby for it! This place (Flat Rock Grille, for any of you in the Carolinas) has a Hershey brownie: it's actually a warm gooey brownie the SIZE of a regular Hershey bar, with an ACTUAL Hershey bar (melty) on top! It's ludricous! So rich that DH & I will have to share it. And, it has vanilla ice cream too. Anyway....hope I didn't cause anyone any unnecessary grief with the above description! (-; But we won't be having that shared treat until next Sat. or Sun.

And in other GREAT news: I think I have no school (well, work) tomorrow! It is sleeting/icing/snowing here, and it's very slippery out there! The cancellation was listed as "Greenville County: Closed Monday morning." I'm not sure what that means....not sure if I have the whole day off or not. It didn't specify a certain delay, like a 1-hr or 2-hr, so who knows.....may have to call my boss tonight to get the full scoop. I love an unexpected paid day off!!! Woo hoo!

correction....that should be "LUDICROUS" not ludRIcous......good grief (-;

Jen -
I'm still waiting for our delay! It's been icing/sleeting/whatever all day. They just started with the school closings on the tv and of course mine is the ONE Lexington district that didn't come up! Gaaaah. It will come soon I'm sure. Most everything around here is on a 2 hour delay tomorrow. I hope it shows up before I go to bed so I don't have to get up at 6. Hehe.

please be closed....please be closed.....

Amy--I hope you get your delay, too! We teachers have to stick together. (-; Whereabouts is Lexington county, anyway? I can't place it in my head.....
And BTW, Greenville Co. (my county) is definitely closed for tomorrow, I found out! Yay!!!! A whole free day for me!!!! Woohoo! (I'm pretty excited, can you tell?)

I know what you ladies mean, too, about tempting restaurant menus....it IS hard to make good choices. Well, I guess there are all the LOWCARB Atkin's friendly choices these days, but that's a whole other story, really..... Yikes. That stuff has mushroomed up EVERYWHERE these days! Plus I've noticed all these low-carb choices are generally priced pretty high on the menus, too. I guess all this to say, it's best when restaurant meals are an occasional thing!!! (-;

I LOVE going out to dinner. Love, love, love it. I can't always fit many nice dinners into my student budget, but last summer when I had my posh summer associate job my boyfriend and I tried a new (to us) restaurant each week. I'm lucky that he's not much of a dessert person, so we didn't order dessert very often. When we go out, we tend to go to nicer restaurants, which is sort of a blessing in that the portions are more reasonable. I try to keep in mind how much fish/meat is actually in a 3 - 4 oz portion and just eat that much. I also try to stick with leaner preparations and lots of vegetables. Just eating a reasonable amount of food and savoring every bite really makes the meal enjoyable (and you have dinner the next day, too if you bring home the leftovers).

We're trying this really fabulous sounding French-Japanese fusion place next weekend and I have Valentine's Day reservations at a French bistro (and I'm so forgoing the healthy eating and getting steak and pommes frittes on V-day).

So, I'm really having trouble getting motivated to exercise lately. I've decided to train for a race in hopes that having a specific goal to work towards will provide a little extra push to get me to the gym. I'm going to try to run a half marathon in June (YIKES - writing it down makes it real). My dad referred me to this site for run/walk training because my knees seem much happier when I take little walk breaks: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/

So, I'm going to give this a try and see what sort of fabulous shape I can whip myself into.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Ice Day!! No school for me! Only 4 days of student teaching and already a free day off. Yahoo (Jen - I'm in Columbia, if that helps. Lexington is just a few minutes west, I believe. But basically the center of the state)

So now my question is...since the entire state is coated with ice, what shall I do to exercise. I was going to go to Curves today but since state police are telling everyone to stay off the roads, I don't think driving would be in my best interest. I could walk over to the workout room in my apt complex and do the treadmill...its just the next building over....but its so cold and icy. Or, I could wire up the VCR and stay in and do a yoga tape, where its warm and dry, but I won't get the workout I intended for today. Hmmmm. What to do?

Congrats on the ice day, Amy! It's VERY icy here in Greenville, too. Yikes! Even my DH is still home (his work is all the way across town & the roads are horrible, we hear)....he's not sure if he'll be trying to go in or not! I love getting to be home, though.
I have the same exercise dilemma today!!! Although I don't have any videos here at home, and no apt. workout room either! So I will probably be forced to be "off" just by circumstance. I work out for free at the gym at Furman Univ. (the preschool I teach at is part of Furman), and I know Furman is closed today, so I think I'm out of luck. Plus, shouldn't really drive anywhere anyway.....ah, well. I almost *never* take a day off from exercising, so this just may be it! (-;

Hope all the ladies that have the "ice day" have a great day! I never get days off for snow or ice anymore... But, I'm just glad I never have to deal with the stuff. Yuck!

We had a great weekend! We went to Orlando yesterday to watch an NBA game. It was so much fun. We also ate at a really neat and tasty restaurant. I love days off!

I weigh-in tonight for the first time in almost three weeks! I have had some motivation issues and slipped up more than once. I think weighing in weekly really keeps me on track. So, I'm sure this weigh-in will be painful, but I think it will be what I need to get back on track.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

Take care,
Jina