Hey guys - hope everyone is prepared for another week. I have a feeling I'm going to be REALLY busy this week. Hopefully, I'll have the strength to stay on plan. BUT I went to an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet (and I was HUNGRY) this weekend and stayed on plan. Amazing. It's starting to look a lot like spring!

I think this is going to be a pretty crazy week for me, too. Lots of stuff needs to get done for school before spring break and the weeks are dwindling! I have a paper and a presentation due next week.

I've got to make more time for exercising, I'm really falling short of my cross-training goals. I'm getting the running mileage I should be, but I need to be more consistent about cross training so that my overall physical condition can keep up with the demands that my training schedule puts on my body. The long run for this past weekend was 6 miles, which I made it through relatively problem free. Next weekend is 7 miles, so I'm going to try to start running outside. 70+ minutes is more time than I really want to spend on the treadmill in one day. I know it's harder to run outside, but I've realized that if I take it slow and take little walking breaks to drink water, my body can accomplish more than I ever suspected.

I'm trying to keep a positive attitude, I've told people that I'm training to run a half-marathon, so I've got to keep believing that I can accomplish this goal. Now I just need to go shopping for some gear to make outdoor running more comfortable.

Yeah, school is definately roaring to an end. I hate this time of the term. I just got back from a WONDERFUL long run outside. I love the Pacific Northwest, it's just beautiful! My city has a really wonderful trail system running through it and I just got on the trail today and ran for what seemed like forever! It was wonderful. I was out so long I had to catch a bus to get back home before it got dark outside. I just got caught up in it... gorgeous!

Wow! Look at all the runners! I'm so impressed by you both! I hope to be like you someday.

What do you know? I've got a busy week at work, too. My boss is really big on procastinating, so there is always a huge rush at deadline. I've found out that I work fairly well under pressure, though. It's a good thing, too!

I had a really OP weekend. I got in lots of exercise and ate really well. I hope it pays off on the scale tomorrow at weigh-in. I've had some stressful things going on, and instead of eating like a maniac, I've been more focused than ever. Maybe because that's the one area of my life I can actually control at the moment...

I hope everyone has a great week!

Take care,
Jina

It seems as though everyone is very busy this week and I will add my name to that list!

I've got a conference paper deadline in March and its gonna be a race to the finish. I'm going to do my best to keep exercising since I just started to get in the groove again.

My eating was bad this weekend (went out twice), but oh well. I am just trying to get back into the groove of exercising 5 days a week. Then I will tackle my eating. That plan worked for me in the past, so I will try it again.

Ok, back to work!

hello, all! i'm still around, just haven't been here in a few days. but surprisingly, it's not because i've been bad! i'm totally on plan! complete with achy legs and butt from the workout video i did yesterday. i'm just finding it difficult to do everything on the computer in the amount of time i have. which is better than being all caught up on here but having no time to workout or prepare healthy meals, right? right!

anyways, i weigh on wednesday, and i don't expect it to be a great number because six days of good eating can't undo a whole month. but after that, the numbers will begin to go down again.

holly - Hiya! I just browsed your website. I musta forgot or something, but you majored in computer science? Thats so cool! I'm also a geek

I'm going against the flow. My week isn't so busy, but I do feel as if I'm about ready to fall off the wagon. Yesterday I had a HUGE lunch at my Grandma's (healthy, but still way too much) I ate out for dinner last night and for lunch today. I've got the winter blahs and I'm ready for spring. So, I'm not in the best of moods (and I'm sure PMS has nothing to do with it--yeah, sure...) I just want to give in. Help!!! I'm trying to keep sight of my goals! I really want to wear a certain dress to a friends wedding in June I guess that's my first major goal. That will have to take off 15 lbs. I reread my April 1 challenge and I'm not so sure I'm going to make it. =( It's a lot closer than I think. I really have to bump up my cardio. I wish I could run as much as some of you do. I guess I should start small first. Thanks for letting me vent!

Tanya & Holly, you both have great sites! It's fun to know more about you both! Good luck with the wedding Tanya & enjoy every minute of it. It flies by!

dee - Thanks! I'm having fun planning the wedding despite the stress
As far as your April challenge being too ambitious.. I think thats sorta good. It pushses you to work really hard. Deep down inside you know whats realistic, so when you reach the end of the challenge and have done better then whats realistic but not what your goal was.. you will be very happy. But above all, just keep working hard. You are doing great! You will lose those 15 pounds before June. Thats a very realtisitc goal.

My April 1 Goal is VERY ambitious - but I pledged to reward myself with a session with a personal trainer if I get there. There's really only 5 weeks until then, but making the goal very challenging helps to keep me more on track then ever! I weigh in Wednesday, and I'll be happy if I'm at 215 (which is VERY possible, even likely - I've lost 2 lbs./week steadily for awhile) - that'll put me at a 3 lb. loss per week. High - but not impossible. And if I'm at 205 on April 1 - no big deal. I'll keep truckin' and reward myself when I do get to onederland.

Jenicra - I think that's a good attitude to have about goals - work hard to achieve them but don't stop working if you don't. Sometimes I get so frustrated when I don't accomplish what I wanted to that it's hard not to give up.

So, I turned my paper in but still have to get ready for a presentation, which is nerve wracking. I don't mind public speaking at all (law school would be pretty horrifying if I couldn't deal with speaking in front of groups) but it's a group project and I don't feel as though I can rely on everyone to get their work done.

Time for bed, I'm going to get up and go for a run tomorrow. I'm pretty stressed and I think that will make me feel better.

hey gang! I am alittle upset this week because I keep gaining and losing the same 2 lbs.
I wanted to ask yall

When taking your measurements for your hips; Do you lift your stomach if its hanging the same length to ur hips or do u measure your hips around the stomach?

I'm not sure what I was thinking by then.. but I found myself setting goals according to friends' weights..
like : "okay, the next goal is to weigh the same/less than [insert a friend's name here], after that.. [another friend], and finally [yet another]."

somehow I like it that way ^^; competitive nature?

Happy Mardi Gras to everyone celebrating! We do a party at school (I teach preschool) and the kids get pretty jazzed about the whole thing...beads & all! It was a fun, though hectic, day.
Just wanted to check in & say hey to everyone....hope this week's going great! Mine is going great for the first time in a long time! It feels good! (-;