Hey everyone! I can't believe Christmas is this coming weekend already! My apologies to anyone not celebrating Christmas, but it seems to be a hectic time of year no matter what your religion or celebrations, so I think we can all relate.

Anyway, just wanted to get a chat thread going for the week since we seem to have slowed down a bit around here. Keep on keepin' on, chicas!

Good morning everyone! It is definitely hectic this week! I'm flying out to LA on Wednesday and will probably be in radio silence until New Year's, so I hope you all have a Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Happy New Year/Happy Kwaanza/Happy whatever other holiday you celebrate! It's pretty weird that Hanukkah is on Christmas this year. Maybe we will have latkes at our Christmas dinner! (My dad is Jewish, my mom is Lutheran, so we do ALL the holidays!)

Well, I had kind of a crazy weekend. I'm finally done with finals, but I still have to work on my research. This Saturday I went outlet-mall shopping! I didn't get much though, just a liquid measuring cup and an apron! Then I spent SIX HOURS baking and decorating cookies (5pm to 11pm!). Phew! I packed them up Sunday and mailed them to my grandma and aunt, and to my future in-laws. Ben and I were pretty good, we only ate three cookies out of the 71 that the recipe made.

I have been doing a lot of stress eating and eating just because it's the holidays lately. So many of my favorite foods! I know I've been eating when I'm not hungry and I'm starting to get worried about regaining. At least it will be a lot warmer in LA so we can do some more outdoor activities. Maybe when we get back I can talk Ben into trying cross-country skiing.

Anyway, in case I don't post again until New Year's, happy holidays everyone!!

Phew. What an indulgent weekend. Maybe I was thinking that if I just ate like CRAZY all weekend, then I will be able to forgo that this coming weekend... highly unlikely, though.
The good news is that the scale managed to show a drop in weight. Crazy.

Phew... 3.5 more days of work...

Ugh, my eating has been horrible. The exercise part is the same, yet I have gained another pound....boo hoo!

Hey guys! Happy winter holidays!!! I leave on a cruise for a few days so hopefully I will stay motivated... although a lot of personal stresses have been happening (bf problems, job search problems, time of the month problems) so I hope I don't cave. I know there is sooo much good food on the cruise; however, it is also possible to eat very healthy and workout. GOOD CHOICES GOOD CHOICES!!! Wish me luck... I have lost some weight, but for me it is sooo easy to put it ALL back. Months of losing weight for me can come back in a week (trust me I've done it before). So I keep telling myself food will not make the problems go away and it will not make you happy. With all of the problems at least I feel good about how I look....

Anyone have any goals they are going to try and accomplish over their winter break?

Over my 'break', my biggest goal is to not let everything go all to ****.

Hi ladies. Well, I've been gone a couple days. Why? Because I have been busy eating everything in sight and not working out. Today I am back on track though. I haven't gone to the gym in over 2 weeks, but I am going today! I'm with PhysDom, I just am gonna try not to let everything go to ****.

I'm pretty much done with my x-mas shopping though, just a little bit left to do for my fiance! Hope you all are doing well!

I too have been eating wayyyy too much!!! It all started on Friday when every which way I turned there was chocolate and cookies in the office!!! There’s yummy homemade chocolate covered toffee sitting on the file cabinet as I type this! I didn’t eat too much food this weekend; just the wrong kind.

I really want to join the gym!!!! I miss going there! Oh my gosh, did I just say that?!?!? I actually do. It was kind of like “me time” away from the BF. I’m waiting on prices to go down at the beginning of the year, but two weeks seem like such a long time!!!!

Also, TOM is coming very soon as I’m bloated, my back and breast hurt, I have cramps and I want CHOCOLATE!!!!!! Darn TOM!!! My scale is up 3 lbs. since last week. I know its TOM, but come on!!!! I hate this time of the month.

Okay enough complaining. Sorry if you had to listen to it. Ugghh…just not in a good mood today.

I did almost finish my Christmas shopping as well. Just need to get a few more things for the BF and a gift exchange gift.

Uggghhh...hopefully today will go by fast. I'm off to get some Advil.

My husband is coming home from New Orleans on Wednesday...YAY!!!!!! But, we'll be spending the whole 5 days he's home running around like crazy people doing family stuff and trying to get things ready for his next trip back. Oh well, I'm going to try to enjoy it and just hope that next time he comes home all we'll have to do is lay around and enjoy life!!

My Christmas shopping is DONE and some gift-giving has already ensued...I know it's awful, but I'll be really glad when Christmas is over!! I just hate the mad rush this time of year...

Let's not forget Hannukah!

Happy holidays all!!!

Oh ladies, I'm going crazy! My husband and I are flying out to Pa to visit my family from the 27th to the 3rd. Well the in-laws were supposed to take care of the pets and they just BACKED OUT. All the kennels all full. I actually got laughed at a couple times when I asked. I don't know what the heck I'm going to do. Right now I'm waiting to hear back from a girl I had class with to see if she'll house sit. The only problem is she's Jewish so it's Hannukah for her! I really don't want my husband to have to stay behind (especially since we have our plane tickets).

Anyway.... I'm soooo relieved finals are over. So far I've gotten two A's and C. Still waiting on two grades. I have quite a bit of Christmas stuff to finish up this week but I think it's manageable.

Food hasn't been that bad for me so far. My husband and I did go to a Thai place tonight where I had fried rice but I stayed under 2000 cals for the day. It's going to be hard starting with Christmas eve dinner at Outback and going clear through the 3rd on our trip. I'm going to want to go to all the places I never get to eat at anymore. Eat n Park, Hot Dog Shop, Sheetz MTO's, Luigi's....*drool*

Well I think that's it for now. Stay de-stressed everyone! Remember the holidays are a FUN time!

Wow, I'm glad I'm not the only one! I haven't even had time to check in on the boards, so much get all my exercise in! I've also been eating like a cow! Being my TOM hasn't helped matters at all either. Plus, I haven't even made cookies and fudge yet *sigh* I did make mints...they are pure cream cheese and sugar and coated in sugar...my hubby loves them but I've all ready eaten too many. It's time to pack those puppies up. I'm hoping the stressful eating has ended now. I need to get back on track. We are going to my in-laws from Christmas Eve until the 30th and they are BIG eaters so I'm a bit nervous about that too...when I say big eaters, it's kinda ridiculous really. My MIL won't get up until 10 am or so then we'll eat breakfast. We'll go out to do something and at noon we HAVE to eat because her sugar is LOW?? And when I say eat, I mean breakfast is sausage, bacon, eggs and pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream and lunch is a buffet. Then around 2 she asks if we all want milkshakes. Then there's dinner and of course an all night dessert fest. Even BEFORE I was trying to lose weight it was too much food. It would make me sick and I could really pack it in a couple years ago *smile* I'm all ready prepared to say no to so much food and they've even talked about having fruit and cereal in the house. I know I can have a cup of soup or something at lunch and I should be fine. It's just so much food, all the time!
SO, I'm pretty much done with the stress eating, everything is pretty much ready for Christmas. Now I just have to have small bites of everything instead of the whole thing and get back on my exercise routine...at least partially because I won't have time to do the entire thing and I think I'll survive! I just want to maintain and start fresh in January!

Good luck ladies! Congrats on everyone who is done with finals! I remember those stressful days. I hope everyone who is traveling gets there safely! In my new food and exercise lifestyle, I wish Christmas was over so I could get losing again but I can't wait for Christmas otherwise because I love to see my kids faces on Christmas morning!

Happy holidays to everyone (whatever holiday you celebrate)!

Amber

Hi everyone! It's been a couple of days since I've checked in but today I'm feeling under the weather and generally cruddy (it's been going around at school) so I'm taking it easy. I could go into the lab to work, but I could stay home. I'm still trying to make up my mind.

The good news is that I'm very excited about Christmas and I have all my decorating, shopping, and preparations done! My husband and I are spending Christmas Eve with my parents, then we're having our first married Christmas at home.

Otherwise, not much going on. I'm busy finishing up my first law school application, which is due January 1 (doesn't make sense since nobody will be in the office that day!) When that's done I can relax for a few days!

Happy holidays to everyone!

Hi ladies,

Sorry I have been so MIA, but I'm going to keep being that way for a few more weeks. The work conference I went to last week was ok health-wise until the end, when I ate junk food the last day and drank lots of beer and didn't go to the gym. But the first 2 days I went to the gym and chose the healthiest food options. Then I got home and hosted the office Christmas party w/ my roommate (her thing, really, I didn't have an option) so of course I ate a lot of yummy food and drank too much. Then Sunday night I was in the city visiting a friend at the hospital and ate Pizza Hut, and didn't exercise all weekend... clearly things are spiraling downward. I was back up to 143 this morning. Bloat? Eek! This isn't a good way to start of the holidays!

I'm off Thursday to PA to see my family for 8 days, then flying straight to south Florida w/ BF to go to his family's New Years' party = 2 full weeks of travel and being away from my routine. My goal over the holidays is pretty much what everyone else stated - not to let everything go to ****. My whole family is overweight and the 'rents always have an overflowing pantry, fridge, freezer, and mom in particular can be a food pusher. I already know that in the excitement of having us all home for the holidays she'll be pulling out a lot of our 'traditional' family recipes that I looove and just can't resist (why they never come into my house). My plan: moderation, exercise, and if it's not really special don't have it.

It sounds like a lot of us are already slipping and stressing out about the holidays. Let's all try to remember (believe me, I say this to remind myself!) what we've been working so hard for all year, and not undo some of our progress in this 2-week period. This time of year is about appreciating our loved ones, not the food. This will be my motto. Says the girl who ate cookies as her 'main' course for dinner last night with her salad.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL!!!!!!!!!!