Guess what girlies.... I have a baby waist :woohoo: :lol3:

I was such an apple, and then I turned into Sponge Bob and now I have a tiny weeny waist. It is there :D Makes me want to stay OP!!

I hope Krystal had safe travels.

I am in Tahoe--safe and sound.
The weather is gorgeous. :sunny:
The views are breathtaking.
I am not weighing or really thinking about food too much this week.
I didn't bring my Polar, my Garmin, nor my Fuel Belts.
I wish I had all 3!!

Pics to come. I hope everyone is having a spectacular week!! :)

<<<---------- I changed my avi to remind me of my goal weight. I was between 125-130 pounds in that picture.

146 pounds for me. I was secretly hoping to see mid 40's.

Sum, I liked your post about your waist! That was so cute. You are doing awesome, don't let that scale get to you. It always took me a few days to get rid of the spike "gain".
Very busy yesterday and today, been out in the yard trying to get a handle on the weeds and shrubs and such. Will be time to open the pool soon and I want to get this stuff caught up. Track meet today too, those are sooooooo loooong!
Even if I am not posting, I am usually reading up to see what you guys are up to. You guys keep me going;)
Have a great day :wave:

please send any prayers you can spare...so very much family drama going on...i cant talk about it all here but ive just been crying all morning :( i ate 615 calories yesterday and exercised 230 of them away...i havent eaten and i havent hardly slept...i just cant deal with it or talk about it...please pray

Originally Posted by alaskanlaughter:
please send any prayers you can spare...so very much family drama going on...i cant talk about it all here but ive just been crying all morning :( i ate 615 calories yesterday and exercised 230 of them away...i havent eaten and i havent hardly slept...i just cant deal with it or talk about it...please pray

:hug: praying fervently for you. :hug:

In a word: The internet service at this condo--BYTES!

I am having a great time here. It's a little too touristy for my liking, but the scenery makes up for that. I am missing my babs like crazy. Riv would have the time of her life here!!

I'm counting on MFP, but I'm not too concerned with caloric intake for the week. I am plenty busy & feel as though I am burning a few hundred per day. No lifting. I'll do that when I return.

Hope you all are having a great week.
:hug:

Alaskan :hug:

Krystal How is the weather?

Jo I got all my flowers planted, flower beds weeded and I just ordered mulch for Thursday. -- That will be a great workout, yay!

:woohoo: :woohoo: 144.5 lbs :woohoo: :woohoo:

I am very happy :sunny: These 40's are flying by :lol:

Originally Posted by Sum38:
Alaskan :hug:

Krystal How is the weather?

Jo I got all my flowers planted, flower beds weeded and I just ordered mulch for Thursday. -- That will be a great workout, yay!

Sum, So far I have pulled out 2 bushes that needed to go, scrubbed off the back decking material that is under the porch area, weeded the front yard, pulled out and replanted 4 large hostas and several iris (that were still blooming, oh well), rehung the blinds on the back porch, hauled out 2 of the 3 hose reels, the last one I will have to replace, it was a self winder and it is broken, bummer. So basically I still have to weed the whole back fenced in area around the pool which is landscape galore and a lot of work. Trim all the bushes that need it and then decide what to do with the leaking pond. I am considering just pulling it out and being done with it, but still debating on whether I should reline it and give it one more shot. Either way it is a huge job. Oh, and I still have to haul out all the back porch furniture. THEN, there will be the pool on top of all that, ugh. Oh, and I don't even want to think about mulch! Glad I live in a cooler climate, I would not want all this work year round. DH can't help much right now, my oldest is injured and my youngest is busy finishing up the school year and running track, so I am pretty much on my own with all of this. DH suggested we hire a service to get it all done in a day, but I am not at that point yet. Kind of like a cleaning lady, why hire someone to do something I am capable of? I may cave eventually though. :dizzy: I just keep plugging away at it, trying not to think too much about the big picture.
Not sure what I will get done today, it rained pretty good last night and everything is wet right now. Are you starting mulch today?

Alaskan, :hug: hope things are settling down for you.

Star, :hug: so sorry about your furbaby, I hope you find him/her soon!

K9, Enjoy your day! :wave:

I just wanted to come one here and tell you guys maintenance is hard! I am learning so much through this process about timing of meals, how much I really need to be eating and how it all affects how I feel, what I weigh and all that.
I don't think IF would ever work for me at maintenance levels. No possible way to eat all of that food in smaller windows. I haven't really been trying to IF, but because I have been outside a lot, and it has been warm, I just haven't been as hungry or wanting to take breaks early on, and it is hard, hard, hard to eat enough later. I have to make sure I eat a substantial breakfast and stop for some sort of lunch or else I am stuffing myself later.
I am absolutely amazed by how much my lifts have increased by since eating more though. It takes a lot to impress myself, and I am really impressed:D.
This is really a practice in patience. I cannot wait to get to cut phase. I am trying to enjoy the process of being able to eat more and making muscles. I love lifting now. Before, I just did it because I knew I should, but now I just love it, I am getting stronger and I know I could actually be making a difference because I am eating enough. It is exciting and I can't wait to see some changes when I cut, but I must be patient and do the reset correctly.
So mentally I am struggling a little, but I will stay the course, this is a lifetime process/change for me and I don't plan to go back to what I was doing before. I will as they say "bulk and cut" my way to goal, whatever that may be now. I am seriously considering taking my weight goal off the table and just going by pants/measurements. I have already gotten rid of my ticker and smilies, that is just not where my head is at right now, I think I see the bigger picture now. It's all good.

Originally Posted by Sum38:
:woohoo: :woohoo: 144.5 lbs :woohoo: :woohoo:

I am very happy :sunny: These 40's are flying by :lol:

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Alaskan - Prayers are being said for ya

Krystal - I bet that scenery is amazing. Been a long time since I have been to Tahoe and it was wonderful. Enjoy!!!!

Kristiina - Amazing job with the scale, so glad you two are getting along :) Sounds like you have been so busy in your yard!

Jo - Thank you so much, I am honestly such a mess! I want my boy home so badly! Sounds like you have been real busy too. Was happy to hear how your lifting improved with maintenance level calories. I have no doubt you are learning as much now as you did on the losing part!

As for me - not touching a scale until this is over and things stop being so stressed. I am 4 days constipated (super TMI, sorry), have been eating stuff I can grab on the go, and holding SOOO much water - my fingers are so swollen! We hung out 70 flyers last night, and today DH will be calling all shelters/rescues between Phoenix to Tucson just in case. I will be making up more flyers to put in neighboring housing developments. Positive thoughts our fur-baby comes back safe and sound - going nuts

Star I am so sorry that he is still missing!! I am sure someone took him in. :hug:

Jo Wow, you are busy. Are you wearing your body bugg whilst working on yard? -- Mulch coming tomorrow, all 12 yards. I am alone doing most of the yard work as well. I do have a lawn company though. We have 3/4 of acre of lawn...would take me hours to mow that. But weeding is now my job.

thanks everyone :) today is a better day, hope it stays that way

monday i ate 615 calories and exercised 240 of those away...yesterday i ate 1360 calories and didnt work out...today feels more like normal...scale said 193 this morning, still cant seem to hit 190...worked out with incline intervals, working towards being able to do higher inclines without using the handlebars on the treadmill, it's not my fitness level that makes it hard, it's my balance issues, i get super dizzy so i'm working on it minutes at a time

today i would do:
1 minute at 10% incline
1 minutes at 11%
1 minutes at 12%
etc up to 15% which is max incline
then i'd take a 2 minutes break walking at 15% holding onto handlebars, drop incline down to 10 and do it all over again

my heartrate was at 204 when i checked it at 50 minutes into my 60-minute workout...fun fun

Originally Posted by alaskanlaughter:
thanks everyone :) today is a better day, hope it stays that way

monday i ate 615 calories and exercised 240 of those away...yesterday i ate 1360 calories and didnt work out...today feels more like normal...scale said 193 this morning, still cant seem to hit 190...worked out with incline intervals, working towards being able to do higher inclines without using the handlebars on the treadmill, it's not my fitness level that makes it hard, it's my balance issues, i get super dizzy so i'm working on it minutes at a time

today i would do:
1 minute at 10% incline
1 minutes at 11%
1 minutes at 12%
etc up to 15% which is max incline
then i'd take a 2 minutes break walking at 15% holding onto handlebars, drop incline down to 10 and do it all over again

my heartrate was at 204 when i checked it at 50 minutes into my 60-minute workout...fun fun

Not sure if that heart rate is accurate, but if so, that is too high. You MAX heart rate is 220 minus your age. I forget how old you are, but I know you are older than 16! You should try to work out no more than 80% of your max heart rate. 60% is ideal. Don't worry the extra calories are not much different if you slow it down, lower the treadmill and actually enjoy the process, you don't have to punish yourself, lol! I know you'd rather be running, but walking is good exercise, and you don't have to break speed records to do it (unless you are Kriistina :lol:).
I hope this comes across as concern and not rude. Just trying to be helpful.

My fur-baby is HOME!!!!

Originally Posted by ItsMyTurn:
My fur-baby is HOME!!!!

:woohoo: Somehow I just kept thinking about him all day!! Where was he?

Kristiina - A guy who saw one of our MANY flyers (lol) called us to let us know his neighbor found him. He had been seen in the desert field by another, but when we went, he wasn't there. Unbeknown to us,he slipped under a gate to a backyard and when the owner got home, found his laying down with his big ol' Rottie, :rofl: I can just imagine how funny that looked, our lil 11lb baby laying next to that huge Rottie, :rofl: Somehow our little Punky managed to not get "gotten" by a coyote or anything!!! He has a bit of injury, but way better off then I expected... nothing seems broken, and no puncture wounds/cuts/abrasions that could get infected - so we will take it! He is safe and sound at home where he belongs :)

This is our lil bitty fur-baby. Just so you all can put a face to my panic the last 3 days, :lol:

Originally Posted by ItsMyTurn:
This is our lil bitty fur-baby. Just so you all can put a face to my panic the last 3 days, :lol:

Awwww, I'm so happy for you. I really hope you can settle back into normal life now, whatever that is right??? :lol: :hug:to you!

Originally Posted by Sum38:
Jo Wow, you are busy. Are you wearing your body bugg whilst working on yard? -- Mulch coming tomorrow, all 12 yards. I am alone doing most of the yard work as well. I do have a lawn company though. We have 3/4 of acre of lawn...would take me hours to mow that. But weeding is now my job.

Yes, I have been wearing my bodybugg this week to see what average I am coming in at for the week. My subscription is expired so as soon as it fills up with information, I will be done with it probably until fall. I just hate wearing it in the summer. I tried wearing it in my bra under my arm the other day but I don't think the readings were quite accurate, if I had to guess, but there is really no way of knowing. I can usually tell by my exertion what I am burning before I look though.
So I think you were asking that question, wondering what I am burning, well, I can tell you, not as much as I used to! This week has just reinforced that what I am doing with this hard reset is very important right now. All this work, I would have been burning at least 3400 calories a year or two ago. Now? About 2600-2800!!!!! Matter of fact, I used to have at least 2-3 days a week before that I was consistently over 3000, now I have days where I hope to get over 2000. So for the week I am averaging around 2485, which is ironically right where my TDEE puts me, but I know I am going above and beyond what I "normally" do, so that concerns me. Some of it has to do with the fact that I am lighter too, so I am trying not to freak out.

Interestingly, the last couple days, after my walks, my after burn is lasting much longer than it has been, and I ended up taking more of a rest day (after my walk) yesterday because I hadn't slept well and was just really fatigued and still burned close to 2600 calories for the day, so I think something is starting to happen with the old internal fires.

I ended up having a spike day. We had DH and I ate and socialized. Scale was at 146, up 1.5 pounds. Which I totally expected. -- Feels great to have such low weight after spike day. No more 150's :woohoo: I have no idea how much I ate in calories...I am guessing atleast 2500...well now that nuisance is out of the way :lol:

Star Aww, he is so cute!!

Jo So you are eating all those calories right now, right? -- Have you stepped on scale? -- I have sleep troubles as well. I keep waking up at 3 am almost each morning...I am exhausted at night, but I just can't seem to stay asleep. I have had sleep problems for years.

I have had a busy week, and my house shows it....today is house cleaning day and hopefully I will get to do little mulching as well.

so glad your little doggy is home!!

on the heartrate, it might not have been accurate...those handles on the treadmill are horrible at getting a good reading...it usually doesnt read my hands very well and gives a really low reading which i know isnt right...when i make the effort to though, it gives a true reading, like if i leave my hands in one place for 30 seconds or more so it can get a real reading...thats what i did when it came across as 204 yesterday, i was making an effort to get an accurate reading...but who knows, it might have just been wrong

i worked out again this morning, same routine as yesterday...im finding that when im working out HARD that the HR monitor wont give me anything at all in terms of reading, i think my hands might be too sweaty(?) im not sure

anyhow it gave me an accurate reading of 99 HR in the first couple minutes warming up, slow walking....it failed to give me a good reading during the workout itself...during my cooldown, i was able to get another good reading, it said 213 HR and then dropped quickly down to 199 and stayed there, dropping steadily downward as i slowly walked to cool down

Hi, everyone! Just popping in after a reminder from Sum38 (thanks!)! Glad to see everyone still doing their thing and moving forward! I am staying on track this week, although I didn't get in the exercise I had planned on due to sick kids at home. However, I still managed to see a 1lb drop in the scale after many weeks of standing still! Let's hope I can keep it off and send a friend along with it!

Jo - Normal??? Ummm...sure :) Sounds good, doesn't it? Let's see. Today while at work, my nutritionist came by for an appointment with me, got a great report :) YAY! Punky is acting back to normal, playing with our other fur-boy and being himself again. DH started a big cleaning on the house cause my parents are flying in 9pm Tuesday night, and then Wednesday I meet with enrollment counselor to fill out paperwork for registration and loan, get my class schedule, and officially full time in college will be added to my daily stuff. Oh...and got "form rejection" emails to 2 positions I applied for internally at work, and today my supervisor put in a word for me in another department for an opening I JUST applied for :) Also looking externally, but prefer internal so I can get 80% tuition reimbursement for school. Oh...and getting Amber prepped for her knee replacement surgery, arguing with SSI (they are trying to say she doesn't qualify for it anymore... bs) so we don't lose that insurance cause it will pay what my work insurance won't. :) There...that pretty much sums up "normal", LOL!
Great job on your new plan. Are you nervous to weigh? The calories must feel good.

Kristiina - Thank you :) Our fur-boys are as much our children as the human ones are, so I am biased, but think they are adorable. Sounds like you and DH had fun! I am so glad you are seeing the dip stay out of 150's now! :dance:

Alaskan - Thank you so much! Relieved to have him back. Those are some radical HR measurements...seem REALLY high when you go intensity.

guacamole - Sorry... didn't forget ya :) :wave: Hi!!!!!! Sorry to hear of the sick kiddos, but great job taking off a pound!!!!

my willpower has been stronger this week...its weird LOL

two days ago there was CAKE in the staff lounge, a nice big chocolate cake, when i walked in there...but i didnt eat it, not a lick or nibble...and i didnt go back in the staff lounge for the rest of the day because i wasnt sure i could continue to resist

my bribe to myself was that on thursday (today) i would have a piece of the baby shower cake that i knew was happening at school...and then today i wasnt able to actually go to the baby shower because i was the only staff person in my program for the afternoon (yes, just me, with 18 students)....one of my friends knew i was missing it and she brought me a piece of cake...and i ate the whole piece...and savored it...and logged it in my calories for the day and DID NOT go later to get any more of it LOL

and tonight when DH wanted ice cream, i went to the store and brought home one thing for him and one for teenager and DID NOT buy any for myself and havent eaten any of theirs....i know the difference between thirsty and wanting sugar, at least for tonight, and am filling up on low-calorie gatorade which tastes awesome because i think i'm a bit dehydrated

I'm here, just with alot of lousy internet connections.
I promise to give a full report when I get home.
I am exhausted from a 6 hr drive (that should have taken 4) from San Francisco. I may never visit that city again....waaaay too much wind & waaaaay to frigid for me there.
However, I LOVED Napa Valley :cheers:

I hope you are all doing well this week. I have probably gained 6 lbs. I have walked a ton.

Hey, and all the complaining I did about the hills in Nashville for the 1/2 Mary...at least it wasn't in San Fran!! :lol:
No Friggin Way!! Seriously, the hills were 90 degrees!

More later. I'm wiped out! :faint:

Originally Posted by ItsMyTurn:
Jo - Normal??? Ummm...sure :) Sounds good, doesn't it? Let's see. Today while at work, my nutritionist came by for an appointment with me, got a great report :) YAY! Punky is acting back to normal, playing with our other fur-boy and being himself again. DH started a big cleaning on the house cause my parents are flying in 9pm Tuesday night, and then Wednesday I meet with enrollment counselor to fill out paperwork for registration and loan, get my class schedule, and officially full time in college will be added to my daily stuff. Oh...and got "form rejection" emails to 2 positions I applied for internally at work, and today my supervisor put in a word for me in another department for an opening I JUST applied for :) Also looking externally, but prefer internal so I can get 80% tuition reimbursement for school. Oh...and getting Amber prepped for her knee replacement surgery, arguing with SSI (they are trying to say she doesn't qualify for it anymore... bs) so we don't lose that insurance cause it will pay what my work insurance won't. :) There...that pretty much sums up "normal", LOL!
Great job on your new plan. Are you nervous to weigh? The calories must feel good.

I call that "jumping through hoops". I am doing that this week in preparation for my DS shoulder surgery next Friday.
I feel like I am always jumping through hoops, especially when dealing with medical or insurance issues.
As far as weighing, I have still been weighing in daily. I am up a few pounds, but that is to be expected. My focus right now is eating for fuel and lifting to build muscle. I really could care less what the scale says. Did I say that? :lol: I want to make changes with my body, not just be "lighter" Does that make sense? If I had to choose 170 with a great physique or 150 and flabby, I would take the 170 in a heartbeat. I am on a mission and it feels great! The only reason I am still weighing right now is because I want to see if what I am eating is helping me maintain. If I lose, I need to eat more, if I gain more than a pound or two, I need to eat a little less. Once I know I am on the right path, I will probably weigh less and less.

for some reason i seem to have a reaction to allergy medications ONLY when i work out...it's so weird...i very rarely take allergy meds because i just dont need them

back in january, i was taking Sudafed for an ear infection (per doctor's orders)...i broke out in big itchy raised bumps all over my body during a workout...i quit taking the sudafed and it stopped...i took sudafed a couple times a week or so later and didnt react to it

today i took a different type of sudafed due to seasonal allergies, as well as Bayer for muscle aches this morning....during my workout i broke out in those same big splotchy itchy raised bumps and when i undressed at home my whole body had them all over...

but i dont react like that all the time...even when i take the same meds...so im not sure what's up with that...

so anyhow i cleaned up and am dressed for work and i know the bumps will subside during the day...weird though...

Jo - totally understand! As far as your plan, I am with you. Being toned and looking better physically is higher on my priority list then being less weight. With improved physique comes improved health and benefits :) You go girl!!!

Alaskan - Maybe a metabolism related thing with the meds?

Originally Posted by alaskanlaughter:
for some reason i seem to have a reaction to allergy medications ONLY when i work out...it's so weird...i very rarely take allergy meds because i just dont need them

back in january, i was taking Sudafed for an ear infection (per doctor's orders)...i broke out in big itchy raised bumps all over my body during a workout...i quit taking the sudafed and it stopped...i took sudafed a couple times a week or so later and didnt react to it

today i took a different type of sudafed due to seasonal allergies, as well as Bayer for muscle aches this morning....during my workout i broke out in those same big splotchy itchy raised bumps and when i undressed at home my whole body had them all over...

but i dont react like that all the time...even when i take the same meds...so im not sure what's up with that...

so anyhow i cleaned up and am dressed for work and i know the bumps will subside during the day...weird though...

That is strange isn't it? Maybe you are allergic to sudafed in your sweat! :lol: My DS went through a phase where he was getting hives on his back every so often and we could not figure out what was causing them. We never did figure it out and he doesn't get them anymore :shrug: It was sort of like what came first, the hives or the scratching because he would get the hives right along his scratch marks on his back, but he couldn't stop itching and that would create more hives :dizzy: It was pure weirdness.

Where's Sum today? I miss your cheerful post gf! Hope all is well in skinnyville! :lol:
Or should I say "waist" land? :lol3:

Last full day for me in Tahoe!
I'm going to need a holiday from my holiday!! :faint:

went way over my calories yesterday...had an amazing pint of ice cream and loved every bite...have been eating WAY low calories today somewhat to make up from it...also it's a workout rest day so my body isnt wanting more food or protein or anything

NSV? the motorcycle helmet chin strap is too loose for me even on the tightest setting...also the jeans that i used to wear can button and zip pretty easily now...i wont ever wear them because my hips etc changed with pregnancy but still....

rode a motorcycle for the first time last night...loved it! went for another ride today, riding behind DH, i dont know how to drive one

I'm up early this a.m. packing for the return trip.
Yesterday was the most fun day here!
DH and I had a couples massage w/a paraffin wax foot treatment, a chocolate body scrub, followed by a 1 hr deep tissue massage. We sipped champagne while eating a triple layer chocolate mousse cake (which I found good actually)...all while overlooking gorgeous Lake Tahoe!
Afterwards, we rented a bike and road for about 3 hours, checked out a public beach, had a picnic, then went to the most gorgeous waterfall, & even saw a HUGE bear!! :yikes: It walked right out in front of my car--just a couple hundred feet in front of me! I wasn't quick enough for a photo :tantrum:

I'm ready to see my babs, but not looking forward to this flight home!

Talk to you all really soon :)

Krystal - the massage sounds incredible

Jo - Hope you are having a good weekend

Krtistiina - :wave: Hi! Hope your weekend is going good

Alaskan - Some great NSVs! Did you enjoy riding?

Ladies... I have been soooo busy. There has not been enough time in a day. Thank goodness baseball ends on Tuesday and Fedball does not start until 10 days later.

I am PMS:ing in big time. Weight is up, 147 :( Oh well.

I just wanted to say "hi" :wave:. BBL.