Fran: This is a great description of the experience. It is like a secret for yourself. I tend to not share it with others because I don't want to appear to be judgmental or somehow superior because of my own choices and experiences. I will talk about it though if the situation is appropriate and then very carefully. It is true that after an absence from many of the convenience foods, packaged snacks, and inexpensive candies the taste is rather disappointing when we do choose to indulge. It just doesn't compare with the memory of how satisfying that particular food or snack was before we changed our habits. And finally, the packaged foods just do not begin to address the nutritional needs we have especially as we continue to expand our fitness goals and expectations. Oh, and the part about how your brain is telling you that it's not good enough for you. True! So True! This is part of the remapping our mind goes through as we develop and incorporate new habits into our lives. Just like negative thoughts we can have about ourselves or our habits we can also develop positive ones and they can run through our minds developing grooves that become even more ingrained as we continue to process them over and over. After that, it becomes second nature. Don't even talk to me about how waxy a common chocolate bar tastes to me. Give me 70% to 80% cocoa Swiss chocolate or forget about it. Fran, enjoy your secret journey. However, a word of caution. I don't know how permanent this experience is if we relax our expectations and begin to incorporate our previous food/snacks or lower levels of activity instead of the cleaner foods and intentional exercise. I think that just as we can develop tastes for only the better things we can also revert back to the others if we allow our tastes to change once again. So, in my overall thoughts I look at this whole thing as a continuum I'm moving toward something without needing or expecting to return to those Sunday mornings with a salt bagel and a large mocha iced coffee. And, I don't feel like I'm missing a whole lot because of it. Nope, I can move this body in so many ways that the whole bagel and frozen coffee thing kind of looses it's appeal. Not to mention the sudden flashbacks of the clothes I used to wear while sitting in the coffee shop that always felt like it had it's too small tables way too close to each other to accommodate my thicker thighs and tush.

Have a great morning everyone. (green tea)

Wow does time fly! I can't believe the date on the calendar. We're still lucky enough to have no snow on the ground, but that is supposed to change this weekend!

I feel like I have nothing new to report. Work's busy, food is good during the week, not great on the weekends and I'm just holding my own with the workouts. Nothing too great nothing too bad!

The good is that I finally bought the BFL book...not so much for the whole program but just because I've heard good things about the workout part of the book. I need to try to work in a few new things so we'll see. The bad is that this weekend starts my holiday baking. Yes, it's bad. Yes, it's a lot of butter and other wonderful things but I really enjoy it and there's something about having hundreds of cookies in my freezer! I have lots of gum ready to help me not too snack on too many.

My goal for this December, same as last year, is to just not gain weight. This simple goal worked well for me last year in letting me enjoy, while still keeping me in check.

I guess I've rambled enough...keep up all your great posts. They're often thought provoking, inspiring and also surprisingly often like the've been taken right from my thoughts. but so much more eloquent.

Fran - great job on the 5k and congrats on the no kidney stones!!

Tomato - I second what Mel said...maintenance is a constant struggle, but don't take that in a bad way. It's so much better than the alternative and worth every minute.

Lydia - like you, I've also struggled just short of goal. I've tried re-focusing, I've tried more extreme measures and I get within maybe one pound and then jump back up about 5 pounds. I've had to really consider (and still consider today) that maybe where I am is my goal. Maybe not but if it is, I guess it's okay (mostly )

Have a great weekend everyone!

Lydia, wow, I'm glad you confirmed that for me. I feel like I'm "nailing" this whole thing when I get fueled up on "that feeling" yet it would be impossible to explain to anyone else. I've esp learned that I cannot recruit dh - my voice on the subject is apparently like a sceetch to him which he tunes out. The best route is to do our thing, let people notice in their own time, and then if they want information, give it to them in small doses.

I totally think that if we slip in our mental plan or physical plan we can landslide right back, bc I've done it. I remember thinking last time - wow, I've figured it out, I can eat right and exercise and it WORKS - I lose weight!! At the time I didn't know I was setting myself up for a major problem (stones) but now I'm doing the same with real food and not overdosing on the pp, so this time's a winner!

So I'm here to report on my 5k.

Well I've been having issues with my calf so I've been resting it and doing the elliptical.

Well as soon as I started running today, my calf flared up. I was trying to pace myself but found out it hurt more going slow. After 3/4 mile, I had to walk and then walked and ran for parts of it. I ended up finishing around 43 minutes, 199 out of 239. After the 5k, I could barely walk. I got a massage at the event but limped along.

Right now I'm icing. I'll ice it a couple more times today. I have to say that I am proud I finished and I felt like crying when the pain got so bad that I had to walk. It was pretty demotivating.

My goal right now is to get my calf to heal up and then start running again. Goal is to prepare for the 10k program that starts in a couple months.

Nelie, congrats on finishing the 5K even though you were in pain!
Make sure the calf gets healed before you start anything again - for a quite a while, I had a problem with shin splints when walking fast on the TM - I would take care of them, the pain would go away, then I would get on TM again and the pain was back. Eventually I started running and that resolved the issue (but brought other problems).

I am not sure if I should be happy or frustrated. It seems to me that I lost a few pounds too quickly (without trying or doing anything different). Today, I went shopping for new jeans - my current 2 pairs in size 10 are too big. It looks like I skipped size 8 and am almost good for size 6, but of course I came home empty handed before all the jeans are too short (I don't want to buy anything upscale as I am still losing).
I also found a perfectly fitting long black velvet skirt in size 4 (but it is an expensive label so it probably suffers from the vanity sizing disease). Didn't buy it but I was very tempted - I will have to think about it. People in the office may go into cardiac arrest if I start wearing skirts - I have always been a jeans gal.

Nelie: I'm torn between feeling so excited for you upon completing your 5k and feeling so awful that you had to do it with such pain. Nevertheless, Congratulations! I really hope the RICE method provides some relief for you this evening and hopefully the injury isn't too serious. My goodness you are such a strong woman.

Alena: A size 6! Look at you! And losing it too soon?! Nah, your Zumbaing all over the place in those shoes. Really, you earned those skirts. Wear them proudly with your Zumba shoes as you go into work.

Elisa: No snow? Well, come on down here! We got two inches of it this morning and afternoon and the city almost came to a stand still. Really, I was in it this afternoon and just so thankful for all wheel drive. In all of their infinite wisdom the city and suburbs did not treat the streets before it hit and it was just a mess. I was so looking forward to going to a white elephant party this evening with some of my best friends. Unfortunately, my mother was unable to make it over to this part of town due to the weather and I'm home watching kid videos instead. (insert primal scream) Sheesh. Now I have two bottles of red, some olives, hummus, two kinds of cheeses and seed crackers just hanging around my kitchen. I purchased them to share! Not for watching Get Smart with my two sons, as charming as they are.

The day wasn't a total waste though. I was able to get in a respectable cardio and lifting session this morning. I do so much better working out in the mid morning than early morning. There is just something about two more hours of sleep and a real breakfast that allows me to go a lot further. I came home ravenous, ate, showered, ran some errands and then slept for another two hours. I dropped a couple of pounds this week too which I think accounts for why I was so hungry and tired after the workout. I think my body is/was fighting the loss.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Good morning Sorry to be so scarce lately.

Fran- Bottle that feeling! and enjoy it.

Nelie- I'm glad you were able to do the 5k, but sorry about the conditions. Next time?

Elna and Lydia- Congrats on the losses!

One of these days I'll be able to write a nice long post....

Mel

So we got just a small dusting of snow over the weekend but man was it cold!! And tomorrow it's supposed to rain but I'll take rain over snow anyday.

I managed to make it through one weekend of baking without any damage so I consider that to be a huge success!

Today I'm off to my spin class.

Lydia - keep that loss going!!

Have a great day everyone.

Could somebody give some spanking please? (I mean a big dose of spanking).
I did not go to the gym yesterday because I allowed stuff to get in the way (thinking I may go later although deep down I knew that it may not happen) AND I ate 3 (yes, THREE) scoops of ice cream - it was 100% emotional eating and I KNEW it was emotional eating and I did NOTHING to stop it.
There. Having confessed I feel better but I still need the spanking.
Thanks!

I'm still limping along.

I am planning for our next 5k. We are looking at the Cherry Blossom 5k in April. I looked at last years course though and it looks boring, an out and back. I like loops but I've heard its good so maybe.

We are also looking at doing the 10k training program. I just need to be able to do 2 miles in 24 minutes to qualify for the program. I don't think that is an issue but I have to wait until my calf heals to test that one out.

ALENA! Come here!

Listen, don't beat yourself up too badly about this. Obviously three scoops of ice cream will not cause you to immediately gain all the weight that you have lost. I suspect that how you interpret your moment could do more damage than the actual caloric intake itself. Just take a look at why it happened. Understand that it should not be something you begin to reach for habitually in the upcoming days. Just nip it in the bud.

Although, I'm not going to tell you not to eat ice cream anymore ever. No way. I've got my own favorite haunts here in the city. But, they are planned. I try not to keep it in the house (avoidance) and when DH announces he's off to Jeni's for you know what...I go along and have coffee instead. That's usually when I'm experiencing my "Fran like secret moment." Problem is I know that the darn stuff does taste really good.

Hang in there. January is right around the corner and we are all so ahead of the game. Right? Right?

Hi! Not much going on here. I'm just checking in to say I'm still kicking and nearly hives-free. I go back to the doc on Thurs and hope to be exercising again by the weekend (from the original problem, not the hives).

Hello, ladies! I hope I am not jinxing myself by saying this out loud, but I think I will be able to start lifting again on Thursday. I don't think I even said why I've been AWOL, but I got run down by a big teenager at the skating rink and smacked my left arm down hard on the floor. Not sure if I fractured it or what, since I did not see a doctor about it, but it was not broken, all the fingers and wrist worked, just painful and couldn't even lift a milkjug, much less a barbell. That was right after halloween, and it's been feeling normal for about 2.5 weeks, so I'm thinking it may be safe to try lifting again. I'm going to force myself to go easy on the weights, though, and ease back into it, so I don't hurt my stupid self. This has been my year for injuries, and I know that half the time it's my own fault, because I can't seem to walk into the weight room and not go all out.

I haven't caught up on posts yet, but I've got to get up in 5 hours, so I'd better get some sleep! Just wanted to check in, so you'd know I didn't run off to the golden arches or something, lol.

Cheryl,
Nice to have you back! Sorry to hear about your injury and hope it is all healed now. You must have missed the time at the gym.

Alena

Cheryl! Welcome back and sorry to hear about your injury. That's why my ice hockey career was so short lived a few years ago. Those guys are BIG!

Nelie- I hope you are doing better, That calf injury sounds worse than a lingering cramp.

Lydia and Fran- I loved listening to your discussions. After 7 plus years of this, I'm just not feeling the magic anymore, but reading your posts brings some of it back for me. That is the way I felt...after a while, I've forgotten how special and personal the journey felt. Thank you

I'm really buckling down- double cardio 3 times a week, lifting 5, clean eats. Not much is happening except that I'm tired! My body HAS to respond sometime before I keel over, right?

Have a good one,
Mel