Motivation

Anyone in this grouping looking to drop from 140 to 130's.  We can all use support.  Today I am focusing on all the food groups.  Exercise would be good, but I won't be able to since I am working from 9 to 10:30.  A Super long day.  I hope I can stay focused, when I pass the fast food chaines on my travels today.

good morning.

I've just broken the 140 barrior and now am at 139.6.  If feels good to finally be in the 130's, but now I need to get into the 120's.  I only have 9 weeks left to go until my vacation.  My goal is to lose 1.7 pounds per week to get there.  I count calories and vary my intake everyday.  I workout on the elliptical and burn between 300-400 calories each time, I do zone pilates, and kickboxing.  Does anyone have any more advice at what I can be doing?  My goal is to be at 125 by June 7th.  Just in case you need to know, I'm 5'2''

Thanks! 

Emily

Hey Emily!  Congrats on breaking into the 130's!  That's great.  It sounds like you have a good plan for weight loss, with a lot of variability.  I am at around 132, and planning on staying here or losing maybe a couple of more pounds.  What has helped me was to change up my workout - I got into a rut of always going to the gym and doing the same routine, so instead I went out and ran some trails with my dog.  Also, I do strength training about 3 times a week, just for like 20 minutes.  That helps a lot.  Your goal seems somewhat reasonable, but try not to get stuck at that number - you don't HAVE to be 125 by vacation - that might put too much pressure on you and you might be upset if you don't make it.  No matter what, if you keep up your style of eating and exercising, you will look great in 9 weeks, regardless of the number.  What has happened to me is the closer I get to my goal, the harder it is to lose the pounds.  Upping my calories for the day or even skipping a work out can help me jump start my weight loss again.  Good luck!

Good morning all. I didn't weigh myself this morning. Instead I slept in for half an hour and skipped the gym. I feel like a rebel!

I have a really busy day ahead of me and I'm kicking myself now b/c I thought I'd have time to excercise after work. Turns out that I tutor two kids this evening. Maybe today will be my day off from the work outs.

Calories have been really good the past two days. Being busy helps.

Emily - sounds like you're doing really well! You're going to be a cute little thing when you're all done! One of my best friends is very petite and I always envied her a little.

148 again today...I have been used to losing a little something almost everyday....I guess I need to switch something up. I know it isn't bad to hang out at a weight for a little while...but I want to lose it!

Anybody have any tips for getting more protein in while at work??? Something easy....

I didn't work out last night....I got distracted by American Idol....

Brigitte: That story about the earthquake was scary!!! I live in an area where don't get too much severe weather...not too hot or cold, no big storms or anything. I can't imagine how scary that was!

Uno: Have a good day and don't stress about the little break today! You are doing great!!

Great Job Emmy!! Good luck to everyone else!! WOOOHOO!! :o)

Good morning! It looks like it will be a week or so before I can bike outside again, so I need to put one of my bikes back on the trainer!

teenwolf:  resistance bands are bomb!  It's harder to use b/c you work opposing muscles at the same time.  They are a great addition to your workout, and there have been articles written about them--some feel they are as effective as universal machines you find at the gym.  Not unusual to find them more difficult than a free weight.  You can adjust the tension in them by taking up some slack with your hand, or adding more length between your hand and your foot (depending on if its a single strip, or a loop--I have both)  Play around with it--you will love it! 

Oh my lordy! I'm working at an advertising agency in London and some sweet compnay (candy) have sent loads of freebies which are now sitting in front of me on the desk... I have already had about 10 sweets... this is awful! I'm going to have to have an exceptionally healthy lunch and hope that by the time I get back they will all be gone.

As for people talking about losing water it is quite exciting isn't it when you step on the scales and see the weight gone... the thing is, I know in my logical head it is only water but I think it is still a great emotional boost so what the heck! xxx

Here we go! prep for a long post!

cathy: that's so cool that you're doing marathons!!! i'm goign for my first 5K this summer, so we'll see what happens. it's not until june so i've got lots of time to increase my speed!  thank god!

wolfie: what dee said. you can always change the resistance by standing on the band with just one foot, or giving yourself more slack.  but those bands can be tough! i can do bicep curls with 5 lb weights till the cows come home, but with a resistance band i'm struggling after 12-15! but they're great because you can keep increasign the resistance as you get stronger

srd: awesome weight! so jealous! :) i hear you on the snow though...ugh. stupid weather.

emily: i think you've got a good strategy, but like ashmar said, don't get too hung up on the number.  you're at a weight where it's going to be difficult to lose lbs really quickly--so maybe concentrate more on shaving off inches rather than pounds.  i'm not sure what zone pilates is, but maybe try incorporating some weight training into your routine just a couple times a week.  your variation sounds great though! when you do elliptical--make sure that you're doing different kinds of workouts on it.  getting into a rut with cardio is really easy to do!

uno: embrace the rest day! take care, good luck with all of your work, and dont' stress about a missed day of exercise.  just eat well and drink lots of water!

pretty: i had the same thing as you when i got under 150.  i usually dropped about a half pound every day until the weekend when i would go up a bit.  but once i got under 150 my weight started going all over the place--which is normal. so still look for drops--but you prolly just won't see it every day.

chloe: good luck with those sweets! just try to guzzle water--it'll help keep you from snacking.

i'm feeling much better :)  i drank a lot of water before i went to bed, so it worked out :) i also have a theory as to why my weight drops in the middle of the day: i drink water all day at work. but as soon as i get home--i essentially stop.  for whatever reason. so i drink a little bit, but then i eat dinner, so my body stores all that food and water making my weight go up.  so tonight i'm goign to try an experiment and drink LOTS of water when i get home and see if something happens on the scale tomorrow!

welcome emmy! I'd agree with ashmar, try not to put a huge weight on your shoulders regarding the time limit. I've tried time limits a million times and it just frustrates me when I don't reach my goal. Just keep focusing on your eating and exercise and vary a lot and the weight will come off :) I'd also say try some weight lifting. Then you can get some muscles to help burn off the fat :)

Uno, good job eating great! It's good to see that even though you may not have time for a good work out you are still keeping up with healthy eating. :)

pretty, maybe grab a set of hand weights and do a few bicep curls while your enjoying american idol! That's when I do my weights, during my favorite tv show!

I hear you dj, I wish I had a trainer! That may be my reward for reaching 135... eventually.... lol. I really want one especially since I got a new bike!

hang in there chloe! I have the same problem! On St Patty's day my boss brought in about 6 LBS of candy!! (2 giant 3lb bags). I had entirely too much and felt like crap later... so enjoy it, but try not to overdo it like I did! :)

glad to hear you are feeling better morgan! Yeah, drink lots of water for sure after work too! I drink 32oz at work, 32 oz at school and probably 16 oz during my workout. I pee like every 45 min... lol

ps. My sister made me a really yummy snack today... low fat cottage cheese, fat free cool whip, orange jell-o mix and mandarin oranges... so yummy!! Not sure of the calorie intake... I usually put about 200 for one cup... I never really feel like figuring out the ratios and calories for each ingredient... Tasty!! :)

i love putting in fresh fruit chunks into cottage cheese.  yours sounds pretty tasty, too!

i just found out abotu a job opening working for earlham college's japan study program--that's the same study abroad program i went on and i'm really excited.  i've found out recently about two openings working for japan exchange programs, and am applying for both. i really think taht this is something i could really enjoy doing--so i REALLY hope it works out....

that's exciting! I hope you get the chance to go!

How cool kilgan!  Ah, to be young again when you can take off to all corners of the world!   So much fun! :)

By the way, today is day 1 (again!) of no cheating on the diet--i drank half a bottle of red wine and a monster bowl of popcorn last night (sigh)

Here's to day 1!  Isn't it great that you can have as many day 1's as you need?

Trainers for your bike are great--it's really boring, however, and the contraption cleans house on your tires--so don't put your bike on if you have brand new tires--get an old tire to substitute--trust me!  I ran my old one's bald!

okay so i am totally confused this morning.. ya'll who read my journal know i ate out last night...  yet my scale says i dropped a lb??  145 this morning...??? and i know i am a little bloated because my watch left a mark on my wrist...  i dont know what to think?? lol...

stacey - yay :) you got cardio in yesterday :) wtg :) and a loss to boot :) whoohoooo :) do you realllly need that cappuchino today though?? lol..

emmy - congrats on breaking the 140 barrier :)  i bet it feels good.. :) and like everyone else said, dont get tooo caught up in the numbers that you dont feel good about what you have lost.. you dont HAVE to be exactly 125 :)

uno - its okay that you take a day off from working out :) you rebel you :) especially if you are keeping your calories at a good rate..

pretty - you will lose soon i am sure... for extra protein, i just drink a slimfast high protein shake... :)  the weather here in hawaii isnt too bad normally, but we do have to watch out for earthquakes, tsunamis, and the like..  as we are basically surrounded by volcanoes..

dee - get that bike back on the trainer.. no excuses :) good luck starting over today.. i am with ya.. even though i saw a (weird) loss i did overeat last night, so its day one for me again too..

chloe- put the sweets on SOMEONE ELSES desk :) lol  and i need that emotional boost from water weight loss too lol..

morgan - glad you are feeling better this morning... not sure about your experiment with the water.. i drink lots alllllll day long and my continues to go up during the day..  but you should definitely be drinking lots of water at home too :) good luck on the exchange program openings :)

okay gotta get kids up and one ready for school.. the 13 yr old just walked out the door, so just gotta get the yr old going, and the 3 yr old dressed so we can take her to school..  will work out after... :)

Thankfully all the sweets have gone now!

Djrizzo: Don't get me started on the the number of day 1's there are in the world!

Kiigan: Healthy food in Japan too! Quite tempted to read that book "Why Japanese woman don't get fat"! - Although I'm always tempted by sushi instead of healthier sashimi!

Emily: If you do get stuck in a plateau now don't despair, Lets just try and keep our moral up so we're not tempted to binge and put on what we have lost... thats what these forums are all about no?! As everyone has said don't get too hung up... stress can make you want to binge and make you put on weight too!

Prettybowen: For more protein I buy those little packs of pre-ccoked skinless chicken breast pieces (in cold meats at sainsbury's and tescos if your British - but I'm sure you can get them in America) and just bring in half a pack a day to work. Also a couple of low fat cheese squares can be good as well as boiled eggs - although sometimes they can smell!

Can anyone tell I'm a bit of a protein lover?

 Also, does anyone find that milky coffees and teas (with skim milk of course!!) are good to stop you picking for quite a while?!

Talking about binging - I just got an email from calorie count saying "You come home from work, look in the fridge and before you know it you "wake up" and realize you've just consumed the entire head of lettuce, half a head of cabbage, the milk and are currently chewing on the cardboard milk container." - I wish my binges were that healthy (although admittedly I don't usually chew the cardboard container!!!).

ps. no I didn't eat all the sweets haha

i think i remember hearing something about that before, about teas and coffees curbing the cravings..  and yay you didnt eat all the sweets lol.. :)

a lot of the time, just drinking ANYTHING will help curb cravings.  i heard once that americans, in particular, are so bad at identifying true hunger that more than half the time we feel "hungry", we're actually thirsty.

what exactly is a bike trainer???

brigitte--DON'T QUESTION THE WEIGHT LOSS! :)  maybe it just means that you've lost a lot of real weight and once you're not bloated you'll be even less!!! :)

chloe--good job not eating all the sweets! glad they're gone now!!! :) i was in japan for about a year before, and i'm pretty sure that they don't get fat because of how much they WALK.  you walk EVERYWHERE.  they still eat some pretty unhealthy stuff :)  although, they do consume very very little red meat and tons of fish--that probably helps too :)

the jobs aren't actually located in japan, and while i'd travel for both--most of it would be in the US.  so i would definitely get to go to japan once in awhile, it wouldn't be all the time.  one of the jobs is actually in indiana :) and the other's in DC.  but these kinds of programs are things that i would LOVE to be involved in the rest of my life--i love them soooo much...it's kind of overwhelming to actually be applying to work in them

hey...did you guys see that iran released the british sailors?

Article

thanks morgan :) i hope you are right :) it would be nice to see even more of a loss soon :) i am off to do my exercise.. taebo this morning.. yippppppeee.. lol.. (no i am not excited about it.. lol)

and you are right, most people mistake thirst for hunger, cos they have gotten so out of tune with their bodies...  90% of the time if you feel hunger pains when you shouldnt, you should try drinking a glass of water... its more than likely you arent hydrated enough and your body is telling you so..

isnt a bike trainer like a stand of sorts that you can put an actual bike on and ride it in one spot?? thats what i picture when i think of bike trainer...

So much to reply to! It's hard to keep up when I'm only around every few days lol.. sorry if I leave anyone out in responses.. I promise I've read them all.. just can't keep my thoughts as organized as some of you are able to, it seems!

Anyway..this weekend wasnt great for me either (weekend to include monday lol.. 3 days off track.. but hey.. im hormonal at the moment so I try to justify it that way not that the scale takes that into consideration when I step on it :( )So Djrizzo, I'll join you with starting over.. today is day 2 for me of being good. A clean start feels good though..

Protein-wise.. I love protein, too.. I usually bring a flame broiled all american boca burger to work (1 min 15 seconds in the microwave) It's 80 cals, 12 g protein and actually tastes good (the rest of the flavors Im not too fond of).  Also, cottage cheese is yummy (better with pineapple!), and I get these awesome whole wheat (low carb i think, but I dont keep track of carbs). They, too are 80 cals each, have 8g fiber, and 10 of protein (and if you throw some meat in there, vavoom.. there's a high protein low cal wrap).  When Im on the go, ill grab a pure protein smore or cookie dough bar.. theyre not spectacular but arent terrible and they're lower in cals that alot of others, (also have only 2 g of sugar, and 20g protein).

Chloe, I got that binge email too.. I was thinking how envious I was of the person who binges only on  lettuce, cabbage, and cardboard.  Mine more resemble a box of cookies, several ice cream bars, and lots of chocolate lol..though it hasnt been quite that bad in a while :-p  I've also noticed that coffee with one little creamr pack thing wards of cravings for a while.. what is that? I never used to drink coffee but just within the last 2 weeks or so, they ordered hazelnut coffee and it smelled good so i tried some and could stomach it.. and bam. Cravings left for at least 2 hrs!

Well.. I suppose I should get to work!  thankfully, theyre doing this 8 week lose weight challenge at work so they took away all those girl scout cookies.  Whew. The cupboards at home though.. that's another battle in itself.. anyone conquer the pms sweet tooth, by chance? If so, please share the secret!

luv and luck to all!