SBF...Sept 24

yoginimary

One week left, y'all. I sure would like to say I've lost some weight...

I don't know what exercise I'm doing today. It will involve going to the gym. I'm getting rather sun tanned from all these bike rides.

Yesterday was biking and walking - each for an hour. So, we went to our favorite tea place last night. Probably the only place in town with coddled cream. Why is it I feel ok eating bread and butter, but scone and cream is out? The scone fills me up much more than lots of bread. Sometimes we just need to examine what we are eating and why. We eat bread before a meal (at a restaurant) because - that's what we do. Here's the important part though - we don't fill up on it - because we don't think we should - we know an entree is coming and this is just pre-food. I bet I could do an entire study on what people think is filling.

The scone was mediocre but the cream was wonderful. As was the chocolate cup cake afterward. The cup cake was vegan. My husband asked me, "what do they make the frosting out of?" This worried me - because I know that margarine is vegetarian. Blargh. I think I'll avoid it in the future, unless I ask the owner if they use margarine. There is a way to make frosting without it, but it's not as creamy.

Happy Workouts!

Mary

yoginimary

One week left, y'all. I sure would like to say I've lost some weight...

I don't know what exercise I'm doing today. It will involve going to the gym. I'm getting rather sun tanned from all these bike rides.

Yesterday was biking and walking - each for an hour. So, we went to our favorite tea place last night. Probably the only place in town with coddled cream. Why is it I feel ok eating bread and butter, but scone and cream is out? The scone fills me up much more than lots of bread. Sometimes we just need to examine what we are eating and why. We eat bread before a meal (at a restaurant) because - that's what we do. Here's the important part though - we don't fill up on it - because we don't think we should - we know an entree is coming and this is just pre-food. I bet I could do an entire study on what people think is filling.

The scone was mediocre but the cream was wonderful. As was the chocolate cup cake afterward. The cup cake was vegan. My husband asked me, "what do they make the frosting out of?" This worried me - because I know that margarine is vegetarian. Blargh. I think I'll avoid it in the future, unless I ask the owner if they use margarine. There is a way to make frosting without it, but it's not as creamy.

Happy Workouts!

Mary

lotusfromthemud

Today is bikram.

I feel like I'm at a standstill. . .even though I'm probably not. I'm going to start weighing weekly to see if anything is changing. Even though the scale is occasionally depressing, I feel like I need some sort of impartial gauge on what I'm doing. My measurements are changing, because I'm having some muscle mass build (good) but that means that some pants that fit before weight training (no butt) have now become too tight to wear (more "uplifted" butt from doing squats, yoga, etc.). It's always a drag when clothes get too tight. Mind you, I have other pants I can't wear anymore because they're too big in the waist. I wanted to get another body fat scan at the gym at the end of this challenge, but I don't think it's in the current financial cards. *sigh* It seems, too. . .that when I get close to what I feel like is "the goal" I start to get really angry and meander over into "what's the point. . .it's never going to happen" negativity. Self-sabotage, anyone? I keep waiting for some "a-ha" moment where my relationship to food and my body changes. . .but. . . Essentially, I wish I could just love my strong, flexible, endurance-capable body and be grateful for it.

So, today is bikram, water, vits and I think I may spend a few minutes being thankful for what my body can do.

Take care of yourselves,:flowerforyou: .

Carrie6o6

I woke up feeling great today! I am hopping back on the wagon! Ive been off of it since I got back from my "vacation" when I left for my vacation I was at 191 (my lowest ever!) now im at 198 :grumble: Ah well. Today I hope to burn at least 250 cals and stay within my cals... I also want to drink at least 2 litres of water as well.

Bad news though, yesterday when I DL and installed a program it came with a trojan virus. Yay me! haha My PC is a bit messed up, but thankfully my husband is a nerd and can fix it! Just need to reformat (which was needing to be done anyways!). I already went in and manually got rid of some of the things it was putting in.. but I cant seem to find the root of it. rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :grumble: Tonight I will have a reformated PC! yay! haha

mechanicmom

I feel like I'm at a standstill. . .even though I'm probably not. I'm going to start weighing weekly to see if anything is changing. Even though the scale is occasionally depressing, I feel like I need some sort of impartial gauge on what I'm doing. My measurements are changing, because I'm having some muscle mass build (good) but that means that some pants that fit before weight training (no butt) have now become too tight to wear (more "uplifted" butt from doing squats, yoga, etc.). It's always a drag when clothes get too tight. Mind you, I have other pants I can't wear anymore because they're too big in the waist. I wanted to get another body fat scan at the gym at the end of this challenge, but I don't think it's in the current financial cards. *sigh* It seems, too. . .that when I get close to what I feel like is "the goal" I start to get really angry and meander over into "what's the point. . .it's never going to happen" negativity. Self-sabotage, anyone? I keep waiting for some "a-ha" moment where my relationship to food and my body changes. . .but. . . Essentially, I wish I could just love my strong, flexible, endurance-capable body and be grateful for it.

Amen to all of that Viv. I've been feeling the same way! Maybe that's once reason my clothes have gotten tighter! I have a j-lo booty anyway, so it's probably getting bigger due to muscle! Duh! I can dream can't I? Not dream that it's getting bigger lol but that it's muscle.

I did my push ups this morning. I was disappointed because I had to stop twice during the last set which was a minimum of 44. But I kind of perked up when I counted them and it was 150 push ups! I didn't think I had that many in me this morning!

I am going to straighten up my eating. Each month that I am not getting pregnant, I say I have four more weeks to work this off. So I am going to try my best to get my eating under control, or at least better, and start working out when I can. I am feeling really overwhelmed by a lot of things that are happening right now and found myself stressing last night more than I had in a long time. I just have to remember to deal with one thing at a time.
Today: walking for a couple of hours at the mall with my cousin and pushing my 30 lb son in the stroller. Somehow get in all my water. And picking a healthy dish to eat at lunch. Oh and finishing the grocery list.
Okay my novel is done.
Melissa

ariannedavis

:flowerforyou: Hang in there ladies. If you want to just chalk up September and hang on till the end, let's all start October on a fresh foot. We've all had some serious trials & tribulations over the past year together (can you believe it's been that long?) and know that this is a safe place to vent, think out loud, seek support, etc. WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER!!!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

I am having a good week in terms of exercise, being that I'm actually getting off my butt this week! I had a good 30 min run this am which I fully anticipated would take at least 45 min (out & back road course). So I was surprised to check my watch as I hit the driveway and was at 29 min!!!! Didn't feel like I was moving that fast. :blushing:

Calories are getting there. I am a creature of habit and have to cut back gradually so I don't binge out of impulse hunger. Yesterday was still over significantly, but I'm not as hungry today and feel in control, so maybe I'll make it!

Again, if you haven't given yourself some mental time off from exercise & counting, do it! I feel so much more dedicated after a month off (and 10lbs of stress eating). This time next week will be a new set of goals and hopefully a few more new faces! :drinker:

lotusfromthemud

Again, if you haven't given yourself some mental time off from exercise & counting, do it! I feel so much more dedicated after a month off (and 10lbs of stress eating). This time next week will be a new set of goals and hopefully a few more new faces! :drinker:

Yeah, I'm seriously considering taking a break from logging calories. I think I might set exercise goals, log those and take a week or two to just eat.

I'm pretty sure I've forgotten how to listen to my body! I think I've got a pretty good idea regarding portion size and good choices, but I think I'm getting really hung up on making those numbers every day. So, I'm thinking maybe this would be a good "psychological exercise". Just to allow myself to (gasp!) enjoy food rather than being the incredible human calculator. I'm starting to keep a running total in my head. The worst thing I'm noticing is I'm starting to make calculation about people I'm eating with (how is THAT my business?) I might start off October not logging food, but concentrating on meeting my exercise goals. It makes me nervous, because it means trusting myself to listen to what my body (not my emotions) is telling me to eat.

:flowerforyou:

mechanicmom

Okay, I've made my grocery list. It's better...a lot better. It's not perfect though. If I don't lose weight by next Friday then I quit! Just kidding. I am sort of going along the South Beach diet route, but not exactly. I just can't stomach eggs for breakfast that often. But I will be eating more cheese and I will have nuts for snacks some times. Laying off the bread...for the most part. I'm just going to see what happens. Tomorrow would be a good day to start since I am going over today. I am going to get a dark chocolate bar and put it in the freezer and treat myself to a piece every evening...maybe. Any body know what is best but affordable? I was just going to get Hershey's.
I'm just telling you all this so I can be more accountable.
Another question: would you say the Breyer's yogurt with M&M's or Reese's or Oreo are probably not a good idea? I've been eating those which could be a problem. I really like them but I can give them up. Just wondering. Thanks!
Melissa

lotusfromthemud

Another question: would you say the Breyer's yogurt with M&M's or Reese's or Oreo are probably not a good idea? I've been eating those which could be a problem. I really like them but I can give them up. Just wondering. Thanks!
Melissa

For me, letting stuff like that into the house is always asking for trouble. I would have the good chocolate (super dark chocolate works for me) and no other sweet. I actually bought some lowfat frozen yogurt this weekend, completely convinced I could portion it out per day. Um. . .nope. I ate the whole litre. I didn't go over my calories, but I essentially ate (not even very tasty) frozen yogurt for dinner.

I really think that sugar is a trigger for me. Give me a little, and I turn into a cookie monster! I'm trying to avoid it right now, with one treat a week only.

p.s. . . .I just upped my calories to 1700 (almost maintenance) I am freaking out, but I'm also freaking hungry lately, so in the interest of listening to my body, I'm doing it. I'm finding that I stay within my calories (I was at 1450 + exercise) for a few days and then going crazy on a little mini-binge and going over by a few hundred. So, I've tried everything else. . .so here goes. Yikes.

mechanicmom

I am the same way about sweets. I thought maybe if they were limited in the containers then at least I wouldn't go over board. :laugh:
I hope upping the calories works for you. You work so hard! I wish I had your umph!

lotusfromthemud

You work so hard! I wish I had your umph!

Right back at you! You're my push-up hero!:flowerforyou:

cp005e

It seems, too. . .that when I get close to what I feel like is "the goal" I start to get really angry and meander over into "what's the point. . .it's never going to happen" negativity. Self-sabotage, anyone?

Oh, do I EVER feel you there. I never stop and feel satisfied with where I am for very long. I even found myself thinking (again) that I should drop my weight goal back down to 140 or 145... even though I know that's crazy because I'd be at only 14.75% body fat (based on the test I had back in June, where they recommended I shoot for 155 because then I'd be around 23%, and I decided that 150 was OK at 20.4%). I think I do this to myself just so that my goal is never actually attainable. How dumb is that? :ohwell:

V, I think stepping away from the counting might be a good thing for you. (And counting OTHER people's calories? That's just wrong! :laugh: ) I took a break for about a month over the summer, and while it's been a little hard to get back into it, it did feel good to realize that I could "just eat" and be reasonable about it and not gain.

MM, I love treating myself to a little dark chocolate. There are a lot of good brands, I usually try a different one every time. And since one bar lasts me a couple of weeks, I don't feel too bad spending $3 on it. Especially if it saves me from binging on something stupid! Dove Origins are nice (they have single-origin chocolate from places like Ecuador and Ghana), so is Ghiradelli. I just finished a really good one, I think it was Perugina? Or something like that.

Anyway... I just did 108 pushups! Go me! (even though I was supposed to do 30 in the last set and only managed 23) I was going to go for a walk/run, but now it's getting dark... oops. Guess it'll be a quick one!

cmriverside

I am the same way about sweets. I thought maybe if they were limited in the containers then at least I wouldn't go over board. :laugh:
I hope upping the calories works for you. You work so hard! I wish I had your umph!

i can't have sugar in the house without eating the whole thing. That's just the way it is. waaahhh :sad:

edit ......Oh, and V: a break from mfp is a really GOOD thing. It is easy to obsess about this site, one's particular challenges and topics, other people's missteps, etc.

I know because .....that's me.

Although, this is a really good challenge thread! You guys are tough! Maybe I should go do some exercise. Thanks!

lotusfromthemud

Oh, I wouldn't quit checking the boards (at least this post) I just think I'm ready to take a break from the calculating!

And, hey cm, you know you can join us ANYTIME!:flowerforyou:

barefootbabe

Hey ladies! Wow, it sounds like everyone’s having a bit of a rough patch. I guess life is giving us the opportunity to show our true strength at this point as we battle through our dramas. I am feeling a bit frustrated as my scale isn’t really moving, and hasn’t over the last couple of months. I am getting stronger everyday though, and my exercise and endurance has gone through the roof- I am currently exercising everyday except Saturday, combining lifting with cardio, the pushup challenge, and some shredding too.

I am trying really hard to get rid of these last 7 or 8 pounds that are plaguing me- the only thing I can think of to change is my eating? I eat really well and about 4 months ago (after consulting Viv! ) upped my calories from 1250 to 1468 hoping to give my body a bit more fuel and hopefully help get rid of some more weight. I have remained at maintenance since then. So this week I dropped back down to about 1330; hopefully that will make a difference, though I haven’t noticed anything so far. I’m open to any suggestions if anyone has sage advice to offer!

Anyway, I guess we just have to play around until something changes! I’m so proud to be part of this group that strive for healthy bodies and a healthy outlook on life. Enjoy your day :flowerforyou:

cp005e

OK! I managed to stay out for 30 minutes before it got too dark. I did intervals of running and walking this time - mostly 2 minutes running, then 2 minutes walking (occasionally 1 minute or 3 instead).

BB - it sounds like you are in the same boat as some of the rest of us! But you look fantastic in your profile photos. Do you really need to lose any more? Your body fat percentage might already be at a good level. I'm glad you joined us, too - you have a great attitude. :happy:

Mary, I forgot to respond to you yesterday when you asked what my project is about. I work as a system administrator (managing *nix servers), so I want to build an online tool that organizations - primarily admins and their managers - can use as a change logbook, documentation repository, knowledgebase, and enterprise asset database. Basically, a place where someone like me can go to get and record information about our systems, how to manage them (read: policies, procedures, how-tos), what has changed recently.

Melissa, I just went back and re-read your posts a little more closely (I was rushing before because I wanted to get out to run before it got too dark). I'm sorry you're feeling so overwhelmed. It sounds like you have a lot going on right now. Don't quit! And be kind to yourself. It's not about being "perfect"... If you do end up getting pregnant before losing all the weight you want to - that's fine! You'll just have one more reason to focus on being healthy and make good choices for the long term. You can still work on eating better (not less, but better) and changing your habits if you need to. Hang in there! :flowerforyou:

JulieB21

Hi friends:flowerforyou: Allergies are still kicking my *kitten* so no exercise here for almost a week now. First week I've taken off in over a year & it's making me crazy but it's pretty hard to exercise while not breathing....or trying to blow your nose & jump rope at the same time:embarassed:

Miss you all & would LOVE to have Cheryl join us!

Julie

yoginimary

Julie - did you try the Astelin? It works for me. If allergies are really bad, I use that and Claratin.

MM - there are these great "squares" many companies make. I get the 70% dark from Lindt. Yummm.

I think it's important to take a break from the calorie counting to learn what your body needs. I'll find myself looking for something to eat when I have extra calories - without asking myself if I'm hungry.

My "friend" sent me a recipe for a 5 minute chocolate cake that you cook in a coffee mug in the microwave. I almost always have all the ingredients to make chocolate cake, so if I really want to splurge, there it is. Usually I don't though - I can't have the junk in the house, or I'll eat it. I try to have freeze dried fruit for those snack cravings.