25 TO LIFE MONTH 3

Have an awesome b-day CP!!!!

So two fantastic things happened...I got my butt to the gym ate more food, and lost 2 lbs!! AND I realized the size 13 and 15 pants that I have been trying to squeeze into are juniors, I bought a size 12 yesterday in the normal people section and my stomach doesn't even hang out!!!!!:drinker:

Thanks Buckeye!!

Jenbar - What about a skirt/top combo? That way you can still show off your good work while allowing for the ample chest (which does have it's perks!).

This morning I'm down a to 164.4. I can't complain because I'm still losing even though it is slow.

Way to go, Sindy! You will feel so great when you leave the 200s behind FOR GOOD! :happy:
Motheroftwoboys - slow and steady wins the race! Good for you.
Buckeye - it's a new week, so you can just get right back on track. You may find that those 2lbs aren't really a gain - it could just be water weight from that unhealthy fast food.

I had a fantastic birthday weekend!!! We spent a night at a B&B, ate at a vegetarian restaurant that I love, and the next day we visited a small local brewery, a local winery, and a hard cidery (?). Don't worry - I didn't overdo it! :laugh: It was probably the equivalent of about 2 glasses of wine over the course of 4 hours. I had a few treats as well - hey, it was my birthday! - but I don't think I did any serious damage to my diet. Besides, maybe it will be what I needed to get off this plateau!

Anyway, I'm excited to get back on track this week. 30 is the new 29! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Thanks Cindy and CP for the words for the encouragement.

I am very glad you had a wonderful birthday CP! Who cares if you gained a pound, or just didn't lose...not saying that will be the case....but if it is, you had a great excuse and a great time so it's worth it!

I got a 5.5 mile run in today so I am feeling a little better. My problem is that I have really slacked off on logging my foods daily. I need to kick that back in to gear! Exercising is never a problem for me, in fact I may over exercise some days. I find it the best way to deal with my stress!!!

Have a great day everyone!

Hey Jen...if you want more exercise you can come clean my house!!:laugh: I feel like that's all I do. UGH....kids should be born with this incredible desire to be clean and help out instead of this incredible desire to live like a slob and complain when they are asked to help out!!:laugh:

On a completely different note:

Does anyone else get incredibly frustrated by the "helpful" people who have noticed you are trying to lose/working to get in better shape who think that asking you why you are eating that and comenting on portion size constantly is helpful?

I'm actually an undereater. I put on weight so fast when I dont' eat enough. It's already not easy to be eating the amount I should be, constantly being told otherwise is frustrating to say the least.

The great thing about this site is I can usually sling back a comment about how many calories I have left for the day - though that hasn't really stopped the comments, it's reduced my guilt!

Heya Sparkles! I know it is frustrating. I am still of the opinion that you should keep trying to eat all your calories. :flowerforyou: Here is why: your story is sounding a lot like mine earlier on in my weight loss journey. I wasn't eating that much, I wasn't that hungry, and I wasn't losing. Your HRM results also seem a little low to me... I actually wore mine for 24 hours on a couple of occasions, and ended up with 2250 and 2500 for the whole period - but only 600-700 while I was asleep (7-8 hours). I weigh a bit more than you, and I don't know how tall you are (I'm 5'7") but I am a little surprised that your number wasn't higher than 900 for 12 hours. What is your BRM according to the calculator on this site? Since you say you have a history of undereating, it might be that your metabolism is still running a little slow. If so, you won't be losing at the rate it seems you should. As Songbyrdsweet likes to say, "our bodies don't run on math." Unfortunately! My best suggestions for boosting your metabolism is trying to eat more of your exercise calories, and strength training.

Regarding eating at night - I personally think it is okay, but try to eat more earlier on if you can. If you find yourself with a really large number of calories left over and you've eaten at least 1200 (total, not counting exercise calories), then you probably don't need to force yourself to eat every last one if you are almost in bed. Try eating more at breakfast (e.g. add a glass of juice), or adding a snack or two throughout the day.

Be careful with that ankle. You might try wrapping it in an Ace-type bandage to give it a little more support while you are in class - but you might also need to give a rest if it doesn't improve. Commit to yourself to do some sort of exercise on those days if you need to miss class - maybe get on the elliptical or bike or even just walk a couple miles. I had to take a couple week break from everything except walking and ab work when my knee was bothering me. It might not set you back as much as you think - and the important thing is to make sure you don't injure yourself even worse. If you aren't already doing things like push-ups, sit-ups, bicep curls, overhead tricep dips, leg lifts, etc etc - you can add that in as well. It might be a good way to feel like you are still pushing yourself even if you need to give your ankle a break. And... strength training and building muscle should help kick up your metabolism a bit as well.

Hang in there! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Hey Sparkles...I agree with you about the frustration. I can't, however, say that I undereat...many of the times I overeat!! I seem to always be hungry. I think that my metabolism is running higher than what the calculators say it is and therefore I am not feeding it enough but I hate to make that jump and then gain weight. You know what I mean?!

I have started reading a lot about the slow cardio and fat burning zone. There is a lot of information out there that I would say is credible. I usually work out in the 80-90% zone, and even enter the 90 - 100% zone which I know they say is unsafe because you actually burn your muscle but it's where I am physically comfortable. In order to stay in my "fat zone" 50-65%, I have to walk, it's not even a hard walk...quick but I wouldn't say a fast pace. I usually run around 6.5 mph on a treadmill and tend to go faster then that outside for about 3.5 miles. Now, if I want to run 5-6 miles I usually take it down to 5.7 mph to be able to go longer. I definitely have more energy when I drop my zone down, that makes sense and according to many of the JAMA and Runners Magazine articles that I have read I will eventually burn more calories at a slower pace (lower zone) because I won't be burning sugar and muscle, I will actually burn mostly fat.

My good friend is a cardiologist and he suggested that I try the low-zone burn for at least one month. He told me that this would pay off over the long haul, so I am going to try it. I will let you know what happens with me. I just can't believe that I am going to drop by pace so drastically. Telling a runner to go slowly is so backwards to me!! UGH!!! This is going to be really, really difficult. I start tomorrow!

Cp, btw the site says my bmr is 1,464 that is the number that the deficit is applied to right? im still a little confused on this whole bmr thing. :ohwell:

well... here we go, its aunt flo again this week...so im going to disregard the scale!!

went for palates again yesterday. My friend Wendi wasnt able to make it this class so i was kind of but i went anyway, and my friend Lorraine showed up instead! so i was :happy:

it made me feel great once again, and the hour goes by so fast! i wish it were a 2 hour class!! ( i guess that means i should start bringing it home and continuing into the evening) im not even that sore this time! I wish i didn't have a thirty minute drive home...i cool down by the time i get there and have trouble re-engaging!

i took it easy on my ankle all day yesterday (im notorious for sitting with my legs all screwed up beneath me which couldn't have been helping at all!) and it felt a bit better upon waking up this morning. i think all of the leg stretching in pilates might be helping to loosen the front shin area muscle (i dont know many anantomy terms) and is taking some pressure off of the heel/arch connection that seems to be giving me the trouble.

Anyway, i guess i am rambling by this point, but i just wanted to say that i am excited! I had a meeting on Monday, at the History Society of the county where I live. I put in a bid to design the Bicentennial History of Haywood County book that they are publishing, and they chose me! I can't believe that there will be a historical reference book in the Library and peoples homes all over that has MY sole name as the designer!!! Yay im going down in history! go me!

Hey - that's awesome Sparkles!!!

I've had to do a *lot* of travelling lately (read in the car all day long) anyone have tips for eating on the road?

Happy Friday everyone. Buckeyebabe hope everything is going well for you have not heard from you. Just checking. :flowerforyou: