Support Group - 10 lbs or less

[jodeja]

Hi Jodeja! I will try to answer some of your questions for you

The Surf City half I just ran was my 7th half marathon. I started running in 2008 and only did the Disneyland half that first year. The last couple years I've done 3 per year. This year I'll probably do more than that, since it's only February and I've already done one! Once you get to the point you can do those long runs, maintaining is a cake walk compared to training!

When I first started I used the free training program off of Runnersworld.com. It sounds basically like the Galloway one you described. It had 3 running days per week, (easy run day, speed/tempo run day, and long run day) with gradual increases in mileage. For about the last year or so I haven't followed any particular program, just kind of making up my own as I go. And most of the time sneak in an extra easy run day so I'm running 4 days a week. I am still not very fast, but improving. My first half marathon took me about 2 hours 43 mins, and this last one I did in exactly 2 h 21 mins. So now I'm closer to 10:30 mins/mile. Yay progress!! What really helped me improve was getting my Garmin http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Foreru...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1297251172&sr=1-1 It's been an awesome investment for me, like having a little running coach reminding me to keep up my pace and keeping track of my mileage.

This year will be my 4th time running the Disneyland half. It's my favorite one to run in! The parks will be crowded, but not much more so than any other weekend. Work the fast passes and you'll be fine. It is still summer-ish time, so it does get pretty warm during the day. What my fam does is stay at a hotel w/ fridge and microwave within walking distance of the parks, and go back to our room for lunch and a nap/break during the hottest and most crowded part of the day (generally about 1:30-ish to 4:30-ish). My parents started that tradition when we were small and needed naps, but it's still a good idea for grown ups to prevent grumpiness later in the evening Plus it's cheaper and easier to avoid greasy food when you don't eat at the park. The half marathon itself is very well organized. Its very popular so there are LOTS of runners. They let the serious, fast runners go first so there's not pressure on us more recreational types and we can enjoy it at our own pace. The Disney portion is right at the beginning (gotta get us through so they can open to the public) and it is a hoot. The Anaheim part isn't too bad, in my opinion. Every half mile or so Disney arranges a band or dance troupe or scouts to cheer the runners on. Non-Disney races I've done might have one or two bands if you're lucky, and for the vast majority of races you're left entirely to your own devices to keep yourself amused while you run. It is 13.1 miles, so they can hardly be expected to entertain the runners every step of the way. The last couple years we've gotten to run through Angels Stadium, right on the field around home plate, which was a lot of fun. I've heard rumors the Angels will have a home game this year so we won't be able to go in, but I'm not absolutely sure.

Long story short, I think it's worth flying in for. (This is the opinion of a single, childless person. I know kiddos add a whole different dimension.) We fly in from Utah and make a long weekend of it. Hope my answers were helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions I can help out with.

Hi Kolohe Lady!

Thank you so much for all of the detailed answers to my questions!!
W O W ! ! 3 Half Marathons per year!! That is where I would love to be fitness-wise. But, as I said in another post, I tend to be all-or-nothing, so I might work up to some fairly high mileage, but then something happens or a series of things happen that cause me to not maintain it and then I always feel like I am starting over from square one. And I've found that it gets harder as I get older to bounce back to my previous level. I just really need to work on the consistent maintenance.

I went to a technical running store today and looked at the Garmins. I got a bit overwhelmed with all of the different models available, so I'll have to do some research. I do want to try one though. I almost bought an i-pod and the Nike fit thing to go with it, but then had to get the brakes fixed on the van instead. So, while I was waiting to have the available funds again, I started thinking that the whole Nike + ipod setup just seems like too many gadgets. I also read some very mixed reviews on the accuracy of the footpad/pedometer. I think if I get anything it will be a Garmin.
Do you ever run on a treadmill and use the footpad with the Garmin? The guys at the running store were guessing that if you wanted to upload a treadmill run to your workout log (through the Garmin program) you'd have to have the footpad so the Garmin could register it. They didn't think you could just manually enter that workout.

 

[jodeja]

Karen - AWESOME JOB!!! You did SO good! I"m so happy for you that you beat your goal, and it sounds like you felt great the entire race too! I'm glad it was such a great experience for you!

Jodeja - great job on the 5 pound loss! Keep it up!

Things here have been at kind of a stand-still. Weather has been too cold and snowy to go out running, I'm hoping to go out this weekend for 1 or 2 runs - I'm just getting over a stomach bug so it'll all depend on how I'm feeling in the next couple days.

Life has taken us on a path we were not completely ready for - DH has taken a new job about 2 hours away, so we'll be moving - selling our house, switching the kids school, and everything that a major move entails. We've moved several times before - but not a move like this - all were close and we did the moves ourselves. Plus at that time the kids were little and not in school or activites so they we're really affected. So it's been a lot to deal with the las couple of days (on top of having 2 puking kids, no sleep, and myself sick). DH will be living down there and me and the kids will stay with the house until the end of the school year so they can finish out the year here. I have tried to imagine how hard these next few months are going to be, and I'm sure it is going to be more difficult than I'm even picturing. My mom and sister are nearby so that will help some. But one thing I'll probably have to sacrifice right now is my running time - with DH gone I have only 1 time that I could run - a couple afternoons a week when both kids are in school (DS4 is in afternoon preschool 3x a week) so if I don't go then I won't be running. DH will be home on the weekends, and then I feel like we should be spending time together, not be gone for 2 hours on a long run. So I don't know, I'm considering selling my bib for the half in May - they allow transfers and there are a lot of people looking, so I could sell it no problem. But part of me feels like I need to run to help with stress through all of this, so maybe I just need to make it a priority and find a way to do it.

Sorry this has gotten so long and so OT - this is only day 2 of this process for us and we haven't even told most friends/family yet, I'm feeling completely overwhelmed and really at odds with leaving a house that we completely love and starting over somewhere so unknown.

Hi MommyMcQueen!
Just wanted to offer some empathy for your situation I would be overwhelmed too.
That would be a tough decision about the Half. I agree with Karen that it might be fun to just walk/run for fun with no stress at all about getting a certain time – unless it would stress you out to not get a good time! Last summer was my first Half and I had a fairly serious back injury but I ended up completing it anyway. It took me a full 3 hours to finish because I had to walk after mile 11 and I was barely even walking at the end. I admit that I was disappointed in my time, but I still feel the pride of doing it. Overall it was a great experience and I learned a lot for the next one.

It is a challenge to run when you have kids. Here’s what has helped me the most:
1. Having a treadmill at home – yes, it can get boring and no, I don’t use it as much as I imagined I would when I bought it. But, I do run a lot more than I would if I didn’t have it. Also, most of the times when I run on it the kids then beg to have a turn too. I think this will help them make exercise a part of their life and hopefully they will always continue that.
2. Running at the high school or middle school track – again, it is boring. But, the kids can play in the field in the middle of the track while I run and they are in full eyesight the whole time. We’ve been doing this since they were toddlers. Sometimes they even run with me. Once I had to do 8 miles on the track and it was so excruciatingly boring that I started paying the boys 25 cents per lap they jogged with me just so I could have some company to keep me going!
3. Trading kids with a girlfriend. I hate asking people to watch my kids. I avoid it whenever I can. However, last summer when I was training for the Half, one of my best friends was training for her first 10K. On Saturday or Sunday we’d do a kid swap: she’d take all 4 boys (2 hers, 2 mine) while I did a longer run, then I’d take all 4 while she did her longer run. Since it was a win-win neither of us felt like we were imposing on anyone to watch our kids for us.
4. Train them to run with me! We have a 2 mile loop by our house that is my favorite place to run. It actually circles a golf course so it’s pretty and has a variety of hills and trees. I’ve been running there since before the boys were born, pushed them in the stroller there as babies, and we walked there together when they were little. The last couple of years I really pushed them to learn how to jog and keep a consistent pace for the whole lap. Sometimes they complained or didn’t feel like running, so I had to realize I wasn’t going to get the best workout that day but at least it was better than nothing. Now, at ages 11 and 10 they can do 2 laps with me = 4 miles. They are my favorite running buddies!

I do hope that running can be a stress-reliever for you during this time and not an added stress.

 

[KarenAylwood]

Down another 0.8lbs this morning which is a surprise since I had three beers last night I was so stressed out about work! So I'm still 2.2 lbs up from what I was before vacation. I also didn't get a chance to work out but hope to this afternoon!

I have a bridal shower tomorrow- will need some strength to get through without pigging out!! The bride is really conscious about her weight now with the wedding coming up so I'm hoping there will be some healthy options.

My goal is to drop about 10lbs before the wedding. It's about 6 months away so I'm really feeling crunch time. I wasn't focusing on losing while I was training for the half because I needed so much energy to get through my long runs. I'm going to try to keep up 3 runs per week, about 3-5 miles each run, maybe stretch to 6 on the weekends but not higher than that. May also try to start some new classes at the gym!

Have a good weekend everyone!

 

[jodeja]

It fixed itself, apparently

 

[steves1bear]

Karen - I know this is a bit late, but awesome job on the Princess!! It sounds like a great experience. I'm so impressed. Okay, it's official, I have to make sure I do some kind of Disney half marathon.

MMQ - Good luck with the many life changes your family is tackling right now. I hope everything works out for the best and that you'll be able to run your 1/2 in May. Sorry I can't offer more but hugs. Running is such a huge stress reliever and worth trying to find the time. Jodeja gave some great ideas and I hope you are able to find something that works.

kolohe_lady - I keep wanting to tell you thanks for the amphipd suggestion. My DH got me one for Christmas and it has been awesome! I absolutely love it. Thank you!

So far I'm steadily losing not quite a pound a week. I've finally broken my plateau and actually losing. Here's hoping I can get rid of these last 6 lbs!

 

[ohMom]

karen -- on your princess weekend! i'm so glad it was so awesome for you! how did the bridal shower go?

MMQ -- ohmy! ((HUGS)) i can only imagine how overwhelming it all must be for you, please don't give up on your exercise outlet (love that term!) as it's going to be very important that you take care of yourself during this high-stress time and transition. and that includes mental breaks and fun things to look forward too!

sorry i've been not keeping up with everyone's postings. i am at a place where i really desire to commit to a group again for the accountability and need to start journaling my intake and exercise. but it overwhelms me

i made the trip to CA last week and saw the specialist, had an MRI done, and brought home about a month's worth of labs to do. i could've cried stepping on the scale there, gals I'va gained 40 lbs since last summer. i have never ever in my life hit a number this high and felt so hopeless. over the past month I have found myself just eating more whatever seems like it sounds good as i bounce between nauseousness and hungry. my DH is the heaviest he's ever been thanks to a new medication he started a year ago, not working out, and me grocery shopping like we are all teenagers there is no motivation to eat right, count calories, knowing physically it's next to impossible for me to lose until my hormones are back in line. my previously tones muscles are not a solid-layer of cellulite. not exercising is some days a symptom, b/c i physically don't have the stamina or strength to do so. the days I feel i might be able to, i spend the time catching up on life (laundry, grocery, etc) b/c i don't know when the next day like that may be. sorry for venting my pity party.....

i think i'm going to take a walk outside today, just me and my ipod and no watch. the Dr i saw recommened I start taking L-glutamine supplement to help reverse the muscle weakness. do anyone want to start journaling with me?

 

[inkkognito]

Hi all,
Hope you don't mind if I pop in from time to time to check your progress and get some inspiration as I lose my final pounds. I'm down over 40 lbs. and really, really want to lose that final ten. I'm good about exercise but sloppy about food, so I think that's holding me up (along with a natural plateau). I bought a scale that tracks weight, water, muscle and BMI to help me get a more accurate picture of what's going on with my body, plus I got a Fitbit and am working my butt off with Walk It Out for Wii or other exercise every day. Those final pounds are my summer goal!

 

[ohMom]

Barb!! and cyber high five on your recent weight loss!!

well i dusted off my WW journal app on my phone today....sigh...i just hate counting and figuring things that aren't already programmed in. and i went to pilates class -- i am trying to convince myself that healthiness is a lifestyle...and i can't give up on the lifestyle because i'm in limbo with health concerns. this may go on for months and i need to recapture the lifestyle...

sigh

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi everyone! Seems like it's been busy on the thread here! So glad to see everyone's posts and progress!

OhMom- Glad your trip to CA went well - I'm really hoping they can figure out what is happening to you. Sorry you are so down about the weight gain - I can't imagine how diffcult it must be for you. I know its probably hard to be motivated to exercise when you know you won't lose any weight anyways - but great job dusting off the WW apps and making the effort! Even if you don't see it on the scale, the exercise you do will help lift your spirits! Keep us posted on how you're doing! I would love to journal/track with you if you are still interested.

Karen - great job on the weight loss. 6 months until the big day! That will be here so fast! Hope your shower was fun!

inkkognito - welcome and congrats on the great weight loss!

Steves1bear - great job to you too on the continued weight loss - a pound a week is great!

Jodeja - thanks so much for all of the encouragement and ideas! I mulled them over a lot and have decided that I am going to make running a priority and find the time to fit it in. I do have options - some of which you listed - and if I really want to do this I can make it happen - I just have to MAKE myself make it happen! I have access to a track, my mom can watch the kids, I can run while they're at school, and I can run on the weekends when DH is home. The kids are 7 and almost 5 and they have biked along with me when I ran last year, so we could also try that again since I just run in our subdivision. There is time for me to do this if I plan for it and just make the arrangements I need.

As for me, things are progressing here on the homefront. I was going to post last week but I was so stressed and frustrated that all I would have done was complain...so I didn't post. This week is better, we've accomplished a lot - we found my DH an apartment in the new city, we have our house up for sale and *most* of the work done - I've spent the whole last week cleaning, packing, decluttering, patching holes and painting. Still some work to do but mostly its done.

So today, with most of the work done, I felt that I had the time to go out and take a run! Felt really good to be out and I actually ran the whole 4 miles, which is a first for me this spring. Great stress reliever and although I had to squeeze it in before DH headed to a board meeting, I'm glad I got it in.

I weighed myself on Friday and was happy to see I was down a little - but last week was not good for eating, I skipped meals and did not eat well at all due to stress and being a bit upset. So I'm hoping this week I can do better, eat better, and run a few times - things have settled down so now I can try to have some consistency again. The weather is improving, snow is melting, and spring is almost here!

Hope everyone has a great week!

 

[KarenAylwood]

I'm subscribed to this thread but sometimes don't get the answers... weird. Just thought I'd check in again... I got the call that my wedding dress is in today... commence FREAKOUT! Bah!! I was so focused on the half that I haven't really focused on cutting calories and being good. I've been alright the past few weeks and lost what I gained at Disney, but need to get down at least 6-10lbs before September. I'd like to be down another 5lbs before getting the dress fitted but we'll see!

In the past week I've given up all sugary stuff. So no desserts, cookies, etc. This is especially hard because lately we've been having a lot of work lunches and they always give us dessert. I've held off the past two times though! Yay for me. We have an 8K coming up on Saturday- will have drinking afterwards but I need to keep that and eating to a minimum.

I took my first full length spin class tonight. O.M.G. It was no freaking joke!! It went a little over an hour and was super intense. I've never been so sweaty leaving a class before. And the crazy instructor kept calling us "Team Extreme." He wasn't kidding. Ridiculous. I'm going to try to work this into my routine. My new goal is to run 4-5 miles on Monday,Thurs, and Saturday do a weight lifting class Tues and Fri, and this crazy spin class on Wed. We'll see how it goes! Next week I've got a business dinner on Tues and our wedding mock-up on Thursday. So already not doing it that week but I have a plan!

MMQ~ awesome job on getting the run in! I am always so proud of myself when I can just go out and run 4-5 miles. I used to be able to do that with 2... now I can do it with 4-5! It sounds like the move is coming along. Keep up the good work with the runs - I know it will make you feel better

OhMom~ great that you're using the WW app. My mom did WW back in the day when you had to weigh stuff out and not count points- she did really well on it! It seems pretty easy to adapt to your lifestyle.

inkkog~ that scale sounds awesome!! Was it super expensive? Do you think it is accurate? I'd love to be able to see water weight. I fluctuate a few pounds between days so I know some of it has to be water.

steves1bear~ awesome job on breaking through the plateau. And YES you need to do a Disney half!! It was sooo fun

Hope everyone is having a good week... we're almost past the hump!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Karen - that spinning class sounds intense! I've never done one -they sound super hard!!! and scary!!! Hope the diet is going well and hope you're not too worried about your dress fitting - I'm sure it will be beautiful!

We had a BAD weekend for eating. Went out for fast food on Friday night, then out again on Sunday for pizza for my son's 5th birthday. Plus cake - times 2! Today we have leftover cake which I know I'll eat too much of. Cake is my biggest weakness - zero willpower!

But to try to balance out the bad weekend I did take a long run on Saturday - 7 miles! It was really good and I was thrilled that I was able to make it that far and I didn't feel too bad. I didn't get as sore as I expected - I was expecting to really struggle that last mile (I did a 6 mi about 3 weeks ago and the last mile of that was pretty tough), but I felt good and energized the entire way. And I was really happy with my pace - averaged 10:34 min/mi. For my first real long run this spring I am happy with that.

Now the weather is turning again this week - they are calling for more snow!!! We just can't win here this spring. It's cold, rainy, and windy today, I was hoping to run today but will wait and see what the afternoon is like. We FINALLY got our elliptical fixed so I can go use that today if I need to.

So all in all it was an okay week - did two 4-mile runs and that 7 miler. I didn't weigh myself at all, I think I'll start back on Fridays weighing myself again - I need to have some accoutability again - it's too easy for me to just not weigh myself and therefore not have to deal with how bad I've been doing!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

 

[KarenAylwood]

MMQ~ was just about to post myself Awesome job on the running- 15 miles in a week is great. And a nice pace for the 7 miler! Sucks on the bad eating- we ate out sushi last night and despite my staying away from sweets I had a few bites of cheesecake for dessert You're on the right track- don't beat yourself up too hard. I'm just trying to focus on being good this week!

We did our 8K on Saturday. This was the anniversary of my first race ever. I started training Jan of 2010 and I did the 8K (4.97 miles) in March and got 53:18. A year later I got... 47:39!! I was sooo proud of myself (although DF had hurt his knee a few months ago so he ran with me which helped a lot- he's a good pacer). Between that and finding out I got a nice raise at work on Friday... I was pretty psyched to celebrate this weekend and may have overindulged a little But I don't feel too bad- it was a great weekend!

I think I may start South Beach next week. We'll be fed lunch at work tomorrow and are going out to dinner w/ a colleague from out of town as well. I'm trying to be good!!

Hope everyone has a great week!

 

[kolohe_lady]

Karen - Way to go on your 8k, and especially on beating your previous time! And I'm excited for you about your dress! I'm sure you'll look great.

MMQ - Happy to hear your 7 miler went well! And I hear ya on the bad weather. This whole week is supposed to be cold and snowy/rainy.

Oh yeah, count me in for the 'didn't eat well' this weekend. Pretty much ALL weekend. Friday at work is 'Cookie Friday', a tradition I started so I don't go into that dang cookie store around the corner every single day. Usually I just get one, but this week got 2. One of which had enough frosting on it for 3 cookies. Then Saturday one of my sisters invited all the fam up to her house to celebrate my Mom's b-day and watch some March Madness. (My bracket is pretty much toast, thanks a lot, Pittsburgh! ) Pizza, breadsticks, various goodies, and of course cake & ice cream. On Sunday my BF surprised me with some cake he had gotten us for a treat, and I had already brought over some girl scout cookies for us. So of course we ate both! Then when I got home last night I proceeded to eat a half a box of both Samoas and Thin Mints all by myself. Gonna try to pace myself better on the remaining cookies. Or is it better to just gorge myself and therefore remove the temptation sooner?

I have been doing good on exercise this week, so trying not to feel too bad about the weekend of junk food bingeing. Saturday I did the suckiest training run I have yet expirienced!! Whenever there's a storm coming in, we get strong south winds. I almost talked myself out of running at all, but with all the crap food I knew I'd be eating that night, plus my next 1/2 coming up soon, I finally just went out and did it. I needed to get in at least 9 miles. I decided I would run south into the wind and slightly uphill for the first 4.5 miles, then be able to cruise home downhill with the strong wind at my back, maybe sneak in another mile if I was feeling good. Well, the first 4.5 miles felt like those dreams where you're trying to run and not going anywhere. I didn't realize it with my headphones in, but every time there would be an extra strong gust of wind, I'd make a 'Grrr!' noise. I kinda startled some cyclists. I didn't even bother to look at my Garmin, I didn't care how slow I was going, just kept slogging along. After what felt like hours, I made it to my halfway point and turned around. For the first 2 miles going north, it was awesome. Downhill with a good tailwind felt like hardly any effort at all. Then the evil wind changed direction!! It was now blowing from the north! So not only am I AGAIN fighting a headwind, it was now a really COLD headwind! I could almost hear Mother Nature laughing at me. At least I made it home before it started raining. My sister and her DH had the same expirience doing their miles that morning, we decided we should somehow get credit for extra miles. On the upside, running against wind resistance is a great glute & hamstring workout, I was feeling it all night and the next day

Hope everyone is having a good day, even though it's Monday!

 

[ohMom]

morning 'all how did everyone's week go?

things are pretty steady here, my attempt at journaling was a flop. i suck at journaling. i hate measuring and counting and the whole deal and i just let myself get overwhelmed and go 'whatever' this is such a not good attitude.....

i did get 2 workouts in this week, which i'm happy with considering all that i had going on.

i want to do better next week!

 

[jodeja]

I hate journaling too! It is tedious enough just to write everything down and try to get accurate measurements, and I've been eating mostly homemade food - not packaged or restaurant - so there is the extra step of trying to figure out what the calories are.
Does anyone know of a website where you can plug in what you ate and it gives you all of the nutritional data (calories, fat, fiber, protein, etc.)?

Well, it’s been encouraging to read everyone’s updates. I have been exercising a lot this month, 4-6 times a week, and really doing very well with my diet, but I am completely stuck at a plateau. I was so happy to lose those 5lb. at the beginning of the year and I have ramped up my exercise and watch my diet even more carefully since then and my weight has been exactly the same every week in March?! After a few weeks of being the exact same weight I even thought maybe I wasn’t eating enough to lose because I found my stomach growling a few times during the day so I started eating a bit more (of healthy food) and it didn’t change my weight either direction.
I am thinking that really it’s not the # on the scale that is as important as how I look and feel (I am in the normal weight range for my height, just higher on that range than I want to be). My clothes are getting looser, things that were a bit snug now fit. I might even wear shorts this summer! I am going to get a hydrostatic weighing at the wellness center at the hospital, so I will see what my actual % of body fat is and then I can get retested every so often (not sure what the time interval on that should be) and then hopefully I will see some progress in that number!

 

[KarenAylwood]

jodega~ I use Sparkpeople.com- love it. Well... I used to use them I haven't been great about keeping up with it. But it's an awesome way to keep up with what you're eating and you can track exercise and water intake too. They also send emails with fitness and nutrition tips.

Here's a good one for today actually... http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=219

The week was pretty good. DF got sick with a bad cold but I have managed to avoid it (taking zicam like crazy). I did well with eating, but I had gained a ton over the weekend because we went to sushi on Sunday. I'm down to what I was last Friday again- well slightly less. But 0.8lbs more than my lowest (which was last Thursday). I'm getting there!!

Have a good weekend everyone!!!

 

[steves1bear]

Just trying to bump us up on the page!

Things are going really great. DH was out of town for most of last week, but I was able to maintain and I'm finally down to just 5 lbs. It's taken forever, but hopefully I'll break this plateau soon.

Question. I realized it's really time to get some new workout clothes. I'm looking for suggestions. I usually just wear shorts and a t-shirt, but I need to switch to a a better shirt and maybe try compression shorts/capris. Anyone have suggestions or experience with clothes they like or don't like? I'm open to anything right now.

Hope everyone has a great week!

 

[KarenAylwood]

Yay for a new post steves1bear!! I started to write again here the other day but then got distracted (probably by work... hate how that gets in the way of DISing sometimes ).

Congrats on your loss and breaking through your plateau- I'm right there with you!! Still working on those last 10lbs but in the last month I've finally started to lose again. I honestly wasn't putting in as much of an effort as I should have been. Something clicked when I hit the 6 month wedding mark and they called to tell me my dress is in so I could schedule my first fitting I ignored their call for 3 weeks before calling yesterday and scheduling First fitting will be June 4th before my bridal shower and I hope to be close to my goal weight by then.

I was hanging around 136 for a while (goal is 125). I started putting in a lot of effort- cut out all sweets (in the last month I had Skinny Dip froyo once and a bite of cheesecake... that's IT) and I started doing spinning at the gym once a week on top of running and body pump classes. I'm hanging out at around 1200 calories per day. This past weekend I didn't have a DROP of alcohol, AND on Sunday when we grilled out with future BIL, I made them pasta salad and cheeseburgers while I ate a turkey burger and a big salad with lowfat/lowcal trader joe's salad dressing. Took ALL my willpower but I did it!! I'm down to 131.6 - the lowest I've been since I saw 131.8 right before leaving for Disney in September. I NEED to keep up the motivation.

steves1bear~ I love Target workout clothes. Their black yoga-type pants are great for just about everything. I buy the fitted style (there's fitted, semi-fitted and relaxed). I am 5'4'' and a size 6ish and I wear a small in them. If I were a little taller I could wear a medium. They do show sweat though so if I'm doing something where I get particularly sweaty I use my under armor pants/shorts that are a different fabric. Also have new balance running skirts. Target has great shirts too- there are some that show sweat that I use when I'm doing strength training or as an outer layer if I'm wearing a longsleeve compression shirt underneath bc it's cold out (cotton blend- click here) and others that are polyester (I wore one for the Princess- click here). They're also super reasonably priced. The cotton one tends to run big (I wear a small) and the second polyester one is a little smaller (I wear medium in that one).

 

[jodeja]

Hey Karen ~ it sounds like we have the exact same goals! I am also 5’4” and my goal is 125. I was stuck at 135. Almost all of last year I was 135 and my weight didn’t budge at all even while training for the half (though I did look trimmer and clothes fit looser). I finally lost a pound last week and it felt so great to be under 135 finally! I am also a size 6ish. Anyway, it just feels great to meet someone in the same situation as me. Most of my friends are larger than me (except the few that are a size 2), and they don’t understand why I am trying to lose at all.

This thread is so great for support & tips!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi everyone!

Steves1bear - great job on maintaining and getting down to those last 5 pounds! It sounds like you are doing great! For workout clothes, I too have a few shirts from Target - the C9 blends cotton/poly. I also picked up a few Under Armour Ts from the sporting good store clearance rack and like those too. I don't tend to notice the difference in materials too much (I starting out running in all cotton so I was used to that when I switched to better quality workout clothes) but I stick with light colors since for me the darker really show the sweat! I have one grey UA Tshirt that I love but I look like I've been through a monsoon when I get home from running! I don't have much recommendations for shorts, I actually need some new ones myself - I've found that I wear my ONE pair that has pockets all of the time to avoid my pocketless shorts! I prefer looser fitting shorts though - can't quite pull off the compression stuff!

Karen - Great job on the weight loss! You are doing awesome! Its a great feeling to see all your hard work paying off on the scale!

Things here are okay! DH and I are on week 2 of the 14 week job-related living separation and it is going okay. I didn't get to work out last week, although I could have but had a couple of feeling-down days and didn't do it, and last weekend we moved some stuff to the new apartment so the weekend was busy, and it rained. The weather is improving here and our snow has melted, so I went out yesterday while the kids were both at school and did 4 miles. I felt kinda wierd though, I made sure to text DH before I left and after I got back so that someone knew where I was incase I collapsed or something and never made it back! I was happy to be out and it felt good, althought I felt really slow and I could tell it's been a few weeks since I've run. I can also tell I'm up a few pounds when I run, so that is kind of embarassing, I feel really a lot bigger than I was last fall when I ran.

Hearing you all discuss your actual weight is inspiring! A few months ago I was right there with you guys - I'm 5'4" and was at 135 at my lowest before our Disney trip last August. I'm up at least 5 pounds right now, I'm going to weigh in on Fridays again and really start working on this again - I really want to get back to where I was last summer, and even a few pounds less. My goal is 130, I can't imagine I'll ever be in the 120s again, but I'd be thrilled with 130.

Plan to run again tomorrow while the kids are at school, then head out for a long run on Saturday morning when DH is home. Oh yeah - didn't mention that my Half is just 5 weeks away and the longest I've run is 7 miles!! I'm feeling totally screwed for this event, so this weekend I'll try to push for a 9 miler on Saturday and then push to 10 and 12 in the next 2 weeks and still have time for a taper. I know I won't beat my time from the last half, but I'm still determined to go ahead and do the event - I'm not bailing out!

Hope everyone has a good rest of the week and weekend! I'll be back tomorrow to post my weigh-in. Ugh!