Hi all,

This is my second journal on DT. I kept the first one from mid November until mid December and stuck to my diet until a couple days before Christmas. Journaling on DT was more helpful than I could have imagined (thank you everyone for all your incredible support!!!). The hitch in the plan came when I went home from school on Christmas break, and ended up without internet access, and I discovered just how much I needed DT when I totally caved to all the holiday food around my parents house......

The good news is that even though I ate like a pig for a month, I did keep working-out (I got a student's one-month gym membership when I went home and went almost every day). So I weighed myself at the gym today, and shockingly it turns out I've only gained back 2 lbs of what I lost before Christmas.

So here I am, starting anew. The title of this journal is a summary of my motivation. By this June, I want to be comfortable in my own skin. I want to be able to go swimming with my friends (for the first time in 3 yrs), I want to wear tank-tops again and just be able to be outside in the summertime again.

If you're wondering, I'm 19 yrs old, barely 5'2", and 132.2 lbs. I have a small frame, and I think I looked best when I weighed about 105. (yes, this is whithin normal range for my height and age, and I've done the BMI thing too.) I think 27 lbs in 4 months is a do-able goal, its about 7 lbs./month.

My Plan: 1200 cals/day + whatever low-cal vegies I want and excersize at least 3 times/week

Food today -
(just so ya'll know, I'm a vegetarian - 9 years and counting)

2 pop-tarts - 400 cal
granola bar - 120 cal
small apple - 60 cal
large banana - 130 cal
3 slices raisin toast - 240 cal + margerine
cooked carrots
2 cups cereal - 240 cal
=1190 + margerine + carrots

Excersize -
20 minutes stairmaster level 4
25 minutes precor (revolving stairs)
stretching

That's all for the day. Thanks for reading.

Liz

132.2/132.2/105
:D

Hi Liz, welcome back ... I was wondering where you went! That's great that you worked out soo much during your break! I'm so glad you're back!!

Hi again all,

Thanks so much for the warm welcome back ChinaDoll!! I'm very glad to BE back.

School is really kicking my butt this week:( . I feel like I'm drowning in homework and I'm already thinking I'll have to use tomorrow's break between classes to do some reading instead of going to the gym. Wow.....listen to me whining!! geez...

So I'm on my way to bed right now, but here are the sats from today:

2.5 cups cereal - 300 cals
1 large apple - 130 cals
2 servings non-fat yogurt - 240 cals
1 large banana - 140 cal
2 servings vegi soup - 240 cals
handi-snacks cheez 'n crackers - 110 cals
= 1160

That's it for the day. No excersize, just sitting on my butt in classes and in my room doing homework. :(

I think my temporary goal is this: Get down to 120 by the start of spring breack (march 22). I want people to notice, especially my mom, that I've lost some weight since Christmas.

Thanks for reading!
Liz

132.2/132.2/105

Hi lizann;

Just thought I would stop by after reading your journal. I like the goals you have set for yourself. It's wonderfull when people you haven't seen for awhile notice you have lost weight. You can do this girl so go for it......:)

Judy

10 lbs will make a difference! Just try to incorporate some exercises every few days and that should do the trick! I haven't been skipping but that's a simple and cheap workout ... you just need to find some space and start jumping ropes. I haven't been going to the gym while you were gone but I'm starting to workout too. You can do it! Keep that positive and determination!

Hey all!

So its the weekend. This is when it gets tough, huh? I've had five good days though, so I'm not gonna break the role now!!! Its just so much easier not to think about food when I'm busy all day long during the week. I think I'll study outside of my dorm room tommmorow so I'm not sitting in here surrounded by temptation.

I had a really busy week, which was why I didn't post the last two days. Here's what I ate -

Wednesday, feb. 6 -

4 cups cereal - 480 cals
1 can spiderman spaghettios - 420 cals
babe-ruth candy bar - 310
= 1210
I know, I know.....this is just terrible.....:c( I couldn't find my meal card and I had no cash, so i ended up eating what was in my room.

Thursday, feb. 7 -

2 cups cereal - 240 cals
1 large apple - 130 cals
low-fat yogurt - 120 cals
cheese & lettuce sandwich - 270 cals
3 slices raison toast - 240 cals + some margerine
1 small orange - 50 cals
low-fat yogurt - 120 cals
= 1170
(This day was a little better, right?)

Today -

Dorritos - 260 cals
large apple - 130 cals
sandwich - 270 cals
small orange - 50 cals
2 slices raison toast - 140 cals
cooked carrots
large apple - 130 cals
small box cherios - 60 cals
non-fat yogurt - 120 cals
= 1160 (I thought this was a good day. There was even a vegetable!)

No excersize for the past 3 days, but I'll definitely make it to the gym tomorrow.

Ya know, I always feel so much better when I'm "on a diet." It seems like whenever I'm not deliberately losing weight, I'm gaining it. I just eat and eat all the time, like I never know when to stop. I usually spend a lot of time thinking about what I'm going to eat next, but after I've eaten it, then I'm just thinking about the next thing after that.....nothing is ever enough. I eat till I feel sick. I'll even put off going to bed when I'm tired just so I can eat some more. Usually I'm telling myself that I'm starting a diet the next morning, so I'd better eat what I want while I still can.

But once I'm actually on a diet, once I have one good day behind me, I feel ten times better. Suddenly I'm not worrying about how much weight I'm gaining, or how much money I'm spending eating out all the time. Suddenly I have more time for other things. And so far I haven't even been hungry eating 1200 cals a day.

Its really funny how the obsession with food starts....its like, once you start depriving yourself of food, its stops being just food and becomes something more - something that you want but can't always have. First its a treat, then its a cruch, and slowly but surely it becomes a fixation.

I'm so glad I'm back to working towards a goal. Maybe if I continue eating healthy for long enough, I will eventually be able to eat like this without even thinking about it - without counting every calorie that goes into my mouth.:(

Thanks everybody for reading! And thank you Judy and ChinaDoll for the encouragement - it really means a lot.:o

Liz

Hi Liz:

Well here comes one of your biggest tests. The dreaded weekend.......lol......... it's a cinch to get through it girl. Just keep busy. Go for long walks.......take in a movie and if you want popcorn take your own with you. It's half the calories of the theatres. And you have an excellent idea about not studying in your dorm room with temptation so close. Bet the library would be nice and quiet and no tempting there.
Have a great weekend Liz......:bfly:

Judy, thanks so much for stopping by my journal! So far the week-end has been awesome diet-wise and I feel totally psyched about it. I spent about 2 hours at the gym today, and here's what I did:

15 minutes stairmaster (level 5)
25 minutes revolving stairs (precor) doing high intensity cardio
33 minutes revolving stairs doing "fat burner" low intensity setting
stretching

Our school gym is enormous, but nonetheless its always really crowded and there's usually a waiting list for the cardio machines, so we're limited to 25 minutes. Before I've always played by the rules, but today I just hit the reset button when my time was up and kept right on going! I felt like such a little rebel....lol

I'm trying to write down all my excersize and food intake like this so that I can look back on it a little while down the road and see what things were working for me. And with the excersize, I think it'll be some good motivation if I'm able to see how far I've come.

I was really happy about how much I did at the gym today, but towards the end of my work-out I got really hungry and got a bad headache too. I felt fine though after I came back and ate dinner. Can being too hungry give you a headache? Anyone know?

So here's the food for the day -

2 cups cereal - 240 cals
large banana - 140 cals
medium apple - 120 cals
1/2 cheese sandwich - 190 cals
3 slices white toast - 240 cals + jam
small orange - 50 cals
cooked zucchini (did I spell that right?)
vegetable soup - 180 cals
= 1160 cals + the jam and the zucchini

I guess I don't have much else interesting to say tonight. My boyfriend Mike is talking about driving down here for Valentine's day and staying through the week-end. Its like a 9 1/2 hour drive, and he's never seen my dorm, so that would be very cool.

Night all,
Liz

:lift: Liz:lift:

So glad your weekend went well. But be careful of not overdoing it also. Your body will tell you when you have. Like it did this weekend when you felt hungry and got a terrific headache. Exercise is great but not to the point of overdoing it.
I'll bet your excited that your boyfriend will be coming down for Valentines Day. But being a mom I would have a few words of advice that you won't listen to anyways so I will bite my tongue...........:rofl: Hope you realise just how hard it is for me NOT to tell you to behave while he is down.......

Have a great day.

Judy2

Awesome workout and great meal plan! You're doing so well! That's wonderful that your bf will be coming over to see you ... hope things are going better with you two. Go girl :lift:

Thanks Judy and ChinaDoll! Judy, you're probably right about over-doing it with excersize. Sometimes its hard to distinguish the line between pushing yourself and working out too hard. I figure that one should feel good after a work-out (as I've experienced in the past), and not drained, head-achy, or overly hungry.

I went to the gym again today and I could definitely tell that I'd done too much the day before. I just didn't seem to have any energy. Nonetheless, i did 10 minutes stairmaster, 25 minutes of my usual revolving stairs, and then I tried something new; I did one of the bikes for 30 minutes, but I took it really slow, and it was more of an elongated cool-down than anything. I think I'm going to try mixing things up with the bikes from now on, just to work some different muscle groups.

Here's the food for the day:
1 cup raison bran cereal - 190 cals
apple - 120 cals
cheese sandwich - 270
english muffin - 130 cals + some jam
several servings of steamed vegies; carrots, broccoli, zucchini, etc.
large banana - 130 cals
spaghettios - 360 cals
= 1200 + all the vegies

I still stand behind my decision not to count calories that come from vegies. For one, I think its the only way I'm going to get myself to eat them. But also, if I want to work-out hard, I think sometimes I need more than 1200 calls in a day.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!:D

Liz

Liz:

You are doing so awesome. And mixing up the different exercises you do is terrific. You will use other muscles and the fact your routine won't get boring is wonderfull. I am going to go and buy myself a exercise bike today if I have time between appointments and getting ready for work. If not today then definetly this week. It's my treat to me for losing 25 pounds... :)
As for not counting calories in veggies........thats a great idea. They hardly have any in the first place. Must be why I love to eat a salad as often as I can at meal times. And from what I can see with your workout schedule you should be eating over the 1200 calorie a day. 1200 is bare minium they say for calories in a day. Kepp doing what your doing Liz and SUCCESS is yours.

Judy:bfly:

Great workout Lizann ... try not to overstrain yourself otherwise, you're doing a wonderful job! That's good that you're adding more veggies to your meals ... keep up the good work!

Hey all,

Here's the excersize today -
20 minutes stairmaster level 5
......lengthy break in between, maybe 25 minutes
25 minutes cardio on precor (the revolving stairs)

I felt good today working out. I had a lot of energy and didn't even really get hungry. The gym was really busy though, and I had to wait to get the machines I wanted. But I used the time to stretch really well, and I also ran into a GSI (grad. student instructor) who I had last semester and we chatted a while. All in all I came home from the gym feeling really good.

Today's food -

1 medium banana - 130 cals
2 english muffins - 260 cals + jam
3 slices raison toast - 210 cals
1 can vegie soup - 240 cals
1 large apple - 130 cals
serving of plain cherios - 120 cals
non-fat yogurt - 120 cals
= 1210 cals

So I weighed in today at the gym too, and the scale said 128.3! Isn't that crazy? There's no way I lost 4 lbs of fat in 1 week. And I know it wasn't muscle loss, since I kept excersizing. So I'm thinking a good portion of it must be water loss. When you cut back your calorie intake, the first week that's what usually happens (water loss). Also I weighed myself after working out, and sweating a lot.

So I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much for next week. If the scale is still the same next week, I'm going to say to myself, "thats 4 lbs in 2 weeks," and not, "you didn't lose anything this week."

Sometimes I get very impatient with dieting and I have to think of something to tell myself to keep motivated. Today at the gym I started thinking how long its going to take me to lose this weight, and how even if I do wiegh 120 at spring break, I'm still not going to be happy about the way I look. But then I started to think about this summer. As long as there is some point during this summer when I can put on a bathing suit and feel good about it, I don't even care what I weigh right now. Its not about where you start, its about where you end up. And being able to enjoy myself this summer is my ultimate goal.

That said, I was studying tonight and almost broke down and went on a binge. I was so close......I was in our lounge in my dorm, doing math homework with a couple people, and some guys came in with nachos from the midnight snack store that our school keeps open till 2 am just outside my dorm. I've eaten those same nachos many times before, usually while studying till 1 am, just like tonight. And the thing is that with me, I couldn't stop after the nachos. Once I'd messed up my diet I'd just say, "Well girl, you've thrown it all away. Now you better eat what you can tonight before you go back to dieting tomorrow." And then I'd just eat and eat till I was sick. This has happened so many times I've lost count.

Honestly, the only thing that kept me from breaking down was knowing that I'd have to come back here and face you all......I'd probably have to start a new journal!

In November when I joined DT, I stuck to my plan 100%.....right up till I went home for break. Nonetheless, I had an entire successful month, and that's something I hadn't had since, well, EVER really. Geez! With all the time I've spent dieting in my life, that actually comes as a surprise to me....November was the first month that I'd actually lost weight instead of gaining it in like 3 years. Craziness.

So the point of that rant was, THANK YOU EVERYONE !!!! You are all amazing. We can do this together! :coach:

Have a wonderful day tomorrow! Good night.

Liz

Hey all!

So its for sure: Mike is coming to visite me! He should be here tommorrow evening if he doesn't get too lost, lol. I'm very happy and excited that I'm going to get to spend the weekend with him, but I think its going to be hard on my diet. Since he's only here for a short time, I'm not going to ditch him to go to the gym. Also, we usually eat out when we're together.......I guess I'm just going to have to be careful.

I couldn't sign on yesterday for some reason (anyone else have that problem?). So here's the food:

Feb. 12 -

large apple - 130 cals
raisin bran cereal - 130 cals
non-fat yogurt - 120 cals
large apple - 130 cals
3 slices raison toast - 210 cals
english muffin - 130 cals + jam
dorritos - 260 cals
cherios - 60 cals
= 1170.........not a great day. No excersize and I ate chips and no vegies.

Today's food Feb. 13 -

medium banana - 130 cals
frosted flakes - 120 cals
non-fat yogurt - 120 cals
large apple - 130 cals
(Note that I literally ate all of this while walking to my morning class. lol. I was in a rush, but I wanted to have some food in me and some time to digest it so that I could work-out during my mid-day break)
2 english muffins - 260 cals + jam
cucumber slices
steamed cabbage
cheetos - 320 cals
non-fat yogurt - 120 cals
= 1200 cals + vegies and jam

Today was a great day for excersize. I hardly got any sleep last night (less than 5 hrs.). I think I couldn't fall asleep mostly cause I was excited about Mike being able to come down. So I was worried about having a hard time working out, but it actually went really well - I felt great.:D I did 20 minutes stairmaster level 5 and 25 minutes precor. Hopefully, I might have time to go tomorrow afternoon too since I won't be going at all this weekend.

Happy Valentines Day everyone!
Liz

Happy Valentine's day Liz. :x

Your doing great at your exercises. And so your gonna miss a day or two while the boyfriend is down. No biggie.........you've been working hard so you deserve a little break this weekend.:)
Have a wonderfull weekend and remember to drink more :water: when you go out. It will fill you up faster and then you won't be so tempted.


Judy2

Hey all!

So I had a wonderful long weekend with my boyfriend!:o He came down thurs. afternoon (Valentine's Day) and stayed till Monday morning. He did the whole drive coming down in one big block - 9 1/2 hours! Now thats love!:D

It was kinda weird for us both at first because I've been living down here since end of August and this is the first time he's seen where I'm living and met my floormates and all that. But it was sooooo good to see him. I miss him so much now that he's gone now......it was really hard to watch him leave knowing I probably won't see him again for a whole month.

So while he was here my diet went a little off track.....here's what happened -

Thurs 2/14- no excersize but I stuck to my 1200 cals

Fri 2/15 - again, no excersize but stuck to my calories. We got frozen yogurt (from Berkeley'd famous Yogurt Park.....yummm...), but it was non-fat and I think I fit it into my 1200 calories. Actually, I think I probably had closer to 1100.

Sat 2/16 - I had about 500 calories around noon, then waited way too long to eat again. We ended up at an italian restaurant at about 9 o'clock and by that point I was so hungry that I couldn't even imagine ordering salad. I split a small vegie pizza with Mike. That wasn't so bad, but it marked the end of my calorie counting.

Sun 2/17 - I discovered a direct link between my stress level and my compulsive eating.....I had a mid-term this tuesday, and so on sunday I stole a few hours to study. Since I was away from Mike, I pigged out on candy while I was studying. I guess I was thinking I'd already messed things up the night before with the pizza. I was getting really worried and anxious about my test, and that definitely had something to do with the way I was eating. Then a couple hours later Mike and I went to a cafe and I ordered a vegie sandwich - it was huge: mayonaise, avacado, cheese, the works. I didn't even finsh it, but because my stomache wasn't used to that much fat and that many calories I felt horrible almost instantly. I spent quite a bit of time in the restroom that night........you know what I mean.

Mon 2/18 - This day was really awful. Mike left in the morning and afterward I spent about a half hour crying. Then I spent the rest of the day trying to concentrate on studying for my mid term. I was sad and anxious and nervous all at the same time....so what'd I do? I ate everything in site. I would've had a horrible stomache ache all day just from the night before, but since I went on a binge I made it twice as bad. This was a terrible day.

Tue 2/19 - I had my midterm tuesday at 6 pm. I also had class most of the day so I couldn't really eat all that much, but after my test I went out and bought an enormous burritto from La Burrita. Yuck. I can't believe everything I ate last night.....

Today - Finally today I got back on track!! :D I feel so much better having that midterm out of the way. I went to the gym and very hesitantly weighed myself; it was good news in my opinion: 128.5. So I only went up like 1/2 a lb in those 4 days of over-eating. Looks like if I stick to it i can still make it to 120 by spring break! 2 lbs per week.......hope I can do it!

I really love working out. Afterward I feel so much better about my body - isn't that strange? Its not like after working out for an hour your body looks any different......but I guess I just think of it diferently. Like, before a work-out, when I change in the locker room, I'll be sucking my gut in and trying to stay covered up. But when I come back to the locker room - dripping with sweat and feeling exhausted and exhilirated at the same time - I just don't care how I look. Today I peeled off my shirt and did my stretching in my sports bra, and I didn't even really think about my appearance.

There are some stop arobics, cycling, and yoga classes that are free to gym members at my school. They're only the early morning classes (which is why they're free, and which is I why i haven't been yet) and I'm seriously considering attending one or them this weekend. I'm having a little trouble deciding which though.....I've never taken an excersize class, so I'll have to see how I like it. Maybe I can talk someone into coming with me......hehehe

Here's today's food:
non-fat yogurt - 120 cals
rice crispy cereal - 90 cal
dorritos - 260 cal
raison toast - 210 cal
jelly sandwich on white bread - 160 cal + jam
large yellow apple - 130 cal
raw, sliced cucumbers and carrots & a couple cherry tomatoes
raisin bran - 130 cal
orange - 50 cal
= 1180 + jam + veggies

Thats all for today.

Liz

Liz: Im so glad you had a great time with Mike while he was down. It's hard being away from someone you care about but in the long run it's so worth it. Glad to see you are back on track with everything. Isn't it funny what can throw us off our diets. So what are you going through for in school?
I'll bet you will be down to the 120 lbs you want to be by spring break. :)
You have a few choices for free exercise programs . Hmmmmm think if I had the same choice I would try the yoga. I hear it's suppose to be good for when your stressed out. :D
Have a good day and keep up the excellent work girl.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Glad you hear that you got your mid term out of the way! Sounds like you did alright even though you felt that you overate ... I'm also trying to do 1200 cal which is so hard! From your menu, it looks like you're snacking, not eating a full meal! I doubt I can do that 'cos I've conditioned myself to eat meals. Still, it's going to be tough keeping up w/ you ... keep up the good work!

Hello all,

ChinaDoll, you're right, I do mostly snack throughout the day as opposed to eating just 3 meals. And you're also right that 1200 cals can be pretty difficult to maintain. In fact, personally, I really think its pretty impossible to eat 3 meals a day on a 1200 cal diet and here's why - (note that this is based solely on my own experience and absolutely no medical basis) - I think that when you eat a lot of calories in one sitting, you sort of stretch out your stomache. Then not only do you have to wait a long time between meals to eat again, but it takes more food to fill you up when you do eat. But if you eat several small meals a day instead, your stomache "shrinks," and it takes fewer calories to fill you up. Also, you get to eat more often, so you really can keep from being hungry if you find the right way to space things out. But again, this is just my theory, so take it for what it's worth.

Geez, I've been counting calories for so long......we're talkin' going on six years off and on. At this point I have the numbers memorized for so many foods I'm about as good as one of those calorie content websites! But I don't really think that that's such a good thing.......:(......wouldn't it be nice if we could all just learn to eat when we're hungry and stop eating when we're full? Maybe I'll get there someday I guess.

Here's today's food -
onion bagel - 250 cal
non-fat yogurt - 120 cal
enormous red apple - 140 cal
cherios - 60 cal
banana - 140 cal
lean cuisine veggie lasagna - 240 cal (gotta love those lean cuisine's.....so expensive though)
another non-fat yogurt - 120 cal
frosted flakes - 120 cal
= 1200 cal

Excersize -
20 minutes stairmaster (one of the new machines....didn't like it as much as the old ones.....had some sort of weird low back pain while I was on it.....not sure what was up with that.)
25 minutes precor


Thats all for today. Night all.

Liz

Liz:

I totally agree with you. Wish we could just stop when we have had enough to eat instead of going through this counting calories thing we do. But we could look at it another way. And say at least we get to use what we were taught in school. You know the READING(of all food labels) WRITING (here in our journals) and ARITHMETIC (counting up all those calories) :)
Your doing fantastic with everything. By the way what is this precor you do?
Have a great day.

Judy2:rose:

Liz, one question: if you snack all day, what happens if you get invited for dinner? We usually eat at least one entree ... in my case, I won't survive a 10-course chinese dinner! Actually, at one time, I wasn't feeling hungry becos of the hot weather. I was actually full after the cold dish & shark's fin soup (2nd course). I picked throughout the rest of the dinner, mostly watching people eat and drank my tea. That was then though this does not appeal to me. I still want to enjoy eating! We are pretty close in height ... do you think it's alright to eat between 1200 - 1500 cal per day and still get to lose weight?

Hi guys,

I need some serious support right now. I'm trying to write a paper and I've been about ready to totally blow off my diet. I guess I'm just bored and anxious and thinking this would be going a lot better if I had something to snack on.....grrrrrr! I'm so wrestling with this right now.....


OK, but moving on. ChinaDoll, I don't know what to tell you about getting invited to dinners.......You all saw what I do - pig out! I can be thrown off my diet very easily, so maybe I'm not the best person to ask.......But about the 1200-1500 cals for people our height. I think thats perfect. I may not continue with the 1200 cals for very long. I think that if you are excersizing a lot (and I have been) that you really need more than that unless you're willing to be hungry all the time. I'm thinking trying 1300 to see how it feels and see whether I keep losing (I'm sure I will).

Judy, the precor, for future reference, is just the brand name on the revolving stairs at our gym. Do you know what I'm talking about with the revolving stairs? They kinda look like you're running in place......you can pretty much find them at any gym, so I'm sure you get the picture.

Here's today's exersize -
20 minutes stairmaster (up one level to level 6!)
25 minutes precor

And the food so far (lets hope there's no more tonight.....I can do this, I can do this.....I'm gonna feel so bad tomorrow if I don't....) -
raisin toast - 210 cal
banana - 140 cal
meneola (its basically a miniature orange) - 50 cal
sliced hickama (did I spell it right?)
english muffin - 130 cal + jam
spaghetti with tomatoe sauce - 420 cal
non-fat cherry yogurt - 120 cal
1 cup cherios - 120 cal
= 1190 + jam and the hickama

And I weighed myself today at the gym even though I'm not supposed to till Monday: 127.75.

So I'm having this problem......If I don't eat or I eat too far before I go to the gym, I get crazy hungry during my work-out. But if I eat too much or too soon before I work out, I get an upset stomache. Today I had the toast, the muffin, the banana, the hickama and the orange at about 12:30. Then I started my work-out about 2:15 and it was like I got just feel all the food jumping around in my tummy.....I just can't seem to get it right. Anyone have an bright ideas? Is it better to eat foods like fruits before working out, or bread products? I'll take any advice I can get. :D

Night all,
Liz

Here's some information:

The best way to stay hydrated is to drink before, during, and after exercise (or a game or event). The amounts you should drink are as follows:
1 to 2 hours before exercising: 10 to 12 ounces of cool water (about 1¼ to 1½ cups)
10 to 15 minutes before exercising: 10 ounces of cool water (about 1¼ cups)
While exercising: 3 to 4 ounces of water every 15 minutes (about a ½ cup)
After exercising: 2 cups of water for every pound of weight loss through sweat

Foods that are ideal for top performance (competition) contain carbohydrates for energy, a small to medium amount of protein, and very little fat.

Foods to eat 1 to 2 hours before the game or event: fruit or vegetable juice or fruit (such as papaya, melons, banana, or apple)

Foods to eat 2 to 3 hours before the event: same as foods above, with bread bun, steam bun, or a sandwich (keep the fat low so that you will digest your food before the competition.)

Foods to eat 3 or more hours before the game or event: you can have a meal of rice/noodles with lean meat, fish, poultry or tofu.

It is a good practice to avoid eating anything for the hour before you compete, since you do not want food to slosh around in your stomach, which can end up leaving you feeling sick and nauseated. It is also best to avoid candy bars or sodas before your event; these types of foods will give you quick energy, but it will not last leaving you with an energy low just when you may need it.

Thanks ChinaDoll for the information. You really know your stuff! I will try to eat some fruit from now on an hour or so before I excersize and see how that does. The water I am pretty good about - I always carry a water bottle with me all day long, and at the gym I usually finish off about 20 onces over the course of the hour that I exersize and then another 20 once bottle shortly after I'm done. Geez, maybe I'm drinking TOO MUCH water!! LOL

OK, so I was feeling pretty weak earlier tonight.....again, I'm trying to write I paper. But right now I think I'm ok. I had a bagel a couple hours ago and I'm not hungry again yet. I still have about 100 cals left to eat incase I need something in a bit. I plan on staying up until I finish this paper:c(

No excersize today, but here's the food -
non-fat yogurt - 120 cal
cherios - 120 cals
hard boiled egg - 100 cal
plain bagel - 250 cal
penne pasta with marinara sauce - 260 cal (Lean Cuisine again)
another bagel - 250 cal
= 1100 cal + whatever I eat later tonight

I know you're not supposed to eat late at night, but I don't think the rule really applies when you're pulling an all-nighter.....

Liz

Liz:

I don't think it counts when your pulling a all nighter either. How can it? Your body just has no idea what time the last mouthfull of food went in it ............right??????? Ok so Im totally confused right now as to the right answer on that one. :rofl:
Keep up the great work and keep on :ex: :lift: :lift: :ex: :ex:


Judy2

Actually, I usually eat something light 2 hrs before I exercise ... it doesn't have to be just fruits ('cos we are not competing).

I think it's alright to eat something at night as long as it's 3 hrs before you go to bed ... sometimes, I drink a yogurt drink before I sleep (when I get too hungry).

You're doing great so stay positive! Good luck with your paper!

Yay!! I finally finished my paper! Its 11:30 pm and it due at 3 pm tomorrow, lol.:D I emailed it to my sister (she was an english major in college) about an hour ago, too, so I should be getting it back from her soon so I can finish editing. Geez, I guess I guess this is college........

I think I did pretty good today food-wize and I will definitely go to the gym tomorrow because its my weigh-in day (hoping for 127, wish me luck!) (ok, looking at that it seems really strange...I never thought I would ever weigh this much.......how many teenagers weigh more than their moms?! ....... ok, I really shouldn't think like that ......)

So, what I was saying was, I think the food today was really good. So go me for that little accomplishment!

Here it is -
cherios - 120 cal
bagel - 250 cal
hard boiled egg - 100 cal (I'm trying eat more protein)
toast - 160 + jam banana - 140
apple - 130
orange - 50
raw carrot slices
cucumber slices
another bagel - 250 cal
= 1200 cal + jam and vegies

So thats about it. I'm gonna go work on some math homework and then try to get to bed at some reasonable hour.
:)

Liz

Ok, I weighed in today - 126 even! Down 2 pounds for the week!:) :)

Here's today's food -
non-fat yogurt - 120 cal
frosted flakes - 120 cal
bagel - 250 cal
Lean Cuisine penne pasta in marinara sauce - 260 cal
banana - 140 cal
apple - 130
hard boiled egg - 100 cal
cereal - 120 cal
= 1200 cals

I thought I did really good eating today. Everything was spaced out really well so that I wasn't hungry at all. I did drink a couple cans of diet coke though......I know, I know, thats definitely not good for you.

Just for the record, here's my excersize -
20 min stairmaster level 6
25 minutes precor
lots of stretching

I'm so excited to be down to 126!:D :D That's almost 10 pounds from my high. I can totally feel it too. The pants I was wearing today are finally comfortably loose again.....but I think I actually need a new belt; how great is that?
Maybe 124 by next monday if all goes as planned.......At this rate, I am SO looking forward to spring break. I really want to walk off the plane and hear my boyfriend tell me I look good. And I want to get home and have my mother say I look like I've lost weight. There's no way I'm going to mess this up now -- I'm so determined to do it this time.

Have a wonderful night everyone!

Liz

Liz:

Congrats on the 2 pounds loss. With all the exercising you do you must be totally shaped up by now. I have never done stairmaster but it might be something I should look into.
Your going to give that BF of yours a heart attack girl when you walk off that plane. When he sees how great you look he won't be able to hide that smug look guys get. You know the one that says "She's mine" "na na na na na".......:D
Keep up the great work Liz. You can do it this we all can do this..

Judy2:rose:

Thats great Liz...

That's wonderful news ... 2 lbs loss! You're almost there, Liz!

Hey all,

We had an absolutely gorgeous day today!! It felt like summertime -- blue skies and plenty of sunshine! I'm from Oregon, and this is my first year down here in California, so I'm having a hard time believing this is February. I think I'm actually gonna wear shorts tomorrow! This weather is perfect motivation, too, since it makes me think about shopping for summer clothes. Hopefully this year I won't even have to shop anywhere but in my own closet, which is full of old clothes I can't fit into anymore, lol.....I went through sizes so fast getting up to this weight, I have clothes that went practiculy unworm for almost evey weight I've been at!

No excersize to day (had class 9:30 to 5 and still have plenty of homework:( ......) But here's the food -
bagel - 250 cal
non-fat yogurt - 120 cal
cherios - 120 cal
apple - 130 cal
raison toast - 140 cal
regular toast - 80 + jam
steamed carrots
cheese breadstick - 120 cal
cherios and yogurt again - 240 cal
= 1200 cal

I'm off to go do some French homework now. Night all.

Liz

135/126/105

Liz:

Don't you love just going to school all day and then having a ton of homework at night[-X I was really feeling sorry for ya until I read your in CALIFORNIA. Gotta tell you out went the pity.........whoosssssh.......here I am freezing my butt off and she's in the sunny south. Just kidding. But I do envy you being down there.
Your doing a great job with your eating so I will bet Liz goes a shopping in her closet soon.:)
Have a great day .

Judy2:rose:

I bet you'll be itching to go shopping in a few weeks! You're really good with your calories! I must learn from you!

Judy and ChinaDoll: Thank you so much for your posts! They really cheer me up! :)

Well, today was another beautiful day. Even when I'm tired and droopy and bogged down with homework and midterms (like right now), when I can look up and see gorgeous blue skiy and whispy white coulds it just makes me feel happy to be alive......I know that probably sounded really sappy and cliche, but seriously! I mean, I wore shorts and flip-flops to class today (in february!) and on there were all these people out sunbathing and playing frisby all over campus. They even mowed the grass yesterday and everything so everything smelled like summertime. I just love it.

Still no excersize today......I am really WAY busy and very tired......what a whiner I am when it comes to school! LOL

Here's the food -
banana - 130 cal
non-fat yogurt - 120 cal
frosted flakes - 120
cherios - 60 cal
bagel - 250 cal
dorritos - 260
Lean Cuisine pasta w/ marinara sauce - 260 cal
= 1200 cal........not too happy about what I ate today. Certainly could have gone w/o the dorritos and I didn't eat a single vegetable:( But I will do better tomorrow.

Thanks for reading. :D

Liz

PS -- I have a confession to make. I drank 4 cans of diet coke today......I was drinking so much water for so long, and then over the course of this week, while I haven't been getting much sleep, I've just sort of let my old caffeine addiction get the best of me.....thats another thing I'll have to work on tomorrow.:( :(

Liz:

Your doing awesome. Keep up the good work. and yeap gotta love your attitude just because you didn't get your veggies one day your gonna do better the next day.:up: I can't wait till our weather gets better here. What's that saying in like a lion out like a lamb for March. well we got the lion as it has been snowing since yesterday off and on. So it had better be a lamb going out... Would love to be wearing shorts by the end of March. :D
Have a great day Liz.

Judy2:rose:

I practically drank diet coke every other day ... more so on weekends ... is it really bad? In S'pore, we get coke light. You have to admit, it's nice drinking something sweet and knowing that it's zero calories. I don't usually finish it though.

Hi all,

I don't know about you guys, but I am SO looking forward to this weekend. I have a ton of homework and studying to do, but at least I can get some sleep!

It was another hot day today (maybe 75F?). My physics GSI let us have class outside -- we calculated electric fields with colored chalk on the pavement! Then the ice cream man (just a guy with a cart) came by and most of the class sat around eating popsicles (but not me.) That was a really nice way to spend a couple hours this afternoon. :)

ChinaDoll: Yes, its definitely nice to be abale to drink something sweet and fizzy thats also zero calories. During my senior year in highschool I started drinking it (while trying to lose weight) and I swear I became addicted -- I was drinking about 60 ounces a day! Thats three 20 oz bottles. And I hate to say it, but I do think its pretty bad for you. For one, it has a lot of caffiene, so it will dehydrate you. For two, if you're drinking it you're not drinking water, which means further dehydration. For three, caffiene is just bad for you in general -- it can mess up your sleep habits, make you MORE tired in the long run, and as I discovered in high school, it really is addictive (when I would try to stop drinking it I'd feel really tired and I'd have headaches). To top it all off, some people think that the nutra sweet in it is bad for you too.........:c( Oh yeah, and I think it makes me crave snack foods.......But this is probably only true if you're drinking a whole lot of it (like me, but not like you, so don't worry too much).

K, that was really long. So on to a different subject: I think I ate very well today -

bagel - 250
non-fat yogurt - 120
cherios - 120
hard boiled egg - 100
fresh slices of carrot and cucumber
cooked baby carrots (quite a few)
2 slices dry raison toast - 140
large banana - 140
Lean Cuisine pasta in marinara - 260
orange - 50
= 1180 + vegetables
Not bad, eh? I've discovered the secret to making yourself eat your vegies (if you have a hard time with that, that is) is to eat them first, since things taste better when you're really hungry, lol.

As a vegetarian, I really need to be eating more dairy and more beans and lentils -- I'll try to work on that.

Thats all for today.

Liz

ps -- I would like to work-out tomorrow afternoon, but I'm a little worried about my back. I've been having a sort of dull, off-and-on, low-back ache for 6 days now, but today was the first day that I really noticed it while I was just walking around (not bending or lifting or excersizing). Its like, maybe 5 inches above my tail bone, on the left side. Feels like maybe a pulled muscle? Don't have any idea what I did, but its kinda worrying me. My mom has chronic back problems, so if I do have some random injury, I would like it to heal rather than get worse. I guess I'll have to see how I feel tomorrow.

pps -- I discovered another good reason to keep a diet and exersize journal -- I was able to find out how long this had been going on by looking back through my old posts and seeing that I'd mentioned something about first noticing it while I was on a new kind of stairmaster at the gym. So everyone keep posting! It could really come in handy.

I hope your back gets better ... is there a stretching machine in your gym? We have one in the professional gym and it's so relaxing ... I always work on the lower/upper back when I stretch on that machine and it's so relaxing! It's also very popular.

I printed all the pages from my journal and keep them ...I know they will come in handy if I ever need to lose some weight.

I also agree that this journal is really good 'cos it reminds us to stay strong and continue w/ the goal of reaching our ideal weight. Reading all those encouragement also helps us to stay motivated.

Do you eat cheerios plain or with milk?

Liz:

Sorry to hear that your back is bothering you. Your right it's better to skip a day of exercise than it is to injure the back further. And I agree about the journal is great to be able to go back and see what you have written and if anything like your back was written about before.
I love my journal and the replie I get it really keeps me focused.
Have a great weekend Liz.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Thanks ChinaDoll and Judy for the support....... I hate to say it, but my back feels quite a bit worse today. This is so weird. I think I probably just have a pulled muscle (cause it hurts in that one specific spot) and that lugging my backpack around every day is making it worse. (Our campus is huge and on a hill -- anyone ever seen the Berkeley campus?) I took some tylenol just now, so we'll see how that does.

ChinaDoll -- I actually mix my cereal with my yogurt -- kinda weird, huh? But it tastes really good. (I'm not a big fan of milk)

I'll be back on later to post my food for the day.

Liz

So guess what? After all my complaining about my back, when it came down to doing either my laundry and my homework or going to the gym, I opted to go to the gym.8-| What can I say?

So while I was working-out every thing seemed fine. But as soon as I was done and I tried to stretch out.......boy was I sorry. Nonetheless, the rest of me felt great afterward!:D

Here's what I did:
25 minutes precor elliptical trainer
20 minutes stairmaster level 6
10 minutes bike (turns out I'm not a big fan of this one.....maybe just cause I hardly ever do it so I'm not very good at it yet).

Today on the phone my boyfriend said, "Hey, its 21 days till I get to see you at spring break." If thats not motivation to lose, I don't know what is. :o If all goes as planned I'll be 12 lbs lighter then than I was over Christmas. I know he won't say anything directly about my weight loss though.....somehow he knows how insecure I am about the subject.......I figure if he never said a word while I was putting on these 35 lbs, he's probably not gonna try to breach the subject while I'm losing them. I think its better that way. This whole deal is kinda embarassing, ya know?

But anyways, here's what I ate today:
banana - 140
plain cherios - 60
bagel - 250
english muffin - 130 + jam
1 slice raison toast - 70
apple - 130
quite a few carrots sticks, some sliced cucumber, and 1 or 2 pieces of coliflower
frosted flakes - 120
non-fat yogurt - 120
orange - 50
honey nut cherios - 120
= 1190 + vegies + jam

Liz

:wazzup: Hey you thought you were going to take it easy on that back till you knew what was wrong with it.Hmmmmmmmmm
Glad to see it didn't bother you too much but ya gotta be careful with a back.
So 21 more days till the boyfriend sees you again:) Bet you can't wait. :D
It's the weekend so I hope you have slept in this morning. If not just laze around and study girl study.......lol

Have a great day.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Judy, I know, I'm terrible. And now if this turns into something serious its nobody's fault but my own. :( I guess meeting my weight-loss goals is just more important to me. I want to see that scale move so bad!!

I spent all my free time today reading Toni Morisson's "Beloved." I have to read it for my English class, but I'm really getting into it. Its kinda hard to take sometimes though......anyone out there read it before?

I've realized lately that what I associate with summer most of all is, oddly enough, FOOD. This means Dairy Queen blizzards, Seven-Eleven slurpees, barbeque food.........I guess its because over the last couple summers, while my friends were at the beach or at some pool party, I was at home, hiding behind some excuse why I couldn't be there (I sure as hell didn't tell them it was cause I was too fat to hang out in a swimsuit), and trying to distract myself with a tub of Dreyers cookies 'n cream. Well, NOT THIS SUMMER!!!! This summer will be about days out in the sunshine and will be marked by the smell of swimming pool chlorine instead of Taco Bell burritos. :o Honestly, I feel like I just can't wait.:D (hope I didn't make anyone too hungry with all that food talk, lol)

Here's today's food -
bagel - 250
banana - 140
orange - 50
raison toast - 210
apple - 130
raw carrots and cucumber
string beans (small serving)
non-fat yogurt - 120
cherios - 240
orange - 50
= 1190 + vegies

Excersize -
10 minutes rowing machine (you were right Judy, it is fun!)
25 minutes precor
20 minutes stairmaster level 6

Thats about it.

Liz:D

Hi Liz, this is what I learned from the gym: we only need to do cardio exercises for 20-30 mins. Beyond 30 mins, the body automatically burns the muscle mass. So, we have to balance it out by doing resistance training. By doing resistance, it burns our fat even when we are not exercising and it burns all day long.

Of course, I rather do cardio exercises but if your gym has a variety of machines that works various muscles, you should try them out. I like the ones that works your waist, stomach crunches, leg presses & inner/out thigh muscles. My office gym only has the triceps machine that's not a lot of fun but it works ...

Liz:

Awe the memories of summer just came flooding back while reading your last entry Liz.:) BBQ's are my favorite as well as sitting around a fire on the beach at night. Oooooooo I can almost smell it burning now.:D
This year I am also going to be able to swim and not be embrassed about what I look like in a swim suit. With my daughter playing soccer all over the USA and Ontario this summer we will be staying in Motels alot so I don't want to embrass myself with looking like a beached whale .
Hey guess what I bought myself a new silk "TEDDIE". Couldn't resist and it was on sale. Only problem dh has the flu:c(
Even though it was the first time he smiled all weekend....:D
Have a great day Liz.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Judy: You go girl! I can't wait to buy some new lengerie once I'm finally in my "new" body.:D Nothing' better for the ol' self-esteem.

ChinaDoll: Is that really true about the cardio past 30 minutes? Does it still count if you take a break in between? You're right though, it would really be good if I'd start incorporating some resistance training in my routine at the gym......I'm going tomorrow between classes, so I'll try to hit the weight room BEFORE I get started on my cardio, to make sure I do it.:)

Today's food -
bagel - 250
yogurt - 120
cheese sandwhich - 270 + lettuce + yellow mustard
fresh carrots and cucumber
apple - 130
banana - 140
steamed broccoli
orange - 50
cherios - 240
= 1200 + veggies

I think this was quite a bit over 1200, and I didn't go to the gym today either :c( ........too much studying to do. Oh well, I'll go tomorrow between class.

Liz

Liz:

Your doing excellent girl. And so you missed a day of the gym. I think studying is far more important than getting to the gym was yesterday. I know the way you are and how committed to your diet you are so I know you'll be back at the gym as soon as exams or tests are outta the way.:D
By the way how is your back feeling? Another good reason to stay away from the gym for a day or two.
Your menu for yesterday looks great. And about being over the 1200 calories oh yeah I can see at least 50 calories over it.......lol
Girl your doing :coach: GREAT . DO YOU HEAR ME......LOL Your eating healthy and walking miles on that campus plus you get to the gym often. Take care Liz and have a great day.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Liz, you can check with the trainers at the gym but I'm pretty sure that's correct. I need to get to the gym this week or else I'll lose my motivation to exercise again. It's really hard for me to lose the weight but I'm hoping counting calories helps.

Don't worry abt being over 1200 ... veggies doesn't count a lot so RELAX! You're doing great! Treat yourself to something good (like a movie or buying a CD/dress!) for sticking so rigidly to a 1200 cal diet!

Hey all!

Judy and ChinaDoll: Thank you so much for all your kind words! You are totally boosting my self-esteem.:D Every night I sign on right around the time I'm about ready to go snack-craving crazy, and reading your posts really is what keeps me from blowing my diet before I go to bed. I can't thank you enough!

And Judy, you said exactly what I was thinking: some things are more important than getting to the gym. One of them, for me, will always be my schoolwork. I have a math midterm (20% of my grade) on Thurs. and I will be using every spare minute between now and then to study. Plus, you're right about giving my back time to heal. It really hurts while I'm lugging my back-pack around, and I'm hoping that after a few days break it will have had time to heal......whatever it is that needs healing.

Today's food:
non-fat yogurt - 120
banana - 140
orange - 50
cherios - 120
2 english muffins - 260 + jam
large serving cooked carrots
few slices fresh cucumber
apple - 130
1 cookie - 55
frosted wheat - 180
non-fat yogurt - 120
= 1175 + vegies + jam

I bought a box of frosted wheat today to eat throughout the week. I picked it cause it had 80% daily iron and 25% B12 and B6, which are 3 vitamins I worry about getting enough of with my particular diet. My mother would be proud, LOL. :D

Liz

Liz:

You have a head on your shoulder there girl One who realises that school and exams are more important than a visit to the gym is definetly going places in this world.:) And to top it all off not only is she reading for her exams this girl is reading labels in the groceries stores as to what is healthy for her. IT makes me happy to see one so young take control of the way her life is going. Girl getting a handle on things now will be a good lesson for your future. Like school our bodies take hard work and dedication to be healthy and strong. In school what we feed our minds is what we retain for the exams. What we feed our bodies is the way our body retains and presents itself to the rest of the world.
Not sure that makes sense but it sure ssounded good............lol

Have a great day.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Let's try not to snack after 8pm ... let's see who will snack first, okay?

Frosted wheat ... yummy! I've stopped eating my cereals ... I should eat it again! I have a habit of buying food and not eating them until it expires!

Yup, I agree with Judy, school is more impt than gym ... make school your first priority and losing weight your second!

Have a beautiful day!

Thanks for the support Judy and ChinaDoll. You guys always make me feel better about my day. :D

So I'm really getting scared for my math midterm on Thurs......there's just ssooooooo much stuff to figure out. I've been down in the Academic center since 5:30, and I'll be back down there studying right after I finish typing this till probably like 2 am.........And ya know what's crazy?? I wish I had MORE time!!!

OK, so here's the food -
frosted wheat - 180
nature valley granola bar - 180
spaghetti in maranara sauce - 420
2 oranges - 100
non-fat yogurt - 120
frosted wheat again - 180
= 1180

ChinaDoll, I really don't think I can stop eating after 8 pm. I know that would be good, but I usually stay up till 1 or 2 am and by that time, if I haven't eaten since 8, I'll be so hungry I won't be able to sleep -- and I know this cause I've tried it. So I usually have to at least have a yogurt or something around 10 o'clock.......but I will DEFNITELY keep trying not to *snack,* as in, start picking away at junk food. I am always so tempted. :( But hey, so far so good, so maybe I'm getting past that. :)

Night all!

Liz

Liz:

Your gonna be fine when it comes to that math midterm. You sound just like my daughter even thou she is only in grade 9 she worries like crazy that she didn't have enough time to study for exams. Yet she carries a 92 average. Had the highest mark on 2 exams she wrote. But I guess like my hubby says it's better to worry and study like crazy then to fluff it off and waste time that only ends up costing a credit to your year.
How is your back doing? Hope it's feeling better now.
Have a great day Liz.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Hey all -

here's today's food:
frosted wheat - 180
banana - 140
cookies - 200
toast - 240 + jam
apple - 130
raw carrots and cucumber
yogurt - 120
frosted wheat - 180
= 1190 + veggies + jam.........and oh yeah, this sounds crazy, but I had a couple finger-fulls of icing off a piece of white cake too.......yuck

Liz

I'm going to try to eat light if I eat past 8pm .... last nite, I also had dinner at 9pm ... you're so good, sticking to the 1200 limit ... good luck to that math midterm!

Hey all --

Guess what? Went to the gym tonight and.....123!! OK, 123.2, lol. I'm so excited!! Its actually working! :) I'm flying home 2 weeks from today, so thats how much time I have to lose 3 lbs and get down to my goal of 120 by spring break. I'm going to try to work-out every other day between now and then (if not more). All I can think about right now is walking off that plane and seeing Mike. There's a party the night I'm coming in, too, so I'll see all of our friends right away. :o I've even picked out the pants I'm going to wear -- they don't quite fit right yet, but they will in two weeks! They're this really cute pair of khaki pants that I discovered I could fit into again the other night when I was trying on clothes to try to keep myself from snacking, lol.

Yesterday was a crazy day. The electricity went out in all the University's buildings around 5 pm. I was taking my math midterm when it happened. Thank goodness it was only in the last 5 minutes of the exam or they would have had a real problem. So of course, my dorm didn't have power either, which is why I couldn't post in my journal. Our power came back on around midnight, but some buildings and a couple dorms on the North side of campus didn't get power back till this afernoon! What a mess.

Anyways, here's yesterday's food --
frosted wheat - 180
nature valley granola bar - 180
dorritos - 260
banana - 140
orange - 50
toast - 160 + jam
non-fat yogurt - 120
rice crispies cereal - 90
= 1180

Today --
banana - 140
granola bar - 180
power bar - 240
2 slices french bread - 200
orange - 50
cooked carrots
sliced cucumber
apple - 130
Lean Cuisine veggie lasagna - 240
= 1180 + veggies

Today at the gym --
a little bit of weight training (just arm stuff)
20 minutes stairmaster level 6
25 minutes precor elliptical trainer
stretching

That's about it. :D

Liz

:super: Liz:super:

Your doing great girl. WOW only 3 more pounds and you've done it. Mike's eyes are going pop right outta his head girl when you step off that plane. Bet he is gonna be right by your side the whole night at the party. Memerized by your beauty.

Have a great weekend.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Liz,

WOW, girl you are unstoppable. You are doing such a great job. You are making realistic goals and then doing everything you need to do to achieve them. My hero...I know how hard it is to do this with school. I also really understand how hard it is to decide to do homework and not work out. I finished my midterms last week and only did one workout that week, but school comes first. I can't help but feel a little guilty, do you?

Talk to you later,
Kori

Awesome! You're losing them easily!

I've also lost weight due to calorie counting. Tks!

Going to start going to the gym next week ... shouldn't be too busy at work then.

Hey all,

Kori, to answer your question, yes I do feel a little guilty when I don't work out because I get busy with school; but I feel WAY more guilty when I do work out when I should have been studying!:laugh:

Today's food -
yogurt - 120
power bar - 240
frosted wheat - 180
enormous banana - 140
orange - 50
french bread - 200
ccoked zucchini (big serving, probably many calories, but sooo yummy and also good for me)
raw carrots
cucumber slices
yogurt again - 120
nature valley trail mix bar - 140
quite a few little pieces of some heart candy left-over from Valentine's day :(
=1190 + veggies + candy

At the gym -
20 minutes stairmaster level 6
25 minutes elliptical trainer

I was feeling really drained of energy today, which is why I don't feel too bad about the extra calories. I think I needed them.

I am trying to drink a ton of water tonight to keep from snacking.....last night after posting I caught myself putting crunchy m&m's in my mouth (also left over from V-Day). I had about 3, then put 3 more in my mouth and literally spit them back out and threw them away after thinking "what am I doing???" Then I threw away the bag too.........at least I can say that it could've been much worse.

Liz

135/123.2/110

Hi Liz, you're doing great! You always keep to your 1200 limit & I'm trying hard to keep up with you too! I just had my lunch and I think I've already consumed 800 cals ... that means that I can have only soup & salad for dinner! Although I love Sundays, it's also the day when I am least busy and I tend to eat more. Do you have the same problem as me?

No matter what, it's good to lose weight together ... It keeps me determined!

Stay Focus ... Wonder Liz :ex:

Liz:

Your doing Fantastic. I love reading your progress it motivates me so much. Have a great day.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Thanks guys for the encouragement!! You two are so nice to me!!

ChinaDoll, I totally agree that Sunday is the hardest day to stick to your calories. Saturday can be pretty rough too. Because I don't have classes and I tend to stay up later, the weekend really makes me want to start snacking.:c(

Today was a good day for my diet. Here's the food --

2 slices white toast - 160 + jam
orange - 50
apple - 120
piece of raison toast - 70
nature valley granola bar - 180
very large banana - 140
french bread - 200
steamed broccoli
raw carrots
cucumber slices
frosted wheat - 216
orange - 50
= 1186 + veggies + jam

Then at the gym --
10 min. rowing machine (80 cal)
10 min. precor elliptical trainer (I wanted to stay on but the gym was really busy and I guess someone had reserved the machine I was on so I had to get off) (? cal)
25 min. stairmaster level 6 (205 cal)
20 min. precor (200 cal)

I went to the gym planning on doing some more upper body wieght lifting, but as I said, the place was really crowded, so I would have had to wait to use the machines I wanted -- even the area with all the dumbells was really packed........plus pretty much the only people who use the weight rooms are these big football-player-type guys, and I feel like they think they somehow have more right to occupy the machines than anyone else (especially than any girls). So even though I used to love lifting weights at my gym back home, I'm kinda intimidated here at school.:(

Overall though I had a really good work-out. Felt like I had penty of energy during it and felt really good afterward. I spent a long time stretching when I was done and that always puts me in a good mood.:D

Its pretty easy-going in my classes right now, so I'm feeling really good right now -- I just can't wait for spring break!!

Hope ya'll are feeling as great as I am this evening. Have a beautiful day tomorrow girls!!

Liz

Liz, I totally agree with you .. at the office gym, we have 2 guys who are there every evening doing weights ... although they let us use the equipments, I'm still intimidated by their presence ... I guess, we just have to stand up for our rights and be brave. I'm sure that if we just ask them, they will let us use the equipment

Liz:

Glad to hear that your classes are easy-going now. Sometimes just having easier classes is like having a break altogether.:)
I have been thinking about joining a gym also but not real sure I want to. Or should I say not real sure I have the time. As for those guys who think they should use the machines more than girls should. Hmmmmmmmm now this is why they call me a troublemaker at work. I would let them have it so bad. I really can't keep my mouth shut when it comes to things like this. I swear it musta been my great great grandmother who burned the first bra.:laugh: Don't let them get away with it girl. You deserve to use those machines as much as they do.
Have a great day Liz.


Judy2:rose: :rose:

Hey all,

I just couldn't wait to post today to say that I am wearing right now a "new" pair of size 6 khakis I found in my drawer last night.:D I think this is the first day that I can really see the difference in how I look. And these pants are practically new -- hardly even broken in because i think I only wore them a couple of times before I breezed on up to a size 7/8 and then 9/10.......I'm so happy I can wear them again!

Just now while I was eating lunch (an apple, an orange, plain cherios and a non-fat yogurt) my roomy came in and she said, "wow, that's a healthy lunch." And I just said, "Yup, it is," and I thought, "it's no accident either."

On top of it all, our sunshiny weather has returned to us here in the Bay Area. What a beautiful day.

Liz:)

Yipeeeeeee Wooooooooo Whooooooooo Liz is a size 6. Wow girl your really going to town with this. And so glad to hear you say eating healthy is no accident. You are so on track there is no stopping you now.:D I went out today and bought a speed rope.......gonna skip some of this flab away......lol
Have a great day Liz you rock girl.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

YEAH LIZ :)!

A size 6! That is awesome, you have a lot to be proud of today! And you are eating so well, keep up the good work, girl! I remember before you did not eat very much vegetables and fruit and now you are eating them regularly. That is a huge accomplishment. CONGRATS!!

Talk to you later,
Kori

P.S. Thanks for rubbing my nose in the sunshine (it rains a lot where I live)J.K. LOL

Yah, Liz is wearing size 6 - that's medium size! That means that I am too!

Liz, when you get to size 4, let me know! I've always been a size 6 since I've been going to college so it would be nice to be a size 4!

You rock 'cos you motivate me to lose weight! And you're doing a good job, eating healthy food & exercising! You're going to live a long life! :smile:

So many responses! Thanks sooo much you guys!!:D :o

Koridawn -- You're right. My eating habits used to be terrible. I was reading a post the other day by John the moderator and he was saying how terrible it is that some people think calorie counting means calculating how many servings of Dorritos they can eat in a day; we'll that used to be me! Now I'm doing OK, I think, but I've been noticing the lack of anything green and leafy in my diet, so that's my next step I guess. They have spinache salad in our dining hall every day so maybe I'll start eating some of that.

And Kori, I can only brag about the nice weather in the bay area because this is my first year here -- I'm actually from Salem, Oregon, the rainiest city on earth!! :laugh:

ChinaDoll -- The pair of pants that I want to wear home when I go back for spring break are actually a size 4. So we'll see. If I can get in to them, I'll certainly let you know! I'm so glad we have each other to keep us motivated.:) Thanks so much for being there, girl.

Judy -- You always pick the exersizes that I've heard burn the max. amount of calories for the time you put in -- first water arobics, now speed jumping -- that means they're hard!! And of course, great ways to lose weight too.:D You go girl!

Today's food --
large apple - 130
orange - 50
non-fat yogurt - 120
plain cherios - 60
toast - 240 + jelly
banana - 140
cucumber slices
frosted flakes - 120
non-fat yogurt - 120
bagel - 210
= 1190 + cucumber + jelly

Exersize -
rowing machine - 10 min (80 cal)
stairmaster level 7 - 20 min (180 cal)
precor elliptical trainer - 25 min (300 cal)

Liz:)

135/122.5/110

Hi Liz, I noticed that you dropped a lb! Yay! You've been working out consistently which is great! I'll try to do that too ... just to keep healthy!

When's your spring break? With your consistent weight loss, I'm sure you'll fit into size 4 by spring break! I have to follow your lead - eat 1200 cals & exercise regularly ... still working on the exercise part. Got to eat healthier food too!

Liz:

Your doing super. I don't know about picking the best exercises. Because I certainly don't plan it that way. But my budget sure does.:laugh: Plus being in the right place at the right time didn't hurt me at all when I got that rowing machine. And the speed rope was only 4 dollars. I bought a video on exercising today for a whole dollar. It was on sale at Walmart in one of their clearance bins. So Im going to do it tonight after supper. Will let you know if I survive it.......lol
Keep up the great work. You rock girl.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Judy and ChinaDoll: I swear I couldn't do this without you two!! You probably have no idea what an enormous impact you've been making on my diet and my life -- I can't thank you enough!

And ChinaDoll, yup, I did drop another lb. I go home for spring break in 9 days and I'm really hoping I can squeeze into that size 3 by then. And I hope you'll be right there with me!!

So I was looking online at swimsuits (I know, I know, way premature......but you have to admit it's motivation like none other :o ). Anyways, I was on the American Eagle Outfitters site, and I discovered that they have this thing called "Me in AE" where you can create a virtual model with your own personal body type and then try clothes on her from their store. How crazy is that? But what was really weird was that the model I created really did look a whole lot like me. Bizzare. So I started typing in different weights and stuff, wondering how exactly they'd draw on the extra lbs. (One thing I thought was funny was that no matter how much weight I added the cartoon model's thighs still didn't touch, LOL). Not sure why it amused me so much, but I ended up playing with it for quite a while this evening and if anyone wants to check it out its at http://www.ae.com

Today's food --
nature valley granola bar - 180
trail mix bar - 140
non-fat yogurt - 120
cherios - 60
banana - 140
slice of raison toast - 70
french bread - 200
spinache salade w/ a little sweet vinegar
carrot sticks
sliced cucumber
steamed broccoli
orange - 50
non-fat yogurt again - 120
corn flakes - 120
= 1200 + lots o' veggies

At the gym -
incline bench press, 10 lbs, 3 sets of 15
inner thigh press, 50 lbs, 3 x 15
downward-motion arm press, 30 lbs?, 2 x 15
stairmaster level 6, 20 min.
precor elliptical trainer, 25 min.
lots and lots of stretching

I think tomorrow has to be a day off from the gym , and maybe the next day too. I've gone 5 days in a row and I can tell right now that I'm gonna be super soar tomorrow. I think it was the rowing machine and the weight-lifting that did it. But no worries; sore is a good thing -- it means I'm building some muscle!

Liz

Hey all,

Today is not the world's greatest day. I crashed and burned on a French 2 midterm today, and now I'm feeling way guilty for having thought that it would be a breeze.:c( I actually went to the gym and then talked on the phone to my boyfriend last night instead of doing any studying........And tomorrow I have to write an in-class composition for the second half of that exam -- I'm terrified of writing in-class essays in English , let alone in French! K, I need to calm down.

Here's what I ate today --
trail mix bar - 140
large apple - 130
waffle crisp cereal - 130
banana - 140
french bread - 200
cooked carrots
huge orange - 90
more cereal - 130
hard boiled egg - 100
non-fat yogurt - 120
= 1180 + cooked carrots

The Post Waffle Crisp cereal I bought today turned out to be really sweet and sugary.......but sooooo yummy. I haven't had anything like that to eat for so long it seemed like a real treat. I don't feel too bad though, cause it still has a pretty good amount of vitamins in it.

Liz

PS -- I drank 3 diet cokes already today and I'm goin on 4 right now.......this is what happens when I get worried about school, I guess.

Liz:

Ok girl take a deep breathe and slowly exhale out. One more time inhale slowly exhale slowly. Hope that helps you to slow down a bit and not worry so much on these mid terms. But no more going to the gym until these are over.:) You need to study for these mid terms and then you can go to the gym anytime you want when they are over and done with. And yeap if I sound like a mom well toooooooooooo bad...........lol
Honestly Liz you will do fine but your the only one who knows what she has to do in order to be fine. :coach: SO GET DOING IT.:D


Judy2:rose: :rose:

So I just had some sort of breakdown. Its 3 am and I'm heading for bed. I've been working on French for the past......I dunno......6 hours? I basically got was getting really nervous and really worried abou tomorrow and for a short little window of time I decided that the only thing going to let me get through this night was a brownie from the cafe across the street from my dorm.........so I ate half a brownie (the bottom half, so basically a big ol' brownie w/o the icing on top). Then I felt sick from the super sweet chocolate taste in my mouth and I decided I needed a bag of dorritos from the vendie machine to balance the chocolate with that nice salty, cheesy taste.......but it wasn't enough so then I had cheese and crackers too......then 2 cups of cereal........which was also way too sweet so I had to have a trail-mix bar.

Today's revised calorie count:
1850 + half a brownie+ cooked carrots

I almost didn't post this, but then I decided that maybe next time I'll look back through my journal and see that it didn't help anything. I'm still a nervous wreck.:(

Hi Liz, did you find any swimsuit that looks good? I have my old swimsuit but I seldom go swimming. The pool near my place is under renovation. When it's ready, I'd like to go there once in a while.

I'll check out that site you mentioned ... it sounds interesting!

Glad I really helped motivate you ... just rec'd a letter from my friend who just graduated with her Phd and she included a copy of her acknowledgement page from her thesis (where she was thankful for my support!) I was so touched!

Liz,

I know what you are going through...I do the same thing and I get all freaked out, but in the end it always works out, right? How was your test today, an in class essay in French, right? Ugghhh, I never did master that language and it is our second language here. lol

Anyhoo, I hope you are feeling better today. :) Is that your last midterm or do you have more?

Take care,
Kori

Hi all,

Well, I did it again. I totally fell of the wagon.....basically I got a little stressed out, or maybe just a little depressed, and something clicked and I decided that the immediate gratification of a 2 day snack binge was more important to me than my weight-loss goals. :c( I spent all of Thurs. and Fri eating whatever I wanted. And you know what? It wasn't even enjoyable. Its hard for me to understand sometimes why I do the things I do. Its like, as soon as I know I'm not going to have a "successful diet day" (meaning staying under my calorie limit) I feel like I need to grab the oppotunity to eat everything I've been not eating for the past month. But when you're not hungry, eating more and more food really isn't even any fun........you just end up with a stomache ache.

When I get into that mode, nothing I eat makes me feel any better, and instead each thing just makes me crave something else. I have a piece of "forbidden" pizza, and while i'm eating it all I can think is how I really want some frozen yogurt......so I have the frozen yogurt and its so sweet it makes me sick, and i think, "some dorritos would really make me feel better." And by the end of the day, I'm just like, "God, what'd I do to myself??"

Ok, that was long rant. I hope some of you don't just think I'm crazy but have some idea what I'm talking about.

The good news is, though, I'm back now. I went to the gym today, and did 20 min stairmaster (level 6), and 25 min precor elliptical trainer (about 300 cal). I also weighed myself at the gym. On Wed. the scale said 122.5, and today it said 124.75. I know that calorie-wise I couldn't possibly have connsumed over 2 lbs worth in 2 days of overeating. So I'm hoping some of that is water retention and will be easy to lose. I'm also on my period, which will make you a little heavier for a few days, right?

Ok, so this was not a good day eating wise except for the fact that I came in under my calorie limit.

Liz

Liz,

I do not think you are crazy at all! Stress has the same effect on me...a few times when I have been feeling like going on a huge binge, I have drug my sorry butt to the gym and even though all I want to do is eat, I workout and by the end, I feel a little better, not completely but a little. Maybe you could try that in the future.

Also, don't forget, your eating has improved a lot over the months and a two day binge should not make you forget how good you are doing and how good you are going to continue doing!

Remember you are a superstar! Oh, yeah and most people do retain water during their period, so I wouldn't worry about those two pounds. I also find this is when I overeat as well.

Talk to you later,
Kori

Koridawn -

Thank you so much! You just made me feel ten times better.:D I really appreciate the positive support......and I'm gald you don't think I'm crazy, lol.

Liz

Liz:

Glad to see you've picked yourself back up and are ready to tackle this once again. Just going to the gym is a great self confidence booster. I know you have been under a lot of stress lately with your mid terms. I am sure you did fine with them and can understand totally where the eating binge came from.
In a couple of days that water retetntion will be gone also.:D
Have a great week. Your doing great keept it up.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Don't worry Liz, we all have those days ... I didn't lose any lbs this week either! Boy have I been thinking of having a pizza ... I had one a few weeks ago & lucky for me, it didn't affect my weight ... I drown it with tobasco sauce (could be my secret weapon). With the amount of work you put into that gym, you'll be weighing less than 122 lbs in no time!

Tip: Never weigh yourself when you're on a period ... it will get you down even though the weight is caused by water retention.

Hi all,

Thanks guys! :D :D I was feeling pretty down about the events of the past few days, but now I'm feeling a whole lot better. I think I can just let it go and put it behind me. This is a looonnngg journey, and not every week can be perfect. Since it looks like I'm not gonna hit 120 by the start of spring break, I'm just gonna push to be there by the end of spring break instead. I will do this!!!

Today's food -
non-fat yogurt - 120
cherios - 120
apple - 130
bagel - 260
hard boiled egg - 100
giant orange - 100?
non-fat yogurt - 120
cherios - 120
= 1180

At the gym -
5 min warm-up on stairmaster
25 min precor (315 cals)
10 min rowing machine (80 cals)
20 min stairmaster level 6 (170 cals)

Have a nice day everyone!

Liz

135/125.5/105

Liz:

That a girl, just let it go. Today is a brand new day. Your so motivated that I can't see anything standing in your way. And I will bet that even your midterms are going stand up for great marks.:D
Are you on springbreak now? I know it's different from Canada as our kids just all went back in. Now I can't wait till summer. I like having my daughter home during the day so I can see her more often. She only has 3 and a half short years before she is off to university and I know that the time is gonna pass way too quickly. Must be becasue she is the last one left at home. I hope she has the strength and determination that you have Liz. Keep up the good work. And have a great Day.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Liz, we weigh the same now ... :c( after all our hard work, we're back to 125! Let's work together to get back to 122!

Looking at what you ate today and your workout, you'll lose it all by end of this week ... you're my role model!

Too bad you dun have yahoo messenger while I dun have aol messenger or else we can chat and motivate each other! I have msn which sometimes work in the office. I figure 2 messenger services are enough.

I'm going to the gym this evening ... going with my ex-colleague who lost quite a bit of weight within a short time (but then again, he's a guy). He's my additional gym buddy!

Hope you have a good week! You can make it!

Hey guys,

Judy - I can't wait for summer either!! And I know my mom will be glad to have me home for the summer. I'm the youngest and I think it was pretty tough on her to have me leave for college this year -- especially since I was going to another state. We've always gotten along really well. I know we'll go to the gym together while I'm home. My spring break is the week after this. I'm flying home this Friday the 22nd and coming back on Mon April 1st. I'm so excited! :)

ChinaDoll - Some good news is that I went to the gym today and the scale said 123.5 -- its so unpredictable! I'm sure your scale will have a jump soon too. It would be cool if we could chat somehow....I'll see about getting yahoo messanger. Nice that you have a gym buddy! I usually go alone here at school, but its always more fun to go with a friend.

Today's food:
bagel - 260
banana - 140
granola bar - 110
raisin toast - 140
white toast with jam - 160 + jam
raw carrots
cucumber slices
non-fat yogurt - 120
apple - 130
another non-fat yogurt - 120
= 1180 + jam + veggies

At the gym:
25 min precor elliptical trainer (320 cals)
20 min stairmaster level 6 (160 cals)
incline bench press, 10 lbs, 3 X 15
inner thigh machine 2X15
outer thigh machine 3X15

That's about it. Night all.

Liz

135/123.5/105

Liz:

I'll bet your mom can hardly wait for you to get home also. Sounds like you have a great relationship with her also.:) It's so great to see your excited about Spring Break. I'll bet they do a double take when you step off the plane. All that hard work you have done will pay off big time. Keep it up girl your so close to your goal now.
Have a great day.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Liz, I'm happy for you ... well, I'll work hard too ... you've been eating well and working out often so you deserve it! I'll try to do that too! Sweet Dreams!

Hey all,

I went shopping in San Francisco today!:) The last time I went shopping for clothes was in September, and all I bought then was 2 new pairs of pants cause I couldn't fit into any of my old ones. So today was really a treat. I got a tank (for layering), a shirt, some new underwear and two new bras.

I really just went to find a top to wear for this party I'm going to this Friday (I think I've mentioned this before). One of my friends from highschool (one of Mike's best friends), is leaving for the Marines this Monday, so he's having just about everyone he's ever known to his house for a going away party this Friday night, the night that I'm flying back home for break. Almost everyone I know will be there and a lot of people I don't. Its kind of sad because Mike and I have been friends with him for years and we're really giong to miss him, but its ok because this is what he really wants and he'll be back this June (a little after I come home for summer.)

Anyways......the point of the story is that I'm really excited for this weekend. And not just for the party, but because I get to see Mike and my family:D :D And yes, now I have my outfit all planned out and I actually feel pretty good about how I'm going to look, which is a first in a long, long time.:)

Today's food:
cherios - 240
subways sandwhich - 350
banana - 140
cherios - 240
non-fat yogurt - 120
hard-boiled egg - 100
2 diet cokes
= 1190

Night all.

Liz

135/123.5/105?

That's great that you did good shopping in SF ... I miss shopping in Victoria Secrets. I like the lingerie there ... better designs and cheaper than those I find in Australia.

I bet you'll look HOT for the party! Mike will have to push away all those guys who wants to dance with you!

Great job on what you ate today ... I know that it takes a lot of restraint on your part to resist eating what you really want (that's what I'm feeling now). Sweet dreams!

Liz:

Isn't great to go shopping and find something you want.:D Only 2 more days and your home girl. I hope you have a wonderfull trip and just relax while your there. Enjoy being home around family and friends and especially Mike. Have a greatday today Liz.
By the way I almost had to look twice at your menu you had a subway sub........Did I start soemthing? LOL
One good thing if I did they are healthy and low fat that's the best part.


Judy2:rose: :rose:

Hi all,

Thanks ChinaDoll and Judy, as always! ChinaDoll, Victoria's Secret is my favorite. Their stuff is both cute and comfortable, and even though some of it's expensive, if you shop when they have sales its all really reasonable.

Judy: yup, you were definitely the reason I thought to go get subway -- so nice to have my fellow diettalkers to draw inspiration from!:)

Guess what?? less than 48 hours till I'm home! yay!!!:D

Today's food is not so great, but here it is anyway:
bagel - 260
cherios - 120
banana - 130
french bread - 200
carrot sticks
cucumber slices
apple - 130
1 1/2 apricot fruit bar pastry things.......a moment of weakness...but soooo good......(cals?.......don't know, but am guessing a lot)
= 840 + pastries + raw veggies

Night all!

Liz

PS - reaaalllly truly wanted to go to the gym tonight, had the energy and everything, but I just had way too much to do for school. I'll try to go tomorrow, but I'm not sure I'll have time.:c( But I'll definitely work out over my break!!

Liz:

Hey girl only one more day till your on that plane headed for home.:) Just think no school for a whole week and more. I'll bet your so busy when you get home that missing last night at the gym won't even be noticed. You'll be dropping those last couple of pounds in no time. Besides that I will bet with all the running around and last minute things you need to do before break that your exercising without even knowing it.

Have a GREAT day

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Liz,

Have a wonderful spring break:)!

Talk to you when you get back.

Kori

Have a wonderful spring break! You did good in your eating ... keep it up! :D

Thanks so much everyone!! You girls are the best!:D

Sorry this is so short, but I've had a crazy hectic day and right now I have 45 minutes to get packed and get my butt on a bus to the airport! I'm so happy to be going home:)

Yesterday's food -
nonfat yogurt - 120
cereal - 120
nonfat yogurt - 120
apple - 130
french bread - 100
veggie burger patty - 130 + ketchup
raw carrots and cucumber
hard boiled egg - 100
cereal - 120
another 1/2 of one of those apricot bar pastry things...:(
= 940 + ketchup + veggies + apricot bar

Today's food (half eaten half planned) -
nonfat yogurt - 120
cereal - 120
banana - 120
orange - 100
granola bar - 140
another orange - 100
bagel - 260
nonfat yogurt - 120
cherios - 120
= 1200

I'll be on again soon as I can.

Liz:D

Liz:

:coach: Have a WONDERFULL time on your spring break. We want to hear all about it when you get back.:hug:

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Liz:

Just checking to see if your back yet..............Come out come out wherever you are.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

I"M BACK!!!!!!!!!! Finally!

Well girls, I never intended for my week of spring break to turn into a 3 week sebatical from my diet. Looks like I have officially earned the tital of "Yo-Yo Dieter." I can't figure out why I do this......I have this "all or nothing" mentality about dieting, that leaves me with only have two choices: strict calorie counting and exersize, or non-stop compulsive binging. Grrr.......whatever. I'm back to the diet now.

There's exactly 6 weeks till my summer break officially starts. I'm not going to go so much by weight this time. Instead, I tried on a particular pair of way-to-tight shorts that I bought 2 years ago, and my goal is to be wearing them by the end of March.

The weather down here was just Bay Area winter weather, dizzly and cool, right up until yesterday when it was suddenly like 80 degrees outside. That's pretty much what shocked me into getting back into my diet -- nightmares (literally) about having to wear tank-tops.

So as much as I hate the heat, I really love the sun, and I went and studied outside in it today, and it felt really good just to be out there. (wouldv'e been a little nicer in a sleevless top, though)

Today's food -
yogurt - 120
cereal - 120
french bread - 200
raisin toast - 140
apple - 120
2 bananas - 260
cooked carrots
yogurt - 120
cereal - 120
= 1200 + carrots

Night all.

Liz

Liz:

So happy to see your back girl. Did you have a great time while you were home? It's been starting to get nice here also. Has been raining thou for the last 2 days but should be nice and warm and sunny today cuz I have to go back to work.......X-( The all or nothing attitude is one many of us have Liz. I have been told eventually we find a way to maintain without doing this constantly (ie counting calories) but it's more when we reach our goals. I can't wait till that day as always I wonder Did I exercise enough? Did I eat too many calories or fat grams today?I think I am getting better at it , I know you can do this girl. You have so much control. Have a great day Liz and enjoy the sun.:D

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Thank you Judy! It's good to be back:D

Today's food:

french bread - 100
small apple - 120
small orange - 90
yogurt - 120
apple - 120
orange - 90
roll - 180
cooked carrots
sliced cucumber & vinegar
bagel - 210
grape nuts - 110
= 1140 + cucumber + carrots

I'm hoping to get to the gym tomorrow between classes. Night all!

Liz

Food for Mon. 4/15:

apple - 130
cherios - 60
yogurt - 120
yogurt - 120
cherios - 60
bagel - 210
green apple - 130
red apple - 120
raisin toast - 210
cucumber slices + vinegar
=1160 + cucumber

Today's food:

nature valley granola bar - 180
small banana - 120
red apple - 120
small orange - 90
cucumber + vinegar
raisin toast - 210
bagel - 210
raisin bran cereal - 130
banana - 130
= 1190 + cucumber

I really haven't been hungry at all these few days. Guess its cause I haven't been exersizing. As usual, school is kicking my butt, so I don't know when I'm going to get to the gym. That really sucks......grrr......I have a paper due mon. and a midterm tue. and I feel like I need every second I've got.

Anyways, if anyone out there's reading this, sorry I haven't been around on the boards. I'm a little stressed out right now. Hopefully be back on soon!

Night.

Liz

Liz:

SOunds like you have a full plate and then some. A paper on Monday and mid-term Tues. Yikeeeeeees your right you don't have a spare minute. But once that is all over you will be able to relaxx a bit more and get to the gym like you want. Your food looks great as always. Try not to pull any all nighters like you have in the past if possible. That's when you get partcularily stressed and tend to not watch out for yourself.
Have a great day Liz............YOU GONNA DO WONDERFULL ON THOSE PAPERS.............I SEE AAAAAAAA's IN YOU FUTURE :)

Judy2:rose: :rose:

___________________________________________________

And if I fall
I'll never fail
I'll just get up and try again
Never lose hope
Never lose faith
There's much too much at stake
Upon myself I must depend
I'm not looking for place or show
I'm gonna win

Judy - I love your signature poem! I'll go back and read it when I'm needing a liitle boost:) You're right about my pattern in the past of abandoning my diet when I get psycho about school......but that will NOT be the case this weekend. I have very clear goals in mind leading up to summer and I not going to let anything get in my way. This time, I am unstoppable!!!

Went to the gym today:D I practically ran there right after I got out of class, and made sure the whole trip (including a shower) only took an hour and a half, so I don't even feel too guilty about it. Then I had a fairly productive night studying, so I think I'm gonna be OK.

At the gym:
precor, 25 min, 315 cal
stairmaster, 20 min, level 5

Food:
apple - 130
corn flakes - 120
yogurt - 120
raisin bran - 130
2 big apples - 270
bagel - 260
yogurt - 120
raisin bran - 130
= 1280
(didn't mean to go over today, just mis-counted, but oh well)

Night.

Liz

Liz:

:coach: Liz, Liz she's our girl, she's got things right under control. Way to go Liz glad to hear that school is not going to pysche you out anymore. :)
My signature poem Liz is actually a part of a song by Brian McKnight called 'WIN'. If you ever get the chance to download it off the net or get it at a record store it is well worth it. When I heard this song I adopted it as my NEW LIFESSTYLE THEME SONG.
Hope you have a wonderfull day.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And if I fall
I'll never fail
I'll just get up and try again
Never lose hope
Never lose faith
There's much too much at stake
Upon myself I must depend
I'm not looking for place or show
I'm gonna win

Liz,

YEAH:D , you are back!!! So glad to see you here again. I suffer from the all or nothing attitude and have also just gotten back on track after a 3 week hiatus! We can do this, though, we will just pick ourselves back up, dust off and push forward!

When does your semester end? Mine finishes tomorrow. Last final and then I am done for awhile. Going to work full-time instead.

Talk to you later,
Kori

P.S. I got married on April 1, 2002!!!!:)

Hey all,

Gym today:
10 min warm-up on stairmaster, level 3
25 min precor, 310 cal
20 min stairmaster, level 5

Food:
bagel - 260
apple - 130
raw carrots, sliced cucumber, hickama
bread roll - 200
large banana - 140
small orange - 100
bagel - 260
hard-boiled egg - 100
= 1190 + raw veggies

Liz
135/128/105

Liz:

I see you got to the gym.:D Keep up the great work.
Have a fabulous weekend.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Hi Liz, I'm so glad to see you back! I just got back from my 1-week vacation in Japan and boy did I ate & ate! I see that you're back on track again ... now, if I can do the same ...

Hi Judy and ChinaDoll!

I just got done with a 7 page paper -- phew!

Yesterday's trip to the gym:
incline bench press, 3 X 15
curls, 3 X15 each arm
outer thigh machine, 3 X10
upper back, 2 X 15
20 minutes stairmaster, level 5
25 minutes precor, 305 cal

I spent a long time at the gym yesterday just cause I was trying to avoid my homework, lol......ugh!

Yesterday's food:
bagel - 260
yogurt - 120
bagel - 260
apple - 130
banana - 140
corn-pops - 160
chewy chocolate chip granola bar - 120
1190

Today's food:
bagel -260
orange - 100
2 small apples - 240
raisin toast - 210
nutrition bar - 220
nature valley granola bar - 180
1210

Night all.

Liz

135/127/105

Liz:

You crack me up. You spend longer at the gym just to avoid homework. Now tell me what were you thinking about while at the gym. Hmmmm maybe it was all that homework that you were trying to avoid was on your mind. Congrats on finishing your paper. I can feel an A coming from here.
Keep up the great work Liz. And school will be over before you know it.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

See I promised myself that I'll never let me down

So I'll never give up
Never give in
Never let a ray of doubt slip in
And if I fall
I'll never fail
I'll just get up and try again
Never lose hope
Never lose faith
There's much too much at stake
Upon myself I must depend
I'm not looking for place or show
I'm gonna win

Hi Liz! Boy have you been working out hard at the gym! And that 7-pg paper ... that sounds tough! I've just updated my stats so I weigh the same as you! I miss working out at the gym so I'll start this week once I get back in the office. Enjoy your SUNDAY!

Hi Liz,

I was just reading your journal/ Wow! You are such an inspiration. Your first post made me cry because I feel the same way. I could relate to you so much through out your journal. Keep up all the hard work. I hope I can be as dedicated as you in the months to come.

Helen

Hi all!

What a crazy couple of days......had a math midterm tuesday.......I thought it was easy, but unfortunately, everyone else did too and here at Berkeley EVERY test is curved, so for this test 95 out of 100 and above was an A! Professors can be rediculous sometimes.....

But enough whining --
Judy -- thanks as always for the encouragement!

ChinaDoll -- I am SO determined now to get some serious weight off before I go home for summer. I'm getting to be really embarassed by my roller coaster, off-and-on approach so far......but I'm gald we're in this together!!

Downtown Angel -- Thank you SO much for visiting my journal! I feels so good to here someone say they understand!

Today's work-out:
5 min warm-up on stairmaster
25 min precor, 300 cal
20 min stairmaster level 5
3 X 10 outer thigh machine
3X 10 inner thighs

Food:
granola bar - 180
big apple - 130
french bread - 200
raw carrots, cucumber
small orange - 80
small pear - 100
small apple - 120
cereal - 260
banana - 140
= 1210.....geez I ate a lot of fruit today! (its mostly cause its cheap and easy to come by around here!)

In my English class right now we're starting a feminist segment and talking alot about unrealistic body images and the "performance" of femininity as defined by male society......I've NEVER been a feminist of any sort, but the more we talk about it, that more I see how these issues relate to my own life. I guess I'll have to see what I think after I've read some more.

Liz
135/130/110

Liz, I'm so glad that you're back ... I missed you! Eating a lot of fruit is good for you ... though dun make it a habit (too much sugar). It definitely aids weight loss!

Sounds like you're very busy at school ... I'm sure you did well in your mid-terms.

Looks like you did very well in your eating and exercising today! Great work while you're juggling w/ school!

Liz:

Great workout you had the other day. Can you tell me what level 5 on the stair master is. Mine just tells me how many strides per minute I do.
How much longer do you have till school is over and your on summer vacation?
Have a wonderfull day.

Judy2:rose: :rose:

Hey ChinaDoll! Thanks for stopping by. Do you really think fruit helps you lose weight? I sure hope so!

Judy -- My last final is May 24th! Mike and possibly also my mom is/are driving down to get me. If its just Mike, we'll make a roadtrip out of the drive back!:D By the way, next time I go to the gym I'll check on what level 5 is on the stairmaster.

Today's gym: