I've decided to start a journal. It won't be very personal, I'm afraid, but at least it will be informative.

Looking over my nutrition and weight logs for the last few months I noticed something interesting: The days my fat macronutrient proportion was relatively high, I usually lost weight. Normally I take in around 20% calories from fat; in April there were quite a few days in a row when it was 30% (one was as high as 50%) and the following mornings my weight had gone down. I'm changing my strategy to higher fat and higher protein (since I read protein takes twice as many calories to digest as carbohydrates), which will amount to about 30f/40c/30p. We'll see what happens.

I'm up a few pounds from my low of 122 last week. It may be bloating, or it may be my routine. In any case next week I'm switching from long, steady runs to speed walking on an incline. Last time I made the switch from HIIT to long distance running I lost fat more quickly. I'm hoping that if I keep changing things my body will stay challenged.

I have to study for my Swedish final exam now. (Yes, my college offers Swedish--det är jätte grymt!) Om ni vill kan ni skriva mig med kommentarer på svenska.

I'm switching from long, steady runs to speed walking on an incline. Last time I made the switch from HIIT to long distance running I lost fat more quickly. I'm hoping that if I keep changing things my body will stay challenged. You keep changing, your body keeps changing. That's the way it works :)

My cardio of choice if I'm not doing HIIT is the uphill walk too. Maximum incline, ~ 3mph, for 45minutes. It's boring as hell but it's really good. Once I jump off the treadmill I keep walking, automatically. It's like my legs won't listen to my brain saying "it's OK, you can stop now!"

I also noticed that days where my fat intake was higher the next morning my weight was lower. It was bizarre.

Na talar inte svenska

-Allen

Daveo--3mph at max incline for 45 min sounds tough, but I will try it.

I have a dilemma. I want my thighs to be smaller: do I keep lifting weights with the lower half of my body, or reduce/stop with weights down there? I like the way my legs look now, muscular. But I don't like how the thighs of my jeans are tight. Ugh. It drives me NUTS. It makes me want to run back home and change into sweatpants. Tomorrow is leg day so I'd appreciate any feedback before the morning :)

Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for spaghetti, and it's only 26 calories in 4oz. Tonight I ate it with pasta sauce and tuna, but I think it would be better with some veggie crumbles or lean ground beef. I saw a recipe once that substituted cauliflower for potatoes to make mashed potatoes. Maybe with some ketchup that would be good.

Tonight I went with a friend to see Yo-Yo Ma perform, with John Lithgow as the host/moderator. It was an amazing experience. We were very lucky to have front-row seats, just a few feet away from him.

trin what is spaghetti squash? i love spaghetti, but it really interfears with the whole eating healthy premise :)

trin what is spaghetti squash? i love spaghetti, but it really interfears with the whole eating healthy premise :)

Everything you ever wanted to know about spaghetti squash: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/features/featuring/spagsquash.html

Now, about those thighs...

I've GOT to remember to feed myself. I got so hungry just now that I couldn't help myself when I went downstairs for a drink, and I ended up eating a brownie, a couple of peanut butter cookies, and some lime tortilla chips and salsa. This happened Wednesday night, too. I should just say, "Okay, I'm going to eat 500 calories" instead of accidentally snacking away on 1,000.

After consulting my mom, I've decided I don't need to weight train my legs anymore. I already do enough running, stair-stepping, and ellipticalling using my legs. I'm undecided whether I should do another upper body weight training workout on Mondays instead, or just drop it.

Tomorrow morning I think I'll walk on an incline for 45mins.
Tuesday, instead of a 6 mile run, I will bike to the stadium, walk up and down all the stairs, and bike back. Changing my routine will hopefully bring my weight back down to 122.

I did 40 minutes on a 15% incline at 3mph this morning and boy was that hard! I was a lot sweatier and more out of breath than usual, which means I'm being challenged again.

My mom sent me this article on late night eating (http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/subsection1_3_3_0_5.html#SECTION033050000000000000 0) from the Hacker's Diet (http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.html) mentioned on these forums. It helped me realize that most of the time I don't experience true hunger, and I should be happy about that. Last night was definitely a hunger-triggered binge, not boredom, but I will be prepared next time by having healthy options around and allocating more calories for the evening.

I did 40 minutes on a 15% incline at 3mph this morning and boy was that hard! I was a lot sweatier and more out of breath than usual, which means I'm being challenged again. :D

I knew you could do it! Good job!

I thought I was going to die the first time I did that. 5 minutes after getting off the treadmill I felt amazing :jumping:

Thanks Dave:)

Things are going well. I lost 2lbs since yesterday (126 to 124), which means I'm heading in the right direction. I no longer believe my Tanita scale in regard to body fat percentage, especially after it told me I was 18% this morning. There's no way. If I had to guess, I would say it's around 12%.

This morning I had a nice up-tempo 6-mile run along the river, even though it was warm and humid. Right after I came back I ate an oversized Egg Beaters omelet for breakfast; at lunch I had grilled chicken and green beans.

I can't believe how poorly college girls eat: extra large muffins for breakfast, cereal for lunch, bagels smothered in honey and peanut butter for dinner, and various pastries and hot chocolate for snacks. Then there's "brain break" after dinner: more pastries and bagels. I didn't eat so well pre-JSF either, though. I would eat salads with a lot of dressing for lunch and dinner (thinking I was saving calories) and then at brain break around 11PM I would have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a few bites of coffee cake, and a brownie. And a few glasses of tea with milk, cream, and sugar. No wonder I couldn't lose weight! I don't have peaks and valleys of energy during the day like I used to, but sometimes I miss not thinking about what I eat. I wonder if I'll continue eating like this forever.

I hope my metabolism will increase over time with continued weight training. An extra 100 or 200 calories makes a big difference to me since I'm only able to eat 1500 right now.

Things are going well. I lost 2lbs since yesterday (126 to 124), which means I'm heading in the right direction. I no longer believe my Tanita scale in regard to body fat percentage, especially after it told me I was 18% this morning. There's no way. If I had to guess, I would say it's around 12%.

Has the Tanita changed in what it is reporting? How are you guessing 12%? Don't get too caught up in what the guys are chatting about, because body fat for men and women are quite different. I found this information:
Essential Body Fat -- For the body to function normally and healthily a certain amount of body fat is required. This is called essential fat. For women the average amount of essential fat is 12% of bodyweight and for men it is 3%.
Trying to achieve a body fat percentage that is so low it affects your essential fat stores is NOT good for your health. Some storage fat is also required for good health. Why? It is used to protect internal organs in the chest and abdomen.

and Fat Free Kitchen (http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/weightloss/bmi.html) says that a body fat percentage of 18.9 is "excellent"

Has the Tanita changed in what it is reporting? How are you guessing 12%? Don't get too caught up in what the guys are chatting about, because body fat for men and women are quite different. I found this information:
Essential Body Fat -- For the body to function normally and healthily a certain amount of body fat is required. This is called essential fat. For women the average amount of essential fat is 12% of bodyweight and for men it is 3%.
Trying to achieve a body fat percentage that is so low it affects your essential fat stores is NOT good for your health. Some storage fat is also required for good health. Why? It is used to protect internal organs in the chest and abdomen.

and Fat Free Kitchen (http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/weightloss/bmi.html) says that a body fat percentage of 18.9 is "excellent"

Interesting, Guava. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I really don't know what my body fat percentage is. I simply guessed 12% because I read that that is when you lose your period, and I am close to there or already there. Last month my cycle was 52 days long. I am at day 29 of this cycle, and certain things let me know I have just ovulated so I would say I have 10 more days to go. If I am not amenorrheic, then I am probably oligomenorrheic. I know that most doctors would not recommend having such a very low body fat percentage that you lose your period, but as an anthropologist I also know that for thousands of years women had few or no periods over their lifetime because they were usually either pregnant or lactating. Women didn't have their first menstrual cycle until they were about 18 years old, had babies one after another for about 20 years, and then hit menopause. They were exposed to a lot less estrogen over their lifetimes than the average American woman is, and so had a much lower incidence of breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers. Cancer doesn't seem to run in my family, but I try to live a life that will minimize my risk.

I think I'm what they call a "mesomorph" because I put on weight--both fat and muscle--relatively easily. Unlike Woe, I can't have a free day and still maintain, and I have to consciously stop myself from grazing. It kills me that she lost a pound the week she tried to eat more. At least I'm fully aware of "the rules" I must abide by to maintain this physique: eat non-dense foods, plenty of lean protein, don't snack, keep busy, and exercise.

People respond differently to me since I've become more trim. No one (besides my boyfriend and family) has said a word about my transformation, but I think they pick up on my confidence: I dress nicer, walk with my shoulders back and my head up, and smile more.

Tomorrow I'm doing Dave's workout again plus some ab work.

According to the BBC's life expectantcy test (http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/interactivearea/living_100.shtml), I'll live to be 94 years old. Great! I hope I find enough things to do for the next 73 years. One of the questions asked if I lived near my family--No. But I when I "grow up," so to speak, I'd like to. Apparently having family around reduces stress and increases your lifespan.

I just took this picture of my calves. I like their shape and size. Even though I've dropped the leg weight lifting portion of my program, I will continue to shape my calves using about 180lbs on the machine press.

:tu:

:tu: Back at you, Akm.

I just started this thread (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=4609) in the fat loss forums about how I seem to be maintaining at 1500 calories. I'm very active, running 6 miles 3 days a week and doing other kinds of cardio the other 3 days for 45 minutes apiece. 1500 calories seems low, and I'd like to be able to eat more. I rarely get hungry, but there are times--like now for instance--when I've just finished eating but I still feel an emptiness inside. It's not like I'm starving, I just want to feel "filled up." It seems like a very active, healthy young woman like myself should be able to eat at least 1900 calories a day and still maintain.

Maybe I have a body that, instead of losing weight, takes the energy from fat to build muscle. In that case I wouldn't lose weight, but my body fat percentage would decrease. Although, my waist size isn't getting any smaller, and my butt is shrinking at the lightning-fast rate of a 1/2" every month. :lol:

I'm thinking about making an appointment with one of the registered dietiticians at our university hospital, but I think she will just tell me to eat more without giving me any good reasons behind why this is happening.

I've only added 400 calories to my meal plan, but it feels like I'm eating 3x as much with all the clean foods. I'm glad I've upped the calories; continuing to eat only 1300-1500 calories for a long time would likely slow my metabolism. Perhaps I've reached a body fat percentage my body is happy with.

I like the idea of bulking and cutting. During the summer I can maintain a leaner look, and then relax a little more during the fall and winter when I'll be wearing a lot of clothing. The extra calories I eat in the cold months I hope will go towards muscle-building. And in the summer, I naturally don't eat as much anyway. Summer's the ideal time to cut with all the ripe fruits and vegetables available.

Yesterday evening I bought a new pair of running shoes--the Adidas Supernova Classic (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001J1XEW/qid=1084571619/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3_a/103-1181354-3985464?v=glance&n=1036682), the ones I always buy. Tomorrow morning I'll wear them on my 6 mile run around the Charles River. My boyfriend will be in town, so for once I will have someone to spot me on the bench press.

Yeah! This morning I was down a half-pound and I am eating so much (healthy) food. 1900 calories is a lot to eat when you can't cheat with cake and cookies.

I'm REALLY surprised my weight went down, not up. I figured I would gain 5 lbs immediately, and then have to cut again to lose it. Wow. This is so cool.

Yeah! This morning I was down a half-pound and I am eating so much (healthy) food. 1900 calories is a lot to eat when you can't cheat with cake and cookies.

I'm REALLY surprised my weight went down, not up. I figured I would gain 5 lbs immediately, and then have to cut again to lose it. Wow. This is so cool.

That is such a relief to hear! :claplow:

I had visions of you eating 1500 calories a day for the rest of your life, while the rest of the world is eating three times that much.

Yeah! This morning I was down a half-pound and I am eating so much (healthy) food. 1900 calories is a lot to eat when you can't cheat with cake and cookies.

I'm REALLY surprised my weight went down, not up. I figured I would gain 5 lbs immediately, and then have to cut again to lose it. Wow. This is so cool.


:tu:

From your pictures in the media gallery you seem pretty much perfect at the moment.. So without seeming rude or whatever what are your current goals?

:d_smile:

From your pictures in the media gallery you seem pretty much perfect at the moment.. So without seeming rude or whatever what are your current goals?

:d_smile:

That's not rude at all :) My short term goals are to maintain my weight (or at least not intentionally decrease) and build more definition in my arms. For my long term goals, over the next few months I'd like to lose a little fat from my inner thighs and butt (there is some there--trust me ;)). I'm also trying to increase my metabolism by walking as much as possible, being active in my day-to-day activities, and lifting weights.

This morning I weighed 124.4lbs, 0.8lbs less than when I increased my calories on Thursday. Again, I feel so relieved that this is working. Yesterday I ate ad libitum--not pigging out, but not restraining myself--and just now I added up the calories: 2,056 (right on target). I think I've hit a nice equilibrium in terms of weight and calories consumed. Without really thinking about it I eat exactly how much my body needs to stay at this weight.

Since my boyfriend and I went to the beach yesterday instead of lifting weights (good decision), I'm going to the gym to do them now. He is getting in really good shape now too. Back in March he decided to join me, and now he has become more muscular while still shedding pounds. I'm really proud of what he's doing. Being a doctor in his residency, he hardly sleeps and has very little time for anything else, but he still makes getting fit a top priority. This morning he woke at 4am to drive back to work in another city, having been off for less than 24 hours, and still he packed his tennis shoes so he can squeeze in a quickie workout today at the hospital's gym.

This is a crazy week for me--two long papers to write and two final exams. Ugh! Better get outta here and start my day.

The New York Post published a great article (http://nypost.com/health/24117.htm) on a adding years to your life from the inside out. Among the tips are "laugh a lot" and "have more sex." Check, check. How do I size up on the other 12?

1. Floss and brush your teeth daily. :D
Check. I can't stand grimy teeth and bad breath.

2. Enjoy your coffee.
Does tea count? I probably drink 3-5 cups a day.

3. Have more sex.
:o

4. Drink in moderation.
Alcohol isn't served in the dining halls (duh), and I'm too cheap/lazy to buy any.

5. Enjoy a healthy fat first in each meal. :eat:
Not in every meal, but in most I have things like olive oil, nuts, and fish.

6. Train your taste buds to love food that makes you younger.
Check. A plate of grilled chicken and colorful vegetables makes me swoon. Four months ago, I would have found this much too bland.

7. Buy and use 9-inch plates.
Check. The dining hall has normal-sized plates and cups, unlike most restaurants.

8. Visit friends at times of stress.
I'm pretty good about this one, but it's sometimes hard to know when a person needs help. Students at my school are very self-reliant and generally try to conceal their struggles from others.

9. Manage your finances and live within your means.
Check. I own stocks, have a retirement account, a checking account, and pay my bills. I'm very grateful to my parents for paying for my education so I have money to save for the future.

10. Complete nagging unfinished tasks (NUTs).
More or less. I usually do NUTs when I am avoiding bigger, more important tasks!

11. Choose to live where pollution rates are low.
I guess I will die 2.2 years sooner because I am not a country girl.

12. Laugh a lot.
Check. :lol:

8. Visit friends at times of stress.
I'm pretty good about this one, but it's sometimes hard to know when a person needs help. Students at my school are very self-reliant and generally try to conceal their struggles from others.


Trinity, you're so sweet. I think 8 means:

Visit friends when you are having a stressful time.

:d_wink:

I predict you'll live a long and happy life. :D

Guava, I hope you're right (that I live a long and happy life):) More and more I'm realizing that health and happiness are more meaningful goals than looking good.

I'm still eating about 2000 calories and finding that it is way more than enough to keep me full. It feels weird to eat so much after months of eating only to the point where I no longer feel hungry. I think I could stop counting calories and still maintain my weight if I simply did not eat junk food. It is really hard to overeat with foods like chicken breasts, salad, and vegetables.

This morning I started to do my 40-minute, 3 mph, 15% incline walk, but my knees were hurting so I switched to the elliptical after 10 minutes. That's never happened before. Tomorrow is my running day, but on Wednesday I'll try again and hope that the pain goes away because the elliptical is not as challenging for me as the incline walk.

It's exam period. Today I took my Swedish exam and turned in an English paper. Later this week I have a research paper due and an English final. Whew :eek:

I think I'm doing the same as you. I'm so used to the hungry feeling that I've gotten to like it, and it's hard to force myself to eat sometimes because I always think "That's going to go straight to my thighs." I should stop restricting my food, but it's hard to stop.

Well, Guava, I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should use hunger as my cue because this morning I was 127.4! In my head I'm thinking, "Is this a trend--am I slowly sabotaging my hard work? Or is this bloating?" So I took some measurements. Everything is the same as it was on April 8th, except my waist is 1" bigger (from 25" to 26"). I'm wondering how long I should keep this experiment going. On June 6th I'm going to a beach party, and on June 11th I'm visiting my future in-laws in Sweden. I want to look my best for that. It's hard to know what the right thing to do is: keep everything the same and just "wait and see"; go back to what I was doing before; or try something completely different. WWJD (What Would John Do)?

:d_confuse

Time for my 6-mile run.

I treated myself to a Baskin Robbins "Baskin Brownie" ice cream cone this afternoon, which is a combination of chocolate mousse ice cream, cookie dough, brownie, and fudge and caramel swirls. I haven't had an ice cream cone since February 8th! It was good, though I wish it had lasted longer.

After waking up late this morning I did 45 minutes on the elliptical while reading the wedding announcements in the New York Times. Those are so fascinating with their biographies of the bride and bridegroom and their families. I noticed a lot of them come from Ivy League schools. Do those ads cost a lot? Obviously I wasn't pushing myself hard enough if I could read the newspaper, I suppose. Maybe stair-stepping would have been a better choice.

I re-measured my waist this morning to see if it had changed since yesterday. It had: 0.5" smaller. I guess even the measuring tape can be deceiving.

This is my 7th day of increasing my calories. My waist band and stomach are a little more intimate these last couple of days, so I'm going to reduce my intake from 1900 to 1400 until I get back down to where I was before, then maintain at 1700. I'm usually a proponent of slow-and-steady weight loss, but heck, as I mentioned before I'm meeting my future in-laws in 3 weeks. I had planned to do a little shopping both before I go and once we arrive in Stockholm.

MSN has an interesting article (http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/87/99430) on how foods have a powerful effect on our health. After all these years, the best advice doctors have to offer is 'Eat more fruits and vegetables,' and now researchers are discovering the reasons why they aid in well-being.

Did you hear that Gwyneth Paltrow gave birth to a baby girl (http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/15/paltrow.baby.ap/)? She and her husband Chris Martin named her Apple. If celebrities are capable of giving their children the best of everything, why do they give their babies the worst monikers?

We're back down to 1490 calories today, and it's brutal. I was supposed to only have 1375, but I kept munching on those croutons at the salad bar. Those little devils have 4 calories in each one! Tomorrow I will be more disciplined as I get back into the swing of things.

These are the results of my week-long experiment:
Average # calories consumed per day: 1937
Average # calories burned through exercise per day: 479
Average # pounds gained per day: 0.17
Since a pound is 3500 calories, that means I ate 600 calories above maintenance every day. That makes maintenance for me 1337. Oh boy this sucks.
But last month, near the end I did pretty well losing 1.2lbs in 13 days. I averaged 1442 calories consumed and 388 calories burned through exercise. 1.2/13 = 320 calorie deficit each day. That would make my maintenance at that activity level 1762. WTF?

Very tired. Had 3 hour exam today and very long paper to write tomorrow. Good night.

A week long experiment isn't long enough to counter effect the results of water fluctuation. For someone active your maintence MUST be higher then ~1300 kCal a day

-Allen

I just took this picture of my calves. I like their shape and size. Even though I've dropped the leg weight lifting portion of my program, I will continue to shape my calves using about 180lbs on the machine press.You can't get much better than this kid! Good Work! At your young age it must be nice to firm up and go for it.

Thanks Marc! Getting firmed up is nice at any age:)

Allen, some of it was probably water, but some of it was definitely fat. I can see it, I can pinch it--it's no illusion.

It's starting to irritate me when people argue that my metabolism is higher than I believe it is. Of course I wish they were right, but that doesn't change reality. A lot of people are suffering from excess weight because of misconceptions about what consists of an appropriate amount of food. Over the last 100 years, people have slowly increased the amount of food they've eaten to match changing perceptions of what a "normal" portion size is. It's gotten a lot of people in trouble, with more than 50% of Americans being overweight or obese. To give people an idea of how much they should be eating, scientists have come up with these formulas to predict BMR. The trouble is that the Harris Benedict formula, and any other formula for that matter, merely gives an estimate of BMR. On a population-wide basis, it will be right most of the time. On an individual level, however, it can be drastically wrong, either overestimating or underestimating one's BMR by hundreds of calories. Perhaps it is especially inacurate for young, fit women like myself. There is considerable individual variation when it comes to the human body. We have all heard stories where two people spend a vacation together, eating exactly the same things and doing exactly the same activities, and one person loses 5 lbs while the other gains 5 lbs. How does the formula explain that? Everyone one is different, especially when it comes to energy metabolism.

I don't come from a string bean-thin family. Both of my parents are overweight. My sister is chubby and my brother is solidly built, like the rugby player that he is. You know those families who leave candy in little glass dishes out for days, and nobody--not even the kids--touches it? You know those families where the kids still have Halloween candy left over by the time Easter rolls around? That isn't our family. We like food and we especially like sweets. If it's in the house, it gets eaten. This is the background I'm coming from. No formula or government report changes my particular situation. My BMR was determined before I was even born by genetics, just like my eye color and hair texture.

Please don't tell my body is wrong because I gain weight at a calorie level that most people would lose weight on. It is frustrating when I hear people who lose weight eating 30% more than I do, and even more frustrating to try it myself and actually gain weight as a result.:spaz: I am what I am! If I find a magic bullet that lets me eat more and not gain weight, all of you will be the first to know. Until then, please don't make me feel worse about my metabolic situation :D

Have you considered DietPower?

This sofware is similar to FitDay, except in one very important aspect.

As you enter daily physical activity, foods consumed, and weight - it 'calculates' metabolic rate. Not based on some approximate formula, but rather on hard numbers.

This metabolic rate is your 'true metabolic for all activities excluding streneous exercises, cardio, weights'.

As you plan your activities, it allows you to plan how much to eat; the concept being - work more = eat more; work less = eat less. True child's play.

As I started using it, it took about two weeks for the SW to eventually zoom in on my met rate - and from my personal experience, based on weight tracking, foods consumed, etc etc, it's prettry darned good. And of course, that number was different from the Harris-Benedict prediction.

How good is it??? Well, for a short while cut cals a bit too drastically - and guess what? ... after a couple of weeks detected, through my weight change pattern, that my met rate was going downhill. I'm glad I have the program - I uppped my cals, and sure enough my met rate reved back up, and weight has kept going on a nice downward curve.

So, you might try DietPower if you are unsure about the Harris-Benedict formula, or want a 2nd oppinion, so to speak, as I did!

Do give it at least a couple of weeks though; after one week of tracking your numbers, the MetRate may still fluctuate a bit, cause of water, sodium levels, etcetc

Hopefully, with this tool, you will have peace of mind knowing what your met. rate is, and that you can quite likely eat more than 1300 cals with all your activity!! :lol:

G'luck!

Hi Presse,

Diet Power does sound pretty sharp. Last week I downloaded the trial version based on your recommendation, but then I became overwhelmed with the idea of transferring all my nutrition info from my Excel files into the program. I gave it up--for now. I was in the middle of finals, so it was probably a bad time to try a radically new way of tracking my foods. After Wednesday I'm all done with school, so I think I will try it again at that time.

I'm glad you've found a program that works so well for you. Don't you love the feeling of your diet and routine clicking along smoothely, reaching one goal after another? I'm starting to feel that rhythm again, but I have to get through finals before I can iron out all the wrinkles in my life.

Thanks for you helpful words, Presse! :)

Hi Presse,

Diet Power does sound pretty sharp. Last week I downloaded the trial version based on your recommendation, but then I became overwhelmed with the idea of transferring all my nutrition info from my Excel files into the program. I gave it up--for now. I was in the middle of finals, so it was probably a bad time to try a radically new way of tracking my foods. After Wednesday I'm all done with school, so I think I will try it again at that time.

I'm glad you've found a program that works so well for you. Don't you love the feeling of your diet and routine clicking along smoothely, reaching one goal after another? I'm starting to feel that rhythm again, but I have to get through finals before I can iron out all the wrinkles in my life.

Thanks for you helpful words, Presse! :)



It seems my body is willing to get down to a weight - a set point - and not go any lower. It is weird, since I used to weigh 286lbs, and about a year ago I hit 186 ( I remember the magic 100), but ideally need to lose another 15 to 20 to get that all important six pack. No matter how hard I try my body tends to want to stay there.

For example in the past 7 weeks I've travelled to America for two two week trips (I'm a Brit), and put on 5 or 6 lbs per trip, but within 2 weeks it is all gone when I'm back on diet. Very strange.

Anyway, Trinity, you're doing enormously well, and it is good to see people experimenting to see how they can improve. Hopefully others like me can learn from it.

My own next experiment is to run for longer, and faster. I want to do a 10Km in less that 40mins (currently at 43mins) but have been hampered by knee problems when I raise the bar. I think I've conquered that one and I'm now putting in more miles, so hopefully my body will notice and start producing a calorie deficit again. I try to keep to 2500 cals per day, with my fitness days just burning off an extra 1000 cals.

Mark

[QUOTE=marked]It seems my body is willing to get down to a weight - a set point - and not go any lower. It is weird, since I used to weigh 286lbs, and about a year ago I hit 186 ( I remember the magic 100), but ideally need to lose another 15 to 20 to get that all important six pack. No matter how hard I try my body tends to want to stay there.
[QUOTE]


Interesting, Mark. I think everyone is different, but we all have a set point that our bodies are calibrated to. Whatever we do, it will naturally want to return to this point.

I haven't lifted in about a week now because I'm going out of my mind with finals. Tomorrow morning is the last one. Wish me luck!

:gl:

Yay! :claplow: I'm all done with school! Thanks Guava for the good luck wishes! Now I have, let's see, 4 MONTHS until school starts again in September. This summer I'll be working for a consulting company, traveling to Sweden, spending time with my boyfriend, and going to San Diego for a week. I want to become a consultant for a large firm like Bain, McKinsey or BCG, so I will also spend some time preparing for the case interview. I probably should practice my Swedish with my boyfriend, too. He doesn't seem to like speaking Swedish with me, so I need to encourage him to do so.

I've eaten poorly today because of final exam stress and then from sheer relief to be over with it. For breakfast I had an omelet AND three chocolate chip pancakes, and just now for lunch I ate taco salad, a brownie and ice cream. Now I'm going to *yawn* take a nap. Tonight I need to make arrangements for my summer housing, and I will definitely go to the gym for some cardio and weights. I have a small stack of magazines I haven't had time to look at since finals began. Lately all I've been doing is running, and now I'm bored. The stairs or elliptical sound appealing again, and maybe walking too.

Gak, I feel guilty for eating such crap. I wish there were a magic fat-loss pill that could undo all the fat damage. Whatever. An extra 1,000 calories or so isn't going to be a problem in the long run. Must...not...obsess.

After I move out the dorm I will have a couple of weeks at my boyfriend's without a lot to do. I'll probably plan to get a lot done, but end up watching E! all day long (gasp!) instead. Maybe I should give myself a list of assignments? Sewing curtains, cleaning the house, washing the car: All are good ideas in theory, but will I actually do them? I know, I will hang out with our friends from Norway and their baby. They can also talk with me in Swedish/Norwegian.

It's time for a well-deserved nap! Zzzzzzzzzzz.

My computer is in the repair shop so I won't be logging any food until it's done, which will probably take a week. I have a tablet PC, which was wonderful until this spring when it stopped detecting my pen strokes in certain areas of the screen. Then the mouse cursor stopped as well. Now that I have to go to the computer lab for the Internet, I'll probably be spending a lot less time on the computer. Not a bad thing, though.

I'm winging it today as far as food goes: chicken and broccoli for lunch, and a salad for a snack. I found a good way to reduce the calories in my Russian salad dressing: mix it with ketchup. I love ketchup.

I went running this morning and tonight I will do weights.

I suck. I don't feel like lifting weights. I don't feel like doing anything. Maybe I don't need to do weights anymore. Is it really necessary? For a woman?

This afternoon I biked 8 miles to a different town to see this apartment I want to sublet for the summer. Then I biked back. I refuse to spend money on a bus fare (and ride it slooooowly, and wait for it...) when I can bike. I nearly got killed by these crazy drivers, though, who would rather get home 30 seconds faster than save my skin. Then I spent some time sorting through stuff to donate to charity, which is tiring. Just thinking about packing makes me tired. I'm throwing out everything that is size 8, but size 6 fits okay when I'm bloated (like now). Eventually I hope size 6 will be too big. But progress is slow for me. I think I will probably lose like a pound a month if I work hard and eat right. Today I was almost 127 lbs--just four pounds less than when I started in February. I think a little fat would look okay on me if it went to my bust, but instead it goes to the little pooch below my belly button.

I really don't like the idea of living by mysef in an apartment full of strangers in a strange small town. Work will be the only interesting thing about my life this summer. I guess I can suck it up for 10 weeks. I probably won't have access to a gym, unless I sneak into the university's. But I don't like that idea. And the YMCA is actually expensive. Why can't there be any good consulting jobs in San Diego, where stuff actually happens?

You need to do something. Even if you drop your current weight lifting routine, you'd need to do some sort of circuit training to maintain that gorgeous muscle you worked to hard to cultivate. It could be time for a break, however.

You're going to size yourself out of the stores! I was thinking about buying a bathing suit from Sears online, but when I checked their website, 6 was the lowest their size guide went. I think it's okay for me now, but I'm worried about getting any smaller. It's already hard enough trying to find clothes to fit over these huge thighs, I don't want to have to spend forever trying to find anything small enough.

(We love ketchup too. We go through at least a bottle a month.)

I am sure you will be fine wherever you go try to look at it as friends you havent met yet instead of strangers. Also keep it up. You look gorgeous even though I have never heard your voice or seen your face they cant be all that bad if they accompany a body like that. Good luck!

You need to go and see for yourself that things won't be as bad as you expect them to be during summer. Even if you don't find any good gym in the neighbourhood, you've proved yourself to be extremely persistent when you have a goal! Run in the morning and in the afternoon, cycle forth and back form work! You know you can do that!! And you can do a lot more with some imagination. I'm sure you'll end up finding things aren't as bad as they seem... :tu:

Thanks April, Shadow, and Guava for your support! I will do some kind of weight training this summer, even if it's just pushups and situps. Perhaps the local university will let me use the gym after all. I just hope they have normal hours. As for friends, I will keep an open mind. Who knows what the summer may bring?

I'm struggling with eating now that I'm no longer tracking my meals on my computer. I still eat clean, but I eat too much. Yesterday I ate an enormous salad and felt so stuffed I had to rest for a while. Isn't that gross? I didn't have any problems at the movies last night though--just ordered a Diet Coke, no ice. The dining halls are closed now, but yesterday and the day before I wasn't tempted by the breakfast pastries and the lunch and dinner desserts. Happily I've conquered those habits. But the overeating may be somewhat of a problem in this unstructured time. My fear is that if I don't eat enough at this meal, I will be starving by the next. Maybe it would help to think about what I'll be eating for the next two meals to ensure I don't stuff myself during the first one. In fact, I'll try it right now: I'll have a salad from Au Bon Pain for lunch and a peanut butter banana and tea for a snack at 3pm.

I ran 6.5 miles this morning. I've thought about entering a race, but that tends to stress me out. I'd rather just enjoy running as a time to stretch my lungs and muscles, and not have to think about performing.

I think the shower is probably free now, so I'm logging off.

I haven't posted in awhile because this week I've been busy moving. I'm not really into "serious" weight-lifting and dieting anymore. With school over, my focus has shifted to other things and I'm not as stressed. Working out and eating strictly helps me deal with the stress of papers and exams, so during the summer I relax a lot.

My computer breaking down has given me the opportunity to try out eating mindfully rather than according to a pre-planned meal log. The first few days without my computer I did not do well. Despite making good food choices, I ate too much and felt sickly overstuffed. Now I pay closer attention to how full I feel, and try to stop myself when I know I've had enough. This has actually worked quite well and my weight has stabilized. Like a finely-crafted sports car, the body knows exactly how much food it needs to maintain homeostasis. It is only when I divorce my mind from my body that I overeat.

Sometimes I wrongly believe that if I let myself go, I would naturally regress to a state of sloth and gluttony. What I've come to realize, however, is that my body actually enjoys healthy foods and activities. I feel physically ill when I consume anything in excess, whether it's green beans or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. We've all heard that moderation is the key to healthful living. This advice bears repeating. I like the Swedish expression "lagom" as it embodies this advice: neither too little nor too much, but just right.

It's late and I need to sleep now.

Trinity, I love reading your journal. You are so wise and strong. :tu:

Trinity, I love reading your journal. You are so wise and strong. :tu:

Ha! I love reading your journal too. It's more interesting to read about the thought processes behind the diet than just food and training logs. Anyway, committing yourself to a healthy lifestyle is more about winning the mental game than the numbers game.

Today I feel good about myself and the way I look. I had planned to go shopping for a couple new outfits for Sweden, but there was too much traffic and we didn't make it. On the way we stopped at McDonald's and I got a salad, which are really good but not terribly filling. When I got home I prepared a delicious chicken stir-fry with spaghetti squash, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Half of this I ate, and the other half I'm saving for tomorrow.

This week I've started walking at night along the beach, a ritual that's really starting to grow on me. During the summer there are plenty of people around so I feel safe. Besides my runs and walking, I don't move around much because I have to drive everywhere. This is the downside to suburban America as opposed to living in the city. In a few years my boyfriend and I plan to move to a new place, which I hope will be in walking-distance from schools and shopping centers. I want exercise to be part of my lifestyle, rather than a daily chore. The area around Mission Trails in San Diego is pretty nice, with lots of hiking and running trails nearby. I'd like to live there or on Crown Point in Pacific Beach. Or in Encinitas or Del Mar.

...but there was too much traffic and we didn't make it. Trin,

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon ('http://www.rnrmarathon.com') today! I'd have warned you but I take it as second nature that people know about it.

Trin,

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon ('http://www.rnrmarathon.com') today! I'd have warned you but I take it as second nature that people know about it.

Actually we were in Connecticut. Believe it or not, I think the traffic is worse in the Northeast than it is in So Cal. Everything is going to be okay, though, because it turns out Nordstrom's half yearly sale begins on Wednesday anyway.

Today was my day off from working out. My boyfriend and I went to a friend's house for a lovely dinner of steak, shrimp, corn salsa, and potato salad, with chocolate cake, berries and amaretto for dessert. Yum.

Now I'm going to relax on the couch with my honey.

So I'm not perfect about eating. That's not news. Today I ate very little until I finally managed to work out at noon. I was ravenous by the time I got my Subway sandwich and ended up eating all of the foot-long chicken teriyaki. I thought I'd eat a light dinner of homemade soup, but plans changed and there wasn't time to prepare it. I overate again--canned salmon with green beans (that part was okay), but then I had two bowls of cereal (not necessary). I guess it's not that big of a deal. The problem is that if I continue to do this, it'll add up with time.

I skipped my evening walk the last two nights, but tonight I'm making time for it. Besides, I'm a little bored and I need to find something to do besides snack.

On Wednesday I'm going shopping in New York with a friend. That's my carrot for eating well.

I made a delicious beef and barley soup today, which I ate for lunch and dinner. Soups and stews are very filling, so I didn't have trouble keeping myself from overeating.

My boyfriend took the car this morning, so I did a lot of walking today for my errands (about 6 miles total). I also ran in 85 degree heat. Whooh. Tomorrow is going to be even hotter, so I plan to run earlier in the morning.

I've got a nice tan from laying outside in my bikini. Being slim and tan makes me look forward to tomorrow's shopping. I love Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.

These are some of the outfits I'm thinking about getting (see below) before I go to Sweden. One needs to be appropriate for a family brunch in Stockholm.

Miss Sixty cropped trousers (http://store.nordstrom.com/product/product.asp?StyleID=2845211&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=miss+sixty)

Milly Box Pleat dress (http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod14150147&parentId=cat2960733&masterId=cat2890732&index=3&cmCat=her0a)

Cynthia Steffe shrunken cardigan and dress (http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod11300013&parentId=cat780735&masterId=cat980735&index=52&cmCat=)

Laundry skirt (http://store.nordstrom.com/product/product.asp?styleid=2829742&category=2376788~2377916~2377948&PrevStyleID=2829740&NextStyleID=2829185)

Wow, you buy classy clothes. You put me and my Sears wardrobe to shame. :o

Thanks Guava. I don't shop very often, but when I do I get quality clothing because I take care of them and keep them for a long time.

I'm leaving for Sweden tomorrow so I won't be updating for at least a week. I'm not bringing any scales or even running shoes with me, just my new clothes. I hope I can forget about diets for a little while without feeling guilty.

Back in January my goal was to be 115 lbs by now, but I realize that the goal was unrealistic. I would be rail thin at even 120 lbs. Right now I'm 125 and wear a size 2 dress, size 4 pants. It's funny because I'm still just as anxious about my body as I was when I started this journey. Sometimes I feel really hot, but most times I just think about my flaws. When I don't eat perfectly or have a great workout, I dwell on it for a long time. "Shut up!" I want to tell myself. I'm just going to focus on doing my best one day at a time.

I can get prescription weight loss pills when I'm in Sweden. They would make my life a lot easier. The problem is that I will probably gain the weight back when I stop taking them. I feel bad for even thinking about taking those, but right now it is very tempting. I don't have a raging metabolism. Even running 5 miles a day and eating moderately, my weight has stabilized or even gone up a little bit since April. It's very frustrating. I don't eat junk food any more. I just think my body has a higher set point than most people, so that it greedily hoardes fat.

I'm tired of writing and thinking about what's wrong with me so I'm going for walk.

For the record, you are insanely hot.

That is all.

-Allen

I'm back from Sweden!

And I have BIG news: My boyfriend proposed last Sunday in Stockholm and we are now engaged! We were walking home along a scenic route in Stockholm after a night out with friends and family when he stopped me behind an old church (Katarina kyrkan). It was one o' clock in the morning, and the entire sky was colored by the rising/setting sun. That's when he pulled a beautiful ring out of his pocked (a 1 c. diamond flanked by two pear-shaped saphires on a platinum band), dropped to one knee, and asked if I would marry him. Of course I said yes and cried profusely. It was wonderful and very beautiful. We are as so happy. I feel so blessed to have him.

This is supposed to be a fitness journal, so I'd better not stray off-topic too much. I didn't do one lick of exercise except walking all last week and I still lost 0.6lbs. Sweden is the place to be if you want to live well--fresh, healthy foods abound, portions are small, and it's easy to get around on foot in Stockholm. I was disappointed that it wasn't warmer, but it was still pleasant to walk around the city and take in the goreous surroundings. Since I was joined by my parents, I usually split everything with my mom. We frequently took fika, so our meals were smaller but more frequent. I also drank a lot more--Irish coffee in the morning, wine with lunch and dinner, and sherry before bed to help adjust to the time difference. Breakfast was usually gravad lax (similar to smoked salmon) or shrimp on some kind of bread with tea. Lunch was more fish and a few vegetables. Fika was tea with a few bites of salmon sandwich. Dinner was meat or fish with vegetables. Several meals were with my fiance's family, and I usually helped myself to bread and butter, wine and dessert. I never stuffed myself, but we always ate a little bit every few hours when we got hungry again.

My fiance and I were sure we had gained weight because we weren't watching what we ate, and we had enjoyed quite a few fancy meals with the family and at the surgical conference. What a delightful surprise that we were both much lighter than we had expected when we weighed ourselves Saturday morning. We are helping each other stay on track this summer. I'm cooking light and healthy meals, and we are working out together whenever possible.

He's on call tonight, so I'm going to bring him dinner at the hospital now.

Travelling is fun, but it's always great to come back home again!

Take care everyone!

(And thanks Allen, as always, for your shameless compliments :o )

Congratulations on the engagement, Trinity!

Your vacation sounds like you had a very nice time. Eat all you want, get a romantic marriage proposal, AND lose weight! How much better can a vacation get? :tu: :claplow:

It's nice to have you back. I missed reading your posts while you were gone! :)

Congratulations :)
I'm very happy for you!
-Allen

Congratulations on the engagement!

It's funny because I'm still just as anxious about my body as I was when I started this journey. Sometimes I feel really hot, but most times I just think about my flaws. When I don't eat perfectly or have a great workout, I dwell on it for a long time.

I do the same thing and I'm a guy - it's normal. It's hard to feel hot all the time! :nod: If you get particularly down, try to do something that completely absorbs your mind and the feeling may go away: read a book, watch a movie, take a nap. Or restart: take a shower, restyle, make-up, dress-up. (I usually don't include the "make-up", heh.)

Congratulations Trinity and welcome back.