I've gained weight since I began due to cheating! My partner lost job, we got stressed, and suddenly the McDonald's $1 menu seemed quite alluring.

The 'mad cow' scare in Canada has made us less enthusiastic about meat, as well.

But, I have a fridge full of chicken and vegetables; I can make this happen.

Hi Piano and other Sylphs on here,
Half a pound down this week. Isn't it funny that I lost almost two pounds each week for the last couple of weeks and I think a half pound loss is not good enough Yet, it's taken me ages to see the scale moving downwards. So I have to keep feeling motivated and not get downhearted. At least I am not yo-yoing any more as I have done for the past year. I am determined that it won't happen again and I will maintain the loss.

I am going on holiday from 7th July so I want to be sure I am completely happy with this WOE - it is now three weeks since I stopped all the sweet things I ate and craved ( perhaps ate but still slightly crave, ha ha).

The main thing is I feel so good, not just physically more energetic and "with it" but emotionally my self esteem has risen slightly, so if I start wavering I have to come back and read this.

Thanks all for this supportive thread. Bookgurl stay with it, it is worth it. DH and I stopped eating red meat a few years ago though I still cook lamb (no beef any more) for the kids. But chicken and fish make very versatile foods, and here they are reasonably cheap. DH was also out of a job for two years some time ago, took it very hard, so you have my sympathy. Good luck.

Judy

Hi Piano,
RE: leaking when jogging. Have you tried Kagel (sp?) exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor? That may help or perhaps your bladder needs to be checked to see if it has moved from it's original position. I do have a friend who does wear Depends when she runs. I don't know if she gets a rash or anything.
AFter I had surgery in Jan, I got a bad bug, had a cough and I was leaking a bit. I wore a mini-pad and started doing the exercises. I seem to be o.k. now but I still can't do any abdominal work.
I know that walking is just as good and there is something called "aqua jogging". Running in the pool with a waist belt for floatation. It's good for the body and easy on the joints as thee is no impact. I use it if I have an injury or for active recovery after a long race.
I hope that helps. Hey, good job on the blood work. I had burned out adrenals last year and it took a lot of time and rest to get back to feeling good. I honestly believe that the SP program is the best.
Bye,
Maureen

Maureen, that is very interesting. When I was giving birth to my eldest, somehow my bladder was sewn up with the little tear I had, and even though it was an easy birth, I had to have a bag etc. It never was the same again and two pregnancies later, I found I leaked if I jumped up and down etc. I had a small bladder op done a couple of years ago as I didn't want the problem to get worse during menopause. But they warned me not to lift anything heavy or the op would come undone - with BFL I don't know if I made it worse, but I have started leaking again, mostly when TOM is about to appear.

I will look on the net for Kagel, sounds like something that might help as I don't want to give up BFL but I hate the lack of control when I leak. Not so much when I'm jogging but occasionally right out of the blue when I wait too long to empty it.

Judy

Maureen, yes, I've tried the kegal exercises but I probably don't do them consistently enough to do any good. Maybe I should add that to my lower body workout! Aqua jogging sounds wonderful, there is a rec center being built about 4 blocks from my house, I can't wait for it to be done, it will open up more options for me. I have a very small home gym setup for now.

Oh and wow Suzy aren't you glad you didn't cheat! What a great reward 3 pounds!

Pianobeiner

Still at 126#, and I had my body fat tested last Friday and it was the same as 1 month ago. I cheated a lot last month, though, so I hope to see some progress this month. I actually have not cheated according to my goals so far this month. If I stay at 126 or even gain weight I am ok with it if I can lower my body fat. Did a really hard legs workout today with a friend who is a personal trainer, I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow!

Jen

Jen,


Out of curiosity what does your friend recommend for nutritional plan and for exercise plan?

Piano

after a few good days on track, i lost my gain (about 3 pounds gained just by 'letting it go!), and am down to 179.5. whoosh!

i'm realizing that i have to become somewhat obsessive about my carbs and meal planning. i have to stay vigilant, or i won't lose.

Piano,

I've never asked him directly. He is a bodybuilder (he's competing this month), so of course for exercise he emphasizes working out strenuously with weights, with cardio to burn off the fat. We have talked a little about diet, and I think he eats high protein but low fat. My old personal trainer recommended the old low fat/high carb diet, although she did say it was important to get enough protein.

Jen

Hi BookGurl



I understand how you feel, being a Canadian, when the story came out I immediately had second thoughts about eating beef. Although in the past I had poo pooed my Mother who has been avoiding beef ever since the scare started in Britain (but she's also paranoid about hormones in chicken and fish[sorry Wanda ]). The strange thing is that since I have been cutting out all artificial sweetners (except for the occasional slip) and caffeine - the last time I had a steak I found it "too meaty" if that makes any sense, I just did not enjoy the taste. In the past I have been a real carnivore - if I have liver it is so rare some people can not sit at the same table as me when I eat it. It's like I lost my taste for beef, I really love my homemade chili and spagehetti sauce but figure I can make them with ground chicken or turkey (I've never liked pork much). I can recall making a couple of recipes using mushrooms instead of beef and they were pretty good -actually tasted almost too beefy.

Honestly I believe now that it was an isolated case that somehow happened spontaneosly - since it appears all the testing has come out negative. On the other hand the government has been known to lie from time to time (there is no smiley sarcastic enough to fit here) - considering that Mad Cow disease has such a long incubation period I can't blame anyone who chooses to avoid beef. The others in my immediate family choose to continue - I just can't do it myself right now.

Hi Koko:

Actually there aren't growth hormones in either chicken or farmed fish in Canada, from what I understand from a local butcher. However, antibiotics ARE used in both conventional chicken and farmed fish.

As for the mad cow scare, as long as you stick to muscle meat, there should be no worries at all. Organic beef's an even better choice.

Wanda

I'm at 115! Another pound bites the dust!

Denise

I had an absolutely horrible weekend! I new before I got on the scale that I had gained 1 pound. It's my fault, I deserved it. I didn't eat balanced, I grazed and didn't eat meals! But I'm mad and going to have a perfect week this week!

Jen, That's pretty typical and standard for trainers, I figured that's what they would say.

Oh, and Hammj good job on the 1 pound lost!

Pianobeiner

I am pleased to say that today I finally went down again...2 pounds...it seems having a period really, really made a difference...thank goodness...DramaDame

Hi Gang:
I relapsed over the weekend and my weight is up to 170 this morning. Now I know tht I didn't gain 4 pounds of fat over the weekend so I'm not going to beat myself up, I'm just getting back on track and will work hard this week. My goal for Friday was to be 165, we shall see. Either way I look at it I have been losing so that's a plus. Progress not perfection.
I re-weigh myself Wed morning and see how it looks.
Maureen