Yey Soph, way to go on that machine! Don't you feel sexy as all heck covered in sweat?! I feel the most attractive after a really high interval workout. I know that sounds very, very strange, but when there is a blanket of sweat rolling itself down my back, I feel untouchable.

Don't worry about the scale's reading, honey. I don't even use mine because all it seems to do is depress and damper my good moods. If you *feel* thinner and in the mirror, you can see changes, count on those not that pesky needle!

I can tell you out of experience, during my TOM, I gain at least..wow, like...three to six pounds of water weight and it takes me about a week to get back down. It's crazy because I *never* feel bloated, and yet I'm retaining SO MUCH water!

I'm sorry that I haven't visited this journal very often. I'll start doing it now everyday, I promise. I'm really interested in your progress and want to offer my wholehearted encouragement! I want to see you succeed chica!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, hon!

Hey Sophie! Congrats on your 40 minute workout, you kick butt!!! It's an awesome feeling to know that you have pushed yourself to a new level in your workouts, and especially awesome when you are bathed in sweat to prove how much you worked. I'm super happy for you! Don't let that scale bring you down, you are making serious noticeable changes for yourself!

Happy St Patty's day

Breakfast—one cup Ovaltine, one slice whole-grain toast
Snack—Special K bar (90 calories)
Lunch—spiced split peas and brown rice, blackberries lightly sweetened with agave nectar, one mini-muffin with low-fat cream cheese frosting, half an ounce cheese, one ounce dried fruit, one balsamic strawberry chocopod
Snack—apple
Dinner—four ounces corned beef, cabbage
Snack—four crackers thinly spread with peanut butter

Twenty-five minutes on the elliptical. I was pretty tired by the time I got home—tired and hungry. I feel like maybe it's good for me to tailor my workout time to how my body's feeling. For one thing, it makes it easier for me to make myself work out if I say, "Well, all right, you only have to do twenty-five minutes" rather than having to convince myself to push past genuine exhaustion.

Natalie Jo, I hope that forty-five minutes treats you well! I know you can do it—we both can.

Rach, thanks so much for stopping by. I can't see a difference in the mirror yet, but I do see a difference in my ability to move and the energy that I have. So something good is definitely happening for me. And yes, I totally understand what you mean about feeling sexy! I think it has to do with being, as much as possible, just completely in our bodies and not in our heads.

Heather, thanks so much for the encouragement. Being able to reach forty minutes tells me how much my body is changing, too—when I first started, just a month ago, twenty minutes almost knocked me out. Now I can do more.

Congratulations on your progress with the elliptical! It seems like it hasn't been such a long time since you started yet it's resulted in being able to double the time you move. It really is exciting to feel your body becoming more and more able isn't it? Good for you!!

Look at that, you went Irish like me and ate corned beef yesterday! It's amazingly tasty isn't it? I told my dad I was going to eat the whole head of cabbage. LOL.

I definitely understand where you're coming from about doing only what your body will allow you. Sometimes though, in the middle of a workout, we feel like going more, and I think that's really how we push ourselves. We say "You know what, I've got this much done, and I can do this much more. I'm halfway there." I think those are the most uplifting moments. That determination and motivation make us stronger people, inside and out. I mean, if we can accomplish transforming ourselves, imagine what else we can realistically accomplish?

Years ago, we never thought we'd be here now. Speaking personally of course, I never would have imagined being a size ten. Just a year ago this month I was a size 16. Back then, I never forsaw myself where I am now and you know what? It's a pretty darn big achievement. We just have to be proud of ourselves for what we're doing and how much more we can do. That extra push, in the long run, is so much more than just another mile. It's a different mindset, a healthier and happier one.

Hope you're having a good Tuesday, honey!

Your doing awesome Sophie! I dont know how I would do on that elliptical machine. Sounds so hard lol I don't think I could do it ..lmao ..

but kudos to you! you rock!

ttylater hun
love yas
always
your friend
natalie jo

Breakfast—one cup coffee with ½% milk and two tsp sugar, turkey sausage, one slice whole-grain toast
Lunch—brown rice with spiced split peas and three ounces ham, one apple
Snack—one cup low-fat hot chocolate, four multi-grain crackers with Laughing Cow light cheese
Dinner—four ounces corned beef, cabbage
Snack—buttery popcorn and two chocolates

Did my strength routine today. I meant to work on the elliptical too, but I stupidly kept putting it off until I was too tired. From now on, working out is first thing after breakfast, on my days off, anyway.

The popcorn and chocolates were a desperate effort to get my calories up where they should be. I've been doing a lot of research lately (my Google box is getting tired of the phrase "how to break a plateau"), and every calculation I can find suggests I really shouldn't be going below 2,000 calories a day at this point, especially if I'm exercising. Problem is, it seems im-freaking-possible to get my calories up there eating healthy foods, unless I keep a bag of vegetables in front of me all day and stuff them in my mouth. And that would get real old, real fast, I'm sure. I know more fruit is definitely indicated, but what else is there that will help me get all the calories I need?

Felici, the progress does indeed feel wonderful—I'm starting to see my motivation drag some, though. I need to work on that. Consistency is the hardest part for me.

Rach, I will totally be eating that corned beef like…forever. It's the one thing I don't like about living alone: the lack of help in leftover eating.

Natalie Jo, you could totally rock the elliptical. It takes some getting used to, but I love it because it's so low-impact (virtually no-impact) so that it doesn't hurt my knees or such.

You know what Soph, a couple months ago I was stalled like you are now. What I started doing, was conserving my calories in the morning/afternoon and eating the majority of them in the evening. I suppose if you're not to hungry in the daytime, you can try this. And it's true, depending on the cals burned through exercise, you shouldn't eat less then 2K a day.

For instance, I burn 700+ cals everytime I run. I need to eat AT LEAST 2,000 to support my metobolic functions because I do this. After the deficit, I intake 1,300 cals a day. I can tell you for certain, the great part about vigorous exercise, is it gives you and excuse to eat the things you thought you couldn't. On St. Paddy's day, I ordered a small shamrock shake from McDonald's which was about 450 cals, and because I burn off so much, I was able to comfortably add it into my daily intake. I wouldn't recommed you go out and drink a milkshake everday, but I think as well, I need to every once and a while, throw my body a curve ball by treating myself. I don't seem to be doing anything wrong because I'm still losing, I know.

To get over your plateau, I recommend mixing it up every once and while, but not going overboard. To be honest with you, how I got over mine was by re-vamping my exercise regime with HIIT. I just set my treadmill on a higher setting to increase my heartrate. My body had gotten use to my slower pace and considered it aerobic not cardio I guess. When I finally augmented my heart rate, I seemed to drop the lbs more steadily.

I'm really not educated in this area, but all I can offer you is personal experience. I hope if helps maybe just a little.

Happy middle of the week, honey!

Sophie! I am sorry you having a hard time with your plateau hun. I think I have finally hit my second plateau. After fifteen pounds, it was bound to happen.... oh well ...now I need to walk faster and more. But I have no idea what you could eat to make your caloric intake up, no clue! I don't count calories, well I guess I kind of do, I just make sure I eat less high caloric intake. I generally know how much I should eat and what I should eat during the day, and most of the time I cheat, but I do keep walking for the most part. BUT I have no adive whatsoever. ... but
I want to wish you the best of luck and maybe one of the other gals can help you figure this out...

best wishes hun
you will break this plateau ..we both will!!

best wishes hun
I am at 276.6 and can't seem to get down there, I made my next goal 275 by May lmao ..thats what I had planned in January, with this damn plateau, looks like that is where I will be at!

well ttylater hun
love yas
always
your friend
natalie jo

Hey Sophie! Sorry to hear about your plateau But I'm totally impressed on all of your research that you're putting in to finding out how to fix it!! I have absolutely no knowledge on how to bust through a plateau because I don't have experience having one yet, and all other times I tried to lose weight it was the unhealthy way! So if you figure out a way, make sure to communicate to the rest of us so we know when we get there!!

You'll bust through though, I'm sure of it. You're doing too much good for yourself and your body to not come right through the other side.

Breakfast—Special K bar, oatmeal cooked in ½% milk with mango sauce, coffee with milk and two tsp sugar
Snack—Clif Nectar bar
Lunch—Turkey, cheddar and tomato sandwich with mayo (forgot my packed lunch at home and had to make shift on campus—sigh)
Snack—one half bagel thinly spread with cream cheese, two cups coffee with one tsp sugar and fat-free half-and-half
Snack—soy protein bar
Dinner—90 calories cracker sticks, three ounces ham, baked sweet potato with two tsp butter, brussel sprouts in mustard sauce
Snack—low-fat hot chocolate with half a marshmallow

Did half an hour on the elliptical first thing this morning. It made sure I got my cardio into the day, but it also gave me a headache and sense of malaise all morning long. I think next time I need to save workouts for after breakfast and coffee. I also danced for about fifteen minutes after dinner—it was enough to break a sweat and be panting, so I think it counts as exercise.

My plan is to try mixing up my calories some, in an attempt to jumpstart my body. So today was a quite high calorie day, but tomorrow I'm going to go very light and also do a good long workout. Cross your fingers that this works!

Rach, thanks for the suggestions! I'll try to increase my high-intensity intervals tomorrow and see if maybe that helps. My body, with the size it is, burns a LOT of calories just by existing, and my workouts, when I'm serious, use between 500 and 700 calories, so I know I need to be more aware of that.

Natalie Jo, I don't usually do calories either, but at the same time I try to be aware of roughly the range I'm in, and I did some counting when I began to suspect that I might be too low. Sigh. Plateau sucks. Hope is a lot easier to come by when the numbers keep going down.

Heather, I'll definitely keep track of what I'm doing. That's one of the awesome things about this community is how we can all learn from each other's successes and failures. Still, I'd like to get back to success soon!

Yes Shophie! Fifteen minutes of dancing does count. I do it myself and on fitday where they count all the exercise.. they actually have dancing down there... I sometimes use fit day to check how many calories I burned with my walks ..dancing ..aerobics ..whatever it may be ..

ttylater hun!
love yas
always
your friend
natalie jo

Okay, so thanks to all this talk of water retention, I've been taking a prescribed water pill for the last couple of days. I didn't want to say anything because if it didn't work, I would have lost my last excuse. Well...I got up from my nap today, weighed myself, and it put me at 274.4!!!!! I'm not going to change my ticker yet, but I am going to go ahead and order those DVDs that are my reward. Just wanted to let all of you, who've been so magnificently supportive, know that the weight is still shifting! And that, as of Saturday, I will probably update my ticker with a new mini-goal!

Wheeeeee!!! Early congrats!!! That's unfortunate about the water retention though and the fact that you had to go on meds because of it. :-/ Hopefully it will be resolved with time!! Order that DVD though and ENJOY IT! You have worked so hard to get here, you deserve a reward.

Well, the meds were a choice I made. I have PCOS, and one of the treatments for that is a water pill that helps "flush" the testosterone out. Now, I don't like to be on daily medication for something that doesn't really "fix" anything but only levels my not-too-noticeable hormone imbalances. So I have the prescription, but usually don't take the pills. But being frustrated with not seeing any progress in the scales and wanting to see if I was really plateaued or just bloated, I went ahead and took my prescription. So it's not really a big medical deal, but I was very happy to have those pills handy and approved for me!