week 7??? is that right?

Hi ladies. This week wasn't to.bad, got in 3 days of activity. I was up in weight slightly, but I'm not stressing it. Have a great week everyone!

Is food addicting?

I've been struggling the past few weeks in a lot of areas, not just my weight loss. Or lack thereof. It's such a cliche, but reaching for food for comfort whenever I am down or angry is a Pavlovian response for me. I did it Saturday, even though I tried SO hard to find a substitute. And when I put that first bit of "comfort" food in my mouth, I swear I could feel my brain light up like a pinball machine. Then I magically felt better - until later when the guilt kicked in. Such a vicious cycle. And you know, I like the food I have been eating, all the healthy things that do manage to find their way inside my body, plus exercising 30 or 45 minutes, but - are these the things that I reach for when I'm down? No. At least, I do at first but these things do not take the edge off my hunger feelings. Then I go for the big guns - usually fat and salt, like chips or fries. Therefore, food is addicting.

Hello ladies, I have been completely focused on studying the last week and a half and my whole diet and exercise routine has taken a backseat to it, so I am not doing great on the planning ahead exercising and eating right. I take my exam on the 5th of July so heres hoping I don't gain 20lbs from stress between now and then LOL :) Hope everyone has a great week!

week 7

Holy smokes I'm down 1.6... next week is "the" week of the month to test if this is a fluke, or more. My mantra "keep going". Honestly I have weeks like this week where I feel pretty good and then I just eat horribly because I think I can and that results in that good feeling feeling like its unreachable again. I'm also WAY stressed at work... must... keep... going...! Not because I'm so determined to lose more weight, but I am determined to make it a REAL loss. I've lost 5 pounds before. I joke saying I can pee that out. But it is true. Its not a real loss unless it stays off. I'm pretty comfortable not losing anymore (though I haven't cracked that one number I'd like to crack) if I can keep feeling good. My worry is that I'll binge when this is all over, must keep going even after the challenge. Must make real life choices, easy choices, this can't be all diet food all the time, its got to be balance. Because if its not, its not going to work. Keep going!

reading about calories...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/19brody.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://m.dummies.com/how-to/content/setting-a-reasonable-calorie-level-for-weight-loss.html http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/weight-loss-myth-the-more-calories-you-cut-the-more-weight-youall-lose.html#b Some easy to read articles about calorie cutting. Still no closer to an answer of what to tweak for my plan. I do know people who work out a lot and it wasn't until they increased their calories that they lost significant weight. They were pretty well educated on the topic though and refined their exercise with weights and cardio as well as their diet. They also had about 20-30 pounds to lose to be fit. (they also just had twin baby girls yesterday, yay babies!)

Hello, I was also up .6 this afternoon. I was shocked that it suggested more calories for me on the American Heart Association website. Last week I was on vacation so, I knew I wouldn't be perfect all week, so being up only .6 and I did get exercise in, so I feel good about it! Hopefully tomorrow I stay within my fat grams and earning the extra 2 points should be easy. Hope everyone has a great week! Here is another recipe I got from weight watchers, sounds good so, I wanted to share:

Mango Salsa!

Larger Image

Weight Watchers Recipe

Ratings (479)

1PointsPlus Value

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 0 min

Other time: 0 min

Serves: 8

This homemade salsa will add tropical sweetness to grilled fish and meat. Or serve it with a store-bought roasted chicken for a flavorful no-cook meal.

Ingredients   1 large mango(es), finely chopped      1 medium sweet red pepper(s), finely chopped      1/2 medium uncooked red onion(s), finely chopped      1/2 medium jalapeño pepper(s), seeded, minced (don't touch seeds with bare hands)    1 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped    2 Tbsp fresh lime juice    1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste    1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste    Instructions Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss to mix and coat. Yields about 1/3 cup per serving. Notes Omit the jalapeño if you do not want the salsa to be spicy.

week 6

Week 6, up .6 pounds. I feel stagnant and like I'm not really doing what I should be doing to lose weight. Not sure how to break out of that and really CHANGE.

Like Megan, I noticed my calorie suggestion was higher then what I'm consuming most days and the fat was a bit lower. Maybe I need to mess with that balance too? I'm honestly not sure.