[readyfreddy]

determined - looks cute!

yesitsme- LOVE it! we will need a pic of you in it sipping a low-cal beverage by the beach lol

heres the one i bought...

http://store.nexternal.com/shared/St...t=products.asp

i wish i could have bought that body! lol

hmm its just taking you to the main page... its the 3rd one down on the right hand column

[SunshineRunner]

LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!!! I'm just singing cause I feel so happy about myself! At the pool again today (I know, it seems like I don't work...but I do...I work from home w/my own business...so I can make time for things!) I got some good color in for an hour and am sooooo excited for a weekend at another beach besides mine...going 90 minutes up the road and I am LA LA LA LA LA!!! HAPPY!

~LOVE ALL THE BIKINI'S Y'ALL PICKED OUT - GORGEOUS!!!

As for the Victoria Secret sizing - they have always run big IMO...so you should be more than okay!!!

[yesitsmeagain]

Good to know about the sizing!

My only other bikini is Old Navy from like, 5 years ago. I like it and it was CHEAP! Those are really cute prints they have this year.

[RoseTears]

y'all were just chattin it up yesterday! :-) Gettin your bikini shopping on and such...very cute! I haven't even started looking for any yet, maybe i'll do that today and print out a pic of it, plaster it on my fridge = MORE motivation! hehe

[RoseTears]

Originally Posted by ella13

Rose tears- I can completely empathies with you about your teeth. I had braces for 4 and a half years retainers for 3 and a total of 14 teeth pulled (I was a mess) but now I have strong straight teeth and it was SO worth it! How exciting that you are almost done with that journey!

And what the heck is CLA?

wow girl...what kind of braces did you have that kept them on for 4 years? i've had mine 2 1/2 and i have the self-ligating speed braces. lol they would have been off over a year ago if i hadn't had to wait for a surgery date for as long as i did. *humph* I had jaw surgery, no teeth pulled....ouchie!

[RoseTears]

Today was the first day I felt up to working out since last wednesday...and my lungs are still pretty weakened from coughing up phlem for a week. yuck! But i made it through a zumba workout and finally got to add some minutes to my ticker down there, it was getting lonely!

[Determined in Texas]

Originally Posted by RoseTears

Today was the first day I felt up to working out since last wednesday...and my lungs are still pretty weakened from coughing up phlem for a week. yuck! But i made it through a zumba workout and finally got to add some minutes to my ticker down there, it was getting lonely!

Well I am glad you are getting to feeling better. One of my biggest problems is after I get better I am out of habit and its hard to get started back up! Way to go!!!!

[TigerSoup]

Originally Posted by RoseTears

Today was the first day I felt up to working out since last wednesday...and my lungs are still pretty weakened from coughing up phlem for a week. yuck! But i made it through a zumba workout and finally got to add some minutes to my ticker down there, it was getting lonely!

Way to go! Glad you're feeling better =)

[Determined in Texas]

Ok girls. I really need an encouraging word or two. I did get on the scale and I did weigh my self. I weighed 168.5 That is kinda what I was expecting. I have lost at least 10 pounds. I then tied the numbers in with my size and I feel like I am never gonna get there. I never should of weighed my self. I feel like I am not getting far enough fast enough. I know I still have a gut and hips but its manageable. I think that I really shouldnt of given in. I wanted to know where I was starting at. K no more scale. I am gonna do this. It could be so much worse. I see people every day that struggle to walk because they are so big. I need to look at the positive. I am moving this goal to the begging of June because that is really when summer starts here in Texas. I can try. I think I will pick up my exercise. I do a video segment that includes a five min warm up and a five min cool down. Then you can add different things in the middle. Its the biggest looser workout dvd #2 I think I will add another segment. I only do one a day which is 10-15 min. I think I will add one more segment. I also have been walking/biking to work for my cardio. I had about 1,150 calories today so that was good. Surely I can make good progress if I cant make it all of the way. Anyways the big thing to remember is that I always look back and think " If I had only started then, if I had only kept it up then" This time I am keeping it up. Thanks guys. I really needed to get this off of my chest.

[TigerSoup]

Determined, losing 10+ pounds itself is an amazing accomplishment! So many people think "I should lose weight!" but never do anything about it, or quit long before they see that kind of result. It's definitely something worth being proud of! Just a couple days ago, I was looking over my blog and thought "Wow, I've never kept a New Years resolution this long before... I think this will finally be the year that I stick with it for the long run!" You *will* get there, but the time it will take can only be determined by your mind and body working together.

For me, this thread is more of an inspiration than an expectation... it would be awesome to look great in a bikini, but I know that there are a lot of people who have much less body fat than I do that *still* don't feel confident enough to sport that much skin out in public. Given my situation though, I'm doing my best, and I try to be satisfied with that (though of course I wish I could move my ticker down through sheer force of mind, cause I totally would). Whether or not you make your dream goal, you're going to look fantastic after all the hard work you'll put in over the next few weeks! And if you continue a healthy lifestyle, you're only going to be happier and healthier as a result.

When you get frustrated, you can always dance around in your dress and remind yourself of what you've already done through your efforts ;-)

[TigerSoup]

Urgh, I hope I'm retaining water due to TOM, because I've just regained all the weight I lost this month. Surely the few pieces of white bread and jam I had with lunch did not cause me to recover my 5 pounds lost! Today and this week in general have been hard, but I've worked out 4 of the past 5 days, and I generally took care in what I ate, not staying 100% on plan today but really making an effort given that I was eating out for both lunch and dinner. And I thought I had been eating so well for the rest of the week! I reeeeaally hope this turns out to be just TOM-weight, otherwise I'm worried that what optimism I have left in my abilities is going to go out the window.

[DaisyNicole]

Originally Posted by Determined in Texas

I had about 1,150 calories today so that was good. Surely I can make good progress if I cant make it all of the way. Anyways the big thing to remember is that I always look back and think " If I had only started then, if I had only kept it up then" This time I am keeping it up. Thanks guys. I really needed to get this off of my chest.

1150 Calories? That's more than likely what you need to change a bit. That's just too low! 1200 is the least you should EVER eat and even that is very low! I'd definitely bump that up at least a couple days a week and never go below 1200. Your body will go into starvation mode and start slowing down the metabolism, and then start using your muscle as energy instead of fat.

[souvenirdarling]

I've heard that too Daisy. Mind you, at 1150 it's very likely you're actually at 1200 - I don't know how meticulous about measuring. If its going to slow down your metabolism, it's much better to up it around 1300or 1400. All the literature assures that you'll still lose weight at that level.

[Determined in Texas]

Originally Posted by DaisyNicole

1150 Calories? That's more than likely what you need to change a bit. That's just too low! 1200 is the least you should EVER eat and even that is very low! I'd definitely bump that up at least a couple days a week and never go below 1200. Your body will go into starvation mode and start slowing down the metabolism, and then start using your muscle as energy instead of fat.

Originally Posted by souvenirdarling

I've heard that too Daisy. Mind you, at 1150 it's very likely you're actually at 1200 - I don't know how meticulous about measuring. If its going to slow down your metabolism, it's much better to up it around 1300or 1400. All the literature assures that you'll still lose weight at that level.

Harris-Benedict formula
Accourding to the formula I need 1439 calories to maintain. Not to loose. Then you are supposed to reduce your calorie intake to loose. To loose a pound a week you half to reduce your intake by 500. So I usually do aim for around 1200-1400 even though yesterday it was 50 below and I didnt measure exactly (I didnt at in the olive oil spread which I had twice which was about 2 servings which equall 90 calories). Then I exersice for the rest of the calories.
SO ar it has been working out for me. If I find that I quit getting skinnier then I will fix it but its working for me. Also its not 1200 every day. Considering I didnt really eat any lunch because I didnt get a break at all when I was at work. I also have one cheat meal a week which I save calories for. That being said I really appreciate your thoughts and concerns it really means alot to me!!! Thanks guys!

[Determined in Texas]

Originally Posted by TigerSoup

Determined, losing 10+ pounds itself is an amazing accomplishment! So many people think "I should lose weight!" but never do anything about it, or quit long before they see that kind of result. It's definitely something worth being proud of! Just a couple days ago, I was looking over my blog and thought "Wow, I've never kept a New Years resolution this long before... I think this will finally be the year that I stick with it for the long run!" You *will* get there, but the time it will take can only be determined by your mind and body working together.

For me, this thread is more of an inspiration than an expectation... it would be awesome to look great in a bikini, but I know that there are a lot of people who have much less body fat than I do that *still* don't feel confident enough to sport that much skin out in public. Given my situation though, I'm doing my best, and I try to be satisfied with that (though of course I wish I could move my ticker down through sheer force of mind, cause I totally would). Whether or not you make your dream goal, you're going to look fantastic after all the hard work you'll put in over the next few weeks! And if you continue a healthy lifestyle, you're only going to be happier and healthier as a result.

When you get frustrated, you can always dance around in your dress and remind yourself of what you've already done through your efforts ;-)

Thankyou so much. The thought of my dress does make me feel so much better. And your right. However far I make it is how ever far I make it. I will be great wherever I end up at the end of the challenge and I will be a better person because of it. Thanks that really meant alot to me!!