[Nicholsfamily1987]

Weigh in was bad. Was up to 142.0 this morning. First bad weigh in while doing this. I'm really thinking I'm not going to hit my goal... blah!

[Scotsgal]

So I jumped up and back down again on the scale over the last few days, getting the balance right is quite difficult. This morning I was 275.9 which is .4 up from my lowest, but I have been working out quite hard this week. Tuesday I threw that chocolate spread out and walked for 1 hour, then hit the gym at night. Wednesday I walked for an hour again (nearly killed the pooch), Yesterday I was baby sitting when I should of went for a swim, but I still went to the gym last night for a very good session. Today I went for that swim and burned 688cal, tonight I will get a walk in with the dog for maybe 45mins or so. Gym tomorrow morning!

If I can keep this up for 2 weeks at the very least, Keep and eye on those dam calories, and just push on through, I should see the 260's very soon... But seems to be testing my patience at the moment.

I ordered a white body con dress yesterday , This is a big thing for me because....

1) I NEVER wear white. I am a messy person, I always have been since a baby. Mum never let me have white trainers when I was a child or teen because of it. I also talked myself into thinking that Fat people shouldn't wear white. So Yesterday I ordered a white dress to see what it looked like on. If its horrible, Ill return it. But it nice to know I am starting to experiment with other clothes.

2) I never wear fitted dresses. I have a large bust at 50" but a small high waist at 43" then a gut at 50" to a butt and hip measurement of 46". I am like the shape of a snowman with no butt. I always wear skater dresses or a swing dress that needs to be altered and brought in and the high waist. So this is again a new challenge for me, If I like it..... but has a little too much tummy tightness, then I will keep it for the summer and hopefully wear it to my nephews Christening.

[Nicholsfamily1987]

Completely self sabotaged this weekend! Got down to a low I haven't seen in awhile and destroyed it with bad foods and lack of workouts all weekend. Back on track today so hopefully it won't hurt me to bad for Thursdays weigh in...we will see though.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

[Riestrella]

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has shared words of encouragement and support to my decision to step out of the challenge. It means so much to me that you would take the time to write me a message, I have read each and every one of your posts multiple times. Thank you for supporting my decision and for supporting me as a person. I know depression/anxiety is more common than I think but I come from a family who don't take mental illness seriously so I always worry that no one will understand. You're all such wonderful people and I am most definitely still around rooting for you even if I don't post. For those who are worried that maintaining the spreadsheet might be too much work please don't worry about that. I'm still more than happy to post up the charts every Monday! So here are week 6 charts

Overall Chart:


20-Somethings Chart:

[Scotsgal]

So Ive hit a new low of 273.6 which is great! Those 260's are approaching

Ive been really good the past 2 weeks and I hope that I can stick on track and not fall off the wagon. My sister is due her baby in the next few weeks or so, although she has went 2 weeks late for her last 2 kids, so It would be nice to see her not go at the end of March. Might surprise us all!

More people are starting to notice my weight loss which is very exciting. I go to Germany in 11 weeks and really want to get in the right zone for it! My aim was always to lose 75lbs before my best friends wedding in June, so I would love to have a fair whack of that off by my trip. EXCITED

How is everyone??

[Claygirl1518]

I'm still struggling a bit, but I'm trying to make some life changes. I just started work last week working 3 mornings a week. I also joined a local pottery studio and dropped off my first batch of items to be fired last week (i'll go check on them soon!) .I've been having trouble staying on track in the afternoons mostly. Things have been so stressful the past couple of weeks, and i keep trying to make the stress and pain go away with food but it ends up making me feel worse. Im working on reminding myself what my goals are to stop overeating.

I'm weighing in around 206 right now, but oddly enough I feel extremely bloated right now. water weight is my nemesis!



Scotsgal: wow great job! You are doing amazing!!!

Riestrella: I totally understand. I've been depressed the past few months and it has been really rough. You need to take care of your mental health first. It's not as easy as just snapping out of it like a lot of not so understanding people say. Its a healing process that takes time. Take all the time you need to heal, we will still be here fo

[Scotsgal]

Went to the gym yesterday morning and I am starting to feel the pain in my right elbow come back, which means that when I see my surgeon on the 13th March, I may need another dose of Cortisone I was really hoping that once it wore off, I would be back at 100%. But I suppose I was asking for too much considering I have not been looking after it for about 12 years . On a brighter note, I have also decided to start making some summer clothes and sell them for some extra income. I am very handy on a sewing machine, even bought a new one. Hoping that maybe I could start up a little online shop for uk size 8-24, which is US 4-20. Selling cute summer dresses, bardot tops, maxi skirts, tank tops, beach bags and shorts. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to bring in the money.

Clay I hope your pottery comes out really nice , I hope that you are able to find a way not to snack in the afternoons. Do you feel that your lunch is full enough? are you actually hungry when you snack? if not, maybe you need to dedicate yourself a snack if you don't do it already, maybe something low in calories but with a little chocolate on it to make you feel like you've had a little treat without going overboard. If you already do all that, then I really hope that some will power will come blowing your way. Good luck!

[Zucena]

I've been doing well for the most part! I had a trip to visit my friend and her family last weekend so the week before that I worked really hard to get in 1-1.5 hours of exercise each day and keep my calories low (1200-1300). Then my goal for my vacation was to eat smaller portions while still enjoying myself which I successfully did. I only ate a third of pad thai one day, half of a burrito and only one chocolate another day and had a pancake breakfast the next day but skipped lunch and had a small dinner that night. Then when I came back from my trip I was down to 136! That is officially my lowest adult weight ever I went back to doing my workouts and I got down to 135.5 which is so crazy to me.

The weather was so nice the last three days so I've been running which has been a LOT of fun. I did a 5k in 29:57 and yesterday I did my arm workout and I was able to do 35 pushups in a row and I'm starting to be able to lift myself up for chin ups. Fitness achievements like that help push me forward when the scale doesn't move and I love feeling like I'm making tangible progress. Also I tried on some new clothes at H&M and I went from a size 12 to a size 8 in pants and can now fit comfortably into a M in basic tops so that was a big boost for me. I had a maintenance day on Friday because I was feeling hungry and needed a mental day and that was really fun and helped me. Yesterday I ate much better but after my arm workout, I was hungry all day so I had a smaller deficit than I hoped. But at least I'm still feeling committed and I accept that even if the weight loss is slower than I hoped for, as long as it happens, that's all that matters.

Nichols TDEE is total energy expenditure, you can google a calculator for it, put in your stats and it'll tell you what you burn each day (use sedentary and then add in average exercise calories which are usually 200-300 or so). Then you can subtract your calories from it and the number that is left is how many calories your deficit is which will help you see how much weight you should be losing each week even if you don't see it on the scale. I'm sorry you've been struggling but just get back on track and you should see that low number again in no time!

Scotsgal Great job with all the exercise! And it's awesome that you're buying a new dress that you've never worn before, it's great to use this process to try new things. Congrats on the new low! I'm sure you can lose a lot of weight before your friends wedding and surprise people I hope the pain goes away soon

Riestrella I'm glad all the words helped you! I have many friends with depression and anxiety and definitely take it seriously as everyone in society should. Hyperbole and a Half has some great posts about it if you're looking for a funny take on it. I hope the break helps you and please get whatever help you need

Clay Glad you're making some life changes! I'm sorry things have been stressful but try to find some other self-care things to do besides food. Remember, if you're not hungry then food is not the solution to your problem. Good luck and I hope the water weight falls off soon!

[Riestrella]

Week 7 Charts everyone!

Overall Chart:


20-Somethings Chart:

[Nicholsfamily1987]

Well I've completely ruined any loss that I've had. I destroyed it. The week and weekend were so destructive I completely went off the rail and ate whatever and everything I saw. No working out either. Back on top of it today. I'm ready for a fresh start though. I need a new challenge.

[Claygirl1518]

Weighed in at 205.6 this morning. I've been eating much better, staying busy has actually helped. Being bored is not good for me! I also just started stitch fix because shopping for clothes with my son is a nightmare, and I haven't bought new clothes in a year and a half. Everything I have is so ratty and doesn't fit very well. I got a couple new pieces and it's already inspiring me to take better care of myself. I can't wait to get more cute things in the mail!

Scots: Thanks! I think for the most part the problem is that my appetite is still high (which happens to me a lot when I haven't been dieting and try to restart). I've been snacking on clementines a lot, which has been helping!

Zucena: Thanks so much. You're absolutely right. I had that realization a few days ago, that I'm making myself even more unhappy by trying to squash unhappiness with food. Sometimes I just need to get my head back on straight! It sounds like you are doing amazing! way to go!

[tinneranne2]

(i'm not part of this challenge, just a lurker)

I was wondering if there is going to be a challenge after this one? I saw that Riestrella is taking some time off. Is anyone else heading something up after the conclusion of this challenge? I'd like to get in on the action next time around.

[Riestrella]

I'll run another challenge after this one, but I was taking a break in the participation sense!

[Nicholsfamily1987]

Yes a new challenge would be great!

[Scotsgal]

So the last few days have been a little crazy and off routine, so I have had 2 days high in calories, no workouts and a lot less sleep than usual. So my plan tonight was to do a little work, so that tomorrow I can have all day to workout. Its been quite stressful the last few days, so I need to get my butt out of it.


I cant wait for a new challenge, because it should end at around the time I go back to Germany which would be a nice kick up the butt