Chicks up for a Challenge - Weight Loss Buddies III

Ok girls, I'm writing this from my mobile because I was far too excited to wait and brag about this, so...I had to bring gabriella to Sunday school and hadn't had breakfast so the first place I saw on the way to church was starbucks, so...I get what looks like the healthiest thing on the menu, which was a spinach, feta, tomato and egg white wrap. Well, it comes out and thing is huge! I'm like, oh great, so many times I think I'm doing good and then look up the calories later and get so upset bc it wasn't as healthy as I thought. Well....to my su4rprise, I went on starbucks to look up my massive, oh so delicious, super filling wrap and guess what?! Its only 240 calories! OMG! This is the best news ever, I'm going to start eating these every week it was the most delicious, filling breakfast I had in months...you girls have to try it!

Maybe starbucks should see my post and give me free ones for endorsing their wrap, lol. Ok, g2g...talk to you girls later.

Congratulations Lindy! That is awesome! You are cruising a long! It is crazy how much weight you have lost in such a short amount of time! WOW! YAY!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and that wrap sounds soooooo good. I will definitely be trying that!

Grits-Your daughter looked so beautiful!

Maddiesmom-I'm sooo happy things are starting to look up. Money is always a huge stressor.Hang in there!

So..I'm down 3lbs this week putting me at 196! Yay! I'm inching my way away from the 200s FOREVER! I have been losing at a steady pace. So. I'm confident I'll hit the 180s by Oct 22. I would be ecstatic. That would be almost 30lbs since the last time my husband saw me.. so there would be a huge difference I know! Well I'm off to do some laundry and clean and try to hit the gym before they close. TTYL!

Neesy - that is awesome - woohoo for 196 - WTG!!!
Lindy - wow - you rock! You have done amazing with maintaining and building on your loss from the cleanse! I know you had some frustrating times when the scale wasn't moving the way you wanted this summer but boy, girl, are you ever making up for it now!!! Happy dance!!
Staccie - District 9 was interesting - much more violent than I expected but definitely thought provoking. Is your loss for the week 3lbs? If so, big giant :bravo: to you! Way to move that dial!!
Maddiesmom - yay on the job for your hubby - that must be a huge relief! And way to go on keeping up with the workouts.
Burgundy - good job on the loss this week! Sorry your camping was cut short. I'm headed to Boston this week - should be okay I guess. And no, I didnt make it to 5.6miles yesterday as my knee started to hurt. It's still stiff today and I have lots of work to do so we postponed our hike to next week and I'm going to go for a short run instead. How's your running going? Is it getting easier?
mygrits - hope work went okay yesterday!

I'm just down one pound for the week but I'll happily take it. I'm on schedule with my weekly goals for another challenge. Am shooting for another pound this week but two would be nice. I have a hard time losing when I travel but maybe I'll do better this time.

Have a great day, all!

Hi Ladies, don't have much time, so gotta make it fast...

CONGRATS TO EVERYONE ON THEIR LOSSES! You are all doing so well!

I'm down only 1 pound, but with TOM and stress at work, I'll take what I can get at this point. My goal is to be at 199 by the end of the year...it's 33 pounds in a little over 3 months, so I'm going to work with my trainer and see what we can do to kick this into high gear.

Plus, just found out my sister in law got engaged and now I have to look good for her wedding. So, that's some extra motivation.

Enjoy your weekend ladies!

:celebrate: everyone's loss this week!!! There are hotties in this group;)

I'm so impatient though - it's so much harder to come off than to put on and most times, less fun :devil: But my goal to look less hideous by Halloween is trucking along. Neesy - so happy you are safely below 200 now - I can't wait - so happy for you!! And Lindy - Dance is so right - the struggles you went through this summer are just literally falling off you now...you're going to be in the 150's soon!!! So awesome.

That's awesome to know about Starbucks Lindy - I know if I am desperate for a food thing quick to grab that is a good option. Thanks for sharing!

Well I am off to the gym, much later than I thought I would be, but staying in bed was an option I could not give up this morning. This work, taking care of me balance thing is going to be my main struggle going forward. I don't know how I get in my workouts and still work 12-14 hours a day...ummm.

Tonight is Patrick Swayze night...Ghost and Dirty Dancing with some girls -bring out the kleenex! But we are eating healthy!!

Hope everyone has an awesome day...

Lindy-I am in northern Michigan, so its already getting down in the 30s here at night. We were so cold. I slept in a hoodie all night with the hood on. You are doing an awesome job, 166 is great. No starbucks around here but if we move there will be so I will have to remember that.

Neesy-3 lbs is awesome too, you will be smokin hot by Oct 22nd. Are you just calorie counting??

Dance-I still want to see District 9. Running is getting easier, and it tires the dogs out too, they love it though. Congrats on the lb.

Maddiesmom-congrats to you too on the lb. You will look great for the wedding.

Staccie-looks like you are doing a good job balancing the 2 so far. Can you do something on your lunch, walk around the building or the stairs?

Well, I didnt get past my 1 lb streak, down only 1 again this week. I am going to reevaluate what I am doing and get these lbs falling off. Cant wait for my sister to get 30ds so we can start that. Had another family birthday BBQ today. I had a burger on whole wheat bun with tomato and onion and coleslaw. We played volleyball after lunch and worked some of it off. I am going to try to get a run in today, but have a 2 hour drive home. Maybe I can get Chris' cousin to go with me here before we head home. Hope everyone had a great weekend. I will check in later.

Wow, everyone had a loss this week, so exciting! Ya know, I cannot figure out what Im doing differently in my weight loss but hey...Ill take it. Maybe more organic foods do help? I mean, I always thought chicken is chicken, but I guess organic chicken is better?

Neesy - wow, your husband is going to be blown away. You are so in the zone girl...kudos to you!

Burgundy - omg...30, I would die! Im a northern girl (from Connecticut), but I have been Floridified. Anyway...good job on your 1 lb, something is better than nothing.

Stacie - is that pic with your new hair color? If so, I LOVE IT! I wish I lived there because I would be right there with you, I LOVE...LOVE...LOVE Dirty Dancing. I cried when PS died, Im such a dork but I LOVED him. He was even on my "list", you know---the celebrity list, right? haha.

Dance- I cant believe your almost at goal?! How exciting! So, I saw a girl at the pool the other day that looked my height and she said hi, so I decided to ask her, how much she weighed, lol---I must be nuts! But, when I saw her I was like man, thats exactly the size I want to be. So, I approached her and I apologized ahead of time for asking and told her she could blow me off, but that I would be interested to know, Haha...she gladly shared and congratulated me on my weight loss. She said she sees me in the neighborhood every morning and her and her husband have commented how they see how much Ive lost! Can you believe that?! How awesome! Anyway, long story short, she is 5'3 and weighs 123 pounds, so Im thinking, Im 5'5, so a goal of 130 would be about right for me. Which means---Im only 36 pounds from goal! Wow, I can taste the victory, haha. It does not seem that far away.

Sorry for babbling girls, Im just in all my glory right now. I have NEVER been this low, not since junior high, so this is a huge milestone for me. :)

I'm so glad to see everyone losing. A loss is a loss. We're moving in the right direction girls! YAY!

Rayne-I guesstimate calories. I make sure I eat every 4hrs.. which equals out to be 3-4 meals a day. I make sure the meals I eat are approximately 300-400 calories each. I also throw a couple snacks in. So.. I'm eating constantly throughout the day. I think it has done wonders for my metabolism. Because I use to not eat at all during work.. which was 13hrs! and no breakfast! So.. I'm eating more and losing. It's crazy.

Lindy- That's so funny about the girl at the pool. You are gutsy! But it ended in a compliment rather than a slap in the face. haha. Even strangers are noticing your loss. That has got to be so fullfilling. You go girl! I just realized we are both exactly 36lbs away from our goal weight. ... do I smell a competition. haha I have a feeling though.. I'll want to get below 160. We'll see once it gets closer. That was just the last time I felt skinny. I was about a size 8/9. I don't want to lose my curves. My husband loves them. haha

Staccie- I'm so amazed with your energy to squeeze in those workouts with such long work days. I work 12hrs and there is no way I'm working out afterward or getting my butt up early to go to the gym. You amaze me!

Maddiesmom- That is very doable. You will be in the ones before the new year. I have no doubt. You are doing awesome and you have a great game plan.

Dance- You are steadily getting to your goal. You are awesome!

Hi chickadees - HOT chickadees :belly:

I had a nice afternoon - worked out like a maniac and it felt great. And get this - I ran on the treadmill for 11 min without stopping! I have never done that before. I just pushed and then pushed some more and almost did a mile. I am so proud!!! :yay: After my weights I watched an old episode of the biggest loser and biked 13 miles. It wasn't at a fast pace but I thought I might as well do something useful while watching TV. I feel so awesome. Then I got home and rewarded myself with 20 min in the hottub. AHHHH! In a few hours we are watching movies.

Lindy - I am so happy for you - you deserve every bit of awesomeness you are experiencing and I am really happy that you share it with us because it's very motivational and inspiring. There is nothing that won't be able to accomplish especially with all of that energy, confidence and pride. You go girl!!! I consider myself extremely lucky to have met you on here!!! :sunny:
As for my hair, that is not the new color it's an older photo that I have always loved because I look so healthy. I do a lot of things to my hair so my colorist told me yesterday that he has to do it in stages or my hair will be fried. I pouted but he knows best. Right now it's darker but with some reddish highlights - good for fall. He's amazing.

Neesy - and how amazing will it be when your husband sees you!!!! I appreciate your comment - I don't know how I do it and how I will continue to when things get much worse than they are right now - I guess that is why I have to work out in the morning because I KNOW that I will not be able to do it at night with much effort. Hopefully by the time things get nuts for me again I will have developed some improved habits. Especially with the help from you girls!! I keep thinking of the picture that you posted with 199 on the scale - I LOVED that photo - and I am so going to do the same thing when I get there - I hope you keep that somewhere to be proud of again and again!

Burgandy - I think this past week was good for me personally but professionally was not, I am really behind in my work :( but I have to find a way this week to get done what I need to get done based on priority and not focus so much on impressing everyone and doing things that are not my job. That's very difficult for me to change, but I will do it - in stages I suppose. No matter what though my workouts are a priority, if I can't take out 2 hours a day for myself then I have some major problems. I bet if you step up your workouts a bit more you will see more results - sounds like the 3D's are a good incentive for you - incorporating those into your workouts will chisel some results I am sure!!! :cheer:

Well I am heading for a shower and then settle in for the night. I didn't get any work done today - so tonight after the movies I guess I have to do a few hours :comp:. Hope everyone is having a good day!! Check in tomorrow!!

Neesy - competition accepted...bring it! lol Im totally excited for both of us. Sometimes I wonder if my goal is too low, I guess I will have to see as I continue trucking on. Ill know when I get there. So have you figured out what smokin hot outfit you are going to wear when you see your hubby?

Stacie - wow, 11 minutes! Awesome girl. Oh, thanks for requesting me as a friend on FB! Oh and you are so lucky when you find a good colorist. I love the girl that does my hair but I have yet to find the "perfect stylist". The one time that I LOVED my hair, I got it done at Fantastic Sams, lol...go figure (its like a cheap Great Clips or what have you). Now I go to a ridiculously expensive salon and pay an arm and a leg for a cut and color, its like 120 for my color and 50 for my cut! BUT, my hair does look good, lol. Thank you for the compliment as well, I feel the same way about all of you. Each of you have a quality that I adore, Stacie, it is by far your humor, you make me laugh out loud on an almost daily basis--so thank you.

Girls, call me emotionally sappy but I am really crossing my fingers that everyone can do the cruise (or whatever we decide to do) because I am dying to meet all of you and hang out. I think we would have so much fun together. I think in November (once our competition is over), we will take a poll to see what everyone wants to do. From there, we could probably work out a plan to have everyone pay off their vaca around income tax time, if anyone else has a better idea, please let me know. Anyway---I want to thank all of you for your love and support. I have been through a lot with you girls, from my brother nearly dying, to a divorce, to hitting a plateau and now me in all my glory, and I am so incredibly lucky to be friends with everyone. BIG HUG! Ok, as for me, all is well, no slip ups, staying on track and exercising like a mad woman these days. OH- I do want to ask everyone a question though. Ok, so Im getting to the point where I have lost the most weight I ever have and one problem Ive NEVER had was was loose skin and uh, well...my skin is looking kinda nasty these days. Is anyone or has anyone had this problem? Any suggestions? Im going to have to research this because I just assumed my skin would shrink with the weight loss. :(

Hey girlies! You guys were just what I needed to cheer me up this morning! I was in a major funk yesterday (pmsing) and today's not a whole ton better but catching up on posts helped a lot! Gotta run to finish getting ready for my trip but will check in later....

Hey Dance! Awww....sorry to hear about your funk, we all get in them. I swore I was in a funk this weekend, I did absolutely nothing. My house is a disaster, the laundry is piled up and the only thing I did was sleep - A LOT! But, sometimes we need time like that. Anyway, are you doing any jogging today, maybe that will help? Whats your plan this week so we can keep you on track? Your 9 lbs away---feel the victory!

Lindy-so proud of you and you deserve to be in all your glory. I am excited about meeting all of you too. I hope to be under 200 by then. 14lbs, I know I can do that. Sorry havent gotten low enough yet to worry about the saggy skin.

Neesy-thats what I was doing(eating every 3-4 hrs) but have been slacking lately. I am starting back with it today.

Staccie-11 minutes-:carrot: YAY for you. Biking 13 miles is great too.

Dance-glad we could cheer you up. Hope your trip goes good.

So I got on the scale today and was up a lb. I know its sodium from the diet sodas I drank yesterday. I am drinking a lot of water today.

The rain has finally gotten here to MI. I had planned to go to the beach to run today so change of plans. I am gonna do the dishes and do my golds gym workout. Maybe later this evening it wont be raining and I can take the dogs walking. I dont want fall to come, then it will be winter and there will be tons of snow on the ground. I hate snow. :(

Ok, girls, gotta get up and be productive today. I will check in later

I'm procrastinating at work - doing that really well - ahhh. Oh well, I will buckle down soon. Today was my day off the gym but I got up early anyway to work and didn't get much done then either. I am sore - woo hah!

Lindy - I hear you on the cost - paying over a $100.00 every four weeks is killing me - but I guess it's the price of beauty :) And I would love to meet all of you too - but until I know where the heck I am going to be after this event is over I can't plan anything beyond a nice week in bed! I hate surprises and not knowing what is coming up - it's killing me! As for the skin, well it's different on every person and dependent on location. I had a friend that lost over 100 pounds and she toned up everywhere after about a year but did have to get a tummy tuck. You're young so that should help. Weight training is really important. I am preparing for that too, and should be saving up for a boob job - cause those mountains are going be landsliding very soon, especially when the fat starts falling off of them. To be honest, it's one of my big fears, especially my buffalo wings...ewwww!

Dance - sorry to hear about the arrival of TOM - what an arsehole!!! Hope he shrinks away soon and you have 9 pounds left to your goal!!!!! WOO HAH - that must feel so amazing...

Burgandy - ewww about the rain - I love fall but hate winter too. It's harder to get motivated I find because it's dark out all the time - but at least I don't have to shave my legs as much - hee hee

Well I guess I better get to work - yuck is all I have to say! I probably wont' check in until tomorrow, I am going to the hockey game tonight and I am not eating any carbs this afternoon so I can have a beer!!! Now if I can just stay away from the popcorn and nachoes - I CAN DO IT!!!!!

Rayne-It's hard. You just have to find a routine and foods you can do quick or already prepared.. Good luck!

Lindy-I have no idea what I'm going to wear. It is starting to stress me. It's so much pressure! Haha. I want to wear something that makes me look super skinny, but sexy, but classy at the same time. any ideas??? It is a ceremony afterall.. plus his family will be there. But I really want to impress him too.

Well, today I suffered from the "hand to mouth" disease. I could not stop eating! NOt sure what my problem was, I guess since I splurged here and there over the weekend, my body just wants food. Ok, so here's my bad stuff:

Friday: pizza (with lots of veggies)
Saturday: Chinese food (which actually wasn't good and I only ate 1/2 the portion). Then I had Culver's frozen custard...I hang my head in shame. lol
Sunday: back on the wagon, did well
Today: 1/2 bagel with cream cheese, Chipotle for lunch (haven't had it in months and I had a burrito bowl salad), then I had a small piece of danish and two bite sized mini chocolate bars. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

This is definitely not going to help me reach my goal. I need a food intervention. I did go to the gym last night, didn't want to go, but forced myself to. Not sure what it going on with me, I've done so well for so long. I just need to get back on track. And I will. Normally, since I ate a bad lunch, I would continue on through dinner since I already messed up, but instead, I got back on the wagon and had a lean cuisine. I'm not going to the gym tonight (day off) but I am going to do some work with my medicine ball.

Have a great night ladies.

Maddiesmom- If I were you, I'd try to avoid eating out at all costs. That has really helped me a lot. Don't let this get you down though.. Just keep on movin along. You can do it. I wanna see you in the 1's by the end of the year. Just think about how great that will make you feel. That chinese food isn't gonna make you feel like that.

Good intervention Neesy, I couldnt agree more. Maddiesmom, this is the first "extreme" slip up you have had in the past few months, and when I say extreme, I mean binging past one day a week. Anyway, you gained control, acknowledged that you slipped up and are back on the wagon, thats all you can do girly. Maybe the extra boost in calories is what you needed to trick your body.

Ok Neesy, lets brain storm, lol. Since it will be fall, could you do like a woold or cuorduroy skirt with some knee high boots (like ninewest or candies) and a nice black sweater? Wait...Im imagining my dream outfit, haha---I dont know. You know what will work with your body but I swear, every guy is a sucker for knee high boots and as long as you wear a long enough skirt, it can be considered sophisticated and not hookerish, haha.

Stacie - although you are slightly falling behind with work, your outlook and personality reflect how much happier you are. I just want to point this out to you because its very clear that the healthy eating and exercising is paying off personally and sometimes you just need that for you. Now naturally, you also need a job, haha...but it will get done in due time. Anyway, yeah, I started researching loose skin and it said that this happens when you loose weight too fast, which I imagine is the result of my cleanse. **sigh**, its not too bad and there are actually some things I can do. I started doing 200 sit-ups a day (in various forms) and they said to take a epsom salt bath 2-3 times a week to help exofliate dead skin, etc...etc...etc. Im going to try it. Im afraid of doing any sort of tummy tuck because of that ugly scar. I know...its better than loose skin but I rather try to work at it, ya know. I gave natural child birth, no c-section, so since I dodged that bullet, lol...I would like to keep with my nice tummy. Well, I would call it nice beause I did get bad stretch marks, almost like me and Freddy Kruger got in a fight, lol...but, if I tan, they are hardly noticeable. :) Ok, Im babbling, sorry.

Well, I went a little off path today. :( I skipped the gym because Mr. 16 (we'll leave it at that), was texting me ALL NIGHT LONG...grrrr, and I was just flat out tired. I eventually just turned my phone off. Anyway, then when I woke up I was scraving a Pepsi so bad, so I got one of the big bottles and downed it! 250 calories right there. Then I saw a girl in the elevator with a big box of Cheez-its----mmmm, Cheez Its, my downfall. And she offered me some, so I accepted, so Im guess, thats about another 250 calories. So, Im already at 500 and have not had anything even relatively filling, grrrr. Oh well, Ill try to get a 3 mile jog in tonight to try and compensate. Ok, babbling...again. Ill catch up later.

Howdy from Boston!

Lindy - I ran in the 40-degree rain (random cold snap) yesterday morning before heading out on my trip. Brrr! It helped a bit though as did a good night's sleep last night. And 9lbs left to an intermediate goal, definitely not the final goal. I was too chicken to be majorly ambitious when I first set up my ticker. I'll set up another long term one down to 145 when I get a sec. I'm all about the aim low and exceed expectations technique! :) On the skin thing, you're so young - I'm sure everything will snap back into place. It's just that your losses were soooo quick! I'm way older than you (and less elastic as a result) but don't have loose skin particularly (just some still squishy bits that I need to lose), probably because my body has had a chance to readjust along the way. You probably just need to give it a little more time and keep on doing all the right stuff! In the meantime, spanx are our friends ;)

maddiesmom - way to get back on the wagon! We definitely want to get you on the onederland express so it's not that I'm supporting the idea of splurging all the time but an occasional treat doesn't have to ruin the whole week, right? I used to do that downward spiral a lot too - nice to know we're learning along the way, isn't it?

neesy - the old what to wear dilemma - hmmm... You can't go too wrong with a little black dress - and if you get the right cut (maybe jersey a-line with a bit of an empire waist) it might fit for a while even as you lose weight. You could always add some pizazz with a great necklace and shoes. Is there a color he especially loves to see you in?

staccie - how did it go at the hockey game?

Am going to do my best to stick to plan and pick up some healthy snacks along the way today. Dinner last night was awful (salmon and spinach, should've been good but wasn't) and as a result, I ate too many nuts at the hotel bar. I have shinsplints today from rushing through the airport in the wrong shoes yesterday so no running or fast walking for me today. May try the exercise bike at the hotel gym for a bit later on. Talk to you gals later...

Hi Girls,

Wow, I am shocked, and proud with the weightloss on here!!! Oh, should I say "speachless."

Neesy, my gosh 196!!! Woo Hoo! Your husband will be speachless! LOL......I mean you will look so smokin hot when he see's you!

Lindy 166????????????? I would say the lemonaide worked! LOL......It seems your feeling good, which is wonderful. I did see your question on loose skin and I suffered from that when I lost all my weight 2 years ago. I remember my son saying my skin feels like Dee Dee's, which is my 84 year old mother. From my studies, it was a result of rapid weightloss which caused muscle loss. I still haven't regained the muscle.......ugh. So, that is why I am a believer is slow, steady weightloss with strength training.

Burgund you are ahead of me down........dang......how did that happen? I was ahead of you! Good for you, as you deserve it. It is my own fault for slacking because of working now! Oh, I need to catch up!

Dance congratulations on the 160's, and oh, how I envy the cool weather you are having. Please send some our way!!!

Well, I am on here again, sorry for the 2 day break, but I put alot of hours in at the new job and was exhausted. I am working as much as I can to "keep" the job, and get bills caught up. New employees are 'watched' for the first 30 days to see how it goes........so pray! With the stress, exhaustion and all I haven't been eating great...........you know 'emotional, stress eating' my downfall. I am at 216.6, so I am up, but I will get it off, I just need to find my niche' with working and foods. It is a Health Food Store and they have fantastic smoothies and all that are made from real fruit and not sugar syrups. So I just need to figure out calories and all. After seeing everyones weightloss I am determined to get back in the game. I may not win our contest, but dang it I will get this weight off before the holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have missed you all and will check in later today.

All great ideas girls. I'm gonna try to find me some knee high boots that will fit and wear a nice skirt or dress. My husband has rarely seen me in a dress. So.. I think that will catch his attention. I'll post pictures of the finalists and you guys can help me choose.. haha

Hi ladies,

Well it was an interesting night. First of all, I didn't eat any carbs really yesterday so I can save room for beer. And ahem, let's just say that I had 4 - yes 4. And I was, needless to say I was drunk :hyper: So that part, not so good. But I have to share this because it's NEVER happened to me before. There wasn't much 'good' food to have at the arena so I did have a small hotdog but I could have had so much worse - so a little lips, arse and hoof on a bun was ok :)

So, I didn't eat anything bad even once I started drinking, my friend had nachoes right beside me and I never even ate one. And I never had popcorn which is UNHEARD of when I am at a hockey game. So that was good. Then on the way home I knew I was super hungry. Now normally, I got to Rotten Ron's (McDonalds) or eat chips, pop, chocolate milk or something just as bad. I went to the grocery store and bought Special K and had some cerel when I got home. Everytime I saw something that I wanted, I said no and moved on.

NEVER have I been this determined. Usually when I drink, which isn't often but all the same, I go nuts with everything. The fact that I controlled myself shows just how serious I am and I was very proud of myself. Yeah, the beer I could have stopped at 2 and know better for next time, but holy crap, I can't believe I didn't eat bad!!!!

I feel like arse today though, I had big expectations of working out this morning but since I went to bed to with one foot on the floor and one on the bed, there was no chance this morning, I was dizzy. So, I'm going for yoga tonight. I have a huge project due tomorrow that I have to work on as soon as I am done on here :)

Maddiesmom - I agree with the girls - try and keep eating out to a minimum, I know it's hard with work and everything but maybe keeping healthy snacks in your purse, etc. We've all been there - in my case last night it was the dreaded beer. You are doing so awesome though so swallow that up and keep on trucking!!!

Lindy - thanks for the comment - I feel so much healthier and happier and I love that feeling. It's worth being a bit behind in my work because I need to face it, me feeling a bit behind - no one else notices because I am always 5 steps above what normal people should be. I just need to adjust my work priorities a little better, so I am trying to do that - it doesn't happen overnight I suppose - but I need to keep focus on me first. So thanks so much for that!!! And it sure sounds like you have a place to tighten up that skin!!! You are doing it the right way and not opting out for the easy way which is awesome!!! 200 sit-ups a day - whoosh!!! You're going to have abs of steel woman! And I bet you had some slipups because you were so tired...but sounds like you have a plan tonight (like me) to make up for it :) At least you are aware of it and not letting the rest of the day go to ****!

Dance - Boston - lucky you! I always wanted to go there!!! Woo hoo about running in the rain - well not that it rained but that you did it!! Hope the nuts didn't make you nutty - lol - ok that was bad!!!

Mygrits - well at least you're not working at a fast food place - that would be terrible!!! What a huge adjustment for you - but like I said before, I bet you are doing so great there. We miss you too on here, but happy to see you make the time. I admire that!!

Well I better get to work, will check in later. Hope everyone is having an awesome day!

Staccie, way to go on not indulging in Evil Ron, or junk at the grocer, or chips & dip, or buttery popcorn........HOOYAH! You control your urges and had a healthier choice...cereal! I am so proud of you, because it is hard not to bend to the urges, and to have a crock-on and not indulge - even better! Thank you to for your kind words of encouragement......the last two weeks have been challenging......

Well today was good, and gosh was it nice to be home and relax. I did go to the grocery store, which exhausted me because my body is so tired, but I was able to get some healthy food for the next few days. It is amazing how tired my body is, because I could go - go - go when home. I would vacuum, mop, walk 3 miles, swim, walk the dog, cook, clean........I really thought physically I was doing good, but dang this job is wiping me out! Hopefully I can get a handle on it quick.

Hey gals -
mygrits - Sorry you're so worn out from the new job - just think how much harder it would be to stand all day before you started this weight loss journey! Do you stock shelves or work the cash register or both? If you're stocking, those arms should be getting quite a workout too!

Neesy - great idea - would love to see pix of the final outfit selections!

staccie - that's some major willpower! I'm impressed! Glad you're doing so well - you so deserve it!

After a run of restaurant bad luck, I finally had a nice meal - salmon with broccoli and green beans. Am planning on going back to the same place tomorrow...

Hey Dance.......yes, your right it would have been more difficult prior to losing what I have lost, however they probably wouldn't have hired me back then. It just totally opposite of my last 30 year career working in an Executive Office behind a computer and responsbile for other employees. Honestly now I didn't really want the office career anymore - been there, done that - so I didn't apply for anything in that arena (in Deland & Daytona there wasn't much anyway). I really wanted something different and have always been a believer in nutritional health. I was raised that way and got more into it around 18 years ago. Anway, it is a nice change, and I am learning alot, but with my age and weight it is hard on the legs. I guess this means I need to lose weight NOW........LOL..... I just pray I can 'keep' this job for awhile........1) to learn 2) to keep the paychecks coming. As far as my duties, I am training to run the Smoothie/Sandwhich area, Sell, Product ordering, Cashier, Stock and whatever else. Then need another Manager, but I don't know if I want that responsibility (and hours). Time will tell.

Bye the way Dance, congrates on your weight loss and staying focused. Your a great inspiration!

Neesy-yea its hard but I have eaten and worked out better the last 2 days and really buckled down with both. Thanks.

Maddiesmom-how is you eating now. You gotta get back on that horse and keep going. You are doing so well. No more binge weekends, you gotta get to your goal. We are both trying to get to onederland, lets make it together.

Lindy-how did the eating go the rest of the day with the binge this morning? You got right back to eating great, right??

Dance-running in the rain, you are committed. I didnt run the other day cos it was raining. Having fun in Boston. Glad dinner was better than yesterday.

Sandy-you will catch up again, but I am aiming for 2 lbs this week. Gotta get over the 1 lb streak. Hope work gets easier and easier and I am sure it will. Hope you can check in more often. We miss your smiling face around here.

Staccie-yay for not eating the bad stuff at the game. Dont you love how your willpower gets better and better. A few weeks ago I had some baked lays and some dip. I ate 6 chips with dip, closed the dip and put the chips away. Big accomplishment for me, before losing weight I would have eaten half the bag and dip.

So I am back at 213 today. My sis got her copy of 30ds and we started today. I went back to level one with her since I havent done it in about a month. I didnt wait til the evening to do it like I used to. I got up, had breakfast and then Jillian kicked my ***. I was sweating so much. Had a nice relaxing day at home. It didnt rain so spent a lot of time outside letting the dogs play in the puddles.

I cant wait to get these next 2 lbs off so I can add another sun. I know I could have lost more by now, but slow and steady wins the race, right? I just want to get to 199 by the time I see my family next. Thats only 14 lbs.

Gonna try to sleep, have a great night everyone.

Good evening everyone - most of you are probably sleeping. I was - I got home from work and totally passed out and now I am going to be up all night working on my project - ahhhh! Lesson learned, going out and drinking was not worth losing a day at the gym and being so tired today! :rollpin: At least I didn't engage in bad eating behavior today being hungover - I had a big protein shake in the morning, a salad with turkey at lunch, chicken, egg and brown rice for dinner and then a sf jello, raspberries and some special K for a snack. But my cravings were rearing their ugly head today - coke zero, chocolate, etc. Getting up in the morning to work out is going to be tough tomorrow....but I can't fall out of my routine.

Mygrits - I bet you are losing some inches doing all that work and learning about nutrition is going to pay off. I admire that you went to something new as well - sometimes it's so easy to go back to what we know and what is familiar.

Dance - glad to hear you had a good dinner tonight :hun: and that you're making good choices while being away!!

Burgandy - glad to hear you got the 30ds - I bet on Sunday you're going to see a bigger change on that scale! I am curious about this CD but I do so bad at working out at home. 199 is coming around the corner!!!

Lindy - hope you made it through the rest of the day with no binging...I am sure you did though!! Your willpower and/or bounce back is always admirable.

I just realized I did this on the old thread...whoops! See you all on the new thread tomorrow!!!

***UPDATE***
Didn't catch up but I will tomorrow evening. We are in Flagstaff AZ for the night. Tomorrow we drive 3 more hours and move into our new temp home. Crazy long day. Miss you all!

Hey AJ! We started a new thread. Weight Loss Buddies IV... It's under Chicks ups for a challenge. See you at the new one!