Oh come on, irish, it is the BEST! You are doing amazing awesome on 30DS (and hula hooping! SERIOUSLY!? I couldn't do that when I was fit and weighed in at 147 opossed to my huge butt now! KUDOS on that!)

Last night SHOULD have been my last night on L1 for 30DS, but because I took so much time off with the whole thing with Pappy, I decided I need to keep at it a little longer, so I moved on to the harder moves (is it just more, or did you notice she cheated!!!) I figure I will do that a few more nights before I move onto L2. I'll feel more comfortable about it and less stressed. After I completed 30DS last night, I dug up an old Kathy Ireland workout DVD. I used to have that thing well over 10 years ago when I was fit and I LOVED it...I was surprised to find I still had it. In any case,I put that in last night and WOWZA my abs are burning today! But I LOVE the feeling of burned abs (I want that muscle group to be sore even.)

But in any case...I have my quote of the day...but today, not only did it touch me, I thought it might bring some meaning to Shero, as you seem to be having a tough time here of late:

"Most of the important things in the world have been achieved by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." (Dale Carnegie)

Have a great OP day!

What is 30DS?

I did end up on the scale and have gained back 5#. Last week was a tough one, husbands birthday, valentines day, bosses birthday. All excuses aren't they.

I think one of the problems is that when i weigh in and have lost it's like I give myself permission to pig out.

Am I ready to quit-no-am I ready to try to understand my actions better yes.....

Am I confused by all the thoughts going through my head-yes.

Bet you are all confused now......

Shero--our posts crashed else I would have answered in my first post

30DS is Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. It will KICK your butt like no tomorrow, but it is SO worth it! (as an added bonus, you don't have to even buy anything, although it is all cheap. You can find it on YouTube for free and can use anything as weights...bottles of water, cans of soup...so on and so on.)

I can understand where you are coming from. If the scale moves up, we think, "What's the point. Have to re-lose it, so might as well have some fun while I can." If we lose, we think, "WOOHOO! TREAT TIME!"

I've found that if I schedule days to "gorge" myself, I tend not to think like that. For example, I went to IHOP this past weekend. I ordered the 2x2x2 Fit and ate all of the eggs (egg substitute), both pieces of turkey bacon, and only one pancake. I felt so guilty but then I realized I had my fun, I ate within reason, AND I ate 1/2 as much as I used to several months back...AND the next day I had a weight loss (wasn't much, but at least something.) I took into consideration I was going to be "bad" so I skipped out on one of my WS snacks and shakes.
Or, on Valentine's Day, I got a HUGE box of chocolate. I would have had the entire thing gone in one sitting...but it tastes so much better to have 20 pieces for 20 days.

My treats tend to be non-food though (as I am trying to break the whole addicted to food thing.) If I lose 10 pounds, I treat myself with a hour long massage at a spa, or the super deluxe mani/pedi. I pamper myself...make myself feel amazing, so it keeps me on track. When I eat, I feel bloated and gross. So...what is that...positive reinforcement? I dunno, I got confused by the whole Freud thing in high school.

But keep at it...we are here for you and with you.

zoesmom, I like the level one workout better than level 2. I feel like I was getting more out of it. I am on day 8 of level 2, so I will keep going (I am one of those people who has to at least try to finish what I start).

Hmmm why do I give up on losing weight you ask? Silly, cause I like chocolate and chips!

shero, I totally understand what you are saying. Throughout my life, I have done tons of diets.Some I have done well, reaching my goal, others not so much. Yet, I weigh myself every night before I go to bed, and every morning after getting out of the shower.

I have gotten on the scale, saw it going down, and sabatoged myself.

Why? It has taken me a while to sit with myself and really figure that out. Trust me, it has nothing to do with the fact that I like chocolate or chips. It is of course, an emotional response. I know why I self- sabatoge and I believe this time I have faced it and can meet my goals.

So, what I am saying is do you know why you give yourself permission to pig out? I am not asking you your reason, just do you yourself know the answer. It took me some time to figure out what was behind my emotional response to the scale going down. It may take you some time also.
I know you are not going to give up. You know we are here to listen and support you.

Sheri!! You can do it. I step on the scale to look at a number I want to never see again. It isn't who you are, it is going to be who you used to be... You can do it. Life is going to hand you weeks like this, don't let it stop you!

Thanks all for the support in joining. I know we are all busy and that can get us in trouble by eating on the run. Today I stuck to my plan and I didn't even eat a single thing at the work pot luck!!

I just completed my first level two. Holy HE double hockey sticks I am in some pain now!!! And sweaty....lord I don't think I have sweated this much in my entire life combined! I did it...and I am so going back to level one tomorrow. I am NOT even close to being ready for level two...at least I gave it a try...maybe another week I will give L2 a go again. But WOWZA!

Zoesmom, I did ask you if you liked planks

Seriously, I don't blame you for going back to L1. I probably should have, but I was being stubborn. On the 30 Day shred thread, I was told that L3 is really bad.

I especially love when Jillian says "I want you to feel like you are going to die". I have quite a few choice responses, none of which I can type here.

My order from Diet Direct came today. I had ordered on Monday because I wanted to take advantage of the $15. Coupon. The Fedex guy now rings my bell and says "I've got another one for you."

Yes, yes you did. And I do. It is just that my body does not.

HAH! I have a similar story. I had ordered a 4 week box refill around early December, only to get hit with a super deal that made me buy the 12 week kit a few weeks later. I deliver EVERYTHING to my husband's office because of the time of day Fed Ex delivers to us. In any case, the Fed Ex guy asked my husband's boss if the stuff worked. In turn, Tony (my husband's boss) came to ask Ian (my husband) what the heck was going on...only to discover 5 HUGE boxes taking over my husband's office. Ever since, they have been joking that the diet isn't for me but for my husband. they give him unrelentless heck over it, yet are super supportive of me.

got to love those FedEx guys!!

We are suppose to get 3-5" of snow tonight. That means my son will be bringing the baby to spend the night. I loved being a mom, and I love being a grandma. I turned my late husbands home office into a nursery.

So of all the Diet Direct products, what do you like the best?

I like the Mocha Cream pudding/shake. When I make it as a pudding, instead of water, I mix it with diet cream soda. When I have it as a shake, I use ice cold water and a couple ice cubes.

I have never liked soup, so I do not order that. I did order 1 box of strawberry smoothie this time, to try. I have never had it.

Oh Lord...what do I not like is an easier question

Here is what I love:
I am a fan of the Dark Chocolate Shake/Pudding...it is super yummy. The Mocha Chocolate is great in coffee (so is the Mint.) And I love the Strawberry Smoothie. The Carmal Pecan Bars are heavenly. I like the Spicy Mac and Cheese. I like the Sour Cream and Onion O's. As much as I hate soup myself, I really am surprised to find I love the Tomato Soup...tastes like a V8...YUM! I like the Lemon Bars and Lemon Pudding despite not liking lemon. I like the Chocolate Iced Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Pretty much, I hate the Chocolate Cake and the Chili. I tolerate the Vanilla Shake (however, mixed with Cream soda and it is AWESOME!) and the rest of the soups, and most of the deserts. I like most everything else.

sorry for the snow (I hate snow) but Kudos on the kiddo!!!! Tonight is ballet and my scheduled "cheat" day where we go out to eat because well, ballet runs too late to get home and cook. I always order healthy and always eat only half, but I always feel bad anyways. Fun times, fun times

I have never tried the chili, because I have never liked chili. I, also, don't like the chocolate cake. That one needs work.

Not big on vanilla pudding...okay once in a while. Like the hazelnut, dark chocolate, and chocolate puddings/shakes,the pancakes,spicy cheese pasta, cheese steak macraroni, the cookies -oatmeal reason w/icing & chocolate chip w/icing. My favorite bars are creamy peanut butter & marshmallow chocolate. Oh and my order yesterday, I got one bag of the pizza crunch protein chips..they were good.

I have tried the cinnamon crunch cereal, it's fine. The apple cinnamon oatmeal, I make into a pancake, because I am not an oatmeal person.
I have been doing the cup of hot chocolate and a cookie (heated in the microwave for 12 seconds) for breakfast.

I also hate snow, and yet I have lived here all my life . I refuse to drive in it...thus if they want me to babysit, the child needs to be brought to me and spend the night. Lol.

Enjoy your dinner out.

I grew up in Northern California. Most people don't associate CA with snow, but let me tell you, in that area, it is rather plentiful. We never had snow days, in fact, I quite frequently had to walk in snow ranging from 2 inches to 2 feet to my school that was 3 blocks away. We had mud days (after the snow melted) instead. I HATED that stuff...so cold. So wet. And ALWAYS there, thanks to the Sierras always dumping it on us. When we first moved to Georgia, we had a "snow storm" and I was SO excited that when I learned school as closed. I bolted out the door, I HAD to see how much snow this was..we NEVER had school close for CA...and when I opened the door....it was less than a centimeter. Seriously. It was a dusting. I could have gotten more coverage if I dumped one bag of powdered sugar in my lawn. It melted by 7 am. I learned something that day. Even though I grew up in snow and can drive in snow, do NOT drive in snow. If the south freaks out about a dusting...LORD I don't want to be on the road with them if a real storm comes. I married a Michiganer, and he has the same stance as me. It's fun to watch everyone flock to the stores for the milk, eggs, butter, bread, and whatnots when the news comments on the possibilities of snow. I have never once doen that. Because...hey...it WILL melt and you WILL be able to get to the store. But anyways, nothing you don't already know.

The cinnamon cruch cereal tastes like cruncy air to me. I have to add spendla to it and a smidge of vanilla to my milk to make it taste like anything.

The chocolate cake...man....I am an amateur baker. I have been told for years I need to go into business, but if I had to make my hobby into my career, I'd go nuts. But that chocolate cake. I have tried doctoring. I have tried altering. I have tried modifying. That cake is HORRIBLE. I know a lot of people say you have to think of it not being a cake. So fine. Call it a brownie. A cookie. A flap jack. I don't care. Still F-ing horrible. The only thing I absolutely can not stomach.

The chili---I hate chili. But I ordered it out of morbid curosity, since I hate sloppy joe but likes WS's verison. Yep. Still hate chili. BUT--it could have been worse. I could stomach it again in a pinch.

I never thought of oatmeal pancakes...hmmmm....I make mine into muffins. :P

I doctor just about everything I eat. I grew up learning to cook and had the fortune of getting my first job as an apprentice to a rather popular Eurpoean chef. I never did learn his last name, but he was simply know as Chef Alec. His dad owned a resort here in Georgia and Chef Alec took a "health vacation" from Belgium back in 2000-2001 and his dad convinvced him to come cook for him for a time. I was just the prep cook at the time, but Alec took me under his wing that year and showed me some of his secrets. So...long story short...I can cook. Hence, I doctor EVERYTHING...but within reason.

L2D10 completed. I don't usually workout on days I have the baby, but since this was the end of Level 2, I wanted to get it done.

I went out and did the snow blowing of the driveway and sidewalks while the baby napped. My son picked him up early, so I did my workout. Now I think I will take the weekend off and sit on my butt. .

ROFLMAO

That is really cool that you apprenticed under a chef. My late husband loved to cook, me not so much. I can do it, I just do not love it. Now with it being only me here, it's really more difficult to cook for one. I have been doing better lately, since I am not a big veggie eater, and I need to be for this plan to work. I have been reading through some of the recipe threads on this forum, to disguise my veggies.

Good Morning,

So I have been tweaking my WS plan this week and it paid off.

Today's Weigh In -3.6 lbs, for the week.