I'm starting late but I'd like to join. I added my name to the bottom of the list just in case adding it alphabetically would get it lost in the shuffle so feel free to move it.

Good morning guys

I've really kept my calories in deficit and am back into my exercise routine, so finally the weight is coming off I am SO glad. Especially since I got to change my ticker weight. Woohoo!

Have a great week everyone!

Can I come back please?

Eeep! I didn't even realize I was in the number one spot! That's so exciting, I'm never number one at anything, lol!
I doubt I'll be able to hang onto the lead after this week though...oof, Thanksgiving I threw all my will-power out the window.
Oh well! We'll see if I break the scale on weigh-in wednesday!

stay in there everybody!! you all inspire me every day. xo

im getting back on track after turkey day.Im just going to hold myself to 3 times a week couch 2 5k and then after the weight starts dropping off again and im back to 152 ill be adding in a 4th day of body combat.

im getting back on track after turkey day.Im just going to hold myself to 3 times a week couch 2 5k and then after the weight starts dropping off again and im back to 152 ill be adding in a 4th day of body combat.

Checking in again,

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday, if you were celebrating this week. I was very nervous approaching my first holiday season with a healthy diet in mind and it was easier than expected. I found myself able to portion well through out the week and avoid desserts (even though I baked them myself).

I was shocked to discover I managed to lose weight this week, I'm very optimistic about Christmas.

The true test is coming up because I stress eat and I'm just starting finals. If I can avoid binging through my late night study sessions I will consider myself changed for the better.

Week 6 Chart!

grinchygirl - Please leave the last 3 columns in the spreadsheet for me to edit. Thank you.

Time for damage control from Thanksgiving. lol

Grinchygirl:
Thank you! I went in to the DMV on Tuesday, I am really hoping that I like my new pic. I actually went bar hopping last week and the bouncer did a double take and kept trying to trip me up (ie when's my BD, where do I live) lol so that is what really prompted me to change it.

Tohisha77:

woot woot, 3 lbs is great. Definitely okay to adjust your goal for the challenge if it keeps you in

Riestrella:

Thank you When I first started, I went on a really restrictive calorie counting diet (I think I must have been doing around 1200 plus exercise). That didn't last long because despite losing weight, I also was just really tired all the time. So, I've really been anywhere between 1500-1800 the last year. I don't have a specific number I need to be under anymore, but I tried to stick to that. I will definitely still be around; I'm considering whether or not I should give myself a 5lb cushion. not sure yet.

Marniadec:
I am so. sorry. That is a terrible experience to have to go through, and I send you my condolences. I have two brothers (27 and 25 years old) and I can't imagine the pain you are going through.

whatthefudge:
Thank you so much. I'm sorry that your routine has been out of whack. Please keep going. You're right, even if you have a bad day where you go beyond your calories, you just have to get back on track the next day. There were many times that I went off track (heck last week wasn't great with Thanksgiving), but you can do this in the long run and that's all that matters.

goldengirlamy:
Haha nice! I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and that shirt sounds awesome! Yes of course! I actually posted them because I hope they are inspirational. I always used to look at before and afters and it motivated me so much.


dehtripper:
Thank you so much It's nice to hear that I look different. Sometimes I still see myself as bigger than what I really am. A lot of people around me have been calling me "thin" and that's not something that I really see yet lol.

Mara:
haha I'm in. I told myself I'm starting eating healthier now that Thanksgiving is over. Damage control for me too
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I hope y'all had a great holiday I am back at work today after a week off, and I am already counting the days until Christmas break (15 days and counting)!
I have been holding steady at about 134-136 this past week, which is surprising because I threw calorie counting out the window on Thanksgiving and on Saturday. But, I'm really a lot better at portion control than I was in the past, and I think that's why the scale was good to me.
I'm in a surprisingly great mood today despite it being Monday already. my boyfriend and I spent our first Thanksgiving together, and while we didn't make a big deal about it, it was super nice. I also hung out with friends and family and I just feel really awesome about where my life is going right now. I had a couple of bad days a few weeks ago where I was overwhelmed with life stuff, but I think I've gotten a good handle on things. I'm even re-starting my credential program in January, which means I could be teaching by next january.

here's to a good week for everyone

also, I just posted my Goal post in the Goal section. Click on my link under my ticker if you wanna check out more pics of my before and afters.

Whew, so sorry for not keeping up with the forum! I've been doing alright. Taking a scale break has also resulted in me trying to put less pressure on myself to lose weight. I know that sounds crazy, because a bit of pressure is good, but it's not like I've not been ordering pizza every night. I guess I'm trying to step back and give myself a break from the intensity of the weight loss mindset. I did a long run on Sunday, however, because I LOVE to run on the weekends. I did 4 miles, which I was really proud of. It amazes me how much I can run without having worked out in a week. I always have this crazy idea that if I don't keep up with exercise I'll just go right back to the beginning. I continued my progress with Zombies, Run! Things just got INTERESTING. So dramatic!

My co-worker is a trained hypnotherapist and a good friend. He's offered to do some sessions with me for free, because he genuinely loves helping people. Last night, for no good reason, I ate 2 full meals for dinner. I wasn't that hungry, nothing emotional had happened, I just did it because I felt I wanted to. It was ridiculous! So I emailed said friend and just got everything out in the open - my frustrations about my situation, my stall, my lack of motivation and I felt SO much better to tell someone I knew. He's going back to America next week so I won't get to have a session with him, but he told me two things today:
1. To call it weight management, not weight loss. He explained that the word "loss" has all sorts of negative connotations. I'm not sure I'm that sensitive to a word, but hey ho.
2. To imagine myself doing what I want to do in 2 months time, to achieve my goal of being consistent and in a good routine, and to imagine the steps I would have taken to get there. So I kinda know what it's going to result in, he's going to tell me that I should just DO what's on the list instead of imagining it. But I like the idea.

I wouldn't take the hypnotherapy route if it wasn't being offered to me for free, but it's definitely an interesting journey.

How is everyone doing? Have you got all your Christmas shopping sorted? I have! I've been so organised this year!! I have 16 more days to wait until I go back to England for Christmas! I can't wait. I've been counting down the days since September...

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Marnia - I'm not sure if you'll read this...but oh sweety I am so sad to hear what happened to your brother. Take care of yourself and please come back to talk about your progress. One of my best friends died at 16 because of a misdiagnosis...it's so hard to come to terms so I feel like I can understand your pain.

fudge - May I ask you what is your mothers condition? I'm sorry that life is stressful for you right now, I can't even imagine going through all the work and pressure you must feel.

grinchygirl - Wow, congrats on your loss! Try and remind yourself of how amazing and accomplished you felt when you feel the urge to stress eat! Good luck!!

kisskiss - Wow, congrats on the continued loss! You're on a roll! And at this time of year, wowsa! Portion control is definitely something I could do with educating myself on. SO happy to hear that you're enjoying life right now and the direction it's taking.

Hello everyone!

Well, my plans have changed as I won't be joining this huge family dinner on December 26th. I initially started this Christmas Challenge because of that and to help me stay committed. So many people are going to be there and I wanted to look my best. However, I have decided to not go. My relationship with my parents is terrible and I refuse to act like everything's perfect just because everybody's sitting in a restaurant eating. Also, we're pretty short on money and said restaurant is quite expensive. On top of that, we're already having a Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve here at our house and the only reason I am going to do this is because of my niece and nephew. They're still very young (4 and 8) and I want them to have an amazing Christmas with the family. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't join but I'm doing it for them. So, no more pressure!

I have been dealing with a lot of stress because of my parents and our living situation. DH and I are still trying to find a place but it's so darn hard! My emotions and lack of self-control have caused me to binge on junk food a lot this past week and I am starting to regain what I had lost in the beginning of this challenge. Just last night DH and I went to McDonald's which I hadn't been to in MONTHS. I told myself to not weigh-in this week and to focus on regaining control over myself and the food that goes into my body. I obviously won't make goal so I am gonna aim to get back into the 130s. 138 lbs or 137.4 lbs by the end of this challenge would be amazeballs and a 10 pound loss. I'd take that!

One good thing happened this week - we signed up for the gym! DH and I hadn't been to the gym since we left New York in June so we're pretty excited about that! I'm actually taking my first Zumba class today and they're offering other ones like Les Milles Bodypump, Bodycombat, RPM, Bodybalance and LmiStep. I will definitely try all of them out soon.

So, I hope everyone is doing well, feeling better and ready to finish this challenge strong!

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kisskiss - I read your new goal post and all I have to say is: AMAZING story! AMAZING journey! And you look AMAZING! I cannot believe how much you've transformed! Congrats to you, you must be so proud of yourself!

Riestrella - Girl, I feel you. I really do. The scale break sounds like it's working which is why I'm gonna do it, as well. I like the idea of weight management rather than weight loss. That is actually a really interesting approach.

kisskiss - I totally get what you're saying about trying to the new thin you, even though you KNOW you've lost an amazing amount. Somedays I look in the mirror and see the exact same me… I know its not true but mental pictures take a while to catch up with reality eh. Regardless, I'll say it again for good measure - you look awesome!

Riestrella - Sometimes a mental/scale break is totally needed. I think I subconsciously went into that state for a few months this summer and while I didn't loose a heap, I also didn't gain much. And now I feel reinvigorated to get back at a serious grind. Hypnosis sounds interesting. Not something I've ever looked into but I'm interested to hear about it.

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I had a pretty friggen good on plan week. And by that I mean I allowed for a couple relaxed evenings with friends (including had a huge restaurant veggie burger w/ fries) but stayed completely on plan the other times. And I'm pretty happy to see/remind myself that I can live a healthy lifestyle AND have a life. Seems to be that as long as I keep special occasions and "special" not everyday it can mostly work.

So, I've taken my little calendar that I check the days off and marked all of the days between now and my one-year "diet"-aversay that I have PLANNED social events. This way I am able to see that I already have X days this week I'm going to likely eat a little less high quality/indulge a bit/etc. It seems to be really helpful in reminding me to plan for occasions and stay on track mentally & physically.

Still… I think I'm going to update my goal a bit. While sometimes aiming big can be a great push, I feel a more tangible goal is more appropriate for me, especially this time of the year. So I'm aiming for 142.6 - which will mark a total of 70lbs FINALLY.

Hi guys,

how is everyone doing? This thread has gotten super quiet.
Anyways, for my weekly check-in: I've been eating right, and kept up with exercise, so I lost 2lbs this week. I'm excited!

take care everyone!