I am sorry you and your family were sick Lauriedawn. Scary that your son was in the hospital. The flu was bad this year.

I am starting to get back on track. That seems like a broken record the last few months. I have been bad about exercising. So my weight loss has slowed. I am still going down but not as fast. I am really ok with this. I am eating more and enjoying that. I was hopeful to be in onederland before my trip in April and I don't think that is going to happen. I would like to be more comfortable in my size 16 shorts. So another 5lbs would help.

Thanks! I really value how supportive everyone here is; just the level of understanding here can be so hard to find elsewhere.

I'm four days in on my commitment and, though my scale still refuses to change, I've lost at least an inch on various body parts since last week! Woohoo!

Laurie - Good to see you back, I was worried! Very sorry to hear you all were sick, especially your son being hospitalized. I imagine that has to be seriously scary. Wishing you all back to 100% health very soon.

Lishar - Being as close as you are to onderland is amazing enough in it's own right. I know it sucks not making those 'deadlines' we can't help but set for ourselves, but you've seriously rocked a major loss. Enjo your trip!

Keep Moving - Nice job on the inches! Glad you're keeping track of those so that you can see the progress even when the scale isn't budging.

Pink - Congrats on your loss this week!

Day 23 of 30
Man did we eat good this weekend. Acorn squash stuffed with apple chicken sausage, eggs on top of rutabaga, conecuh/beef and pineapple meatloaf, salmon...good lord. Makes me salivate just thinking about it. I hit my goal of 233 on saturday. We walked several miles on Saturday in these gorgeous gardens nearby...Saturday was absolutely lovely. There was even a wedding going on at the gardens and we lurked close by and watched (it was on the 'great lawn' which is open to the gardens...we're not that creepy) and of course I cried. Not only did I spot the Dad wiping away tears before he and the bride walked, but there was the cutest little boy pulling a wagon full of flowers and an adorable baby! Too freakin cute!
We cleaned house hardcore yesterday and walked in the afternoon. Really nice to have the energy to get back into exercising again. Gained .6 this morning, but not only do I always gain on mondays but it's TOM so it was expected. That'll be gone soon. Still on track for onderland by my birthday!!

Hope everyone has a lovely day today...

^^^ Aw, weddings make me teary-eyed, too. Especially when dads are crying!


I'm happy to report that my scale moved!!! From 290.8 to 290.6, which is hardly anything but I'm still excited! Even though I'm currently TOM'ing, I didn't work out a lot last week (but was still pretty active), I ate brownies yesterday, and I just weighed after having breakfast, coffee & water, while wearing clothes, my scale still moved down! It's a monday miracle!
:woohoo:

205.0. I hope it's a stabilized post-flu weight, cuz it's a new low. Truly, though, I have really just been maintaining since January. I won't pretend this was a conscious decision, but evenin my most out-of-control moments, I was thinking, 'WTH? This is not how I eat.' So, counting this as a win. But I have a milestone birthday in May. I really need to be down to 195 by May 13 so I will never see a '2' at the beginning of my weight after that milestone. :-)

I have caught up on some posts, but am still behind. So proud of our whole group sticking to our commitments. It's never perfect, but it's awesome.

Well here I sit in the Orlando airport waiting to fly back to eighteen degrees and snow flurries. :( It was a wonderful vacation but I'm ready to get home and get back in my groove. Ate pretty well and ran every morning with Phillip except one so hopefully the scale won't be too hard on me in the morning. Vacation highlights were crossword puzzle on the flight down with my husband, walking on the beach looking for shells, and oysters, conch, and grouper all in one meal. Happy Tuesday everyone!!!

I'm doing pretty well on all my commitments except for water!

I am going to improve on that and I hope to add some exercise soon.

^^^ I'm with you on the water. I've slacked off with getting at least 64oz/day a lot lately, but I made sure to drink it all today. I didn't officially commit to drinking at least 64oz a day, but I think I will now. I need between 64 & 100oz/day from now until next March.

In other news: My scale moved down again! It now says 289.5! So excited to finally see the scale acknowledge my weight loss, along with the inches. Really motivates me to keep doing well.

Congratuations, Rachel! Those scale achievements can be so motivating! And Rodeogirl - way to commit to a goal. That's so often the hardest part.

I ate well yesterday and ran two miles. The run was not pretty. But it got done. And today is another lifting day. I lovd lifting days. :-) It feels GREAT to be refocused. Hopefully, the scale will reward me.

Day 25 of 30
Back to 233.6 this morning, losing that TOM bloat. Partner and I have been walking a track at a local college on our lunch break lately and have recently started incorporating some intermittent jogging. This is HUGE for me because I have a crappy knee and have just never really ran/jogged. Ever. I'm more for kickboxing or a machine. It felt really good, I gotta say. Hard, but good. Very proud of us.
We've decided to extend our experience with Paleo indefinitely, possibly make it a full lifestyle change. I just have never had this much energy, and felt this good/positive while still losing weight. Losing weight always comes with a sacrifice of one of those things for me it seems, but not with this. And dear lord do we make good food...have I mentioned that? :)

Glad to hear that everyone is plugging away! Have a good hump day you guys

Back on plan and ready to run this morning. Gained less than a pound on vacation and I'm sure most of that is water from eating out so much. Florida is awesome and I really think it's in our not too distant future to relocate.

Leben- could you tell me more about how and what you're eating? I've read a little bit about paleo but it sounded very limiting. You make it sound exciting. Maybe I've misunderstood the plan.

LebenAlles - so glad you found a way of eating that works and that you love. RFL is kind of a mixed bag. But it sounds like paleo is right for you. That's awesome.

I was going over to my bf's house at 8:00 last night. I offered to bring dinner, with thr caveat that I would not be eating because I prefer not to eat that late. He shared that he was thinking he also needed to do something about his weight. Don't know how serious he is about it, but I appreciate that his impulse is to support me. I need that!

Gonna wait to weigh until Monday at least. TOM is here, messing with my hormones and the scale. Had a great lifting session and totally stayed on top of the food. Onederland ,I am moving in to stay!

Laurie - Thanks! It's been pretty awesome to finally be happy with an eating plan. I'm getting to the point where I don't even miss the grains...only the cupcakes :) And that's great about the bf's support. That really is key, in my opinion, to complete success with weight loss...a good support system.

Traci - I thought the same thing when I first started researching Paleo...and it took me a lonnng time to get to where I was ready for it. But what I've found is that it's NOT limiting. Yes, it's a change to get used to no grains..but when I saw how poofy my stomach got when eating them, it ended up being worth the sacrifice. But the cool thing is that if you can cook, you can be really creative and most every meal can be a treat. It doesn't hurt that you're getting to eat some of the past 'forbidden' things like butter and bacon and full eggs. But yeah, I've had acorn squash stuffed with Apple Chicken Sausage and topped with an egg...(amazing)...chorizo, beef, and pineapple meatloaf topped with an avocado puree (double amazing)...pumpkin pancakes, vanilla bean pancakes, coconut thai shrimp, skirt steak stir fry, crockpot BBQ roast...and I've got some great things planned for the next week like crockpot brazilian curry chicken, garlic chicken 'pasta', artichoke lemon pesto chicken, steak hash with red pepper avocado spread, cinnamon chipotle sliders and mango + plantain beef. Whew! Exciting!
You DO have to be prepared to cook. Everything. And adjust to eating more meaty things for breakfast. And you have to like meat. Definitely not a vegetarian thing. Check out paleomg.com (where I got all of the above recipes) primalpalate.com, and nomnompaleo.com. Soooo many recipes. Soooo much tastiness.

Day 27 of 30
I didn't lose a lb this week. Not a single lb. But I'm not as bummed as I would be normally because I know I did really well and it's more than likely due to the fact that I majorally upped my exercise routine. I'm fitting in things better than ever, so I must have lost inches. I lost my tape measurer :( or I'd know for sure. Need to buy another. I think the cat hid it.
Yesterday was my first day back at the gym in a LONG time and it was AMAZING. Good lord. I felt like dynamite. I'm a very dramatic person. But still, it was awesome and I'm so glad I rejoined. Working out at home and walking has its merits, but sometimes you just need more.

Love the gym victories, Leben! I am motivated to be smaller, and I like fitting into 'normal' clothes, but it's being in the gym and totally in tune with how strong and fit my body is becoming that means the most to me.

Blueberry muffins in the breakroom this morning. A nightmare! If they are not gone by the next time I need to make my herbal tea, I will be throwing them away.

Decided to take a break from weighing. I know that what I am doing now will result in weight loss over the long term, and both great scale feedback and lousy scale feedback can send me really off course. Not sure when I will weigh again. Not doing a no-scale challenge again. Just holding off until it feels like it will be helpful.

Lifting day today. Need to string some productive work days together.

Mostly on plan here. Today we were on a field trip and a few of us ducked out and hit a Russian grocery store. I was with a colleague from Ukraine and tried a lot of things, including a giant greasy delicious....I forget what it's called. It looks like an elephant ear and has meat and cheese inside. It was ridiculous. But one thing that's important to me is to enjoy life - it's not every day that I get a tour of Russian foods from a native. I have no idea how many calories I consumed but I think I'm pretty much done for the day. :)

I think you made a great choice, Rodeogirl. The choices we make have to reflect our long-term goals and respect our need to be whole people. Even if it sent you way over calories for the day (and it sounds like it might not have anyway), skipping it could have led to days of binges or a conclusion that all of this just isn't worth it. This process is so incredibly mental!

Spreaking of, I continue to be on plan, and clothes are looser. I went to the thrift store today to get some basics. It was weird. I felt great that I fit into smaller sizes. A size 10 dress fit well. But it wasn't flattering. I have a pannus (an apron) that was emphasized by the dress
So it became sort of a melancholy trip. I have come so far. I have so far to go.

Still here, though. I feel like I am close to Onederland, or at least will be when the post-TOM whoosh happens soon. Days like this sometimes just make me more determined. I prefer to feel great about my progress. But it's just not happening right now. So I will rely on common sense and commitment. Giving up leads to misery. I stare at the runners and am jealous of what their bodies can do.

Right now, I am unhappy with my unsightly pooch. But I can go 8 mph on a treadmill for a minute, and can run for much longer periods at a slower pace. I can walk for hours at a time at a brisk pace. I can squat 135 pounds and do 3 sets of 10 push-ups each.

For now, I just need to focus on what my body can do rather than what it looks like. Hopefully, soon, I will again appreciate that my boobs stick out much farther than my stomach now. That my body packs a lot of its fat into the most 'acceptable' places - my boobs and my butt. That I no longer have multiple chins. That I have more muscle definition in my arms than most guys I know. I am seeing flaws right now. Genuine flaws. But so glad I wrote this cuz I feel better about my body already.

Unexpectedly long post. Glad I wrote it, for my own benefit. Appreciate having a place to do it.

Down two pounds this morning! 287.7! :yay:

Awesome job, Rachel!!! Nothing like a nice loss to renew your motivation is there? And rodeogirl I agree wholeheartedly with your choice. This path we're on is about having a better life filled with adventures. We have to remember to enjoy the journey.

Today was my second 5k of nine in a row and I cut my time so life is good. Going to clean the house and start refinishing a cabinet today. Several spring projects on my list so it's time to get busy. Have you great Sunday everyone!

I think I am finally re-embracing the magic of one day at a time. I don't have to lose it all at once. If I string together a good week, I will probably lose a pound or two. And those add up, dammit! I want to be in Onederland, but 199 is not any more of an improvement over 200 than 204 is over 205. Why do I keep having to rediscover basic concepts? Or let me try that again. How lovely it is to rediscover basic concepts that make a genuine difference in my weight loss efforts!

I'm up a pound. :halfempty I think I consumed too much sugar last week. All of those little fun-sized Reese's added up to a bunch of unnecessary sugar. Sigh. Why must I compulsively eat candy? I haven't really touched my Easter candy yet, so I sat it right next to my scale to discourage mindlessly munching on it. Take that, candy! (....is it sad that I just can't give it away & part with it for good?)

New month, new week, new determination to stay committed!

Oh, Rachael! I am right there with you on candy addiction. I did, however, touch Easter candy. But I have teenage boys, so it's all gone now.

Day 2 of post-Easter back on plan. Feeling good. :-)

I'm still hanging in there. I've been almost 100% on plan except for an incident with Talenti Gelato over the weekend that set me back. (NEVER buy that stuff...it's like crack) But still, here I am at 232. The funny, yet not so funny part is that this is a weight I can distinctly remember from my past where my then husband made it a point that I needed to lose weight. Of all the weights to be stuck at!
I'm a bit sad that I'm not lower than this for the wedding next week, but hey, at least I'm not 305lbs, yeah? I'll get there, it just takes a loooong freaking time and sometimes even though you do everything right, you just don't see the results until much later. Meh. Soldier on.

I am sorry I have been absent. Getting ready for my trip. I have been slacking on the exercise front and so my weight loss has stalled. I am 206 again. and we will see if it sticks. Close to onderland but I am not going to kill myself before my trip. My close fit and I don't want to lose too much and have them be too loose. If that makes sense.

Lauriedawn I went to the thrift store and got a lot of shirts for my trip. Button up Tank tops and tshirts for $3 each. You can't beat it. I would rather spend my money on the trip than cloths I am only transitioning through.

I might go into shock not being able to weigh myself while I am away. I am not nervous because we will be very active. Hiking and snorkeling every day. I will just watch my portions and deserts.

I hope everyone has a great month and I will be back in May.

Lishar - I hope you have an amazing time on your trip. You've totally rocked the weightloss so enjoy yourself, relax and have a blast!

Hit 230 over the weekend. Still doing paleo and loving it. I've been so busy doing things to get ready for the wedding I'm in this week that I was only able to go to the gym twice last week. Still, somehow the weight is at least slightly budging. So extremely close to 220's...hopefully I see that number before I leave on wednesday!

Hope everyone is well!

Leben! I love your new avatar picture, you are so pretty!!

It has been quite a while since I have posted! Soooooo much has been going on, between dealing with job stress, my husband and I beginning the house search, and more things have been super busy!

I ended up reaching all the way back up to 250lbs. I had a doctor appointment and she told me to watch the documentary Hungry for Change and consider switching to a clean, whole foods plan since I have struggled with staying at a normal weight most of my life, which she attributed to eating processed foods and refined white sugar and white flours.

Sure enough, after being on a cleaner plan since Monday, I have already lost almost 5 pounds! My official weigh in day is tomorrow, but I feel so much better not only physically but mentally as well, and I'm not left hungry all the time because I am getting adequate nutrition! The only thing I have noticed is since I have eliminated a lot of the sugar, I have a slight headache currently, but other than that I am feeling great!

Also, my husband and I started doing the extra Insanity dvds that they send with the program this week, and since he has been cleared by his doctor to continue exercise, we are starting the full program next week! Even the extra dvds they send are butt kickers!

Anyways I hope everyone is doing well and I will be posting in here regularly again. But I am happy to have found an easy, suitable, lifestyle plan to stick with that finally works for me!

Hey Pink!

Thanks for the picture compliment :) I'm starting to feel pretty for the first time in quite awhile and it's very very nice. It's pretty exciting that you're starting to eat clean now. Are you doing away with all grains and legumes too or just white flour and processed foods? Either way it's awesome. If you need any recipes, I have a plethora that have been tried and tested for awesomeness.

I lost the weight from the wedding plus a lb and am now firmly in the 220s. I'm totally stoked. I can fit into size 16 pants with no prob and even have a few size 14 dresses. The dress size always goes down first for me. Things are really going well. And I've decided that the best thing for me is to be totally strict until I get to where I need to be. Relaxing or cheat days just screw me up too bad. We'll see how long I can keep that up :)

Hope the rest of you are doing well...miss hearing from everyone!

Leben~ Thanks! And you are gorgeous, you should always feel so! :D As far as how clean I am eating, I am starting with getting rid of the processed and refined stuff, and then slowly but surely after about 4-6 months start getting rid of the bulk of grains if that becomes necessary :) I would love to see some of those recipes!
Yay for being in the 220s!!!!!! :cb: I can't wait to join you there, keep it up girl and keep kicking butt!!!


Going into two weeks of eating clean and I've lost more than 5 pounds, now my husband and I are officially beginning the full Insanity program on Monday. We have been doing the extra dvds that came with the program to help give us a good introduction, so I am hoping that the weight loss really kicks into gear, but more than anything I just want to be healthier and tone up!

My husband and I are going to a ball in June so that is added motivation to tone up some beforehand! I'm not setting a weight goal for then since it's not super far away, but I would love to lose an inch or two from my arms by then, which Insanity should be able to help with!


Where is everyone, and how has everyone been?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...428a8390ee.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...6b7cfddce1.jpg

I just got back from Vacation. I took a break from logging. I watched what I ate and make healthy choices. We were very active walking and swimming every day. I have not weighed myself yet since getting home. Will do that soon and update.

I only wore my bathing suit for most of our last week. I love the boy shorts of my Tankini bottoms BTW. When dry they look like shorts. I went to put on regular shorts for the trip home and they were too big. I had to try on 2 more to find one that fit. Woo NSV

Lishar you look sooooo great!!! What a difference!! :woohoo:

Where is everybody? We've all been MIA from this thread lately :lol:

Hope everyone is doing good!
Update for me is that I finally left my super stressful job and have already found a great, less stressful part time job, which is going to give me a lot of time to be able to truly work on myself and finally be able to keep up with our house and allow me to have more time with my husband! I've been eating cleaner in an 80/20 fashion (thanks Tony Horton) and have been feeling a lot better! Currently sitting at 245, now that I actually have more time to prepare food and time for exercise, I expect to start seeing a whoosh soon enough!

Lishar, you look great! Hope you had a wonderful vacation.

Pink Hurricane, sounds like you're doing great! Glad you found a less stressful job, I'm sure that has made a world of difference for you!


As for me, I'm still exercising fairly consistently with my kettlebells, as well as riding my bike & doing some yoga. I just started the yoga last week & already it's getting easier & more enjoyable. Still tough, though!

Can't believe I'm only 4lbs down from my last post here, a bit over a month ago. My scale sucks, but I am losing inches like crazy so I'm trying not to let my scale get me down. I've been eating ok, not great; really need to tighten the reins a bit on what I eat. I was doing well eating clean (or at least eating mostly clean) but I've been slacking lately. No more! Getting back to eating as cleanly as I can today.

I miss everyone!!!!

I am still in the upper 240s, my husband and I went ahead and stopped doing the extra dvds that come with Insanity and started the first week of the official program and it is kicking my butt! We are supposed to do the third workout tonight, but I am about to go for a run in a bit to get in some extra cardio just in case we get side tracked later. We have also been sticking to eating cleaner, some days it's hard, but most of the time it's natural to eat this way!

How is everyone doing?

Hey Pink,
I miss everyone too! This was such a great thread for so long. I understand staying away when you're just tired of thinking about weightloss after so long of a struggle...I get that way some times. But those are also the times that I slip up and gain for the millionth time. The 2teens have been absolutely kicking my butt. This 212 minigoal is crazy close but seems impossible with as many times as I've been 1 or 2 lbs away and then sky rocketed up 5 or 10 lbs. Ugh. I do get tired of the fact that I've been dealing with this for over a year and a half now, but...it is what it is. And it won't be over til it's over. So I just have to keep going.
I hope you're doing well, along with all of our long lost friends...

Hey Leben!! :wave:
It is great to hear from you! And HECK YEAAAHHH You're in the teens!!!! :cb: You deserve a million and one high fives girl! That is awesome, you are just kicking butt!
I get tired of the length as well, it drives me nuts.

I've been at 243 for the past couple of weeks, gaining a few extra pounds then losing it again. I am in a rut so today I am focused on reevaluating my plan and exercise to try and get the scale moving down. My husband and I decided to not worry about birth control anymore after my Mirena was removed since I started having rough hormonal withdraws, and I realized I no longer wanted to deal with synthetic hormones.

So with that said, my husband and I are super excited about starting our little family! But I have to lose some excess weight beforehand to try to have the healthiest pregnancy possible! Today after my husband gets off work we are going by a few tattoo parlors to get a quote on the next tattoo I am planning on getting. It's a small one, like my first one, but it will be on my forearm instead of my hipbone. :D

Nice on the tattoo! I have a plan to get my third when I reach my hundred lbs goal. It's going to be "indomitable will" from Ghandi's quote "Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from indomitable will". Just a nice little reminder, you know? I'm pretty sure I'm getting it on my back above my left hip. What are you getting?

And good for you guys on starting a family! That's quite exciting...little pink hurricanes running around! :)

I love your tattoo idea!! That's perfect! I'm planning on getting my atom tattoo, I am a huge physics/science nerd and that was one I always wanted to get!

Hahah awww yeah we can't wait to have little pink hurricanes running around too! I want to be as healthy of a momma as possible!