Hi all! Back to Monday. I feel like I had a really short weekend, with going in to work on Saturday. Oh well, at least I made some headway. It was good to have a rest day yesterday. I think it really does help. I finally had a good weigh in, with the scale showing a 3 pound loss this week. That makes only a 4 pound loss for January, but that's ok. I'm glad to see it go down. Now, maybe I can build up some momentum on the scale!!! I do think that running has helped a lot.

I went to spin this morning. It was really tough. There were a lot of groans around me, too, so I know I'm not the only one that thought so. But, I pushed and made it through. I do like that class a lot. Tonight I will do W2D1 of C25K. It is a little bit longer run that last week, so we'll see how that goes! I'm excited about it. I think that with seeing a nice loss finally, I can really buckle down on my food and calorie goals. It was better last week, and maybe that helped with the loss, too.

Toasted: Glad that you are moving on and putting a not-so-great weekend behind you. It doesn't help to beat yourself up, you just have to make the next day better! Looks like you are about a week ahead of me in C25K. You're doing really well!!!

Jessica: Woo! 15 miles! That's really great. Lots of great exercise there! I'm so impressed!

Laurie: Sounds like you're making good progress with recognizing any binge type feelings. I think that is a major victory! Keep going strong with your beast mode. That is some really good money to win!!

MissLoud: Sorry to hear about the scale issue. Don't give up, though! You can power through and maybe you are headed for some good progress after a slow couple of weeks. Hang in there!!

I had an out-of-town hearing this morning, so it was difficult for me to slip away for my two-a-day gym trips during the day, and I have a date with my husband right after work. What's a girl in Beast Mode to do? Stop at a gym on the way (I do Anytime Fitness, and I love checking out different gyms!) and do an hour of weight lifting following by 45 minutes of running on her way back from my hearing. My run was less than stellar, but I did gin up the C25K to make sure I was pushing myself enough to make it worthwhile. I also bench pressed 90 pounds today. I could never do more than 2 reps, but I'm still progressing. I also loved it when the girl who did the lat pulldown after me sat down, tried to pull at the "11" level I had used, and began moving it up gradually until she settled at "4." She was young and looked fit, but could not compete with my Beast Mode self (at least at that particular exercise on that particular day)!

Jessica - It's so great that you are still making such great progress even with all the craziness in your life. The "new love" thing can be the hardest one to tackle. But you and your 15-mile walk seem to be making it all work.

Toasted - An off weekend doesn't erase all the hard work you have done / are doing, as you know. It's the giving up after an off weekend that'll do it to you. And you're all fast day focused today! I use herbal tea as well to fill the "not a good choice for me right now" food void. I drank it while the fam was eating ice cream sundaes on Friday. And you know what? I actually really enjoyed it. I don't drink it with sugar or cream, so I just focused on the flavor blend. Some of the flavors were subtle, but drinking this herbal tea that is a part of my frequent foods with focus on the tea was actually surprisingly satisfying. It doesn't always work, but it did on Friday. So, not a cracker, but potentially very satisfying. (Did I sound like I was trying to convince myself? Cuz there may have been a part of me that was trying to convince myself.)

Diane - A 3-pound loss! YAY! It's about time that the scale showed you some cooperation. One of the benefits of doing cardio every time, and often twice a day, is that I am trying new things. I tried spinning last night. I didn't actually love it, and almost quit to move on to something new when I realized that the spinning program I had put on the screen was just a pretend scenic route. Blah. But I just geared up my C25K program, and pushed hard when it said to "run" and found that I was sort of into it after about 10 minutes. The experience has led my already profound respect for your exercise work ethic to deepen further. Also, my butt still hurts, and I only did half an hour.

This no-scale thing is really weighing on my mind. (Get it? I made an accidental pun, and pointed it out, even though I am not impressed with punsmanship generally.) I absolutely believe that, for right now, the no-scale thing is working well for me. But it's really wearing. I find myself resisting scales everywhere, all the time. But in my mind, I have lost at least 20 pounds in the last week, and I know finding out that my mind has incredibly unrealistic expectations and has vastly overestimated my losses will leave me with more mental work to do.

Who says this whole weight loss thing was easy? Oh. That's right. All the skinny people who have never had to struggle with it.

Hey guys, so much-maligned Monday (#AlliterationMakesEverythingBetter) is out of the way, yay! On to more congenial days and great scale victories and non-scale victories this week. The fast day went well, yesterday, except I didn't get my evening workout in and instead slept over the covers fully-dressed, make up still on till I woke up this morning for my run. I feel gypped of a good night's sleep even though evidently I slept WELL. W3D2 of C25K is completed but not much else. I didn't do my post-run workout so I have quite the scheduled workout backlog to catch up on this evening.

Diane: I'm so glad the scale is finally cooperating with you. I think 4lbs so far this month is nothing to shake a stick at, hopefully things go even better this week with the scale.

Laurie: You are such a rock star getting your workout in despite inconvenient scheduling. Sometimes trying to convince ourselves is the best we can do in the circumstance and sometimes it even works! Tea is the new crackers! And I love the punsmanship! I mean you just HAVE TO, a "weigh" pun is almost your DUTY when talking about the scale. ;) And I can imagine it's super hard not to weigh but if it's helping your journey, then maybe continue to hold off until you can't anymore and start doing the reality mental checks instead.

Lyn: Eeeek about your knee and back. That sucks. I know what you mean about having always dreamed about being a runner, even in my most sedentary moments, it's a dream. Like I don't necessarily want to work at it, I just want to show up to like the Olympic marathon and just have like a bronze medal in the marathon and have everyone say "what a natural born athlete!" #fantasist Low-impact is good. Your joints and bones will probably thank you for it. Even the lightest, fittest runners are putting a lot of wear on the bones apparently... and yet we persevere. Yay getting your walk in even with the discomfort- I'm glad that eased up. I'm just finishing up with TOM and my weight crept into the early 180s (not good!) so here's to new post-TOM lows for the year for both of us!


So the days after fast days tend to always be a little off-plan (by like 200-300 calories over where I want to be so not dramatic but still), so I diligently mapped today out and ate a healthy breakfast, packed a lunch to bring to work etc. Only to get in and my oldest friend (from like 2nd grade) messages me to ask me if we're still on for lunch. D'oh!!! I forgot. Argghhh. And this is someone whom I adore and rarely see although we live in the same city. She's more the social butterfly, real-life socialite, clubbing-type and I'm more the "ahhhh it's the weekend, I don't have to get out of bed-type" so that kind of makes it hard to ever see each other which is why a lunch escape on a work day. Maybe I can get away with not eating there and just "nursing a drink." I've always wanted to "nurse a drink" at a bar (we're meeting at a bar with food because it's closest to me) just like they do in books rather than just gulping it down before my food comes. We will see how it goes. I'll probably check in later to confess my abject failure or more likely reveal my awesome NSV of staying on plan for lunch (#PowerOfPositiveThinking). I hope you guys have a great start to the day.

Toasted - I had a similar situation on Saturday. I met a friend for lunch who I rarely get to see. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich without the bread and asked the server to substitute a cup of spinach for the fries. I was very proud of myself cuz I'm the worst at restaurants. You can do it! Have a great time with your friend. Eat something on plan. There's money on the line here!

I continue to be in awe of you waking up early and getting in your exercise. I'm still not good at that at all. I'm also jealous of you crashing fully-clothed with your make-up on. In deference to my bedmate and his sensitive nose, I shower before bed, including shaving my legs. My preferred bedtime routine is to brush my teeth and crawl into bed without changing or removing my make-up. =)

Lyn - I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to have finished C25K and fallen victim to bad knees. I had some knee issues when I started running, which were almost completely solved by buying some good shoes (and they weren't even that expensive since I bought "last season's" model). It took me out of my training, though, until I found a solution, and I hated it. There's just something about running that made me really want to accomplish it. With the knees,the back, and the peri, you are staring down some serious challenges. And you tried to convince us that 3 miles was not impressive? You're so wrong, my friend. You are a serious, serious rock star. And, yes, I think Chris Powell does carb cycling. He doesn't talk much about his diet plan on the show, though, so I don't really know.

I am having serious clothes/body image issues! My closet contains clothes in sizes ranging from 10-16. I fit in one of the 10s, and continue to wear one of the 16s because I like it, even though it's way too loose. My unsightly "apron" seems to continue to get more and more disproportionate. I have a size 14 skirt that I love that I have never worn. I decided to wear it today, and it is really loose, but still looks awful on me because of the apron. So I am wearing the super loose 16 skirt that seems like it will fall off me, but at least you can't see the "apron" as clearly Even smoothing/shaping garments only help slightly, and not enough to justify the discomfort. Between my butt (and it's now cool that that is so big, apparently) and my apron, all of my pants and skirts just gape at my waist.

<SIGH> No way to get through it but to get through it, I suppose.

Still in Beast Mode. Had a great, exhausting work-out yesterday. Weirdest thing happened. I ate my reasonable dinner, which included some cheese (yay!). And I was done. No sugar cravings. The hubby and I watched some TV, and he ate ice cream while I drank some gingerbread herbal tea (Yum!) and I didn't even have a twinge of "wish I could have that." I headed up to bed, and went through the kitchen, and sort of wanted Sunday's leftover fried chicken (which I didn't eat on Sunday, BTW), but not seriously enough to even consider it. I keep some chocolate PB2 to allow myself some sweetness when I crave it (I usually eat an 80-calorie portion), and I didn't even want that, though I was starting to feel a bit hungry again. In other words, my mind frame is such that I am not even wanting the foods that will derail my weight loss. It's not even like the honeymoon phase, which feels very manic, where I don't feel like I want the stuff because I really want the results. It's almost disinterest. I am sort of celebrating it, but I am also very distrusting of it. Who knew I could be so surprised at something at this point in my life of fighting my weight?

Hi all! Went to Body Pump today. It was a good workout, but I am pretty sure my arms are going to be sore tonight and tomorrow. Big upper body workout, especially the triceps. It was funny today though, before we went in to class, this one woman who is there all the time was going on and on about the weight I've lost. She made a point of telling the instructor how much, too. It was all ok, I really like her. Then we were talking about age. She was surprised that I am 51, but then she said she was 66. Wow! I had no idea. I really thought that she was maybe a little older than I am, but not that much. She looks great. Just reminds me of how good it is to stay active!

I did W2D1 of C25K. I could tell that they increased the running time, but I could still do it fairly well. It was warmer last night than it has been, and I felt a little twinge of happy while running. It made me happy that it is coming along.

Laurie: Yep, getting used to the butt hurt from spinning takes a while. It does get better, but you really have to suffer through until it does. Ugh!! I do love your attitude about your beast mode workouts! Running is getting to be fun! On the weighing thing, I do admire you for not giving in to getting on the scale. I am pretty tied to it, so I can't imagine taking too much of a break from it. But, I do think it is working for you! Smart!!

Lyn77: Yeah, I think I'm in peri. It has been a couple of months now, but it had done that before and then I got it again fairly regular for 6-7 months. I would be glad to be done, but I just don't think I'm there yet. No symptoms yet either.

Toasted: I hope you enjoy your lunch! I think it is important to enjoy things like that as we're all working through it all. You'll have to tell us how it goes with nursing the drink. That's tough to do! I wish you well with this endeavor! Ha!

Will do personals when I get home in a bit, getting a coffee with a friend - not Josh. Lol. But wanted to share some awesome news. They finished my transcript evaluations and even without three of my classes, they managed to transfer 73.5 out of 74 credits. And there is a note to manually move half a credit from unused to my electives, so. Yeah, I only need 90... Needless to say I am super happy.

Oh man super pooped! Have been looking after 2 other 2 year olds as well as mine then 2 four year olds this afternoon - I don't know how early childhood teachers do it!!! Getting agro with the scales, they just aren't doing anything, not up not down!! So weird. Must keep on plan, my friend has finally decided on a wedding date in October so another date I can work to I hope to be -25kg more by then. Shes teeny tiny and there is a possibility I will be bridesmaid eek!

Oh Laurie you sound a similar shape to me, all about that bass - jeans are a curse for me as you can't really take them in. Aprons are not flash, my tummys still numb from my csections. Having babies really us the gift that keeps on giving ;) oh a spinach for fries ! Wow :carrot:

Jessica glad school is going great and your aches and pains have gone. 15 miles what a super star.

Lyn ladder work is the worst. I used to work as a window dresser and was always on ladders, including the very top of a 12 foot one and my legs would be hurting by the end of the day. Good luck on selling your house ... oh and not getting murdered lol :o

Toasted I love friends like that, I have a couple who are kidless and its hard to catch up but when you do its the best! Hmm whats nursing a drink . Lol I didn't know that was an option

Right got to go battery is going to die :D

Laurie, that's awesome with the weight lifting. I think I need to look for a 24 hour gym. Do they even make 24 hour gyms? Also - GO BEAST MODE!

Lyn, you rock, too, Lady!! Walks are awesome but it sucks when an old injury flares up.

Toasted, LOL. Isn't that always how things work out? When you have something 100% mapped out, something almost always inevitably comes up. By the way, if I haven't said it recently, I love the hashtags you come up with. :D

MissLoud, oh wow. Talk about a full house! LOL


Yeah, I'm pretty excited about the transcript thing. You know who else is excited? Josh. Lol. He's declared that this means we can start the UW at the same time. Then today, I mentioned something about taking classes this summer and he informs me I can't to summer and fall classes or I'll go over 95 credits (unless I pay out of pocket because of it being a 2yr degree, etc. etc. yellow tape). He kind of paused and added, unless you take fall semester and UW which apparently isn't an option because it would mean I'd start UW before him! At which point he pouted a little at the thought. LOL. I had to remind him that it would really just come down to how many classes I took each quarter. (Fyi it took me 4 tries to get the q in quarter to show up. The key was stuck. :/)

Additionally, he asked me to swing by his work to bring him food tonight. Seems silly, I know. But I used to work there. And while he came out to meet me to get the food, the fact that he asked me to stop by his work at all - especially given I used to work there - is sort of a big thing. Not to mention, he brought one of my old co-workers out, too. Which means at least one person there knows about us.

Another random weird thing... Was talking to the girl I used to work freight with about school and work and things and then she kind just goes "Still talking to Josh from here?" And I'm like.... *cricketcricket* I chose a sort of non-committal answer cause it was out of the blue and all and said I do. That I'd talked to him about going back to school and he'd convinced me it wouldn't hurt to at least get my transcripts evaluated. Which is entirely true. Did I tell her that I see him pretty regularly or that we've had some incredible make-out sessions? No. I also added that I talk to a few of the other people I worked with. Hopefully she didn't read anything into that. >.> Thought about asking her why she asked. Didn't. But I did tell him because it was kinda weird; I also told him that she might ask him a question about financial aid because she was talking about going back to school and not being sure if she could take out any more in student loans and I told her he might know the answer to that question. Which, all-in-all, may really make it seem like we do just talk school. <.<

Morning all!

Early start for me. I have a court hearing in a bit, but got ready earlier than anticipated, so here I am!

Diane - LOL at the butthurt from the seasoned spinning pro. And yay for the praise at the gym! I know the public adulation really doesn't seem to be your thing, but I am still glad people are recognizing your accomplishments. And you are such an inspiration here! It's great to see proof that you're inspring people in real life.

Lyn - I bet you ROCK those cool shoes. And, at least for me, proper running shoes made a TON of difference in how my knees reacted to my runs. With your injuries, it's all about protecting your joints. I was wearing large Spanx (okay - the knock-off version), and bought some medium last night, which I am wearing today. They're helpful. I think mostly I have to quit whining and just be more aware of the clothes I am purchasing. Ain't nothing better than to have a gorgeous man coming to your door just so you can spend a few minutes admiring the view. =) Well - maybe some new tech beats it. Wishing you the best on your move.

Jessica - YAY on college! Don't let Josh hold you back, though. After you two are all married up, he'll appreciate having you be further on the path than you would have been if you had waited unnecessarily. Things are going so well in your life now! Isn't it amazing how things slowly improve until one day - things are just pretty good?

Kelly - Oof. The bridesmaid pressure. Yep! When the scales don't cooperate, all you can do is keep on keeping on. Crazy crazy on all those kids crawling all over you.

Didn't work out really yesterday. Took a walk but nothing more. Schedule sort of got away from me. So, today, I am doing two hours after my court appearance at 8:15. An hour of weight lifting. An hour of cardio.

I am really hitting my stride, I think. I don't quite trust it yet, but it seems like I am making good food choices without being either in the more manic honeymoon phase or the desperate white-knuckle phase. I am hoping it lasts.

Hope everyone else has a fantastic day!

Hey guys, okay so I was reading your posts as I do with a smile on my face and my co-worker goes "you're definitely not smiling at work like that, who are you talking to?" #NoseyParker Anyway, I am busted, oh well...

So yesterday's luncheon (1.) because it makes me sound like a lady who lunches and 2.) because it sounds fancier than plain ol' lunch) wasn't really a luncheon at all, it ended up being at a KFC below the bar near my office because that's closed for renovation or something. I did okay. My willowy friend- no that's not fair, it would be perfectly fine if she was willowy- my hourglass, whispy-waisted friend, had a chicken burger meal-type thing (evidently her french fries go to all the right places whilst mine just go to my stomach and thighs and scale) and I had the kid's chicken strips (not the meal, just the strips) which was 240 calories. I didn't eat my packed lunch yesterday but I brought it in again today and have eaten it.... ONLY TO DISCOVER that today is someone in the finance department's birthday and she's brought in pies (not the sliced apple pie, the savoury pasty/turnover-kind, doughnuts and cakes which she's serving herself and giving to everyone. So right now sitting at my desk typing this, there's a plate with a doughnut, a chicken pie and a cake slice and they smell heavenly. Oh why oh why have I eaten lunch. The smart thing to do would be to go re-gift it to one of the munchier people I work with but I like torture evidently and I'm all like "just a little piece" which is a bad, bad idea. Okay after posting this I'll go give my bounty away to charity. #LeSigh #EyesOnThePrize

Laurie: Three signs I'm exhausted: sleeping in day clothes, sleeping in make up, and sleeping without putting my hair up. I usually don't sleep well under those conditions and I usually feel gypped in the morning if I am not lying under the covers when I wake up... But still. It's getting somewhat easier to get up in the morning- not easy in the "Sound Of Music wake up singing along with the birds" way but easy in the "it is what it is, crawl out of bed now" way. Re: body image and body composition, I, who've never had kids, have what I call a hanging stomach but after googling, it's what you call the apron, so mine is basically just from a lifetime of obesity instead of the miracle of childbirth. I rarely to never wear shapewear because as you say, they're super uncomfortable, and worse they give me heartburn. My clothing philosophy is that if clothes show off my apron, it's not my body's fault, rather it's the clothes that are not the right cut for my particular body type. I know many a skinny mini that struggles to find pants that don't make them look like a butt-less board or a drop-crotched wonder, so the struggle is real for everyone. I too am in a variety of clothes sizes now (US8-14)- mostly 10 so I identify. I know last year you talked about holding off on doing a wardrobe renovation till you were closer to goal and between that and mixed sizes, I know it's probably a challenge trying to find things that work for your own body. It's taken me a lot of trial and error and effort I've realized spandex-y type pencil skirts are not my friend mostly because they want to get up all in my belly's business and showcase the paunch to the world. I also tend to wear skirts and trousers relaxed fit in the hip with the waist either at or slightly below the belly button so as to cut the size of the paunch in half. I also rarely wear knit-fabric fitted shirts or wear tucked in shirts. Mostly do loose-fitting chiffon-y blouses or button downs or plain regular cotton button downs untucked with a cardigan or jacket over it. The body we have is the body we have and we can look good with a bit (okay a lot- I spend ages trying pants on for the right fit but once I'm good to go, I'm good to go!) of effort. I'm so inspired by you sticking to plan even literally in the very face of temptation. It's part of my fuel to give my birthday bounty away. I think sometimes when we're super on it, we don't trust that it will last and then we question ourselves instead of enjoying the ride we're on. Celebrate!!!! Whether it lasts a week or it lasts a lifetime, at this moment in your life, the journey to be healthier is not a struggle and if that's not a blessing worthy of celebration, I don't know what is!

Diane: That's awesome. I'd say with your commitment to fitness, you're already en route to looking decades younger!!! The drink was nursed... of course it helped that it was 500ml of diet pepsi but I'm owning it!

Lyn: The frustration is definitely doing all the right things and not seeing progress- I'm having a phase like that right now but I know if I step back and look at the big picture, there will be progress in the long run and the important thing is sticking to it. So for now I'm trying to get excited about NSVs like how I feel after working out and staying on plan how much fitter and stronger and healthier I'm feeling by just keeping on irrespective of what the scale says. I certainly don't think selling a house is worth getting murdered over (lol, no duh!) and I wouldn't feel comfortable either being home alone showing a strange man round my house- at least not without some sort of benign weapon for security which I'd introduce as like I dunno, my (walking stick) baseball bat or my (pet kitchen) knife, just so he wouldn't think it was weird if he had genuine house-buying interest (although it would probably still be weird but at least you'd be safe). Anyway, at least you made it and are posting. I really enjoy reading your posts- you made me google "hot+UPS+guys"- All sorts of not-actual UPS guys came up, amongst them Cristiano Ronaldo (the football/soccer player) for some reason. He's not a UPS guy... but I drooled too. Don't feel bad for corrupting my work computer, we've googled much worse for actual work research. I'm the appliest of apples too... If they're not skinny jeans or jeggings, pants that fit in the waist are always way huge in the hips and legs...

Jessica: Woooot on your transcripts!!!! That's awesome and must be such a relief! Nothing sucks more than having to do the work twice and thankfully you don't have to.

Kelly: Kudos on looking after the extra kiddies. I know how exhausting that must've been. I've got many little cousins and always get "encouraged" into babysitting maybe one or two at a time are manageablely exhausting but when they multiply and start screeching Frozen songs at the top of their lungs and running around in different directions etc, I am more than a little overwhelmed and need like a lie down in dark silence afterwards.


Okay so I'm still on top of things with exercise (W3D3 and post-run bootcamp workout done) and diet (well evil birthday snacks beside me, notwithstanding). I'm a little frustrated with the scale which is creeping upwards and is not giving me my post-TOM whoosh but I'm not giving up. I'm going to persevere. I hope you guys all have an excellent day!

Hi all. Quick post today. We are slammed here at work again and it seems like everyone is out sick.

I went to spin class today. It was good! And I'll be doing W2D2 of C25K later after work. We also received the wellness challenge at work. It starts next Monday. I think it is good overall, but a lot of what they are suggesting and what gives you points for the competition is stuff I already do. So, it won't be super challenging for me. We're on teams and my team seems to be pretty good. We'll see how it goes. The only thing I have to figure out is what to do for something bad I want to cut out, or something good I want to add. I am thinking about adding 30 minutes of reading to my day. I do like to read, but I also don't always make time for it. Just have to figure that out by Monday.

Will do full responses when I'm at a computer, but OMG, Laurie! You're marrying me off already, lol!!!

Hello all :)

I just wanted to pop in and say hello as I am back after a 30 lb regain :/

But at least I'm back - that's whats important. I am going to Europe in June and I know if I stay on track I should be back at goal by then :)

Underwater - Welcome back! What a great time to catch the regain. In 2008, I was down to about 155-160, then restarted in 2012 at 178. Your way is much, much smarter. Looking forward to getting to know you better and hearing about your preparation for your European vacation!

Toasted - I do that too! I will go to a grocery store and make it a point to walk by the donuts and see if they have my favorite kind, then walk away. Not sure why. Glad you decided to give away your bounty. As our wise friend Carter says, this will not be your last opportunity to indulge in these foods. But this is your time to win that cash! #Eyesontheprize, indeed. THANK YOU for understanding about the clothes. And you're so right. Somehow, I still had this fantasy that losing weight would mean that I would be the exact perfect shape. Really, it means that I need to learn how to dress the body I have right now to be as flattering as possible. It will take some time, and as of next week, I will be willing to invest that time. But for now, I will be grateful that I wear a lot of suits. The pants may show off the pannus, but the jacket generally hangs low enough to disguise it.

Lyn - 10 days of being 100% on-plan is PHENOMENAL. And your 4 miles of walking - no more are you allowed to tell us that you slack on exercise. And I love that your inner goddess reached detente with your monster. I so often feel that civil war battling within me as well. Also - you should know - I love reading your posts. You are so funny and real and inspiring.

Diane - I love that your wellness challenge is more than physical. I love to read, too, but I don't trust myself. I know this will shock you, but I am not the type of person to be able to read for 30 minutes and put the book away. When I start a book, I generally finish it within a day or two, but I am incredibly irresponsible about ignoring my real responsibilities. The balance thing is really, really hard, but it sounds like your wellness program allows you to make small, positive changes that aren't too difficult. Bravo, wellness program.

Jessica - Marriage is optional. Just saying - your ability to find a good job may be of some serious interest to Josh soon. It was better than saying - Girl, why you even thinking of slowing down your personal growth for some man? - which was my first inclination. ;-)

Things are continuing to go well in my world. I am in Beast Mode light, I would say. I have decided to consolidate my 2-a-days to a single, longer session. I went and lifted serious weights yesterday. Then, I intended to run 3 miles. I didn't even quite make 2. My regular work-out clothes (yes, all 3 sets) were in the wash, and I wore some shorts that didn't have a draw string. After multiple pauses to hike them up AGAIN, I just gave up.

I looked in the mirror this morning, and noticed all the fat everywhere on my body. There is no part of me that doesn't have excess fat. And I told that hooker to shut up! (I miss Mandy, BTW. I hope she starts posting more regularly again soon.) And decided I needed to post an "I'm grateful for" thread.

I can buy clothes at the thrift store! And not just a small selection of "this is all that's available," but I can select colors and styles that I like. I am close enough to "normal" range that I have lots of options available to me.

I have a silhouette! I remember being really thrilled when my boobs finally stuck out farther than my gut. Now, though my waist still has some excess fat, it's fairly flat. When I was doing a lift that required my hand to be above my head, and there was a gap between my too-loose shorts and my shirt, what peeked through looked like a flat (if stretch-marked) section of my abdomen. SO cool.

I can run! I am doing C25K again, and the running sections are at 6.0 mph. Even when I got down to 160ish in 2008, I was only running at about 4.2 mph. Now I can do 30 seconds (and sometimes a minute) running at 7.4 mph.

When I walk, my arms don't touch my mid-section. This is tough to describe, but I love feeling that empty space between the girls and my hips when I'm just walking to the bathroom or something. It's super noticeable.

I am gaining control over food. Slowly, but I feel it happening. Even last night, when I was at work until almost 1:30 and in a position where I would typically feel very munchy, I elected to have 3 chocolate-covered pretzels and go to bed. And I didn't even feel an overwhelming compulsion to have them. I just have told myself "no" so frequently, I wanted to indulge to stave off the deprivation feeling.

I can do push-ups! I have taken to dropping down in my office and just doing push-ups at random intervals, and I have done up to 6 in a row.

I just feel good most of the time. And the Colon Blow cereal has helped make it so my digestion process seems to be going very, very smoothly.

I want it to be perfect. I want it to be done. But I am done being excessively whiny about it. I will not sacrifice my appreciation for all the good -- the really good -- in service to a desperate and hopeless wish for perfection.

Thanks for indulging me. This forum really does help me hang on to sanity.

Hi all! Went to Body Pump this morning. It was great. I went up on weights for my triceps, so that was kind of fun. This one woman in class came up to me afterward and said she was impressed with my progress, and instead of weight, she mentioned that she saw me doing triceps kickbacks and could see the "great muscle tone". Wow! How cool is that?!! That really made my day, even more than someone noticing the weight loss. I've been working pretty hard in body pump to keep improving, so it meant a lot.

Last night I was doing W2D2 of C25K. It was going very well. After I was done, I was looking ahead at next week's program. Hmm. It jumps up quite a bit. That might be a little challenging. :) I'm still kind of struggling with what to either give up for this challenge at work or what to add. I think the book thing is not all that challenging. I love to read and if I'm forced to read, it is more like a gift, not a challenge. So, still thinking through that one.

Laurie: Nice post! That's a great thing to do! It reminds me of a post on myfitnesspal that people were mentioning what weight loss benefits they had been surprised by. You know that when you lose weight, you will feel better, be able to buy smaller sizes, etc, but this was more about what you didn't expect. It was fun to read what people wrote, stating things that they could do now that they couldn't do before, etc.

Underwater: Welcome! I think you did well, catching yourself before there was much of a gain! Very smart!

:wave: Hi all!

Welcome Underwater! Congrats on catching yourself at 30 pounds gain, its a triumph in itself. So good to have goals to work towards.

Laurie ~ what a great post, especially love you feeling a sense of control over food/eating I know its been something you struggled with and im so pleased for you! Keep it up girlie!

Diane ~ yay for workout compliments! You definitely deserve it, your work out routine is inspirational :) I really need to get my butt into gear

Toasted ~ KFC control, I just don't think I have it in me, I love fried chicken! And as for free food it would have been down the hatch for me lol!

Lyn ~ don't yah just hate it when the computer eats your post! And may your inner goddess keep winning over you evil party monster.

Well I think the scales are starting to play ball, the last 2 days I have seen small losses fingers crossed I can put a loss on my chart this week instead of a horizontal line taunting me. Toasted and Lauries words were floating round in my head whilst at McDonald's yesterday - laurie and your spinach instead of fries and toasted and your kids meal - I had a cheeseburger with garden salad and a coke zero, proud I didn't just say screw it after the scales being so stubborn! Aah maybe I'm getting a handle on this food thing. I shoved all my salad in my burger and it was delicious - well as delicious as mcds can be lol. On my fast day today and hungry already so going to make eggs, was trying to stay away from the fridge as I have rhubarb tarts in there.

Talked to the lawyer today and it looks like I'm going to proceed with the filing. There's a lot to get done over the next month. Between the bankruptcy and getting everything squared away for school and ugh. Just a lot that needs to be done.

And Laurie, I know. And he was teasing. But there are actual real things that I have to consider regarding whether I take Spring and Summer quarter this school year or just Spring. Like credit hours, classes, etc. If I'd have to go in class during summer when I could have done them online during fall, then I have to decide if it is workable with my work schedule. Also, they'll only pay for up to 94 or 95 credit hours through SPSCC because it only requires 90 credits. Yeah, lots to figure out.

Hey everyone, so yesterday sort of got away from me without posting which usually would imply I was up to no good, plan-wise but nope, I was on it. Fast-day calories maintained and C25K W3D3 + a HIIT workout completed. So the week has been going pretty great UNTIL today when feeling pretty saintly, I stepped on the scale #tearsforyears y'all!!! No change! Imagine that. I know, I know, the scale will cooperate etc etc, but there was wallowing for an hour which led to eating off plan for an hour, which means it's noon now and I'm 650 calories into my day and not particularly stuffed because I made white carb decisions which is like basically saying "munchiness, come get me!" So yeah calorie plan-wise, the day is salvageable, but eating off plan didn't help or make me feel better or contribute to my scale progress or lack thereof, so it was pointless. And I'm a little mad at myself. I also didn't work out this morning like I planned, not because I didn't wake up in time, I did. But because I went to bed really late (past 2a.m.) because I had some work to do and I woke up this morning feeling like "uh uh" physically and mentally and lounged in bed read a book till I was late for work. So it hasn't been the most auspicious start in the day. I pledge that when I get home, I'll work out for at least a half hour. That, along with staying within calories the rest of the day might salvage things a bit.

Lyn: UPS guys hotter than Cristiano servicing your area? I'd order express mail all the time!!!! <fans self> :carrot: :broc: staying on plan for 10 days in a row is awesome!!! The inner voice in your head needs to take several seats down and just basque in the awesomeness of your sticking to it and staying on top of things. You've shed all that water weight without letting it become real weight and even your knee knows better than to give you a twinge when keeping up that mileage. Here's to awesomely successful Weigh-in Wednesdays in 2015 for you!!!

Diane: I was going to take today off but then I read you keeping up your workouts and as usual, I'm like at LEAST I can do a little something. Thanks for always being so inspiring.

Underwater: Welcome!!! We have similar stats and goals and I'm coming off a 40-lb regain myself and it's been kind of rough but there is progress and at least we know we can do it, having done it before. What's your plan of attack for getting "snatched" for Europe in June?

Laurie: I feel you on the too large workout bottoms. I just got several pairs of running leggings in Large (without trying them on- I just figured I was a European Large in a stretchy fabric having been a European 2XL the previous day in a shirt shop) whilst I wan on holiday and I wore a pair for the first time running yesterday? First of all, who makes low-rise running leggings??? I tugged them up right to camel toe levels and they still kept sliding down my stomach when I was bouncing up and down running because they're too loose in the waist to start with and then they're low rise. So of course I kept pulling them up, but then kept getting self conscious because in my mind it looked like I had an underwear problem digging all around through my baggy t-shirt trying to grip my saggy bottoms. Not the stuff cool is made of. Anyway, I'm so excited for all your progress. I think it's awesome that you've listed it all out here because sometimes we get bogged down by all the scale and plan frustration and forget all the amazing progress we're making in a million other ways!!! Everyday I'm working on this journey is a day I'm getting healthier and not eating my weight in food and lazing around after and it's worth it. #revelation I think I needed to read your post today and come to this realization especially with how blah I'm feeling about my start to the day etc so thanks for your post!

Kelly: Believe you me I love fried anything and chicken IS my favourite meat so when I left the KFC, I imagined that if there was justice in the world, I should have been down 10 lbs at least! lol. What a pity about no Kentucky Fried Justice-less world! Yay making a healthier decision at the McD's. It's NOT easy when all the lovely smells of fried tasty is around you. I hope your fast day went well.

Jessica: It sounds like a really hectic period in your life with lots of transition and admin-type stuff to do which i know, is fiddly and exhausting and taxing. I think it's awesome that even through it all you're sticking to this journey and keeping on! Keep going, you'll get everything sorted out AND be sun-surface hot to boot by the time you start classes again!


Alright so after writing this, I feel a lot better about the day. So what the start is not what I planned, there's still a lot of day left to turn this around. I'm going to stay on plan and make that scale WISH it hadn't tried to take me on. Alright so here's wishing everyone an amazing day and an awesome start to the weekend!

Good morning!

Lyn - Afternoon long silhouettes for the win! Hope your house legit sells this time, and that your sexy-voiced realtor recognizes that women are not morons. Been dealing with some mansplaining here at work (one of the senior partners explained to a legal assistant about how hair salons work - despite the fact that this assistant works in a salon for her second job and has for years). Men.

Toasted - I love how frank you are. I also love the fact that I am not the only one who is a bit irresponsible from time to time. Mostly, though, I love the "Not a great start to the day, but will have a fantastic finish" attitude. I woke up really wanting to weigh today, but made the decision to maintain my moratorium on the scale, and was so glad I did when I read your post. It's so hard to avoid the huge mindscrew that the scale can breed.

Jessica - Gotcha. I love how you're moving forward, just putting good things in place in your life every day. You're doing such a fantastic job balancing it all out -- and I think that's the hardest part of all of this.

Kelly - All of the good choices! That's why you're rocking this whole thing! And to be fair - I am not a fan of French fries generally. I tend to allow them to be on my plate, but eat anywhere from 0-4 of them. Asking them to substitute spinach just meant I had more delicious food to eat! No sacrifice. (McDonald's fries are THE BOMB, though!)

Diane - I can only imagine how well-toned you must be with your consistent, hard work-outs. I love that you got spontaneous recognition for it!

Only one work-out yesterday, and not a fantastic one. Still a decent one, though. I did C25K, sort of, plus some at the end. Essentially, I did intervals until I hate 3.5 miles, with my running pace almost always 6.0 - 6.3, though I allowed myself a few slower intervals at the end. Gonna try to get my two legit work-outs in today, though.

Oh my gosh, this thread is so active - it is wonderful!

Toasted - I guess by "snatched" you are asking whats the plan? Maybe it's a TV or movie reference? haha :)

I am doing a very low calorie weight loss plan that is offered by my doctors's office called HMR. It's like a more intense Jenny Craig - fewer calories, weekly 90-min classes, meeting with a nurse weekly, blood draw monthly, and doctor visit monthly. I did the same program the last time I lost weight and it really worked for me. I was actually somewhat in the maintenance program when I gained 30 lbs, but it was a lot of traveling and overall poor attendance and commitment that did me in - not the program's fault at all!

Slash & Laurie - I did C25K during my last weight loss attempt. I got up to the 8 minutes runs (week 5 maybe?) and did a few 5Ks but could never run the entire thing. I think my best time was 32 min. Maybe it's something to get into again. Right now I am doing Dailey Method and am trying spin at Flywheel for the first time tomorrow...

Right now I'm just enjoying the quick weight loss that comes from making such a big change suddenly. I have lost 4 lbs since Wednesday - I know it's all water weight but the scale is reading 181.2 today and I'm looking forward to being in the 170's.

Today is book club and this is our first meeting that is not in a restaurant, but is in a spa! So happy as I cannot eat anything other than HMR food for 12 weeks. Well, 12 weeks with a few exceptions maybe. We are tailgating for the NHL Stadium Series on Feb 21, so I am going to allow myself to enjoy it if I can make it all the way there without cheating. Exactly 21 days to go!

Hi all! I missed posting yesterday, it was just a busy day, but I had come in to read what all was going on. Went to Spin yesterday morning, but even though it was a good workout, I just wasn't able to give it my all. I was not reaching the heart rate I needed. I felt pretty darn tired. But that's ok, some days are like that. It was busy at work, but then after work I went to do W2D3 of C25K. I did it ok, but I now know that Fridays, after 5:00, are not a good time to be out on the road by my house. Wow. There was a ton of traffic. So, I won't be doing that again. I either have to find a new place to go on Fridays, or just start going on Saturdays.

Today I went to Body Flow. It was really good. I do struggle in that class with the balance and flexibility, but I think working on it will help. It seems like such a slow moving class that you wouldn't get much out of it, but I am sweating like crazy about 10 minutes in to the class. I do love the stretches.

Underwater: Oh I know how that is, getting the quick burst of weight loss! Who cares why, just claim it as a victory!! It helps give a good jumpstart!

Laurie: Sounds like we both had a couple of not so great workouts. Oh well! Good for you for getting in a double!

Lyn: Oh the joys of selling/buying a house. Good luck to you on the sale! Hope the wind has subsided too, I hate wind more than anything!!

Toasted: Sounds like just getting the words out in a post helped you! I definitely feel that we have to be kinder to ourselves. While it is important to keep working out and staying on plan, there will be those days that just don't go like we want. Forgive and move on... just start over the next day!!

Jessica: Yeah, no fun. There's so much to do when having financial stuff going on. Hang in there! Good for you for looking forward to your studies!

MissLoud: Ok, that struck me as really funny, that you shoved your entire salad into the hamburger! It's a good idea! I just had the visual and it made me laugh!!

Omg, guys. I am so tired. I've got three more days of a six day work week ahead of me. Two of which are openings. I was hoping to be able to relax some this week, but that didn't happen. Saturday, work was crazy. I'm praying my manager did in fact pick up the phone from Seattle that she's supposed to hand deliver to our store sometime tomorrow either today or will do it early tomorrow so my customer from Saturday night doesn't come in and chew me out. Especially given that they've got to come back in again on Wednesday for something else entirely. And the poor girl's sister doesn't have a phone atm because they're porting in from a different carrier. :/ Omg.

Two days of opening and then maybe - MAYBE - I get to see Josh Wednesday before work and then again, definitely on Thursday. I need to find out if I should just make Thursdays a standing day off for a while, lol. Either he opens and I can see him after class or he closes and I can see him before. I'll have to ask him.

My corset came in. It looks pretty good. I need to get a different shirt to go with it, but I think I'm going to go with a colored one rather than white or off-white. Also, I do have to say that sometimes, I do see just how pretty I've become when I see myself in the mirror. Sometimes.

https://forechoes.files.wordpress.co...cc-cropped.png

Hey everyone, it's Monday and so I'm back. I really salvaged Friday like I meant to and was under calories. I ended up not exercising and (maybe because of that) spent the day peeing like a fountain (even though I drank no more water than usual) and what a surprise, I was down 2 lbs on Saturday. So on Saturday, I stuck very much to plan AND went for a 5th day of C25K W3 followed by some weights and what do you know, Sunday, I was 1.5 lbs back up even though I wasn't sore. I drink lots of water daily- okay I mean I'm no camel, but at least 2.5 liters (2/3 of a gallon) a day so basically, exercise/C25K for some reason is making my scale angry. I do feel like I've lost inches and gotten firmer in the thighs and butt in the couple of weeks since I got my act together post new year because my pants are feeling a little looser etc but rational thought aside, I want my scale to give me gold stars for all the effort I'm making instead of a side eye. #tsk I'm keeping on though. W4D1 completed today followed by a strength training workout. I'm on track with fast day calories so far as well.

Lyn: I hope your house sells soon (even if that will remove you from the oh-so-calming zone of Mr. Sexy-Voice Realtor's calming voice). I also am hoping you managed to get everything wrapped up and your move goes smoothly and you settle into your new home really quick. I'm no stranger to Lean Cuisine and I'll admit (somewhat shame-faced) I'm not opposed to diet food- in fact I LOVE it in all it's Frankenfood glory even without the excuse of moving home- yes I can do better at home by myself and 99% of the time I do- but I don't always want to PLUS I have portion control issues and pre-packed foods do the dirty work for me! Please review the LC stuffed pretzels. Frozen dinners aren't big where I live but I'm in the States in a couple of weeks for work and if you say they're good I'll check them out and possibly bring some home with me in a cooler bag.

Laurie: I'm of the opinion that one "just okay" workout is better than none at all. You're still beasting it. I hope you get the 2 workouts in that you want today.

Underwater: Lol, no "getting snatched" refers to getting slim/ getting your body on point. But yeah basically I meant what is your plan to lose the weight... Reading what I wrote over though "Snatched"- does sound like some kind of sister show to Snapped that Lifetime would show marathon-style on a Sunday... Anyway I hadn't heard of HMR but I checked it out online and it seems pretty hardcore. What's the food like taste-wise? Is it mostly shakes? Or is it a frozen/shelf-stable actual pre-packaged main meal sort of situation? Is it difficult sticking to it? Yay 4lbs down!!! That's great- water or not, you're already on your way! Own it!

Diane: Yay getting your workouts down in less than ideal circumstances. Not everyday can be an awesome workout and just as well, if it was, we wouldn't appreciate the days where we're super athlete rockstars at our workouts as much!

Jessica: Look at your waistttt!!!! #SNATCHED #NotTheImaginaryLifetimeTVShow #TheWaistIsWhatIMeant Squeeeeeeeee!!!!! You're beautiful!

Alright everyone, I wish you guys an awesome and amazingly on-plan week ahead and a happy Monday. Oh I forgot Superbowl! How did that go? I have happy food memories of the Superbowl- I wouldn't know the magic wonder of Velveeta if not for the Superbowl. #StoryforAnotherDayAndTime But yeah Superbowl food was always amazing! How did you guys make it through? I went to undergrad in central Massachusetts in a town that was ALL Red Sox this and Pats that so I guess if I really dig in and find it in me to care, I'm all YAY Patriots, Get INNNN!!! But in real life, it was only after I watched the Katy Perry performance on YouTube this morning that I remembered there was an American football game attached and I should check who won. #shameonme I'm actually a massive fan of European soccer (in the obsessive competitive Fantasy league playing, sinking into deep depression with bad results and screaming "it's not JUST a game" sort of way) so I am somewhat kidding and I do get fandom... when I understand the sport... Who were you guys rooting for?

Good morning! Terrible weekend both food and exercise-wise, and lots of trial prep ahead of me in the next few days, so the potential for a lot of stress eating. Add to that -- my ex has proposed pushing my kids' next visit up from March to Feb. 10, and my stepson is getting tested for autism tomorrow, and my new job starts on Friday, and I present at a CLE (continuing legal education) on Monday. Just feeling the stress crawling in my belly. Blech.

Didn't want to check in. Doing it anyway. Today's a new day. And maybe this thing will get settled. =)

Laurie, I'm sorry you're having a hard and busy time of it. Checking in is one good thing you're doing today. You could've stayed hidden and sunk into a bowl of trigger food. It seems everything is happening for you at the same time and being a stress eater myself, I understand. Deep breaths and do what you can. The weekend is gone and over with, don't let its terribleness stress you out. Today is a new day as you say. It may be a little tough to beast it diet wise so maybe up your calories a little to something doable that allows for an extra (non-trigger) snack or two when you get the stress nibbles (they are what they are- my take is not to add extra stress of self-recrimination to an already stressful day but to instead slot in portion-controlled non-trigger snacks). Also, in the past, you've talked about how working out helps you feel better and I know for me, it sometimes helps me make better food decisions. Even as everything seems to be spinning out of control, maybe getting a good workout is one thing you might be in control of that may help you feel better and more on top of life. I'm thinking of you and praying for peace and calm and strength for you this week. You'll make it, we have faith in you!

Hi all! Well, back to Monday. I went to Spin this morning. Good workout. It was nice having the normal instructor back. He's way better than the young, demanding, bossy substitute we had on Friday. I'll start week 3 of C25K tonight, and today is the first day of the office challenge. I think it will be ok, but I wish it wasn't 90 days. That's too long to keep track of all this stuff. I will be glad to get back to my own thing. Oh well.

The superbowl was fine for me. We didn't go to a party, so I just cooked at home. Can't get too crazy at home! Ha! I really didn't care who won, so it was all good.

Gotta run!

Man you ladies are rocking the C25K almost makes me feel like joining in! ..... nah. YES Toasted I totally feel you when it comes to excercise and the scales, it always takes a couple of weeks for the scales to catch up when I start excercising, unfair! And really disheartening!

I'm down 1.5 pounds this week so I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere! Only 2 pounds away from my low, TOM next week so if I can navigate that I should be back down there for the wedding on the 20th. Hmm only to spend 2 weeks on holiday lol. I have my best friend visiting at easter so an incentive to keep on track! I can't believe how different my mindset is this time, I'm really settling in for the duration - I know its going to take a good year + to get this weight off and I'm okay with it. I'm the smallest I've been for years but I'm ready to move those scales again.

Laurie ~ what a difference a few days make, I'm sorry you are feeling swamped - in my world thats called a cluster f**k ;) feel free to vent away!!

Jessica - Kapow check you out!! Would love to see the finished outfit. Was at Crank up (vintage machinery open day - sigh I have boys) and they had a steampunk show there, made me want to rock a corset!

Lyn ~ hope everything goes smoothly in the next few days, selling houses can be stressfull, we were stuck with 2 for awhile when we first got married!

Underwater ~ lol yes I was perplexed by the 'snatched' reference - means something completely different in NZ lol I also had to google your diet, sounds full on! But the support sounds wonderful. The support here also has made the world of difference, I especially like how most people post in good times and bad.

Right so this crazy person decided to potty train her 2 year old just before a holiday! I think I've created a pantsless monster, hes currently sitting on the couch like Al Bundy. Okay now hes trying to put toast in his belly button - lucky hes cute.

Hi everyone! I am back again after taking over a year long break and not caring about my diet at all. For the past month I have gotten back on track and have been eating healthy and going back to the gym but I am still terrified to weigh myself so I haven't done that yet. I also got a fitbit which I think has helped me get more active since I like being a bit competitive.

I don't know what happened over the past year but I could not get myself on track and now I am determined to finally get back on track and down to my goal weight!

Hey guys, okay so I'm still at it. Yesterday's fast day went semi-okay. I received a care package from my roommate from college filled with Earth Balance kettle chips, gluten-free, vegan pancake mix and other Whole Foods-y goodness! Oyyyy the temptation!!!!! I had half an ounce of chips (SIX measly chips can you IMAGINE!!! to the tune of 70 calories) and a quarter of a GF salted caramel soft baked cookie (soooo good!!! But I broke it into 4 and shared it with people). So yeah even though my fast day was therefore more in the 600-and-something range than in the 500 range, I'm feeling pretty saintly because I LOVE chips and cookies, maybe not as much as I love cake but it's close... Especially chips. Cookies, I could kinda give them up if I had to.

Anyway C25K W4D2 done. It's strange but I actually look forward the the morning runs. Not to getting up in the morning necessarily, but to being one of THOSE people you see the rare times you're out needing to be somewhere super early in the morning, and to being outdoors for sunrise and feeling accomplished so early in the morning etc- and it's weird because I'm the LEAST outdoorsy person I know- I'm always talking about how the outdoors is best enjoyed through a large window from the climate-controlled indoors. But apparently when it comes to exercise, nowadays I'm apparently the CEO of the Outdoors Club- okay maybe not. It's just a little run-walk in the morning in a city park, no one is tubing, caving or camping yet. ANyway all this to say that I'm really enjoying my runs and when I get home every morning, I wish I was still doing them.

Diane: I'm glad your Superbowl went well both from a plan standpoint and as a neutral (none of the torment being a fan of either team puts you through). Also great that your regular spin instructor is back. I won't lie, I'm not one of those who does well with being bossed about when exercising. I'm either going to do something or I'm not. I don't like being pushed, I'd rather push myself thanks. I hope W3D1 went well for you. And yeah I agree a 3-month challenge is kinda long. Better a 4 or 6-week challenge- that way people don't lose interest and forget about it. I'm sure you'll rock it either way.

Kelly: What a CUTE little boy!!!! OMgoodness!!! Look at the way he's sitting in his underpants chilling on the sofa!!! Tooo adorable! I think you have the right mindset for this journey and that's almost the most important thing. The hardest thing to get down too. Because it's so easy to get impatient. I'm impatient. Two weeks after re-booting this year, I'm all like "why am I not yet in the 160s, this is BS!" Lol. But no, seriously, I'm glad you're in a good place and have the upcoming fun-sounding incentives to keep you on track. Fingers crossed TOM treats you right, plan-wise.

Jessica88: I remember you from when you were on regularly! How've you been?! Welcome!!! I have a Fitbit too which died yesterday (and refuses to be revived by any means) and I've been obsessing over all the uncounted steps because I'm competitive too and I feel like people on my friend's list are getting way ahead of me. I like it enough that I'm going to get another one if I can't get this one replaced (it's my 2nd and it's less than 6 months old but I'm on the wrong continent for a warranty replacement). Anyway, I too kind of struggled all through 2014 to get back on track and it was only at the end of the year that I kicked myself in the pants (and these amazing people here on this thread dragged me along) that I started to see progress. I think it's REALLY hard to be as dedicated to weight loss mode a 2nd (or 3rd or how many'th) time around and that's still something I struggle with also. But I'm still struggling and pushing on. I'm glad you're here and here's to your reloss! You can do it! What's your plan?


Okay so I hope you guys have a wonderful on plan day. My challenge is not falling into the post-fast day snack-a-thon. Especially with the yummy treats at home. So far I'm doing alright and already have solid plans for my eating this night so fingers crossed I stick to those. I'm trying to plan my snacks in and leave nothing to loosey-goosey chance. Hopefully that works.

Good morning, all!

Toasted - I was stressing over my kids thing, and the hubby suggested we meet for lunch and chat about it. He proposed meeting at the gym. I went there, but really didn't want to work out. So, we just ate lunch together and I went back to work. Then, he texted me and told me that he had gotten in a quick 30-minute work-out after lunch and urged me to get to the gym to help me get out of my funk. Moments later, I logged on and read your encouragement to go to the gym. So, I dragged my reluctant behind into the gym. I got a call from a witness that I'd been trying to reach right after I reached the gym, and I was tempted to embrace this perfect excuse. But I didn't. I arranged for a time to call her later that evening. And I ran a pathetically slow, can't-breathe (for some reason, my asthma kicked up) 2 miles. But I needed it so much. THANK YOU for the well-timed encouragement. And WOW on the chips and cookies. That's so freaking amazing.

Jessica - I am convinced that for 99% of us, this weight loss thing is stop and go. It is my hope that the stop will be for shorter and shorter periods and the go will be for longer and longer periods. Glad to have you here!

Kelly - That mindset is the most critical part of this thing, I think. And I love thinking of your 2-year-old king of the couch. Potty training. Glad it's behind me.

Diane - I love that your exercise is like brushing your teeth. Sometimes, I don't feel like brushing my teeth. But I always do because it's something I do. I still let myself get talked out of work-outs on too many occasions.

Looks like my trial isn't happening. We've settled. That gives me substantial more breathing room. And the settlement was very close to what we would have gotten at trial, plus we got some concessions the trial judge would not have been able to give. Yay, settlement!

And I'm feeling much better. Not entirely on track. But very, very close to being back to Beast Mode. If I get official confirmation that the settlement is happening, I will declare myself in Beast Mode again!

Hi all. Had a successful W3D1 of C25K. It was quite a bit different from the first two weeks. There were a couple of times I thought it was really hard, but I felt pretty accomplished, making it through! Since we started the office challenge yesterday, I checked my steps after getting home from the run/walk, but I was short by a few hundred. I might have been able to get it anyway, but I told my husband that I was going to walk back up the road about 1/4 of a mile and back to make sure. Today is not a run/walk day, so I might have to put in some effort to get 10K steps in. The only part of the challenge that I didn't meet was the 7 hours of sleep. I was closer to 6, but I was helping my son file his taxes, so what are you going to do?

Went to Body Pump this morning. It was a good workout, but we had a substitute instructor. She was one of those that are just so perky and want you to participate in the perkiness. Sorry, I'm not that person. We were doing these squat things where you come up and push a weight up in the air. She kept saying stuff like "raise your hands if you want to burn calories... Yeah!" "raise you hands if you want to burn fat... Yeah!" Seriously??? at 6:00 in the morning? Please shut up and just do the workout. (I know, not very nice, but at least I didn't say it out loud.)

Oh, and I forgot to report yesterday that I was up in my weigh in on Monday, by .6 pounds. Not a lot, but I am rededicating myself to my food plan. I think I've had too many extra bites here and there, that I'm not counting. So, putting forth more effort now.

Laurie: Glad to hear that you're doing better. I'm proud that you didn't let the phone call get in the way of your workout. Even if it isn't a great run, you did it!!

Toasted: Wow, way to go on the snacks! I would struggle with holding back, but you did it! That's good that you kept your fast day to a minimum, even with all of the temptations. Proud of you!!!!

Jessica88: Welcome! Good for you for getting back on track. If you don't want to weigh yet, don't worry about doing it right now! But, if you decide to get on the scale, just don't let the number change anything about what you are doing. It is just a starting point. Yes, I know it is tough to just move forward, but that's the best thing you can do right now! I know you can do it!!

MissLoud: Aww! Cute little pantsless guy!!! Kids can be so funny. Glad you are feeling so positive about it all, with your weight loss efforts! Way to go!

Oh Toasted I am in awe of your chip resistance! I just don't have it in me to stop at 6. I'm fine if I don't open the packed but if I do they call to me :o

Hi Jessica88 nice to see you. I agree getting on the scale to assess the damage is hard, but like Diane said don't let the number put you off doing what you're doing.

Had a lovely and rare on my own shopping moment today, decided not to get a new dress for the wedding I'm going too, bought new shoes and some earrings to change it up a bit. Black and white 50s style dress with a black shrug (to cover my arms ;)) and coral wedges with matching coral earrings - too much to get a matching belt?????

I feel like weekdays are the hardest for me. I don't know what it is but it feels like the days leading up to the night that I have class (wednesday) are so hard for me to do anything because I have a million things that need to get done and on my mind. I guess I need to manage my time a little better between work and school. On the plus side I do eat healthy throughout the week so I am not backtracking. Just out of curiosity, what is everyone's thoughts on "cheat days"?

Toasted- Great job in not eating all the snacks, I know it is so tough when it is right in front of you and then it is on your mind but you did it! I remember you as well from a long time ago on here. It was so helpful to always be on here and have someone to talk to that understands what you are going through and gives you motivation. I think 3FC helped my weight loss so much so I am super happy to be back I just need to make sure that I am consistently checking it and updating! You seem like you've been doing great so far, keep up all the hard work!

Laurie- Definitely agree with you there. Good luck with everything! You'll be back on track and in beast mode before you know it!

Slashnl - Awesome job staying on top of your workouts! I used to take body pump and loved it, but you are right some teachers are just way too perky and I am not into that either but at least you got moving! I bought a new scale at the beginning of December and still have it sitting in the box and every day I think about it and then I don't just because I think it will make the day bad. One of these days I will get the courage. I know it can't be that bad, I just don't want to lose my motivation because I feel like if I see too high of a number i would make me upset and want to give up.

MissLoud- Sounds like fun! I definitely think a belt would be cute with the outfit. You should try it out and see!

Hey guys, so yesterday my dinner plans changed abruptly and I went over my 1300 calorie target (I was more in the 1400-1500 zone) and from my unplanned dinner, I seem to have picked up some sort of stomach bug so I've been eating plain crackers all day today and they're helping to settle my stomach, although I need to stop because they've really added up. It was hard to get to sleep last night with the party in the bathroom and the general discomfort so I slept through my alarm this morning, ergo, no run or workout. I'm feeling much better although a little fragile in the digestion but I'm going to try to do a low-mid intensity workout when I get home from work today.

Laurie: Yay not taking the excuse not to work out. And I always think half a workout is better than none. Something is always better than nothing so well done you. I hope everything goes well with the case settlement so it's at least one less thing off your plate. Here's to the resumption of Beast Mode.

Diane: I don't even do certain workouts in the morning because the star is too perky. That much perkiness and "oh yeah-ing" in person in the morning would have aggravated the pants off me too. I'm glad you were able to get a good workout in though. Yay on rocking out your challenge.

Kelly: I'm in awe of the fact I still haven't had any more chips even though there's an open bag in the pantry. The usual me would have had chips for breakfast yesterday... probably the whole 750-calorie bag too and then had a healthier dinner but I exercised restraint #shockofshocks And then now I don't feel like fried food right now and tomorrow is a fast day so I might make it to Friday without caving. I vote yea to the matching belt. I usually am not a matchy-matchy look person but I think the colors black, white and coral are so pretty together that it would be a shame to add another color to the mix- plus you'll look so put together. DO IT! :)

Jessica88: I have a cheat day on Sundays because my family always gets together for a big brunch on Sundays so it makes sense. Even losing weight the first time, I ALWAYS had one cheat day a week and I was way more disciplined then that I am now. I definitely don't think I could have been successful the first time without 3FC so I definitely appreciate all the support I get from you guys now as I'm trying to get back down. Weekdays are also hard for me exercise-wise because it's hard to fit a workout in if I don't get it done at the crack of dawn. Weekends are actually the worst though because I have more leisure to eat badly and graze all day and I can be pretty lazy instead of getting up and taking advantage of the free time to work out. Sigh. I think it's just hard in general but I really want this!

Alright everyone, here's wishing you guys a great on-plan rest of the day!!!

Quick drop-by this morning. I got the case settled, and my boss had new projects for me this morning. My "swan song," he called it. <sigh>

Gonna get this done and move on. Finally. May be back for personals. Will not skip the gym because of it.

Hi all. Went to Spin class this morning. I love the instructor, she really makes it challenging. Then she'll say stuff like "how much resistance you add is up to you, depending on what you want to get out of the workout". That inspires me to really push. It is kind of a passive aggressive comment, but it works for me. Ha! On the office challenge, I was able to get the full 40 points yesterday. The first day, I missed on 5 points because I didn't get the full 7 hours of sleep. So, doing well. I went to the park after work because I was just too far away from the 10k steps I needed. There is a loop that is about .6 of a mile, so I went twice around it and made it to goal. It wasn't a run day, so I just walked. It really is a nice park, I might have to start running there instead of from my house. It probably would be a little safer. But then I have to change at work. Not my thing.

Laurie: You go! I know you can make it to the gym!!

Toasted: Hope you get to feeling better. It is no fun to have digestive issues!

Jessica88: I have kind of a different take on cheat days. I don't do specific cheat days because it throws me off and I tend to go way overboard. But my plan is counting calories, so if there is something special going on, I will plan my day so that I have room for whatever it is in my calorie goal. BUT! If I go over my limit occasionally, I don't worry about it. I just get back under goal the next day. It works better for me this way.

MissLoud: I'd love to offer advice on fashion, but I am not the right person for that. :) It sounds really pretty!!

Just stopping in to say I finished day 6 of 6 work days in a row. Omg am I tired. -_-

Hey guys. I got my run (W3D3) and post-run bootcamp workout done today. I ended up doing nothing but sipping peppermint tea last night so that was a bust. I feel better though.

Laurie, yay your case getting settled!!! Boo your boss using it as an excuse to dump last minute work on you. #ThePerilsOfBeingAwesome

Diane, yay 40 points and finding a new park though I agree the change at work situation is not ideal!

Jessica, it sounds like a hectic past few days. I hope you get days off now.

Alright guys, I just wanted to do a quick check in. Here's wishing everyone a successful on plan day!

Hi all. Went to Body Pump this morning. It was ok, but we had a substitute instructor. She wasn't one of my favorites. All she talked about was what she had "noticed" that was wrong. Whatever. If you want to talk to one person about their form, then do it. Otherwise, just shut up and teach the class. Guess I might be a little crabby today......

So, I did W3D2 of C25K last night. I just ran from my house, and it made me decide that it definitely is time to just go to the park. There really was a lot of traffic this time, so I am over that. You spend so much time thinking about the traffic, you miss out on your workout. My husband said that he would feel better about that too. Ok.... done deal.

Jessica: Glad you checked in!! Get some rest!

Toasted: Glad you are feeling better. Peppermint tea is good for the soul!!

When I was walking from the car to my office today - I thought my pants felt a little big - and this is the first day I'm wearing them. I would be great to go down a size - I have the next 2 sizes down in my closet!!!

I bought a package of 5 spin classes so I guess I'll be sticking to that for another couple of weeks. Planning to go today after work :)

Also - I got my Invisalign scans done this morning. I've heard of people losing weight during the process since it restricts your eating - here's hoping!