Went to Body Pump this morning. It was a new release, so two of the instructors were there together. They like to make it fun on a new release so that you invite more people. It was a tough, tough workout, but also felt really good. We did these pushup things for the shoulder part where you were supposed to be on your knees for two counts and then up on your feet for 4 counts. Very challenging. I was really pushing it, and doing fairly well, and one of the instructors called out "Good job, Diane". Yay! They don't do that very often, so I felt pretty good about that. Beast mode!

We're having a catered lunch today at work, from Qdoba. I think I can probably be fairly good. Just need to stay away from the tortilla chips. They actually already put it out and I normally don't eat for another hour. Ugh. Might make for a long afternoon.

Laurie: Frustrating to lose your post like that! But, looks like you have a good plan for the day!

Walrus: Welcome! Hopefully we can be a support system for you! I've never made it to maintenance and I've often wondered how hard it might be.

Dread: How fun! A beach weekend! Looks like you have a good plan going into it!

I said yesterday on my blog that I had a new attitude and was "Ok with the water weight", well, that was until it didn't budge this morning (ate cake - within my caloric limit, but higher carb count means holding more water too) and well, I Don't feel THAT ok with seeing no drop on the scale.

If I have a 6 pound jump on the scale, I want to actually feel like I ate tons of scrumptious food resulting in a true 6 pounds gained versus having restraint for those 6 days and STILL gaining 6 pounds! ARGH!!!!

I hate the ups and downs and stalls of it all. Even when I know WHY it is, I still don't like it!

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!

I am dropping weight pretty quickly now but I know it's just because I'm 'back on the wagon'. But it feels good to see it dropping.

I'm hoping to get back to 195lbs pretty quickly, which is where I was at once upon a time. Yesterday went pretty great. I have been on vacation but soon I'll be starting a new job. It's going to be pretty sedentary, driving semi trucks, but I should only have to do long runs about three days a week, with maybe a short run in there somewhere, meaning I'll get more days off. So I figure if I am good about stretching and exercising before a run and during the breaks then on my off days I can really commit to getting some good workouts.

And the truck has a fridge in it so I can bring snacks and lunch and stuff, which helps. I'm just hoping to pay off some debt, take some financial stress off myself and get focused on my health again.

I hope the best for all of you!

Hi to you Walrus! I'm with Laurie good job on catching your regain at 15 pounds.

Laurie ~ yah to spending some quality time with hubby, I think I'm in desperate need of that too athe the moment its all work and no play. Desperately looking forward to summer :)

Melissa ~ yes the ups and downs are frustrating, even when you know why!! The love hate relationship with the scale is a strong one. Onward and upward and all that

Diane ~ that photo!!! You look like wonder woman! I bit it felt amazing

Amanda ~~ down is down take it where you can! Sounds like you are super busy

Okay me ... I'm tettering on the edge again, I just can't seem to get into the groove. I don't know if its the fact I'm coming up to a year of this and I'm not where I want to be or if its the fact I'm so close to my next goal and have the uncanny ability to shoot myself in the foot before I get there. A part of me still believes I'm just not going to get there, and that part of me has been raising its ugly head again .. loudly. At the moment I'm maintaining but not loosing, I just seem to be eating just that little too much, hormonal too which doesn't help!!

Anyway that my moan for the day lol

Went to spin class this morning. I felt a little sore from yesterday's workout, but in a good way. I'll go run after work today. Last night I pulled some weeds, so I got a little activity that way, too. Not fun, but I did get some pulled. I checked my weight yesterday and it is down quite a bit, so maybe the bloat is over for now. I'll wait until Monday to adjust any numbers on my ticker.

It has been a good week of workouts, and I think that will help with getting back on track with food. I haven't been great with that part. I do have a couple of workouts tomorrow morning, too. I'll go to Body Pump and then Body Flow.

MissLoud: Sorry you are struggling. It is hard, that's for sure. Just hang in there, though. Don't give up!

Walrus: Sounds like you have a good plan for your new job. Hope the weight loss keeps going for you.

BerryBlonde: It is so frustrating to be stuck! I hear you! Hang in there!

Super quick update! I'm up to 256.0 as of yesterday morning (no change today) with seemingly no reasonable explanation (I've been super good!)...until I realized my TOM is coming on Monday, so water bloating ahoy! But it's cool, I'm gonna be at the beach all weekend so I'm not too concerned. Just gonna enjoy my weekend of sea and sand and come back to reality Monday morning!

Hey all, I'm heading back to Onederland pretty quickly and I am excited to be back to it. I remember getting there the first time last year and just being so stoked. So now I am going to appreciate it and not let it go!

But also, I need to break through the 190's pretty quickly, just to get my mojo back and get into new territory. The lowest I got was about 190lbs and I was so close but then I started backsliding right around then. I managed to stay at 195lbs for a while but then it just started going up again. But I'm glad I caught it. I knew something like this might happen, weight loss is hardly ever linear!

One of those mornings where I was answering email from the time I woke up (literally before I went to work). Impromptu meetings, urgent emails, and this is the first few minutes I have had to come here. Feels good to be needed, though. =)

Just doing a quick check-in, though. Work calls. My good news - I felt pretty funky this weekend, so I ate very little. I think I sort of normalized it yesterday evening, but I feel very "on the bandwagon" in terms of my focus on making sure I have good food and have my gym clothes, etc. No real morning food temptations, either. Sometimes, life hands you a gift. No complaints.

Today's Goals
1 - Leave at 1:30 for gym or walk (it's beautiful outside - maybe even an outside run)
2 - Moderate food
3 - Stay focused on work so I don't have an excuse to skip the gym.
4 - Stay with the "no food from 1 - 6 p.m." rule unless it's post-work-out feed

Have a great Monday, all!

Well, the bloat is over, thank goodness. I had a decent weigh in this morning. Went to spin and I'll go running after work. It is supposed to be cool this afternoon, but they're also talking about "heavy rain", so I guess I won't run outside. I'm kind of wanting to get off the treadmill and back outside, but while it is so hot, I just can't do it.

Laurie: Sounds like the morning I've been having. Just one thing after another!

Walrus: Congrats on the weight loss.

Dread: Hope you had a good time at the beach!

Hey all!

Been a while since my last check in, since I'm a little weird about the stairs to the basement (where my computer is) lately. Can't see my feet around the baby belly and all. BUT. I'm pretty sure my glucose test was fine! My doctor's office is good about calling if something is not normal, and my test was last Wednesday, and I've heard nothing back from them. So, YAY FOR THAT! I can have a piece of cake at my baby shower later this month without feeling guilty! Which is good, because we have a professional baker that does the cakes for these things and it's like heaven on a fork whenever she brings goodies.

I have another ultrasound scheduled for August 12 and am super excited to see my little boy again! They want to check his growth and make sure the EDD of October 21 is still accurate, and they also want to see if they can verify a 2 or 3 vessel cord, since they couldn't see that on the previous anatomy scan. Doc is probably gonna have me do these ultrasounds a couple more times before baby comes to keep an eye on growth, since overweight/obese mamas have a higher risk for bigger babies and they want to make sure he doesn't get *too* big in there.

And Laurie, I was simply saying my checkins will be much much more regular starting in January, and I will be back here daily to tell any mental hookers causing problems to GTFO! :) Including my own, which will probably be telling me LOSE FASTER FATTY, even though breast feeding mamas are supposed to go slow.

Hey all! Guess what??????? I was offered the limited duration job with the state pending background check. I am so happy about that. Since then I have had opportunities to interview in the private sector too. I am debating both...but the private sector cannot beat the states benefits. I know with the degree I have I will be able to or hopefully move up fast with the state. I would love to eventually be in an investigative role, that is my true passion.

Weight wise.....I am still the same....having days where I do not eat until dinner and then having days where I just yeah well I will not say. I am committing to myself to get back on schedule and to commit to planning meals and packing them. My start date is next Monday.

I will go through all the posts...hope everyone is doing well!

JENNI!!! - I could not be more excited for you! All that work and all that stress. The job doesn't solve all your problems, but it is a huge, well-deserved step forward. CONGRATULATIONS!

Mandy - Yay for growing a baby! And really relieved for you that you aren't dealing with gestational diabetes. Can't wait to see pics, and am looking forward to you re-joining the journey whenever it's right for you.

Diane - I, too, much prefer being outside, but there is also something comforting and consistent about a treadmill. So glad the bloat has passed and you're getting good results.

Still struggling, but the food seems to be doing better. Another day, another opportunity, right?

Got a kid doctor appointment today, so can't also slip out for a work-out. We'll see if I can get something in after work. Also, have to get a dress for my daughter's wedding in less than two weeks. Was hoping that I would be down by this time, but I am actually up a few pounds. Gotta suck it up and find something.

Have a good day, everyone!

Went running last night and had someone tell me how good I look. I don't know her very well, but she's at the gym a lot of the times that I am there. It is good to hear, but sometimes I feel so awkward about it. I went to Body Pump this morning and got there a little early. I try to not get there too early so that I don't have to talk. :) That's how sociable I am. But there were a couple of people giving me a hard time about being so hard core that I do my pushups from my toes and not my knees. Well, what do you say to that? Thanks? I keep trying to improve on form and increase my weights, so yeah, that's why I do them that way. I know people are trying to be supportive, and I appreciate it, but I just would rather not discuss.

I did better yesterday with food. Today will be another struggle, I can tell already. I haven't been taking the time at night to make my lunch, and I just don't have time in the morning.

Mandy: Glad that the glucose test went well! You don't want to have to worry about that issue!

Jenni: Congrats on the job! That's so awesome!!

Laurie: I understand the struggle! Hang in there!!

Jenni - hey job!! Thats awesome, will take some of the stress away I'm sure

Diane - I see what you mean about comments on your fitness, I know they are trying to be helpful but its like when people comment on your weightloss, and then like to add 'you look so much better ..' like you looked like cr*p before. Meh you don't do it for them, if we did we would have given up ages ago.

Laurie - Oooh weddings I'm in the thick of it here too, 2 of my close friends are getting married in the next 6 months. I'm not where I want to be either, but hey put some heels on and own it I say!

Well I've picked myself up off the hormonal floor and given myself a kick up the butt! I didn't realise how much hormones would effect not only my diet but my belief in myself. I've started tracking it now so I'm not scambling and wondering why I'm so down. I swear I've got more extreme since having kids - I guess its just the total lack of time for myself :) I'm due today and managed to loose a pound so I'm okay with that. I'm going to recognise the days I just want to eat everything in the house and let myself eat as much as I want but healthy. Oh being a woman is great isn't it!

Well had a late night last night as I had to take my grandparents down to A&E my grandad was okay and they ended up sending him home, he did need to see a doctor though. But because he was low priority we got home at 2 in the morning :( so now to resist eating out of tiredness. Excited as we are off to Dunedin for a long weekend with a couple of other families, doing lots of kid stuff ahd shopping. They have a rainforest display at the museum and its so cool, hundreds of butterflies. I think I was more excited than the kids last time lol. Will take my shoes and walk on the beach, in the freezing cold lol bring in summer!!!!

Went to spin this morning. I really didn't feel like it and I almost stayed home. But, somehow got out the door. I don't know why the lazies are hitting me so hard lately. I guess hovering around the same weight is getting tiring. Of course, it isn't the workouts that are the problem. It is me, trying to stay on track with food. Oh well. We'll see how it goes by Monday. I might have to try something else to kick it up a notch. I'll go running after work tonight. I am not going to even start thinking I don't want to go.

MissLoud: Yep, hormones are wonderful. Glad you're feeling better. It sounds like you have a really fun weekend planned!

Ok.... kinda quiet here.

Went to Body Pump this morning. Good workout. It actually seemed a little better and I think it was because I ended up not running last night. Although I think that running is a great exercise and is helping me a lot, it does wear me out and makes my other workouts more difficult.

Hope everyone is doing ok!!

Seriously??????????????????

Sorry I've been MIA these last few days (for the last week maybe?)! I'm in the middle of a relay race to the end of this semester. I'm dead tired, I'm off my diet, I've only been doing minimal exercising, I'm eating like crap.

BUT I'M ALMOST DONE WITH MED-SURG II!!! I'm so close. Just another week of this crap. I have three exams Monday and Tuesday, and I just need to survive until next week Friday. Then I get a blessed week-long, hard-earned break before getting thrown into the next round of classes.

So...forgive me while I temporarily kind of suck at losing weight lol.

Just weighed myself to see the damage...and I'm floating at an even 255.0! I thought for sure I would have ballooned back up to the 260's by now, but it looks like I'm holding steady at this weight. Maybe the calorie counting affected my eating habits more than I think? When we came home from the beach, it was sitting around 257ish.

So much good news from everyone! What a wonderful thing to come back to on the board. :)

TheWalrus: Congrats on coming back!!! You'll be back in Onederland in no time at all :D

Laurie: Congrats on your daughter's wedding! I'm sure you'll find a dress that fits wonderfully, and both you and your daughter will be radiant and beautiful on her big day!

Jenni: YAAAYYYY I'm so happy you got the offer!!!! How exciting!!

Mandy: I'm glad the glucose test came back with good results (or no results lol). One less thing for an already stessed out pregnant lady to worry about!

Kelly: You can do it!!! Hormones are just a woman's best friend, aren't they? And that museum sounds super cool!

Diane: Honest to God, you always sound like a super woman with your posts. So many workouts and healthy eating! I'm sure you'll find a rhythm that fits and gets you the most out of all the workouts :)

Where is everyone????? Come back! :(

Woke up this morning to a weight of 258.2. WHOA BUDDY. Guess all the crap eating finally caught up to me. Figured out that four months from tomorrow, I'll be graduating and doing my pinning ceremony at school. Those pictures are going to be posted far and wide and will be tacked up on plenty of family member's living room walls (as well as my own wall), which means I've got to look GOOD.

Four months to lose weight and look good in a photo that will live forever. If I push hard and buckle down, eat healthy, count my calories and work out like a mad-woman...2lbs a week, 4 weeks/month, 4 months....I could possibly lose up to 32lbs. I could be in the 220's when I get pinned!!! How exciting. :)

Time to step up my weight loss game!!

Hi all! :D

I will be here posting some more ultrasound photos of my little fish (and the bump he's making) on Wednesday. I can't believe I'm already into the every-2-weeks appointments!

30 weeks down, 10 to go. Eeek!

I'm here just back from our weekend away! Turned into a little longer as we got snowed in. Anyway got on the scales and I'm up a kg which I don't think is justified but oh well - back to it. I'm hearing you Amanda I'm sick of dilly dallying around the same number!!! I'm desperate to get to 99kg but keep shooting myself in the foot. My friends wedding is in 10 weeks and I aim to be 15 pounds down by then, do able if I just get off my butt - roll on summer!! So I'm committing to 30 days on plan no excuses. Bring on the new numbers.

Geez Mandy you sure are sailing on through this pregnancy! That little bubba will be here in no time!

Still hanging out at the same weight. I just can't seem to break through to lower 2-teens. So, I guess MissLoud, Dread and I are all in the same boat. I went to Body Pump today. It was challenging today. It seemed so hot in there today, I almost felt sick. Glad it was done!

Mandy: Looking forward to the pictures. It seems like you just told us you were pregnant, and now you are getting so close!!

Dread: Looks like you and I have some weight to lose to meet our goals! Yours is by December and mine is by the end of the year, I want to make it to onederland by then, so I need to buckle down and be more disciplined.

MissLoud: You, too, have a pretty specific goal. We all need to work hard!

Went to the gym last night with my nursing friends. Did a pretty hardcore arms/upper body workout and then a 1hr spin class afterwards. Everything hurts on my body today. EVERYTHING. But it's a good hurt, a sore muscle hurt, not an injury hurt. Feels good in a painful way lol. Weight dropped a little to 257.8, and that's with eating a full (decently healthy) meal pretty late at night last night and not sleeping a whole lot (final exams all day today).

Mandy: How exciting!!! Full term is coming up quick. Looking forward to the bump pics. :)

Kelly: We've totally got this. Just need to focus and be determined! I've def been messing around and not concentrating like I should, but with this semester now essentially over as of today, I've got a week and a half to really kickstart my weight loss before starting a whole new class. I'm totally committing to 30 days on plan with you!

Diane: I feel like us getting specific makes us much more likely to achieve our goals...makes it more realistic and less theoretical. And setting a hard date to lose by makes it better also! All of us getting more determined at the same time can only lead to good things. :D

Okay so weigh in was back to normal, so looks like it was water weight. I'm not good with deadline driven goals, makes me feel a bit panicked! Feel much better with a few of us in the same boat though. Totally ready to see new numbers. Its funny though this time last year I would have given anything to be the weight I am now lol now I still feel huge. Slow and steady though. Hmmm okay it hasn't even been steady lately! Day one of committed dieting - logging calories and 10,000 steps

Good luck with your exams Amanda!

So Day 1 of being On Plan! Thus far today I've had strawberry/banana greek yogurt with granola for breakfast and a snack of some crackers with cheese (probably too many crackers, but definitely not more than a handful). Gonna eat a good lunch and then going to the gym with nursing friends tonight for leg day. I'm still super sore from Monday but this should help us stretch out a bit.

Kelly: I did awesome on them, straight A's on my finals! :D I don't tend to get panicked when I have a deadline, but my main problem is that if I don't start off the way I want then I just kind of give up. But not this time. Gonna stick it out this time!

Went to spin this morning. She did some different types of moves today that were definitely challenging. That was good! Tonight I will go running after work. Still trying to stay on plan with food. I didn't do well last night, so I'll need to do better today.

So, just wondering what is happening with our missing in action friends today. Hopefully we'll see you all checking in soon!

Okay, so, rundown of the day...

Bad news: didn't go to the gym, had some pizza for dinner.
Good news: did Day 1 of the PopSugar squat challenge (with double squats for the variations with leg kicks), and ended up doing 42 squats. Also, came out to just under 2000 calories for the day (I try to aim for between 1000-1500, but under 2000 is acceptable in a pinch).

So...I'm calling it even for the day. Not a total success, but not a failure and I'm definitely proud of myself for still doing the squats at home even though I didn't do my gym time. Yay me! :)

Oh, and kinda mediocre news: still at 258. Meh.

Went running last night. I went further than I had been lately, so it was good. When I was running outside, I had been running about 3.2 miles. Then, when it got hot and I go to the gym for now, for some reason I had dropped down to about 2.5 miles. So, made myself go back up to 3. My hip is a little sore today, but that's ok. Went to Body Pump too this morning.

Amanda: Sounds like a victory to me, doing the squat challenge. Sometimes those things help keep us going!

Well, today was my last day of clinical at the site (thank you, Little Baby Jesus). Just have to sign my final evaluation tomorrow at school and then I'm officially done with Level 2!!! For all intents and purposes, I'm counting today as the last day of school and going to go celebrate with margaritas tonight. ;) Ate a HUGE lunch at Luby's, but even though I ate a lot, none of it was actually unhealthy. Except maybe the two bread rolls I had. They're just so delicious!

Diane: I can't wait to go running again!!! I used to be able to go for long-ish jogs and get runners high, but since gaining so much weight, I end up hurting myself if I try to jog for too long. Have to lose some weight before I can attempt to do C25K in full again. I'm definitely doing the squat challenge again today. Felt good to be a little sore in the legs this morning!

Oh yes bread Amanda! Mmm my nemasis! Had not a great day yesterday, went to a friends for a playdate and I ste to many healthy snacks - all adds up. Good news is I'm in my happy hormone space so pleased to see the back of Aunt Flo!! Looking forward to the weekend, finally getting into some DIY for the first time since my youngest was born. Also going to organise my oldests room and get rid of baby toys ... me thinks spring is in the air!

Diane: I'm interested to know when/what weight did you start running? I just feel so heavy I worry what it does to my joints?? Have you had any issues. Ooor I'm using as an excuse because I'm lazy lol maybe I needed to have kids earlier all I feel is tired!!

Boy was I tired last night. Running on Wednesday really seemed to wear me out. I went to spin this morning and I'm planning on running today after work, but maybe not as long. We'll see how it goes. I need to pull some weeds tonight, so that might be the option. So ready for the weekend!

MissLoud: I started with C25K in January, so I was about 235. I had been going to spin class and doing body pump very regularly, though. I will tell you that starting with C25K was the best thing to do as it was very challenging for me. I have been fairly lucky with no injuries, just some soreness every so often.

Amanda: I admire your dedication to your squat challenge. I am not a fan of squats, so that would be torture to me! Good job!!

And so my break from school has officially started! I've decided not to weigh myself this week, don't wanna stress out during my off-week. Just going to swim a lot, go to the gym as often as I can, eat relatively healthy and drink to my heart's content. Then we'll see where I'm at the Monday I come back to school. Want to enjoy my vacation while I can!

Kelly: Oooooh, I love DIY! I'm just not very good at it lol. I overwhelm myself with too many projects and then get fed up because they don't come out how I want them to lol.

Diane: That's about the weight I was at (230's) when I started C25K the last time. I loved it! I just can't do it at this weight, I injure too quickly. Can't wait to lose enough to start again!

Eeegad! Squats!!! Nup not for me lol sounds like you have a realistic plan Amanda enjoy your time off!

Diane a really do admire your dedication to fitness, I really need to take a leaf out of your book.

Hmm so totally fell off the wagon over the weekend, we did some building in our house which lead to bad eating choices. So today is day number 1 of sticking to plan.

● log all calories
● stop finishing the kids meals, thats what lead to weight gain in the first place!
● drink water or herbal tea when hungry
● try and get some movement in!

Blaaaah, I feel so bloated today. Sticking true to my vow to stay off the scale until next week Monday, though! I've decided that my major project for this week of my break is to get my apartment completely clean. I started today and I figure that if I break it into little bits of cleaning through the whole week, it won't be nearly as intimidating and back breaking as I think it will be lol.

Had a good weekend, but I'm struggling with food choices. I seem to have lost my mojo on that part. I will say that I did some pretty hard core yard work this weekend, and I was pretty impressed that I was strong enough to do it. I trimmed trees and hauled off limbs to the back of the property by myself. My husband is out of town, but I wanted to get it done. I was pretty wiped out, but felt good about being able to finish it.

Back to spin this morning and I should go running after work. I'm just going to see how my legs feel so that I don't completely kill myself.

Amanda: Glad you're back at it this morning! Weekends are so hard.

Kelly: Looks like we all struggled over the weekend! Glad to see you here.

Whatever I did yesterday, apparently it worked? I'm down to 257.4, so I finally broke my plateau. Perhaps cleaning is good for weight-loss? And yeah, I know I said I wasn't gonna weigh myself till next week Monday, but I HAD TO KNOW. ;) I slept for 10 hours last night and 10 hours the night before, and I feel AMAZING. On the menu for today is more cleaning! Gonna finish vacuuming the apartment and deep clean the bathroom. Phew! Maybe that'll bring me down another half pound for tomorrow. ;)

Diane: Food choices have to be the bane of my existence. I literally just need someone to follow me around and slap things out of my hand, like my mom when I was two. And good God, woman! That kind of yard-work is no freaking joke!! Good job! I would've lifted up the trimmers or pole-saw and just been like, NOPE. I'll just have to live in a jungle from now on.

Okay day one done on plan .... now thats an achievement lol. Now for day two, can I string two days together ;) such a nice day today I'll be out and about so as long as I reel it in at tea I should be fine. Stay focused.

Oh Amanda 10 hours sleep sounds like bliss, I got woken at 7 this morning with a sing song voice saying 'mum I've got a boogie' I shouldn't complain though I have brilliant sleepers I just have to stop being a night owl. Yay for breaking through the plateau!

Diane sounds like a really physical weekend, its amazing how much loosing weight impacts the little things. I found myself climbing over the school jungle gym frame yesterday, not something I would do 40 pounds ago.

Right off to music, blah things we stay at home mums do to get out of the house :)

Well, I totally didn't clean like I planned. Whoops...but I did manage to hold my kitten down long enough to trim all her nails! I need to get my butt up off my couch and go to the gym. :/ Maybe tomorrow morning before I go to my doctor's appt in the afternoon! I used to work out all the time in the morning and I lost a ton of weight, probably bc I have way more energy earlier in the day than later.

Kelly: You can do it! I've got faith in the tea-time reeling in abilities!

Down to 256 as of this morning! I don't know what's going on, but I like it lol. Maybe it was the stress of finals and the lack of sleep that was keeping my weight up a little higher?