Vladadog great job on sticking to your goals and saying no to pizza. In and of itself, not a bad food, when you make it at home and it's not full of grease like when eating out. And a huge congratulations on losing 20 pounds in 2 months! Took me 7 months to do the same, my body just won't collaborate even though I put a ton of efforts in.

WZin all your talk of warrior poses makes me want to apply myself harder to make it work.

We had my brother and father over for our Christmas supper last night after my busy and looooong work day. Of course as usual I made way too much food (I always worry there won't be enough), but everything was good, my brother and father are in good spirits (except for a cataract affecting his right eye that he needs to take care of) and it was nice to be together for the Holidays. My husband and I were just totally beat afterwards and went to bed early, there's just no way that I could get in a workout of any kind. So I made up for it today, after another extremely busy day at work, by doing a fluid stretches workout. That's all the energy I have by the end of a weekend work day. Now off to enjoy the ton of leftovers and to enjoy a relaxing evening.

Week 1 https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima.../candycane.gif
1: 43 minutes upper body strength training with cardio intervals
2: 37 minutes lower body strength training + 100 squats challenge
3: 15 minutes yoga/stretching + 17 minutes pilates workout
4: 35 minutes upper back and biceps strength training
5: 26 minutes lower body strength training with HIIT intervals + 8 minutes HIIT workout
6: 35 minutes chest and triceps strength training
7:

Week 2https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...ies/tree02.gif
8: 31 minutes stretching workout
9:41 minutes lats and shoulders strength training
10: 47 minutes plyometrics and lower body strength training
11: 35 minutes core and pilates workout
12: 35 minutes upper body strength training
13: 30 minutes static stretches workout
14:

Week 3https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...s/wreath01.gif
15: 31 minutes upper body strength training and cardio intervals workout
16:
17: 38 minutes standing abs workout
18: 38 minutes upper body strength training
19: 51 minutes active/static lower body workout
20: 30 minutes low-impact cardio workout
21:

Week 4 :santa:
22: 30 minutes fluid stretches workout

WZin balance is so tricky, sometimes it works, sometimes not. It's good of you to set fitness goals as well as keeping an eye on your weight loss goals. That's my approach as well. Doing core exercises with weights is quite a feat. I've done it once during a routine that called for it and I quite enjoyed it, even though I was only using 2.5 pound dumbbells. Don't stress the stealth during the Holidays, just keep trying your best every day. And yeah, having certain types of foods in the house makes it really difficult to stay on plan. We very rarely buy potato chips for that reason, cause I go through an entire bag in an evening.

Vladadog great for you for getting that mile in no matter what.

Yesterday at work I got a call from an employee from the store I worked at for 11 years before I was transferred to this new store last year. She called to wish my a great holiday season, as well as to tell me her son would come by to bring my a batch of her homemade veggie imperial rolls. She makes a huge batch a few times a year and she used to always make some vegetarian ones for me and bring me a bag at work. I was so touched that she thought of me this Christmas and sent her son to bring me some. Another employee at my current place of work gave me Laura Secord chocolates. She didn't know if I liked chocolate and was so happy when I told her that YES I LOVE chocolate. It was very sweet of her to do this. My brother also brought chocolate when he came over on Saturday. He knows me so well ;)

So I have to work hard to counter all those calories I will be eating from all those food gifts I am receiving. I completed a 50-minutes kickboxing and core work routine this morning. I hadn't done kickboxing in forever it seems, I still love it. My week of workouts is all lined up, I'm rearing to go. But time for a shower and some gift wrapping before I go to work for an afternoon/evening shift.

Have a wonderful Monday-before-Christmas everyone!

Week 1 https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima.../candycane.gif
1: 43 minutes upper body strength training with cardio intervals
2: 37 minutes lower body strength training + 100 squats challenge
3: 15 minutes yoga/stretching + 17 minutes pilates workout
4: 35 minutes upper back and biceps strength training
5: 26 minutes lower body strength training with HIIT intervals + 8 minutes HIIT workout
6: 35 minutes chest and triceps strength training
7:

Week 2https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...ies/tree02.gif
8: 31 minutes stretching workout
9:41 minutes lats and shoulders strength training
10: 47 minutes plyometrics and lower body strength training
11: 35 minutes core and pilates workout
12: 35 minutes upper body strength training
13: 30 minutes static stretches workout
14:

Week 3https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...s/wreath01.gif
15: 31 minutes upper body strength training and cardio intervals workout
16:
17: 38 minutes standing abs workout
18: 38 minutes upper body strength training
19: 51 minutes active/static lower body workout
20: 30 minutes low-impact cardio workout
21:

Week 4 https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...ies/smiley.gif
22: 30 minutes fluid stretches workout
23: 50 minutes kickboxing and abs workout

Wishing everyone Joyeux Noël! :hohoho:*Hope you have been enjoying a wonderful time with family and friends :)

Vladadog love your "Lol. Definitely not." comment at sticking under 1600 calories yesterday. I definitely did not either. And people gave me even more chocolate and our manager gave us each a huge box of gourmet cookies. The calorie counter is broken at this time. But if everything else is still on plan, we're doing ok.

David gave me two new sets of dumbbells for Christmas, 12 pounds and 20 pounds. Even though I felt bloated from all the food and sweets, I really wanted to work out today to try out these new weights, especially after skipping my workout yesterday after work. I was just too tired from 5 straight work days (the busiest days of the year too) and I*just wanted to relax on Christmas Eve with my husband and dog, watching movies and munching on food. I did get in 16 000 steps at work though, so that counts for something. The 20-pound weights I got*are HUGE. Makes deadlifts and squats really challenging now. Now time to get ready to go out to my in-laws for a nice, quiet Christmas dinner with (hopefully) my father-in-law's delicious homemade knishes.

Week 1 :candy:
1: 43 minutes upper body strength training with cardio intervals
2: 37 minutes lower body strength training + 100 squats challenge
3: 15 minutes yoga/stretching + 17 minutes pilates workout
4: 35 minutes upper back and biceps strength training
5: 26 minutes lower body strength training with HIIT intervals + 8 minutes HIIT workout
6: 35 minutes chest and triceps strength training
7:

Week 2:tree:
8: 31 minutes stretching workout
9:41 minutes lats and shoulders strength training
10: 47 minutes plyometrics and lower body strength training
11: 35 minutes core and pilates workout
12: 35 minutes upper body strength training
13: 30 minutes static stretches workout
14:

Week 3:wreath:
15: 31 minutes upper body strength training and cardio intervals workout
16:
17: 38 minutes standing abs workout
18: 38 minutes upper body strength training
19: 51 minutes active/static lower body workout
20: 30 minutes low-impact cardio workout
21:

Week 4 :santa:
22: 30 minutes fluid stretches workout
23: 50 minutes kickboxing and abs workout
24:
25: 39 minutes lower body strength training

:clause: and a belated Merry Christmas to all!

It's great to see so many folks posting to the thread and providing updates. Sounds like everyone is doing quite well. As for me, I decided to take my own advice that I posted when I started the thread to just enjoy some much needed rest and down time. This included staying off the computer since my work revolves around it all day every day. I'm officially off until January 3 and I'm enjoying every minute of it.This is my favorite time of year on campus because all the students are on break and the campus shuts down until after the New Year. I have popped in for a few hours here and there, but since I'm on my own time and I know that no one is going to be knocking on my door or in our center, it doesn't feel like work. Last Thursday, prior to going on break, my supervisor and all four of the directors in my unit enjoyed a spa day and then lunch after. We paid for our own massages and facial (we had a choice between the two) and our supervisor treated us to lunch. It was a really lovely and relaxing day. Now I'm catching up on home tasks that have been hanging over my head in effort to begin 2020 on the right foot. Before the break ends I need to get a new pair of running shoes and with after Christmas sales I'm hoping for a good bargain. Martine, I nodded when I read your post about all the varieties of food coming your way. I feel completely bloated but New Year's is nowhere near the holiday for me as Christmas, so I should be shedding some of that bloat in the days to come. :crossed:

Wishing everyone a great Thursday! :hug:

:wave:

WZin: I love your 2020 avatar! I can't believe that we're so close to the change in decade :hat: I came to the university where I now work first as a student in 1997. At that time nearly all the talk and preparation on campus was for 2020. It seemed so far away. Wow, does time fly by quickly!

Cabbage is such a great food and so healthy. An eight pound head! I like shredding it for slaw for fish tacos or on it's own, and I also like dropping it into broth based soups. It's a great filler and shrinks down nicely. Great job meeting all of your exercise goals :bravo:. The exercise goal I was able to meet this year was my walking/running mileage goal of 1,500 miles. Well, I'm not quite there yet but I'm barring anything wacky happening, I will achieve it.
**********************
Not much to report today. I have an appointment this afternoon but if I have time before, I'm going to get on the running shoe task. Tonight I'm going to settle in for a long phone chat and catch up with an old friend who is in the area visiting family for the holidays.

Happy Friday!

curvynotlumpy it's so nice to see you checking in and to hear about you enjoying your time off. I'm sure that the day at the spa helped get you in a relaxing mood for the Holidays. I love how you gave yourself a goal of walking/running 1500 miles this year! I'm a numbers person so that speaks to me. Unfortunately with Winter being what it is in my area, I can't walk much for a good 3 months out of the year. Hope you find that perfect pair of running shoes and enjoy catching up with your long-time friend tonight.

WZin congratulations on hitting all of your exercise goals this week and keeping your calories under control. Not an easy feat considering all the celebrations going on.

Vladadog glad you enjoyed the Holidays with your friends and loved ones. I'm intrigued by your ring activity tracker. I haven't worn rings of any kind in years, because of bloated fingers.

Yesterday morning before work, I just could not get up at all to exercise. I slept on and off until 9am actually, which is rare for me. Guess my body needed the extra rest. I didn't exercise when I got home from work either, even when our manager told us to leave earlier than planned (nice of her). I just had zero energy. I think all that junk food/chocolate/sweets/fatty foods caught up to me. So today I've been back to making healthy choices and back to a HIIT routine. I realized I hadn't done HIIT in a while, I felt rusty. I've got all my workouts lined up until January 3rd, planning a 1000-calorie workout to finish out the year on the 31st. Pushing through the end of 2019. Now for a relaxing evening and watching "Brittany Runs a Marathon", which I've been dying to see ever since I saw the previews in the Fall.

Have a wonderful Friday night everyone!

Week 1 https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima.../candycane.gif
1: 43 minutes upper body strength training with cardio intervals
2: 37 minutes lower body strength training + 100 squats challenge
3: 15 minutes yoga/stretching + 17 minutes pilates workout
4: 35 minutes upper back and biceps strength training
5: 26 minutes lower body strength training with HIIT intervals + 8 minutes HIIT workout
6: 35 minutes chest and triceps strength training
7:

Week 2https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...ies/tree02.gif
8: 31 minutes stretching workout
9:41 minutes lats and shoulders strength training
10: 47 minutes plyometrics and lower body strength training
11: 35 minutes core and pilates workout
12: 35 minutes upper body strength training
13: 30 minutes static stretches workout
14:

Week 3https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...s/wreath01.gif
15: 31 minutes upper body strength training and cardio intervals workout
16:
17: 38 minutes standing abs workout
18: 38 minutes upper body strength training
19: 51 minutes active/static lower body workout
20: 30 minutes low-impact cardio workout
21:

Week 4 https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...ies/smiley.gif
22: 30 minutes fluid stretches workout
23: 50 minutes kickboxing and abs workout
24:
25: 39 minutes lower body strength training
26:
27: 37 minutes HIIT workout

WZin thank you for the encouraging words. I had to look up what a White Russian is. I very rarely drink. I can count on one hand the types of drinks that I have tried and enjoyed, but liquor is so expensive and you need such a variety to make said drinks that we never have any at home. And then when we go out I'm always the designated driver, so I don't drink. With all the food I've eaten over Christmas, it's better that I don't drink I think, or else I might explode...

Yesterday we went out to see an early showing of the latest Star Wars movie and I had popcorn, because I go to the movies maybe twice a year and popcorn is part of the experience for me. I had every intention of working out late afternoon as usual, but I actually fell asleep around supper time. After that nap we had leftovers for supper and it was too late (for me) to exercise. I really lacked consistency last week on all levels, which is understandable considering the Holidays, but it's not helping me get out of the 240s, so I need to re-focus now. I wanted to do two workouts today, to make up for the missed one yesterday, but my right knee is bothering me so I didn't want to risk injury and just stuck to an upper body workout.

Hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful weekend :)

Week 1 https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima.../candycane.gif
1: 43 minutes upper body strength training with cardio intervals
2: 37 minutes lower body strength training + 100 squats challenge
3: 15 minutes yoga/stretching + 17 minutes pilates workout
4: 35 minutes upper back and biceps strength training
5: 26 minutes lower body strength training with HIIT intervals + 8 minutes HIIT workout
6: 35 minutes chest and triceps strength training
7:

Week 2https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...ies/tree02.gif
8: 31 minutes stretching workout
9:41 minutes lats and shoulders strength training
10: 47 minutes plyometrics and lower body strength training
11: 35 minutes core and pilates workout
12: 35 minutes upper body strength training
13: 30 minutes static stretches workout
14:

Week 3https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...s/wreath01.gif
15: 31 minutes upper body strength training and cardio intervals workout
16:
17: 38 minutes standing abs workout
18: 38 minutes upper body strength training
19: 51 minutes active/static lower body workout
20: 30 minutes low-impact cardio workout
21:

Week 4 https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ima...ies/smiley.gif
22: 30 minutes fluid stretches workout
23: 50 minutes kickboxing and abs workout
24:
25: 39 minutes lower body strength training
26:
27: 37 minutes HIIT workout
28:

Week 5 :newyear:
29: 30 minutes upper body strength training

Oh, Martine I'm so sorry! Winter weather is so treacherous all the way around. You have built a solid and enviable foundation for success and have dropped some major lbs. along the way. Clearly, this is a set-back but you will find a way to negotiate around your injury.

Wishing everyone a safe and peaceful start to the New Year. Let's make 2020 memorable! And on that note, please join me on the new thread that can be found here .