excitedtolose – How was the date? Did the Sushi live up to the hype?

Jelbelle – I’d love to be able to work in Manhattan! Will you still have family close by if you make the move?

princessdi86 – I’m glad everything went well for your Mum’s birthday. I have to admit, the only thing that comes to mind when I think of Nashville is Country Music & I’ve never really gotten into that. I’m sure there would be other touristy things for me to do though. By the sounds of it you know exactly what direction you want your life to take. I love animals as well and especially dogs so it’s awesome that you want to have a dog shelter to save as many as you can!

Friday, Saturday & Sunday Question – I wish I could say that I had things totally figured out but I don’t. My one goal is still all about living a life less ordinary and in order to tackle that, I need to lose the excess weight first. I just want to regain my health and be happy. Sounds like the simplest thing in the world but everyone here knows what a struggle it can be.

Hey girls, is it okay if I post my weigh in a day early? I have issues with logging in pretty often (usually when 3FC doesn't "remember" me, I try my pw and name and it doesn't accept it, and many times I can't access my email to get a new pw) but also, sometimes I have problems getting here on Sundays. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to post tomorrow but I don't want to miss another WI!

oOPeanutOo: Nope. But you go where the job is =)

southernbelle102: Congrats on your "niece"!!!! I completely understand the urge to spoil. I see little girl clothes in shops and always wish I had someone to spoil, they're SOOOO cute! Goodluck on 100lbs by Christmas! You can do it!

JMFan: I'm sorry you're having a difficult time this month! You've done so well so far and so just brush everything off your shoulders and keep looking after yourself and keeping on! :hug:

oOPeanutOo: The fruits of your mini cooking storm sound good!! And good idea about the pasta sauce for quick meals. I felt sick and stomach acid-y through Thursday but had rice and cake so the birthday celebrant wouldn't know I was feeling bad and strangely enough felt better afterwards. (I think it's one of those things where you probably need to eat something but feel too sick to do so). I definitely paid for it later though and am still doing so.

excitedtolose: I'll look into soy milk again. I too used to use the Silk brand (light- vanilla flavour I think) but they don't have that where I live now. But they DO sell soy milk so yeah I'll re-visit that. Definitely creamier than milky water and wayyyy nicer-tasting. How did the date end up going? Did you pull it of? And the sushi?

princessdi86: Sorry your bf didn't get the job. It could definitely be a God-thing and I believe there's something better waiting for him probably, so keep the faith! I hope you have a better next week!


I'm still feeling quite ill but on a functional level, rather than on a writhe in bed level. Or rather, I want to writhe in bed from time to time but am able to function without doing so. Even fluids (including water) trigger a stomach flu (cramping and um... removal) reaction so it's been pretty grim. I've tried everything (medicine wise) and will see a doctor on Monday if I'm not better. Now to add to the general fun of being ill, I have TOM, so now I can't tell if the cramping is from the stomach issues of from TOM... ah well... I haven't really felt hungry for much: today I had a plain egg in the morning, a cup of plain rice (with a little adobo seasoning) in the afternoon, and then didn't feel like anything in the night, except I got enticed by some chocolate cake (yes smart choice, I know) which I thoroughly enjoyed but soon paid for. I didn't weigh in this morning because I wasn't home so I shouldn't have had carbs today OR sugar (part of my no-carbs the day b4 weigh in rule), so goodness knows what will be on the scale tomorrow between TOM, mild dehydration from the stomach flu and everything else. <sighs> I do feel better though, than Thursday or yesterday; I've abstained from googling my symptoms because I've been down that road and that just brings out my hypochondriachal tendencies, but I'm also going to be smart and see someone if I don't get better (no 15-lb tumor all over again and refusing to see a doctor bcos I thought I was just getting fat).
Exercise-wise, I did my runs for the week even though I felt sick. The good thing was I was so busy trying not to hurl, I didn't notice feeling breathless so all in all, they were good. I also met my 1200-minute exercise target for the month. I'm a little behind with 30-Day Slimdown though. But I think I'll be 100% caught up by tomorrow, hopefully.


The Weekend Question: I'm not really sure what I want BUT if pressed for an answer: 1 Year: Hopefully at goal and moreover at a healthy bmi. Confident and happy and filled with good self-esteem. Hopefully not single BUT only in a good relationship. 5 years: Possibly married, or at least in a serious relationship. Either finished doctoral OR working mid-high level position in a health/international development job AND freelance editing. 10 Years: Maintaining a healthy weight, married (only if it's right with the right person) with kids, doing consultancies in international development and running a small writing support (editing, proofing, research, essay help, document drafting etc) company.

toastedsmoke: Thanks a bunches:hug:

Jelbelle: Your career plan sounds really cool! I love reading/writing/editing, but I'd never really thought to pursue any of those things professionally. How did you become interested in owning a publishing company? I've never heard anyone express interest in doing so before, and it sounds intriguing! And yeah, I totally get what you mean about a lack of boyfriend material in -1700 words.

oOPeanutOo: Your advice about reading labels really struck home. I have a hard time reading the ingredients lists in Finnish, but at least I can find the calorie count! I really had no idea how many calories were in anything before I started looking at labels. When I first started trying to estimate calories, I'd round up to ridiculous amounts when it came to things like fruits, yogurts, and even bread, and then round really far down on cheeses. I'm still trying to get situated in calorie counting, but I find it really interesting!

Toastedsmoke: I absolutely love S&S (definitely my favorite), but I do understand what you mean about Marianne. I really despised her the first time I read the book, but I also saw a great deal of myself in her (I was going through a particularly bad break-up). I think part of the reason that I like the book so much is that it encouraged me to mend my ways and try to emulate Elinor. Things went really well this week! I actually decided that I was going to go ahead with the Masters in Nutrition plan. Who knew I could make a decision so quickly? And I've exercised fairly regularly this week, so I've been feeling pretty good about life. I'm sorry that you've been sick for most of the week, and I hope that this coming week finds you healthy again! Good job on exercising despite the illness. Next week you should join in the exercise challenge ... it's so quiet over there!

princessdi86: I love your dream of opening a dog shelter! I'm sure that you can do it if you put your mind to it. It sounds like such a wonderful idea.

southernbelle102: Congratulations on the new "niece"! I love when my friends and family have babies. My goddaughter is sooooo spoiled! I just wish I lived closer to her. I haven't actually been able to spend that much time with her so far, as we're on different continents, but I think I'll rectify that next year. Enjoy the time you have with your friend's baby!

JMfan: I hope that the rest of the month starts to look up for you!

Kim: How's everything going?


Weekend question: Well, I'm glad that you asked this one now and not last week!

1 year - living in Austin, preparing to take post-bac classes, volunteering in a community garden, hopefully working somewhere interesting (crossing my fingers for a food bank or a local environmental organization)
5 years - have successfully completed a Masters program in Nutrition, working to address malnutrition either abroad or domestically, hopefully tying sustainable agriculture into this work somehow, hopefully in a long-term relationship or married
10 years - too far ahead to think about career decisions, but hopefully married with kids (and still working)

Jelbelle – I think it’s awesome that you’re chasing after what you want!

toastedsmoke – I have to say, I was even impressed with my cooking effort. I mainly did it so I’d stay on plan and it worked. Sorry that you’re still having a rough time. Functional is definitely better than being stuck in bed. I think seeing a doctor would be a smart move if you’re still not feeling well.

Nienna – CHEESE!! I absolutely love cheese and was devastated when I found out how many calories were in it. I’ve had to stop buying Camembert & Brie all together because I just can’t fit them into my plan. I love that you want to try and address some of the issues on malnutrition once you’ve finished your Masters. It’s all about “giving back”.

My Monday hasn’t been completely horrible which is a nice change. We have nice weather at the moment so the Sun is out and streaming through the office windows at the moment. Stone fruits and Grapes are starting to come back into season for us but they are majorly expensive right now. In spite of the expense I still have to buy them. I never imagined that having fruit come into season would be a highlight for me. How things have changed!

Hopefully everyone had a good weekend!!

Nienna: It branched off of the writer thing. Since I wanted to be an author first, and I thought "why bother being a struggling author?". I figure SOMEONE has to be the one in the editing chair. I just want to be the person on top, I want to be involved in the entire publishing process.

Nienna: I'll definitely check out the exercise challenge. Thanks.

oOPeanutOo: Thanks, I feel a lot better actually, thank goodness! I understand a bit about excitement that fruit is in season! I haven't had grapes in AGES, but tangerines were in season a couple of months ago and I was a happy camper for a while!!!


Yesterdays weigh-in went ok-ish, well as ok-ish as I guessed it would be. On th plus side, I did lose a lb, so that was good. I've been kind of exhausted. I have 2 outstanding days of 30DSlimdown (1 NMTZ and 1 30DS L1+L2) and I was supposed to do them both and catch up yesterday but I didn't bcos I apparently suck. And so now I'm obsessed with doing them and doubling up today and tomorrow's workout to get them done but then when I think of doing that, I get superdiscouraged and feel exhausted instead. I know I should just get them done and out of the way, and just mentally get myself in the zone of it must get done OR ELSE!

Anyway team Phoenix! Let's keep on keeping on. We're halfway there!!!! We can do it!!!

Monday's Question (A GREAT ONE!): I do have before pictures, tons. I love pictures, most of them however are taken with a lot of great lighting and at perfect angles to give me the best look possible.

It got to the point where my boyfriend knew exactly how to take my photo to make sure that I would approve so I didn't have him take it a gazillion more times. I have poses that can slim myself...NOW I find myself NOT CARING about the poses or lighting etc and just smiling to smile and they are genuine!

I do have a few really bad before photos that show the true me (fat and all). But being I've posted those around this site before...maybe I'll post one of those that don't show every roll. =)

KimL1214: Thanks! I actually ended up not sucking yesterday, immediately I got home from work I didn't allow myself to read a chapter or curl up in bed, I put on work out clothes and got to it. Now if I can only do the same thing today... Except i'll go to the gym first for a run... Good luck with tomorrow's monster workout!!! And have great thanksgivings!

Monday's question: I'd be hard-pressed to come up with before pics from the 275 era. First of all I avoided the camera like the plague. Unless it was my camera with which I had control of the pics, people weren't able to take pictures of me. My senior year of college (I was maybe 250-260ish), I have NO pics from then at all and it's soooo sad. My friends DO however have a lot of pics on facebook from senior year labelled (toasted's hands (covering face) or toasted's hair- har har). That's a big regret for me. My mom MIGHT have some pics from 275 from New Year's 2009 but I doubt it, by tht time I was a pretty savvy camera dodger even though my mom is quite the papparazza at family occasions. I have pics from 260ish downwards and I will think about posting them maybe later today. Eek! If I work up the courage. I think i'm waiting till onederland though to put up progress pics.

Peanut: Cheese is absolutely delectable! When I visited my family in Belgium, we had cheese platters every night, and I thought I had gone to heaven. Of course, I also gained four pounds while I was there, so I guess that's the trade-off.

Kim: I'm planning on seeing Harry Potter with my parents, too, once they come to visit! I'm so excited, and I don't know how I'll manage to wait until December ... but I need to find a way to do so, otherwise I won't have anyone with whom to go. I guess I could always go with some of my students, but somehow that's not an entirely appealing thought. I hope that your piercing heals up soon! I've wanted to get my rook pierced for a while (as well as my nose and my conch), but I have fairly bad luck with infections, so I think I'll just admit defeat and stick to my industrial. Good job on walking away from another breakfast! I'm contemplating a second dinner right now, myself, but I'll resist. Maybe I should've saved some calories for after my work out ...

toastedsmoke – It’s great that you’re feeling better! Don’t be too hard on yourself with the workouts. We all get sick from time to time.

KimL1214 – I didn’t really explain that well. Sorry! We call things like, Nectarines, Peaches, Apricots and the like Stone Fruits. Are you feeling any better today? Ear wise and with everything else you have going on?? Hopefully the piercing heals quickly and you’ll think all the pain was worth it. Good Luck getting through all 3 of your Thanksgivings.

Krizstyling – I’d love to be able to get to the point about not having to worry when people take photos.

Nienna – Cheese Platters every night would be amazing but I know that I wouldn’t have the willpower to get back on my diet if I did that. Did you avoid that second dinner in the end??

Monday’s Question – Like others I have before pictures from when I’d be caught off guard by friends so they are definitely in existence. I’d just prefer to think that I never happened. My main reason for avoiding the camera is that no matter how I ‘posed’ it always looked like I had 3 chins. It was horrible! Sure, I did have the double chin action happening but all I could ever see in the photos were Chins. Not a good look at all.

Tuesday’s Question – While I do own a crock pot, I’m the first to admit that I wouldn’t have a clue how to cook with it. I’m sure there are heaps of great recipes around but I think that if I tried one out it would be horrendous and then put me off using it for life.

We’re on our 3rd consecutive day of hot weather in Melbourne and I have to say, I’m not looking forward to Summer if this is any indication. I don’t know what scares me about Summer every time it rolls around. Maybe it’s that I can’t find anything I like to wear in public or I’m constantly worried about how red my face is or how much I’m sweating. Hopefully some of those fears will lessen as I continue to lose the weight. I’m probably over thinking things...

hey everyone, hope u are all well... sorry i ent been around but i got some good news!.. i have a job.. thats why i missed last weigh in, dont have much time on here anymore so might have to leave the challenge as i dont know when ill be able to come on. but all the best everyone! :)

bbg200: Congratulations on your new job!!! All the best with that! And with your weightloss journey! Please update us on stuff whenever you can. You're still team Phoenix even though you may not be able to participate that actively anymore!

oOPeanutOo: Thanks! I'm definitely better than last week. And I plan to work out a little less/ be a little less militant with myself workout-wise bow that I've caught up from last week. I may only do one run this week instead of the 2 and definitely more yoga because it's only Wednesday and I just want to crawl in bed and sleep for a week! My brother and one of my best friends used to say the same things about the weather changing to summer. They dreaded less clothes. I don't care, I wear a cardigan or a blazer/jacket summer or winter. It helps that I tend not to sweat that much (but even when I do, I feel naked without layers) but nothing cam keep me from wearing layers... I'm living in the tropics and I wear a (summer weight) fitted cardigan or blazer (both always with sleeves pushed up to elbows as concession to the heat) everyday! Even to the grocery store. It's very sad. People used to always ask me if I was unwell but have come to realize it's just my "thing." It's really very sad. <shakes head at self>

KimL1214: I didn't get to run yesterday. I went to the gym but they were "closed for maintenance". I'm sure deep down I was very sad about it and the little dance I did at the entrance was a dance of sorrow not one of joy like it appeared to be... But yes yesterday was a bust, running-wise, but on the bright side I did catch up with the 30DSlimdown so there was that. So today is supposed to be your killer gym day, right? Are you still up to it or maybe i should say down for it, still? I understand about the pics definitely, I'm waiting till onederland because there's a difference now, I think, but I'm hoping the difference will be a bit more dramatic than now...

Tuesday question: I recently got a curry cooker. Which is sort of like a crockpot. I haven't used it yet though and was enticed more by the picture of the curry on the box (and the sale price) than any real belief that I'd use it that often. So I've never cooked with a crockpot (in winter in undergrad I lived off pasta and Lean Pockets (which aren't quite as lean if you eat the whole box as a snack) and in grad school, I made a lot of soups and broths in a regular pot) but please people share your most favourite recipe and maybe I can try them and get some use out of my curry cooker/crockpot contraption.

Wednesday & Thursday Question~ Do you have one or two really great pieces of advice for someone wanting to lose weight?

Good weight loss tips I try to follow (good ones everyone knows) ;) : (1) stay hydrated, (2) portion control, (3) clean eating and active lifestyle/exercise (sweat more than you eat).

Friday, Saturday, & Sunday Question~ Where do you see yourself in a year/five years/ten years?

1 year: (wishes for) a nicer car; probably still working for father-in-law. 5 years: better have a nicer car; (wishes to) work with fitness or animals. 10 years: should definitely have a dream car by now and should definitely have a job I WANT (maybe a dance fitness instructor or helping animals)

Monday Question~ Do you have a “before” picture? If so, what is it of (you can post it if you would like)? If you don’t, why? Did you avoid the camera and why?

Yes. I've posted a before pic earlier in this thread. It was meant to be a "before" pic (taken at home) showing front/back/side views. This was for a 3FC TBL challenge taken 1-2 years ago (20~ lbs heavier than now).

Tuesday Question~ Do you cook during the winter time with a crock pot? Do you have any favorite recipes?

I have a crock pot, but have never used it (not much of a cook at all). I've heard crock pot stews are easy (dump everything in and let it simmer for hours), but I'm more for convenience (microwave!, lol). Beef stews are good (father-in-law sometimes makes- I think he cooks beans sometimes too). I'd probably cook something with CHICKEN :D

Kim, I'm alright. Thanks for asking. Been trying to stay on plan- hard with all the food temptations (bags of tiny chocolates, cheesecake and banana pudding at father-in-law's house) and distractions (if we have company, I put off workouts).

bbg: Don't worry if you can't post much. Just try to post all your Sunday weigh-ins so you stay in the challenge. Pop in the chat thread when you can :)

Girls, I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving :D I know food holidays are hard on weight loss journeys, but if we stick with plan, we'll get through it (try not to overeat or make sure to burn it off later). Even if we fall off track, get back on asap (Monday, for sure!). Hugs and smiles to all.

Re: exercise games :) BF got an Xbox Kinect yesterday ($300 for the motion-sensing kinect and a 4gb xbox). It comes with a game, "Kinect Adventures". This could work as a workout game. The levels are 2-3 min each and you move your body (stepping/leaning/jumping/moving). If you do all 3 levels of all 5-6 mini games, that's a workout (disguised as a fun game). The BF played too and now he wants to get Dance Central (lol!, I'll let y'all know how this goes). Xbox Kinect has (at least) 2 dance games, 2 sports games, and (at least) a handful more- all of them use your body movements as the controller. Pretty neat once you get the hang of it. I plan on doing at least 30 min of Kinect Adventures today. Oh- another funny thing. The kinect games record pics/vids of you sometimes, so y'all can see (and laugh at) them later (blurry pics of jumping or funny positions- standing like a starfish/snowangel). Fun/ny stuff :)

Got my workouts in early. And by early I mean at a respectable hour that isn't 3 in the morning on a work night. However, ruined the good work with a dinner consisting of fried with fried and some mayonnaise on top Chinese appetizers. And I don't mean I had 1 or 2, I mean I sampled the whole platter- 1 of everything. <Shakes head at self> Thankfully I don't have Thanksgiving to contend with and will be pretty lean and mean with food (sensing strict 1200 cal days in my horizon) for the next couple of days to make up. Now I just need to 100% IGNORE the leftovers.

Happy Thanksgiving to those marking it!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am excited about this one "free" day I am giving myself. I also am feeling a good bit of anxiety about not counting calories at all and eating some pretty "bad for me" foods. I know that one day off plan wont really do anything to me and might actually boost my metabolism a bit. It just stresses me out to not be in control with this. I need days like that though because I need to give up the control once in a while. Since I have such a long history of eating disorders, it is good to eat like a "normal" person without counting cals every once in a while. Wish me luck for getting through the day without feeling too much guilt about eating off plan for just one day.

Thanks!

Happy Turkey day girls!!!! I know a lot of us are doing the whole "free day" thing, so take care and make sure to hop back on plan right after!! To keep my day "balanced" I'll be doing two 45 minute walks, one in the morning after breakfast, and one as quickly as possible after dinner! Good lucky everyone!

I can't see any of the individual or team stats for this challenge. Does anyone know why they aren't showing up? It is showing a picture that says that they have been moved or deleted...

bbg200 – Congratulations on the new Job. That’s great news. Definitely try and stick around for weigh-ins even if you can’t get online to post during the week.

toastedsmoke – It’s good to hear that you’re improving!! I can’t handle the heat at all. I start to think that it’s too hot when the temperature reaches 20deg C (68 deg F). I would never survive in the Tropics! I have to admit, you gave me a little bit of chuckle when you said that you worked out at a respectable hour for once! Is that going to become a trend for you now??

southernbelle102 – You’re completely right, one day off plan isn’t going to erase the 87lbs you’ve already lost!!

ferretgirl – The Xbox Kinect sounds pretty cool. I can only imagine what types of poses you get snapped in while playing.

Jelbelle – Did you get in those two walks you were hoping to do?

I think I’m a little bit lucky that we don’t have Thanksgiving down here. While catching up with friends and family would be awesome I don’t think I’m quite ready to battle the mentality of it all. I’ve been having a good week food wise and have been pretty much on plan. I’m hoping to see a bit of a drop in the scale this week but I’m not sure if that will happen.

To those of you laughing it up with friends and family today, I hope you’re having an awesome time!

oOPeanutOo: I did! Well, actually, I did my morning walk, but I switched it to a bike in the evening. But at least I got some activity in.

How did everyone do this Thanksgiving? I won't lie and say I did the best, but it was a GOOD Thanksgiving XD

Well, I stuck to my plan to go off plan for Thanksgiving and guess what... it went pretty well. The world didn't end just because I deviated from my plan for one day... haha :) I told myself that I wouldn't weigh until this sunday because I knew that with all of the sodium I was going to take in, I would definitely have some excess water weight. Well, of course I couldn't stay off the scale today. The scale actually only went up 1 lb and am pretty sure that is mainly water weight. I am hoping to lose that lb by this weekend. How did you all do??

Jelbelle & Southernbelle - It's nice to hear that you guys made it through Thanksgiving & that it went well.

KimL1214 - I'm really sorry to hear about your Grandfather. Seems like your family has been having a hard time of late.

I don't really have anything new to report. I'm down 1.8lbs this week which I'm happy about. It takes me to 101.1kg and I'm super close to seeing 99.9kg on the scale which will be a major achievement for me. It's still a lot to do with the mental game but I haven't weighed under 100kgs in almost 10 years. I'm pretty confident that it will happen in the next 2 weeks so I might have to think of some kind of mini reward when I get there.

KimL1214: I'm sooooooooo sorry about your grandpa and all the difficult times your family has been having recently! :hug: Please take heart and be strong and know you're in my thoughts and prayers! :hug: I hope your grandpa is doing better!

oOPeanutOo: Congrats on being sooooooo close to 99.9kg. I only made it a few weeks ago (for the 1st time in like 7 years) so I know the excitement! Yay you!!! :carrot:

Everyone: Everyone seems to have had successful thanksgiving plan/off-plan-wise so congrats all! Let's keep on keeping on Team!


After Wednesday's fried extravaganza, I was pretty strict on Thursday and weighed in on Friday morning (random weigh in) at 218 lbs! Eeek!!!! I'd been having a pretty awkward couple of weeks with very strange random weigh-ins. As well as being <clears throat, tmi coming> really "irregular" (as they say in yoghurt adverts) despite the fact that I eat A LOT of veggies (100% of my carbs came from fruits and veggies). And I had an (let's say) uncomfortable feeling that, the bloat and irregularity was part of the problem with the randomly high weigh-ins I'd been getting. So I've re-incorporated proper carbs (rice, bread, cereal) back into my diet in moderate amounts and have seen immediate improvements. I guess I'm not meant to be a very low-carb person. I think I'll take low-carb-dom on alternative days or weeks or something.

Weight loss has been super slow this month! Very sadly so. I'll do a weigh in tomorrow to check total loss for the month but it's not looking that awesome. In other news, remember the 30DSlimdown I was doing, well I did my final measurements today even though I have 2 more workouts (today's and tomorrow's) left to do. I think I see a bit of a difference sometimes, so I guess the late nights to get the workouts in have kind of been worth it. Numbers-wise, I lost 1.5 inches off my bust (yay!), 1 inch of my waist, 2 inches off my belly (yay!) and 0.5 inches off my hips. Since I've never really tracked measurements before, I'm not sure what to make of the numbers over a 30-day period. But at least they're all round losses so I'll take it!

toastedsmoke – I’m very excited about it but for some reason I keep doubting myself that I can actually do this. I think we’ve all suffered the randomly high weigh –ins from that, just don’t let it deter your mindset. Yay for nearly finishing 30DS and congratulations are in order for losing inches. Awesome work!

It’s been really quiet around here lately!! Hopefully it’s just that everyone is still busy getting over Thanksgiving or your weekends & that you haven’t jumped off plan or given up on the challenge!

Peanut, It IS really quiet around here lately. I am still here :) I only have 10 lbs left to go to meet my Christmas goal.. yay! I am very optimistic that I will get there! I have been super stressed lately. I have had some pretty demanding clients and have had a lot going on personally as well. I am trying to keep reminding myself of all the blessings in my life and all of the good things going on when I feel too stressed. I suffer from PTSD and it causes my entire body to hurt when I get too stressed out. I am trying to de-stress and relax this week. How are you all doing?

Kim - How are you doing? I know that life has thrown quite a few curve balls your way lately. I have been thinking about you and hope you are okay!

So, what are everyone's plans for christmas this year? I am going out of town with my parents and sister to visit our family. I LOVE Christmas... everything about it. I have been watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music non stop. I have also been wrapping all sorts of presents and decorating all week long. What are your favorite Christmas Traditions??

Hey everyone =D just popped in to say IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! ^_^ and I'm 30 pounds lighter than I was last birthday! I'm so happy!

Happy Birthday, Jelbelle!!
:bday2you::celebrate::bday2::hb::woo::gift:

southernbelle102 – Only 10lbs left to your Christmas goal – That’s awesome! I know I for one like to keep an eye on your progress. Sorry about all the stress you’re going through at the moment. Hopefully it’s just because of the lead up to Christmas.
Christmas for me is always a small family affair. There’s usually about 6 of us who get together for Lunch and play pool in the afternoon. That’s the only thing that we do for Christmas so I can’t say there are any important family traditions. Sadly I don’t have the same level excitement about Christmas which is a bit of a shame.

Jelbelle – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Do you have any big plans to celebrate it?

I’m still trucking along with my plan. I’ve been a lot more tired than usual over the past few days so have needed to make conscious food choices instead of just going for the easy option. It’s good practice for the rest of my life I guess.

Hey Everyone!

I'm still around and participating in the weigh-ins every week!

Has anyone heard from Kim? Is she doing alright? Kim if you read this, we are all here rooting for ya!!!

Hope everyone had a good holiday :) Mine was good, went a little off-plan with the desserts, but paid attention to portions. Probably gained more from sharing a small popcorn and medium coke with kiddo at the movies last weekend than over Thanksgiving. Thank goodness all the desserts are gone. I couldn't stay away from the carrot cake, apple/raisin pie, or hershey's minis..

I've been doing the zumba dvds for 1-2+ months now and love the workout but am maybe getting burned out on same thing every day, so I've been adding in more from the kickbox bootcamp dvd these last couple weeks. Bought some 2lb small handweights yesterday (since 5lb are too heavy for keli roberts' pace). Really want to get an extra xbox or wii for the workout room, since there's so many dance/workout games out now.

Kim: I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather *hugs* Hope everyone is ok.

Peanut: Have you thought of a reward once you break 100kg? Clothes and/or workout gear are always cool ;)

toastedsmoke: Congrats on completing the Week 5 Challenge (Intermediate too!! Wow :D) and on losing inches. Measuring is good, 'cause even if you don't see change on scale, there's no denying losing inches :D

southernbelle: I hope you are finding time to de-stress when you need it. You (and every woman) deserve it and need it to stay happy/healthy. What do you do to de-stress? Holding/petting an animal and listening to music are a couple of my favs. Self-pampering is a good one that gives quiet time and ya feel nicer afterwards :)

Jelbelle: Happy late Birthday!! :D Hope you had an awesome day and congratulations on losing 30 lbs in a year- wow!!

Christmas plans.. probably similar to Thanksgiving: go with hubby and kiddo to father-in-law's house for lunch and my parents' house for dinner. I'm sure kiddo will open gifts at home and both his grandparents' houses ;) It's nice being around family on holidays. I'll just watch portion-sizes and try to keep working out 3-4 hours a week.

We have 3 weigh-ins left on this challenge.. whoa... It'll be cool to see everyone's total losses at the end. EVERYONE'S progressing here (on both teams), so kudos to everyone!! Let's keep it up and finish strong.. :cheer2:

southernbelle: Sorry about the work stress you're going through right now. :hug: But yay on being only 10lbs from Christmas goal!!! :carrot: You can totally do it!!! I definitely get the Christmas excitement! I LOVE Christmas!!! Everything about it! From mid-December till New Year is usually great. It's family time. This year though will be my 1st New Years away from my family as I'll be leaving right after Christmas to go to my best friend's New Years wedding (I love her but she's taking me away from family time, darnit!!!)

Jelbelle: Happy Birthday!!!!!!!! :bday2you::bday2you::bday2you::bday2you:
I wish you everything you wish for yourself! Have the best year!!!!

oOPeanutOo: Sorry you've been feeling a bit ragged lately! :( But good on you for still making conscious good decisions! That's inspiring to me for days when I'm tired or feel like taking the easier route!

ferretgirl: Thanks!! I think we have the same Christmas coping plan- watching the portions I guess.

KimL1214: I hope everything is going well with you and you're doing ok. You're definitely in my thoughts! :hug::hug:


It's been a weird few days for me in that I feel like I've been slacking even though when I look at it closely, I really haven't. I see the potential to get derailed this month so I have to be really careful to stick to plan day by day. Added challenge is I have a meeting out of town on Friday so from tomorrow evening till Saturday I'm booked into this fancy hotel resort place and it will be my first exposure to "outside," non-planned food since I restarted this journey in July/August this year. I have a HUGE weakness for restaurants, I won't lie. Especially since I don't eat out often in general. I see a menu and I'm like "I have to eat everything because I don't know when I'll be back." I need to be conscious of that and stay on plan, no matter how boring it feels. I know I'll feel better when I step on the scale on Sunday if I know I made good decisions during the week...mmhmm much better than the temporary pleasure of tiramisu <sighs>... that will be my mantra!

ferretgirl is right. Only 3 weigh ins to go! Let's finish strong, team! We can do this!!!

Thanks so much girls!! That means a bunch to me =) I won't be having my party till this weekend due to my school schedule, but my day was still very good! I am SO GLAD to see everyone coming back and posting again!
@Kim: I really hope things are going okay over your way!

Krizstling – Good to see you back. You’ve been doing an awesome job at the weekly weigh-ins!

ferretgirl – I would have struggled with desserts as well if they were available. I haven’t thought of a reward just yet. I had to recently buy a few new clothes for work as some of my old stuff was literally falling off me. I’m not really a girly girl either so things like manicures and pedicures aren’t an option. I’m sure I’ll think of something eventually though.

toastedsmoke – Still a bit tired but I think some extra sleep this weekend will do me the world of good. I have no doubt that you’ll make a conscious effort to make the right choices while you’re away. I know when I stray off plan I generally feel sick so that’s the best motivation to watch what I’m eating. Good luck with it though and be sure to check in here if you need support.

Jelbelle – Have fun with your party this weekend!! Be sure to let us know how it goes.

KimL1214 – We’re all hoping that your Grandfather is okay!!!

Thanks Peanut! =) That was so sweet!

So how is everyone doing today? Any good news to share?

Today my blog was all about ME and was kind of cocky but I think everyone deserves to be self appreciating once in awhile =)

We got good news at boot camp today! Our trainer is going to have like this MAJOR event from the second week in Jan through the second week in March! It is a ten week program!

He said there will be awards for who loses the most body fat, gains the most muscle etc. He is still working everything out but he said it looks like 5 people will win UNLIMITED access to boot camp for a YEAR! That is AMAZING and would save me tons of money so ya'll know I'm gonna be ALL OVER THAT!

There are also going to be fun prizes like "best workout gear" or "best motivator" "Miss congeniality" stuff like that. It is an all women's boot camp so that is a GREAT thing haha. I recommended best hair because hello! I want to win! LOL

Anyway I'm SO SUPER STOKED ABOUT THIS. A freaking ten week boot camp with all diff types of stuff. He is even goin to bring in a thai masseuse to give our muscles some help! He has a ton of diff things planned for each week and man I am just SO excited, can you tell?! LOL

The thing is, I AM nervous because I was planning on losing about 10 more pounds AT LEAST between now and then...I want to WIN this thing so I hope it doesn't start getting harder for me to lose once this 10 week cycle starts! SOOOOOOO excited I just had to share =)