Krizstyling – Good on you for cutting out people in your life with a bad attitude! I didn’t think your blog was cocky at all, you should be excited about what the future holds & what you’ve already achieved.

KimL1214 – Family is what’s most important so we all understand why you’ve been gone. Don’t feel you need to rush back until you have things sorted. Sorry you’ve been having such a rough time lately – we’re all thinking of you.

It’s Saturday for me & I’m still trying to figure out if I want to tackle some of the Christmas shopping I have to do today or put it off like every other year because I never know what to buy people. I love getting people gifts but dislike having to deal with all the crowds and screaming children around this time of year. It really does my head in.

So I’ve still been thinking of a mini-reward for when I get below 100kgs and am considering trying out Acupuncture. I know it’ll be expensive but my Chronic Fatigue has been playing up for a while now and I think maybe it’s time to tackle that in a new way. Has anyone tried Acupuncture before? Does it hurt??

Peanut - THanks so much on the blog! That means a LOT!!!

As for acupuncture, I have never done it but I have a few friends who swear by it! Doesn't hurt from what they've all said and they have no reason to lie so if you do use this as one of your rewards, let us know how it goes!

We are getting SO close to Christmas... and I am 9 lbs away from goal. I know I can make it but at the rate I have been losing lately, I will be short a lb or 2 on the 25th. I know I should be totally happy no matter what the # is then as I will have still accomplished so much. I am, however, the kind of person who feels a great deal of failure if I don't meet the goals I set forth for myself. It is one of my big flaws. I am preparing myself for not exactly meeting my goal but hoping that something will kick in and help. Also, my TOM usually falls the week of the 22nd so I will be boated for that last week before I weigh in for Christmas. Oh well... I guess all I can do is what I am doing right now. I am going to start watching my carbs even more though. That has seemed to help bring on a whoosh of weight-loss before. Sorry for this long semi-pointless post. I just needed to write this down somewhere. I hate my perfectionism!!!

Hey ladies =D lots of great stuff happening today! My party is later on, so I'll be really busy with that, but I just have to say

I'M IN ONEDERLAND!

for the first time since like, freshman year of high school or before! Sooo excited! Thanks to all of you for being so supportive of me! I love this feeling =D

southernbelle - I totally understand your frustration. I too get very upset with myself when I don't lose what I am setting forward. Don't set yourself up for failure by preparing yourself just in CASE you don't make it. Worrying will get you nowhere. Instead think positive thoughts and usually, that helps you achieve your goal. It's not like 9lbs is unrealistic. You can totally do this! Stay on track for the next few weeks and you've GOT THIS! I know you can do it!

Jelbelle - Congratulations!!!! What an amazing Christmas gift you've just given to yourself =) I remember how great it felt reaching onederland. It is truly a downward experience from here (In a good way) EVERYTHING seems so much more attainable when you are out of those dreaded 200's. WOOHOO! Have a GREAT time at your party tonight!

Krizstyling - thanks for the words of assurance and support. Don't worry, I won't deviate from plan at all... I REFUSE to cheat or give up... even for one day(other than thanksgiving day and Christmas day :) ). I know that if I don't hit it by Christmas I will see that 100 lb loss only a few days after. I just am realizing that my average weight loss has been between 2 and 3 lbs lately a week and I need a consistent 3 lb loss per week for the next 3 weeks to get there. I know that usually after a few weeks of small losses, I have a big loss week. I am just hoping that is the case this month. It will help out a lot if I can lose at least 5 lbs one week... or more. We'll see :) I am not letting it worry me too much. I just hate "failure" and know that if I don't hit that # by that day, I will be disappointed in myself. I should be ecstatic because my original Christmas goal was 81 lbs to bring me out of the 300s and I whizzed past that. I hope I wasn't too lofty with my new goal. I know I can do it... it is up to my body whether or not it will do it though. I am not planning on changing anything about my diet calorie wise... just upping my protein and cutting my carbs a bit. Thanks again for the support!

Jelbelle - CONGRATULATIONS!!! That has got to be an awesome feeling!! I can't wait to see onederland (cause for me that means I will only be like 10 lbs away from my ultimate goal :) ) Enjoy your new freedom from the 200s and never go back!! Great job!

Krizstyling – I was a little unsure because I’m not a major needle fan but I’ll definitely book in to have it done at some stage.

southernbelle102 – We all get a little bit disappointed if we don’t set the goals we make. HOWEVER, when you set your first Christmas goal all that time ago I’m sure you didn’t expect that you’d have to be making another one. Don’t feel bad for setting “lofty goals” either, it not only gives you something to aim for but also to fight for. The fight in you comes out when you refuse to cheat and give up and for that you should be incredibly proud of yourself. Not reaching your new goal by a couple of pounds will not make you lose that will to succeed. We’re all hoping that you do make it though!

Jelbelle – That is AWESOME!!! A huge congratulations to you. What better way to celebrate than at your birthday party. Have fun at your party.

So I ended up going shopping yesterday and have almost finished buying gifts for everyone. The only downside to spending that much time out and about is that it’s 3:30pm on Sunday and I’m still in bed. I’ve lost 16kgs (35lbs) so far in my journey and had hoped that getting some of the weight off would give me more energy – It hasn’t. I’ll just keep at it and see what happens.

Krizstyling: Your bootcamp competition sounds like fun! I'm sure you'll totally rock it! I read your post and didn't think it was cocky at all! It was good and positive! There are too many blogs and posts in which we beat up on ourselves, and are sooooo down on ourselves. I thought your post was positive and fun and sounded like you had awesome self-esteem, and that's what's inspirational. We can only do this if we think we're deserving of it, if it comes from a place of self-hate then it won't last. And what I read in your blog was positive and self-loving and basically pretty awesome. So yeah, as they say here: "big up yourself!" (i.e. "pop your collar and don't let what people say bother you"- I'm big on applying pop music to real life situations too! lol)

KimL1214: Thanks for the update! Still thinking of you and hoping things are getting better! :hug:

oOPeanutOo: Sorry about the chronic fatigue! I had no idea, you always seem so positive and 100%. I have a new respect for how much you've accomplished in spite of that challenge. Well done you!!! You'll be in the double-kilo digits any moment now! If you end up doing acupuncture, please let us know how it goes! I'm fascinated by it, but can't believe it doesn't hurt even a bit so you have to tell us how it works out if you do it!

southernbelle: I totally think you can make your christmas goal and I don't think aiming high is a negative! Even if you don't make it there by christmas, you'll be closer than you were and you'll still have accomplished loads, PLUS, you'll have a belated christmas gift later for when you do make it! I think you can do it though! You've lost an amazing amount and your rate of loss is nothing to sniff at. Believe me, I've seen it and drooled! You're always inspirational!

Jelbelle: Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!! :carrot: :carrot :carrot: That's absolutely excellent! What a great birthday present! Well Done you!!! You must be soooooooo excited!!!!! :hug: :carrot:


The office trip was not tragic! Did I eat on plan! No! But it wasn't an out of control binge fest. I had dessert only once. I had a small sandwich with green salad instead of a huge pie which I wanted! I didn't have as much as I coveted at breakfast... Compared to my old self, i was pretty saintly. Well... saintlier than I expected. It was a semi-success. Or at least not a failure. I've been slacking pretty badly with working out since I finished the 30-Day Slimdown and I think I'll do the 15 days or so, till the end of this challenge. And I may or may not up my runs to 3 times a week instead of the 2 i currently do. Ok maybe not. We'll see though.

I hope everyone is doing well! And everything plan and non-plan wise is going amazing! Have an awesome week everyone!!! Go Team!!!

Thanks again everyone!! Another scheduled off plan day for me, and it went over... just as planned XD So now I need to work off all that cake and junk and get back on track before Christmas. I declare a Jelbelle Christmas Detox! Yep.

How long does it take for weight gains to show up on the scale?

well, i don't ever go to the gym. however, we all have days that we just don't want to workout. remember, you never regret working out, you only regret when you skip it. (unless you are overtraining)

woops wrong thread.

toastedsmoke – Thanks.. It was nice of you to say. There’s no point in me getting annoyed with it – you work with the hand you’re dealt. Congrats on surviving the office trip. It sounds like you kept things in check and made thought-out decisions. Did you manage to get back on the exercise train?

Jelbelle – A “Jelbelle Christmas Detox”... I like it!!! When I go off plan the scale normally jumps a little bit on the 2nd or 3rd day afterwards. I always get excited when I don’t see an increase the following the day but it always catches up with me. That’s just my experience so give yourself a few days to see how you went.

I’m at my 3rd day in a row of the scale reading 100.0kg which is slightly frustrating but not enough to deter me from staying on plan for the rest of the evening. I’m hoping there will be a change in the morning so fingers crossed.

ToastedSmoke - Well isn't that just about the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me about my blog!!! Thanks SO MUCH!!!! It's so hard to know what can be seen as cocky vs. confident. I notice the more I lose, the more my friends that are bigger seem to get evil towards me and say I'm cocky...when really in reality I am just extremely proud of myself and how far I've come.

I LOVE LOVE that you use pop songs for real life situations! LOL My boyfriend says that I think I live in a musical, he'll say something and I'll bust out into a song for an answer. He has a point...I really do wish I lived in a musical =)

Thanks so much for reading the blog lady!

Krizstyling: Your bootcamp event sounds awesome!! That's great- your trainer is definitely giving y'all motivation with all the fun stuff/prizes. Don't be nervous about losing- I think everyone will kick into high gear for the 10 weeks and I know you will too! Your body will respond to your efforts :)

southernbelle: Don't worry about being perfect. You'll reach goal and that's way more important than a couple days' difference.

Jelbelle: Congrats on Onederland!! You go girl!! Weight gain (for me) shows up on scale the very next day and starts going back down the day after that, if I eat right and work out.

Week went ok here. Cold cold weather is not my friend.. Last week I raised weekly exercise goal from 3 to 4 hours (ended with 3.75/4 hours, but gave myself the 15 min from my 2.25 hour workout Sunday). Actually played Dance Central for over 2 hours and didn't break a sweat! I'm still on the first songs (doing walk-thru, then run-thru on each level difficulty til I get 5 stars). I tried this dance over 10x on Med/Hard, but can only get 4 stars (fun though, and did burn off 1.5 lbs I'd gained the day before).

I DID meet a goal though! Scale read 119.5 today. My long-time goal has been 120lbs (my most common/average highschool weight). Will keep trying the eating right and working out and will try to maintain; set New Year's goal to 117.5, since toning is more important than numbers at this point (since I reached 120! *6 days late from my 12/1 goal, but still made it*). Took me 2 years to lose 30lbs (highest weight: 150).. so THANK YOU 3FC!!! This forum has been such a help in keeping me on track weight management-wise. Planning to post before/after's after I take a new 'after' ;)

Hope everyone has a good week. *hugs to Kim and all Team Phoenix*

ferret - Thank you lady!!!

As for your weight loss and hitting goal, OMG!!! Congratu freaking lations!!!!! That is AMAZING!!! Toning is so so important to me so definitely keep checking in and letting us know how it goes!

Thank you Kriz :D For toning, my plan will be add in 10 min of kickbox bootcamp every day I work out (the buns&thighs, abs, and arm&shoulder toning segments). Here's the dvd I use (Keli Roberts' 10 Min Solutions Kickbox Bootcamp): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUXvI...eature=related (shows snips of each segment). Cardio/dance was great for melting excess fat, but think those "concentrated exercise moves" will help tighten loose tummy skin. Another alternative for toning, I think, would be yoga or pilates-based stretching with ab-work. Guess now its time to add in some 'non-fun' workouts for that ;)

Here's a good article I found: 11 best fast food post workout snacks under 200 calories. Not saying fast food is good in any way, but some choices are better than others. For healthier fast food, I'll do a grilled chicken salad or wrap (no dressing, no cheese) or turkey on wheat sub (no dressing, no cheese). Refering back to the link, the Wendy's small chili probably is a healthy choice for its protein and veggies. I like the Wendy's 2 for $5 meal.. you can get a good small salad (pick/take out the cheese and candied cranberries and don't add dressing or sugared pecans ;))and small chili (but try to split those into 2 meals if possible). Much as I love "iced coffee", a healthier/cheaper home-made version is 10oz coffee, 6oz 2% (or skim) milk and 1 raw brown sugar packet (I drink every morning with special k protein bar for breakfast). Much as I LOVE chicken tenders and fries... its not worth the 2lb gain the next day :(

Any links or healthy fast food tips?

Hope no one's getting sick of my exercise-game-review-ish comments.. hehe.. My reward for getting back to 120... I'm buying the Zumba game this weekend :D With the mixed reviews, wasn't sure whether to get on Wii or Xbox, wasn't sure if it'd be good at all. I saw this on youtube when looking for gameplay videos.. a real woman working out with the Zumba game on Xbox Kinect. She's really moving/dancing and its the same song as on my zumba dvd.. this vid sold me on getting zumba for xbox: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaZOL3pCWfI

Hope everyone's having a good week *well wishes to everyone*

Ferret - CONGRATULATIONS on meeting your initial goal!!! That is awesome! Have fun getting toned!

Peanut - how did the scale look in the morning? Fingers crossed!

Toasted smoke - I would call that a success. You didn't lose control and were able to indulge without going overboard. Good job!

Krizstyling - Your blog is great!!

Well, I weighed in at 284.8 today, so that is only 4.8 lbs away from my Christmas goal. I hope I can make it! :)

oOPeanutOo: That's a great attitude to have! Not sweating the things you can't change. Just deal and move on! I need to remind myself of that all the time. 99kg is around the corner! Just 0.1 away!!! You'll be there any second! :carrot: Re: the exercise slum, see below.

ferretgirl: Congratulations at reaching goal!!!!!!!!! :congrat::congrat::congrat: Well done you!!!! And as for your game reviews, please don't stop. I think I'm getting the Beto Zumba dvds around Christmas and I'm always looking for good fitness games to play on Wii (have actually been looking at zumba and something called Just Dance), so please please, keep on reviewing them as you get them. I've also been eyeing the 10-minute solutions kickboxing workout- well that and Billy Blanks on Amazon... so good to know that the cheaper option (10-minute solution kickboxing bootcamp) is pretty good!

southernbelle: Thanks! You're less than 5lbs away from your goal! I think you'll totally make it by Christmas at the rate you're going! Go you!!!


So as I've said, I've kind of been slacking on exercise and since I re-committed to plan in July/August, I've been pretty strict with a plan for food and exercise. As in I've been planning my meals for the entire week and eating according to them. The last few weeks I haven't done weekly meal plans, but it's been fine because I kind of now know what I can have plus I was exercising pretty heavily and that was enough to keep me accountable vis-a-vis what went into my mouth (I always say nothing gives you respect for calories than seeing the difficulty of achieving calories out). Since I finished the 30DSlimdown, I've been plan-less and I have already felt the first stirrings of boredom with life "on plan" and the start of a possible backslide. I didn't exercise after my run on Thursday till today. And I tend to be one of life's sedentary folks so this has NOT been good at all! Also my eating has been a bit lax. Not horrendously horrible, but I'm pretty sure I've probably been eating at maintenance level (or a bit higher) since I went on my work trip. Today I found myself feeling ambivalent to diet and exercise and giving myself permission to slack with diet but thankfully I recalled myself in time. So, since I'm good with written down plans and schedules. I made myself an 18-day exercise bootcamp this evening after work and immediately afterwards, got right to it and did today's workout (123 minutes) and felt great afterwards. I ate my salad and chicken breast afterwards without feeling deprived or disgruntled. It's amazing what having a plan can do for my attitude. So I'm hoping I've got the on-plan ennui beaten and can move on along this journey!


I hope everyone is doing well and wish everyone a great week!!!

ferretgirl - You ROCK for taking the time to post those links and write all of that! I agree with toastedsmoke - please don't stop the game reviews! I live for em! Your plan on toning sounds great. I'm thinking about lowering my goal weight at the moment but I'm nervous I won't be able to maintain it at that point but toning is SO important to me I think I won't be truly toned until I'm down to at least 130. I guess I'm just scared of the unknown. Anyway, I'll be following your amazing progress!

Southern - THANK YOU!!! So sweet =) I love you girls! You are TOTALLY going to make that goal before Christmas!!! I have 6 lbs to lose by Xmas in order to reach my Xmas goal. Let's see if we can't push each other there!

Toastedsmoke - Awesome on the 18 day boot camp work out you created for yourself, also pretty cool that you realize everything you were doing and yet you also realize writing things down works for you! I do not write things down but I think I may have to start as I start getting closer to goal weight.

The fact that you made adjustments quickly shows me that you are NOT sedentary. You may have been once upon a time, but you are changing! Keep it up girl. =)

ferretgirl – Congratulations on reaching your goal. That’s Awesome!! I was having a look at your 11 best fast foods link and it’s an interesting read. We don’t really have most of those option available in Australia but I was intrigued by the Carvel Vanilla Flying Saucer.. Is that some sort of Ice-Cream & Biscuit combo??

Southernbelle102 – 4.8lbs away!!! You’re so close.

toastedsmoke – Good work creating that 18 day exercise plan. Hopefully having it written down like that will give you the inspiration you need – even if you do fit in some of your workouts at 3am. Are you going to create another meal plan to work side by side with the exercise plan?

Krizstyling – I had another peak at your blog.. Definitely don’t hold back the faster you get while at boot camp. Be happy about what you’ve achieved and show it off. I got a chuckle out of the “Who smokes at this age that is a grown a** adult” line, so thanks for that!!

I don’t have good news to report about my mission to reach 99.9kgs... I’m still at 100 or slightly above and I’ve been on plan all week. I’m sure I’m just carrying a little bit of extra water and I know that if I keep doing what I have been, I’ll get there eventually. Realistically I didn’t think I’d last this long with my changed eating habits so that in itself is a victory I’m happy to take.

Peanut - Sometimes, no news is good news =) You are maintaining and SURE to see a loss coming up. I'm sure your body is adjusting appropriately! Whenever I have a small loss during a week (think 0.2) I remind myself that OH WELL my skin won't sag as much LOL. I Figure it's just my bodies way of prepping my skin for the loss. I know, I'm totally weird and doubt it's even true but I like to believe it is =)

Haha, THANK YOU for reading the blog! It makes me so happy that you guys all support me by reading it. And if you get a chuckle out of it, all the better =) LOL - It IS SO HARD for me to not hold back sometimes. Our trainer said that I am the fastest in class (before I go outside because my lungs are black from smoke!) and so I guess it's hard...because when I see people who have been in the class since before me, I just feel I owe it to them to let them be first LOL. I know it is SOOO WEIRD (I said I was weird right?) especially because we ALL have our strengths. It just so happens my one strength is running fast. Other things I'm not as good at. So in my head I know you are right, I should push and push harder. I'm going to try!

This morning my scale said 281 :)... only 1 lb to go before reaching my Christmas goal!!! :D I knew I was due a whoosh soon.. haha. Hope all is well with everyone and I hope to be on here to let y'all know that I have hit 100 VERY soon!

Krizstyling – I like you’re thinking... Hopefully it’s all about giving my skin time to adjust. I’m with you though in choosing to believe it. If your trainer has noticed that you’re the fastest in the class then I’m sure others are aware as well. I think you’ll find that the people in your class will be happy at how much you’ve improved even if they did join first. You’re all doing Boot camp for the same reasons so maybe someone will use at is inspiration to push themselves even harder.

Southernbelle102 – YAY!!! It’s awesome news that you’re only 1lb away from your Christmas Goal. I’m sure this is the best Christmas present you’ve ever given yourself.

I’m happy to report that I was 99.8kg’s this morning. Hopefully it’s not a once off so am trying to keep my excitement in check until it shows up a few days in a row.

Krizstyling: Definitely don't hold back! Go for it!!! It's not your fault you're fast!!! ;) I get like that sometimes too like dumb down or be less than my true self so someone else doesn't feel bad, and I don't think that's a great way to be! Someone has to be the fastest or strongest or have the most stamina, so you should be proud to claim this awesome superlative for your own. You're the fastest, so go on with your speedy self, OWN IT! Maybe even push to see if you can be even faster!

southernbelle: Wow you're practicaly there. You'll be wayyy past your goal by Christmas!!! 100lbs since July is AMAZING!!! I have a question for you. My mom is looking to lose quite a bit of weight (she's 5'6 354lbs) and she wants me to do weekly meal plans for her as I do for myself. However, mine are 1100-1300 a day (not that I'm losing that fast on this) and I assume she needs more than this. So I was wondering if you had any words of wisdom from your journey so far, like how have you done so well so quickly??? Her weight is causing her a lot of physical discomfort and I think she'd be pretty happy to get into the 200s in the next few months. So like can u give an example of a day in the food/plan of southernbelle. I'm also going to get her to do 1mile of WATP a day till she feels she can do more. Please help! Thanks bunches in advance!

oOPeanutOo: Congtatulations!!!! That's great! You must be thinking FINALLY even as you beg the scale not to bounce! I'm sure you're probably in the double-digit kilos, it's been looming and I'm sooooooooo very happy for you that you've made it! Yay!!! :carrot: :carrot:


Nothing much has been up with me. I did a meal plan for myself yesterday and have been following both it and my exercise plan pretty strictly. So far so good! I also helped my mom do up a meal plan which by my current standards seems like quite a lot of food but which by a-bit-of-online-research standards seems fine. Who knows?! Hopefully it makes sense and works for her. I promised her I'd support her by doing these weekly for her and so I will. It's tough because she's not really an unhealthy eater, she's just not much into proper food, she eats too much "healthy" stuff, like instead of dinner, she'll have a jar of roast unsalted walnuts or instead of breakfast, she'll have a huge bowl of fruit (maybe like 5-6+ servings) or most of a loaf of wheat bread or half a jar of olives... you get the picture. She was the heaviest she's ever been yesterday and she really despaired! Plus, I love her with my whole heart and want her to live long and see my kids and their kids even and live long, so yes it's really important to me that we both get healthy! I'm having a REALLY slow day at work and keep clockwatching though I have at least another 4hours to go. :(

I hope everyone is doing ok and KimL1214, I hope things are going better for you. You're still in my thoughts and prayers. :hug: Go Team Pheonix!!!

I DID IT!!!! Today, I weighed 279!! yay! :carrot:

Toasted smoke - Thanks for the support! It is awesome that you are helping your mom out! My mom has been dieting as well since July and has lost a little over 40 lbs. She is much smaller than me though. It is SO helpful having someone to go through this with you. I might not be the perfect model for your mom as I keep my calorie range pretty low (1200-1600). At our starting size, that can be a very hard feat and I was hungry ALL the time. Now, my body has adjusted and I don't want any more than that. I wouldn't want her to cut back too much at first and give up if she thought it was too hard. I would say that anything around 1800- 2200 (maybe a bit more) would be a good place for her to try to start (but I am NOT nutritionist). My diet is completely random each day but basically I try to eat as much protein and fiber as I can and very little carbs. Sometimes it is easier than others. My staples are eggs, chicken breast, beef jerky, Zoes chicken salad sandwiches(365 cals), chick fil a chargrilled chicken sandwiches(300 cals), some fruits, some veggies, corndogs (220 cals) (random, I know!), chicken stuffed with broccoli and cheese from sam's (290 cals), kashi bars(140 cals), protein bars ( either 200 or 310 cals)...etc. etc. I am sending warm wishes your mom's way. You are a wonderful daughter to help her out with this! Good Luck!

Peanut - Congrats!! Get excited :)

Hope all is well with everyone else and I am thinking about you Kim!

Just wanted to share with you ladies!

My testimonial went up today on my boot camps webpage!!!! So excited =) LOL Mainly because I know there will be a LOT of people out there making new years resolutions and hopefully this will inspire them to JOIN and make a difference in their lives!

http://www.jcfbootcamp.com/testimonials/ <~ Link to my testimonial and pics! Ya gotta scroll down. I'm the second one =) Kris!

toastedsmoke: I know the Wii-version Zumba game gets good reviews (better than Xbox); a few say the wiimote is TOO sensitive. The wiimote slips into a belt that comes with the game, pockets should work fine if the belt doesn't (previously read amazon & gamestop reviews). The 10-Min Solutions Kickboxing is one I've used off-and-on since I've started my weight-loss journey 2 yrs ago. Mom loves Billy Blanks; not sure how she keeps up with him! ;) That is amazing you planned out a bootcamp for yourself- just awesome!! Huge kudos and yum on chicken breast and salad :D Really awesome of you to plan your and your mom's meal plans. I hope she can stick with it :)

Kriz: I wasn't sure about lowering goal weight too much (after original goal) either. Wouldn't wanna set goals and fail, probably will lower goal after New Year's (make this month more about maintaining/not gaining rather than trying and possibly failing to lose another 5lb). We can re-evaluate come New Years' :) BTW, LOVE your bootcamp story- really inspiring and I can hear the love and positivity in your letter :D You can really see the difference in B & A pics too! You're beautiful and look so happy now :)

Peanut: I've never had a Carvel (never heard of that brand). Looks like an ice cream sandwich (vanilla ice cream center and chocolate cookie- or biscuit, like you said). I imagine its a round one of these (lol, my dad and father-in-law love those): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cream_sandwich . Now that I look, I couldn't imagine one being healthy (would taste too good for that)- hehe.. Yay for you weighing under 99.8 today. I'm like you- I don't count on it til it stays at that number for a couple days..

southernbelle: Congratulations on reaching goal!! :D that's so awesome :cheer2: *cheers you on from the sidelines*

I've gotten up to a 45 min workout from Dance Central now. Doing good workout-wise, now if only I could stay away from the food! Had 1 mozzerella stick, 1.5 servings trail mix, 1/3 (extra) protein bar and 1 homemade cookie yesterday/last night... that's how I get 2lb gain in a day... then grabbed another cookie today! Darn father-in-law and his cookies!! Will try to work it off today, but have kiddo's holiday open house this evening- he should have fun :D Y'all take care!!

toastedsmoke – Thanks :) I actually jumped on the scale about 5 times that morning to make sure I was reading it correctly. I think it’s amazing that you’re helping your Mum out like that! I’m sure she really appreciates the support and knowledge you’re passing on to her. I know it makes the journey a lot easier when you have someone by your side.

Southernbelle102 – A huge CONGRATULATIONS to you!! I always like to keep an eye on your journey as you’re such an inspiration at knuckling down and getting the job done.

Krizstyling – Loved the Testimonial.. I have no doubt that it will help many people make the decision to join up as you’ve seen fantastic results with it.

KimL1214 – Hope you’re doing okay :)

ferretgirl – I was thinking the exact same thing about whether or not the Ice Cream Sandwich was really the best choice. Still looks good though!! Have you managed to get back on plan after the minor slip up?? This is probably going to sound weird but what is a holiday open house??

I had the day off work today as I’ve done something horrible to my back. It’s been playing up for a while but this morning I couldn’t get out of bed I was in so much pain. It wasn’t how I wanted to finish my week especially seeing as I’m missing out on my company’s Christmas Party which I had been looking forward to. Oh well, things happen I guess...

southernbelle - Congratulations on reaching goal!! I def wanna try that chargrilled chicken sandwich from chick fil a - who knew?! Sometimes I'm trying to find something cheap and quick and can't so I end up eating 2 bananas and oatmeal lol so this will help!

Ferret - Did I thank you for posting those links? THANK YOU AGAIN because dang it!! Those helped me find the best fast food IF I need to go there. Also, thank you for the kind words!

Toasted - I too agree with the above ladies. What you're doing is being an inspiration and good karma comes from that! Keep us updated!

Peanut - Thanks for the kind words! I really hope it does inspire people to join up! As for your back...uh-oh! Do you know what is wrong with it? There are a few stretches our instructor has us do to help with back pains. Maybe a chiropractor will help?

Kim - We've missed you! Keep pushing!!!

Peanut: I worked out 55 min last night but probably did eat two of those cookies and 2+ servings of cashews (in addition to regular meals/snacks). Scale didn't budge, so NO cookies today and hopefully a workout before I get trapped running Friday's errands. This holiday open house, they had pics with Santa in the library, 1st graders singing in the gym (audience sing-along), and it was a fundraiser with Christmas ornaments and sweets for .25-$1. Kiddo bought a bunch of ornaments for his tree at home (I got some too, for tree or to attach to gifts). All the proceeds went to the school, so its a good deal. Kiddo had fun "shopping" and seeing his friends/teachers. Gosh, I'm sorry about your back- hope it gets better soon. I'm sure your work team will miss you, but they'll understand. *hugs*

Where did I read this recently.. Let's not spend this holiday undoing all the hard work we've done since last spring.. not sure if this was from Kriz's bootcamp site or an AOL or Yahoo article, but I feel that way and that's what I wanna stick with.

Hope y'all have a good weekend :)

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...at/phoenix.jpg
I'm a long-time X-Men fan and found a Phoenix card in a drawer! (thought I'd share).. words that come to mind when I think of her: Powerful, Beautiful, Wild, Untamable, Unstoppable.

Only 2 weigh-ins left...! Good luck ladies!!!

Krizstyling – I wish I knew what was wrong but sadly I don’t. I’m getting it seen to this coming week by a chiropractor and also booking in for that acupuncture session I wanted. I attempted to do some stretches earlier today but then I couldn’t get off the floor, haha.

ferretgirl – By the sounds of things the fundraiser would have been a blast for the little one. It’s definitely a good cause when the money goes back into the school. “Unstoppable”... That’s something I need to wrap my mind around with all the weight loss. If I just keep going, one foot in front of the other, I will be Unstoppable. Thanks for posting that card as it’s given me food for thought.

Updated photos...
 

Just a quick snap I took on my computer to show y'all an updated photo... I am 278 today... I can see a pretty good difference. I will put my starting pic with it... let me know what you think :) Thanks!

Southernbelle! WOWWWWWWWzers! Hot lady!!! Okay, I see you!! Get it girl! You look awesome =) And your skin has always been flawless, I am SO jealous!

I do a nightly ritual consisting of three different things to keep my skin looking young! If you have any tips, please do share!

Thanks so much Krizstyling!! That was so sweet! And the skin in my new pic is untouched (although it looks kinda bad in that pic because it is a grainy pic I took with my computer) but the old pic has had a little editing (I am a professional photographer.. haha.) Sometimes my skin is flawless... sometimes not so much :) I just use dove soap and clindamycin phosphate topically at night...works pretty well. Thanks for your sweet words. I needed that boost... one of those not feeling so pretty days :(

OMG!!! Southernbelle... You look freakin' fantastic!!!!! There is such a noticeable change and you look so much younger. I think you need to update your original statement of "pretty good difference" to something more befitting your achievement. If those photos aren't motivation enough for every single person that sees them, then I don't know what would be :cp:

Kim,
I am so sorry you have been having such bad luck right now! Please take care of yourself! And, don't feel bad about the results at all. Take as long as you need to get them up! We will be thinking about you!

Take Care!

KimL1214 - You're doing the right thing by taking care of your friends and family so there is no need for apologies. This challenge should be the least of your worries with all you've had to deal with lately. I hope everything works out for your friend. Don't forget to look after yourself as well though.