toasted - Ah, work can be so frustrating and really derail even the most determined person. Remember everything you are doing is for YOU and for the long run. Stay on track girl. Please keep us updated with that situation, I know you'll be in my prayers!! I truly believe when one door closes, another opens.

rainbow - No gain is a plus!!! Like you said, you have until Sunday so that's a good thing =) As for the argument, boyfriends suck lol. No but really, I love mine it's just...as we've grown older we've learned there are some things we are NEVER going to agree on so when we get mad at each other, we text it out. Even if we are in the same room. I write out my points in text and he writes out his points, then it's sorta like a game. Who is right? Who is wrong? It always works out and one of us always apologizes. Main rule of thumb? NEVER go to bed angry! That is the worst! I hope you guys have resolved it!!

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I'm doing okay...kinda nervous cuz next week (Wed) I leave to go to Illinois to visit the fam and I already know how they eat...I've got a week reserved in a gym there so I'll be working out 2hrs a day (instead of my normal one) since I don't have to work. So while they are all at work, I'll be taking a class and swimming each for an hour. The food is what scares me! ALLLL of my childhood restaurants...I haven't had in years are goin to be right at my doorstep...I'm frightened butttt

this weekend (Sunday) is the halfway weigh in of our boot camp challenge. The goal was to be down 8-10lbs since the start 4 weeks ago. I'm praying I can do it!!! As of last weight in, I was about a pound away from 8lbs down so hopefully I can go somewhere in the middle and get 9lbs down. Make sense? I'm rambling! LOL

As of Sunday we only have 4 more weeks left in the challenge and the WHOLE goal was to lose 16-20lbs total. So as long as I can get down to 8lbs at the halfway point, I SHOULD be able to pull out 16 at the VERY least.

Kriz Thanks for the advice! I actually find sometimes it's a lot easier to write what I mean/my feelings out in a text or email or via email chat because I can process my thoughts better when they're coming directly from my brain to my fingers. I know that sounds insane, but I think I can probably type faster than I can talk so it works out well for me! Going to bed angry was definitely silly of me...but the funny thing is that he didn't even realise I was annoyed. Hah. Silly boys. I do love him a lot, things are mostly sorted now. I just need to remind him that sometimes I need verbal affirmations that I am important to him! Good luck for your weigh in this weekend!! Half way through boot camp, go you! I hope you do well with your family next week - it will be hard, but I'm sure you'll do it! You've come so far - if you can, have a few off plan nibbles - and get right back on plan! Or if you can't (because you won't be able to stop) just do your best while you're there. Planning the extra exercise is great - you do an hour all the time, that makes me feel so lazy hah!

Hey ladies, guess what I'm in Onederland. I've had 2 consistent weighins (yesterday-198.5 and today-198) so I think I'm going to own it! It's very exciting!!! I mean I don't think I look any different from last week but I'm no longer over 200lbs and I think that's psychologically different somehow...to me anyways... The last time i weighed this low i was 12 yeard old/ im the 8th grade. Getting here has been really tough and I've whined and complained these last few pounds to Onederland so I'm really appreciative of my Team Red Lace peeps who've encouraged and supported and understood and born the brunt of my bad attitude in general!

Rainbow: I sometimes "cheat"/do weigh ins on Monday mornings to give myself a bit more time. ;)

Kriz: Thanks for the encouragement and the thoughts and prayers! It's hard not to freak out but I'm trying to ensure it doesn't get to me. I may not be able to control life things right now, but at least I can control what goes into my mouth and what good decisions I make for myself both plan wise and non-plan wise! About this weeks trip, I'm sure you'll do fine! You must be sooo excited about the visit though! It's hard traveling and being away from routine. I've never really managed to do more than maintain on trips but I guess one thing you could do would be to decide what you're going to eat before you eat out.

I wish everyone an awesome on-plan week! This is it Team Red Lace, the final week, we can do it!!!

toasted Yay for onederland!! That is such an awesome achievement! And thanks for the lovely comment over in the photo thread!

~About to go post my weigh in. I think I always get disappointed if I lose 2 pounds one week and then only 1 pound another week - when in all reality, the 1 pound weeks are far more common haha.

I've done ok this challenge. Would have like to have seen more loss but I think that's partially due to the fact I'm losing slower now, and partially due to my not exercising as much these past few weeks.
I haven't signed up for the next challenge yet as I'm not sure if I want to do it...for the past 2 I've been in the non-chatty teams and I would like to have a little more chattiness...but I dunno, I guess I better decide soon!

hahaha can I just copy and paste this?! PLEASE? This is exactly what I would have written. LOL

Kriz Go ahead :P

Okay so I'm back! I got super busy with school and just general life. I stopped counting calories for about a week or so. The scale shows it :( I'm back on track today. :)

Sunday& Monday Question- I saw the progress I wanted at the begining but towards the end I have gotten off track and undid all the hard work I have done!

Hey team! Sorry I was away pretty much all week! I wasn't even lurking as usual. I just had shady internet, shoddier than usual electricity, and was super busy with work (this is my last month), job applications, looking into what it takes to start a business and just a myriad other things. I WAS on-plan though, I just feel bad I wasn't really a good team member in terms of communication this week...

Sunday and Monday Question: I've kind of achieved my goal for the challenge which was really to get into Onederland. I wanted 197 but I've held steady in the 198s all week and TOM is on final weigh in day tomorrow so I don't expect exactly what I want but we'll see though. It's been okay though. I've seen a benefit from eating a little more and calorie cycling the past few weeks, I think I was losing kinda slowly before because I was eating maybe a little too little for the amount of exercise I was doing.
As far as joining the next challenge, I'm not sure yet. I cosign exactly what Kriz and rainbow said. I'm leaning towards it for the accountability. This has been my 2nd challenge. My first time I was in the chatty group (which made me a little chattier myself) AND I also had a little less life stress going on (so I maybe had a little more time for chattiness). This time around hasn't been that chatty apart from maybe a couple of people, but the support and encouragement has still been there as well as of course, the accountability. I need to decide whether I'll be able to commit to participating in a team and sharing and contributing around the end of the month, because I wouldn't want to sign up and disappear or not participate fully etc, and around that time, stuff will be going on for me, related to no longer being employed... So basically, I'm not sure yet!

Look at us all not being sure! I'm leaning toward no at the moment. I feel like sometimes I overcommit myself on here and then feel so (urgh forgot the word...) like I have to come on here or I'm letting people down. I chat a lot in the chat threads, and have a little accountability thread too...plus I guess I don't really push myself anymore for these challenges which I feel a little guilty about.
Also I don't like the idea of beating people. Hah, I know, sounds stupid...but I had an experience last night where another family member who is trying to lose weight asked me my current weight and then proceeded to gloat and say she weighs less now - and this is an over 50 year old woman...I just wanted to tell her that I wasn't trying to compete with her! I'm in this for me...
Anyway I have enjoyed the challenge anyway and met some more lovely ladies on this site! Hoping to post a good loss for final weigh in tomorrow (I'm doing the whole wait til Monday here since it's still Sunday most other places :D)

rainbow: I'm the opposite. I'm an extremely competitive non-competitor. I constantly have to remind myself that I'm not in competition with anyone else. It really is a miserable way to be. I get the "letting people down" thing. I haven't been as active in this BL challenge and I kind of feel bad about it. I'm leaning towards joining the next challenge for the accountability but again I'm not sure about the commitment. By the way, I think I would faint if any of my relatives asked me what I weighed. The skinny minis!

I did an extra cheat day and did the final weigh in today and yup like I said, i'm still 1lb away from where I wanted to be <sigh> with TOM and everything. I wanted to be at 197 (in the 80s in kg) but nope still at 90kg on the dot (198). It's fine though. It's not a race. I'll get there. It's still a thrill every time I step on the scale and see a onederland number and it's exciting knowing I'm only like 8lbs from being overweight. :carrot:

This challenge has been fun. I hope we get to hang out in other challenges and/or around 3fc. Good luck with everything ladies! And happy weight loss journey! Ooooh and happy valentine's day too!!!

Sorry I missed the last week guys! I was out of town visiting family!!! UGH! SO MAD!