~~*November Chat!*~~
 

Figured I'd start it a day early so we can post up our Halloween pics and not have them lost in the October thread! I'll post back with mine soon, hope you're all well!

omfg i cannot believe it is november already. I feel like i have achieved nothing this year in terms of weight loss. Although I try to cut myself some slack, since it has been a fairly difficult year. I've been pretty depressed lately and its hard to do anything much, let alone be motivated to eat well. And with exams etc coming up, it makes it virtually impossible. Bring on the end of year holidays >.<

Although I did run my first half marathon on Sunday so I am trying to savour the buzz from that

It's officially November! Crazy times! But I love how time is flying by because it just means I'm getting closer to seeing my bf (I know, how sad!). Right now it's 101 days away! I've got 14 weeks to lose some poundage!

I weighed in at 167 lbs yesterday!! I was so excited! Just 2 lbs to go and I finally hit my 3rd mini goal and I'll be halfway to HEALTHY! I think the scale really won't like me this morning, went out for a meal with my friend last night but oh welly, back to Insanity today.

I'm excited to start the new 90 day exercise challenge, I need to take a picture and measure myself for the results, so I'll come back with those. What I know for sure is I lost 11 lbs in 90 days, just 3 lbs away from my goal. I also finished the Sexy Halloween Outfit challenge and was 4 lbs away from my goal, so all around I'm pretty happy since life does happen but I'm glad I stayed on track for the most part!

I now have 3 glorious days off work, and boy do I NEED IT!! Just going to chill out and have some "me" time.

Here's a picture of my Halloween makeup:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...27001607_n.jpg
I was Katy Perry from the E.T. video. My outfit was a gold corset and a gothic black skirt. Unfortunately I wore the corset UPSIDE FREAKIN' DOWN by accident so I felt kinda awkward all night and didn't know why (boobs were spilling out, it was bunching up at the bottom). Then when it dawned on me what I had done I felt like SUCH A FOOL! I changed it around and felt so much better, but at that point the party was already well on the way. People said they didn't notice, but I think they were just being nice =p. And the reason I was able to put it upside down was because it was already a corset but we put gold material around it so I couldn't see it properly when putting it on, so when I was rushing I just threw it on. *Sigh* But I'm glad my makeup turned out well - did all myself and even glued my eyebrows to hide them and then used eyeliner to extend them up!

Hope to hear you all chattering away soon!

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Icon - CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR HALF MARATHON! That's an amazing achievement! What time did you do it in? I was training for a half but the weather got too cold and I wasn't enjoying running any more so I switched to Insanity. But I hope when the weather gets better to get back with it.
Don't get yourself down about not keeping on top of things. Life happens, it happens to us all and it can slow down weight loss. Just make sure you're aware of bad habits and avoid them. But I know what Uni is like and how stressful it can feel, but remember to take an hour or two for YOU because you and your health is as important as ever right now.
You can do it!

Riestrella: Congratulations on making so much progress on your goals! It's so nice to have set them corresponding to time periods so you can really see the changes in the numbers/measurements/pictures!!

I love your Halloween costume idea! The makeup looks incredible-I'm so impressed you did it by yourself!

The only challenge I'm participating in right now is the Thanksgiving one, and I'm not exactly doing the best. My goal was to lose 9lbs (1lb/week) and so far I've only lost 3. At this point, if I lose 6lbs by November 24th, I would be on CLOUD 9. I know it's just me holding myself back and sabotaging my goals with bad choices, and that's something I'm trying to work on now on a daily basis. Since I feel like I may not reach that goal, I'm aiming just to hit 139!

Icon: I'm sorry to hear it's been a difficult year for you! On the bright side, it sounds like you are already exercising a lot, as you completed a half-marathon!! That's incredible--something I hope to do at some point in my life :)

Iconised~ Great big huge props for the half marathon! That's fantastic! *hugs* from the stressful year. Give yourself credit for just coming in here and being accountable, though.

Rie~ Yay!!! For having fun at the party!!! Your make-up does look amazing and you are just hitting those goals like nothing else. Keep it up, girl!

CMW~ I can relate w. feeling like you're not giving your best... I missed my October goal and it's not sitting too well with me. Feeling the motivation to step it up for Thanksgiving. Might mosey on over and check out that challenge thread, too. Don't be discouraged.

Interesting story: Around this time last year on another message board, I had a challenge going with a few other ladies over who could get to 145 first. I won that challenge the unhealthy way (starved myself there). One year on, my closest challenger is now at 135 and I'm at 158, so really... slow and steady wins the race. Better to miss a small goal and make a big one, then make a big one but end up falling off the wagon entirely.

Thanks everyone :) I've started the daily weigh in because thats helped in the past and I know that some people say dont do it because it makes you crazy, but i actually find it more beneficial than harmful. The year has been nuts really, I never knew my internship would be so difficult. Hearing people's stories again and again is actually really hard and I didnt realise how it would affect me, for a while back there I started to get really paranoid that everyone I knew and loved was going to die tragically. And the anxiety of trying to help these people is also huge, plus recently the senior psychologist that was helping me out resigned so now I am the only one in 2 departments which is pretty nuts. And we have exams. Oh god. So since February ive kinda gone from being really anxious, to a bit calmer, to really anxious, to a bit depressed, to a bit depressed and a bit anxious, to really depressed.

But yeah, the half marathon was awesome, would definitely recommend. I'll see if i can put up some photos tonight.

Rie- you look awesome! What are you going to do on your days off? I want days off xD I would clean and sleep and clean and garden and sleep and clean...

cmw- 139 sounds like a decent goal, it breaks the 140 line right? I always love breaking milestones like that :D thank god we dont do thanksgiving here! I would literally explode. Ok, maybe not literally

Alex- yep slow and steady! But i think we all learn that weight loss takes time in hard ways

Better run, patient coming at 8 >.<

HEEEEEEEEEEEEY LADIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness girls, it has been about a month since I have posted...I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hubby and both LOs have been sick (hubby in a bad way) and I haven't had the time to get on here to post, I barely even looked at the computer for the last month. I hope you are all doing well, I am still kicking it, finished round 2 of Insanity last month and I am now back into running/weight lifting. I FINALLY hit a new decade last Thursday and I am solidly in the 140s. I am really sorry that I haven't been posting, but life got in the way, and I am back now ready to give and get some more support! I hope you have all been well and that you are continuing on your journeys!

Icon-WTG on the half!!!!!!!!!!!!! Feels awesome doesn't it!? Keep up the good work and don't stress out too much, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!

Alexis-I think that you are totally right on the slow part. I think that it is so much easier to see it as a life style change rather than how fast can I lose to fit into this dress/jeans/etc. in the shortest amount of time. You will get there, and once you do you will be so much happier for it and more easily able to maintain it!

cmwelp-Keep working, you can do it! The 6 lbs might or might not come off, but ANY loss is good. You are making yourself healthier with every .1 lb so keep going!

Rie-OMG woman you look AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so sorry I haven't been keeping up with your Insanity progress :(. The hubby and kids were so sick, I am amazed I am not green by now. Keep working with Shaun T girl, because you are looking HOT!!!!!! lol!!!! We have flipped because now I am running and lifting weights and you are the Insanity Queen!!!! Keep going, you are doing so great, and wow so close to the halfway point! I am so stoked to only have 10 lbs left, but my brother in law said to me the other day "Oh you can do at least another 20..." (he's a big time personal trainer) I was like............>-< I really don't want to lol! We will see, I am just going to be happy to hit goal! Keep working girl, I will be back to support now that everyone is healthy again!

Icon ~ Are you a psychologist? If yes, that is one demanding line of work. Only natural that you might be feeling a little overwhelmed, but sounds like you're super-aware and able to manage yourself quite well.

Munster ~ Sorry that everyone has been under the weather, but glad they're better now. Good for you for sticking with insanity! :P at your brother-in-law, though! Your goals are YOUR goals!

Hey guys! I am fairly new here, been a member for a while but have never really posted anything. But now that I am finally serious about getting healthy I thought it would be a good idea to get involved and make friends here! :)

Btw Riestrella, I LOVE your make up, you look absolutely gorgeous!

Alexis: I feel the same way about Thanksgiving! Hopefully our sub-par results from last month will get us where we want to be!

Icon: I agree with you about weighing daily--I think it's a huge motivator to stay on track. I haven't been under 140 since I went to NZ for study abroad in February, so I can't wait to get back down there! Speaking of NZ, which city are you from?? I studied in Wellington at Victoria University and LOVED it. I miss it so so much, you are lucky to live there!!

Munster: I'm sorry to hear that you've had some health issues in the family lately! At least you managed to stay healthy somehow! And congratulations on making it into the 140's!!! It's an amazing feeling to break that barrier :-) I'm trying to stay focused and be proud of every pound I've lost, but it's hard to appreciate it sometimes, so thanks for the positivity!

Forever: Welcome!! I've honestly found the support from everyone at 3FC to be incredible! It's helped me to stay motivated and on track, when I otherwise would've talked myself out of it. I hope you find the same good luck that I've found here!!

I had a major lazy day yesterday because it was my first day off and the first day to myself I had in A LONG time. It felt good to just slob out! I watched Up (LOVE THAT FILM!) and today I might watch Wall-E. Just in a Pixar mood it seems! I bought myself some snow boots yesterday too, here's the link if anyone wants to see them!:

http://www.next.co.uk/g47218s2

I've always wanted a pair like that but never could afford them, but I figured since I have a job I'm going to just get them. They're quite expensive still, but I <3 them and I know I'll be wearing them all throughout winter. Plus when I visit the boyfriend in Colorado there will no doubt be some snow lurking around so I figured it would be good for then.

I realised that now it's November I need to seriously think about Christmas shopping. I HATE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. My family are awful to buy for (it's always the same every year!)

My Insanity workouts are here and there now since my work and social life made it hard for me to dedicate a full hour to it. I would literally wake up, have to get ready for work, go to work, meet up with friends immediately after, get home, go to the bed, sleep and repeat. However I'm still losing weight, at 167 lbs now which is just 2 lbs away from my halfway to healthy goal!

But I'm going to hit up Insanity today since I've no excuses, and sweat my arse off with Shaun T. Phase 2 is SO HARD! The workouts can be an hour long of PAIN. I suck at push ups as it is, and these ones are filled with them. I realised that when I do round 2 of Insanity I know I will benefit from it because each time I'll try and keep up with them on the video/make sure I complete the moves properly (instead of on my knees or just doing it once or twice) So in a way I'm quite excited to start round 2 already and PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT!

I also wanted to share with you all my results from the 90 day challenge. I've got a before and after picture, hopefully people can see the difference!
Before Picture:
http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q...la/2upload.jpg
After Picture:
http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q...strella/45.jpg
Weight Goal:

http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt...FH2/weight.png


Starting Measurements
Waist: 35 inches
Bust: 42.5 inches
Hips: 41.2 inches
Thighs: 22.5 inches
Arms: 11.6 inches
End Measurements
Waist: 33 inches (-2 inches)
Bust: 40.5 inches (-2 inches)
Hips: 40.1 inches (-1.1 inches)
Thighs: 21.5 inches (-1 inch)
Arms: 11.2 inches (-0.4 inches)

Glad to see this thread active with many different people, love the chatting!

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cmwelp - Don't worry about not living up to a goal. Just go at your own pace and don't feel any pressure!

Alexis - Thank you!! I'm glad you've realised the healthy way to lose way and not to starve yourself again! Never ever good, you just gain more back that way!

Iconised - The daily weigh is great only if you can handle it mentally. But if it helps for you then rock it! I've managed to reach my target for the last couple of months so it's really motivated me to keep it up. Sorry to hear you're going through a hard time, but make sure that you're ok because you don't want to have a breakdown. Try to relax, take one day at a time, don't live in fear of the future or the what if's because I did that for a long time and it ruined me.
Thanks! My days off are going to be filled with sweet NOTHING! Why do you want to clean so much?!

munster - OH MY GOOSE I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU BACK, YAAAAYYY!! I REALLY MISSED YOU!!! :hug: Don't worry about not posting, I'm so sorry your house has been a contamination zone! I hope your loved ones are all doing ok. CONGRATS on entering the 140s!!! Thanks for your support! Crazy to think you won't be doing Insanity!! Your bro WOULD say that though, wouldn't he? ;p. I wouldn't take him too seriously, if you look fine, feel fine then live happily and not obsessively! Glad to see you back =)

Forever - Aww thank you hun! That's so nice of you to say. WELCOME! Come on in and sit on the e-beanie bags and join the chat.

Hi everyone! I think it's been at least a year since I've been active on this forum! I fell out sometime last fall around the holidays when I was finishing college, planning a wedding, and packing for a big move. The weight loss stalled for a few months until I got married in January. Then it slowly began to creep back on and BAM I gained again full force. Although not all of that was my fault! I found out I was pregnant at the end of January, and ended up gaining about 45 lb during pregnancy, which was more than I wanted to, but still manageable. By the time I had the baby it was more of a 60 lb gain, what with the swelling from a long labor, and then all the fluids they pumped me with during my hospital stay because of a very scary emergency c-section. My little girl is healthy and 2 weeks old today, so it is all worth it. :) I'm still very sore from the surgery but I had the go-ahead from the doctor to start going on walks again today, so I'm going to start checking in here again.

So hopefully I can pop the baby into my baby carrier and take a walk sometime this afternoon (if it doesn't downpour rain all day!) Now I'm going to make my husband breakfast and go back to bed! The little girl only afforded me 2 1/2 hours of sleep during the night and has finally decided to take a rest.

Forever ~ Welcome!

CMW ~ I'm hoping to use that failed motivation to move my butt forward... If at first you don't succeed, try try again!

Rie ~ You look fantastic and I can definitely see a difference. In the measurements, too.

Everlasting ~ Wow! That certainly is a lot of change. Welcome back and big huge congratulations on both the wedding and the baby.

~~~
So far, I'm loving this new job. (working for a fireplace specialist.) It's the definition of a "small business" but it's getting easier as time goes on.

Food-wise, have been doin' OK. Jumped right back on the wagon after my Halloween indulgence. Quit eating after 8PM and went for a 4mi walk last night. Hoping to start getting up in the morning to walk/run again soon, too.

Baby-sitting tonight and looking forward to it. I watch these three kids: 11,9, and 4. The two oldest were adopted from Addis Ababa and the little one is from China. They're kind of the perfect family. Absolutely love 'em.

Hey Ladies!

So back to posting again since the house is now decontaminated lol! I swear this last month has been completely ridiculous :dizzy:! So I have weigh in tomorrow, and I am super excited! I cheat weighed yesterday and was able to change my ticker (I probably shouldn't until tomorrow) but I was so excited to be at a 20 lb LOSS!!!!! Super happy! So today was a 45 minute cardio/45 minute weight lifting session, in which I sweat like a giant pig and people look at me after I get off the cardio machines and weights like "please tell me you are going to get the cleaner to wipe that off?" lol! Of course I always do because I swear I lose at least a liter of water when I work out! Going to drown myself even more than usual with H2O today for the best weigh in possible tomorrow! Going to see the crazy trainer brother in law out of town this weekend and go to one of his CRAZY RIDICULOUS classes and I am SO EXCITED!!!!!!!! I really love feeling like I get a good butt kicking for working out lol (i.e. when I took a shower after working out today it was hard to wash my hair LOL...chest and back day :D). Hope you all have a great mid week and that we all have awesome weigh ins!

Alexis-Thanks! It is nice now that everything is back to normal lol! Staying healthy was super hard, but I knew I had to try the best I could because then at least there was someone to take care of everyone else lol! Watch, I will probably get sick in another week or so haha! Great job on getting back on plan after Halloween :D. The candy doesn't get me so much, but put pasta or something cheesy in front of me and it's hard to resist lol! Keep up the great work, the 4 mi walk is AWESOME!

Forever-Hi! It is so great that you are deciding to post and to make a change for a healthier you! Keep it up, and let us know how you are doing :).

Cm-It is hard to appreciate even the .2 losses, I know. There have been weeks here and there where NOTHING changes and I just want to scream because I have been kicking my butt! Eventually though, it evens out and I get a week of 2.5 lb down or something like that. Just stay positive and remember that you won't have to LOSE forever, this is temporary and the discipline that you are developing is what will make this a lifetime thing and a healthy you forever!

Rie-YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Huge difference for sure, you can totally tell a major difference in the waist/abs area, legs FOR SURE too!!!!!!!!! The bust definitely looks smaller as well. WOW Shaun T is working it for you! Keep up with what you are doing, it is awesome how far you have come. You are so close to that halfway goal :D. I am so glad that I have been able to come back now, it was really hard not being able to post and get support for the last few weeks. I am excited though because I only have 10 lbs to my initial goal. I don't know if I will go lower like the BIL says he thinks I can (he says I have the determination and grit to do it) but I am super happy to know that the 130s are close and that I feel good there! SO, let's keep it up and kick lb BOOTAY!!!!!!!!!!

Everlasting-I know how it feels to lose the baby weight. My starting weight was where I was after having my daughter (she is 10 months old now and I also have a 4 year old son) and now I am where I was before I was pregnant with her and my goal is to be where I was before I was preggo with DS. It is really tough to lose the weight especially with the C section (I had natural, but one of my friends had 2 Cs and it was hard at first) but YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your body will respond to it, and you can lose that baby weight! I definitely did the walks with both kids at first, and then more when I was recovered enough. Take it slow, listen to your body, and just get on that wagon girl!

Okay ladies, done for the day and I have to get baby girl up from nap. Here's to a great weigh in tomorrow!

So I was active for a little while and then life hit. One bad thing after another but it looks like it's all starting to calm down, thank goodness.

I've really missed having the support and accountability from this site so I'm glad to be back. I'm participating in the 90 day exercise challenge and the daily weigh in.

I've found my drive and motivation off a bit lately, probably from the before mentioned bad things. Hoping talking to you fine ladies helps me get back into the groove of things.

Thanks for the welcome :)

It's been pouring rain all day so I don't know what to do for exercise. Before I would have popped in a DVD or something but I'm thinking I have a couple months before my body can handle a Jillian Michaels DVD or my Zumba set.

I have absolutely no abdominal strength at the moment, and I can't imagine what it would feel like to jump (I don't want to!) My incision still hurts a lot! I was laying in bed last night on my back and tried to do a leg lift and I could not get my leg up. I also cannot sit up without pulling or pushing myself with the arms or legs. It's really depressing, but I guess the whole getting my abdominal muscles sliced open thing. I guess I have made a lot of progress in 2 weeks, as last week I couldn't even roll over onto my side and now I can do it pretty well if I go very slowly.

Ever-DON'T GET DISCOURAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am telling you my abs are STILL my weakest point even after 10 months and not having a C section. You have to listen to your body, you really shouldn't try doing any ab work of any kind for at least 6-8 weeks, and even then it should be gentle and minimal. At this point the best way to shrink the post baby pooch is to just do whatever cardio you can, breast feed if you are going to, and watch that you don't eat fattening, carb ridden foods. You will get there, I figure it took me 40 weeks to gain the 27 and 28 lbs I gained with each of my 2 LOs so it could take at least that long to lose it! Just stick with walking, hauling your adorable baby around, maybe some light free weights for upper body and squats and lunges for now. Do a 30 minute circuit at home if it is raining-30 seconds each of walking around the house, bicep curls, tricep extensions, squats, lunges, and modified pushups x10. If you did that and walked with baby you would see results I promise! You can do this, trust me! :hug:

Everlasting- welcome back I am back too after just having a baby my little girl will be 3 weeks on Friday. I was doing well on my journey I had lost 25 lbs in 2 months and then I found out I was pregnant. So here I am time to get back to it. Congrats and good luck!!!

Busy, busy, busy here! I'm going to make a point to get to personals tomorrow! I have to get back to posting more regularly. This past month I've been at a standstill...just so much going on. I have been trying to keep up with my Tuesday and Thursday gym time though. It's hard and very easy to just skip, but I'm trying to push through. Anyway, I miss everyone and am hoping to be able to check in more soon! Student teaching ends for me November 16th so I'll have Mondays and Wednesdays free again and hopefully be able to get back on track and start losing again.

Oh wow, only two days into November and the chat is jumping... I love it! I am excited to see new faces and all the familiar ones from the October chat! Yay 20-somethings!

Well after not making my Halloween goal, I got discouraged, I am not going to lie, and I kinda decided to just have whatever I wanted because I had tried to be so good for a while and then I felt like a failure... I know it is not the case, sometimes weight loss doesn't happen like you want it, but I had a bad day, I was stressed from school, I had a headache, and I got a grade I was not super happy about so I went home and made a batch of no-bake peanut butter cookies. Bad news. I should have just bought a small treat than to have a whole batch of cookies at my house. But oh well, I had bad diet, cookies and beer, and I know that doesn't mean I will gain a million lbs or anything, but I felt like I needed that day to just mope and eat and enjoy my food.. and I did it. I am just glad that I could make it into just one bad day instead of a bad few days or a bad week like I would have done last fall... so time to begin fresh now that that is out of my system.

Other than my struggle with my diet, I am starting to get bored with my gym routine so I am looking for ways to mix it up. I have started running on hill courses and doing some different things but I am not feeling that challenge. I know that insanity is expensive but I am craving a challenging program to get me through the winter... hmmm... I don't know what to do.. :(

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Icon- Awesome job on that half marathon! Way to go! I am feeling this need for motivation as well, especially now that it is winter... I hate winter! We gotta figure out some way around this! We can do this!

Rie- OMG!!! Your makeup at Halloween looked freaking awesome! and the before and after pictures you posted you can definitely tell the difference! You are kicking butt, way to go! You should be proud that your hard work is showing!

I hope you are enjoying your days off... there is nothing better than getting to cuddle up and watch kid's movies.. I watched Cars 2 this weekend and I wanted to keep going on the Pixar for the next few days... I love Pixar!

And those boots! Super-cute! You needed them no doubt.

Good luck with jumping back on the insanity train! Show Shaun T who is boss!

Alexis- Slow and steady wins the race for sure... everytime I try to push myself I end up feeling deprived and exhausted and sometimes end up gaining weight ... I would rather lose 5 lbs in a few months than to lose it in a week and gain it back plus some...

I am glad you are liking your job and your babysitting!

Munster- I am so sorry your whole family got sick... I was wondering what happened to you last month. But the fact that you are still keeping up with all your exercises is inspiring... it reminds me that I have no excuses, just my own laziness! :) I just gotta stop whining about the cold and school and get to moving.

Congrats on finishing your round 2 of Insanity! You should be proud, I hear that stuff is hard core! Good job.

BTW great job on your 20 lbs! yay!

Forever- Welcome!!! I think you will really enjoy posting here! I wish you luck :)

Everlasting- Congrats on the baby! That is exciting, but I am sure it is so tough... I have never had a baby but I agree with Munster that you gotta give yourself time. I am nervous that I will work all this time to lose weight and then start having babies but you have to remember you just did something amazing, you created a human, and therefore you are entitled to have recovery time... everything happens in time.. :)

Sibi- Welcome! This is a good place for motivation and accountability! I look forward to hearing from you :)

Ashley- Welcome and congrats on your baby too!

Shauna- Welcome back, it is good to hear from you! I hope that baby is doing well!
Yay that your student teaching is almost done!
I know what you mean in saying once you get busy it is so easy to skip, I have been feeling that too! Ugh life gets in the way of my workouts too much ... lol. I wish you luck getting back into it! :)

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Well since my past two days have been pretty poor as far as my workouts and eating, I hope that I can check in tomorrow with glowing reviews of how awesome I did at the gym and eating... let's hope :) ...

Have a great night all :)

munster- thanks! I am trying to destress. I think i sprained my ankle >.< Whats an LO??? Loving...other. There we go. Congrats to you too!

Alex- yeah im a health psych intern. Sometimes people are like "omg this person at work wont stop going on about their problems! Its exhausting! ....how was your day?" And im like -___-

forever- welcome!

cm- what were you studying over here? I'm in Auckland- too windy in Wellington :P

rie- those pictures are amazing, well done! I just have to hold it together until the end of december and then i can have a holiday lol xD Its hard not to worry about the future, since I now realise how insanely unlucky an amazing amount of people are, but i know worry doesnt actually help. Arg! I want to clean so much because i like having a clean house! xD And cleaning is a fairly common procrastination/anxiety coping behaviour >.<

everlasting- BEBE PICTURES PLZ kthnx. Congrats on your addition! Good to see you back!

sibi- welcome back!

jamie- now its going into summer here im like omgwinterweightgainmustlose but then i get all dispondent and like, i cant lose it all in a week so why bother >.< We just gotta take small steps i guess (i keep saying that but i hate small steps!!!!). Perhaps you need some kind of winter social sport that will be cheaper than the Insanity?

I feel a little bit more positive today. Im guessing its because i actually did some exercise >.< Still ate badly but at least its one thing on my side. TGIF tomorrow! I think I strapped my ankle up a little too tight, cant feel my toes...

Hey all,

Bit of sad news right now. My dog has taken a turn for the worse. Her back legs are going and she's a bit woobly. She was shaking a lot this morning, it's just her cancer getting the best of her. She seems to have calmed down now (I'm sat next to her at the bottom of the stairs with my laptop) but it's not looking great.

But the good news is is that I weighed in at 166 lbs this morning. Granted, it's like 166.9 but oh welly =p. Got a recovery workout to do today so I'm happy for that. Back to work tomorrow, but if my dog gets any worse then I'm just going to call in sick.

After Friday and Saturday at work I have 8 days off, I can't wait. I'm seeing Evanescence and Within Temptation in concert, playing Uncharted 3 (at the same time as my bf, we're having a transatlantic 'play date' haha!) and just chilling out. That's about all from moi!

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Everlasting - Sounds like you've had some amazing changes in your life! Congratulations on getting married and having a baby girl. I know it must dishearten you to not feel as fit as you were before, but girl, give yourself a BREAK! You've just had a baby! Let your body recover, you can still do some upper body exercises to get the endorphins running (which is what you lack right now making you feel a bit gloomy). Your body will heal in time, you'll be back to JM and Zumbaing and back on track! But rest up first! Be safe!

Alexis - Keep up the good work with your eating and I'm happy you're liking your new job! Thanks for the kind words =)

munster - Aww, thanks for your support as ever! You always make me feel awesome, hehe! YOU'RE SO CLOSE! My goal is 130, so I can only imagine how excited you must be. I know what you mean about sweating, I LOVE IT. It's the fat crying, haha! Sometimes when I'm doing Insanity on my own I picture someone else I know in the room with me doing it too, and it makes me push harder to sort of "show off" in a way that I can do it! Sometimes I can be a bit slack, so I'm sure doing a workout with a bunch of people is awesome, because there's a certain energy. I love those "I can't lift my arms" moments! You're such a MACHINE, haha! You need to change your username to munstermachine. =D

Sibi - Welcome back! Join in and get some support, it's an amazing support system, don't think I would have gotten this far without it!

sgregg - It's great to hear from you! Sorry that you're struggling, but you know what? You've just gotta do it! I've lacked in motivation too, I know we both slipped up around the same time last month, but you've just gotta force yourself to do it. Some days I really REALLY don't want to die by Shaun T's instruction, but I think "a. I'm going to feel so much better and b. It's one step towards my goal in the long run - and I know I'd give ANYTHING to be at my goal so I can certainly do this." So just doing it is the best way to go. I know how easy it is to not do it, because let's face it, it's easy to gain weight and that's why we're all here ;p. But we're here to say NO to laziness and get going!

Jamie - Thanks for your support, hun, you made me smile! And as for you: :hug: Don't worry about one slip up day, alright? We've ALL been there, done that! Just don't make a habit of it, don't make up excuses to have a cheat day, and you'll be fine. Also, if you feel like you're completely restricting treats, why not have like a small treat that you buy (as you said) once in a while? BUT! Only if you have the willpower to make it SMALL! ;p
If you want, I can set up a dropbox account with you and send you my digital copy of Insanity. It might be a slow process, but because you don't need it all at once it might work out? Like **** I was going to buy it...I got it the naughty way >_>. You'll have to use a PS3/Xbox or Laptop to play it but it works fine!

Icon - Just relax, take 10 minutes each morning to reflect positively on yourself and what you have right now - not what you might not have in the future. Living in fear of the future or worrying about it will mess up your present...which will inevitably mean that your future won't be as bright because you're gloomy right now =p. So the best thing you can do is think positive, or just get on with it and not worry! I know it's hard, I had anxiety problems too, I know it's definitely hard to just stop it essentially. But I know for a fact that losing weight really helped, especially exercise. When I see how far I've come in weight loss by myself it makes me think that with the same determination I can do anything in life. Sorry for ranting, hope it helps in some way!

Hi!

It's nice to see some familiar faces in here and some people coming back. I am coming back too after a bit of a time of it. I got down to about 189lbs but then I had some issues with school and a not-so-nice ex-boyfriend and I gained back a lot of the weight I lost. :(

I am amazed though at what a little time does. My current boyfriend and I are celebrating our six-month anniversary and in that time I have started a whole new major in college from freshman level on up and I'm really excited. Unfortunately, having a boyfriend who is a culinary student is awesome but not so awesome for my waistline. So I decided now is as good of a time as any to start losing weight.

I had a really good start today as far as exercise. :) I did a 45-minute workout and I will try to make it to a Zumba class this evening. The eating is harder to control but I'm sure I can do it with a lil support.

I look forward to talking to all of you.

My dog is going to be put to sleep today. I'm so devastated, she's been like a best friend to me for 12 years. I've grown up with her, I just don't like knowing she won't be there to see me through the rest of my life. But, that's the thing with pets isn't it? They don't last as long as you hope them to.

I am so so so sorry, Riestrella.... I know how heartbreaking that is. Pets become such a part of your life it's like you're losing a part of yourself. When I had to put my dog down (he was 14) it helped me a bit to know that he no longer had to suffer. After he died I swear there was one time when I heard the bells he used to have on his collar like he was right next to me. In my opinion, that was God telling me that he was safe :) I don't know if you're religious or not, but I'm sure she will be going to a better place :hug:

Hi everyone, been quite quiet around here!

As I mentioned in my brief previous post, my dog was put to sleep yesterday. I'm devastated, I loved that dog more than anything...h3ll, I loved her more than some of my closest friends if I'm honest - she was my favourite and things just feel so strange without her. I pretty much bawled my eyes out yesterday, they were actually swollen this morning. After work today I had to come home, and usually she would be there bringing me a shoe or a toy in her mouth and wagging her tail...but she wasn't there today. That was truly heartbreaking for me.

I keep remembering the important thing is that she's no longer suffering. She was a sick dog battling cancer, and it seemed like she had taken a very harsh turn and couldn't get up any more. I'm happy that she's in a better place away from her illness, but a selfish side of me wants her back (healthy and happy of course). I don't think I'm ever going to have a dog as amazing as her, she's been apart of my life since I was 10. Life just feels very empty right now.

I wish I could deliver this news in a more enthusiastic way, but I reached 165 lbs this morning. I'm not sure how it's happened, but it's happened. I'm now halfway to my Healthy BMI. I've edited my signature with one of my "side quests" which is reaching 159 lbs - the weight I was at when I was 17. When I reach 164 lbs I'll be at the weight I was when I was 18, it's crazy, I'm 1 lb away from erasing 4 years of weight gain and 6 lbs away from erasing 5 years of it. All in 11 months! So I'm hoping to reach my mini goal of the moment before December so I can say I've lost 5 years of weight gain in 1 year =).

I'm now off for a week, which I'm super happy about and frankly quite glad because now I can take some time to reflect and grieve the loss of my dog.
Sorry to be all down in the dumps =(

Originally Posted by aBroadAbroad:
I am so so so sorry, Riestrella.... I know how heartbreaking that is. Pets become such a part of your life it's like you're losing a part of yourself. When I had to put my dog down (he was 14) it helped me a bit to know that he no longer had to suffer. After he died I swear there was one time when I heard the bells he used to have on his collar like he was right next to me. In my opinion, that was God telling me that he was safe :) I don't know if you're religious or not, but I'm sure she will be going to a better place :hug:

Thanks, you're definitely right about how much pets become apart of your life. I feel like I've lost one of my best friends in all honesty. You're also right that she is no longer suffering, she was really sick and she needed to be relieved of her pain. :hug:

Happy weekend all!

I started my weekend off pretty poorly, celebrating my husband's birthday... He wanted me to make him chicken pot pie, and I ended up making mashed potatoes and deviled eggs to go with it...and a lot of wine. I probably used a weeks worth of calories in one night lol... Oh well. As long as it doesn't happen all the time it is fine.

Other than that I am getting ready to dive into a super busy week of school (two papers, a presentation, alot of reading, and at least three meetings with professors :( ), I am pretty sure I will fall of the face of the planet a few days, but let's see. I am gonna keep the gym high up on my priority list and keep my house clear of snacks..( as a preventative measure)... So I need some good vibes coming my way this week :)

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Rie - I don't even know what to say because I am so happy and sad for you at the same time. I am soooo sooo sorry about your dog. That is heartbreaking ... HUGS.
But on the other hand, you hit your goal!!!!! YAY!!!! Great job!! I am super excited for you, you have been moving down the scale alot lately! Congrats! :)
Btw you are totally right about needing the willpower to make it small when I do indulge, I just know when I am not stressed my willpower is much stronger than when I have papers and presentations and all that. So Small steps for me will be to completely avoid snacks during my stress times because I don't wanna put myself in a bad position and risk feeling guilty on top of stress. Baby steps, one day I will be able to control all the time I hope.
I hope you enjoy your time off (and I will message you about the Dropbox thing... I'll have to get one somehow, thanks for that :)

Icon- I know what you mean about the baby steps, I hate them too... Sadly it seems like the only way to win... And that winter weight gain is what I wanna desperately fight... Ugh!
Give yourself time for your goals and I am sure you will accomplish them... It is a frustratingly slow process but it works out in the end. And for me the food is the hardest part to keep in check... But it is not impossible , and having good and bad days is fine, as long as the good wins in the end :)

Namaste- welcome!!! Congrats on the 6 months and for getting back into the swing of working out! I think the food part ends up being more difficult for alot of people (myself included)... And to have a bf that can cook well!! If my husband was an awesome chef I would die! Lol ... There would be no weight loss happening. But maybe he can cook some healthy stuff and make it taste really awesome for you??? That is what I need to do, make healthy food taste as good as unhealthy :) good luck !! :)

~~~ must get back to homework :( gonna do some yoga later though :) have a good weekend everyone!!

hi hi everyone!

My past three days have been a little more eventful than I'd hoped. My long-distance boyfriend and I are getting to the point where we need to decide exactly what we want and it's just been a stressful conversation to have--especially since we won't see each other for another few weeks. I graduate in May while he still has at least one more year of college, so we have some choices to make :-/

With that being said, my appetite has been pretty much nonexistent these past few days, and thus i've managed to drop like three pounds in three days. While it's definitely exciting to see those numbers on the scale (and meeting my first mini-goal!), it's hard because I know why it's happening, and also that it's not a real weight loss of three pounds.

Jamie: I completely agree with your attitude on your eating so far this weekend--As long as it doesn't happen all the time it's fine. I'm still trying to implement this into my own weight loss, and not let myself get bogged down by a bad day or eating, so congrats to you for having that healthy outlook! and good luck on your busy week ahead--sounds like the one i have too! Here's to hoping we'll make it through successfully :)

Riestrella: I'm so so sorry about the loss of your dog :-( I truly believe that losing animals in your life is one of the hardest things to handle, because they are so constantly there for you offering the most unconditional love. Try to remember all of the good times you with her, and that'll help you get through! And like you said, you have to remember that she is in a better place no and no longer suffering.

Also, A BIG congratulations on your weight loss!!! I know it's hard to get excited with everything else going on, but you should be SO proud of yourself for breaking through the 170's and then literally dropping through the 160's like it's the easiest thing in the world!!

Namaste: Welcome back!! It sounds like you're in a good place right now to start trying to lose weight again, with having a good support system in your new boyfriend! Although I definitely understand how him being in culinary school could be counterproductive to your goals ;) You'll just have to make him use his culinary training for good and make you fabulous AND healthy meals!

Icon: I was studying mainly business classes when I was there, as that was all my home uni would allow me to get credit for. Auckland was amazing when i was there--I wish i had more time to explore it! But i was able to make it up twice for 2-3 days both times :)

sgregg: Good luck with getting through the rest of your student teaching! My boyfriend will be getting into that next semester and is already stressing about how busy his schedule will be, so I understand where you are coming from!!

Ashely: Welcome to the chat!! Congratulations on your new baby :-) Sounds like you had great progress before, so you should know you'll be able to successfully lose the weight this time around too!

Everlasting: I can only imagine how frustrating it is to want to be physically active and really jump-start your weight loss, but being held back by the healing time. I'm so sorry! Just keep in mind that you have a new beautiful little baby to enjoy and be thankful for, and know that the weight loss will come with time!! Good luck!

Sibi: Congratulations on making your way back to 3FC!! It really does wonders for accountability! I hope that joining the exercise challenge will really be the motivation you are looking for to move forward with your weight loss!

Munster: Congratulations on the 20 pound loss!! THat is HUGE!!! I can only imagine how excited you were to see that :D I hope you had/have a great workout with your brother-in-law this weekend-sounds like he'll be able to kick your butt!!

Hi everyone.

I'm still feeling a bit glum about my dog. The house is filled with 12 years worth of memories, so it's really hard right now. I'm trying to remember the good times, but I think it's important to grieve with sadness to move on to filling the void with happy memories.

My eating/exercising has suffered I'm afraid to say. I think I'm going to get going with a workout today, but I have my sisters baby shower and I'm meeting with my friend in the evening so it's quite a packed day. But we'll see. If I don't do one today I'm definitely doing one tomorrow. This week off will be great to get my exercise routine back in action if anything!
My dreaded period starts tomorrow too, on my week off as well! But I'm not too bothered. When I started taking the pill it was right before my last period was supposed to start, so to give too much detail it's been wanting to come out for the past 3 weeks! So perhaps I'll see another drop in my weight when it's all over?! Going to start drinking loads of water too, need to keep myself hydrated with all the crying!

My winter boots have shipped, so I'm super excited to get them. I think it's the last purchase I can make for myself before Christmas now, because I've got a lot of shopping to do for other people unfortunately! I want to get it out of the way early so I can relax during December. Really not sure what to get the boyfriend though, I want to get him a ring but it's super expensive and I'm going to be blunt here - I don't want to make a huge effort for him if he's only going to get me a DVD in return! Hah! But if it were his birthday I would, just because I have to spend a lot of money in the Christmas holidays. I hate Christmas shopping!!

Baby shower today is going to be presented with loads of food no doubt, so I'm going to try my best to be good. I find I get full a lot quicker these days, we got Chinese takeaway on Friday night and I remember I used to be able to eat my order in one night. But I had to half it and felt stuffed afterwards, so I'm happy my stomach is shrinking!

~~~

Jamie - Sending good vibes your way! You can do it, just really plan each day so it's not chaotic. I think having a busy day doesn't have to mean it's CRAZY you know? If you timetable everything then you just go do everything and cross it off. By the end of the day you'll feel super accomplished, so you won't feel like you need to snack like crazy to cope with any stress. But you're right, keep the bad food out of the house! You can do it =).
Thanks for your support hun *hug*. Just send me your email address and I'll send you an invite to Dropbox (you'll get more space that way!). It's handy for your work too, because you can access your files on any computer once they're in your dropbox folder. Hard to explain without telling you how it all works - but it's an amazing programme! I wish I knew about it at Uni!!

cmwelp - Are you and I the same person? Because I went through what you're going through right now. Maybe with some slight changes though. I'm English and my boyfriend is American. He came to England to go to my Uni (we met online at 13) and we lived together for 2 years. When I graduated, he had one year left, so we had 'the talk'. At the time he wanted to be alone to figure things out, because he knew if we carried on our relationship it would mean a lot of work because of where the future would inevitably take us, which was being so far apart. But he came to his senses and realised that he would be stupid not to try, and we've been together ever since.
It sucks, I know how hard it must be for you, but if you want to stay together you will find a way. It's all about compromising if you truly want to be together. When he still lived in England we used to travel back and forth to visit each other for a year, but now he's moved back to America and I haven't seen him since July. It's really hard at times, but I love him so I hang in there because of that. I'm seeing him in February, it would have been the longest time apart since we got together.
I hope that you work things out, but sometimes people want completely different things in life and if you don't think either of you would be happy sacrificing parts of your life for the other then it might not work out. But if you love each other then you will find a way to both be happy. Just make sure you don't give up on your own dreams for anyone.
Thanks for the support medear, you're right, I really should be proud of my achievement! Thanks again.

Wow... I haven't been here in a while. We went from weekly chats to monthly chats now?

Well. Anyways. How has everyone been??? I've been so busy lately I keep forgetting to check in. I'll fill in everything that's been going on a bit later, I've got to get off to work now!

Hi all,

It's been one of those uneventful/somehow busy weekends for me. I have a big week of tests and papers coming up, so I've spent a whole lot of time studying and barely any time working out :-( I'm hoping that can change sometime soon this week though!! I just always feel more focused and awake when I've worked out, so we'll see how that goes.

The boyfriend situation has cooled down for the moment. We've decided not to make any rash decisions and just move forward as is and see what happens. Not exactly the best considering my type A personality, but it's honestly the best way to deal with it at this point I think.

Riestrella: Haha maybe!! It sounds like we've got similar stories! And I may have totally made this up, but have you mentioned before that your boyfriend lives in Colorado?? Because I grew up my whole life there, just moved away for uni--so my boyfriend is still in Colorado too! It's really nice to hear that a couple with similar issues have been able to work through them and make it! We're just at a point where we're really the only ones each other has been with, and he's getting asked all the time by friends how he knows I'm the one. So he's starting to question how he would really be able to know without us taking a break and him dating some other people to realize how perfect a thing we had. He's very much "if it's meant to be, it's meant to be"...whereas I just think if we're still ridiculously happy together, then why do we need to PROVE that we would be less happy with other people?

Anyways...sorry i'm dumping these problems on you! It's just nice to talk to someone who has actually been through something similar about it! Having a week off should be so nice! Like you said, hopefully you'll be able to get back into your workout routine!! Christmas shopping already?? eek! I need to start too!

Laney: I hope you get to join the chat more regularly now!

ARGG I get so tired in the afternoons that all my well laid plans go to waste. How do people deal with that? Obviously ive dealt with it in the past, but arrrrrgg. Its harder now. Also, I want nice food. I think i need to incorporate a nice afternoon snack or something but its hard to find something like that within calorie limits. What's everyone eating at the moment? I looove peanut butter at the moment and i found this amazing one which is nothing but peanuts (no salt, sugar, preservatives, colours, win!) but after a while its like, im having that because i want something nicer but i dont have anything else. Sigh

Rie- sorry to hear about the loss of your dog :( They become such a part of our family we almost expect them to last as long as the rest of us, particularly as theyre usually our "babies". But you're right, a life of suffering isnt right, and while you might have been able to prolong it, the quality wouldnt have been good :) So you did the right thing. It'll take a while before you stop thinking you hear them or seeing them out of the corner of your eye, but when my old cat died i kinda took that as sort of a sign that they were trying to comfort me. Im not religious at all, but it was nicer than being driven mad by it. I think you are right, that I need to get back into the exercise, that always helps. I had an epiphany yesterday when i realised that the people i see at work are the 5% or so who are really struggling (because by definition they dont get referred to a psychologist unless they are suffering!) and that they arent the norm, that most people are like me- might have had some bad things happen, but a lot of good things, they are coping and functioning (and take their meds!!!). I know that sounds dumb, like "why would you think everyone is crazy??" but when thats all you see all day everyday, it becomes your whole world. I also love dropbox!

namaste- what's your new major? Give your boyfriend the challenge of making low calorie, low fat delicious food! :D You reminded me about exercise classes, maybe thats something i should try to get back into

Jamie- for me its always the case that if one of food and exercise is in place, the other easily follows. Getting started on one of them is the hard part though! Maybe i need to set some small, easy goals- ie take some of my own advice for once!

cm- relationship decisions are really hard sometimes :( Make sure you have a good think and go with what you think is best, dont leap into anything based on emotions that you will regret later. Did you end up completing your business degree? Auckland uni has a relatively new business school, it looks all space agey :D (while the psych department dates back to the 1940s or something and looks like it hasnt seen a lick of paint since -__- )

Hi all!

Day 2 of my week off. Yesterday I did an Insanity workout and it sucked. I really wasn't feeling it, sort of did it half arsed but still did it to some sort of standard nonetheless. Then I went to see Evanescence in concert, whoop! They were really good, I felt like they could have done more songs and interacted with the crowd a bit more, but Amy Lee sounded perfect. Couldn't believe how amazing her vocals were live after hearing a few recordings and thinking "eep!" So had fun there, going to see Within Temptation tomorrow, crazy!

I'm still weighing in at 165 lbs (just) so that's still good news. I've got my break in my pill this week and I just want my period to get out of me now! I went on the pill to regulate my periods and make sure they came and went within a week and after showing signs of wanting to come out for 3 weeks it now decides it doesn't want to show when I give it the window! Grr! If my period was a person I would punch it in the face.

Going to keep drinking water today, do Insanity and just chill out. I've nothing to do today and that's a great thing. Hope you're all well!

cmwelp - Good luck with all your school work, I know how stressful it can be but just don't let it be an excuse to not workout for like 20 minutes or to cram your face full of treats. I'm saying it like that because that's exactly what I did when I was in my final year at Uni, and I gained so much weight that way!!
You did in fact either guess ridiculously right or read it, but the boyfriend is from Colorado! Where abouts are you from? He lives in Boulder. If you've ever been you know how stupidly in shape everyone seems to be there, when I last went I actually felt like a hippo amongst little tiny fishes.

Icon - Honestly, I don't diet. I gained my weight because I went through periods of time just gorging on fast food, soda and snacks because of Uni work or because I was on holiday and felt like I deserved it. It took me 4 years to gain 35 lbs just to put it into perspective. So I just work on eating 3 times a day, no snacks, no soda, no junk food and go from there. And hey, I've lost that 35 lbs in 11 months so it works. But I exercise A LOT so that's where my weight loss is driven from. Which is why I feel like such a spokesperson for exercise, because I still eat what I like and see results. I naturally make better choices because I don't want to ruin the work I did exercises, but I don't feel like there are set rules. Losing weight should be an entire lifestyle change you make by choice and because it feels right to and you love the change.
Definitely get out and meet up with friends and family who are happier after work! I can see what you mean when you're surrounded by doom and gloom. But seriously, you've just got to put things into perspective and honestly? Just chill out a bit! If I could go back in time and visit my 19 year old self I would slap her hard in the face and yell "JUST FRIGGIN CHILL OUT!" Surround yourself with positivity. Whether that's in your own mind or meeting up with friends or watching fun films at the end of the day, do whatever it takes to be happy.
Thanks about your kind words about my dog, I appreciated them. Pets are amazing things, but it is so sad when they leave so suddenly.

Hey guys!

Thanks for all the welcomes and well-wishes! I've been so busy lately, I have had two tests this week and I have been studying like crazy. :)

I have been doing a lot of exercise lately, I started a couple of exercise classes and also a yoga class on Tuesday mornings. I reckon actually scheduling a time makes me more likely to go, like its a class for school or something. :)

And next Sunday dbf and I will celebrate at this surf and turf type of restaurant, which means I definitely will have to eat half and take half, lol. We were actually thinking about getting photos done, but everywhere we've looked is ridiculously expensive, so we might wait til this time next year. :) Nevertheless, still sounds like fun. :)

Icon- I am in Health Informatics/Health IT, which is basically controlling the records in hospitals and outpatient clinics. I graduate in approximately 2-4 years, since I am going part-time and I'm not sure when I will start full time.

Rie- Within Temptation is one of my favorites. :) My best friend got me started listening to them, and I like them. Do you listen to Nightwish as well? They sound somewhat similar to Within Temptation and Evanescence. :)

cm and Icon- My boyfriend and I are actually trying to get some healthy recipes together. :) He is trying to lose weight also and has been curious about finding some healthier recipes. I look forward to it, especially since his food is awesome and I'm sure he could make healthy food awesome too. :)

Well, gotta get back to studying. Talk to you all soon!

Hey Girls!

So I am back from vacation/bridesmaid dress shopping and finally back into the routine. I don't weigh in until Thursday which I am sticking to because I don't want to see it until then lol! Still got in the crazy workout with the brother in law (my butt and legs are still sore from Saturday lol!) and that was really great :D. I am doing a whole bunch of stuff right now, but I will come back tonight to catch up on everyone's personals, I am just glad to be home and back into the swing of things...talk to you all again soon!

Hi y'all! Bit of Shaun T lingo creeping in again!

So last night I went to Within Temptation - was an AMAZING gig and I had so much fun! It was a lot more energetic than Evanescence, even though Evanescence were really good too. Man, those girls can SING.

I've done Insanity twice this week, took my rest day early (again!) so I'm dedicated to not slipping up again!

Some great news this morning - I WEIGH 164 LBS. Which means I've officially met my Mini Goal 3.1 - I'm now the weight I was at when I was 18 years old. I can't believe I've lost 4 years of weight gain in 11 months. CRAZY!! My second ticker in my profile is my next mini goal to reach the weight I was at 17, after that it's the Healthy BMI goal!!

I changed my main ticker to have a starting weight of 200 lbs because I'm almost positive that's how much I weighed last summer. I had eaten unhealthy for months then gone to America and carried it on, all my clothes were tight (I was in so much denial I thought that my bf's Mum was shrinking my clothes in the wash...) and looking at the pictures I'm pretty sure it was 200 lbs. Plus, saying I started at 200 lbs is so much easier to say than 193 lbs!
Which means I've JUST PASSED THE HALFWAY MARK FOR MY OVERALL GOAL! 36 lbs down, 34 lbs to go!!

I seriously can't believe I'm here, I still feel like I have so much more to go (I want that flat stomach, dammit!) but I'm so happy to be where I am.

~~~

namaste - Sounds like you're doing great, well done! And yes, I love Nightwish! I've liked these types of bands for about 8 years! It's great to see they're all still going =D.

munster - Oooh, bridesmaids dress how exciting! Glad to hear you're loving your new exercise class. And good luck today with your weigh in!

Augh... my baby has cried non-stop for the past 2 weeks for up to 12 hours a day. It is soooo frustrating. The past few days it has been pouring rain and I haven't even been able to take her on walks outside of the house and walking with her in the baby carrier is the only thing that helps with her colic! Augh. She is so cute even when she is crying but I feel like I'm missing out on the enjoyment of cuddling my newborn because she screams so much!

We also have no food or heat in our house, and my husband has been as much a grump as the baby has. Oh joy. I don't even know what to post right now. I miss being able to go outside whenever I feel like it. I need a jogging stroller... with a rain/snow shield. Being able to exercise intensely I discovered last year was the perfect cure for my anxiety... and now I can't do it... ughhh... my incision feels good now but I know if I do something intense I'm gonna rip it open. I need to wait at least 3 more weeks before I do ANYTHING other than walking. Please encourage me!

I offically lost 25 lbs total from my heaviest, 237, yesterday morning at weigh-in. I am very excited about that. I can tell a huge difference in my stamina and endurance just from the exercise classes this month. I realized today that I had gotten through one hour of Zumba with total enthusiasm and was almost sad that it was ending. :) It's little things like that that make you very excited.

I also start my bellydancing class tonight. :) I haven't done bellydancing in almost two years but I am very excited. My best friend and I will probably go hip scarf shopping today, and it will be an awesome reward to myself for all the hard work. :)

I will try to make it back sometime this evening and let you know how it went. :) Take care!

Woohoo for belly dancing class! I moved away from my classes and troupe and now can't find anything in the area to continue dancing with a group but I have a song to finish choreographing on my own right now when December hits! Congrats on the 25 lb mark too!

Everlasting- Thanks! :) I would love to dance with a troupe someday but right now I'm trying to refresh some of the beginner stuff. It's been awhile since I've done it and I want to make sure I feel ready before I move to Intermediate. :)

My boyfriend and I went hiking today. It was a 70-mile trip but we had a great time, and the views were really pretty. We ended up walking up one trail of about a mile and a half and then tried to go for a second trail but then when we got there we saw pretty much a tiny path going up this huge precipice going practically vertical. Then we pretty much decided that one was plenty for the day. :D Next time, maybe. :) The drive there and back was absolutely beautiful too, there were just enough trees with leaves on them to make the forest pretty. :)

Gotta get back to studying, I guess. Got a test on Tuesday evening, gotta love school lol. Take care!