I'm just gunna say *cheers* to this woman, Riestrella for all of her hard work and dedication to US in this FUN challenge. We appreciate what you're doing. Don't doubt that for a second.

*cheers* to all of us who are participating and being sweet and encouraging their fellow participants with praise, motivation, and positive vibes.

There's no room for bitter, nasty people who refuse to heed the excellent advice in this thread.

Smart idea! I'm in too!

Like some otherson here, i'm probably not going to be in a bikini by summer.. but hey, maybe a sexy tankini :D

Sexy tankini! I think I'll make that my goal too. I don't think I've worn one since I was 12. Well, it wasn't sexy back then, but that was the last time I could pull a two piece off with any short of confidence.

**** yeah to the tankini I think they are sexier anyways! :D welcome to the challenge! :D x

Sorry should have been ooooh yeah haha

"Blind leading the blind" is incredibly offensive to me. We're all grown women here, not sheep. We're all capable of using common sense and of taking care of ourselves. We're here by choice - we're looking for a place to record our struggles and our triumphs and to offer support and advice to our peers.
Any and all competition is just there for people who are motivated in that way. I, personally, just LOVE spreadsheets like nothing else :D and that motivates ME. It's all about individual successes, and celebrating everyone's losses no matter how small.
But there really is no room for calling people liars, or saying we can't think for ourselves.

On a lighter note, happy Friday! My week went really well, my goal for January was to stay away from the drive-thru and I can say it was tough to stick with it. Through the month of December I averaged three or four fast-food meals per week but this month NOTHING! It may be TMI but I feel less bloated and gassy overall, more regular and I feel like I have more energy from picking foods that aren't greasy and sodium-heavy.
I'm thinking I'll add a goal to this one for the month of February.

Lots of people are doing really great. I keep seeing the scale fall and am pretty excited about it. Hopefully it keeps on marching down.

I can do this, I can actually feel really good in a bikini this year.......

LOL yay :) And tell me about it, i usually wear a two piece halter-top bathing suit, but i'm not very confident in it! Glad we are sharing a similar goal :) GL to both of us

"oooh" yeah right back at you! lmao. and thanks!

What is a tankini exactly? I thought it was with the skirt-thingy but the pics I see on google are only with like a larger shirt-top.

I never really liked the skirt-things attached to a bathing suit or underwear. I mean, it's nog gonna hide that you are big and it's only gonna scream "I DONT WANT YOU LOOKING AT MY BIG Behind". Hihi. This whole bikini/bathing suit stress is the silliest thing in the world to me. Mostly because when you are at the beach and look around you, you are gonna see plenty of people that look worse than you could ever look. Mainly because they don't care or don't know how to take care of their hair and skin.

P.S. I say "thingy" when I don't know the right words, English is not my native tongue. Hihi.

Ana - I absolutely love spreadsheets too! Haha I have a spreadsheet with 6 or 7 different sheets all for my weight loss! I love seeing the changes visually with graphs and different equations. I can get a tad obsessive sometimes though because I like to predict my weight in the future.. oh well. Haha

I don't know if I'll ever feel comfortable in a bikini even at my goal weight, so I will probably be getting a tankini too. :)

Tankinis generally look like tank tops with a bikini bottom - they cover more of the midriff for those who are concerned about showing a lot of tummy. Skirts are for those who feel uncomfortable showing a lot of booty. For me, a regular bikini bottom cuts across both my butt cheeks so I opt for boy shorts or a skirt for more coverage.
It certainly won't camouflage a whole lot or give the illusion of a smaller backside, but it gives me a lot more confidence and THAT makes me feel more attractive.
Just personal preference.

Reba- Unfortunately I lost almost all my graphs when me old laptop decided it hated me last fall. I still have the small one on my iPod though! It's fun to look back and say, hey, if I did ALL THAT by myself, I can certainly keep going (or get back on track, or take it a bit further, etc.) :)

In the name of ignoring the silliness of the drama, I'm going to ignore it now that I've said my piece. NEXT. :D

sgregg: Good luck for next week! I love that, "I have a good feeling about the upcoming weigh-in..." feeling, where you can just TELL you've lost weight! :D

Philana: Lol, thanks, and yes, SUCH a great feeling. Mostly when I was done and sitting down again. ;) But it was a great big "check" on my weekly list of accomplishments!

What's a twiststepper?? Also, kudos on the c25k! I started that, but it turns out my illiotibial band was a bit of a whiner, and I wound up screwing the pooch and now have to avoid consistent amounts of walking/running that might aggravate the injury. (Gah!) I'm mad jealous!

Ferretgirl: Whoa, lady! You've got activity fever. Those are all things that I think would be really cool to try. Hmmm. Perhaps you've inspired me to try zumba. Maybe not belly dancing yet. No one needs to see this baby bared. ;)

ma26: Woo! Wishin' ya luck! Or rather, wishing you get the results on the scale that you've clearly been putting in all week! :D

QuietBallerina:
Hey, that's what my last place went up to! It had one set on either side, and I'd climb to the fourth, walk along the fourth floor to the other set, and go back down to the first. Repeat. :D
Honestly, I think stairs are a BRUTAL... and exceptionally great workout, try it!!

baker23: CONGRATS!!! What an awesome drop! Must feel amazing to finally see some good results on the scale after hovering for a bit!

Exception:
Bye. :)

MusicalAstronaut:
Ahhh, we all have those weeks. I'm having one of those nights where I feel bloated and bleh. Once TOM ends, you'll probably feel much better... and are probably more on track than you know! Just keep chuggin' awayyyy. (Stupid TOM.)

Lambie: Amen.

JAY! JAYOHWHY!!! Sorry, I get excited when I see familiar faces. :D :hug: And hey, don't get so down on yourself lady! Of course the weight will come off more slowly now (hear that, exception!?!?! *coughs*), but just remember that every single 1.2 lbs will be more noticeable and more dramatically altering to your shape, form and appearance than every pound before it. I bet you look fab. ;) Slow and steady my darlin girlie.

Naffy: Amen to the tankini. ;) That's what I'm wearing to swim in every day at the moment, and I'm terribly unfond of the tiiiiny little bulge over my bathing suit bottoms that sticks out under the tankini. :D I'll be rockin the tankini with confidence by the summer at least!!

Kailpea: Tankinis it is! ;)

Ana: Oh man. You and me both. The drive thru is AWFUL. And soooo easy to get suckered into. Half the time, all I want is a Diet Coke that I'm too lazy to get out of my car for, and the next thing I know, I have a cheeseburger. (How the **** did that happen!?!?!)
Good job on avoiding it tho, I've managed to as well!!! I only went to Wendy's once, and I got a plain baked potato and a small chili. (500 calories, baby.)

Me:
Okay, now I'm too tired to talk me. :D
I'm going to the States for the weekend (shopping in Buffalo, y'all, where the Canadians invade the US weekly...), so wish me luck with the extremely not-on-plan girl friend I'm going with!!! (*worried*)