Just a check in ladies - you are all doing so well!!

I'm a home schooler and school started last week - I also took on a brother/sister duo in daycare for 2 days a week...well, they brought a gift with them called Hand Foot & Mouth Disease which sounds really scary but is just a virus...gross. I closed the daycare for today and tomorrow and my 3yo is so miserable he hasn't eaten since Saturday. Sores in his mouth and down his throat - poor, poor baby.

Anyhow - too busy to read all the posts right now, just got back from the gym...lower body weights and a 1000yd swim. I lost another pound last week, so that's great...slow and steady I suppose. Gotta fly off and make supper, I need to clean my bike tonight so I can ride in the morning.

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!

I'm tired today. Only did 90 mins of cardio and 30 mins strength training. I have 1 billion things to do before I leave tomorrow to see my hunny. He lives 2+ hrs away.

I had my 6 month old niece here today and didn't have a stroller. I had planned to walk while she slept and have my oldest son keep an eye on her but, she woke up everytime I put her down. So, I sat on my arse holding her through 3 different naps today. I was uber-grumpy by the time dinner came around and I was suprised at how snappy I was with my family.
I felt like I had a whole day without accomplishing anything worth value.

After dinner I had to walk, if nothing else for my own sanity. I walked twice as far as normal but, it was still only 1 walk compared to 3. Disappointed

Tomorrow is my birthday and my doctor appointment/weigh-in. Hoping it goes well enough that my mood is not ruined for my entire birthday.

Keep up the good work girls. You are inspiring me to not quit. ~ Thanks.

Hey ladies, just checking in! Off the exercise wagon a bit but still eating well. I haven't had time to get to the gym and it bums me out but such is life. I have to clean my apartment tonight so maybe I'll try to get some cardio going when I do that!

Last night I went for a 5k run and tonight I am going on a dinner hike (we are bringing a sushi picnic with us)!

Oooh, westcoastrosa, a dinner hike and sushi picnic sounds awesome!!

thousandsunny - cleaning can definitely be a workout!

hsmomof3 -HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I know about the "accomplishing nothing" thing with babies. I took a newborn in the daycare in March...seems I get little to nothing done on the days that he;s here. But holding and caring for a child is a noble effort in itself. Dirt and chores and even our own intentions will always be there...babes will not.

Quick to you all!! Went out and rode my bike on the highways this morning...it was beautiful weather and i was happy to be out on the peaceful roads. I took some photos that I will post on my blog later. Sad, really - in 30 miles of riding I only stopped to take 2 pictures. I need to get my priorities straight!

Off to church for our AWANA program's kick off! I'm with the 3rd and 4th graders again this year. YOUTH ON THE MARCH!!

@Westcoast rosa: That sounds wicked fun, I hope it was awesome.

@mortonpixie: I cleaned quite a bit so I hope it counts! My laundry room is 3 flights of stairs down and I carried the clothes and such. Hope it did at least something, haha.

Happy Wednesday night to you all.

Ladies, I'm feeling so frustrated right now. I could really use some encouragement. The scale, she's been in a snit and I can't for the life of me figure out why. At first I thought it was just because I worked out a lot this weekend. I had some great lifting sessions in which I was making gains right, left and center, I zumba-d, I walked, I ran, I swam. Thing is, I don't typically hold on to exercise induced water weight this long.
The only unusual thing I've done is that I got a tetanus shot on Monday. Could that make you retain? I haven't a clue.

I know that I'm being irrational about this. I've had far worse stalls/inexplicable gains that lasted for far longer. I think it's just that I was so excited to be in the 140s and was there for a good week and then suddenly my body threw me right back into the 150s. And once again I'm looking at a whopping 1 pound lost for the month when I've worked SO hard for more.

Yesterday I got home from work late and tried to talk myself out of taking my jog. "Why should I when it won't do a damn bit of good?" I asked. Whined, really. There was a liberal amount of mental whining going on. "Because you like to do it! Because it would feel good! Because it would reduce some of that stress, you cranky little sloth." The whiny part of me conceded this was true, but I couldn't help feeling a little defeated because I was sure the scale would be up at next weigh-in and probably because of it.
Sure enough, this morning it was.

The whiny, cranky sloth side isn't supposed to be right.

I'm supposed to lift tonight and I still plan to do it but the whiny, cranky sloth side is very much wondering if it's worth it.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Have I killed the thread? I don't think I've ever seen it sit this long.

I'm much improved from my last post. We all have down days, you know? My workout that night was probably the best I've had a in a long time. You know how some times it all just feels like it comes together? You just hit that exact right mood, the music is perfect, and you just feel IT (whatever it is) from the top of your head to the tips of your toes? It was one of those. I was psyched. I took yesterday off and then hit it again early this morning. I'm a little sad this stage of NROLFW is over but excited to start the next at the beginning of the month.

I'd really like to try something different during my week break from lifting but I'm not sure what to do. I'll have to think on that.

Glad you're in better spirits, thistleberry!

I did my 5k run on Thursday, had a rest day yesterday and today we are going on a big family walk and hitting up the Fringe Theatre Festival!!

Tomorrow I am going to do the 8k race route. I know I will have to walk some of it, but I would like to have a baseline time that I can improve upon. Wish me luck!

@Thistleberry - Y'gotta keep in mind, we're women. And as we go through weight loss, our bodies retain water, especially since we're on the 30-somethings board, that means most of us still have the TOM. (I don't, but once I get below 270 that'll come back.... NOT looking forward to it....) Furthermore! We're all exercising, and muscle does indeed weigh more than fat. Some of us are also bigger-built than others. Not all of us are going to look like the Victoria's Secret gals. I know for a fact I'm not, I can't wrap my fingers 'round my wrist.. which means I am stocky-built and big-boned. I'll be lucky if I get into the 160s, though 140 is my goal. You also have to keep in mind that some of us just, aren't made to get to 140, 130, we're meant to be 150 or so. It's about your health, not just the number on the scale... Plus, any pound lost, is a pound lost.

Take me for example. I weighed myself yesterday and I went DOWN, finally, for the first time in two weeks (I had hit 302 but then my mom's bday happened and I shot up to 304, and then 306...) and then yesterday, after a VERY extensive workout at the Y, I finally did it, and hit the 200s! 299.0!!! ...and then I weighed myself again so my mom could see, and it said 299.8! WTF, right?

First thing today, I had eaten at Ponderosa with mom, stayed on Atkins and only ate the sugar-free, etc, the meats, the eggs, the cheeses. Weighed myself as soon as we got home, just for kicks. 303. I don't think I ate 4 pounds of food in one sitting! I had a plate and a half at the breakfast buffet, and an omelet!! We're talking less than 12 hours since the 299 weigh-in! And it seems to be, I'll bobble. But as long as I'm consistently going down, the gain here or there is fine, as long as it comes back off eventually. You're doing the right thing by working out. Your body is adjusting, replacing fat with muscle, and you're SO close to goal! These last 20 or so pounds are going to be the HARDEST TO LOSE ever!!! Do NOT give up! Slow and steady wins the race!

ive had an insanely busy week this week, getting the school program going, new students that i dont know yet, my own kids in school etc etc....ive managed to go run every day of the work week between my split shift schedule at school...i was doing 1.6 miles total and trying for 0.8 mile intervals...it's killing me...its SO SO hard on my lungs even with Advair AND an inhaler, i get side stitches, i get back cramps near my lungs...once i cramped near my lung so bad i had to actually stop and i can usually push myself through things

only 3 times out of 5 did i manage to push out two intervals of 0.8 miles...i finished the distance but not in the intervals like i'd planned the other times...i think i might change it up and go for four intervals of half miles each next week for 2 miles ran total...i also do some fast walking afterwards on the treadmill as a prolonged cooldown...

the scale has peeked at 188 (!! lowest weight ever!) and has stayed between 189-192 and i expected a bigger jump up than that...normally directly after TOM it's the lowest of the month, then jumping up many pounds and hovering there for the rest of the month

today i walked two miles in a Beat the Odds cancer fundraiser walk....LOTS of people there...i walked with a friend from work who just had a baby...the pace was much slower than i'd like but it was an awesome time and a great walk through the rainforest trail...even got some running socks at the end and another event tee-shirt LOL

then i tackled bills, errands, shopping etc and finally crashed around 5 p.m. for a nap...i'm just now finishing dinner and its 8 p.m., much later than normal for dinner

also my eating has been much lower calories this week because i dont eat much in the mornings before my run....after my run i go back to work and ive been so busy i've barely eaten there either...then i come home at 6 p.m. and eat dinner lol

Ok, so anyway, I need to check in.

Mom's birthday was like, a 2 day eating freeday Ate a lot. Too much, but unlike my mom who gained 5 pounds from the event, me and my working out, I only gained 2. Was up to 306 on the 20th. Of course, even though my BIL and his brother (.....what do I call that? BIL#2?!) ate FAR more than I did.. (I think my BIL, the one actually married to my sis, Charlie, ate nearly all the salami offered..! But he's got one of those metabolisms where he can eat whatever the heck he wants and never needs to worry. Since he moved to America for my sister, he's gained... A WHOLE 10 POUNDS over the 4 years he's been here from his native El Salvador! Lucky brat! and his little brother, BIL#2, Christian, IS THE SAME WAY. LUCKY BRATS, both of them! XP ) Bah, anyway, starting to ramble. But anyway, so because I'm the fat one, my grandma had to make SOME snarky remark about how much I ate.. She has these unspoken rules that she puts out TONS of food, says she wants us to eat our fill cause she doesn't want to have to put it all away, except for me. So then she gets mad at me for doing that, because I'm fat. Nearly stormed out, but, didn't wanna ruin my mom's day.

I followed ChubbyGirl's advice and checked out my local Y. Being alone on Unemployment and Food stamps makes my monthly fee a whole whopping 17.33 a month. I can afford that for free, everyday access to a HEATED INDOOR POOL. So I joined! They offer Karate there too, but there's no way I'll be able to swing that... They want 53 dollars A SESSION for a member.... and that's something I would have to look into AFTER I find the new job.. And once I do get a job my fee jumps to 30 a month at LEAST.. so, 80 a week for karate lessons? That's a bit pricy for me. Maybe if, and when, I get a boyfriend who moves in, or I find THE ONE (hah... I doubt it...) maybe then... but as a single female in her own house with all the big-girl bills... nope.

Anyway, so I went to the pool and did a few laps... And then I was doing a lap and was about to turn around for home from the deep end, and there was a bunch of women, much older than I for the most part, getting styrofoam weights? and belts on made of foam? And they're like "Would you like to join us for water arobics?" "....uhhhh.... ...I... guess...?"

OMG MY BODY SO SORE.

Took a LONG shower afterward (and had my first run in with a naked woman existing her shower. o_o;;;;; ) and after that decided since my bum knee was bugging me, I would use the LOCKABLE handicapped shower so I could sit and use the massage-spray function on my bum knee to help it out... That worked a little, but I still managed to have to down a few painkillers once I got home.. After the shower and changing into my workout pants I got on the elipictal for 18 minutes total (15 workout + 3 minute cool down) and then finally went home, visited my mom and weighed in.. AND I FINALLY DID IT!!

299.0!!! I gasped SO LOUD and my mom was like "....what?!" and then I SCREEAAMMMED like a teen setting sights on Justin Bieber.. My mom was so proud of me that she bought me some exercise shorts today, a new pair of capri jeans (A SIZE 26!! I haven't fit into a size 26 IN EONSSSSS!!!) and, my favorite, a new black hoodie, which with my sister's help I'll be plastering an Assassin's Creed logo on the back of that sucker and 'beaking' the hood- I love making my own gaming-inspired clothing and I've been wanting to make an AC hoodie for myself for a while now. ^_^

So anyway, I'm just flabbergasted at the past week. All the weeks I was working out (and I figured I had the most workouts and was staying consistent), I GAINED GAINED GAINED! And my mom tried to keep me upbeat about it.. but this past week, my best friend in Kansas quit her old job at Kansas University to start a new job at Garmin... and she has anxiety.. well, her anxiety took over and she had a panic attack on orientation day and lost the new job.. so she tried to go back to KU and they told her to buzz off. When she's down we RP online alot to keep her mind off of things and take the edge off... and then just yesterday she called me in tears because her car broke down and needs a $1,000+ dollar repair and now she's out of work.. she needs to go to counselings and get on her anxiety meds again and she has no health insurance..... so I didn't get ANY working out done because I've been trying to be there for her this past week and RP RP RP to keep her mind out of it... She's doing a bit better but, I just find it odd. I worked out, I gained weight. I didn't work out, I lost. But I'm not gonna stop!! I'll be taking my walk with the dogs tonight after Casshern Sins is done and my friend heads to bed... then bed for me right afterward. I hopefully have a meet-and-greet with some people who want one of my adoptable kittens... so I gotta be up in enough time for that.

Anyway, you ladies have a fine day or evening! Sorry for the super-long post, but that's just my nature... I'm a talker!

way to go!! i know the feeling of finally getting to a size/weight/etc that you havent seen in EONS!! way to go!! so nice of your mom to get you some things too!

i sure can understand trying to be there for someone like you with your friend...my sister has very limited coping skills plus mental health issues and substance abuse problems...she calls me ALL THE TIME over things that, to her, represent Major Crisis! but to others are just average-day happenings such as boyfriend being a few minutes late home from work etc...she forgets what hours i say i'm working, she forgets that i'm in evening meetings (and i truly think she does forget, rather than being rude) and often cant remember half our phone conversations anyhow

@AlaskanLaughter - OH GOD I KNOW RIGHT?! My little sister is THE SAME WAY, only without the substance abuse. Only problem is she refuses to see anyone and get diagnosed for sure and get the help she needs to cope with her issues (She is, at the VERY least, Bipolar, OCD, and maybe some traces of Manic Depressive..) Either way, she's a handful. AND she's spontaneous when she needs attention. She calls, and wants you RIGHT THEN AND THERE and if you are busy or have plans, she gets SUPER TICKED at you. I mean, there was a time, I mentioned I had a VERY light Pina Colada (with a TRACE or Rum!) at a friend's house.... ....she cried for 3 days and refused to speak to me, claiming she didn't know me anymore.

Granted, I can sort of understand? When I hit 21 I didn't get any booze because I didn't want to end up an achoholic like my dad (Dad was abusive verbally/sexually/physically so I can see her fear of any booze) but, honestly, I only had it because it was the lightest drink available and my friends made it super-light for me because they knew of my past (I'm pretty open.) and plus I had to drive home with the boyfriend at the time, and honestly I think they kept the rum out because I didn't notice it at all. BUT OMG that was worthy of a panic attack.

At least my friend in Kansas IS on meds and KNOWS she has issues and knows how to talk them out..... my sister is too proud for it, even though given what we went threw with our upbringing, we probably both could use someone to talk to. We never did anything and even when our mom knew what had gone on we couldn't afford to kick my dad out... and his pedophilia never went away. So the best we could do was purchase keylocks and deadbolts for our bedrooms that he couldn't pick the lock to.. and he was condemned to build his own bedroom in the basement. I guess he should have been happy about that even though he complained that it was a jail cell.. It could have been a real jail cell and the other inmates don't treat guys that were like him.. but regardless we tried to forgive him and he died a free man.. But I just wish my sis would be up and willing to get help.. it's like right now.

She has fleas REALLY BAD at her house. She keeps blaming me (because I rescue all the critters and have 18 cats and 3 dogs right now, only 3 cats and 2 dogs are my own and everybody else is foster from before I lost my job) but, I don't have fleas here because the dogs get treated with Revolution and the cats get PetArmor. I tell her what she needs to do. BIL and her, they make 50,000 a year. I tell her 'get Pet Armor at Wal-Mart (her workplace! SHE GETS A DISCOUNT!!!!) for big dogs, then you drain each tube into a RX bottle and then take an oral syringe and dose it out on each kitty based on weight, and that should give her enough topical for the rest of summer and for all 4 kitties. You're gonna need to bomb ye-old house. wash ALL your bedding, take the flea spray, spray your mattress down with it and then put a zippered vinyl sheet to it so the fleas can't get out and die from the flea spray.

She and BIL cut me off and say I don't know what I'm talking about, I didn't go to Flea 101, and proceed to buy the $6.00 Hartz stuff (which I warned her can KILL her cats!!) and don't bomb the house. Now the kitties have a topical on that she refuses to reapply with the GOOD stuff, BIL's dad is visiting from El Salvador next month for the first time since their wedding 4 years ago and he's going to stay there... ...in their flea-infested house.

But I don't know what I'm talking about, y'know, the girl who has 18 cats and 3 dogs whom are all flea-free. ARG. Pigheaded. And she has our dad's god-awful temper and if she gets set off (easily done with bipolarism) she will say the most NASTY, MEAN things but will never apologize for it... cause in her mind it's your fault, not hers. She is never guilty of any wrongdoing. BIL doesn't help because honestly he should have been a stalker she avoided.. completely obsessed with her and whipped puppy for her. If she was to say the sky was Fuscia Pink with lemon yellow clouds he'd agree with her without a second thought even though they are both clearly wrong.

Drives me nuts but that's my batty family. Oh well. I can chose my friends, not my family. :P And I honestly think I am probably the most sane one out of the bunch.