Sum I'm so glad that the inhaler has made a difference for you; that must feel great! I'm glad that some of your new clothes fit you, but too bad about the one dress. Awesome news about your arms toning up!! Glad you had a nice dinner last night, and I'm also glad to be reading so much happy news from you. Sounds like you are in a much better place than you were a month ago...

Zumba I hope you had a good dinner with your friends; it sounds like you have a lot of friends, which is so important right now for you!! Sorry things fell through on your house, and that your weather is crummy. We are having chilly nights but crystal clear days in the 60s, which is perfect weather to me.

As for me, I am just tickled pink over here. My weight this morning was 152.9. Way back a year ago April I set my goal as 153, then moved it up to 158, and now down to 142. But to achieve that original goal is exhilarating. I changed my tickers, but for some reason it's not reflecting. Must be a website issue. Anyway, all is well here. Lots of gardening this weekend. Almost all my flowers are in place now, the comfy furniture is on the deck, and I'm feeling happy and good.

Heidi & Sum: Way to go both of you! You are both doing so well!

Ugh, I had a terrible day yesterday--ate and drank way too much at 2 graduation parties, so I was back up to 171.2 this morning! I feel like I'll never get into the 160s, and it's totally my own fault. I will be lucky to lose 3-4 pounds the whole month of May. I think I'm just going to try to forget how busy and stressful it has been and focus on getting right back on track for June. I will lose at least 6-8 pounds in June, and I am starting today! I also haven't walked for 2 weeks, but I am starting that today too! I know I can get back on track.

jennifer 33 pounds ago, could you imagine writing the words back up to 171.2??? You are doing awesome. Clearly with graduation season a big one for you this year, losing is going to be hard. But you have stuck with your commitment, and you will rock June!

Afternoon All,

Quick check-in on Challenge Goals:
1. Maintain bf @ or below 21%
Down 4.2lbs, 1% bf.
SW 149; CW: 144.8, bf 19.8%.
2. Strength training 3x week
Finished phase IV, quick 2 month review (2 weeks per phase) then on to Hypertrophy I
3. Dog walks (3+ mile route) daily if not raining
Walking every day!
4. Continue to eat on plan
Eating on plan. 2000 plus calories yesterday and still slowly losing.
5. Begin restoration of enclosed side porch: Complete scraping/prepwork and begin painting.
Haven't scraped any. Maybe in June?:D

Go Ladies!

Jenny I feel for you!! -- I can not control myself when I am at parties. I think you have done remarkably well. I would be up 6 pounds by now!! I avoid any and all social situations; how sad is that??

2FatCats You are absolutely amazing! PLUS I can't wait to see the pix of the finished house!!!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy for your 152.9 lbs Heidi 6 pounds in no time! :woohoo: YOU ROCK!!!! ( Can you tell that I am excited for you..lol)

Happy Memorial Day everyone..may I take this chance to say thank you to all of those that have fought for our freedom and continue to make this country feel safer.

I'm in a dark dismal place even though the sun is shining. I don't like to talk too much about my depression here but I feel like I have to today because it is especially bad. This weekend has been a hard one for me. the kids are with their dad and he decided to have a big party for his family . Its funny that I feel like my life is going down the crapper but he is celebrating. I try not to resent him because that just hurts me more, but I can't help it. Right now I loathe him with every ounce of my body.

I went to dinner with friends Saturday and even though I was "there" I wasnt' really there if that makes sense. Just going through the motions. Ordered fried ice cream for dessert. It made me feel better for a big whopping two seconds. Then yesterday drove out to the family summer home that I am forced now to clean out and sell. Putting my dads things away made me want to cry. its surreal that just a few years ago we were in that house laughing and enjoying life and now my Dad is gone and Im worrying about how i'm going to clear this house out. Last night I went to a friends house for a bday party and had two hot dogs, potato salad and of course desserts. Last night i should have been at a concert with diversion guy but we are no longer together so I wondered what he was doing and with God knows whom. I am meeting another friend (bikini model and body building competitor) for dinner for a bit,I'll try and eat well because at this rate its going to be really ugly at the end of this weekend. Maybe talking about my feelings with someone will help. I'm not sure but i'm not heading ina good direction and my weight is showing that . I haven't worked out all weekend. Feeling like the glob. Sorry to be a downer. When is national splurge day again?

Cleansing tomorrow and wednesday, can't wait.

Zumba First, I want to say that I'm so sorry for what you are going through; I can feel your pain coming through your post... I'm not the best when it comes to taking a message and wrapping soothing words around it to make it sound pretty, so I'm just going to tell it to you straight, and then I promise not to mention it again.

You sound like me when I was going through my 2-year Angelina Jolie crisis. I was going through the motions with friends. I was depressed. Frankly, I didn't care that my eating was terrible, if I wanted those Twizzlers or those biscotti, I was going to eat them. My sadness showed through my weight gain. Did eating that way make my situation go away? No. I still had to do what I had to do. All it did was make me gain 50 pounds, and feel even more sad. You know this in your head. As hard as it is, work to stop this eating pattern before you end up where I did. Losing 50 pounds is hard. You know this. :hug:

Zumba: Please know we are all here for you. Never hesitate to share and vent. You are going through a lot of really hard stuff. You are so strong, and you'll get through all of this. I'm sure you'll feel physically better after your cleanse.

2FatCats: You really are an inspiration.

Heidi: You are right about the "33 pounds ago," but I am just so fixated on getting out of the 170s. I feel like I've been here forever!

Sum: I should avoid social situations! After grad season I swear I am hibernating for a month. (That will last till a friend calls to go out for drinks!). Maybe we both need to learn how to make better choices in social situations. I love going out, I just hate the choices I make.

Oh Zumba!!! I feel for you! This is a safe place to vent. We are here for you. I am so sorry what you are going through in life. I wish I was there IRL to give you a hug. -- This too shall pass. Life is questioning your strength and you will emerge out of this stronger. We will be here for every step of the way, to support you. :love:

Jennifer, I hear ya! My gf's are starting to pester me about going out and I think I will have to give in here shortly or I am starting to p1ss them off :) -- I think I will have a dinner out this week. I will carefully plan ahead what I will eat and since I have taken time off from alcohol until my weight loss is done, drinking won't be even an option.

My TOM arrived as I mentioned, and even though I did not gain anything before hand, I am losing right now. :woohoo: Scale rewarded me with 153.6 this am. I wonder if I can squeeze another pound out of this post TOM whoosh? I would meet my May weight loss goals then.

In May I have only lost 3 pounds, but it is better than going up. Like I said...maybe I will drop another pound this week and that would give me 1 pound loss per week. -- 28 weeks to goal??? That is not that far away!!

I am working out really, really hard. I am meeting my weight lifting goal for the month (12/12) and exceeded my walking goal (100 miles). I just added swimming into the rotation as well; shocking my body with new movement.

So plan today is to eat 1400 cal
Walk 5 miles
Swim 45 minutes
Rest Day from weights

CW 153.6
Down: 1.0

Sum: You are doing great! I think you should go out WTG your friends--I know you'll make good choices. (Especially if you abstain from alcohol--that's what usually gets me in trouble!).

I finally saw a 169.8 on the scale again! I'm going to work super hard and hopefully I will not be in the 160s for nearly as long as I was the 170s!

Thanks everyone for your kind words. I know that gaining weight is not going to help my situation. In fact, I already gained weight from being unhappy..and here I am. Problems still here......

I think breaking up with diversion guy added to an already stressful life so I have decided to stop dating for a while...maybe a year or so until I can get myself together mentally. Dating is great when you really dig the person you are with, it gives you a reason to get dressed up, you go to nice places and get attention..but when it falls apart it totally stinks. I grew very fond of him.

My attorney wrote a great letter to my husband's attorney. Its on like donkey kong.

Im so very tired, I"m cleansing and gave a good zumba class...except the room was very HOT..I think that tired me out more.

Have to go food shopping now....I would love to take a nap this afternoon but i don't think it is in the cards today...yawn ****

will write again later. I wish I had more to report about my weight but I really donl't. I'm to afraid to get on the scale, went to the cheesecake factory yesterday with a friend and had a big dinner and cheesecake...I felt so sick afterward and it wasn't worth it at all!

2fatCats WTG on remaining true to your goals!

sum thams so much for your encouragement! And re you, 3-4 pounds in a month is nothing to sneeze at. You are doing awesome, and your commitment to exercise is motivating!

jennifer awesome job getting into the 160s despite all the graduation goodies! I hear you re speed. Hopefully it won't take me as long to break through 150 as it did 155 (3 months!)

zumba good luck this week; you've got this, and we are here for you!

Me, nothing new. Need to get back to exercising. Will be making a few new vegan recipes this week, one that includes nutritional yeast; egads! I'm a little scared of that one...

I was going to skip my swim today, until I went through my closet. I have these white pants, in size 8 from WHBM, to die for(!!!!) and they fit what comes to my legs and butt, but I can not button them up (darn belly). Soooo off I go and swim my belly fat away (hey I could sit at home and eat nachos :lol3:) Yup I am motivated :D

Sum I saw beautiful WHBM pants in white yesterday. I wouldn't even try them on....money issues and butt issues. Oh my goodness they had a gold and white skirt..to die for! Good for you for swimming....you talk a lot about lifting, what exactly do you do in the gym? Just curious....

New leaf, I didn't know you were vegan.....that's so healthy.

I'm fasting..made beef stroganoff for the kids....they liked it. I tasted a little bit of it but refrained...freezing the leftovers! Got on the scale before, I'm not that much over my ticker .3 lbs...I thought it would be much worse...we shall see tomorrow morning how I weigh in...