I think I probably need this b/c I am losing steam.

OK, I want to get to 173 by March 17th.
I want to run 3 times per week.
I want to do strenght training exercises at least one day per week.

BettyBooty Welcome, nice to have you on board! :)

Zumba sorry that your body is being a bugger! It is probably just water weight from the weekend. -- Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I am glad you found this new man and he is being good to you!! You deserve it. Where was the dinner at?

Rennie Awesome!!! You are rocking this!

Marlene Sorry about your work load. April 15th can not get here soon enough.

Shay Yay on your vacation.

IonMoon, Sumu1 Welcome!

Apple Blossom You can do it!

Sorry if I missed anyone!!

The scale sure hasn't moved a lot but I fit into a really cute pair of pants today that I couldn't fit into when I bought them. I always buy clothes that I can wear now but for some reason I was distracted when I bought these & grabbed the wrong size when I decided to get a different color than what I tried on. That made me feel really good. Considering I had nothing to wear all the stuff from vacation is in the laundry. :D

I forgot to take my leggings & running pants when I went on vacation so we made a quick stop at a little mall. They didn't have anything like a sports shop so I stopped by New York & Company & bought a pair of their basic leggings. The best work out pants ever! I have all kinds of work out/running clothes that I paid a lot more for & these are the best! Thought I would share if anyone is looking for anything.

Have an good day everyone, I am heading to a meeting.

Cattails & Sum, thanks! Yes, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, I have one big project that is giving me fits, tax returns flooding in now, and a new big project coming in next Thursday that is going to be hot, so hopefully I can get this other project done. I'm off Friday-Sunday on our ranch trip and can't work while there, so...

today went well as far as food, got a walk in as well, and my water. Total calories aprox 1300 for the day. weight was steady - 125.5

Tomorrow starts the challenge, its my birthday, so who knows what anyone will show up with in the office, then I'm going out for drinks/dinner with my business partners. Then we spend the weekend at the ranch, and I don't know what we'll have there to eat, but hopefully will also get lots of exercise. I'll let you all know late Sunday how it went, but I expect to be up some.

Marlene, happy birthday!! :hb: And have a terrific weekend, it sounds awesome. :D

Sum, good going on managing your vacay and grats on your promotion! I think it's really cool how you stay connected with the Finnish community.

Shay, great NSV!

Welcome, BettyBoop! Your plan sounds really good.

I spent part of today pruning my orchard - oh geez, I'm paying now for neglecting it before, there's so much to do! Poor trees... This is going to take a while. :rollpin:

Finally a snow day. It is cold out there and windy. I'm keeping warm at Starbucks. In a while I will venture out and explore the Vail village.
According to the house scale I am at a new low,am really happy about that.
138.5. I am not jumping up and down with joy yet because the scale could be way off. At least the trend is down. I was 141a few days ago. Once I get home and if I am truly down I will jump with joy :-)
I have cooked each night except one, and even then I only had a salad with dressing on a side.
I brought three pairs of size ten jeans with me and they are too big on me. I even washed a pair in hot water and dried forever hoping they would shrink.... Lol. They got a bit tighter. .

We are staying in a hotel tonight. Maybe I will get a treadmill walk in.

Dinner will be out but I will get another salad.

It has been a nice vacation.

My bday celebration continued today when A friend took me out to dinner....I had eggplant rollatini...it was great but I feel guilty now. I chalked today up to another failure.

I won't be getting on scale tmrw....

I was down 2 lbs this week, but I've only had a chance to run once, so tonight and tomorrow are it. I am going to try out a different dumbell/kettlebell routine before sundown Sunday, too.

Happy birthday, Marlene!

No weigh in for me today, stayed at a hotel. We went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, I had tilapia and black beans with rice and some chips. Nothing to drink as usual. I'm sure that weight is up a bit. I will weigh myself tomorrow morning.

If I'm truly 138.5 I will keep my goal of 135 for the challenge, it should be doable. Once I get home and back to my grueling work outs I should be back on losing weight.

Today we are skiing at Breckenridge, well the boys are, I will bumm around the town. Later I will find a Starbucks and read my book.

I had a NSV before the vacation. I have two pairs of snow pants. The large ones were too big and I fit in to the size small ones :-) And as the vacation goes on they fit better and better. I like the small ones better anyways, the ski outfit is mint green and makes my eyes pop out.

Hello all....my stay action is almost over....I enjoyed the time spent with friends...and the break from cooking and schedules. I did not losebweight this past week and Im not going to beat myself up over it anymore....it was a birthday celebration....making good choices from here on out,

Good going, Zumba. There's nothing wrong with enjoying life and everything right with it! I say if you want something, eat it and own it, and move on.

Sum, awesome NSV! Glad you're enjoying your vacation.

BettyBooty, nice loss for the week!

I think I need to take an exercise break for a day or few; I'm starting to feel broken. It's hard though, I really like to push myself and feel strong, but this bod can only take so much. Stupid arthritis...

B: yogurt/kefir with flaxseed, half a banana
L: salad with beans and chicken fajita meat, a few crumbled chips on top
D: chicken and broccoli stirfry
S: jicama, skinny cow ice cream sandwich, coffee with creamer, dark chocolate
E: 1 hr. walking, 1 hr. iron yoga

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!

Cattails....listen to your body....if you're in pain give yourself a break.

Sum- Mexican food! Not something I get much of over here either. Do you not ski, or are you just fed up with it today?

Betty Booty, this is a bit off topic, but I'm just wondering if you (and others) found you initially gained a bit when you began running? I haven't been eating more than usual, have been exercising more than usual, but not losing... I read somewhere that starting a running program can make your body retain water, initially...

Zumba, I really second what Cattails said; don't feel guilty, enjoy the heck out of your birthday meal and then move on! Good luck getting back on track :)

Cattails, I know how you feel. The worst thing is my kids with perfectly healthy bodies who don't want to use them for anything but sitting in front of a computer :rolleyes:

I'm starting c25k and walking, plus still doing the dumbells about twice a week to try and tame these over proportional bingo-wings. *sigh*

Home sweet home.

Tomorrow will tell how I did during my vacation. I hope to have stayed the same, no gain :crossed: I did eat more than intended....

The drive home was uneventful, I drove the graveyard shift. I enjoyed the peace and quiet and no traffic. Even passing though Chicago was a breeze.

DD stayed home alone and house is sort of a mess. The rest of the day will be spent cleaning up and doing laundry. Back to reality.

Tomorrow I will resume my exercise regime.

Hi all...well the last two days i've had pretty bad ovarian pain....I feel extremely bloated and achey. Last night I was home bored, alone and in pain and i binged. This made me feel even worse. I won't get on the scale, it will be too scary a number and will probably send me over the edge emotionally. I am more determined than ever to lose this weight once and for bloody all.
My kids are back tonight, i have missed them so much. Tomorrow they go back to school and we all get back to "the grind". This means I am getting up early, making meals and running around. Although it is exhausting at times, it is a good thing for me to get back to routine. No more weekends away or nights out to dinner. Although I enjoyed my week long celebration it truly put my weight at a bad place...even my fat pants are barely fitting. When i think about how my job is to help others reach their fitness goals I feel like such a loser.
I'm starting the 21 day fix but not following the diet exactly because I think it borders on the ridiculous. You're supposed to fill up these little containers with food...how stupid. I would rather just follow the belly fat cure plan which always works for me.

BREAKFAST: coffee
LUNCH: shake ology shake
DINNER: salad made with kale, lettuce, cabbage, cheddar cheese and oil and vinegar. Three grilled chicken tenderloins.
Small square 80 percent chocolate.

SUM. Welcome home. You were really mindful of what you ate when you were away, so I'm sure you did well weight wise. Im really proud of all you have accomplished since the new year. I wish I could say the same.......

MaGICSUSAN: my friend is working with dumbbells and really made huge improvements in her arms. sometimes that is all it takes.....keep up the good work...

CATTAILS: I am always so amazed at your food logs....you allow yourself treats and still maintain that skinny body....way to go....you found what works and you aren't depriving yourself.

MARLENE: have a happy bday

Hi everyone!

I was up a pound on my Friday weigh in but I'd lost nearly 3 the week before which is a lot for me, so if I'm back down to ticker weight this week I'll be happy. We've got guests which is always a mixed blessing - I've been able to get out for a nice long run while the babies sleep but there's more food organisation etc. in general I cook out of necessity but I certainly don't love it.

Hope everyone has a nice Monday!

Mondays are a mixed blessing because the week is usually busy. Sorry you're struggling, Zumba. :hug: find those evil binge triggers and re-wire them!

chubbymum, happy running! I've just started-slowly- till I see how my joints and tendons take it, lol.

Have a good Monday, everyone!

MagicSusan, awesome about starting C25K - I did that last year and it was amazing. Keep us updated on your progress.

Welcome home, Sum! I'm sure your scale is happy to see you too. ;)

Chubby Mom, sounds like things are going well, nice work.

Aw, Zumba, there's nothing like pain to derail your best intentions; hope that has diminished by now. :hug: Routines are good, I'm sure you'll find it easier to keep on track now that things can get back to 'normal.'

And you're right, of course; I have to listen to my body about when to stop as well as when to move. I've gone for walks the past two days and given my body a break from yoga and strength training. As for treats, it's important to me to not be deprived, so I've always figured in something or another on a daily basis, and I always eat food that I love - just not tons of it, except for vegetables, which I sometimes overeat. :o

Hope everyone has a terrific week. :wave:

B: yogurt and kefir with flaxseed, dried figs
S: banana, teaspoon of peanut butter
L: salad with beans and pumpkin seeds
D: pasta sauce over green beans
S: plain popcorn, coffee with creamer, 1 oz. dark chocolate

all time high on the scale this morning...151.2....ouch! Hurt me just to look at that on the scale. Still feeling some pain, just not as badly. If it continues i'll have another doctors appt to make. Im hoping that i can get that number down soon because it really is disconcerting. I feel like such a loser. I get in front of my classes today and they're probably all thinking about how fat i'm getting. This just makes me more self conscious and upset about it.

Eating way clean today and trying to up the water consumption. Teaching three classes so I can't say i won't be getting my workout in at least. Kids are back to school today.

Well, I ran Friday but not Saturday and had a few glasses of wine at a friend's house and some dessert (and didn'tdrink enough water) and am up a bit today.

But, yesterday and Friday I ran for an extra half mile, so that was good.

Magicsusan- you asked if I found that I gained a bit when I started running. I personally did not this time around, and I do not recall if I did back when I really started (before baby no. 1). This time around I started running the same week I got strict with calorie counting, so that might be one reason I did not gain.

Well, no damage from my trip; I actually lost two pounds in 10 days.-- All those home cooked meals paid off. We only eat out a few times and I was being mindful. Our friend cooked steaks one day, and that was my highest calorie meal of the trip.

I was so tired that I slept late. I never sleep in. I missed an appointment this morning; unusual for me.

My poor husband had to be up at 4:30 and drive to Cleveland :( I was being a bad wife, and I did not even send him off :no:

I am enjoying my morning tea and then I need to go to the gym; back to the grind. My 138 pounds is motivating me; all those size 6 clothes are only a few pounds away :) Funny though, I feel fatter than ever. :dunno: All clothes are fitting looser but some how my head is not understanding/seeing that I am getting smaller. All I see are the fat lumps I have. Did this happen to anyone else whilst losing weight?

I entertained an idea a while back that I could be happy at 135 pounds, today I see that I won't. I have a feeling that 125 pounds won't make me happy either. -- I remember being 117 pounds and quite happy with my looks. So I have 20 more pounds to lose, ugh. I have a really small frame. At 172 pounds I looked huge; people probably thought that I was 200 pounds.

So I guess I will be part of 3FC's for awhile :) -- I could not imagine doing this without you ladies. The support is amazing! :grouphug: -- So even when/if (:crossed:) hit maint. I won't go anywhere. I think keeping the weight off will be more work than losing it.

Well off to start my day. Back to logging and exercising!

SUM Maybe it is going to take you a while for your mind to catch up with your body...or maybe you just need to feel "firmer" or more toned before you feel smaller...but you are smaller and when you start trying on smaller clothes and they fit well it will hit you. I think torturing yourself to get down to 117 may not be a good thing for you but what do i know, i'm the one that is gaining weight in this challenge. I just want you to celebrate your accomplishment instead of still feeling dissatisfied.

I also have a small frame so that i don't carry extra weight well, at all....some people can......

i notice now that i have more weight on me i also have heartburn....when does it end?

Took a fall on the driveway and had a hard time getting up...if i weren't in such good shape i would probably be calling an ambulance right now....if an older heavier person took that same fall it would not have been pretty sight....

I hope everyone is having a good day..

Zumba I was there where you are about a year ago and then something snapped in me on March 28th and I got my act together (for the most part; ups and downs all the way). -- I was really fat at that point, nearing 170 pounds. I remember the first day (March 28th) when I went for a walk and I was patting my belly; I looked (and felt) 7 months preggo. I remember thinking that gotta start sometime (and now I am 30 pounds lighter).... You will find your mojo, the time may not be right yet. You have a lot on your plate. Your divorce is fresh, new house and you are trying to find your spot in this world, in so many other levels. Be kind to yourself. Be forgiving. Harsher you are to yourself, more you will fail. -- Both of us are emotional eaters. -- I remember feeling so fat and sad and eating because it did not matter anyways; what's a few more pounds on my horrid body already was my mindset. -- Once I starting being gentle with myself and forgiving (in many levels), I started losing weight.

BettyBooty Congrats on your extra half a mile. Running is the best exercise!

Cattails It is good to surprise your body with different exercises.
How's your mom doing?

Magicsusan Happy Monday to you too!!

Chubby mum A very nice drop a week before! I hear you about the guests!

Wonder where are Heidi and Marlene?

I wish I was there to hug you!

I'm back! This past weekend was my ranch trip, and we knew they didn't have good cell or much Internet service, so I just told everyone I wasn't going to be connected. When we got back on Sunday afternoon, I decided to just not get on then either, because it was nice to have a break.

The ranch we visited also runs a "fitness ranch" at the same facility, so there were healthy options at every meal. I choose some of them, but had a few treats as well. I'm sure we burned a lot of calories, riding, roping, and helping out. I weighed 123.5 the day we left, and 126.0 this am. Some of that was likely the kids hamburger & fries meal I had for lunch on the way home Sunday. I haven't had either of those in such a long time, but it smelled good. Interestingly, it didn't taste as good as it smelled, so I'm not worried about getting back into that habit.

So back to my regular routine this week. I'm interested in seeing if I will get back down to the 123.5, that's the lowest I've been. Like to firm up the belly area more.

What a fun get-a-way, Marlene! And congrats seeing a new low! You go girl!

I had my physical for my volunteer position; they had to give me a flu shot (my very first ever) and take some blood for a TB test. The blood part was a disaster. They finally succeeded after 3 tries and I am such a baby what comes to bloodwork. I started feeling fainty. I did not enjoy that part of my volunteer process!

I kinda pigged out last night, I OD'ed on coleslaw and turkey sticks :o Strange binge, I know, but that is what I had at the house....Surprisingly my weight stayed the same, makes me wonder if I had not binged, I would have had whoosh?? -- I never made it to the gym :no: I MUST drag my butt over there today and get back into working out. I was so addicted to my workouts before my Colorado trip, and now I feel more lax about them...gotta get back!

I did not log my food either :mad:

So today's goal is to get back on track what comes to logging my food and exercising. Otherwise it could be a slippery slope.... I have come way too far to fail now.

I miss Mrs. S! I hope she would pop in with her witty updates.

Hi everybody...I lost a lb of bloat from yesterday so I feel a bit better, I felt so bloated and uncomfortable the past few days. I'm starting the 21 day fix workouts tomorrow i hope i stick to them. I never follow through with what I start.

I have an eye appt today and then thankfully nowhere to run to tonight so I can stay home....and cook a healthy meal for dinner. I have a new asparagus recipe.....

Sum, I think not being able to see yourself objectively is the norm! For me, there were lots of times (and even still now) that I could only see fat. What I do then is look at my clothes sizes - so much smaller! - and reread some of my previous entries in my journal to remind myself of where I started and how far I've come. You've made great progress and your mind will catch up!

And speaking of weight goals, I wanted to say that I picked mine of 128 arbitrarily - it seemed like an attainable number, though one that I hadn't seen in 20 years so I really didn't know if I could ever reach it. But my real goal was to eat and live in a comfortable and sustainable way and let my weight settle out where it would, which for now looks like 116 - who knew? Anyway, I hope you can be as proud of yourself for what you've done as we all are of you and just keep being good to yourself! That goes for everyone here on 3FCs. :)

Thanks for asking about my mom. She is doing okay, relatively speaking. She's over the flu and pneumonia but has some digestive upset that's making it hard for her to maintain or gain weight (and she needs to!) and now has a case of shingles just to add to the fun! Good thing she's such an upbeat lady.

Zumba, hope the 21 day fix keeps helping you feel good!

Marlene, your ranch trip sounds awesome!

And guess what? My wonderful DH rebuilt my pretty purple bike so I can ride again! Yay! My poor seat bones are taking a bruising though. LOL I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike...(Queen)

Hello, all. It seems that I can never be on plan all around. I've been rocking it at the gym and rehab! I did 65 minutes of treadmill yesterday, 66 minutes of elliptical today, plus arm cycling machine. However, my eating hasn't been good. It's more the kinds of things I'm eating then the amount - but the scale is at an all time high of 168. I can't stand it! I don't know where my mojo has gone in the healthy eating department, but I know from experience that exercise alone won't cut it. The good news is that my leg is getting better each day, and I am really pushing myself to recovery.

Good luck, everyone!

[B]Magicsusan [B] I started running 2 months after my 4th was born and for FIVE WEEKS there was no real change in the scale. I definitely wasn't overheating and am breastfeeding so I should have been losing weight. Suddenly it started coming off and I've been averaging about a pound a week since.

Hi, all,

The ranch trip was fun. I enjoyed learning how to rope so much that I bought my own rope on the way home. Also stood up on a horse... The ranch owner tried to sell me a horse too, but my husband said he'll just take me back & drop me off for a few days the next time I need a horse fix.

This cm was 125.5, so that's good. Food today mostly good, had Mexican (beef fajita meat with salad) for dinner tonight, so expect to be up a little tomorrow.

HOpe everyone is doing ok.

Debating taking up running. I hold back because every time I add exercise weightloss stops.

Cattails: now i have that song in my head...LOL

Well today is my first day of 21 day fix. I am fasting today. Just my shake today...i need a major cleanse after the horrible binge i had last night. it showed up immediately on the scale, crazy how you can gain two lbs but not have had two pounds of food. I am not going to be posting my ticker because it shows that i have a gain and that just isn't good for my head right now.

Going to a new dentist this morning...my old dentist was my husband. Crazy how life turns out...

We were supposed to have snow this morning, i don't see it..but it is very cold and cloudy..it definitely looks like its going to snow. Older son is home sick today :( and I' know he's feeling pretty badly because he never takes off from school......

Exciting thing today is that someone is coming to measure my closet for custom work...woo hoo...finally a place to hang my clothes....and shelves for my shoes and handbags....maybe having my nice clothes out of boxes will be even more incentive to try and fit into them again!!

Day one of 21 Fix....today's workout is a cardio killer.....no zumba today so this works out well....I plan on doing some upper body work too with my dumbbells.

I am feeling blue today. My 3 year old is getting a reputation as a hitter at his daycare learning center. I'm debating taking him to a child shrink to see if he has anger issues like I do, becuase telling him not to do it and punishing him (going to bed right after dinner, no toys, etc) doesn't seem to be doing any good. I had my breakfast, but am craving a big ol candy bar to cover these bad feelings. But, I know I'd just hate myself later for caving in. BAH!

Bettybooty....my so was doing that at preschool but he was frustrated bc he couldn't speak like the other kids...he was speech impaired. Putting him in Montessori school helped...it allowed him to play independently how he wanted and when he wanted. I think he just grew out of it...I'm sorry you feel bad.

Okay so I got through this day low carb and i intend on staying that way....(fingers crossed I get through the rest of this day) I have decided to go back on Atkins since i'm having such a hard time sticking to anything......

Breakfast: coffee
Lunch: garden salad, olive oil and vinegar
Dinner: filet mignon with red wine sauce and mushrooms, baked asparagus.

i want to be 148 by the end of this weekend.