Hang in there, Zumba!

Didnt eat today until dinner.....had Chinese food to celebrate sons bday.

Wanted to check in quickly before bed. 126.0 this am. Yeah! And calories today was 1250 or so. Yesterday was way high, but big meal was at lunch & we worked on the car. Then I went into town to get my nails done & then church, so it was late when I got home for dinner, no 30ds. Today, worked late, which means dinner late too. No exercise today either. Have to get some in tomorrow.

Today is weigh day. In spite of regular running/ walking/ exercise, I haven't had much to show for my efforts lately. I've read in several places that a new exercise, running especially, can make you retain water at first, but theoretically even if this is true, there has to be an upper limit to that and any fat that I'm burning should begin to show up on the scale, right?

I had three goals going into this challenge

1) eat healthy and not too much
2) get regular exercise (walkies, c25k, dumbbells)
3) get to metric onederland.

I'm more than a little disappointed with that third one (I've only lost 3lbs since the beginning of Feb!), especially since I really felt I'd done okay with the first two! :cry:

Susan, are your clothes fitting any better? The first two goals are awesome and will get you to the third in time. I think vigorous cardio tones a body up pretty well - I found doing C25K had a serious impact on my back fat as well as overall. Keep it up, you're doing great. :)

weighed in at 149.4 this morning.......atleast i'm out of the 150s. That is such a scary number for me. Had another horrible night with the puppy finally took her into my room since she was keeping the kids up all night with her howling and crying. I have an easy zumba class today so I hope to get in some 21 day fix. I haven't really been doing it since the traumatic events last weekend so I am dropping out of that challenge. surprise surprise, there is never a challenge that i succeed at. Sorry to be such a debbie downer but life is really kicking my butt lately and i truly wonder if i'll ever have the time and energy I need to reach my goals.

Zumba - my DH wants a puppy but your posts make me feel better about saying no. At least till the night feeds with the baby stop. I can't deal with 4 kids and a dog.

Susan - if you keep running "properly" the weight will shift (as long as you're eating well of course). By "properly" I mean getting hot and sweaty and short of breath. Intervals and/or hills are brilliant for weight loss. I once saw an ad for sportswear depicting a pretty woman in running gear. There were "before" and "after" shots - the before picture showed her looking attractive and relaxed and in the after she was red faced, messy haired and sweating. The caption said "Run Yourself Ugly". I know that it's a bit pathetic gleaning inspiration from a sportswear ad but, for me, running only works if I come back looking hideous (lol).

Zumba - puppies are so cute that you tend to forget how much work they are. At least that's how it always was with me (so far, we've had three).

Been tired and busy and with the crummy weather last week I didn't get out as much as I should have. Other than shoveling snow, but when I do that I tend to eat way too much because I feel so physically wiped out, so no weight loss. I played with my son outside on Saturday - tag and he rode his scooter while I helped him along - and ran last night. I also managed to do some strangth training on Sunday while watching Amazing Race, until my 3 year old and one of my dogs started hovering. I didn't want to clock anyone with a dumbell.

Will hasn't been hitting as much in daycare. He wanted to start going earlier, so he can have breakfast there with the other kids. In particular, a girl named Chloe. She is quite the sweetheart.

Down to 174.8 this morning. If I really bust my butt I should be able to reach 173 by next Monday. So close to not having an obese BMI . . . .

Today was a reminder to be thankful and happy for all I have and that life is precious. 3 yrs ago one of the nurses I worked with son was in a fatal car accident where he crashed into an icy river. He couldn't swim and died. One of my former coworkers notified me that her daughter died this morning. Cancer apparently. So all you upset about the scale, jobs, kids etc. Our days could be infinitely worse. This woman has lost both of her children below the age of 30.
Meditate, enjoy your strength of your bodies give you and enjoy the movement they produce. Feed your body as well as your soul with positive food and thoughts. Welcome the breath you breathe. Laugh and hug your kids. Even if they have pinkeye like my oldest.

Zumba sorry about your day on the 9th :hug: You asked and Jesus has the wheel. :) My remedy for the howling and barking at night was a night light and being able to see the kids ... she was happy and she stopped then I moved her as she got older. Give it a shot. :) Good job on the 140's :yay: The challenge is almost over, I haven't done well either and the 170's scare me so I know how you feel with seeing the 150's :hug: but coming here and typing it out does make you (me) feel better, I hope you stick around :)

Carma YES GO YOU :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: Carma well said my friend, my condolences to your co-worker, God bless :hug:

Sum sorry about TOM and the bloat :hug: I hope to lose two pounds this week with clean eating and some exercise :) What is DOMS? :)

Marlene sorry about the late hours :hug: Almost at your low, good jon :high:

Susan good job on meeting your first two goals :high: and I am sure your efforts will pay off, just don't give up. Maybe take some time off from weighing for a bit, idk. Also like Cattails asked are your clothes fitting any looser? Tell tell signs of your efforts :) I have gained and lost the same 2-3 pounds this month. I don't think there will be any victory for me this go around :(

Cattails :wave:

LOL Chubby mum I agree with that with any type of workout :) I see woman coming to the gym all made up and hair done and think really. :)

Betty that's cute about your son :) good job on the weigh in :) Where are you in Maryland? I'm/we're from the DMV area. The weather has been crazy up there. My kids say they wish they still lived up north :)


As I said above I haven't done well at all during this challenge but like Carma said just be happy because it could be worse so I am happy with what I've done thus far and I look forward to what's ahead

Wow, I just spent a lot of time catching up and I haven't even been off 3FC for that long! Good to hear from all of you, through the ups and downs. It really makes me feel like I am not alone. I will try to check in more often, since I really feel too overwhelmed to make individual comments after all of that.
Personally I am up in weight about a pound but that's really no big deal. DH is out of town for a few days and I will be good by eating salads and serious portion control while he is gone. Exercise has been on program all along, so that is certainly not my issue. I love Chubby Mum's comment about "run yourself ugly". I really don't put enough effort into my running work outs. I need to change them up.
It is probably not going to be cold here where I live in Cali for much longer. We are moving into 1 layer weather, I would really like to feel comfortable wearing fitted T-shirts and jeans so I need to get rid of the muffin top and the bat wings. I dont want another summer of being over dressed and feeling self conscious. Seriously, last summer sucked. But there's no magic, so I need to work hard and stay committed. Hoping for a 2 pound loss this week.

Hi everyone....this puppy is beyond exhausting. She cries and screams whenever I am not in her site. She whines until i pick her up. and no matter where I put her crate at night or what I do she won't stop howling and crying....Chihuahuas are notorious for being difficult breeds to train and they weren't kidding. I have heard puppy stories before but this is truly something else. She is adorable and I love her but I have anxiety when i leave the house because i know she's in her gated area crying. Then i have anxiety when i'm home because she is on me like velcro. I tried taking a shower yesterday and had her in the bathroom and she kept screaming and climbing up on the shower doors.....Atleast human babies sleep in between feedings and in a bassinet or crib. Good Lord give me strength. Im starting to think that maybe she needs a different kind of family...one that could give her more time and patience. And less of an anxiety ridden fur mommy.

Lawyer gave me instructions on what to do if my husband pulls this stunt again, looks like i'll be back in court to revise the custody stipulation.....more anxiety.

Needless to say I haven't been eating or working out more than I have to this past week. I eat one meal a day and it could be anything . Not the best way to lose weight, but I have lost my appetite and that doesn't happen often.....so Im not in a rush to force myself to eat.

CARMA thank you for that reminder. I have a good friend battling cancer, so I totally understand how much i have to be grateful for..and something happening to one of my kids is unfathomable to me. Nothing is more important than our loved ones and our health.

BETTYBOOTY that is fantastic news about Will........so cute that he wants to go to school early to hang out with "Chloe"...

CHUBBYMOM have your DH come here for 24 hours to see what I go through with this puppy and he'll change his mind quickly....LOL

MAGICSUSAN I don't know what to tell you about not having lost weight, but my students complain to me about this all the time. I have no answers except that maybe you will see the fruit of your efforts soon....you'll see inches lost if noting on the scale. Maybe you need to take in less calories. I understand your frustration :?:

Well everyone hang in there.

Hi all, another long day/late night. I did come home from the office for dinner at a reasonable time & we went for a walk, but I worked for 2.5 hours after that. Was a good day for eating too as far as calories, 1250 or so again. Tomorrow (or really today when i get up) is a work from home day, so hopefully I'll get lots done!

Hope everyone is ok.

Zumba, what about the old clock wrapped up in an old tshirt trick for the puppy?

Just checking in really quick. I'm kinda running low at the moment, had a sad weekend of deciding it was time to put my old tattercoat kitty Matilda to sleep. Ultimately it was the best decision but it still sucks big time. Other than eating a bit more chocolate than I ought to, I've been maintaining my intake well enough.

Guess it's really spring here: two of my box turtles emerged from hibernation yesterday. It's always a relief to see them come up after months underground - and they are very hungry!

Just five days left of the challenge; let's make the most of it, take care of ourselves and be thankful for what we have, as Carma noted. Who's going to start the next challenge?

I ran to walmart yesterday to buy an "old fashioned clock"....not sure if its not loud enough or what but it didn't work.....she could care less....:(

Good morning...puppy woke me up extra early. My weight is the same as yesterday......hoping to have some kind of woosh before our challenge deadline on Monday. Not sure if I'm going to participate in another challenge..the last few haven't gone well for me, in fact, I have gained weight.

I have to go into manhattan today to take care of some "business" and I hate it....its a long trip if you're going in for something that isn't fun......good news is I have no choice but to get some walking in....and i won't be eating much either....so lets hope that helps me see a little bit of a drop.....the weather is finally making a turn so I"ll be starting to walk again hopefully. Also this is the first spring in my new house and I can already tell I have lots of yard work to do as the snow melts..!! that means calorie burning old fashioned yard work and i'm sort of excited about it :)

better get moving, have to get two kids off to school and then catch at 7:46am train!! Have a good day everyone..

cattails: sorry about your cat :(

Cattails sorry to hear about your Kitty :hug:

I ate OP yesterday and over all believe I had a great day. No complaints. :) I was rewarded this morning with a 1.6 water drop so I'm happy about that also.

Have a great day everyone :hug:*

Cat, I am very sorry about your kitty cat! :hug:

TOM is kicking my butt this month. I used to have extremely painful period and then it got better. Last night was sheer **** with cramps. Last month was painless, but my period went on for 11/12 days, this month is painful; I am hoping for a short one.

I have not weigh-in for a few days, I am sure I am sky high with bloat.

We got 8 inches of snow and it is still coming down. I would have a board meeting tonight; on a good day it takes me an hour to get to FCA, and today is not a good day, so it would take me hours; I will skip. They won't be happy with me, but I am not risking my life.

Cat, would you like to start the next challenge? -- I don't think I accomplished anything during this challenge. I am happy to "break even" what comes to my weight. I must get my act together; eating OP and exercise going.

I am actually pretty happy at this weight (did I just say that??). I have a full closet of clothing that fit me and I look good in them. The 25 pounds I lost this year made a huge difference. People keep telling me that I should not lose any more weight. But I still want to drop 15 more pounds, but I don't think I am in a great hurry. I could enjoy life a bit and shoot for 1/2 pound loss per week. I think that would be a great compromise. And now each pound makes even a bigger difference :) The bloated look has left me, I have pretty nice hourglass shape shaping up/going on. #feelingpositive

Besides my horrid TOM, I feel very positive towards life. :)

Cat, I am so Sorry about your kitty.:( I lost my dog in November and I am still very emotional about it.
It is supposed to go up to 80 degrees on Sunday!!! I am not ready!! Maybe it will inspire me to keep at it, I can NOT appear in summer clothes yet.
Zumba, I am sure your busy day will be good to you. Stick with it! Lord knows I've been at this for years but I still have hope.
Sum, TOM is so hard to get through! I always feel so yucky and ready to give up but there is usually a whoosh after it so hang in there!
Hi to everyone else, I am behind schedule, gotta go!

Sum sorry about TOM :hug: but loving the positivity I'm hearing in your post :high: I'll be glad when I can say that I am pretty happy at this weight :). I am not curvy at all. So more loss will hopefully help with that :D Glad you are deciding to stay home today instead of venturing out in the snow.

Apple Blossom sorry to hear about your doggie :hug:

Two of my females cousins commented on my weight loss yesterday and were kind of thrown back when I said I needed to lose 34lbs more. I told them I want be 132. None of them will tell their weight, cracks me up since I weigh more than all of them. Another cousin came and said when he pulled up he thought I was my daughter because I was so slim (haven't heard that word ever) I smiled but his eyes are going bad or it was because he had parked so far back in the yard. My daughter is 120lbs and wears an extra small :) I am much wider than her but the compliment was nice ;)

Cat-tails: sorry to hear about the city.

Zumba: I know you see the day as a giant pain however I can't help thinking it sounds exciting. It's been years since I have been into New York. Sorry to hear that the puppy is causing you to lose sleep.

Love: it's nice getting the your so skinny compliments. They are one of the things that keep me going.

Apple blossom: totally hear you on the muffin top.

Bettybooty: glad your son's biting is better.

Sum: glad to hear your at a happy place weight wise.

Marlene: hope things are easing up.

Hi to anyone I missed.

CARMA...yes NYC is an amazing place...I'm always in awe of it. Maybe because I grew up in one of the boroughs and Manhattan was always a jump step away I take it for granted. The train ride is long, its dirty, and when you aren't going in for a "good" of "happy" thing then its a real pain in the rear.....there's so much of it that the tourists DON"T see. I was so happy to get home today and see my kids and my pup you have no idea...LOL....

SUM how wonderful that you are enjoying the weight loss...you worked hard for it and you deserve it..ENJOY IT....so you want to lose more, okay,,,,:p But don't forget to stop and smell the roses along the way .....My friend that has cancer told me the other day that "it all went so fast"..and I'm like "What did?" and she said "LIFE"....We need to celebrate everything...all the big things, all the little things...so celebrate the weight you lost..celebrate the clothes that you can fit into again...I'm a big fan of the hour glass shape myself :D so celebrate that also. :bravo:

APPLE BLOSSOM; 80 degrees? Wow, what is that like? I still have patches of snow in my yard...well warmer weather gets us more active...:) Enjoy the sunshine...:flow2:

Amen to what you said to sum.

Ha, I knew better than to prompt another challenge! Okay, I've got something in mind; I'll put up a new challenge in a few days. And let's not have talk about not accomplishing anything here - just staying in the game is an accomplishment, and every gain or loss is a learning experience.

I appreciate the sympathies; it is such a hard thing to outlive those you love. The flip side is animals like turtles - I have verbally bequeathed my turtles to a couple of sons since more than likely, they will outlive me (the turtles and the sons). Anyway, we will miss Matilda; she was a sweet beautiful girl.

Ah, Zumba, a new puppy, what fun! The adjustment is always rough, but soon she'll settle in and be comfortable - I hope! My DH always caves and lets our pups sleep in our bed, and so every night I have to tell 65 lb. Po to move his big butt out of my spot! The good thing is that he warms it up for me.

Sum, sounds like you are in a very good place and yay for that! You've made great strides in building a stronger, healthier you and that is wonderful. That goes for you, too, Rennie - those compliments are well deserved!

And good news here: this morning my middle DS asked me to help him do SB! He could stand to drop about 25 pounds, so I'm trying to show him how to do it in a healthy manner. I'm so glad he's willing to make some changes now before he runs into trouble.

:wave: to everyone and hope your week is a good one.

Ahhh Cattails, a "bed warmer"..how nice! Thats great news about DS wanting to do SB....with your guidance i'm sure he'll do fine....youngins have a better metabolism than we do....and SB is a healthy program.

Not sure why but my body is stuck at this number. Im not going to whine about it, it is what it is.

Today I hope to burn calories by catching up on housework. The puppy has consumed all my energy and time so things here are a wreck...I am teaching an easy class today (sleep deprived instructor is no fun) and then hopefully hit up one of my DVD workouts....I really miss the resistance training DVDs.

Kids are going back to their Dad today which makes me sad, I feel like they just got here thanks to him not following the schedule. I guess that will give me some more time to get a bit organized around here and focus on "stuff"...:) Maybe shed a few lbs before our challenge is over on Monday :)

I hope everyone has a nice day...

I have not stepped on that scale in three days, which is a miracle for me :D I think I will wait until the 17th before I do a weigh in; let my hormones settle down a bit. TOM is really causing havoc in my life this month.

We received about a foot of snow and as usual, I my car can not make it up the driveway. I will scrape the driveway well today and hope that the sun will melt the snow off. So I am stuck at home.

My house could use some love and attention. I may scrub the toilets and kitchen today; burn some calories.

Cat looking forward to the new challenge :)

Carma yes it is nice to hear :)

Nice comment to Sum, Zumba :hug:

... it appears that is the wake up call for so many of us SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE ... we never appreciate what we have until someone else puts it all into perspective for us and it's so easy to say it to someone else and not apply it to ourselves. I have been through some major challenges including divorce and having no place live but I continued to smile through it all. Many people around me that saw me often never even knew. It's easier to complain here because no one knows you and most of the people I've come in contact with do have a heart and are open to help. I do complain ... it gets it off my chest and out of my mind. I've learned over the years that holding in things that bother ME will only hinder ME and the ones I love. I am no help to them if I'm miserable but once it's out I pray, breathe and move on :) We all have our trials and I have learned also to never say never. When I tell my story, people have told me I need to write a book, just as a few of us probably could, I'm sure ;) but they are lessons learned ... thanks for listening.

Thanks Cattails :), so true --> just staying in the game is an accomplishment, and every gain or loss is a learning experience. Good to hear about your son :) My son said he wanted to lose some weight after church last night. He has said that before but this time I think he may be considering it (though he came home today and ate a huge bowl of oatmeal with sugar, milk and butter, smh) He weighs about 240 he wants to get down to 180. I'd love to help him for sure ... I'm just waiting for my cue ;)

Sum good for you on staying away from the scale, I can't do it, I've tried. I have actually gotten better over the years because I use to weigh multiple times a day. Sorry about TOM. :hug: It's crazy to me how TOM has changed at this age. You never know what to expect (at least I don't)

Well I am happy to report this is day three of eating OP and I am back to my March 3rd low of 164.8. Now the victory will come if I am 163 in the morning of my won't I be happy. Sending myself some :dust: to stay OP ... last night I almost caved to some hot buttered biscuits. Instead I ate a s/f jello, cashews and a small apple. Pat on the back :D

I'm down a pound this week but there's no way I can lose two more in three days to meet my challenge goal of six pounds. I really do lose at a rate of one pound a week and no faster. This was the same as after my previous pregnancies. I suppose I could step it up and cut out my daily dark chocolate and generally calorie count but that's not how I eat at maintenance and I need to eat and exercise like this forever.

My body is a bit weird ATM - I can see my muscle tone re emerging but it's like the fat is sort of hanging off my tummy. Gross. After 4 kids I do expect some laxity but hopefully in 17 pounds' time things will have improved.

Lol the weird body, ChubbyMum. Mine is reorganising itsself and the bottom line is, nothing fits. It's not just a matter of the right or wrong size, my body is just a random assortment of sizes like Frankenfatty. Places where I've lost weight, gained muscle, places where it's stayed the same...

Cattails, so sorry about the kitty. We've had to say goodbye to two of ours, and we still miss and talk about them often, though it's been 6+ years. :hug:

Everybody else, is it spring where you are? I have daffodils! In early March! In SWITZERLAND?! I keep telling myself, "don't enjoy global warming, don't enjoy global warming..." :devil:

Take care. I'm borderline incoherent at the moment because I just got back from w2d3 of my c25k and I'm :whoo: pooped. Trying not to get too bummed about the relative lack of loss; I just keep reminding myself that I totally suceeded on this challenge in my commitment to do the c25k and keep lifing dumbells 2xweek, so there's that. :p

:) Chubby mum I have the fat hanging off my tummy also. I was told by one of my doctors that it's just loose skin only surgery will help. It has gone done a bit and it's well hidden in my clothes but with them off not so good. It's all worth it though :)

Susan we had 5 days of spring like temps 70's and then yesterday was in the low 30's high 45. Today will be the same. I haven't checked the weather yet but there is ice on the car so it's probably colder than yesterday morning. Enjoy spring :)
:congrat: on sticking to plan and making your goals of C25K and lifting, Great job! :)

Down another .4 to 164.4. Hope to keep this up

MAGICSUSAN you made me laugh out loud when i read the word Frankenfatty....I think that is what i'm going to call myself from now on....:dizzy:

CHUBBYMUM: Congratulations on losing that one lb....every lb counts!! I remember losing weight after my babies. it wasn't easy but i did it both times and had no problem with skin going back..it just takes time...the only thing that was destroyed was my boobs.....:o

LOVE2b I hear people tell me the same, that my story is incredible and I am so strong. I don't look at myself that way.....I just tried to do the right thing when faced with adversity. I've gone through such hard things and came out standing, yet I can't lose ten freeking pounds...crazy stuff....

Back up to 150. I laugh at this point. I had lunch with a friend today that lost a lot of weight.....she used to be my student and she was a bit on the chubby side, she now looks incredible. She wasn't on any formal type of diet, she just cut portions and ate healthy..she also started doing boot camp type classes....I don't know why it just clicks for some people and for others its just so hard.....we discussed the fact that my stress hormones were probably through the roof through divorce so maybe my body is just "stuck".....who knows.....tired of talking about it. Just taking a break from all of it for a while.....

Zumba remember our conversation (last year I think) ... we will always stand tall :hug: I am with you on losing 10lbs. My girlfriend started after me and has done wonderfully she is 41lbs down. I so want to be her, she looks great. I hear you on the break, that takes will also because I know if I take a break I'll be 30lbs heavier in no time. NO DISCIPLINE HERE, smh.

I made the oopsie bread. It doesn't taste bad, it looks exactly like the pictures but it's a little airy in the middle, reminds me of meringue. I'd like for it to be a tad bit firmer. Don't know if I'll try it with a burger or not. Also I followed the recipe and my mixture made 11 pieces. I count two as a serving which is 7 calories higher than the person that made the recipe on yourlighterside.

what is oopsie bread??? is it low carb? what kind of flour do you use...? and YES I remember our conversation...its meant a lot to me.....:)

Well my BF is not around tonight so I am going to meet some girlfriends at cheesecake factory but I WILL NOT be eating anything that isn't on their light menu.. or their small plates menu.....I'm going out more just to socialize than any other reason......

Zumba I love Cheesecake Factory :drool: their salmon, and asparagus meal is delicious :drool:

The oopsie bread is from yourlighterside.com it's made with 3 eggs, cream cheese and cream of tartar, very low carb. I ate a piece with my taco meat and cheese tonight much better if it has something on it I found :)

I went over my calories today big time. So not expecting a good number tomorrow. When will I ever learn, smh

Good night

interesting...all my years of atkins i never heard of making bread out of cream cheese and eggs....Do you make muffins in a minute? I found those to hit the spot when i was desperate for something "bready"

Im not weighing in today.....I know the scale will probably have a gain and I can't handle that mentally right now. I'm going to keep uber busy today and not think about food.

Its supposed to be a nice day so maybe i'll take a walk.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!!