Cattails thank you again :hug: I'm smiling :D and I am hoping for a totally OP day :)

Thanks Sum :)

Zumba hope you get a nap in today :hug: Enjoy your day :)

I am back down to one of my scales favorite numbers 162.2. I'm drinking a cup of coffee for the first time in awhile, pretty good. :)

I hope we all have Positive Thoughts and a Perfect (no slip up) ON POINT day ... this is really for me ... Rissa (my 10 yr old) just told me to put that on my internet thing that I go on everyday :D kids :)

Hi Friends :grouphug:

I have been really busy all week. Unfortunately not too busy to eat :) Well I have been pretty good, over all. My scale and I are not friends though. It likes to run up really fast, but comes down at snail's pace :D

I am visiting a very pregnant friend this morning. Then run a few errands and in the evening I have a fundraiser walk. Hoping to get in some steps.

The weather has been amazing. I hope that this long awful winter is behind us. :crossed: But it is Michigan, we may get an ice storm and a huge snow storm in April...lol

I swore I was not going to get any more clothing until I am at goal, but WHBM had a great sale going on and I broke down and ordered some items. They will be great for next winter. I got them on bottom prices. I can not pass up a pair of suede shoes for $19 plus 30% off....They were originally $130. I also bought a sweater dress... I told this to Zumba... I look like a sausage in it right now...but I am hoping to rock it next winter. And I bought a few other items. I love their 30% off sales on sales items.

I hope everyone is well, personals later!

SUM There is no doubt in my mind you will be rocking those clothes next winter...i haven't been clothes shopping in a long time...but plan on shopping in my own closet as soon as I get into a smaller size...cant' wait...summer here I come! :carrot: I have some major expenses coming up the next few months...patio furniture, property taxes on two houses, setting up my home office.....buyiing a new wardrobe is NOT on the agenda....:(

Love2b Congrats on getting back to that number :) you have been working so hard at this...so glad that it is working for you. I will never give up coffee no matter what kind of diet or new lifestyle i am on.....ive been drinking since i was a kid (don't ask, i come from a weird culture) . I gave it up during my pregnancies and as soon as that baby popped out i was asking for a cup of coffee....:dizzy: I don't understand why people give it up, if you have it in moderation it isn't bad for you...people at the gym talk about how they gave up coffee and they're so proud of themselves, then they go home and drink vodka....go figure...

Today I start day one of the BFC...it has worked for me twice before....i'm doing fast track which is seven days of low carb....but it is plenty of food.....in fact I'm feeling very satiated right now .....and i haven't had lunch yet. I Pray this works for me because I am at the end of my rope. I spoke to my new trainer today...she is amazing....all muscle...does competitions....i'm kind of afraid of her...LOL..but thats the kind of person I want training me....they know shortcuts and they know how to NOT waste time in the gym....:carrot: I have to set up an appt with her, i'm just trying to figure out this months finances.....speaking of which i had bette go pay some bills....:(

Goals
 

To weigh 15 pound less ( I think I've lost 5 already and I'm weighing in tomorrow so really I want yo lose another 10)

To work out at least 5 days a week.
To completely fill in my food journal and track measurements daily.

That should do it :)

So far this year 3 inches off my hips, 4 inches off my waist. Changing my weigh in day to Saturday so couple more days I will know my current weightloss.

Just a fly-by visit here- just wanted to say me eating is completely wrecked, but-

I've kept up with the running and
Didn't need a seatbelt extender in the plane, plus we went to Busch Gardens and had no trouble fitting the roller coasters!

Will catch up properly easter weekend when we are home...

Took a walk with friends....felt good to be walking..something so simple that we suburbanites just don't do...

Sum you aren't worried that you'll be too small for those clothes by next winter? You have your times lady (when you call your eating off plan) but I think when you really get things going (like you want) you are gonna take off for sure ... :)

Thanks Zumba Shopping in your own closet sounds like fun. I wish I could say that :) LOL I haven't given up coffee but when I drink it I either pee a lot or it upsets my stomach. I'm going to finish what I have and look into some lower acidic coffee like Cattails :) I love coffee and would definitely go to Starbucks or Caribou's daily if I could afford it ;)

Thistimeitsreal :welcome: to the thread and best of luck to you with your goals :)

Susan great NSV's :yay: ... have fun, see ya when you you get back to the thread ;)

good day today, hoping for another tomorrow :)

Hi all, quick drop by...

Few more days of work craziness. Plus my FIL will be stopping by over the weekend on his way west. DD has an Idol type competition at school this weekend. Also, on a sad note, one of the girls from the older DD's class (graduated last spring) and her current college died in a car accident, and the younger is good friends with her sister. So trying to help support both of them, and will have a funeral/memorial service to go to.

Food mostly good, except dinner out tonight. Dinner itself was OP, but they messed up my steak, and offered an appetizer or desert as well as comp'ed my meal. So, chocolate lava cake... I let DH eat most of it. Tomorrow will be OP, no idea about the rest of the weekend with FIL here. Will try to stay OP as much as I can since I had the cake.

Sum, I'm sure you'll look fab in that dress in no time! Still waiting on a picture of your new hair... ;)

Rennie, glad you had a good day today. What do you have planned for your birthday? :)

Yay, Abbi, that's some terrific progress!

Susan, kudos on staying with the running, and riding the coasters, whoo! Good fun.

Welcome, Thistimeitsreal, glad to have you with us! Feel free to log your meals here too if you like. (We're kinda nosy that way. LOL)

Zumba, your trainer sounds awesome - hope you like her regimen! I'm with you on the coffee - quitting coffee is nuts! :coffee:

Marlene, sorry to hear about the death, that's so sad especially when it's such a young person. Oh, my, lava cake - that's definitely on my bucket list, yum!

Been fighting off a bad mood lately, tried to banish it today by moving my bod. Seems to have helped some! Being outside enjoying the sunshine is a good mood-enhancer too.

B: oatmeal with dried apricots and almond butter
L: broccoli slaw with peanut dressing
D: green salad with shredded beef, grilled zucchini
S: half a banana, coffee with creamer, dark chocolate

E: walked 2 1/2 miles, did stepups for 10 minutes

TGIF all. :wave:

Marlene :hug: to all and my condolences to all :hug: My oldest son and I are doing a 5K in honor of a young man that was killed last year in a car accident. Such a hard thing for young people to go through. ... I am so happy that tax season is almost over, I miss seeing you and chatting with you :hug: I love the lava cake desserts. I always have to share it. I get it because I can taste it just looking at it on the menu :D but I'm usually too full to eat more than a few bites (greedy me);)

Thanks Cattails, I never have plans. I'm just gonna enjoy a Food Lion cake because I love their birthday cake and some ice cream. I have decided that I will only buy the small cake because once I cut it into 6 pieces it will be gone.:D So I'll have my 500 calories once and be done :) Cattails any particular reason for the bad mood? I hope it's better for you today :hug:

I am down .4 to 161.8. New low so my wish came true. Now to keep it going :crossed: My calories were low yesterday so I need to be good today. My daughter, her husband and his Mother want to take me out to eat tomorrow so I'm thinking I should just low carb/calorie today also. Thoughts/comments :)

Cat; My hair faded out really quick. It does not look bad, more strawberry blonde that a carrot top :) I'll have it done again in May, I will have my hairdresser to take a picture.

Rennie I am buying everything in size 4 or S right now. I hope I will get to be that small :)

It is a cleaning day for me. Yay, fun...LOL I had a really busy week, I was all over the place every day. I did not log my foods but I think I did pretty well, atleast the past few days. I am eating more during the day and skipping dinner. I think the big dinners were hindering my progress. Monday was a bad day; I ate through my sorrows. So silly to give someone that much power.

Weather has been amazing. And I really want to be outdoors.

Plan for today is to eat early;
B - hardboiled eggs (2), Greek yogurt
L - Pulled pork, coleslaw, side salad
S - apple w/pb, nuts
D - None

Exercise
3.3 mile pup walk 60 min
Step aerobics 60 min

Rennie You are almost at your 150's :hug: :woohoo:

Can tomorrow be your splurge day?

Sum I know you will be in a small/ 4 wow. I can't even imagine, YOU GO GIRL! :carrot: I just want to go buy a pair of size 10's LOL :) I can't even see myself in an 8 at this point. I wonder what size I'll be at goal? I really need to work on my stomach because I have a really saggy pouch. So ugly, BIG SIGH. Ok but you keep doing what you're doing I know you look good and will continue to do so :) ALL of YOU with these new dresses/outfits/clothes you have bought ... one day I'll be able to also :) :crossed:

Thanks Sum :hug: yeah almost, I don't want to get excited and blow it but oh my would't it be great :D. I may just do a complete splurge tomorrow get it all out of the way and have Sunday to re-group and get it all together, then be ready for the number on the scale Monday. I am gonna be so nervous on Monday morning. Isn't that just plain silly? Why does it matter so much to me?? Am I over obsessing? :dizzy: It's almost like I'm afraid to eat this weekend :(

Sum what do you put in your cole slaw? I have some shreds I bought to make it but it seems the dressing has so many carbs. I do have 0 carb 0 sugar mayonnaise though.

Thistimeitsreal Welcome to the challenge! Nice to have you here. Looking forward to getting to know you.

Rennie I am a bad girl with the close slaw, I use the store bought stuff, but I mind my portion :)

Sum, I've heard that red is the hardest color to create and keep true. My mom has been a redhead for so long now that I think her roots are permanently affected! You're going to be in those 4's soon, I know it. :)

Rennie, grats on the new low!! Wow, you are amazing. :D Don't worry about the saggy stuff, skin takes longer to pull in. Keep on keeping on and your skin will catch up. The Food Lion cake sounds wonderful and very smart to get the small cake! If you can do a controlled splurge, then by all means go nuts. I eat out myself several times a week and try to get dishes with lots of veggies and fill up on those, but it's really easy to eat over a 1000 calories in a restaurant dish, isn't it? I always bring home at least half or 2/3rds of my order, though - and usually give it away to my kids once home. Either way, enjoy yourself!

Thanks for asking, Rennie; my mood is okay at the moment. It might be hormonal, who knows? I'm doing what I can to keep the dark cloud at bay. Keep the mind busy, keep the body busy (and NOT with food! Haha..).

Aaaah! We've all had horrid gastro. All four kids, including the baby and then DH and I inevitably succumbed. It was short and sharp but I definitely became dehydrated, think I'll weigh myself now (after breakfast and about a million glasses of water) and make that my weight for the week. I am still losing though, I can see it!

Rennie :congrat:

I posted here before without realizing it was a challenge thread so
I guess I need to come up with a May 14 goal.... That's about a month away so let's go with a goal weight of 192. That might be a tad aggressive since my weight loss is likely to slow with me having 3 holidays between now and then but we'll see. My birthday is right after we dance like chickens....41.....I feel a little nauseous.

Sum, I have two Aunts that make their own Cole Slaw so I just don't like the one in the store. It's always too soupy. My cousin makes hers with raspberry vinaigrette dressing instead of mayo. So so good :drool: My family loves it when I make it that way also, I like the mayo way though :)

Thanks Cattails :) I picked up the book 8 minutes in the morning to a flat belly by Jorge Cruise. I figure it can't hurt and it's 8 minutes, what would be my reason not to do it. NADA!! :) I get a to go tray when I have a big entrée so that I can separate it in the beginning. One of the kids will usually ask for it before I can place it on the table ;) Glad you're smiling today :hug:

Chubby Mum hope everyone has fully recovered. :hug:

LOL Shannon 41 isn't bad and you look great :hug: I'll be 48 on Monday :) And loving this age. I think I look pretty good also ;) I'm rooting for you with all that you have going on in May. That's a lot at one time. At least all of mine were only once a month until October but hopefully by then I'll be at goal, or very close :crossed: We have a birthday in here every month from Dec to April. Then nothing until Oct when my husband and sons birthdays are a day apart. My husband likes carrot cake so no problem there. But my son usually wants a homemade banana pudding ... so much sugar :) I've gotten better I only eat a cup and I am good. I don't like it when the bananas turn black, yuck :) Oh I made the beans but haven't ate a serving. I did taste then, thank you. I'm also gonna try that salsa, with sour cream and I forgot the other ingredient. That sounds good also. I will let you know :)

Well calories are low again today, carbs are slightly higher than yesterday and I still need about 16oz of water so I should be good.

Welcome Shannonsnail!! It may be a "challenge" thread originally, but we like to chat as well :)

I have had 3 OP days straight! It is a start, right? Scale and I are becoming friends again ;)

I walked and did step aerobics yesterday. According to MFP I burned 1112 cals. I don't believe it, though. But regardless it was a good exercise and eating day.

So My new thing is skipping dinner. I frontload the calories earlier on the day; have a huge lunch. It seems to be working. I am getting into the mindset of not snacking at night. -- Now I am forced to eat bfast. It is hard but the eggs seem to go down easy. This morning I will cook an omelet with lots of veggies and some turkey and cheddar cheese.

I will also hit the gym for some weights, walk the pup for 4.2 miles (now that the snow is gone we increased the length by a mile) and perhaps swim for 45 min.

Another gorgeous day shaping up, 70F today. Yeah, baby!! I could get used to this!!

I am setting a mini goal to get down to 140.x by next Friday's weigh in; gulp. I hope I can drop 2+ pounds in one week. But if I stay OP and keep exercising, I should be able to do it! :crossed:

ETA: I adjusted my ticket to reflect my true weight. I need to drop 7+ pounds in one month to meet my goal :( That seems so unattainable right now, but let's see how close I can get...

Plan for the day
Meals;
B - omelet w/veggies, turkey and cheese. Salsa.
L - Pulled pork, coleslaw, salad
D - None
S - TBD

Exercise;
4.2 mile pup walk 65 min
Weight lifting 45 min
Swimming 45 min

Weight 142.6 :goodscale

Gorgeous day today,,,but i'll be indoors trying to tidy up the house and put things in order, I think i need to do that to just have my head in the right place and then focus on my weight.

Went to dinner and dancing with a friend last night, tried to order healthy.....it wasn't easy....

today i'm having a problem with my legs and feet, they are swollen....one foot is especially bad. Not sure what it could be.

sum I like your plan of skipping dinner....

Had to take our dog to the vet for his annual checkup this morning.....cha ching! Later today I've got to get groceries. This is probably the first time in, well it's the first time ever, that I ate all the produce and my fridge is empty! Usually on trash day I empty out the fridge to get rid of all the produce I didn't eat. Times are changing!

Rennie, that 8 minutes sounds great! Did I really say "controlled splurge?" Isn't that a paradox? I meant, if you can splurge and then go back to normal again - sometimes that's a slippery slope! But you are so dedicated and strong. :cheer:

Chubby, hope you and yours are on the mend!

Shannon, welcome to the challenge/chat! Forty-one, ah, you're a young one. :D I'm 46 and happy to be this age. And isn't it wonderful to have to replace the veggies because they've been eaten, not because they've gone rotten. LOL

Hi Zumba! Sorry to hear about the swelling, hope that resolves.

Sum, sounds like you're getting things lined up nicely! It seems like it makes sense to eat heavier in the midday when your energy output is highest and lighter in the evening when you're getting ready to rest. I've got my fingers crossed for your minigoal and goal as well. :crossed:

I spent yesterday taking care of chicks and turtles, today I need to do some taking care of ME (exercise). Time to get to it! Happy Saturday, all. :wave:

Finally below 150 this morning!! I was so busy yesterday cleaning my house that i didn't overeat...and the swelling is down on my foot this morning thank goodness.....

Plan today is the same as yesterday...continuing my organizing and eat low carb, two meals....

maybe there is light at the end of this tunnel (getting my chicken suit ready)

Cattails yes, it is a nice feeling! I always felt so guilty before. I know age is a state of mind but I'm having a hard time with 41. 40 sounded nicer, lol!

Rennie lets us know how the book goes. I'm pretty sure I owned it and didn't use it (along with many others like it) a long time ago. I'm terrible with follow through!

That's good news Zumba!

I had a very off plan dinner last night but am ready to be back on track, esp after seeing the effect on my blood sugar. Fortunately I don't think it threw my weight loss off by much. i am feeling tired today though. We went out to run an errand yesterday and it turned into an all afternoon/evening event. My daughter got to bed two hours later than usual so I went to bed later...tired!

Hope everyone has a nice Sunday! :)

Zumba glad the swelling has gone down and yay for organization ... it does bring peace in all areas starting with a clean/tidy house, makes me feel good too :)

Shannon, eating all the veggies in the fridge, I have yet to do that. I'll buy it and then just don't feel like cooking it. And then one day I want to cook everything :) and then there's too much for me and I don't have time to eat it all so the cycle continues :D I'm just bad. I will surely let you know how things go with that book :) LOL Shannon, I was talking to my husband about 48 and still having TOM visit and then my SIL called and said child I will be 50 next month and it's time to make some changes for the better and thought huh 48 isn't so bad ;)

Sum good for you on skipping dinner :) I think I'm gonna need to fast for two days :)

Cattails, it may be a paradox but it truly makes sense to me and I understood. I think the entire journey has controlled splurges to be honest. So what a great way to put it/name it :D

I had fajitas from Lime Fresh Mexican for lunch yesterday and a side order of fries with ketchup and a slice of (kid's meal) cheese pizza from Chili's for dinner. I didn't think it was too too bad but I was up 1.6 this morning. I think it is more sodium and TOM than anything so I am trying to keep the smile on my face. I don't think that I will be seeing anything below 160 or 160 tomorrow but I did come close. SO I'll have to get there by the end of this challenge. When is that again Cattails?

Oh and a great NSV for me. I had to get new jeans, I only bought 3 pair. They are a size 10. I don't know that last time I have worn a 10. I was shocked, but my size 12 slacks (from 2010 when I loss weight) that I wear to church were/are looking really frumpy so now I have to work on a couple pairs of slacks, and some new tops. Previous size 16's.

Rennie, that's a terrific NSV!! Honestly now, how many times have you checked the tags since you brought them home? :D For sure, yesterday's food had a lot of sodium, you'll see that water off quickly. Dance Like A Chicken Day is May 14th, a whole month to go - you've got this! Zumba, glad to hear you're dusting off the costume! LOL Nice that the scale's being friendly!

Shannon, hope your day is restful!

We had a wicked storm last night and lost power for 24 hrs. So much tree damage.

I had a great OP weekend :woohoo: Scale and I are becoming friends again :hug: I hope I can continue my clean eating and exercise regimen for the week and see that 140 (or below) by Friday.

Tomorrow is my fast day.

Getting back on plan. Now. Not happy with my appearance, not happy with my weight creep. We are going to Hawaii in August (!!) so I am using this as motivation... Anyway, :wave:

Hey, but I did get my hair cut; I'm really happy with it! And, I still haven't had candy since early January. So those are both good things!

NEWLEAF Hawaii is a great motivation!!!! You are always on point..you can do this...

SUM Not having power is not fun...we went without it for a week last year after hurricane sandy....that alone would make me reach for some snacks..

Love2b Mazel on the size 10 jeans!!!!! :hug:

Shannonsnail Good for you for finishing all the produce...i never do that.....although I'm getting better...

I spent the past two days in the house organizing...feel more on point now....still alot to do...but I have time this week to get things done.

I didn't have to cook for kids this weekend so it was just me..ate huge breakfasts and then smaller meals the rest of the day...i think that is a good strategy for me for now. Keeping carbs super low...curious to see what scale says tomorrow.

Cattails, I don't know how many times I've looked at the size. I just kind of hold them up and say wow. :)

Sum, do you have a specific number that you'd like to be by Friday? I hope the tree didn't damage your home or vehicles. :hug: I'm so happy for you and your soon to be friend scale ;) YAY for you two :hug:

Heidi Hawaii ... great motivation :) Nice cut, and great job on still no candy :high:

Thanks Zumba :hug: good job on the low carbs, I need to get back to that after this weekends eats, whew ... crazy :)

Went to my daughters this evening for a cookout. We had a good time. I ate a plain hotdog, some chips and dip (not that much) and then they surprised me with cake (with a big "48" on it) and some ice cream. Ladies I finished my ice cream and my stomach started churning like you would not believe. I had the worse upset stomach and literally just made it to the bathroom, my stomach was so messed up. I don't know whether it was all of the stuff that I have eaten in the last two days or what but my goodness. If this was a warning not to do this again I sure heard it loud and clear. I barely made it home.

Heidi, I love the cut - it looks great on you! Wow on the candy, that is a real accomplishment.

Zumba, nice on getting organized; it's amazing how much clearer your head is when the literal clutter is sorted out. NOT my strong point by any means!

Aw, Rennie, sorry to hear that your stomach troubled you, even though it might help stay on point. I have that curse/blessing: I truly cannot eat junk without it making me feel terrible. Hope you feel all recovered in time to enjoy your birthday - have a great day! :woo:

:wave: to all.

NEWLEAF..super cute cut....love it

LOVE2B thats nutty about the ice cream cake, definitely something in there your body was saying a great big NO to...sometimes when we eat healthy and then we go back to sugar we can feel sickly..I know that has happened to me.....

CATTAILS Yes, being organized helps my head alot. My ex was a clutter bug and it used to drive me crazy...I felt so bogged down my him and HIS junk....now tha t I have my own home I want to keep it tidy....and uncluttered mind means I can focus more on my weight loss..or atleast I like to think so.

Too many calories yesterday...1389 , I thnk that made me gain point 8 of a lb despite the fact that my net carbs were way low.

Took a long walk yesterday.

Today i have three zumba classes. Have to go back to the accountant and get an extension on my son's taxes (thanks to the ex withholding information from me) but will make sure to make time to get to the store today and buy healthy food to get me through a BFC week.

Zumba chaos in the house affects me greatly; however, with a messy DH who works from home and 3.5 yr old who is like a mess on wheels, it is hard to keep it how I like it. I always feel better though when I organize or clean.

Happy birthday Rennie I hope 48 is GREAT!

Today is my weekly weigh day and I have officially lost 12 lbs and entered Onederland! Yay! I hope I have a one way ticket, lol!

Happy birthday Rennie! I would post million cute emoticons but I am posting from my phone because we at are without power.
Enjoy your day!

My day was excellent. I ate OP and took the hardest class ever.
Today I am fasting, from bfast to bfast. I had an interesting bfast because we have no power.

Today is our second day without any power, days are fine. It is warm outside and light, but evenings sucks. I go to bed early. We live on a lake, so I carry buckets of water to flush the toilets... Lol... Good exercise. We don't have water because we have a well and the pump needs power. So I will be showering at the gym. A good excuse to go and workout.

Sorry about all typos, posting from my phone.