[BfL_Cat]

Ledom - don't be depressed - be happy that you are as near to it as you are. Which means you don't have too much more to go before you'll be back into those clothes.

Forgiving yourself for your indiscretions while trying to keep them in mind so as never to go there again, is a tricky balance. Believe me, I know. But we have to do it, in order to keep our motivation up.

I know what you mean about gravity - but give your body some time to adjust and redistribute, things will look better.

What food plan are you following? You might want to consider implementing some of the principles of YOU: on a Diet into it - those being no high fructose corn syrup, very little sugar (natural sugars in fruit ok), no bleached/enriched flours, and very little saturated fat. I find that this way of eating, although difficult to get started on, keeps me satisfied throughout the day. Oh, and you can have 1 oz. of 70% cacao dark chocolate each day if you like!

Anyway, chin up - you are a superwoman and you'll be back to your last summer's self in no time!
Cindy

[chick_in_the_hat]

Hey! Today was xbike and front day.

sirak - I'm with you that teachers need to be appreciated more. They have such an influence and put in so much extra. I'm also with you in that if I attempted teaching it's possible there might not be survivors....patience with kids is not my strong suit.

cindy - what you said about the balance between forgiving yourself while learning from mistakes is so true! It is so crucial.

ledom - how bout we think of it this way? Where would we be if we hadn't been working so hard this last year? You'll get there, girl....keep on plugging along. This year you are armed with so many things you've learned since last year. Superwoman, INDEED!

Tomorrow is bike to work day - Dinner might be a bit of a challenge - a boss is coming in from out of town. At least we are going to a seafood restaurant. Thank goodness for grilled seafood.

[ledom]

Okay - I won't be depressed. But WHY did my scale stop! It is weird, I am eating less, moving more. I am way firmer - I know muscle weighs more, but that is also an overused thought. Well, as you say Cindy - it's about balance and also about just keeping on. There are more rewards than a sticky scale.

My food plan - I know I can get it better but it is pretty darn good. I am at about 1500 calories a day average and eating clean. I am noticing that carbs are a little on the high side proportionately so I need to play with that a little.

[sirak]

my fat just looks deflated

I understand that! DD2 thinks that is funny to play with my jiggly belly. My scale is still moving- four pounds this month ( I am begging for two more please to make 50), I was happy to see that my waist was no longer 40 something when I took some measurements.
I had three pregnancies, two c sections and three breastfed babies (one after 40). Gravity is a dirty word. My body will never be the same, but I am so glad that the baggage that brought me here is partially gone!
Muscle weighs more- yeah it's almost a cliché around here! How about the swelling and inflammation that might be going on due to your workouts ? We push ourselves and our muscles have to do repair work. Give it a day or so Superwoman!
Fresh Grilled Seafood- ummmm ! I cannot imagine driving a bike on the Freeway. I had friend in Elk Grove and whenever we went into Sac- I always remarked that it looked like the traffic in Dallas. I am happy to know at least one person is going something about it.
I haven't looked at Dr Oz. I do have a couple things Tivo's from PBS. My big sin is Vidalia Onion Dressing from Sam's and Tilapia Parmesan that I make about once a week. It's library day today- but I have my doubts they have anything so new. The little library here has an entire shelf of ATKINS books.
I am at the point where I am working on my spreadsheet for the first two weeks of workout. I don't always recognize the names of the exercises and lifts- so I am adding page numbers. Since I have very little equipment I have to sub resistance bands for some of the stuff.
I like the stuff about having the weekend for rest. I like the idea of doing cardio after weights. I think I have been over doing. I dropped a pound over the weekend that with just walking the dog and cruising around with the stroller. I hit my upper range on calories- I stayed healthy- just ate a bunch of food.
Some of the stuff in WBL is familiar territory and it only enforces what I have been doing all along. The workout stuff might be the big change as I have been working with some weights everyday on an all over workout. By giving the muscle groups a day to rest I might actually move a bit better.

[ledom]

Sign me up for some grilled seafood too. Being landlocked, whenever I make it to a coast that is all I want to eat!

So, workout today a bit of a bummer. About half way through I torqued my knee. I don't think it is anything really serious, but it got my attention and I decided that I couldn't finish all the squats and lunges on tap for the day. So this may be one thing to watch out for w/ this new workout. Lotso jumping, squating, leg stuff. And perhaps it is designed for people with only 20 lbs. to lose as Jillian states. I have been fine up to now and think I am still fine, just gotta give the knee a chance to rest. I left the gym sweaty but not completeing the workout. There were some other things I could have done but I just wan't feeling it. I know before the day is over I have to do something else though to make up for it.

Yesterday got quite a surprize. When I got to the gym I looked at the days workout and it was a rest day. On the last week you get two mid-week days off. One more workout to go and I will be finished w/ the 30 day exercise challenge. The diet continues 2 more days after that. I'll just have to evaluate my knee in the morning before I decide what to do.

So graduation tonight.

Got some really good news yesterday. I was invited to apply for a grant and an endowment for my photography program. Got the news yesterday that it had been accepted. Now I get to SHOP! For lots of cool computer equipment and set up for a new darkroom. It'll mean some work this summer but that is the kind of work I don't mind.

[BfL_Cat]

Happy Friday everyone! TGIF!

Wow, Ledom, congratulations on the grant! Sounds like you're doing a lot with digital equipment, is that correct? I was big into photography and developing my own stuff back in college, and now I LOVE being able to do it all on the computer. I do miss the quiet time in the darkroom though.

I was thinking you should be done with your 30-day program, and I was right! Sorry about the knee (good idea to let it rest), but congrats to you for hanging with this month of hard workouts! You will definitely be my motivation when I finally decide to try to do it! You're my idol!

So, in addition to photos, did you do measurments as a way to gauge your progress during this past month? Once it's officially complete, you'll have to share with us how you did.

I got some good news as well - my boss has agreed to let me post for a position outside of our group. It was 2 weeks ago today that he and I had a discussion about this that turned a bit nasty, and really had me down. However, now the potential new boss has agreed that I would continue my one big project the rest of this year, so he's ok with it. I have no idea if I have any competition for this job, but as I think I'm the most qualified, I'd like to think I don't!

Week 10 has been a bit of a bust for me - only 2 workouts this week due to scheduling conflicts, but I'm still going to move on to weeks 11 & 12. I did plenty of active work this week, and will do a ton of housework this weekend, so I'm ok with missing that which I did.

Other news - I'm going to Thailand and Singapore next month! I will most likely leave on June 1st, and be back June 15th, spending about a week in each place. I'll spend the weekend in Bangcok and Seoul, sighseeing, but during the week I'll be in our plants which are not in the big cities. I'll be traveling alone, which I'm a little nervous about, but I'm excited at the same time!

Clothes are fitting losely - I saw some photos of myself from a volunteer activity yesterday which were not very flattering, so I'm torn about feeling good about feeling good, and knowing what I really look like. But, I'm making progress and on my way back down, so I'll take my own advice and be happy for where I am!

You gals have a great weekend, if I don't talk to you again!
Cindy

[ledom]

Cindy - I only took one set of pictures and I chose the most brutal way to do it. I didn't realize at the time. I have a skirt that buttons and zips but is too small and I was taking pics of that. No measurements - will I never learn. But I think I will now before I start another round.

So, I lost 11 lbs., not bad, huh? This morning I wore a new workout shirt that was too tight when I bought it about a month ago. What Jillian says about sexy muscles as opposed to bulky muscles. True I think. Somehow my waist looks smaller, I look curvier, more hourglassy. Which she talks about in the book. Lot's of shoulder and ab work in this workout. Not to mention glutes. I worked out through a pretty severe upper respiratory infection with the help of Airborne. It's going around and brought some folks down but I never missed a workout. I am pleased.

I am going to enjoy a couple of free meals this weekend. I am going to have drinks next Friday night and then right back to it. Actually I'll start day 1 over again on Monday - diet might be a touch lax for abovementioned occasions but otherwise clean. My knee was fine today and I even managed to finish with 7 rockstar jumps, the one thing I had been subbing out on the tread. I have a new favorite exercise. Plank rows, when I read the description I thought never in a million years, but I was able to do them really well. Unbelievable in that planks were so difficult way back when I started w/ her workouts.

So have a good weekend everyone.

[chick_in_the_hat]

I finally got the book - now to buckle down and read it. I'm so psyched reading about the great results y'all are seeing.

Just for the record I don't actually ride the bicycle on the freeway - I ride on an overpass that looks down on it. I love to wave at the happy (NOT) people below sitting in the usual traffic jam.

I'm off to read - have a great weekend everyone!

[sirak]

Well Thank goodness Gina- I just had this picture of you pedaling along past the Ford-Towe with those people doing 75 miles an hour (well they usually are doing about 15 during rush hour).
Ledom,the grant sounds wonderful. What a cheerful way to end the school year- and then have all the goodies in the fall. I have been working on planks. I couldn't do them in the begining either.It's getting better along with the pushups. I worked through some of the exercises on week one- not doing full set just to see how it would go. I turned on her DVD in the background as it feels weird not to have the TV going.Ok- I'm weird and a piece of work.
Eleven pounds is great- and you got the muscles to boot !
Cindy- Glad to hear the "Big Nasty" worked itself out. I remember you being frustrated with it and now it's turned out for your favor. Be sure to check on the shot thing over there. My father traveled in SE Asia and he had to have some sort of shots( ok it was the 70's- it could have been for the plague or something).
DD21's BF has a job interview in another city in Texas with the little company he works for.They literally just got moved in together (and still has not really moved out of our house totally).There are some great things with all of that- I might get an exercise partner for the summer. She will be home more often.She has stuff she needs to finish here before she wants to move there and possibly try to get into UT. She likes her job as a commercial teller- but hates her branch.I joked early on that this would happen- but somewhere along the way I think she will be leaving my nest for good.It's hard to focus with all of that going on and flipping in a workout tape has really helped.
One more pound will make 50. I was at 182.0 this morning.It was a matter of ounces.

[ledom]

Cindy - your travels are so exotic. What an adventuress you are.

Sirak, I am the mother of a young 20 something DD too. I hear you on all accounts. I think this time is as tenuous as when they were much younger, but at the same time you are supposed to be letting go and allowing them to figure it out through experience. Scary business, I teach at the college level and I know this age group well.

By the way Sirak, your weight loss is amazing. What is your story, diet, length of time working at it, etc.?

[BfL_Cat]

Happy Monday all!

Week 11 today - OMG - the jumping squats and sumos killed me! By the time I was doing my jog sessions, I could hardly move my legs!! And, my triceps are killing me as well from all those bench dips. Jillian is a torturer!

The weekend of housework really tired me out, and I got up this morning feeling and looking tired. So, I was proud of myself that I still got up and went to the gym!

This should be it for the exotic travel - this is the last leg of this software project I'm on - normally I would not travel very much at all.

Sirak - I went to China last summer, so I've had all my shots - yes, you do still have to get them all. Good job on the nearly 50# - I was looking at some of your old posts and I am jealous at how quickly and consistently you have been able to lose. Some of us are on the "slow boat" when it comes to losing!

Gina - how's the reading going? I have the book and have started reading it, but just have not had much time to do so!

You gals have a good one!
Cindy

[sirak]

Day one week one-Lateral raises and the scissors are giving me trouble. I did pyramids on the ubwo- usings 4,5 and 10's on everthing except the tricep extensions and flys. It was too tough for tens. I think 45 is a magic number as I am tired after all of that. It is nice because I don't have to stop the DVD if I need to do something and DD2 put all my resistance bands on my belly when I was doing crunches. She then proclaimed me "the winner". I still have to review tomorrow as again- I need to learn the names and the correct form on some of the floor work. Oh yeah-ended up going "girl" on the last 15 on last set of push ups.
I sprained my knee in an "extreme" gardening incident (stop snickering Ledom) last June and we found a hernia right around my belly button a couple days after Christmas. I was around 231 pounds at the time. I could not see having surgery to repair it as I was so grossly overweight it would take forever to recover.
When we put my Dmil on a plane and I cleared out all of the junk in the fridge from DD21's birthday in January I decided to try to lose weight. DD21 had started the walking DVDs again before her birthday so I bought her a new DVD set, a scale and a pedometer. She never used them. But I ended up buying the same DVD set for myself, using the scale and never looking back. DH is out of town due to trade shows in Jan/Feb so it was easy to diet.My toddler eats noodles, fruit and PBJ. My teenage son eats everything and is in athletics. I have no gym membership-just my DVD player, Tivo, some DVDs, a set of resistance bands and my three sets of dumbbells. I do 1200 calories (and less). There are no free days-just an occasional 1/2 piece of cake or a single enchilada. April was my slowest month with 8 pounds.
I decided since I was a SAHM I could take thirty minutes to an hour to exercise every day. Some days I did more-but for the most part I did something every day and made it challenging.
That is why Jillian is so important. I need the challenge. My knee won't survive step aerobics or the pounding of distance running. I can stand in one place lifting set after set of weights and have sweat running down my face. She has all the right words that I understand and some of which I already practice. BFL guy was interesting-but the changes were a little much for me and I wish I had read the BFL for women instead. The diet is no issue as I eat pretty clean anyway (still looking at that). The workout is everything. I need the organization and the knowledge about what to work when in my workouts. As I said 45 is a magic number. I am not ready for those female weightlifting sites but at the same time need something other than the 20 somethings jumping around in their Madonna-like sports bras.
(Gwad I hope I did not offend anyone with that comment).

[BfL_Cat]

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Sirak - shoulders are tricky, ie your problem with lateral raises. I've been lifting for years, and still usually only use a 10# dumbell for shoulder work - they are so easy to injure! Better safe than sorry, I say! Biceps and triceps you can really go for in terms of weight though. I'm amazed you can do guy pushups already - I can't at all! Of course, I think being over 200# is a big part of it - once I'm lighter I'll be able to more easily lift my own body weight.
About your knee - you may want to ease into some of the lower body work she does - I actually hurt myself doing side lunges and couldn't do lower body work for nearly 3 weeks. No more side lunges for me - I sub backward lunges which are much easier on my knees.

Ledom, you know, your question to Sirak about her progress is timely for me - as I've been introduced to the world of moderating here, I've been exposed to a lot more of the forums than I have explored in the past. And one thing I've seen is that there are a *lot* of women who are able to lose 3+ pounds a week, consistently. The key seems to be calories - low calories, lower than I've ever gone.

Lower than I'm willing to go, although it has made me realize that I do need to lower my calories as I lose weight. If I've lost 20#, then I don't need the calories to support that missing 20#! So, I'm going to go back to my BFFM materials, and calculate the base requirements for multiple body weights, in 20# increments. This will help me figure out what number I should cut back as I accomplish more weight loss. I don't plan to go down to 1200 right now, but maybe if/when I weigh much less, that will make sense. I just can't deal with the hunger of doing such a thing right now. But, dropping from 1700 to 1500 now probably does make sense, now that I've lost some weight, and I'm thinking will help to keep my weight loss moving along nicely at my 1-2#/week pace.

Such a simple concept - I can't believe it took me years to realize it! I guess all that "fueling my body" for BFL's heavy lifting was a bit ingrained into me. Back in 2003-2004 I literally ate the same calories the entire time while I was going from 225 to 185# - no wonder I stalled out and couldn't lose any more weight!

Anyways, you gals have a good one today!
Cindy

[ledom]

Sirak - that is great. You are a woman with her mind made up - that is a good story for me to hear.

Though I was home most of last week, I am really through now, grades in and graduation behind me. I slept in both mornings and have had evening plans two nights in a row. Trying to get the house back to reasonable and still planting things in my yard because I have turned into an obsessive planter - someone make me stop!

Also working in my darkroom and getting my June 4-12 trip planned.

I haven't worked out since Sat. except for one yoga session. Must start back soon - hopefully today.

[chick_in_the_hat]

Ok - so far I've just skimmed thru the food section and started to look at the sweat section. Do y'all mean to tell me I have to make sacrifices to get what I want? I would have thought our Jillian would have found us a magic pill by now. *Humph*

I will try this - it just might take me a little while to get my brain ready for it. Today was cardio day - biked to work. Tomorrow is xbike and back day...I always love my back days.

ledom - you go, GARDEN GIRL! Gardening is a pretty good workout all on it's own.

cindy - it DOES all come down to those pesky little calories. I can work out like a fiend....but if I eat more than I burn....

sirak - you are one determined chick. !! Jillian does the same for me - I've learned a lot about working out from Winning by Losing - hopefully there will be more new stuff in Making the Cut. I checked out some of your blog and a couple weeks of Fitday - you need to get your calories up, girl....you need to set yourself up for long term success. Going too low on your calories will jack up your metabolism and make it hard to maintain your losses. I know going slower is harder to keep your motivation up as the losses are farther and fewer between....but it is so important. Check out the Mantainer forum for a better insight than I can give you.

Add natural peanut butter or nuts or avocados to your list of foods for good fats that pack in some calories. (I'm chuckling as I type this, not getting enuf calories has never been a problem for me...so I feel funny giving advice).