Thank you guys. I'm mostly better now, save for the occasional sniffle here and there.

Okay, now- to all the new people! Wow, it's great to see so many people joining in on this challenge!

Today I was completely shocked by my scales- They were BOTH trying to claim that I'm 153.5! I don't know what's up with these random sudden drops recently; I've been doing the same exact thing that I usually do.. But hey, I'm not complaining! I'm going to round up to 154 like I usually do and call it a two lb drop, but wow.. Now I'm afraid that I'm going to stall for a month or something of that sort. :b

6/10

I completed my 30 min walk today; it's actually getting easier!

down .6.

DC, congrats on the loss!

The X-files movie was great fun! I restrained myself on the foil hat, though, lol. Skating was last night. I got about 3 hours of dance skating in...the knee is holding up fine, but my poor toes have to toughen up again.

Layri, WTG on the 2 lb loss...wow! I really miss the big numbers, I confess, but with the weight lifting, I just cannot get them. Something must be happening, though, because my new smaller sized pants are getting looser.

Okay, gotta run to the Costco for groceries.

All right, all right...it's time to get my butt back in gear. I've changed my avatar to reflect my change ( up...yikes!) in weight. But...on the bright side. I'm still 31 lbs down and now I'm looking at this as a whole new challenge. I'm starting from 148. I think 139 would be a good number to shoot for, 9 lbs.

It was great to hear all the folks who made Canada Day goal and those, like me, who need to get back in the swing of things. Onward!!!!

so...running 3 times per week. Cutting back/out the refined sugar in my diet and getting back on Fitday and logging those foods:-).

I'm back from my vacation and I was able to keep on plan for the most part. Lost 2 pounds so down 4 for the challenge. So far I'm averaging 1 pound per week.

Labor Day Challenge=4/10.

Hey everyone
Welcome Sumu1. Blue. Blizzard and DC...and anyone else I missed
Layri-totally hear ya about the big drops, it's like you don't want to believe it incase it's just your scale fluking out on you, but you have worked SO hard and TOTALLY deserve the loss you've accomplished so I guarantee it is permanent
retiredone-Way to stay on plan during vacation. You deserve a medal for that.
Jammy-HAHAHAHAHAHA about the foil! Would have been hilarious if you did it, but I know my sis would have pretended she didn't know me so I see why you didn't do it in the end. Hilarious none the less. Doin awesome on your work-outs...that's AWESOME that your new 36's are LOOSE! You'll be into a 34 in no time!!!
FB-glad your horsebackriding was enjoyable even though your horse kept slipping and stopping to eat grass. Too bad you got bit, horse bites suck! But it is a nice time.

As for me, I stayed on plan for the whole week, so was expecting a loss during my weigh in...I went to the bathroom and TOM was here. So no loss, but no gain either, so my guess is once TOM is over there will be a loss. I will need some help staying on plan during TOM I think I will need to factor in some chocolate into my daily calories and fat intake LOL. See you later!

Sgirl, if you like dark chocolate, Dove makes some yummy sugar free chocolates, they come in a bag, and Walmart sells them, I think 2 dollars and something for a bag. I used to have one of those for a treat, but liked them a little too much, so quit buying them for the house. Extra dark chocolate is another good one for satisfying the chocolate craving without too many cals.

Sumu, welcome back!
Isabella, I'm so glad you got a vacation...you deserve it! WTG on the 2 lbs!


This past weekend was crap for food. No binges or anything, but just too many off-plan meals involving white carbs/too much sodium, and I can tell it from the scale and how I'm feeling. Back on plan today, though, and I'm going to work extra hard to stick with my workout plan and keep the eating spot-on. I really am so tired of seeing the middle 190s popping up on the scale. I still have far enough to go on my weight loss, that I feel I should be seeing better numbers, but I won't see them if I go off-plan!

Bah! Stuck again! I bounce around all OVER the place. Gah!
Jammy - WTF is up with strength training slowing weight loss? I know the muscle isn't displacing the fat that quickly, otherwise I'd be a ripped she-beast by now. Fat girls like me just don't put on 10 pounds of muscle a month. My guess is that steroid guys don't either.
I eat perfecto, I do my cardio, I follow my plan like a zealous zealot.
But, but, but I love strength training and won't quit just to see the stinking scale move.

Sgirl- for sure you'll see a loss once your cycle is through. That constantly happens to me. Another reason to hate it.

Hello all,
Just wanted to share I decided to feed myself some chocolate for TOM. Not sure if anyone has heard of Stratford, ON, but they have this chocolate store called Rheo Thompson which is the greatest chocolate store EVER, and super expensive...they have this mint smoothie thing...which is a 2 inch by 2 inch chocolate bar, and the greatest thing in the world, BUT it is 300 calories and like 20 grams of fat!!!! I bought one and decided to cut it into a few pieced and I am going to eat a small piece every day so I don't go over my calories. Just a little bit will help me get through TOM and it won't make me go OP. I also could have bought 10, I figure LOL. Hope everyone is doing well!

Sgirl, good for you. That's a great idea for treating yourself, while staying on plan!

FB, I'm with you...I must be getting super buff under all this fat, lol! Like you, I'm addicted to lifting, so I am not stopping. I really, really want some visible shoulder and hamstring muscles. When I get frustrated with the scale, I just try to remember that it's about reshaping my body, not just making it lighter on the scale.

I ran for the first time in a while. I've been running for a warmup, but yesterday was the first time in two months (?) that I've run for a workout. It felt good! The yoga turned out to be hard on my left knee, lots of holding in a lunge position. I did it, and it seemed okay at the time, but the next morning my knee was all messed up and left me limping for two days. I'm just going to skip the yoga and go back to some easy running.

hi jam,

i know about yoga being hard on the knees. there are modifications that can help you ease up on the knee, and still get a great stretch. yoga journal has a pose finder on their site, and you can view modifications there. im not sure how you're practicing (at home, in a studio) but there are beginner dvd's, and an instructor can show you how to avoid pain during and after.

Well, as soon as I signed up for this challenge, my body took a break! It took a week to lose one pound and ten days to lose the next. My goal had me losing over a pound per week! But, suddenly, I've lost three pounds in the last nine days. So, I've lost 4/12 for the goal. I'll have to average two pounds per week now, so making my goal isn't terribly likely, but I'll still shoot for it. I'm going to start a DVD workout, but that may actually hurt me as I pick up muscle. But, it so, it'll be a good change, right?

Ditto to that last post by LessEveryDay. I'm at a stand still this week. I'll probably not make goal by Labor Day...sigh...but I trudge on. Actually, I was on vacation and now I'm getting back to my schedule so maybe I'll see some results next week. So as before 4/10. I so wanted to change that today.

I'm with you guys, stuck in a loop around the same weight. I'm just keepin' on, though, because I know it has to work eventually, but I find myself looking for that one "right" thing I could do to kick out of what is starting to feel like a plateau. In reality, it's probably not a plateau, because if I take an honest look, my eating has not been perfect, and I've had interruptions to my workout schedule, like having to work out at home instead of making it to the Y, and I just can't get the same level of workout at home, especially with weight lifting. So, I'm recommitting to my workout schedule this coming week, with a major goal being to get back on track with making the trip to the Y to workout! I really want to do my best to produce some positive change, whether it shows up on the scale or inches, anything that shows I'm still headed the right direction!