Hey ladies just dropping in to say Hi!! :wave:

Fb- Congrats!! :broc: How does it feel to be at goal!! Wow you truly are inspiring!! :)

:grouphug: to everyone else!! There are just too many posts!! :)

I have to admit that I wasnt as good as I could have been this weekend either. My BFF turned 30 and we had a party for her and I had one too many margaritas!! It was good at the time but I am up 3lbs. Ughh!! Oh well hard work and clean eating will get those pounds off this week. I am not going to make it to the Y today, we are snowed in AGAIN!!!! I am soooooo sick of snow right now. But I am going to do a DVD once the little guy takes a nap!!

Okay enough of my novel!! Have a great Monday ladies!! :)

Morning, ladies. :coffee:

Well, this month did not start out stellar for me. Missed my workout last night. I went to the message board for the crossfit I joined, to see if I could pick a workout off there, and got hijacked to some freaking adware site that was (unsuccessfully) trying to download crap to my computer. My antivirus stopped the downloads, but it took me almost 10 minutes to figure out how to get off the freaking adware page (it had a million pop-ups that kept me from closing my browser), then I wasted close to two more hours scanning my computer just to be sure nothing got in. I will never, ever understand that sh..tuff! Do they think somebody is going to buy from their advertisers after they virus their way onto your home computer? :dizzy: Anyway, it pissed me off double since it ate up my workout slot, and by the end I was just mad and tired and went to bed. This morning my weight was up, which is pretty typical if I miss a workout, but it still annoyed me to see 180s land again.

Today's workout will be pruning (all shoulders, all the time) at my sister's house. That will be good, because hacking limbs off things will let me work off some of this pissy mood, lol! Probably should do an easy run this evening when I get home, just to balance things out a bit.

I shopped at Costco yesterday, to restock the main happy food items, so I'm good to go for POP eating this week. I'm actually interested to hear what the CF peeps have to say about nutrition. Maybe they will have some helpful insight into tweaking my diet. I've been feeling weak/tired in my workouts, and I don't know if it's from not taking rest days or not enough cals or both. My cals were low, which I didn't realize, so I'm upping those, but maybe I'm missing something obvious that would help give me a boost for my workouts. My fat percentage is low, so maybe that's the missing ingredient, maybe up the fat, drop the carbs a little more, add another portion of protein. That's what I'm thinking would do it, but I'll be glad to have a fresh perspective.

I'm seriously considering ditching the hot tea with sugar routine. I've enjoyed it, pretty much lived on the stuff most of my life, but lately, I suspect it's the main thing holding me back from getting lean. This whole year since starting this journey, I thought I couldn't live without it (but then, I thought that about the cokes/sodas, too, before I quit them), like it would be sacrificing too much to go caffeine/sugar free, but now I really want that lean body, and I think I want it more than I want the same old, same old. I could just drink water and get my go-juice from protein and fats, I think. I want to be a freaking weight lifting machine!

Okay, enough about me, sorry...just had to get that straightened out in my head, and out in the world.

Shauna, WTG on the weight loss for the month! :hot:

Guiri, I apologize. I didn't look at your numbers. A pound would seem a lot bigger deal when you're that close to goal, so I get it! Still, I agree with FB, and she said it better than I could. I usually think of it as plain old pig-headed stubbornness, myself. ;)

Isabella, you're steady as they come, so I know you'll get past these last few pounds. :hug:

Nicki, that's a huge number for the week! :carrot:

Grits, good luck with the bike week! :dizzy:

Hattie, :wave:!

FB, thanks for the pep talk. :hug: I'm sure you're right! Thankfully, I'll be busy today, so won't have much chance to dwell on it. BFF!

Hi everyone:wave:

I was quoting FB and HER words of wisdom in my last post. I guess it may look like it was mine. I guess I need to learn how to quote properly..LOL

Jamsk8r: I know you will figure it out because you definitely helped me. Since upping my cals, I have lost 2 lbs. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you...and oh yeah..THANK YOU! I just can't tell you how good it is feeling to be moving down again. I still feel like I am cheating because I have to eat more. I guess I will get used to it.

I did a good job at controlling my eating at the restaurant last night and I ate 1/2 of a TRUE sliver of that CHOCOLATE MOUSSE Cake! I am real proud of that because I really wanted to stick my face in it. The restaurant took a pic of our little group and I couldn't believe how I looked in it. I actually liked it and I keep looking at it. The 53 lbs down is really working!! I did not look double the size of my hubby for once! It was his birthday but I feel like I got a present too!

Let's get hopping girls!!! :bunny2:

Angel - it's a bit anticlimactic to be at goal actually. You work and dream and plan for the day it will happen - and then it happens, you get your number on the scale. No dancing leprechauns or prancing unicorns. Not even a freaking parade! You sort of gradually get there - not a lot of changes overnight. I just smiled at the scale! For a few minutes. :lol:

I don't know if I'm truly at goal - for me it's a goal BODY more than a goal weight - so I still have work to do, although I'm not focused on losing nor need to lose an ounce of body weight, just working on body fat percentages. Cool. I'm still pumping it up at the gym, working as hard as ever. I just get to eat more now - so YAY!

The muscle thing is cool for that, eating. My calories have been right at about 2000 and I'm bumping it up. I do love some food. :)

Jam - on the workout energy. Remember months ago when you asked about creatine and I said I didn't care for it? I changed my mind. I tried a different kind, an alkalyn one, and it doesn't have the stupid water bloat effects and ramps up my workouts. World o' difference. I've also been dabbling with NO which is some crazy shiznit for workout blasts. Can ya tell I'm chilling with the big boys? Hoo-boy!

On the tea, maybe have it after your workouts with your post workout nutrition - right away. I've read that sugar helps the protein assimilate into your body in that critical window after your workout. It could be useful to you, a tool! Yeah! And then don't have any more, just savor your cup or two. That would be a start.

I am a big believer in dietary fats. I don't eat lowfat anything these days. I purposefully add it into my diet. It could make a difference, try and see. My old skool BFF and I get into cat fights about fat. I want to punch her out every time she starts talking fat grams, duh. Her mom got into health during the Snackwells/1990s era and apparently pushed her beliefs onto her daughter. I'm schooling that B.

Carbs are friendly fellows. I just try for low GI ones. You've got a solid idea there with a tweaking experiment.

Good luck tomorrow! Kick butt! BTW - congrats on winning the February Points Challenge!

Hattie - I'm not possessive about my silly words, I spew enough out already - it doesn't matter, really - although you giving credit is sweet. I just really believe that, patience is as crucial as diet for weight loss, seriously.

today was a POP day.:carrot:

It has been e few busy days for me and I haven't had the chance to pop buy and report here.
We took the two oldest kids out for a cross country skiing trip on sunday and I burned off 2300 calories! Just amazing how effective that is. I use a Polar F11 heartmonitor, so the calories are supposed to be correct.
Today I wnt on the scales and found out I had lost 2,5 pounds! Only 5,7 to go until Easter :).

CC Easter Challenge
Workouts: Goal 30
1: Spinning 600 cal
2: Spinning 600 cal
3: Crosscounrty skiing, 600 cal
4: Crosscountry skiing, 2000 cal
5: Spinning 600 cal
6: Spinning 600 cal
7: Spinning 600 cal
8: Crosscountry skiing, 2300 cal

Weight: Goal 185
02.17: 193,2
03.03: 190,7

I have been walking alot lately.does anybody know any good exercises to tone arms.I can't afford to go to the gym right now.I have hand weigts but that is about it.:carrot:

Morning, ladies! No time for my usual novel this morning (I sense a sigh of relief, lol). Just checking in before my class. If you don't hear back, you'll know that Crossfit killed me! :faint:

FB, thanks for the tips. I gotta read that again later, and I might get with you to talk more about this if you don't mind. My weight is creeping up again. I'm not freaking, but it's pissing me off! I'll see what the CF lady says, too, in class today, on the food plan. Wish me luck! Congrats to you, too, on the Feb challenge. Unfortunately, due to the computer stupidity the other night, I'm already out of the running for March, but I'll try to stay on your tail!

Hey everyone!

That is so awesome that you are at goal FB. Being at goal body is tremendous!

My week is all screwed up, which does piss me off. This bike week gig has totally messed me up with workouts, which I haven't done, to eating. I do so much better with a daily schedule, because then there is no stress, which causes me to eat........UGH!

Today I am going to do my best to stay on track with my eating, and do a 2 mile run.

Have a great day!

I have changed weight yet. SIGH. but i'm hoping to see a trainer tonight. both of our schedules are crazy so it's been hard to get us both together. I have 45 min of cardio today!!!

I'm back! The class at Crossfit was awesome! Everybody was super friendly, even the clients that were there working out (not in our beginner class) made a point to come introduce themselves or at least say hello, which I wasn't expecting! I was the only really new, new person. The other two in the class had been before, but "fell off the wagon" as the trainer called it, and were coming back.

FB, you'll be proud to know, I was the first one to finish the workout today. At first, I was worried about being last, didn't want to be last. After the first set of 21 for each exercise, I just wanted it to be over, so I went as fast as I could stand, just to get it over with. The class is like a little warm-up, then we learn some new skills, then we have a workout using those skills, then last thing is stretching while we talk about nutrition.

We're supposed to do Paleo or Zone diet if we are willing, and I've decided I can do the Zone thing for 4 weeks, at least. Gives me a good :kickbutt: to quit the sugar. The only diff between how I eat now and the Zone is I have to give up sugar and milk. Since for me that just means my old cup of tea, I feel confident I can do that. I'll be interested to see what happens with the scale/bodyfat over the next 4 weeks.

Got to check on the boy, then I will be back to do replies, I promise!

Jams- Glad that your class went well! But we all knew that you would be at the head of the class! :D

Nicki- Good luck at with the trainer tonight! You have been losing like crazy your body is probably just trying to catch up! Dont get to discouraged!! :hug:

Grity- :hug: I like to have a schedule too. Keep your head up! :)

Chubby-Self.com has a lot of good exercises that you can do at home. Google arm exercises and see what you get. Sorry I dont have a better answer I am still pretty new to lifting! Good luck!! :)

Today was an awesome day for me, I got to the gym I did a LBWO, I did some walking/jogging intervals on the treadmil and I swam for 25 mins!! My eating was POP and I feel awesome. Now why cant I just do this everyday?? :dizzy:

Have a great Tuesday ladies. I am off to get ready for "The Biggest Loser"!! :carrot:

Okay, this is me catching up on replies:

Hattie, thanks for the vote of confidence! I'm glad you've got the scale moving again, woohoo! I'm glad you reset your cals higher. You might need that breathing room later on, when you're a skinny minnie and trying to get those last few pounds of excess fat. Or, you might just become a workout fiend like FB, and you might not have to drop the cals very low at all. It's an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," approach with calorie counting, IMO.

FB, I'm going to try ditching the sugar and upping the fats/proteins, keeping my cals about 1600-1700, see what happens after a few weeks. I hear the first 2 weeks are awful, then you start feeling good, so we'll see. If you start getting some mental posts from me over the next 2 weeks, just ignore them, since that will be the sugar addict going through withdrawals, lol. If I'm not feeling zippy by the end of March, I might try the creatine.

Shauna, WTG on your POP day! :carrot:

Anita, congrats on the awesome weight loss this week! That CC skiing is a cal burner, for sure!

Chubs, try www(dot)exrx(dotcom) for a whole slew of exercises you can do with weights. If by "toning" you mean to spot reduce fat just from your arms, that is unfortunately a myth...you can burn cals, and the body will tap into fat stores where ever it likes. It might take it off your arms pretty quickly, or it might not. All you can do is build muscle (thus the exercises you asked about) and burn cals. You just have to keep going until you like the way things look. :hug:

Grits, sorry to hear about the crazy schedule madness. :hug:

Nicki, be sure to give us a report on your training session! Hope it's a good workout!

Angel, thanks! Nice job on the workout!

Phew, hope I didn't miss anybody!

Hey ladies, I'm a newbie. I've had the week from ****! After suffering for a month of debilitating headaches (treated for sinus infection, migraines, to no avail) a visit to the ER crossed my paths with an astute ER doc who was tipped off by some of my symptoms and a week (A CT/MRI and a spinal tap later) I've been diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri (intracranial hypertension).

They're still learning a lot about the condition, but do know it strikes overweight women of child-bearing age most often. I had never had a problem until recently, after a significant weight gain (thanks to the stress of moving to a new town, new job, general all-around winter laziness...).

My neurologist thinks that losing weight (even 10% of my body weight) may be enough to greatly help the condition, if not push it towards remission, so my goal is to drop 20 lbs by Easter!

Chocolate bunnies will live to see another day...

Good-luck ladies!

Hey all~wow ~I am so behind on this thread with the posts~Sorry everyone.
I am hoping to see 220 tommorrow.(I am at 221.2) Anyways Creeping toward my goal and hope I reach it.~I got like 12 more lbs to go~I have totally upped my exercise~I am now walking 2 to 2 & 1/2 Hours a day.(Which has got me hurting like Heck but I always hurt when I up my amount.) Anyways I am gonna start walking outdoors some when The weather stays warmer.(If asthma doen't goof me up) I Am super excited to see my flowers pop back up...And bloom.

Oh Just wanna say some specifics to a few peoples:

Jam~I am glad you didn't finish last~& I hope the one that did doesn't fall off the wagon again. Anyways, I think you have got to be nothing but muscles~SO You kinda scared me when you was pissed off!hahahahahaha
Just picking I am........Trying to make you smile because you work so dang hard and should be getting some dang results(I turned into a cowgirl Obviously with the DANG LOL)
Anyways, Hang in there~Try the no milk no tea thing as you said and see how that goes for ya.I am rooting for ya girl. Cause FREAKS RULE.
So I will check back in and see if you get some positive results....And I hope ya do~You deserve it.


FB~CONGRADULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Hi to Barb & hattie And everyone else I missed HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND GOODLUCK TO EVERYONE.


Oh almost forgot~Nikki rose I think your avatar pic is adorable!

TAKE CARE EVERYONE