chickadee and scout - Thanks for the tips! It's too late now for last night, but in the future I think I can plan ahead for that type of thing with your ideas!

Northern Not sure about fiber 1 bars - I know we have a whole bunch of granola/muesli type bars in the supermarket, but a lot of them are just not good - lots of sugar etc. I know we also have protein bars and stuff in the health food aisle at the grocery store, so maybe I'll have to have a check there.

~I didn't make the best choice last night. I stuck to popcorn and a diet coke at the movies and then after, closer to 11pm, I was starving and my boyfriend wanted a hamburger so I ended up getting a McChicken burger. I was well within calories, but it still wasn't a great choice.
Weight seems to be working it's way back down, but I'm not relying on it these days after the past couple of weeks!

natamars- thanks, your so thoughtful, my calorie range is 1200-1280. I'm 42yrs. old, my metabolism is slowing down. I'm making sure to eat more of what I need, I feel very energetic now!

Doing good with my nutrients, I'm adding more foods to my diet that I had previously labeled as bad food for me cause I thought it made me gain weight. Finding out that in small quantities they don't do anything to me. Still nervous about my stomach, my portions are smaller now, I don't want to feel too full cause I'm afraid it's going to make my stomach hurt. Fear of going back to the hospital I guess. I'm determined not to end up there again. I know eventually I get over the fear, but it's gonna take time. Rode the bike for 30min. and stayed right on track with my calories, 1280. I'm losing weight even with adding those foods I wouldn't touch before. I'm down another 1.3lbs.

Good luck to all!

~OMG ~I Been gone too long~Sorry!

HUGS TOO ALL & WELCOME TO ALL THE NEW CHALLENGERS!!!

I have been so busy~I am worn out...Went shopping today ~got a 32in flat screen tv & dvd player for our bedroom((we took the smallest room in the house to make our kids happy ~LOL & it is nearly to big in there ~LOL)~I felt horrible not getting the kids anything~But they get stuff all the time & I am trying to update stuff.~anyways That made me Happy...Then we went to a store that is closing down & having huge sales that has been around in our county for before I was born & They sold name brand items~Clothing/Shoes/ ~glasswear ect. New.~anyways they was having a sale on Levis Jeans 519's slim fit~I love that brand Anyways~did when I was in a 17 jr....So I thought I would try some on~ I came out with a pair of size 1's for 15.00! I WAS SO HIGH STEPPING! ~it was sad though to see the store so empty.BUT A size 1~OMG!
I Figured out I am smaller than I thought Cause every 2~ I tried on was way to big! & there was no 0's to try on ~they was either sold out already,Or I never saw them, or they didn't carry that size. I hope they are open next month too~So I can go back & possibly get some more For me & My daughter~I was thinking from looking that we can wear girls size 16's also & she could maybe even wear a girls 14 because she is short.~Anyways girls jeans was 10.00 to 15.00 ~all name brand~But I spent alot getting the tv/dvd So I am limited on many more larger purchase for the moment ~in case of emergencies~LIKE GAS PRICES RISING!~UGH

Anyways ~JIGGLE~ SO GLAD U FOUND THESE CHALLENGES Last Year~& Have been in them for a year now ~I adore ya! U have done great in a year ~I am so proud of u!

Natamars Thanks & I hope ~you "tom" Has ended for u too Now~Hugs!

Everyone else~off to check my facebook Then get some zzzzzzzzzzzz's~TTYL Will do more personals later.

(I didn't weigh in today~was up & out the door to Walmart As soon as the Bus left with my 3 kids~LOL) So I will weigh in soon~Hoping to still be maintaining decent~The toning part is going well~THANK GOD.

~MAY WE ALL STAY STRONG & DO OUR BEST~EVEN IF WE HAVE A BAD DAY~

OH & can y'all believe it is March 1st already? WOOHOOO! I am so ready for Spring!

Hello everyone. :)

To everyone who asked: the new motivation I've got is that I may be accepted to spend a week and a half abroad for a sort of culture exchange program this summer. I've never imagined that such an opportunity would even be possible for me so I'm pretty thrilled about it! Of course, the reason it's a weight loss motivation is that if I do go, I'd love to go feeling absolutely wonderful about my health/fitness and weight. :dance:

As for my progress for this goal: Yesterday and today I've been on plan and exercising and have no doubt that I'm going to keep it up tomorrow.

I hope you're all doing well!

This week has been crazy hectic for me at work. I am a kindergarten teacher and I just had one class graduate and I'm going to be welcoming a brand new group of four year olds tomorrow morning. It's been a lot of work to get prepared, but I'm happy to say that I seem to be staying more or less balanced.

I woke up to an incredibly pleasant surprise: my scale read 225! Yay! I started February at 234, an all time high, and I was struggling with confidence. I need to lose this weight. Can I actually lose this weight?, etc. Anyway, I'm happy to see that I am finally making some progress in losing the 50 (50!) pounds I gained during college and the year and a half following. I'm just sorry I am only just getting around to paying attention to my weight at 24 years old.

Anyyyway...

Start of Feb.: 234
Start of challenge: 229
Start of TODAY: 225

I'm pretty sure my goal of 219 by the 17th is out of reach, but I'm going to give it my best shot!

Keep it up everyone!

Tuesday: 1625 calories. 45 minutes on treadmill.

Yesterday wasn't great. Ate too many calories at work but then was so hungry when I got home. Too many carbs last night also. Tried to run on the treadmill but got a stitch in my side(obliques were sore from Monday's body sculpting) so I switched to walking at 3.7mph on an incline.

horo, how exciting for you!! hope it all works out!!!

lori, size 1 - can't even imagine! sounds like a fun shopping trip!!!

fruit, glad you're doing better - keep doing small meals if it's easier on your stomach and take care of yourself!

rainbow, it sounds like you did pretty well to me - don't be so hard on yourself.

megems, 2.2 is a great week - be happy!

chick, 5.9, OMG! Hope you were doing the happy dance:carrot:

k15, 100 days w/o a binge is an amazing accomplishment!

Northern, I will send some snow melting vibes your way! Most of it is gone here in NY, all that's left are some really dirty, disgusting piles. My backyard is totally green again - ahhh!!!

Vickie, 2.4 sounds pretty good to me. Hope March goes even better for you.

See everyone later!

Well the week got off to a good start workout wise and a little crazy eating..I fell victim to the cookie monster yesterday and Monday. I don't really eat cookies, never buy them but that d$&! boss of mine has been bringing them EVERYDAY for a long time. I gotta get back to and continue to walk away from the cookies as if they were a chair. Nevertheless, I will press on. I didn't get my kettlebells in this morning but I will do them tonight. I LOVE THOSE THINGS!!! I feel the pain of the workout in the most jiggly places so I'm sure that one day I will be boasting a tight toned body. I'm hoping my arms will be close to fitting that jacket in two weeks from that work out. I can only press in and see how it goes.

Well, this weekend turned into the weekend o' calories! :yikes: Lots of eating, lots of drinking and quite frankly, a lot of non-guilt (even though I was up to 174 by Monday). Although I went out to dinner last night, it's been a good, but very busy week. I don't really anticipate meeting my challenge goal but as long as I still strive for it, I'm okay with that.

Sounds like everyone is having their ups and downs. Wishing everyone lots of encouragement! :cheer2:

Well after a week in the twilight food zone Im back in gear. changed my goal to 5 lbs for this challenge. I am so bad at these things lol.

That's so funny!! :rofl::rofl::rofl:

So that's where I've been. I was so confused and lost.

Small victories...today I resisted the yummy homemade cinnamon rolls our cafeteria ladies make for staff meetings. I caved last time, but today I stood firm!

chick: wow, 5.9! These days it takes me like 2 months to lose that, lol.

Meg: congrats on your loss too! I'd be thrilled with 2.2 (even if I was making up for a slight gain.)

Fruit: glad to know you're no longer "afraid" of the foods you need to eat to stay healthy!

Lori: size 2 too big...wow. I can't even wrap my brain around that one!

Horo: awseome deal about going abroad! So glad you're taking advantage of the opportunity.

Nat: walking is SO much better than doing nothing. Give yourself some credit :)

Jiggle: I've never tried kettleballs. Do you use them at a gym or do a video or what? My tummy, upper arms and inner thighs still need a LOT of help!

Manders: I feel you. There are certain events that, while they probably slow my weight loss, I just refuse to give up in my life. As long as I know I can keep going in the right direction once the event is over, it's all good.

Surfn: 5 lbs gets you solidly into the 160's...that's awesome!

Got TOM yesterday without any warning signs, I was 3 weeks late. Probably cause of the nutrition issues I was having. It's funny how as soon as i change my diet for the better, my body just straightens itself out. No water weight or cramps, well never do have cramps since i lost weight, I usually just have a little water weight gain. Rode the bike for 30min. & took a short walk for 17min. cause it was cold. Calories are 1304, I'm raising my limit to 1325 cause I'm losing weight right now, i will change it if I have to.

rainbow - you were still within your calories, and your McD's choice seems like a reasonable one to me. We all get stuck in those situations where we just have to choose something that we wouldn't normally.

Lori - hearing about your shopping is making me want to buy new clothes, lol. The pants I own are definitely getting loose, but I think I'm going to wait until it's time for some new warmer-weather clothes. I adore my trusty black dress pants... but I hope that by the time the colder weather returns, I'll have lost enough to sprinkle a little more variety into my wardrobe.

Horo - that IS great motivation! Congratulations! I really hope it works out for you for this summer.

ish - congratulations on your loss!!! And you never know about your goal for St. Pat's Day... it could happen!

natmars - walking on an incline is my favorite cardio activity right now. :) Got to get myself running/jogging one of these days...

jigglefree - my best friend swears by kettlebells. I need to give them a shot at some point... maybe buy some so that I can do them at home. Do you have your own?

NorthernExposure - This has been an unusual week, and I think it will come off a LOT more slowly once I get down to your weight! I hope that I'll be able to do as well as you are and still pass on the cinnamon rolls at that point. :)

fruitlady - I'm VERY glad to hear you're feeling better and are getting the nutrition you need. I was really upset to read your post about being in the hospital. Very scary.

manders and surfnmom - way to keep pushing forward even after a rough week/weekend! It always feels good getting back on track.



I was all ready to post a thread about feeling kinda concerned that I've dropped some weight very rapidly this past week... until I realized that TOM ended while I was away on business, and that could totally account for the sudden drop. Whew!! I feel really relieved... and now finally feel like I can celebrate meeting my first real weight loss goal - 10% of my body weight lost!! Woohoo!! I CAN do this, I know that now. I can, and will, keep working to meet all of my goals.

And I never, EVER thought I'd say this... but I really like going to the gym. :D

chick: I too, need to get new clothes (again!)...but I'm kind of waiting so I can buy warmer weather stuff too. No way my stuff from last summer is going to fit. This is, of course, a good thing...but costly! Some of my work pants are getting way too big though, so I might look at the 2nd hand stores for some "filler" clothes to get me through the rest of the school year!

Fruit: I am very encouraged by your latest posts. I worry about you too!

As for me: Had a great workout yesterday (45 minutes WATP with resistance band plus 10 minutes pilates)....the only downside is I was so HUNGRY afterwards. Ended up doing more nighttime snacking than normal. Had a 100 calorie pack of popcorn (not a horrible choice), but also busted into the baked cheetoes. Kept my portion reasonable, but way too much salty stuff. I am pre-TOM...but still...I definitely don't need all that salt that late in the evening! Well, it's a good thing I at least passed on that cinammon roll yesterday morning, lol.

WI tomorrow. Not sure what to expect being pre-TOM, but overall I've had a good week. We shall see!