Good for you for exercising while your TOM is raging, it makes more more committed to go to the gym tonight since I am experiencing a horrible TOM cramps right now!:hug:

Lori- your card sounds so nice. I've been married since I'm 16, now 25yrs. Not many people can survive married life that long when they marry so young, it's good to know I'm not the only one. Happy Anniversary!

Rode the bike for 30min. I keep gaining weight from increasing my sodium to a normal amount, my body isn't used to this much. How I feel is more important right now. Calories are 1440, I'm having trouble adding more sodium since I don't eat processed food on a daily basis. I've been adding more yogurt & extra cereal for sodium. It's putting my calories up, I don't know what else to do. I'm lost again!

Hello all. I am fairly new to counting calories. My hubby and I were off and on Weight Watchers for a while but for some reason I just never really stick with it. I figured I would try counting just calories and see how I faired at that. I don't know, maybe seeing a high number to start with will help me mentally lol. I would like to join this challenge. My challenge/goal for myself is to simply track every day as accurately as possible. In just starting out I have to allow myself to not be perfect but to be consistent. I will learn things as I go as well as learn things from the wonderful people on this site. Thanks for starting the challenge, may we all do our best and be successful!

Jade: Welcome! This is a great group. We all have our ups and downs, but we get through it together :) Good luck on your journey!

I'd like to join in this Challenge, it'll be my first of hopefully many. My first goal is to keep to a 1400 calorie plan daily, second to exercise at least 45 mins for 5 days a week, and finally to lose 10 pounds by St. Patty's day. May the luck of the irish be with all of you! lol

Oi! I did myself no favors yesterday. :( Lunch went really well. I ate and drank what I had originally planned. However, we decided to head to the bar where my friend's wife works and that's when things went downhill. I huge piece of ice cream cake, several more drinks and then a couple of slices of pizza to try to absorb some alcohol (I don't know about the rest of you but my alcohol tolerance is miniscule compared to what it was before the weight loss). Missed the gym this morning with a hangover! :yikes: But I have no eating out plans until next weekend so I am going to have a good week! Be diligent about my eating and working out! I have less than three weeks to get to my original goal and while it will be tough, I'm confident I can do it! :cheer2:

So it's back on the wagon today, though with one less meal since I haven't been awake for that long. :o

- Brunch: Cheese omelette made with 1/2 cup egg substitute (60) and 1 wedge LC garlic swiss (35) topped with 2 tbsp Pace Mild Picante (20), 2 slices 45 calorie bread (90) with 2 tbsp of Smucker's Sugar Free Strawberry jam (20) and 1 medium orange (64). 289 calories total.

- Afternoon (After Workout) Snack: 1 apple (80). 80 calories total.

- Dinner: 4 oz grilled chicken (110) with roasted veggies - broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, mushroom caps and potatoes coated with 2 tbsp olive oil (467 total). 577 calories total.

946 calories total for the day. While I would normally eat more to not have my calorie count be less than 1050, I don't find it quite a necessary to do so since I will have a shorter day than normal. :o Yeah, still a little embarrassed by that. :D

Didn't make it to the gym due to my sleeping in so I'm going to head out for a walk. Looking to get 4 laps in which I should be able to but my muscle aching from the new weight training has moved from the butt and thighs to the calves. I really like it though!

Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Saturday!

Sounds like you have a great plan and a successful week coming up!:carrot:

Rode the bike for 30min. Lost 1.5lbs. finally. I'm eating better, so I'm not even wanting junk food. I'm filling up on veggies instead. Had 1475 calories, 200 more than I should have. I estimated how much cooked shrimp i was eating, I under estimated & went over my limit. I'm never doing that again!

Food has been atrocious this week. I can keep within the weekly calorie average if I stick to 1300 today, but I can't believe some of the choices I've made this week! I have had 4 fast food burgers since Monday. That is pretty bad. I'm not going to lie.

My weight is back down to 62.9kg / 138.6 pounds today, which is good...but the food thing needs to be sorted out! Needless to say, as well as craving things like pizza...I'm also craving vegetables since it's been too long since I had any in a decent portion.

Hey everyone. I've read over the last couple of days' posts that I have missed. I know a couple people were upset over what they have been eating, but at least you are able to get back on track. I can't seem to even get started with the calorie counting (sigh). And my exercise isn't consistent enough. I watch infomercials for exercise programs that I could have done years ago, and think to myself, "there's no way now.." :(

I don't know what I need to do to get motivated. It just seems like there are so many things I need to accomplish (family, school, work, housework, and exercise), that exercise gets bumped off the list all the time. (It's not alone. My house looks like a disaster area at the moment. :) )

Well, maybe today will be better. I'm visiting my sisters this week, and one of them may let me borrow her P90X for a few weeks, so we'll see how that goes. Take care everyone!

OMG ~Have I been busy.~Anyways so cool Fruit about 25 years~Certainly a rare thing now days for people our age! I am proud of y'all!

Off "tom" Finally today ~still have after bloat LOL~I weighed 131.0 this morning which was fine with me.~I am just trying to get the hang of my maintaining amount & I think I am getting super close to it all.

Anyways....Got a LIKE NEW(USED) SOFA & LOVESEAT ON OUR ANNIVERARY(For $275 delivered~ Which was sooooooooo cheap for the condition & style)~Was so happy~It was meant to be ~goes well with my decor & My other stuff was falling apart.~LOVE THE FURNITURE WE GOT~SO COMFY & PRETTY. I am super proud of it & the hubby likes it too.Plus we was getting desperate & ready to go in debt on a 90 days same as cash & I am more of a pay cash for it & own it if possible if it's something kinda expensive~It would have been 250 to 300 a month for a few months & a headache! So I am thankful.

Anyways off to finish my exercises I am a little behind today ~I went to every other day now~Seems to be working out great for me though.It's 55 Degrees in OHIO TODAY SO THAT A SMILE~COME ON SPRING! SO CLOSE!

HUGS TO ALL ~HAVE A SUPER SUNDAY!

After days of trickling TOM did arrive full force yesterday. I was starting to get frustrated bcuz I just wanted it to start already so an end would come. So far the weekend has been good eating and working out. We walked 3 miles walking around the outlet mall in North Georgia. Today I have a baby shower to go to...I'm determined not to screw it up!!!

On an even better note: I have on a skirt today that I haven't worn in a couple months and there is so much room I can twirl it around on my body without sucking in my stomach and my hubby said it's time for a new one!!! Despite what's going on with my legs I feel great and appreciate my challenge buddies that go back with me to my first challenge...much love and thanks for the encouragement...most of all, Lori You ROCK and thanks for keeping these challenges going

Hi all. I've read over this entire thread to catch up, and am really amazed at how so many of you are able to keep positive and keep working through the stress and weigh loss difficulties. I don't feel like I've encountered any true challenges yet in my weight loss, but I know they will come - and I know that if I follow your example I'll be able to make it through them.

I got back from my business trip last night, and overall am decently happy with how I did while away from home. The parts I'm not pleased with are that I drank way too much on two nights. The only times I typically have more than 1 drink is when out at a bar, and that seldom happens unless I'm travelling... but on those occasions 5 drinks is not unusual. This trip was not an exception. However, I fit the alcohol into my calorie allotment for the day. That meant I didn't go off-plan, but it also meant I didn't really get enough actual nutrition on those days. The other part I'm not pleased with is that I didn't drink nearly enough water yesterday.

On a positive note, I did exercise in the hotel fitness room on every day of my trip except for yesterday, when my schedule was crazy and there was just no time. When I finally got home last night at about 1am, I weighed on my home scale - and was shocked to see 254.0. The number was the same this morning. There's no way I lost 5 lbs. in five days, and so I can only surmise that I'm dehydrated from the alcohol Fri night and not drinking enough water yesterday. Hopefully I'll normalize over the next few days before my official weekly weigh-in, and have more confidence about the number I'm seeing on the scale.

The weekend is going much better. Stuck to 1395 calories and did an hour of Spin. And I ran my 5K on the treadmill today! It felt so good. I actually ran a little more, because I increased my speed to 4.7 for the last 10 minutes or so. Now I can focus on increasing my speed, and trying to start running outside now that most of the dirty snowbanks have melted! I've only had 555 calories so far today, so I should have no trouble staying in my range.


chickadee, travel is really hard - I give you loads of credit for all the positive things you did while away.

jiggle, that's awesome that your clothes are getting so big!

lori, congrats on the new furniture - glad you're having fun. TOM is just about gone here too, thank goodness!!

amanda, there is a way - you can do this! Find a way to track your food - many people here love doing it online, but I like to just carry a small notebook around. Right before you bite - it will make you think about it twice. It's saved me a few times. BUt even if I screw up, I write it down and track the calories as best I can.

rainbow, hope this week goes better for you. Good for you for tracking even when things aren't perfect.

fruit, glad you're feeling better.

Hope everyone has a great day! Only 17 days to go - yikes!!!

natamars- thanks! I'm feeling great. I can't wait to start running again, spring can't come fast enough for me.

I felt like a powerhouse today, rode the bike for 30min at racing speed( 17-20mph) did 8 mi. Then went to the Game Preserve & walked up & down hills for 30min. I was right on track w/ calories, 1274. Eating a better diet is making me feel energized like I did when I was dieting and eating the same way. I shouldn't have cut out alot of the foods I ate then because they had sodium, I wouldn't have gone through all this crap if I just would have kept eating them. Lost 2lbs. I'm losing the right way this time!

Hello all again.
Been hanging in there. Started doing JM the 30 day shred (again) with my cousin four days ago, and feel great. I lost 2 pounds in 10 days.... thought it would be more... I just have to remember that every pound counts. I find it doubtful that I will reach my patty's day goal.... As long I come darn close..:)
I'm glad to see how many are in this challange and staying strong.

natamars Your exercise is impressive! Thanks for the props on tracking...I can't stop tracking my calories haha. They're definitely far from perfect though...

~So my weight is up again today, 63.5kg/139.9 pounds. I'm on the verge of wanting to throw the towel in and call it a day. I'm the smallest I've been in my adult life and this up and down pattern of my weight over the past 2 weeks is frustrating me to no end. So is my control/the foods I've been eating. A lot of it is me trying to make choices without much pre-planning, which I can't really avoid at the moment.
Right now, I finish work in an hour and then have a meeting with the group of artists who are starting a collective that I'm involved in...so I have no idea when or what dinner will be - unfortunately, I'm considering just skipping it...I don't trust myself to make healthy choices while out at the moment. And I think it would be bad to eat a full dinner after 8pm (which is when I envisage getting home). I've done it before, many times, but for some reason I feel like now I have to follow all of these "diet" rules that everyone else has talked about.
I know I'm being unreasonable. I've lost 48 (or something..) pounds in 7 months, so clearly I must be doing something right...I just feel so stuck and frustrated right now. I know it's my fault too.

I had a major whoosh today and dropped 4 pounds to 270. This makes me one pound away from my St Patricks Day challenge to get into the 260's.

Larry,

Hi guys, was MIA again this weekend.

I didn't do quite as badly with my food choices as I did last weekend, but I'm definitely slacking way too much (seafood buffet and Mexican this weekend.) Fortunately we don't have any social obligations this coming weekend, so it will be much easier to stay OP. Hoping I can maintin my usual 1 lb loss for this week, they hopefully step it up the last two Fridays of this challenge!

northern- A seafood buffet sounds so good, we don't have any in my area. I guess that's a good thing!

My legs are a bit sore from yesterday's activities, only rode the bike for 21min. Weight stayed the same, wish it would just naturally settle at 110lbs. Jeans are snug, bought them when I was 5lbs lighter, but I can live with it as long as I'm making all the right food choices and maintaining. I tried old fashioned oats for breakfast, put fresh blueberries in it. It was good, it filled me up the whole day, I wasn't hungry for lunch. I hope I can eat dinner. Calories are 1480, went 200 over again. Just can't stay within my range, there were only 2 days this month that my calories were on target. What's with me?

Hello everyone. :)
The beginning of this weekend didn't go very well.. I admit, since I've been losing at a lower weight, I've been slacking off a bit of the time because I haven't necessarily been in a rush. On Friday and Saturday I ate over my calorie budget(not enough to gain, but about maintenance calories for me) and didn't get my exercise in. :(

Well, on Sunday I was presented with a HUGE motivation to get my butt into gear.. and I mean huge, gigantic, astronomical motivation. :) I'm so pumped about it that I'm adjusting my calorie target for the remainder of this goal to no more than 1,299 calories and instead of making exercise something I hope to do 6 times a week, I'm now applying it to myself as 100% mandatory. :coach:

I'm hoping that with these changes, I'll get the remaining 3 lbs for my St. Patrick's Day Challenge goal in time.

I hope you're all doing well! :luck2you:

One pound down for the week....it sets me behind for my goal, but I have to be thankful for a loss....
Glad that so many people are having losses and great mind sets!
I'm off to the pool to try to get things less jiggly which I have been noticing more and more lately!

Keep up the good work everyone!

My loss has all but stopped, I'm to-ing and fro-ing between the same numbers a lot. I've been reading a couple of other threads and I'm thinking it's because I'm getting to a lower weight and may need to increase exercise/decrease calories....and I'm also thinking that the macro/micro nutrients thing could be a lot more important for me now (based on what another user said). I know I'm eating a lot of not so great food these days, so I'm making it my goal for the next couple of weeks to try eat healthier and cleaner and MORE VEGETABLES.
I don't know how I'm going to do that...but I'm going to try.

Fruit: I tried to stick to mostly crab legs, salad and fruit...but I caved and had dessert. It was good though!

Horo: so what's the big motivation? (Sorry if you mentioned it earlier and I missed it...but I'm curious. Sounds exciting!)

k15 and Rainbow: I feel your pain about fits and starts and slow losses. Of course in my case much of it is my own fault (cheating too much on weekends)...but even if I DO cheat, I seem to lose the same lousy lb/week that I lose even if I DON'T cheat. So I guess my "inner child" rationalizes, "well, might as well cheat!" I really need to get over that.

Anyway, it's Monday and I'm back to being "good." Right on target with calories today and 30 minutes of wii zumba. I was working up a sweat! Definitley not something I'd want to do in front of an audience though, lol.

My goal is to escape the 190s, and not eat take out or restaurant food till then. Also, I want to be able to jog 3 miles at faster than 20 mins a mile :D

So I'm already starting to plan ahead a bit this week. I know that we're going out for dinner on Thursday night to a Mexican restaurant. I have now decided that I will have no more than 3 corn chips with salsa at the beginning of the meal (they come free) and for my main I'm going to get chicken fajitas. I think it's the best option in terms of being able to guage what I'm actually eating...however I know I may not do that great at not eating it all...I just wish I could remember what the portion sizes were like!
I'm also worried about tonight, I have a Zumba class right after work, then no time to eat dinner - have to quickly shower before heading out to the movies....so my dinner will be..popcorn? I don't want to sit through the movie starving and I would only really have time to grab something fast foody right before...and movie won't finish til after 10pm...urgh...I haven't been in quite this situation before, so I'm not sure what to do.

Someone suggested protein bars to me as a way to stay on track while I was travelling for business last week, and they were a lifesaver for me on the actual travel days and another day when I didn't have time to get somewhere to get a healthy meal. I'd never had a protein bar before, and tried a few different kinds (Larabars, Cliff Bars, and ThinkThin bars) - I liked them all. Maybe those could be a solution for you on the days when there's no time for a decent meal... something you can eat quick that is nutritious with reasonable calories and fat.

Just a thought. :)

I made myself an "emergency snack kit" for times just like that. It has dried fruit, portioned out almonds, peanut butter granola bars, etc. The peanut butter granola is not so "low-cal" but it's tasty and better than most things I'd pick up for myself in hurry. I'm just making sure I keep a variety things in there so I still feel like I have a choice.

And good idea w/the fajitas, I'm going out for Mexican next weekend and already worried. (How many calories in enchilada sauce?!)

Great thread, you guys are inspiring!

Monday: 1250 calories. 20 min elliptical, 1 hr. body sculpt class.

Pretty good day yesterday. Kept my caloies lower during the day so I had a cushion for when I got home, and was able to have a few oz. of turkey, veggies, and hummus on a FlatOut wrap(LOVE these, btw). Helped me through my workout.

We had health screenings at work yesterday. My numbers were pretty good - total cholesterol 196, HDL 71, LDL 93, glucose 79. My triglycerides were a little high @ 160. I've been letting more sugar creep in, even using some in my tea sometimes - just one more reason to cut it out.

rainbow, great ideas from scout and chickadee on the snacks. I like nuts and dried fruit(just have to watch potrtions) or granola bars because they're so portable.

saintxio, welcome! great goals!

northern, hi!!

k15, yay on the lb!! A lot of us wold LOVE to be down a lb. right now!!

horo, I want to know about your motivation too!!!

fruit, what's your range again?You sound like you're being so tough on yourself - I worry about you. How are you doing getting the salt and fat in?

Hope everyone has a great day!

Rainbow: I second the granola/protien bars. I don't know if you have these in NZ, but Fiber One bars are great. Very filling for 150 calories. I'm not much of a "breakfast" person, so I eat one of these (along with a piece of string cheese) shortly after I get to work in the mornings.

Welcome, saintxio!

Nat: hello to you too! Sounds like you did great yesterday ;)

Well, it's March, which means we are a bit closer to spring! It will still be a while until the snow melts around here, but I am looking forward to spending more time outside. It has been a loooooong winter. Think I might do my wii zumba again tonight (the latin music kind of takes me away from northern MN), and probably some weights. I've been slacking on the strength training lately, need to get back into it.

I only lost -2.4 Lbs in February. I need to do better. I have a wedding to go to on the 19th of March. Good Luck, Everyone!

Thanks for all your wise words everyone! You guys keep me going lots of days. :)
I am thinking about food too much lately and I am really fearing that I am going to binge which I haven't done in 100 days....I just don't trust myself which really bothers me....
Again thanks for your words of wisdom about your own journeys.....

Horo - I want to hear about the motivation too!! Whatever it is, it sounds exciting. :)

saintxio - One of my goals for March is to be able to add some jogging (undoubtedly at a very slow pace) into my exercise routine. I'm totally impressed that you're able to do 3 miles!

natmars - I want to have a health screening done again! The last labs I had were at the beginning of January, and while nothing was wrong at that time... I'm hoping I made some improvements over the last 2 months!

k15 - You've made it so far in your journey - more than halfway to your goal! That's amazing (look at all those dancing carrots!), and I know it is the result of VERY hard work. I've never been a binge eater, and so don't know the right words to say... but don't let your mind sabotoge all the effort you've made at weight loss and staying binge-free. You can do this!



My official weigh-in this morning put me at 253.1 - which is a really big loss (5.9 lbs.) from last week. In fact, it's a loss of 1.9 lbs. since Sunday morning. I don't know whether to be scared by that, or pleased by it. Last week's weigh-in was during TOM and the morning following a tough session with the trainer... and so I'm kind of hoping that I was just holding on to some water weight last week. The only other thing I can figure is that increasing muscle by doing strength training 2x/week and doing ab exercises 5x/week (in addition to the cardio) is upping my metabolism, and that's the reason for the high loss. I'm sure next week I'll be down by only 0.1 lb. to pay for the loss I saw this week. :lol:

Hi everyone! Weigh in today. Lost 2.2 total for the week! But I had gained a pound last week, which puts me at only losing 1.2 for my goal by St. Patty's Day!

Last week was much better on plan, but didn't get in nearly enough exercise! I have my week planned out for that! So, hopefully see another good number next week!

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!