NorthernExposure: I love the thinner feeling days!! Congrats!

So, yesterday was a BIG, finely catered birthday party for my boyfriend's father. I ate very tiny portions of the 4 course meal. I never felt stuffed. I estimated 2000 cal. or so for the day. I can't be for sure how many exactly. I did try to overestimate calorie counts, to account for any hidden buttery/oily ingredients.

Anyway, while everyone else was sipping champagne, then wine, then beer, then more wine, I drank water the entire time. I know I saved 300 cal. alone from not drinking alcohol. I did eat dessert - but it wasn't a huge portion.

Today, we are going to jog 1hr 10 min. and I'm going to keep it around 1500. Hopefully that will help me avoid any weight gain from the evening.

We DON'T want to go backwards people! Losing weight is SO hard, in itself, without going backwards and undoing the hard work.

Happy Sunday!

So far this is the most OP weekend I've had in a looooong time. Friday was about 1520 cals, rest day. Yesterday was 1530 and cleaning my house top to bottom, as well as laundry (which I have to haul up and down the stairs, so it counts!) Today will be a little higher as DH is coming back from his weekend trip and I have nice Sunday dinner planned...I figure I'll end at about 1700. Kind of blustery out today for walk, but I will at least do my yoga video later. If I'm really motivated, I might ease back into my weight training. I've been trying to take advantage of walking/jogging outside as much as I can before winter, so my weight training has been on the back burner for quite some time.

Unna: great job keeping things reasonable at the party. All that great food and drink must have been so tempting! I think you have a great damage control plan. And you're right, undoing the work sucks! Though I'm very happy about losing the two lbs I gained recently, it frustrates me to think that had I not gained it in the first place, I would have lost the NEXT two lbs instead (which would have gotten me to my 174 goal!). Oh well, live and learn.

Hey ladies!!! I can't be on here long, gotta fly. Going antiquing with my mom today!! I've managed to lose 4 pound so far on this challenge I just realized, finally dropping another pound today after staying the same for the last few days. Feeling pumped!!

Looks like you guys are all doing great!!! keep it up!!!!

Have a good day! :)

I've stayed OP for the entire challenge so far. I support eating Halloween candy as long as you log it too! My scales are really hard to read, and I have to get a better set, but so far, it looks like almost 2 pounds down.

Stay the course, ladies! We can do it. :)

:no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no:

I Had a Weekend of Pigging out! ~ FAIL!

I ate out 3 times this past weekend! I feel so guilty & like a complete failure. I really need to straighten up this week! I hope to be on plan for the next couple weeks, but I will take it one day at a time since that seems to be easier for me! I sure hope you beauties are having a better challenge beginning than me! SMH!!! I just want to look in the mirror & say "you disgust me" .. SMH...

My weekend was not a good one either. Yesterday would have be great but I had wine. In fact, I had wine every day this weekend. I'm still struggling to loose the the pounds that I gained from last month (4 pounds). Today I am lethargic and upset with myself. Trying not to beat down on myself. A new week!

My NSV- went to the mall to buy a pair of tights to go with the sweater dresses I bought a few weeks ago (both XLs). I didn't even bother trying on tights in the plus sized section. I tried on a XL and it fit perfectly. No more new plus sizes clothes for me :)

That knowledge should have carried me over to a good weekend but it didn't. New week ahead :)

I did really good up until after church yesterday. Our fast ended and I ate everything I've been craving through the week...NOT GOOD!! Well now that it's out of my system, I will be on task until this Thursday...My 4th Anniversary and then I will be hunkered down until Thanksgiving. Before I count the pounds lost since the fast started I will give due diligence to maintain it. No need counting them and I can't keep them off.

Making plans for a fun weekend...yea I know it's Monday!!

Phat: It's ok, sweetie....we ALL have setbacks. I overdid it on my girls' weekend a couple weeks ago and had to pay for it in the form of a 2 lb gain. But you know what? It came off and now I'm moving forward. Yes, I'm angry at myself for stalling my forward progress, but I'd be even angrier at myself if I just gave up. Telling yourself you're disgusting is NOT going to help you. You're not disgusting, you're HUMAN! You CAN and WILL get over this!!

Nibbles: congrats on the 2 lbs, what a fantastic start to this challenge for you!

Farn: YAY on the 4 lbs!! Glad to see you're also off to a good start and staying motivated!

As for me: DH came home from his weekend trip a little earlier than I expected yesterday, so I spent some quality time with him instead of doing my yoga/weights. But, I still met my goal of at least 5 days of exercise for the first week of the challenge, so I'm pretty proud of that! Calories ended up a little on the high side yesterday (1750ish), but that was by far the highest calorie day I've had all week, so I'm totally OK with it.

I'm so lucky to have today off! It's one of those cloudy, windy, cold days that makes me want to linger over just one more cup of coffee, lol. But, I will do my workout early today so I can just chill tonight :) Sometimes it's nice to break up the routine a bit.

Have a great Monday, ladies!

Edit: Hi Jiggle! you must have posted when I was writing. I probably would have eaten a horse after fasting that long! Oh, and happy anny to you this week...enjoy!!

Edit #2: Hi Kat! Missed your post for some reason? Anyway, yes, I feel you on having to work on losing re-gains instead of moving forward...but it happens! And how wonderful for you to be out of plus sizes! I still remember when I was first able to shop in the "regular" section....felt like a total imposter for the first couple of months as I had been shopping in plus sizes for over a decade. It was just such a huge paradigm shift for me. Lately, I've been able to buy large tops instead of XL. Even THAT'S been weird. I finally got used to shopping "regular", but always the biggest sizes in "regular". It just keeps getting better! :)

Phat: I agree with northern! We all have times we don't do our best foodwise, but you're here accounting for it and moving on! I overate this weekend as well by quite a bit and didn't even count the calories. I'm a bit upset at myself, but I just have to start over today and keep moving forward. I hope you did enjoy your weekend though! Remember, that if this is to become a lifelong thing we must realize that we will "slip up" or have times when we don't eat the healthiest. The vital thing with this though is that we get back up and fix it the next meal or the next day and keep moving forward!

Northern: I'm glad you got your hubby back early and you got to enjoy your time!!

Jiggle: I'm glad your fast went well considering! Everything will balance out foodwise and weightwise :D

Farn and nibbles: Awesome work both of you!! Keep it up!

I had a decent weekend, not necessarily foodwise.. We helped out in Binghamton NY again with flood relief work, which has been awesome! We pretty much ate whatever. I am planning today to get back to my normal c25k program. I had to take a break from it due to having a cold. Today is also back to normal eating and CC! Later chickies!

Hey ladies!
Had a relatively good weekend. I got in my walks and stayed mostly on plan, although I was waylaid by the cake table at my sister’s baby shower. I managed to work the cupcakes I ate into my calories, but needless to say my eating for the day wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped for. Oh well, I haven’t had cake in ages and it was worth it. :)

Phat: You are not despicable! You are not a failure! You had a couple off plan days, and we’ve all been there. Don’t worry about it, try to put it behind you and get back on plan. It happens. You are a wonderful person and you’re strong for losing weight in the first place – one bad weekend doesn’t change that. :hug:
Tdi: Sounds like you had a great weekend – go you for helping with the flood relief!
Northern: That’s great that your hubby came home early and congrats on getting in your workouts this week!
Jiggle: It must be really hard going from fasting mode back to normal eating mode, so I think you did pretty well!
Kat: Don’t beat yourself up about a little extra wine! You’re doing a great job (no more plus sizes! Woot!) It’s a new day, so try to put it behind you and focus on the new week ahead :)
Nibbles + Farn: You ladies are doing great!

@ SparkleBE -- Some days, you just deserve a little cake. Great job on working it into your calorie count for the day.

Phat -- hang in there, girl. We've all been there, and you'll be back on track in no time.

Thanks all for the encouragement. Still on plan. We're a third of the way through!

Down 3.6 already since we started. Holding at 200.2 (grumble grumble) and TOM came to visit; hoping to break the 200s tomorrow.

Hey ladies!!!! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!! Mine was pretty good, already started on some Christmas crafts (feeling a little like Martha Stewart, before the prison sentence, haha) and completed those this weekend. My hands are destroyed from the hot glue gun! I forgot about how dangerous those things were! haha. Well I was kind of lazy on the working out aspect of things, but I did stay perfectly on track with calories. Surprised this morning when I saw another 2 pound whoosh! Im happy! Need to remember to not give up working out on the weekend, even if I get lazy. This was the first weekend though that I didn't cheat at all, so I'm pretty excited about that too!

Sparklebe: sounds like you had a great weekend too!!! Except you found your exercise motivation, whereas mine got lost some where! haha. Nice job working your little cupcake treat into your daily allowance!

tdiprincess: I think that is so awesome you are helping with the flood relief!! And I'm sure you were burning enough calories where you could probably eat whatever you wanted and still be on track. you're doing so great!!

northern: thanks!! you seriously keep me motivated!! you are doing so awesome!! i know how you feel about lingering over a cup of coffee, haha that's my problem too. Sometimes on cold days, its like all motivation disappears and I just want to sit by the fire in a hoody with something warm to drink. That's going to be my problem come Christmas time, I'm a major sucker for hot chocolate! haha.

jiggle: Happy Anniversary!!! i hope you had a great day and I'm sure you'll have a fun weekend coming up!! You deserve it! :)

Phat: Kind of mirroring what everybody else has been saying, it is true, we all have our bad weekends. I have had an extremely rough time, even through the Halloween Challenge. I would do perfectly well during the week and then the weekend would roll around and I was eating all this junk food. I was dealing with gaining weight every weekend and having to work off those pounds and by the time I did, the next weekend came up. It was rough. This past weekend was my first where I didn't do that. You just gotta stay strong and keep motivated. We're all gonna have our bumps in the road, some more than others, but keep going. It really helps me to stay motivated by thinking of something cute I will be able to wear when I get into better shape. I have next New Year's Eve (2013) all planned out and I'm planning on wearing some cute little shimmery dress. Lookin hot!! I just keep thinking about that and it gets me motivated. "Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels" remember that, I remind myself daily. Dust yourself off, consider it a lesson, and keep on movin, chica!!! You are an amazing person and you deserve to be healthy. You got this!:)

I don't think I was able to msg everyone, but I'll be back tomorrow. Gotta get my workout in since I was so lazy this weekend. Have a good day everyone!!

Posting one more message: I didn't see that KDM and Jdonato were back too!!!!!
So glad and missed you both!!!!!!! :) :) Let's kick some butt this challenge!!!!!

Hi guys!

Just a quick check in. Yesterday was good, about 1450 cals. And even though I did linger over coffee, the sun peeked out and I took the dog for a 30 minute walk/jog (and even a bit of straight-up running!)

Congrats to everyone who's lost already, way to go! I will be weighing in on Friday as usual. Now that I'm done losing my 2 lb regain, I hope it's "onwad and downward" from here!

Good Morning!!
I'm rocking and rolling this week. My clothes that I've been wearing because I refused to buy anything until I got solidly in a 12 are getting much too big. I have to get a few more items to carry me through my size 10. I was very excited to have a hard time finding something to wear to work today. I usually wait until I can pull my pants off without unzipping them and all of them are there except for the pair I have on now!!! YAY!!

We have about two weeks left in this challenge and if I'm not -10 lbs I will be rewarded with inches lost and that makes me happy. If you need a good toning workout I would highly recommend P90X!! It's tough but well worth it!!

Congrats jigglefree! I can't wait until finding clothes becomes a problem because they're all too big. ;)

Well, after 4 days of my friend visiting from home, I have fallen off the wagon AGAIN!! this is becoming a habit I MUST BREAK!!! She leaves this morning while I'm at work, and I can honestly say, I'm back on track! My willpower had not regained enough "uumph" to say NO to all the bad choices at the places we went out to eat while she was here...so I gave in to temptation and totally could have chosen better....but like people say, it's in the past, cant change it, gotta make the right choices starting today :) I also haven't been to the gym since Friday, but I've done alot of walking around Downtown, so I guess that's better than nothing.

Glad to hear about all the good things happening to everyone in this challenge!! You're all such a motivation!! And for those of you like me who may have fallen off the wagon, it's time to hop back on!! WE CAN DO THIS!!! :)

**HAPPY HUMP DAY!!!!**

Well, I veered a bit off course today, but managed to right the ship again. I was out of the building for a workshop today (why are "off routine" days so hard??). I ate breakfast at home in hopes that I could avoid the temptation of the donuts I knew they would have there. I did fine when I got there (just had coffee), but by mid-morning I was starving and the chocolate donut was screaming my name! (Note to self: pack a granola bar next time!) Needless to say my willpower wavered. We went out for lunch and I ordered as sensibly as I could, a sandwich/salad combo. Saved half the sandwich for dinner tonight that I'll have with some low-cal soup. Had to guesstimate at the calories in the donut and in the restaurant food (local place with no nutritional info avialable), but after finding some comparable things online, I think I'll end up at about 1550 cals if I forego my evening snack. Since I got home a bit earlier today, I also took the dog on a 30 minute walk/jog since it wasn't dark out yet. All in all, I have to say pretty good "save", lol!

Jiggle: way to go on the clothes! I know I will be so glad when I'm finally done with "transition" clothes and I can just buy my "final" wardrobe. You're almost there!!

KDM: I feel you! I had a two lb gain as a result of a girls' long weekend a few weeks ago. I have a girlfriend coming up to visit this weekend (I'm a hunting widow this weekend again--deer season in MN, lol). I really need to make better choices this time around....I know how hard it is though!

Well, ladies, we're halfway through the week. Let's keep on truckin'!

Hey, Calorie Counters! Late joiner, but I'm in for Thanksgiving.

I meandered away from the forums (and my weight loss effort) for a while but I'm back and ready to start losing again! Through spring and summer, I was down to 211, which was GREAT! The last couple months, I've put on five pounds. I'd like to banish those newly gained pounds and continue to lose. My goals for this challenge are pretty simple:

1. Write down what I eat every day. I need to get back in the habit of doing that. I think this will help me consider what I'm really eating-- when I started calorie counting earlier in the year, it really helped me consider the nutritional value of what I was eating, and I found myself making really positive changes in my food. So back at it. Already got a spreadsheet going.

2. Take four long walks before Thanksgiving. Walking is how I lost my 13lbs this winter/spring, I need to get back in the habit. Also, it's a huge stress reliever, and I need that. After Thanksgiving, I'll probably go back to setting walking goals in miles but for now, I just need to get out there.

Good to be back, keep up the good work everyone!

Scout: Welcome to the challenge! You will enjoy it in here!! Awesome work thusfar and I know you will keep making some great improvements!
Sparkle and farn: Thank you for the kind words. I am very happy to help out with the flood work. It's really great to be part of!
Jiggle: Awesome work!! You're doing very well and making some great improvements! You're very motivating!!
Northern: Awesome work staying OP and getting to your goals! You're doing really well!!

Today has been a good day. I'm lacking on protein and fat... so I'll be indulging in a little cheese :D and a little wine :carrot: On the days I run I allow myself 15-1600 calories. I did w2d2 of the c25k! It feels really good to be doing this!
Later chickies! :carrot:

I'm still calorie counting - ranging 15 - 1800 a day. So, a bit over my 1700 limit - but sometimes that's just the way life is!

I've been so busy I cannot post as much - but I'm still rooting for all of you.

Due to work, I jog 4 x's a week - Thurs. to Sun. The other days I stay lightly active with brisk walking from here to there.

I just tried on a pair of jeans that were WAY to tight to wear out in public in August and they are still a bit snug, but I could technically wear them (without busting open the seams) if I wanted. So, that was exciting.

In addition to calorie counting, I'm adding in more salads and drinking more water this month.

So, congrats to ALL of you!

Welcome, Scout!

Tdi & Unna: sounds like you guys are plugging along and staying active. Way to go!

I have a pretty low-cal day planned, hopefully will make up for any underestimating I did yesterday. Will be busy this evening getting things ready for my friend's visit this weekend, but I will at least squeeze in my 2-mile WATP video. Funny, I remember way back when when that was kind of a hard workout for me. Now I barely break a sweat. I should probably do something more challenging, but I think 30 minutes is all I can spare today. Still better than nothing!

Friday is just around the corner, ladies!

Thanks for the welcome tdiprincess and NorthernExposure! I hope to rock it like you two!

I tracked my calories yesterday and saw the kind devolution of my choices. Managed to stay on track through the day, with calories to spare. Started to make dinner (a frittata w/eggs, ham, peas, and corn) when a friend called to say she was coming over and would I like her to pick me up something? I said no and ate my frittata, but she did bring snacks and a bottle of vino, which I indulged in. The wine did me in, put me over calories. Actually, the wine and the extra slice of frittata I had before bed (didn't want to wake up foggy...) Ay yi yi. Sigh.

Ah, well. Recorded it, and started over today. Coffee and frittata for breakfast, will likely hit up Jimmy John's for lunch, and have a single serving casserole waiting for me when I get home late tonight. Snacks (granola bar and cheese) to tide me over, ready to go. Certainly won't get in any significant walking today but am aiming for a couple walks over the weekend.

Have a great day, everyone!

So far so good this week. I started Monday at 218 (bloat from the weekend) and I weighed in this AM at 213.4. Tomorrow I will be down to 212, which Is where I should be :).

I have had one high calorie day - Tuesday at 2800 cals. All the others have been at the low end of my range 13-1400s).

I am hoping to be 211 by Sunday (or dare I hope 210?). We shall see. Tonight after work I am reinstating my gym membership at Anytime. Because of that, I am also doing a personal challenge along with this one. I am going to see how much I can lose in these 15 days. I am hoping to be very close to 200 by Thanksgiving Once I reach onederland, I'll go back to my slower weight loss.

Hey there! Just a quick check in.. no c25k today since it's rest day. However, I just finished doing the Zumba Wii game for 40mins. That is SO MUCH FUN!! HA!! I did it with MIL and we enjoyed ourselves while burning calories!
Foodwise has been decent. I have about 200 calories left for the day to finish out around 1600calories.
Hope everyone is doing well! See you chickies later! :carrot:

Hey everyone, hope you all had an amazing Thursday! I've done pretty well this entire week, so I'm pretty happy with myself. Just need to keep working out, I've been getting lazy...uh oh...

Anyways, I was just talking with a friend earlier about motivation. She is on a diet/lifestyle change as well, and we were talking about the things that motivate us to lose weight and get healthy. As superficial as this sounds, for me one of the main reasons (besides being healthy overall) is new clothes. I've always loved fashion and have always felt like my weight has limited my ability to express myself through my clothes and wear all the cute stuff my friends were. So getting a new wardrobe is probably my main motivation and keeps me wanting to lose weight.

I was just wondering, out of curiousity, what motivates you guys to be here, on a diet or to change your lifestyle? Just interesting to hear, what motivates everyone.

Well that's all for me today. Have a good night!

Well, I'm down .7 lbs since Saturday to 175.5. Honestly a bit less than I had hoped for as I've truly been OP all week, but considering TOM just started this morning, I guess it could have been worse! I was hoping to be able to change my ticker (if it had been 175.4, I would have)....guess it's stuck on 176 for another week :(. Oh well, as long as I'm going in the right direction, I'm making progress!

Farn: great question! I'm also motivated by new clothes. I'm not a big fashionista, but just being able to buy things that actually LOOK good on me is so motivating (vs. just trying to find something--ANYTHING--that fits but doesn't make me look like a frumpy old lady.) Trying on styles and cuts that I would have never even considered before is so fun. I'm still kind of "stuck" with what I *think* I can wear sometimes. I tend to gravitate toward what I know to be "safe", but I try to be more adventurous now. Of course there are still things that definitely DON'T look good on me, but I just kind of laugh at myself and say "well, maybe in 20 more lbs" :). And of course getting into a smaller size is VERY motivating. I've recently realized that XL tops are usually too big for me, and I'm buying Larges now! Still have a little ways to go to get comfortably into my next pant size (12), but my 14's are starting to get a little baggy now :)

Knowing I'm late to the challenge, but I like this kind where I don't have to post a weekly weight.

Basically, I want to continue to follow what has been working for me, especially lately. During the work week I'm relatively strict; weekends can be 90%, and that is okay.

If I could get some exercise in, that'd be even better, so I am going to challenge myself to walk during lunch hour. There's really no reason I can't, and I need to push myself to "just do it" so says Nike.

OH, and drink more water!!!

I was MIA yesterday because it was our Anniversary and I was spending the day with my husband!! We went to the movie to see Towe Heist and it was so funny. I enjoyed it. A little after the movie I got a headache and had to get home to lie down. It was mostly because I hadn't eaten much because we were planning to go out to dinner. We ended up staying home because the headache was persistent. I ate a little something but today we are off to shopping and maybe lunch. I'm feeling better today.

I lost eight pounds last week during the fast and have maintained six lost. Now for those other four to make my Thanksgiving goal.

The cool thing is reading the post by FARN about the clothing...I think it works pretty good for me as well. I'm going to be shopping for a few things today because I shrinking out of what I currently have!!! :carrot::carrot:

Hey Ladies! I had a pretty trying week. I managed to meet my weekly goal of not eating fast food at all, & taking the steps & the water, but I still feel "heavy" .. I put on some water weight because of foods I was eating last week through the ROOF in sodium :no: .. & I'm starting to get scared that the weight I put on is legit :no: .. I sure hope not though because it would set me way back in my goals :no: .. sigh.. Well I don't want to get anyone else down, I'm very proud of those of you who are sticking with your goals & seeing results.. Keep up the good work & you beauties have a great weekend! ~

:grouphug:

Farn: I LOVE being able to buy new clothes! One way to motivate me is when I'm shopping I buy a pair of pants or sweater, whatever, that is slightly too small. The kind where I only have to lose 2-5lbs to fit it perfectly. That really gets me going!!
Northern: Awesome work thusfar! Especially starting your period!! Keep on track and you will definitely loose! You will probably whoosh in a couple days once your body lets go of water and fat! Keep going though!! :carrot:
124chick: Welcome! I really like your goals. There's no huge push to get to a certain weight, but just keep doing the best you can! Keep it up!!
jiggle: Awesome job keep off the fasting lbs!! I don't think I could do a fast. I honestly don't even want to try! LOL. Good job though!!

As for me: My NSV: The other day I bought an exercise jacket from Old Navy. They have matching compression pants, but I didn't buy them because I was a little selfconcious. WELL, my MIL works there and saw that I only bought the jacket. She didn't ask why...but she bought me a pair of the pants to match. I really STILL didn't want to wear them and then decided to just wear them! For me, getting over being self-conscious is huge and I think it was a good step for me to do!
Also I completed week 2 of c25k today! WOOT!! :carrot:

For my weight, I WI today at 151.4!!! I seriously stepped on and off the scale 6 times because I didn't believe it!!!! I'm really happy! It actually makes 149 for this challenge reasonable!! :carrot:

Later chickies!!

PHAT: :hug: I'm sorry you're going through this! It is so tough to stay on track and eat nutritious food and exercise! Keep up the good work! You will definitely get to your goals as long as you keep doing the best you can and stay motivated! Try not to beat yourself up!! We all have bad eating days, weeks, months and even years! The important thing is to pick yourself back up and keep going! Keep posting on here for support! There is a ton of support on this whole forum!! You will get there, just keep going!! :carrot: :hug:

farn00a57-- Clothes definitely play a part in it for me. I want to look better, for sure! I also want to feel better. I don't want to get winded after just a couple flights of stairs. And I hate the idea of damaging my health, especially if it's within my control.

Today's update: Best laid plans...had my food all planned out yesterday but didn't get a chance to eat at work. That is called too busy. Luckily, I had eaten leftover frittata for breakfast, and that kept me from really thinking about food all day. Kept it together when I got home by eating a piece of cheese as soon as I walked in the door (I love those 100 calorie pepper jack sticks from Target!) That tided me over to a proper dinner. Came in under calories at 1475 (1600 is my aim). Yesterday certainly wasn't ideal, but all's well that ends well, I guess. I'll be glad when I leave this job, and it will be easier to maintain a regular eating schedule.

Today is on target as well! I had to resist a very strong urge on my way home to pick up something bad for me. I was feeling like, "It's Friday, treat yourself." That idea can be very dangerous for me when it comes to food ("treat yourself", "reward yourself", etc.) Anyway, managed to resist. Just ate a dinner of stuffed shells w/mixed veggies on the side. Which was delicious, btw.

Glad I was able to push through a craving because tomorrow is a no-count day! Going to a brewery with friends, and calories will not be counted. In the morning, I'm planning on a long walk-- I'll probably check in here to try to keep myself accountable for that. Now, I'm exhausted and am going to "treat myself" to some craft-y work and a cup of tea. Have a great weekend, everyone.

Newbie
 

I am new to this site but am really ready for a challenge. My goal is to lose 6 to 8 lbs this month. Thanksgiving will tough but I know I can do it. Good luck to us all!

Happy Friday ladies!
I had a good OP week. It was a bit warmer this week, and I totally enjoyed the warmer temperatures, getting in my hour long walks every day. Although I only got in half an hour today (coincidentally the day it got colder again… hmm). I’ve been getting so cold lately that I really appreciated another week of warmish temperatures. I also started knitting again, and plan to make myself something warm + cozy (although honestly I’ve only ever finished 1 scarf, so I’m not exactly an advanced knitter) plus I’d love to be able to knit something cute for myself when I get to goal.

My NSV: Really excited about this one! Last night in my BellyFit class we were doing the crunches where you have to touch your elbow to the opposite knee, and I could do them! Fairly easily, too! I’m so excited because last December/January, I tried those crunches and my knee and elbow were still a couple inches apart, so I really feel like I’ve gotten a lot fitter since I started exercising and doing a bit of pilates :D.

Cwegher: Welcome!
Scout: Congrats on skipping the treat today! Instead of a Friday treat, now you have a NSV Friday :)
Tdi: Great NSV! It’s so awesome that you’re starting to feel more confident and less self-conscious!
Phat: Aww :hug: You’ve had a hard week, but it’s great that you’re sticking to your plan despite the fact that you’re not seeing the results immediately. I’m so proud of you for sticking with it, because that’s so much harder to do. But you are meeting your weekly goals, so hopefully that water weight will be gone soon – I know it always takes me forever to lose water weight. So just keep on with your plan and hopefully the water weight will be gone before you know it (and maybe it’ll take an extra pound or 2 along with it :)) You’re doing a great job!
Jiggle: I’m glad you had a great anniversary (happy belated anniversary!), but sorry that you didn’t feel well. :( Congrats on maintaining those 6 fasting pounds! Great work!
124Chick: Welcome! Great goals!
Northern: Hopefully your TOM will bring a nice whoosh with it (probably the only good thing about having a TOM…)!
Farn: Clothing is definitely a big motivator for me – I’ve always been really girly and into fashion, but could never find those fashionable things in my size which really discouraged me. So fitting into clothes I like and feeling confident in them really motivates me to keep going. My other big motivator is that I’m only 23 but I’ve always been either overweight or obese and I’ve always been unhappy with my weight. And I just came to realize that I could work hard and get to a weight that makes me happy or I could spend the rest of my life being unhappy with a major part of myself. The thought that if I don’t try to lose weight, the years will still pass and I’ll still feel the same really pushes me to keep going.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

SparkleBE-- It's in the high 50's here today and so nice! I know exactly what you mean about trying to take advantage of the weather. The good thing is that I like to walk in the cold so here's to a productive winter.

I did get in my walk this morning, and it was glorious. Beautiful fall day, I (still) feel exhilarated. And to think I considered not going-- the morning was really getting away from me, but I basically forced myself out the door. Put down the coffee, put on shoes, and just went. Now time to shower and get ready for a fun day.

Hope everyone else is finding ways to meet their goals this weekend!

This week has been a great week for me. I've lost 8 pounds (mostly "false" weight) this week and this morning I woke up to 210 on the scale. Made my goal for the week. I had 2 higher calorie days, but I don't think it impeded my progress. In fact, I'm kind of glad it happened since I took it in stride and did not allow myself to continue on the next day :)

The weekend is the hardest part and I'm struggling to not go to the store and get a bottle of wine. So far so good. I've done well today, although so far at the lower end of my calorie range since I have done nothing today.

I'm hoping next week will be as good as this one!

Checking in-- had a great no-count day yesterday, back to counting today. Made breakfast tacos and had some coffee, not sure what I'll eat the rest of the day. The tacos were 560, not a small amount of calories. Just going to play it by ear and will just make sure to record the calories. I have a pretty busy day ahead of me so I do need to be sure not to stop and pick up fast food or something really bad for me.

Happy Sunday!

Well, I defintely did better this girls' weekend than the last one. Friday I was right OP with calories. Yesterday was higher (had to guesstimate some, but I think around 1800-1900...an acceptable "maintenance" day) and today should be pretty normal. Need to so some exercise today to meet my 5 day/week goal since I didn't work out Friday or Saturday. I'm also probably a little bloated due to sodium from eating out, but I should have plenty of time to flush that out before my WI on Friday. Plus TOM will be over, so I'm hoping for good things!

Sounds like most of us are doing pretty well, keep up the good work all!