Well, I have enjoyed catching up with all of you today. It sounds like everyone is doing great. For those who have suffered major hiccups, don't let it get you down. Everyone does. For the record on this challenge I am going for 36 total pounds lost by May 6th. I am down 7 so far. 29 to go!

I am proud of myself for my exercise. Still have not been above 1300 calories in any given day since jan 1 and I started out doing 30 minutes of exercise a day, but yesterday, I did 175 minutes and today 109 minutes. Today I did workouts 1 and 2 of Carmen Electra's Striptease workout. The Fit to Strip workout is really challenging, but I can tell the pay off is huge if I just stick with it.

I hope to report another lost pound tomorrow, but I fear that muscle gain may have eradicated a weight loss so I might weigh in with measurements as an addendum. Hope everyone has a great Sunday and I will check in tomorrow morning.

Best wishes,
Aimin

Bah!

Just a quick note to say hi! I've been soooo busy this week and unfortunately I think I had a hiccup this weekend. I say "I think" because I didn't track. I have been allowing myself a fair number of calories to start off with so I may be ok but I noticed when I was weighing through the week I was only showing a loss of between .5 to 1 lb and I'm pretty darn sure that I did NOT improve that this weekend. I'll be happy with 1lb down so hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised in the morning.

Sorry I haven't had a chance to read back and see how you all are doing but hopefully you have been having your successes. I'll catch up better tomorrow.

Sleep Well

Cubb

Today we celebrated my neice's birthday at Family Dinner- she loved the ITunes gc I got for her, and I got called "cool" woohoo! LOL I ended up getting her some colored pens & some blank notecards too, which turned out to be good since she got grounded Friday nite LOL With no computer or cell phone, she's gunna have to write letters to her friends

I didn't get to the gym today (or yesterday) like I was planning But I have been doing well with eating better & less. I have been using smaller plates/bowls when I serve myself food. My biggest problem is portion controll. I enjoy the taste of food, and the time spent at the table eating and talking with my family that I eat so much. So, I have started serving my dinner on a dessert plate (I think it's like 4" across) and if I need a bowl, I use the little ones I bought for my baby heehee. The other night I had some sherbert (because I needed something sweet) in this little baby bowl with one of the baby spoons (you know the ones that are coated in rubber so they are gentler on an infants gums?) It took me so long to eat that it was melting before I was done with what was in the bowl. But I got to enjoy it for a nice bit of time.

Anyway, tomorrow is my friend's birthday, so the whole family is taking her miniature golfing I'm thinking I might sneak out before she comes over and visit the gym, just to get a good start to the week and weigh in, but I'm not sure I'll have time. And we are going to a mexican restraunt for dinner, so I'm going to try and take it easy with the chips, just put a few on my plate and savor those. I really think knowing in advance what the challenges are that I'm going to face really do help. I'm all about planning it out- especially when I can tell my plan to my hubby. (He usually forgets what I've told him, or at least he acts like it- so he never is like "Hey I thought you said-" but because I did tell him, I feel that much more convicted to stick with my plan)

Aimin: When we get our own house, I am definately going to look into the Striptease videos, it looks like it would be a fun way of exercising, but I know I'd need to be alone in a room with locks LOL

Annie: HUGS!!! This is a new week, don't give last week another thought, just get back to doing the good things for you & your health

Just as I suspected, I am not down a full pound, but I took my measurements and I am down 1/2 inch in my chest, 1/2 inch in my waist,1/2 inch in my hips, 3.4 inch in my arms and 3/4 inch in my thighs. So at least I see progress there. Maybe today's workout will get me down that extra pound.

Best of luck to everyone today!

Good morning!

Well I'm down a block of butter and I'm proud of that considering the fact that I was nowhere near as focused as I was week one. I didn't graduate into Onederland like I had hoped but I will this week.

My goals for this week:

Water Water Water: Get my 8 to 10 glasses in
Exercise every day: including Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at gym
No pop:diet Pepsi is my nemesis)
Track Everything: even on the weekend! I have all of the dinner menus planned this week so it shouldn't be an issue.

Luxorbea: Using the smaller plates and bowls is a great tip, especially the baby spoon LOL. I'm going to have to try that! Good for you for being inventive to control your portions. That is a huge problem for me too. Also, I'm really glad she liked the itunes certificate, it really was a good idea. Too bad she was grouned though..Yikes!

Aimin: Good for you for being so determined! A few lbs in muscles now will help you burn the fat later so way to go if you do gain a lb or so of it!

Ogibson: congrats on your weight loss!

Snow: Sorry to hear about TOM and your knee. I think it's probably a good idea to take a break once in a while. Gives your muscles a chance to heal.

Kate: Thanks for the exercise tip, I'm going to try it. "Just 5 minutes....."

Annie and Mia: Please don't get discouraged...just jump back on plan and know that you're still heading in the right direction, no matter how you get there.

Take care all and good luck this week!

Nina----Will lose 32 lbs by May 6th
Leygh--Will lose 24 lbs by May 6th
Dolly---Will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Little---Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Sno----Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th--6 down, 30 to go!
Katie--Will lose 15+ lbs by May 6th
100percentME--Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Krista---Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th
chr1st1na---Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Annie---Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th...3 down 33 more to go
Kim--will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Calejo--Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th
stopeating --Will lose 23 lbs by May 6th
Mia--will lose 27 lbs by May 6th
Chaarli--will lose 30 lbs by may 6th
Bridget- will lose 36 lbs by May 6th.......5 down 31 more to go
miafluker--will lose 34 lbs by May 6th.
card--will lose 38 lbs by May 6th.
Elsie--will lose 27 lbs. by May 6th
TRACY--will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Cubb--will lose 26 lbs by May 6th...6 down 20 more to go
Nikki-- will lose 40 lbs by May 6th.
Ogibson--will lose 25lbs by May 6th..7.0 down 18.5 more to go
Kate--will lose 32 lbs by May 6th..
Worldsbestmom5 – will lose 34lbs by May 6th

Thank you Cubb..........

hello...checking in for today!

aimin-man you are an inspiring excerciser!...
that's a great idea..doing the measurement thing...i'll do it tonight...i think i'm going to have to get some more excercise dvds...i have a pilates and a weight loss yoga dvd...but am finding that i'm getting bored...i'd love to try the fit to strip...just for fun...but i'm rarely alone at home...and i'd never live it down if one of my older kids walked in on me!!!

mia-i always feel better after excercise too...hope you had a better day!

40-winter is here...but in the weirdest way...the roads were ice coated and all school buses in city were cancelled...
with three teenagers...did you say all girls?... must be a busy house...

snow-when i read your eating plan/program i was amazed how in tune with your body you are...i hope i can find that someday...i'm still stumbling through...have found i wasn't eating enough...and i have to consciously eat more...i think i have a fear (now that i'm committed to this weightloss) that i'll fall back into old ways so i'm really watching my carb/calorie intake...but find at the end of the day it isn't enough calories...i know this is not good..and will cause my body to stop losing weight...so i'm going to have to do a written plan of daily foods...not just do a food account at end of day

ogibson-good for you!

lux-what a visual!...eating with a tiny bowl and spoon...whatever works!

cubb-congrats on the pound...every little bit counts...i too like the diet pop...my poison of choice is diet coke...but i'm not drinking it now...i find when i drink more water my body starts craving more water...

i have not excercised today yet...but will before the day is out (if i say it i'll have to do it!)

take care everyone,
hope you all have good evenings!
kate

Scale says 211, that means I am down a pound. I can live with that because I had a mini crisis this weekend. I have finally come to the conclusion that until I fight my subconscience and win, I will not lose or will continue to gain what I have lost.

My goals for the week are to explain to myself that food does not make me happy, being thinner and healthier makes me happy.

I am really hoping this will stop the cycle I am on where I sabatoge myself. My subconscience seems to think that food is the cureall. I think it has watched too much tv. I was doing some reading into hypnosis and weight loss and many people have had success with it. This is more like a self-hypnosis where you explain the facts of life to your subconscience. Mom was wrong, food does not make it better, tv is wrong, food does not make it better.

Wish me luck all and I will be checking in soon.

Nina----Will lose 32 lbs by May 6th
Leygh--Will lose 24 lbs by May 6th
Dolly---Will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Little---Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Sno----Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th--6 down, 30 to go!
Katie--Will lose 15+ lbs by May 6th
100percentME--Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Krista---Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th
chr1st1na---Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Annie---Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th...3 down 33 more to go
Kim--will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Calejo--Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th
stopeating --Will lose 23 lbs by May 6th
Mia--will lose 27 lbs by May 6th
Chaarli--will lose 30 lbs by may 6th
Bridget- will lose 36 lbs by May 6th.......5 down 31 more to go
miafluker--will lose 34 lbs by May 6th.
card--will lose 38 lbs by May 6th.
Elsie--will lose 27 lbs. by May 6th
TRACY--will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Cubb--will lose 26 lbs by May 6th...6 down 20 more to go
Nikki-- will lose 40 lbs by May 6th... 3 down 37 more to go
Ogibson--will lose 25lbs by May 6th..7.0 down 18.5 more to go
Kate--will lose 32 lbs by May 6th..
Worldsbestmom5 – will lose 34lbs by May 6th

Hello everyone,
Well winter has definately hit Southern Ontario. 3 inches of ice pellets and freezing rain. Alas not the right kind of snow to do any cross country skiing. My kids were off on a snow day as well Kate. I have 2 girls and a boy 13,15, and 17.
Congrats to everyone who lost this week.
Card I think alot of us have similar subconscious battles. It's learning to recognize the negative internal chatter and replace it with conscious choice that is half the battle. Sometimes alot easier said than done. I so love to eat when I'm stressed, overworked, depressed etc. but after it just seems to make things worse and self-esteem does a downward spiral. Good luck and congrats on the pound.
I weighed in this morning and am down 1.5 from last week for a total of 3.3 so far. I measured up again and have lost 2 more inches for a total of 5. I like cubb's way of visualizing a pound of butter. Makes even small amounts of weight loss significant. I'm pretty happy with my success so far but am impatient to see the weight drop faster. It took 5 years to gain so can't expect it to drop over night. Made it to the gym 5 days last week for a total of 450 mins. of exercise and I'd like to do the same this week.

Nina----Will lose 32 lbs by May 6th 3 down 29 to go!
Leygh--Will lose 24 lbs by May 6th
Dolly---Will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Little---Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Sno----Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th--6 down, 30 to go!
Katie--Will lose 15+ lbs by May 6th
100percentME--Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Krista---Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th
chr1st1na---Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Annie---Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th...3 down 33 more to go
Kim--will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Calejo--Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th
stopeating --Will lose 23 lbs by May 6th
Mia--will lose 27 lbs by May 6th
Chaarli--will lose 30 lbs by may 6th
Bridget- will lose 36 lbs by May 6th.......5 down 31 more to go
miafluker--will lose 34 lbs by May 6th.
card--will lose 38 lbs by May 6th.
Elsie--will lose 27 lbs. by May 6th
TRACY--will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Cubb--will lose 26 lbs by May 6th...6 down 20 more to go
Nikki-- will lose 40 lbs by May 6th... 3 down 37 more to go
Ogibson--will lose 25lbs by May 6th..7.0 down 18.5 more to go
Kate--will lose 32 lbs by May 6th..
Worldsbestmom5 – will lose 34lbs by May 6th




Nina

Happy monday everyone!

Sorry I havent posted till now. My friend wanted me to go with her to see her divorce lawyer and we ended up spending most of the day doing that--it was exhausting! I did about 15 minutes walking.

Anyway I amputting my pound of butter in the pot! I am pretty pleased considering I am holding lotsa water from PMS. So that brings me to 7 down, 36 to go!

My goals for the week are to walk and stretch and meditate daily and stick to my eating plan.

Aimin--you and I are neck and neck! We now have 16 weeks to lose 29lbs which makes us ahead of the game. Awesome!

Card--great topic--I just notice how I think about eating when I am not hungry. If I get in the habit of just changing the subject on myself it really works. If I get trapped into thinking about food it can make me hungry and before I know it I am eating! And congrats on the pound. Every pound is a victory.

Nina--congrats on the loss. Great job at the gym!

Kate: wow thanks! I didnt really think I was that in touch. One thing that I sometimes do if I am struggling with figuring out how much to eat is to plan my ideal diet day the night before on Fitday--then I have some guidelines as to what I want to do nutritionally. Even if I dont follow it exactly I usually do it--particularly if I choose foods I like.

Cubb: great goals for the week! It is good reminded to set weekly goals.

Luxor: good job with the sherbet. I got a set of bowls that are different sizes for xmas and I like the really small ones for eating out of--it does make me feel I am getting more when I have two tiny bowls of yogurt instead of one big one!


Nina----Will lose 32 lbs by May 6th 3 down 29 to go!
Leygh--Will lose 24 lbs by May 6th
Dolly---Will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Little---Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Sno----Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th--7 down, 29 to go!
Katie--Will lose 15+ lbs by May 6th
100percentME--Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Krista---Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th
chr1st1na---Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Annie---Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th...3 down 33 more to go
Kim--will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Calejo--Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th
stopeating --Will lose 23 lbs by May 6th
Mia--will lose 27 lbs by May 6th
Chaarli--will lose 30 lbs by may 6th
Bridget- will lose 36 lbs by May 6th.......5 down 31 more to go
miafluker--will lose 34 lbs by May 6th.
card--will lose 38 lbs by May 6th.
Elsie--will lose 27 lbs. by May 6th
TRACY--will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Cubb--will lose 26 lbs by May 6th...6 down 20 more to go
Nikki-- will lose 40 lbs by May 6th... 3 down 37 more to go
Ogibson--will lose 25lbs by May 6th..7.0 down 18.5 more to go
Kate--will lose 32 lbs by May 6th..
Worldsbestmom5 – will lose 34lbs by May 6th



Have great week!

hi everyone today i go back to work and today i will set my goal for the week and that is to try harder with exercise and eating

I had a good talking to myself last night. It kinda works like yoga or meditation, relax and repeat a mantra. I will see how it goes.

I hope you all have a great day!!!!

Hey all I am 18 and i would love to join this challenge as well. I want to lose about 25-30lbs by May 30th. (kiki)

Nina----Will lose 32 lbs by May 6th
Leygh--Will lose 24 lbs by May 6th
Dolly---Will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Little---Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Sno----Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th--6 down, 30 to go!
Katie--Will lose 15+ lbs by May 6th
100percentME--Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Krista---Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th
chr1st1na---Will lose 20 lbs by May 6th
Annie---Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th...3 down 33 more to go
Kim--will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Calejo--Will lose 36 lbs by May 6th
stopeating --Will lose 23 lbs by May 6th
Mia--will lose 27 lbs by May 6th
Chaarli--will lose 30 lbs by may 6th
Bridget- will lose 36 lbs by May 6th.......5 down 31 more to go
miafluker--will lose 34 lbs by May 6th.
card--will lose 38 lbs by May 6th.
Elsie--will lose 27 lbs. by May 6th
TRACY--will lose 25 lbs by May 6th
Cubb--will lose 26 lbs by May 6th...5 down 21 more to go
Nikki-- will lose 40 lbs by May 6th.
Ogibson--will lose 25lbs by May 6th..7.0 down 18.5 more to go
Kate--will lose 32 lbs by May 6th..
Worldsbestmom5 – will lose 34lbs by May 6th
Kiki** Will Lose 30 lbs by May 6th

welcome Kiki Glad you can join us.

Well, I am down only 1/2 a pound from last week, but that is still something, right? Yesterday I got to the gym, then went miniature golfing. Pretty fun day. At dinner, I think I did pretty good. I only ate half my fajitas and gave my beans & rice to the kiddos, and I didn't go overboard on the chips I did splurge on some guacamole, but I only had a bit of it. Actually kinda annoyed my hubby he was like "Why did you order it if you aren't going to eat it?" Then I explained, and he was cool with it. He's so cute heehee

Hope everyone has a good day