[aimin4thin]

Hey Strawberry,

I have lost a total of 31 pounds since January 1st of this year. I have been using Hip Hop Abs since mid- April I guess so about one month. When I started my program in January, my stats were:

weight 166
chest 43
waist 36
hips 43
thighs 23.5
arms 13


Now my stats are:
weight 135
chest 36
waist 28
hips 37
thighs 20
arms 11

I have not done the diet program with it because a strict regimen does not suite me. I eat a high fiber cereal with skim milk for breakfast and a piece of fruit, 12 pistachios or raw almonds at 10:00, a lean cuisine spa cuisine meal for lunch, a small apple or 2 sugar free peanut butter/chocolates as a treat at 3:00 and then I eat a high protein, lowfat, low carb light dinner at about 6:00 with one glass of wine. My caloric intake stays right at 1200-1300 daily and I exercise for at least 30 minutes every day (if schedule permits). As a supplement, I take Vitamin E 400 and 6 lecithin/cider vinegar/grapefruit tablets daily. On the weekends I am a little less lax with my diet, but I try to make healthy choices and substitutions on every meal I prepare/eat. I also try to MOVE as much as possible- stairs, park far away, housekeeping, cooking etc... and I firmly believe in 9-10 hours of good quality sleep a night.

I am only 5 pounds from my goal and it feels AMAZING!!! Every day I see that 6 pack getting more and more defined... right now I have about a 2 pack, but I know the rest are around the corner!

Best of luck to you.

[Luxorbea]

Aimin- WOW!!! That's awesome!

Well, I am a very disappointed abd upset. I had a dr's apt yesterday, and he didn't mention my weight. It was a followup, and he was really really swamped, but still- I've lost 30 lbs since I saw him last, and not one word. *sigh*

And yesterday, I was looking at pictures of my son's birthday party (last September and right before I started losing weight- so I was at my highest) and my hubby is like "oh, cool, you can look back at old pictures and think 'wow, was I really that big?'" Really, I was sitting there saying I can't tell a difference between then and now! So, I was upset that he said that, even tho I *know* that he was trying to be supportive, and I know he sees a difference.

But back in the fall when I started going to the gym and stuff, he was saying how great I looked- but I guess he was lying since obviously I was HUGE. So now I don't know if I can believe him when he says I look good now. Ugh.

AND, the triple blow was I was talking to a friend (who sees me almost every week) about how I just went thru my closet to get rid of stuff, and now there is so much more room that I'm thinking I need new summer clothes. Her response? "Oh, you shouldn't get rid of it all, save the stuff that's in good condition, maybe you'll fit into it again someday." WHAT? So, I said I hope not, since I don't plan on gaining the weight back, but was really hoping it was off for good. She stared at me and said she thought I was getting rid of clothes that I was too big for. UGH! I was feeling so good, getting rid of all my 3x, 2x, and 1x shirts (from Lane Bryant, but still) but I guess all my hard work isn't showing.

Sorry to be such a downer, but my motivation seems to be on vacation this week. I really hope TOM is coming early, cause I need something to blame this on ROFL

Hope you all are in better spirits

[strawberryeyes]

hi thanks aimin u sure did a great job keep it up in no time ull reach ur goal 5 pound away wow !!!congrats in advance from me
n lux dear theres nothing wrong in writing ur heart out you know its a good thing and 3o pounds ago ur husband comments shows how much he loves u no matter how many pounds n what size u are n now when he says something abt ur weight loss its because u look even more beautiful to him n dont bother abt ur friend next time when somebody says anything like that just jokingly reply that oh ya who knows maybe somebody else who gains this much might be needing these clothes like maybe u can gain too u know n that ll shut em up 45 pounds (according to ur ticker )is not an easy job u should be proud of urself n we also proud of you i remember a lady whose hubby used to pass sarcastic remarks abt her figure n weight n even when she starts losing he kept on saying one day u say ill do this n next day you say i wanna diet he discouraged her but she kept on her struggle n did it at least ur hubby is not like that so baby keep on doing that diet n exercise you can do it now be happy

[Snowbrocade]

Hi everybody!

Super tired this week due to having problems sleeping. The doc gave me a prescription that is supposed to help but then they didnt have it at the pharmacy!!

Also have not lost anything since last week--I am in the slowdown phase now--I wish I could lose weight at the same rate as when I start a plan@!

Aimin: great job you are an inspiration--is it an exercise DVD?

Bridget: You have to tell your doc something like that--they are usually so swamped that they dont notice--when I told my doc a few years ago that I had lost 35 lbs he really freaked he was so happy! As for the friend--is this the same one who didnt notice the last time? She is probably having trouble dealing with the changes in your relationship--you know--you dont want to eat with her anymore etc. And sometimes this process lets you know who your friends are. Sounds like your hubby is all the way on your side and totally notices!! PLus if you dont fit in your clothes then you will notice--plus getting new clothes will make a big difference too--sometimes if you are wearing baggy stuff it is hard for people to see. Anyway cheer up and dont let this get you down and keep you from your goals.

[Snowbrocade]

I got a tip to look at the maintainers board--there is some really great inspirational stuff about how to do this for a lifetime--which is what I want to do.

I thought of you Bridget, because there is this woman named Meg who lost about a hundred pounds five years ago and she had this great post about what she has done to keep it off. she has another post where she was talking about how people hassle her about how she maintains her weight--trying to get her to eat or saying she exercises too much--so even when we lose people want to hassle us about our bodies!!

Check it out guys--there is a great thread called This is my five year anniversary and another one that has all the mainenance classics--the best posts.

[strawberryeyes]

hi everybody hows life going?
this week is kinda slow everything seems so boring and monotonous my diet is also going slow i occassionally munch my daughter's goldfish biscuits but since yesterday im munching em after every 10 mins n i didnt drink any water yesterday maybe thats because im munching a lot n the weather is also getting warmer which is a good thing i was tired of wearing winter clothes but winter clothes do hide ur extra weight ppl think maybe that perosn is wearing los of stuff thats y
hey snow what is nutri system?do they deliver meals at ur door/n what abt ur visit at this weekend are you going?hope u enjoy a lot

[ktandthesmurfs]

Hey everyone.

ON Tuesday I hurt my back pretty badly which means no exercise for a while. I'm going to watch what I eat and hope all goes well.

[Snowbrocade]

Hi Strawberry;

Hey watch out for not drinking water--it can really stall you especiallyif you are eating lots of salty treats! I leave tomorrow for out of town. I am worried because even tho I have been doing great I tend to do some emotional eating when I go visit my family--they are great but also stressful.

Nutrisystem is a diet plan where they send you most of the food you will be eating--your entrees and snacks. For me it is a great plan so far. I have been trying to get on a diet for a while with no success. I find having my food all ready for me helps--I dont have to think about what to eat. Plus having bought it I dont want to cheat. You do supplement with dairy, fresh fruit and veggies. I think it is very healthy and do-able--I can take it anywhere I go because it does not need to be refridgerated and there is tons of variety. It is teaching me to eat smaller portions and to focus on salad as my free food. Most of the food is pretty good--I would equate it with average airline food.

Also, it is actually pretty cheap--I guess some of the pre-prepared food plans can be really expensive but this one it seems to be about equivalent to what I was already spending. If anyone is interested I can send you a coupon if you want to try it.

Okay so I am down a pound today--yippee--I was getting tired of my little stall. So one more to go for the rest of the week. I am going to town today so I get my little starbucks treat instead of two dairy servings--a fat free sugar free decaf cinnamon dolce latte hee hee!

KT--Bummer! Take care of that back and ice it--that really helps!

[strawberryeyes]

hello where is everybody?no new posts???????????????
my week went well but i lost only 2 or at the most 2.5 lbs unlike last week coz i have been munching all the time but i kept up with the exercise how is everybody else doing??

[dcapulet]

weigh in today...

2.5 lbs lost, 17.5 to go!

[abecedarian]

I was shocked when I got on the scale this morning..I was down to 218! I still need to walk more, and want to increase my water intake a bit, but I'm happy..

[Catmint]

Good morning everyone! I am sorry to say I didn't lose any weight last week, but at least I didn't gain any, either. I am not surprised, though, since I wasn't terribly motivated the last half of the week, and we stayed with friends this past weekend (which is always a diet-buster!). So I'm still only down 2 pounds out of 35 for the Labor Day challenge.

I'm starting fresh this week, though. I know I've been bad about drinking water, so I've decided to go back to buying bottled water. I know it's pricier that way, and not really necessary because we have a water filter on our kitchen sink, but it's easier for me to keep track of water if I have it in bottles. I try to drink 5 bottles a day.

Aimin4thin, your post is an inspiration to me. I like your food choices and think something similar could work for me. I love hearing people's success stories. Thanks for sharing!

Good luck this week everyone!

[aimin4thin]

Sorry gals... Didn't mean to go MIA. It has been really busy lately and I needed some time to catch up on all of the posts.

Lux- girl, the entire time I have known you from the May challenge board, you have always been so upbeat and such an inspiration. You have done so well and have done so in the midst of having kids to take care of, a husband who loves caloric food... it has not been easy for you at all and you are always so sunny and bright on the forum. The Lux I know believes in herself, is proud of herself and will not take no for an answer when it comes to accomplishing her goals. So, at times like this when the (probably jealous) friend gives you the "complinsult" which is what I called the combination compliment insult, or the busy self-focused doctor or the hubbie who thinks he is saying the right thing...when those folks get you down, you have to pick yourself up and realize that your confidence, your progress...all of how you feel about you doesn't come from THEM...It comes from YOU. How do YOU feel about what you have accomplished? The validation will come from external sources in time... but what matters most, right now for you is the INTERNAL validation. How do you feel about you? And I know the answer to that. YOU FEEL GREAT ABOUT YOU and you feel so proud of what you have accomplished and YOU SHOULD!!! You are an amazing person and you are strong, dedicated, kind, compassionate, and yes... you are BEAUTIFUL so get out there and reflect on the outside all of the wonderful things you have going on inside... Then people will be wowed!

Snow- Thanks! yes... It is an exercise DVD and it has done wonders.. But you don't need the dvd to get the full effect of one of the exercises. Simply hold in your stomach- like you do when you suck in all of your breath (but keep your breathing as normal as possible) Hold that sucked in pose for about 30 seconds at first and then let it go...repeat that as many times as you can a day. In two weeks, you will have inches missing from your stomach! They have been featuring this "vaccum" pose in ediets magazine, shape magazine and now on Hip Hop Abs...it is apparently one of the only ways you can get flat abs and is 100 times more effective than crunches. The happy part for me is that I can do it at my desk all day long... So even when I am at work in my totally computer-based sedentary job, I can flatten my abs!

Keep up the good work though- trust me those plateaus are HARD - remember the entire month of February when I didn't lose a single pound??? But now, 5 pounds from goal- I am here... you will get off the plateau too and be near your goal. Remember, slow and steady wins the race!

Keep up the good work Strawberry - 2 pounds a week is how it's done! You go girl!

Thank you, Cindy! You have to find a meal plan that doesn't make you crazy. Trying to stick to LA weight Loss, the Ediets plans and all of that just was too hard to do with my schedule. They are all great plans, don't get me wrong...but when it came down to it, Lean Cuisine was easier for me... You and I are both struggling to get enough water in...fancy a water-accountability buddy?


Well, I am going a little stricter on my diet this week- Primarily to atone for my Mexican food weekend which fortunately has not resulted in a gain...yet... but secondarily because this weekend I will be in my first bikini in 17 years! YEEKS... Although, last night my best friend said to me " OMG, you look SO skinny..have you lost even MORE weight?" and when I was getting ready for bed, my hubbie said " you look HOT" so I feel much better about the bikini now Wish me luck!

Have a great day!
Sincerely,
LG

[barbmarie]

Monday weigh in 166!
The difference this week is I have been walking to pick up my son from school. Easily puts me over my 10,000 step per day goal. Bad thing is I lost my cell phone during my walk but now I dont feel so bad about it!. I am not a big poster, but am reading every day. Keep up the good work all, summer is just around the corner!.
Barb

[helpmelose]

I am happy to say that this past week I have lost 2.5 pounds!! I was very surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning to see that much gone. I kinda had a crappy day on Saturday, I ate a lot of oreos and coconut macaroons, but at least they are all gone now!

Aim - I am going to try that sucking your stomach in thing! It sounds interesting and anything that will help take off inches. Do you have any suggestions for thighs and booty?

I am also not much of a talker/writer but I do read the posts! Good Luck to Everyone this week!