Commitment to Christmas
 

I know Christmas is a long way away.
(It's also my absolute favorite time of the year).
it is 32 weeks from today actually, I just counted! ;)
I am going to be maintaining by then, but in order to do that, I need to really, really commit to this & I need company.

I weighed 153 this am. I know a few pounds are water, but I am off the wagon and need to get it together. If I lose just about a pound a week on average, I will be at 120 by Christmas, that would be awesome. My stretch goal is to lose 1.25 and get to 111.

Who else needs to commit to this for the long haul?

Hey, great idea. I just set Christmas as my goal line a couple of weeks ago, so this is PERFECT for me. I have a lot more to lose than you, so my goal is a little higher but even if i get close to that goal i will be happy. My motto is, as long as i am going in the right direction, i will get there eventually.

I am calorie counting and exercising 6 days a week. What plan are you on? I have been doing well...until Mother's day anyway and that just kind of threw me off whack. I am back on track now, but i am sure last weekend destroyed any chance of a loss for this Friday's weigh in, so i am really fired up about the coming week and getting back to losing.

Thanks for this challenge.

I'm on board for christmas!! I INTEND to be 115 by that time. I plan to be that before christmas...but i WILL be 115 by christmas this year.

If i could just stop having birthdays to go to, i'd do okay. I got a party this weekend i'm hosting and we're having chinese foods. And cake!! And then the first week of june is my oldest daughters bday. More cake!! Last weekend was my bf's downstairs neighbors who sent up this plate full of cake...and it was soooo good. Then the week before that was Admin. Assist. day and before that my birthday and before that...another co-workers bday. Good heavens!! And let's dont forget Mothers Day that just came and went. OMG!!! But...I am trying to stay more focused during the week. And working out 4-5 times a week. Going for 50 miles jogged or more if i can...which i'm doing good on since i'm already at 32 miles last night.

okay...sorry if i'm rambling.

MY Christmas goal: 115

Count me In!
 

You can count me in! I'm new to this site - just registered today. We are going on a cruise in November and it's time to get in shape! Must get into a bathing suit and look presentable! At this point, I'd just like to comfortable in my own skin.

My story is pretty much the same as yours. So, here I go again!
I'm starting at 194 :o and if I can lose 2 lbs./week, that would put me around 130 on Christmas Day. I can use all the support I can get! Thanks ladies!

Also, I wanted to add my weight ticker to my posts. I know I can't add a signature right away as a new user, but can I cut and paste it into my posts? Does the board use html or bbc codes? Thanks!

Hey Saved!!! Welcome aboard. I don't have an answer to your question but wanted to welcome you!! Good luck!! I know you can do it. It is definatly possible to hit your goal. And you have come to the right place to get all the support, encouragement and knowledge you will need to succeed!!

Thanks to all of you for being here with me. Let's do this!
Stacy, I use low carb together with paying attention to fat & calories, so healthy low carb, lots of chicken fish and veggies and when I stick with it, it works great but I've been bingy lately. Stopped that today! I also try to exercise somehow every day, but mix it up a lot, just finished C25K but then hurt my back so haven't run in a couple weeks, going to restart about week 6 I think.

Lumi- hey I've missed you, let's get back on the losing track! I love sweets too, I have to cold turkey to stay away. Can't have just a bite, it's not in my power I guess!

Saved, I am not sure of the answer to your ticker ?? either, but I got mine at the Ticker Factory, you can probably find the answer there!

Morning all, day one back OP was OK! I need to up my exercise, but, my food choices were good and I did get crunches and a nice walk in.

Saved, where ya cruising too? I love cruises, such a nice relaxing way to vacation!

Getnhealthy- good luck on the WI today. Let us know!

Lumi- I love the 50 miles a month idea. I think I will use that for a goal next month too. We could even keep adding it and increasing and go for 500 miles by Christmas!

Mmavis...love the idea of 500 miles by christmas!!!! Aw...i've missed you too. I haven't really been posting a whole lot the past 2 months because i had nothing to post really. But I am back now. I did skip the gym last night but intend to go tonight. My legs were bothing me and my knees yesterday. But a day off and now ready to go get my 4 or 5 miles in tonight!!!

I think i did pretty good yesterday eating wise. I might have went over 1200 some, but not too bad. I tried to watch my portion of mashed potatoes and ate alot of turnips. My chicken breast was not so big, so i really tried to fill up on veggies. I think it worked pretty good.

I agree, I've been trying to post my WEED everyday, but it's hard to stay motivated if you are off track. That's why I was hoping for an "out there" goal like Christmas.

We can make some major changes by then!!

I've been good too for the last couple day!

hi im new to this forum and i would like to participate in this challenge too. i plan to stay within my cal range except for 1 cheat meal a week and to jog 3 times a week for 2 miles and cross train on at least one of day. also weights 4 times a week.
good luck everyone!

Wlcome Haleygirl! Looks like you've been doing great! We are glad you're here.
Good Luck to you too!

I am so up for this! Sign me on. That is a real goal to work for and tonight I will decide what to do for my goal:carrot: I am on my first day, too. I just asked someone about the trackers, and was told that like many things, we need to reach certain goals here (like 30 days or #of posts) because of spammers: so like you, we can hang in there together. I have a bout 75 lbs to lose, but definitely not by Christmas! Have a great evening, and I will keep reading.

Kathy;)

:welcome: Kathy!

We are happy to have you.

I'm really glad to see so many ladies signing up. I don't know about the rest of you, but I need the long term goal, that way when I have off days, and I do sometimes :?: I can see the bigger picture and get back on track.

I can't wait to see how far we can get by Christmas!

Right now, I am shooting to get back to ticker weight by the end of the month, then down from there!

MOTHERMAVIS!!! You just made my day!!! :hug: Here I've been, stressing about being back up, almost 260 :(:(:(:( But telling me that it's 32 weeks til Christmas, if I lose TWO pounds a week until then, I would actually be um 258-64= 194...I could be under 200 by then! Makes the journey ahead seem less daunting.

BTW for those new to the challenge threads, MMavis actually has an exercise named after her...she is the CRUNCHES queen, so we challenge ourselves to x number of MMunches (MotherMavis Crunchies) every day. I hope to get in 20 MMunches today, I'm planning to hit the gym twice today. It may sound extreme, but I'll take DD (4) there this morning and go again after supper tonight with DH and DS (8). Like a huge sprint to jump start the new beginning.

I'm excited to be on board! Thanks for starting a long-term committment. Anyone interested in short sprints to keep the motivation going, pop on over to the WEED threads! Can't wait to get to know ya'll!

Hi gang, I'd like to be with you guys on this journey if you'll have me! :)

I've been thinking alot about Christmas (all the fall holidays, actually), wanting to feel GOOD and HEALTHY at all the events and family get-togethers that happen that time of year AND wanting a New Years Day where I wasn't feeling miserable about being fat!

I love that this is a long-term thread, so hopefully everyone will stick together for the whole thing -- whether we're having a good day or a bad day (people tend to drift away during bad days, which is EXACTLY when they should be HERE!) let's see it through!

Okay...i did okay over the weekend. I haven't weighed myself since saturday morning when i weighed in at 138. I have to say that had me so happy because with TOM and all...i was seeing 140 and 141. So, i was a little nervous. I don't think i did all that bad with weekend eating..but i didn't do very well with weekend water or weekend excersizing. I did my 4 miles on friday and that was it. So, tonight i hit the gym and am trying to get all my water back in. Eating is not sooo bad, but it ain't sooo good either. I didn't go home last night so i had to stop off for breakfast and ate homemade chinese left overs for lunch. But i tried to watch my portion size on it. Definately hitting the gym for either 4 or 5 miles tonight, and tomorrow night and thursday night and probably friday morning.

Just a reminder to myself that my goal for christmas is 115 pounds. Or at least 120.

I think I am overwhelmed by shooting too far for a goal, and then shooting myself in the foot! I think I will try to lose 3 lbs a month by Christmas, which should be 21 lbs, if I can add correctly this evening. We have had the "morning after the full moon" syndrome all day at the Hospital and it was just awful! That will put me in good shape for the holidays. I will re-evaluate in 12 weeks and hopefully I won't have to adjust my goal down. I have a new dance class schedule and my 9 y/o's last day of school is Friday, so I will decide next week about how to fit in exercise that works. Changing schedules always messes me up. But at least I have made a goal or 2 today, so it is all GOOD! Have a good evening ladies.

Kathy;)

Michelle - I am SO glad you came over to join us & it's true, we can make a lot of changes between now and Christmas.

Josephine - Welcome to you too, we all look forward to getting to know you. How true about drifting away during bad days, I have been guilty of that as well. But I am in this for the long haul, I want to change my life, not my weight, I NEED for this to be a lifetime sustainable commitment because I do NOT intend to lose this weight, only to find it again.

Kathy, good job on making your goals. What kind of dance do you do? And what do you do at the hospital? Feel free to tell me to MYOB of I am too nosy! :D

I have been thinking a lot about goals, Michelle outed me, I am great at doing my crunches, not so good at keeping my eating clean! I usually do fine until I get home, then nibble my way into oblivion from there. Not practical for me to take all the food out of the house as I have two boys (17 & 20) and a hubby who live here too. Besides, if I am going to make it a life change, I need to get a handle on that. So I guess that will be my goal for the next 2 weeks. I am going to plan every bite and nothing into thy mouth that is not on that sheet of paper. I also need to get my running shoes on so I can chase Lumi as we are thinking of chasing each other 500 miles by Christmas! We would love to have you all join in that too as kind of a keeping us on the exercise track. (And it's OK if you don't run, count your walking miles)

OK, got to hop over to WEED to make my daily vows, then crunches and a video, then off to get into the shower. I owe, I owe, so off to work I go! :comp: TTYL

I'm new here, but I'd love to join you all in this Christmas Challenge. I've already set a goal for myself in FitDay to reach 165 lbs by Christmas, so this is the perfect thread for me. I need to lose about a pound a week at this rate. For me, exercise is way more the focus than food. I don't eat all that well, but not terribly badly either. I need to watch my portions and eat more veggies, as well as be careful at parties. Other than that it's just finding time - and motivation - to exercise, exercise, exercise. I'm having an awful time getting to my exercise this morning, which is why I'm still in my pjs and at the computer!!

My biggest concern with meeting my goal is that I have very little muscle at the point I'm starting from, so I've fluctuated a lot in the two months I've been trying to lose, and not really ended up any lower yet. I keep putting on muscle, which burns more fat but in the mean time is adding to my weight. It's so hard not to be discouraged by that! But I know eventually there will be a turning point and it will start to come off.

Anyways, I should get to that exercise! Good luck to all of you who have joined so far, I look forward to encouraging you all and cheering you on! :grouphug:

Oh, and I almost forgot - what does WEED mean?

Morning gang!

Hi Betsi -- I'm a bit of the opposite from you: left to my own devices I'm a terrible binge eater with just the worst eating habits you could imagine. But I LOVE exercise and have no problems getting plenty. All my real effort and mental energy has to go into eating "on plan". I wish I had your general natural inclination to eat okay. But I haven't gone off plan since I made this commitment to myself 69 days ago, and that is a huge record for me not to have had a single binge (or even a single TASTE of anything off plan!) in 69 days. Now I'm hoping for true abstinence when it comes to binging.

Oh, and I don't know what WEED is either!

Mothermavis -- where is the 500 miles by Christmas thread? I'm already in a couple of running threads, but I haven't see that one. I am a big-time meal planner, but I have to be in order to manage my binge eating.


As for me today: I've done my 5.15 mile run this morning and now I've got to plan my meals out for the day. I need to mow the backyard and I've got alot of other gardening work to keep me busy and active today. I'm having fresh pineapple for breakfast and it is just DELICIOUS!

Oooh can I join? According to all the calorie counting sites I*should* be at goal at Christmas... hmmm

Support and best wishes to all!

Hey all!! WEED is W=Water E=Eats E= Excersise D= Daily affirmations.

I don't think we have a 500 miles to christmas thread...but maybe we should start one!!! How many miles would that be per month??? Starting June 1st...that would 71.43 miles by christmas. What do ya think?? Is a 500 miles to christmas too hard to keep up with???

MMavis....you are too funny. Come on girl. Get your shoes on and we'll run to our weightloss together!!!

Talking about what we're good at....some days i'm good at my eating...other days i am soooo far off plan, it isn't even funny. Then some weeks i am so on with me working out, and other weeks...we won't even talk about. I have really gotta get the two together and make it happen. To be at 115 by christmas, i only have to lose 2.58 pounds a month...but i'd like to make it happen before christmas. But hey...if i can lose 2.5 pounds a month...that's nothing to sneeze at and definately better than gaining 2.5 pounds month...which is what i've done the last two months!!!

YES! ME TOO! Count me in , I need to be at least 155 by Christmas.

Hello All:

I am new to this forum, and really would love to be 155 lbs by Christmas...at least. At max, I would like to eventually be 140lbs. Right now I just started so losing 10 lbs is my first focus, and then another and another. I think I should be in pretty good shape to be somewhere btwn 140 and 155 by then FOR SURE!

However... I have a question for everyone here on the board. I am not trying to sound critical or a worrywart but I have had female friends who go from determined to overboard, and I have seen some stuff here and there that make red flags go up in my head.

I know some of us have completely different bone structures (small. medium, large), and genetics so to some women 150 might be large, but for me- a muscular, and fairly medium to large boned lady, at 5' 7" I feel like 140 should be my max lowest weight, with something like 150 being really good for me. I guess I wont' know until I get there, but I get a little concerned when looking around the boards. For some of us starting at 250, or 190 and being significantly taller heights, is it really healthy to aim to be 115 when you're already 120? I think at some point you should be happy that you obtained your goal? I am not knocking anyone on this thread, I just get worried that some people might not know when to stop? Does anyone else feel like they see this on the board or elsewhere?

Maybe I am just nuts, and I am underestimating how much weight one can lose, and how much weight I really have on my body. I was reading somone's Goal posting and she was saying that she always thought she was big boned, but when she lost weight it turned out that she really wasn't big boned- even though she felt it. She wasn't a short lady, and in the end I think she ended up being 127 lbs from 196. So... maybe I am over-concerned??

Unfortunately, we can't control what other people think they should weigh. I hear everyone who personally knows me, thinks i shouldn't lose any more weight. And where i might look good in my clothes, i know about the potbelly that is hanging over my undies...that they don't see. Or the back fat that rolls out underneath my bra. Things that they don't see because i wear figure flattering clothes. And i know i used to be 100 pounds...and that was alittle too skinny for me...but i think 120 would put me being perfect. Well...as perfect as a normal, everyday person who can't be airbrushed, can be. lol. And yeah...i've seen post by members that i think are just crazy being 6'1" and wanting to weigh 100. (Just making that part up folks for emphasizes (sp??)), but what can you do?? We are here to support people. While we don't encourage someone to lose too much weight but we still try to be here for them as best we can. We encourage those people to read certain post or sticky threads that might be beneficial to them. But ultimately, the only person who can decide if they have lost enough or too much weight is the person doing the losing.

On another note, welcome to the challenge. I hope we will be able to encourage you and support you to victory by this christmas. I know it seems as if i should be at goal by now but i just have a few more inches to lose...mainly in the gut. The most dangerous place to have fat. I truely believe most of the weight i have left to lose is all in the trunk. And it is the most stubborn to get rid of. But together, we can beat this!!!! WELCOME ABOARD!!!!

I think the number of people on this board who have what I (without knowing any true information about them so it would be just an instinct) might consider to be extreme low weight goals is VERY small. Most people seem pretty moderate in their goals.

We can all really only speak to our own bodies with any authority. I'm 5'10 with a 140 goal, and I've been 140 within the last 2 years so I know for a fact that it is by no means an extreme low weight for me (I have a very small frame). :)

:crossed:Evening all. I am crossing my fingers for a better day than I had today, and then I felt bad too.

Well, mothermavis, I come from a big family and I will have no problem telling anyone to MYOB if I need to! Besides, it's fun getting to know everyone. How can you find out anything if you don't ask?

I do Tap (hence the moniker, with my favorite flower) and our adult Jazz class is a combination of 30 minutes of pilates or yoga and 30 minutes of Jazz. It is as much fun to dance as anything else in those 2 classes. We can get pretty silly, and sometimes you just need to laugh. The teacher is presently 7 months pregnant at age 42, and is still putting us to shame. She has switched excuses from blaming things on Alzheimer's to "I can't think when my brain is in my uterus swimming in hormones" when she switches steps on us from week to week. I am going to test the waters tomorrow. For the summer, the classes are on the same night, and I'm not sure that being diabetic if I can go for 2 hours straight. During the school year, they are on different nights because of the kids' classes. As to nursing, I am a Recovery Room nurse--taking care of patients directly after surgery. My husband is an anesthesiologist, so he tells people that he puts them to sleep and I wake them up. Sort of true, but it's cute. Tomorrow, my daughter's school is having Field Day, so I am spending my day off playing nurse at school. Usually it's fun with a few bumps, bangs and bruises, cuts, rope burns, bug bites. 2 years ago we had 2 broken arms, so that wasn't good. The only thing I really hate is when I go out to school to help with lice checks, and you find some. NASTY!!!! Your boys are just a little younger than mine--20 and nearly 22, and my daughter is 9. Never a dull moment!

I did get all my goals done yesterday, and lost 1/2 lb, so I am on my way toward Christmas. I didn't get any goals accomplished today, but it is hard when you don't feel good. Better luck tomorrow, plus I'll be dancing!

Every body have a great day Wednesday. Welcome to all the new names I saw as I was reading posts.

Kathy :D

Wow, so exciting to see all the new names, can't wait to get to know everyone. Takes me a bit as I can't get on the computer during the day at work and share it w family at night (homework must have priority! :D)

I just started the 500 miles by Christmas thread. I think that is really doable goal. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142906

Kathy, tap dance, that's neat and great exercise I bet. I remember taking classes when I was younger, that's something I have not thought of in a while, will have to look around and see if there are classes near me. Eww to the head lice, I agree though, I remember when the boys were little and you'd get the dreaded note , "head lice were found in your child's classroom", made ya itch just to read it!

Nicky, I agree with some of the others. I am shooting for at least 120 but I think more in the 110 range, if I am happy with the results at 120 I'll stop, but for perspective, I have a 5.25 inch wrist, so I am small framed, not out of the range for me. I have always heard 100 lbs for 5 feet and then 5 for each additional inch, but healthy has to be the goal for all of us. That said, we are glad you are here. :carrot:

Glittering pink, cool name! Welcome!

Lumi, you rock, don't ya love how doable our goals are when we map them out to Christmas!

Josephine 69 days OP. :cheer2: you are my idol! I made it through day 1 OP yesterday!

Betsi, about the gaining muscle and bumming because it doesn't show in weight, have you tried taking your measurements. That helps me a lot, when I see that even though I have not lose a pound, I am down an inch in my waist!

OK folks, got to go do my crunches and get in the shower. I have started car pooling to save gas and I have to pick the other lady up in an hour as it is my week to drive!

Please tell me it's not too late to jump onto this Commitment to Christmas! I started South Beach on the 15th and just started in on these forums a few hours ago (I work 3rd shift -- it gives me something to do when we're not busy!). I would LOVE to hit my 2nd Mini-Goal of 172 by Christmas which means 43.4 pounds in 32 weeks or an average of about 1.35 pounds per week. It won't be easy but I think it might be doable!

A little bit about me: I'm Karen, 32, live in central NY, have a gorgeous almost-2 year old son, an incredible boyfriend, a freakish dog, and work the 11pm-7am shift as an auditor at a hotel 5 nights a week! In fact, my shift is just about done so unfortunately I'm going to have to cut this short but I hope to get to know you all a lot better over these next 32 weeks!

Morning gang!

Hey Karen, welcome! I gotta ask: what makes your dog freakish? I thought I had the corner on that market!! ;)

Kathy -- Tap class sounds like so much fun! Have you been tapping since childhood or did you pick it up as an adult?

MMavis -- I'll go check out the 500 miles by xmas thread!

I just got back from my run and ick was it hot. I'm going to have to go back to starting when it is still fully dark out or doing more running at night because once the sun is up here I just get miserable. I'm always so optimistic thinking it won't be TOO hot and then I'm always terribly miserable on the last mile! When will I learn? I've been spoiled sleeping in a little late, but enough of that. Gotta get out the door earlier!

I've gotta sit down and plan my daily meals now and then get cracking on some chores. DH asked me to give his office a spring cleaning (not my favorite task) and I was so absorbed in major gardening/landscaping yesterday that I never actually mowed the back yard. I'm going to save that task for dusk when it will be cooler!

It's so much fun reading everyone's stories and getting to know one another. If anyone wants to read my intro post it should still be towards the top on the Introductions board. Sorry, I'm too new to link to it.

Yesterday I managed to eat better than usual, I think - tough to say as I had to estimate on my dinner and dessert. I consider any day I keep my calories under 2,000 to be a win, since according to FitDay just my lifestyle and basal metabolic burn adds up to about 2,500. If I eat 2,000 calories or less per day I should lose a pound a week even if I don't get extra exercise, right? I guess it depends on how accurate FitDay is. :)

I also got exercise in yesterday morning which is good since I'd kind of slacked off for about a week. I did a Yourself!Fitness Physical Challenge, which is where every 10 workouts it checks to see how you do at jumping jacks, squats, crunches, push ups, and flexibility. I showed improvement in most areas, which is good. Then I did Jorge Cruise's 8 Minute Moves from the book of his that I have "8 Minutes in the Morning for Extra Easy Weight Loss". I was curious to try these because they seemed way too "extra easy" to make any difference. But I think they must be as good as he says, because despite how simple and easy they were I was feeling the muscle ache by afternoon, and am still feeling it.

Mmavis, I do try to measure as well, but I've only just started a week or so ago so I haven't seen any change yet.

On the discussion of goal weights; I chose my goal of 165 as it is just barely into the range that the BMI considers healthy for my height. (Also it's around the top of the "one size fits all" range for hosiery and I have a passion for funky tights.) I would very much like to be a bit lower than that, but given that I'm going to be putting on a bunch of muscle to get there I don't know if I really will. I'm also fairly large boned, and I can't imagine weighing the lowest "bmi healthy" weight for my height and looking good or being healthy. I weighed about 125-130 when I was really ill once and I looked terrible! Boney and disproportionate. I'm very bottom-heavy because I have what my mother calls "child-bearing hips" so when I'm very skinny I just look weird. It's so true that weight is how we measure our size because it's easiest, not because it's the most accurate portrayal of our health or size.

Good heavens, I can tell I didn't get enough sleep last night from the way I'm going on and on. :) Time to pull myself away from the computer and see about doing my exercise. Oof! Still sore, maybe I'll take an ibuprofen first...

Well....i'm doing good on the exersize part of my goal to christmas. REally working on the food part so i can start seeing some pounds leaving. I have been checking my measurements and i haven't lost anything yet. Matter of fact, looks like with this extra 5 pounds i put on...i gained about an inch or so. So..gotta drop back down inch wise and weight wise. I have just got to start cutting out my fav foods and go back to tuna, chicken and egg whites. No more sweets AT ALL!!!!! Time to buckle down. But don't get me wrong. I feel much better this summer putting on a bathing suit than i did last year. I am still down 20-25 pounds from last summer. And that is a good feeling...but i really want to hit my goal of 120 or 115 by no later than christmas.

ive been doing good all around this week weighin day is friday. its so hard getting the ball rolling lol

My weigh-in day is Friday too, I'm eager to see how I'm doing. I admit I succumbed to scale-addiction and checked my weight just now. Down 1.5 lbs, but I'm trying to keep to once a week as my "official weight" so it's always the same places in my cycle. Hopefully the unofficial loss will keep me motivated to stay on track so I can make it official! :)

Evening all!:hug:

It was a pretty good day and the kids had a beautiful day to be outside. Only minor injuries this year. I am not sure I will be able to manage 2 hours of dance class without eating a little more, or a snack between classes, but we went fairly slow tonight. Tyler- except for a few weeks of High School dance classes, I had never done tap. My daughter does tap and jazz, and when they had an adult class last summer, I thought "how hard can this be if an 8 y/o can do it?". Fooled me! But it's fun, and I'm learning something new, and it's exercise. I want to get back to some water aerobics this summer.

I think I will join the bunch of you who weigh in on Fridays, to make it official. It will help me to both remember, and keep it honest.

Hi to all the new names (don't you just want to say faces?) and welcome.

Have a great Thursday! Kathy

I SORTA weigh-in on Fridays. I actually weigh-in Thursday nights before work and typically don't get to log it anywhere other than my notebook until it's technically Friday ... does that count? :D

I'm actually looking forward to getting on the scale this week. It's my first week on SB after many MANY not-so-good weeks on WW. I'm not really expecting as big of a loss as some have had because I'm going from one plan to another and haven't changed what I've been eating all that much, but I am real interested in seeing what cutting out my fruit & bread & beloved pasta has done!

I'm still going to shoot for 172 for my Christmas goal for weight and I think I'm going to add an exercise goal of getting off my butt for at least 20 minutes 3 times a week BEYOND the massive amounts of walking I already do! I don't drive so the walking is a necessity just to get around so I really don't count that as exercise much. I know I SHOULD get more than the 20 minutes x 3, but between the wacky work schedule and the toddler I figure this is a pretty high goal for me right now! I've got some of those 10-minute Solution dvds that I could probably manage to pop in twice a day some days without too much of an issue ... I hope!

Morning everybody!

I weigh in on the weekend, usually Saturday AM, I may change it to Friday to be consistent. I had a crappy couple weeks b4 starting this challenge and have to get back to my ticker weight before I can start counting down again ( I really want to change my ticker, always seems like such a big deal for me!).

Karen, welcome, nice to meet you. Your baby is so cute! What eyes!

Josephine, I was really motivated by your 69 days on plan note, that is so awesome. I am trying to look at this like when I quit smoking (6 years ago) I don't ever plan to start that again either, but when the craving would get really bad, I would try to just wait 10 more minutes, telling myself if the craving wasn't a little better, then I would think about it, but it always worked) I am trying to do something similar here, if i think I can't resist, just wait-go for a walk, get on the elliptical, something...we'll see, so far so good.

I am off until Wednesday after I work today, it's always hard to be good at home, but I am going use the time to get back to my running and get started on my 500 miles.

Lumi- I am with ya on the focus on the food, I have also tried to go back to my basic meals, I know what works and I need to stick with it!

Betsi, sounds like you did great with your exercise. I am a fan of Exercise TV, I pick one video, pretty much every morning. Some of them are great, some of them I hate (the Carmen Electra one's I can pass on!) but it gives me different workouts to try and I have the attention span of a hyperactive grasshopper.

Everybody, happy Thursday, have a great day!

Good morning everyone! Hope you all are feeling motivated and strong today! I know I am - I ache all over, and while that makes me a little grumpy it also makes me feel powerful and in control because I got my muscles moving and improving yesterday, and I plan to again today. Sometimes it's a fun challenge to see how many days I can keep up the ache, you know? In theory, I want to be exercising often enough that something always hurts a bit from exercising the day before.

I've been thinking about everyone's goals and how some of you are creating exercise goals as well. One of my exercise goals right now is to be able to do a pull up. Some of my friends are into circus arts and I was told that to get into doing aerial silks I need to shoot for being able to do that to start with. (My friends have some really wonderfully weird hobbies!) I'm wondering about setting that as a Christmas goal for myself. I'd like to think that it's too easy, but maybe I'll set that as my Christmas goal and if I reach it way beforehand I'll turn it into a challenge to see how many MORE than one I can do by Christmas.

I'm really trying to squeeze more muscle building into my day, and as I'm working through my Jorge Cruise book that's getting easier. I'm learning to hold both are out at the sides, or push down on a table, or other things I can do anywhere. I even do little bits while I reheat my coffee!

Yesterday was a weird food day for me. My calories were really low all day until after my sweetie and I got back from going for an evening walk together and we were hungry. Suddenly a snack bumped me from 1300 calories to 1900, according to my estimates. Ah well, still a good number for me - right now I'm typically burning 2,500 calories or more a day so if I keep my eating under 2,000 I'm all set.

Speaking of food and watching my calories, I'm really nervous about tonight because I'm going to a dinner for a friend who got promoted at her job. The place is a bit pricey so I'm feeling nervous about both the monetary cost and the potential calories. Thankfully they have their menu online, so I can try and plan ahead. I think my best bet will be this: Kathy - your dance classes sound awesome! What a fun way to get some exercise. You're motivating me to see what kinds of classes I could take in my area. I'd love to take bellydance, but it can be hard to find a class for that. If I find one, maybe I will use it as a reward for a mini-goal. It'll make it easier to justify the cost.

Karen - weighing in Thursday night works too. I think if we can all check on each other the same day, that's what will give us consistency about it. And if other people prefer another day than Friday I'm sure we'll all be here to cheer them on!

Mmavis, I know what you mean about the ticker. As a new member here I can't put one in my sig yet, but I got one from tickerfactory anyways, just because I could. I'm so antsy for tomorrow because I think I'm gonna get to bump that ticker downward. Since I recommitted to my weight loss a couple months ago the lowest I've seen on the scale has been 193.5 (it goes up and down a lot because of the whole added muscle thing) and I just can't wait til I can beat that!

Exercise TV sounds cool - is that a cable channel? I haven't had cable in years. So far Yourself Fitness is working well, but I wouldn't mind a bit more variety sometimes! :)

Guess that's all for me for now. Have a GREAT day everyone, and stick to your goals!

P.S. Love that "Santa can bring me skinny clothes" sig! That's just how I feel! :)

Morning all!

I weigh myself every morning for one of the challenge threads I participate in, but for my own blog I track my weight once a week with a Monday morning weigh in. It took some time to get used to stepping on the scale every day, I thought it would drive me crazy, but as it turns out it is very motivating and helps give me focus every morning. Since I weigh myself everyday I can report on Thursdays (or Fridays) for this thread if that is what everyone would like to do! :)

Betsi -- When I lived in Vermont I had a passion for funky tights, too. Now that I live in Florida I don't even own a pair of tights or a pair of hose, I'm bare-legged all that time. It's just too darn hot! "Circus arts"?!?! How cool is THAT! I'd love to try aerial stuff, how exciting! My sports are alot more pedestrian. I've done several triathlons and lots of running races with my longest race being a half marathon. In the future I'd really like to do a full marathon and some Olympic-length triathlons. And I'd like to do them reasonably well. So I keep that goal firmly fixed in mind when I'm out training.

:hug: Hey all!
OOOOH! Let me know how those 10 Minute Solutions are, Karen. I got one as a freebie in a package and haven't opened it yet.

Betsi-if you have cable, look on there to see if you carry the HealthiNation sessions. Our cable has bellydancing on one of the free exercise stations from HealthiNation. You might find something there. They also have videos on women's health, diabetes, HBP etc. Maybe your park district has adult classes, or the YMCA. I am working with the 3 Hour Diet book too. I am still getting hungry, but it could still be work related.

You are all so inspiring, and I'm having a good time reading the posts everyday. Thanks for sharing.

Kathy;)