:wave::wave::wave:
Hi! I'm here. Just crazy busy. My days are starting at 3 - 4 AM and it really takes a toll on a girl. I don't think I ever mentioned the fact that I decorate cakes in a bakery. I didn't, did I? The holidays are always very busy, but I love my job.


My challenge report~My exercise has been every other day and my eating was really great but I overate last night, not necessarily bad foods just too much. I am most definitely not making my turkey goal. I'm content just maintaining the next couple of weeks and then really trying to lose the rest (6 or 7lbs) after Christmas for our V-day challenge. I'm not wimping out I just feel really good about my body where it is right now and I love to bake and cook so I want to enjoy the season. I was going to take a picture to show you guys what my body looks like. I know 150 sounds doesn't sound as good as 140 but my 150 is a size 8 that is getting roomy on me already and you can see my ribs. When I have been 150 in the past I was still in a size 12. I think the running has really changed my body.
I need to still be careful not to overdue it so I am still in need of your support and would love to offer you mine as well. :hug:

Christie~ you are beautiful! You have come such a long way size 20 to a 12. Amazing accomplishment and I am so proud of you! I hope you have an awesome time at the concert. We know you have been looking forward to it for awhile now. Can't wait to hear about it.

Hattie~ Hi dear Hattie! I'm here. I'm here. :D You aren't going to let me fall off the wagon, are you? Your Harley is adorable! My parents had a golden retriever who used to sleep like that, it's the funniest thing to see. Our furbabies have no shame.

Urock~ Hi Girly! I know what you mean about the cold I got up at 3AM yesterday to try and run before work. It was dark out, 25 degrees, and oh yeah 3 in the morning. I couldn't make myself go. It kills me. SO I ran inside my house for 30 minutes. It was very ineffective plus I looked like a goofball. ( I think my dog was laughing at me) Oh,oh,oh you lost 2 more pounds WAHOO! Congratulations! Great Job! If you want a limb cut off to lose the last 4lbs this week, I'm completely qualified for a garage amputation. I have dull scissors and almost a RN nursing degree. Just give me a call< I'm here for ya sister!

Fullsteam!~Where are you woman!!!!! I hope you are just busy. Pop-in and say hi!

Shy~ hope you are doing well!

Thankful statement of the day- I am thankful for my brothers. I adore both of them and we truly have a great relationship. My older brother has been out of town for 5 weeks and as soon as he walked in the house and saw me he said "wow sis you look great". Gotta love that!

Dh, finally is home form work so I better get my gang fed. Take care my friends!

Hi everyone:wave:

Just checking in.

I am celebrating today! Lost 20 lbs? Reached final goal? Had a baby? NOOO

It is my birthday!

Today's thankful statement: I am thankful for my mom who brought me into this world. Thank you MOM!

Good morningggggggggg girls. I can't beleive how many posts I missed, lot's to catch up on....where did the time go? that's scary! anyways , more on me later........

Hattieeeeeeee, hey you! :) :bday2you::bday2you::celebrate::balloons: HAPPYYYYYYY BIRTHDAY! :hug: I hope you have a beautiful day and birthday. Wishing you health, love and happiness...today and always. Have a wonderful time.
Thanks for posting a pic of mac : ), you really dressed up the pic nice with the background and foreground, how cool! Thanks for checking on me, yessss was very busy and the time slipped through my fingers somehow. Congrats on being OP Hattie, you really are doing super....keep on truckin : ).

Christiannnn, yowsa you! lol :lol: I checked out all of your pics, quite frankly, I was awed! You look absolutely amazing, beautiful! I also love your hairstyle as well......nice! Your rocking it sweet girl! :) Congratulations on all of your accomplishments. I hope you are having an awesome time at the concert and looking forward to hearing your news.

urockmom, hi there : ) congratssssssssss on the 2 lb. loss! :carrot::cheer2: I lost 2 lbs. this week as well! It was nice to see that scale go down this week! As far as the Thanksgiving goal goes, i agree that progress is numero uno! I signed up for the challenge when there were exac. 7 weeks remaining and set a goal of 15 lbs. I had just completed 1 week of my plan prior to that and had a hefty loss of 5 and figured 2 per week plus 1 for good measure was attainable. My dear lady, I lost a total of 7 which would leave 8 lbs! I think the main thing is making progress and Christie said it best when she said a loss is great and now during the holidays! It's nice not to gain for a change! Thank god for you all here. It feels really great to be losing and not gaining. When this week is over, I will just start with a clean slate and set a goal from then to christmas.
It was freezing last night! lol. Stay warm indeed! It is very cold today too but thankfully we have the sunshine at least. God bless you for helping those in need :hug: Have a great day and be sure and bundle up.

Leneeee, hi there :) Tyyy for checking up on me :hug: Congrats on staying OP. I think that your thoughts and goal are very reasonable. Just maintaining right now through the holidays (and given your current weight) is a great goal in and of itself. You know something? I am the same height as you and about 3 yrs. ago was a size 8 at the same exact current weight as you! :lol: I was exercising of course and oh yeah, it makes a difference. I felt dynamite at that weight, I looked and felt great. I have a long ways to go now but my goal is to get back there and then lose more for good leverage, lol. I don't know if it will be the same though, I will need to exercise consistently this winter to pehaps see the same results as last time. In a nutshell, how one feels is more imp. than the number. You are doing wonderful and are an inspiration to me! : ) You all are.

As for me, the scale finally went down this week (cause I was good over the weekend most likely) 2 lbs. I went and spent the day at my parents the other day and it was a great visit as always. Got to bed early last night and caught up on some sleep, which I needed. I am going to a baby shower this afternoon into evening at that rest. Hoping there are some healthy choices available, I will be mindful of what I consume. I am sooooooo glad I already got the gifts, card, etc. I hate leaving things for the last minute and it is soooo cold out there today. I best be getting a run on, I want to try on my outfit for DH now that he has stuck his head out of the basement! lol. He took the whole engine apart on one of the carssss, big job! It's good we are going out tonight so the guy can get a breather. I hope you all have a super day and night. Happy weekend girls, luv ya :hug:

:bday2you: :bday2you: :woo:
Happy Birthday Hattie!!!! :gift: My present to you is this little sumo guy :sumo: and an exercise bike :ebike:, they were hard to wrap. Also I think you should let little sumo guy ride the bike too. He needs more cardio in his life. :D

I hope you have a wonderful day today!!!

Fullsteam~ There you are! Congratulations on the 2 lbs. Enjoy your the baby shower later today.

Nothing new from me. Have a great weekend ladies!

I am out of my funk! I just had to do some adjustments. I've been putting in a lot of fitness time and realized last week that I need to up my calorie intake. I went from 1700 day to a little over 2000 calories a day. I've been dropping pounds in a steady fashion and have seen great results over the past week. I think I'm going to reach my goal after all!!!! OMG this is great!!! :bravo: to me!

SBD: Awesome job!!! CONGRATS!:bravo:

Wonderful news Sass! Congratulations! :carrot:


I did my 5K run tonight. It was 26 degrees but I ran my little backside off. I have to admit part of my motivation was because I ate poorly this weekend. I said the other day I was okay with where I'm at, but I definitely don't want to gain anything. I'm stressed so I ate. It has always been that kind of cycle for me. I need to really behave the next couple of days to get back on track.

I hope everyone had a great weekend especially our birthday girl. Talk to you tomorrow.

Hey everyone! :wave: I'm back....

I have missed so much over the weekend!

First, :celebrate: :woo: :bday2you: Hattie!
I got you :burger: and :chockiss: and :jeno: but then realized, NO, Hattie doesn't need those for her birthday so I :eating2: them myself. And instead am giving you :dust:.
How's that for a friend?


Lene~Glad that you got your run in. Do you find that you run faster when it is colder because you are just trying to warm up? And then, you are doubled over on the side of the road gasping for air? Or, probably, that's just me! :D Sounds like a completely reasonable plan for you over the holidays. I know that when you work in a bakery you might get tired of the stuff but :yikes: you are working in the epicenter of calories. :bravo: for losing weight and doing so great under that kind of temptation!!! I am a complete slut~and I do mean complete, don't even ask what I would do for it~for cookie dough so I would be head in the mixer rather than running around the house!

Fullsteam~You have been doing great and should feel terrific about being 7 pounds thinner this Thanksgiving. I know just what you mean. I am not happy when the :devil: scale isn't moving down but I am ballistic when it is moving up! I think that we have all been doing great with this challenge even if we don't make it all the way to the finish line. I had set 16 pounds, which was probably ridiculous but now at least I have a better idea of what is possible over a longer time frame. :)

Christie~Did we lose you at the concert? Have you run off to become a groupie? Were you shakin' that skinny butt so hard that you completely disappeared? Are you still somewhere :dancer:?

Shy~We're still out here supporting you girl!

As for me, I had a terrific-albeit incredibly COLD-day on Saturday. We provided Thanksgiving meals for nearly 100 families so that is awesome! Plus, I can say this with great authority that frozen turkeys are really, really heavy and are a great weight workout! Sunday was the usual round of church, DDs sports stuff, laundry, getting ready for Monday, laundry, etc., etc. I was a bit off plan on Saturday since I had a bowl of clam chowder to warm up but it doesn't seem to have done any harm since I am the same weight as Friday. I am pushing through to Thursday to see how big of an appendage Lene's going to take off me. So glad you're willing to help as DH is a little squeamish with the chain saw. ;) Too bad there's no way to magically remove just my belly. Oh wait, right, lipo & a tummy tuck! Well, that's not in the cards so I'll just keep eating OP and doing crunches. :D Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

Thank you for the wonderful bday wishes!

Lene: I love my gifts! I don't have a bike. Yes..I will share with the sumo. As long as he doesn't break it!!! :club:

urockmom: I laughed about the gifts you gave me and then you ate them..:rofl: I love the dust much more anyway! You are a true friend! Way to go on the food given to 100 families!!! You are the best!! You deserve the turkey award: :turkey:

Fullsteam: Congrats on the 2 lbs!!! :congrat: :cheer2::cheer3:

Christian: You must have had a great time and needed time to recover...but we do miss you :smug:

Question: How do you weigh yourself? Clothes or no? Before eating or after breakfast? Morning or night? I can be up to 2 lbs lighter before breakfast and exercise. I have been weighing in after breakfast and exercising. Just curious..

Thankful statement for today: I am thankful for friends. You all of course! Friends from work and friends outside of work. I don't know where I would be without all of them. Thank you friends!

OK so I'm getting nervous...I've been coming up with eating scenarios for Thanksgiving and putting calorie numbers on it. The goal is to eat 1800 because I know I'm not going to workout that night since I have two homes to visit for Thanksgiving. If I try a little of everything (I got the menus from where I'm going) and I keep going over...so I'm trying to omit this and that if I eat this and add that...I love cranberry sauce!!! I love lemon cake...I love candied yams. OMG. If only I could just stay home for Thanksgiving then everything will be fine, but I can't get out going out for Thanksgiving...mom will kill me and the boyfriend will feel a little down because he's cooking - all unhealthy foods - and he knows I don't eat like that anymore. Oh the horror! :(

Here I am!
 

First things first...Hattie-:bday2::bday2you::celebrate::gift:, I hope it was the best Birthday ever :yes: oh and I weigh in first thing in the moring before breakfast- in my B-day suit :eek: :lol:

Lene- Cakes??? You rock girl! I would be back to 205 in no time if I had that job, you are awsome!! Also I am in the same boat as far as wanting to enjoy the holidays and sush, I am pretty secure where I am now too, but I will try to maintain through Christmas and then as you said, Valentines Challenge...here we come right ?? ;)

urockmom- A chainsaw??? You crack me up girl :rofl: and as far as working at the church, you are such a blessing for giving of yourself during this time :hug:

Fullsteam- Way to go on those 7 pounds :woohoo::congrat: You should be VERY proud of yourself, I know I am proud of you, this time of year people are notorious for gaining and well, you lost weight and that takes alot of determination :hug:

SBD Sass- Relax sis, it will be ok, I look at it this way, Thanksgiving is just one day, I decide whether to have a piece of granmas pie or not and if I want a sliver I will have one and then jump back on track, I feel like it is punishment to not enjoy it or to have to obsess about what I am going to eat that day, BUT if it is what you want to do, then you just stay strong and stick to your guns, you can do it , I know you can :hug:

Well the concert was AMAZING!!! I had to stand outside in the cold to get where I wanted too though as it was standing room only so if you wanted a good spot you had to be in line first to get it...my friend and I stood for over 2 and a half hours in about 35 degree weather but we got awsome spots and it really was worth it, I could also tell that my weightloss helped me tremendously, I mean we stood up for over 8 hours and I think I jumped up and down for 2 of them :lol: and I didnt even hurt afterwards, I felt like a teenager for sure and I am so glad I got to experience it :D I also got a new purse and a pair of jeans while I was at Penneys and I love the way I feel in those pants! I left the dressing room in a smile and I used to leave with disgust so that was huge for me :cheer2: Oh and I didnt quite make my Thanksgiving goal either, BUT I am 12.5 pounds lighter than when I started and I am ok with that, now to just maintain that during Christmas!:woohoo::goodscale I will try to post a few concert pics later today ladies , Keep up the great work and know I am here if you need me :hug:

HA! When do I weigh myself? That's an easy one-whenever I am lightest!!! :lol:

No, really, what I do is weigh myself in the morning when I get dressed to take DD to school, so this is after my coffee but before breakfast, and then later in the morning after my workout, also before breakfast. Whichever one is lighter is the one I go with for that day. Although most days they are the same. ;)

Sass~I'm with Christie. Relax about Thanksgiving. Granted facing two meals is hard but just take small portions of the things you love and larger portions of the vegetables-assuming they aren't drowning in cream of mushroom soup or butter! :D It's one day on a long journey. Enjoy it!!!

Christie~So glad that you had a great time at the concert! I am sure that all those workouts helped your jumping!

I am going to pick up the turkey today and try to wrestle into my already full fridge. I am really, really trying to lose 2 more pounds before Thanksgiving as then I'll be half-way on my journey. (Just seems like it will be a great mental boost!)

I'll check back later! :grouphug: :dust:

Concert pics
 

Here are a few pics from the concert!

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. It's just that I'm losing pounds nicely right now and I don't want to mess it up. I'm about to go look up the nutrition facts about cranberry sauce.

Have a good day everyone!

Hiiiiii ladies :)

Miss you all. I am getting off to an awfully late start today and I have so much to do. As much as I enjoyed all of the social events the past few weeks I really like to have some free time now to just relax and catch up with things around the house. I need to organize my clothes too, they are thrown on my bedroom dresser from trying on stuff! lol
I want to say thank you so much to all of you for your encouragement and support, thanks girls! :hug: The shower on saturday was lovely and boy did they have quite the spread! I had a very light lunch and then ate a bit of everything on my plate at dinner. I did okay sat. but was completely not OP on sunday. I feel like I am floundering a bit and a bit worried about the long holiday weekend. Dh will be home thurs.-sun which I am absolutely thrilled about but we like to eat together so I am very conscience of not over doing it. I snuck a peek at the scale and am up a pound, so by sat. I need to get rid of that lb. and shooting to get rid of another lb. by months end.
I have to get going, need to make some calls...but wanted to wish you all a super duper day. I'll catch up with you all again soon. A big hug for you all, ty again my dear ladies and keep up the great work.