Hello Ladies,

Sorry I was MIA yesterday, bad day at work (won't go into details, but let's just say a slacker has passed a major project my way, and I don't have time to do it). So, I was all ready to work out with Hott Trainer last night and get out of my "funk." He worked me hard, 2 minute intervals of different exercises, so I was sore when I left.

The best news of the day...my hubby got a job! He's working for a major company in the Chicagoland area, making more than he was at his last position. He's still hoping to hear from one other place (the one where he'd fly to San Antonio for a face to face) and is supposed to hear from them on Monday. So, he's hoping something with happen with that job, but if not, he at least has another one to fall back on. The offered him the job 3 hours after interviewing him! Crazy how it all worked out.

Sandy: Glad you were able to find a job. I know it's a hard adjustment, but at least you are doing something in the health industry, so I'm sure you're learning a ton.

Anyways, nothing much else going on here. Went shopping for some smaller clothes today, didn't find any good sales, so I bought Madeline more stuff!

Have a great weekend ladies, I'll be back to weigh in tomorrow.

Hi girls, the camping trip was cut short, its too cold in MI to be sleeping outside when its in the 30s at night. One day and night was good until next year.

Lindy-sometimes the simplest outfits can give you so much confidence and just make you feel great. I put on a shirt today that used to be skin tight and it was loose, I was so happy.

Staccie-sounds like you have great willpower skipping the goodies while out yesterday. I have gotten better too. My hubby wanted hot wings from KFC today and I was going to get some, then I thought of all my girls here and weigh in tomorrow. So I got a chicken taco off the fresco menu instead. Sounds like you have your priorities straight for the weekend. Have fun

Dance-where are you travelling too this time? Did you go longer on the run? I havent really thought about a fantasy outfit, I will have to think about it. I just want to look good in clothes without a muffin top. I want to see District 9, hope it comes to this tiny town

Neesy-non stressful, easy days are always the best. Glad you are making time to eat at work. It probably gives you more energy.

Sandy-Yay, glad to see you back and happy for you on the job front, just wish it wasnt as stressful for you as it sounds. I am sure things will get easier. Alina looks so beautiful in her pictures.

AJ-your walk is for such a great cause, both of my grandmothers had alzheimers. Have fun with your brother. I know how it is to be away from siblings. I have 2 sisters, one is in Alabama and the other(my twin) is in New Zealand.

Maddiesmom-:dancer::cp::woohoo::congrat::yay: for your hubby getting a job. I am so happy for you both, I know you have been waiting for this for a long time now.

Yea camping was just way too cold, dont think I could have taken another night of that. So I came home today and worked in the yard and got my house clean. Got a workout in tonight. Didnt walk today, but too the dog on about 3 walks and a run yesterday. As soon as my sister gets her copy of 30ds we are going to start it. She should get it by Monday I hope, I sent it out Friday. Not much going on here. I am ready for the weigh in tomorrow. Lets see if I can get past my streak of only losing 1 lb a week. I guess I cant complain though, 1 lb is still a loss. Talk to you ladies tomorrow.

Hi chicks,

Well I had a pretty uneventful day - worked out, got some sun, read, got my hair done, cooked some food and going to sleep early I hope. I have a long day tomorrow between work and watching Patrick Swayze movies with some gals.

Vicky - congrats on the job offer for your husband...I can finally uncross my toes - they were getting kind of cramped lol. Sorry to hear about the project being passed your way...I can soooooo relate to that!

Burgandy - awww about camping :( but at least you got one night in - that would be a bit chilly though...there is nice and crisp and then there is freeze your arse off and it sounds like that was the latter!!

Hope everyone else is good! Not motivated too much tonight to write a lot. Talk to you all later!

Morning girls!

First, welcome back Mygrits! Yay, so excited to hear from you. The good news with all your stress is that it will slowly start diminishing now that your working, the money stress will get a little less hard and everything else will fall into place. They always say life is like hills, you have to peddle hard to get to the top, so you had a little turbulance getting up there, but your almost at the top---isnt that exciting?! Alina looked absolutely gorgeous at the wedding! Did everything go smoothly?

Maddiesmom- OMG I am so excited for you and your hubby. This is great news, the fact that he got the job and making more money and if he gets his face to face interview, that would be even better.

Dance - glad to see you back. My dream outfit is a lot like Stacies, some sort of khaki style skirt with some knee high boots and cute sweater top, think Abercrombie and Fitch, my goal is to be able to buy one or two outfits from there or Aeropostale because lord knows, they only cater to small girls. Technically I should boycott them for that, lol, but god, I would love to have the bragging rights to say I fit into their clothes. I LOVE your outfit. I could picture it now! I love big floppy hats, the only problem is, I have such a watermelon head, even if I lose the weight, thats not shrinking, lol.

Neesy - you are on point. Im really happy to hear that you are able to squeeze in time for a short lunch. I really think that is key, otherwise, we all have thje tendency of binge eating.

Burgundy - you said it was cold while you were camping? Where the heck did you go again? I wish it was cold at night here, its still in the mid 70's at the coldest part of the night.

Ok, so today is weigh in day and yes, I weighed in and yes, I lost---now for my famous drum roll please-------------------------------------

166! Oh yeah...boo-yah..oh yeah...boo-yah, lol. Thats 4 pounds from last week, which is awesome. It means the cleanse worked AND I did not gain the weight back like most people anticipate. I ate within reason and continued my gym routine. I very well may make it to 160 by my cruise. On a separate note, I went out for my morning run today but I went at 9 am, which is 2 hours later than usual and I seriously felt sick to my stomach, bad move on my part. Now I have a headache and feel a little dizzy, so Im gonna grab something to eat rest for a while. Ill check in later. Good luck to everyone else with weigh in!

Ok girls, I'm writing this from my mobile because I was far too excited to wait and brag about this, so...I had to bring gabriella to Sunday school and hadn't had breakfast so the first place I saw on the way to church was starbucks, so...I get what looks like the healthiest thing on the menu, which was a spinach, feta, tomato and egg white wrap. Well, it comes out and thing is huge! I'm like, oh great, so many times I think I'm doing good and then look up the calories later and get so upset bc it wasn't as healthy as I thought. Well....to my su4rprise, I went on starbucks to look up my massive, oh so delicious, super filling wrap and guess what?! Its only 240 calories! OMG! This is the best news ever, I'm going to start eating these every week it was the most delicious, filling breakfast I had in months...you girls have to try it!

Maybe starbucks should see my post and give me free ones for endorsing their wrap, lol. Ok, g2g...talk to you girls later.

Ok girls, I'm writing this from my mobile because I was far too excited to wait and brag about this, so...I had to bring gabriella to Sunday school and hadn't had breakfast so the first place I saw on the way to church was starbucks, so...I get what looks like the healthiest thing on the menu, which was a spinach, feta, tomato and egg white wrap. Well, it comes out and thing is huge! I'm like, oh great, so many times I think I'm doing good and then look up the calories later and get so upset bc it wasn't as healthy as I thought. Well....to my su4rprise, I went on starbucks to look up my massive, oh so delicious, super filling wrap and guess what?! Its only 240 calories! OMG! This is the best news ever, I'm going to start eating these every week it was the most delicious, filling breakfast I had in months...you girls have to try it!

Maybe starbucks should see my post and give me free ones for endorsing their wrap, lol. Ok, g2g...talk to you girls later.

Congratulations Lindy! That is awesome! You are cruising a long! It is crazy how much weight you have lost in such a short amount of time! WOW! YAY!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and that wrap sounds soooooo good. I will definitely be trying that!

Grits-Your daughter looked so beautiful!

Maddiesmom-I'm sooo happy things are starting to look up. Money is always a huge stressor.Hang in there!

So..I'm down 3lbs this week putting me at 196! Yay! I'm inching my way away from the 200s FOREVER! I have been losing at a steady pace. So. I'm confident I'll hit the 180s by Oct 22. I would be ecstatic. That would be almost 30lbs since the last time my husband saw me.. so there would be a huge difference I know! Well I'm off to do some laundry and clean and try to hit the gym before they close. TTYL!

Neesy - that is awesome - woohoo for 196 - WTG!!!
Lindy - wow - you rock! You have done amazing with maintaining and building on your loss from the cleanse! I know you had some frustrating times when the scale wasn't moving the way you wanted this summer but boy, girl, are you ever making up for it now!!! Happy dance!!
Staccie - District 9 was interesting - much more violent than I expected but definitely thought provoking. Is your loss for the week 3lbs? If so, big giant :bravo: to you! Way to move that dial!!
Maddiesmom - yay on the job for your hubby - that must be a huge relief! And way to go on keeping up with the workouts.
Burgundy - good job on the loss this week! Sorry your camping was cut short. I'm headed to Boston this week - should be okay I guess. And no, I didnt make it to 5.6miles yesterday as my knee started to hurt. It's still stiff today and I have lots of work to do so we postponed our hike to next week and I'm going to go for a short run instead. How's your running going? Is it getting easier?
mygrits - hope work went okay yesterday!

I'm just down one pound for the week but I'll happily take it. I'm on schedule with my weekly goals for another challenge. Am shooting for another pound this week but two would be nice. I have a hard time losing when I travel but maybe I'll do better this time.

Have a great day, all!

Hi Ladies, don't have much time, so gotta make it fast...

CONGRATS TO EVERYONE ON THEIR LOSSES! You are all doing so well!

I'm down only 1 pound, but with TOM and stress at work, I'll take what I can get at this point. My goal is to be at 199 by the end of the year...it's 33 pounds in a little over 3 months, so I'm going to work with my trainer and see what we can do to kick this into high gear.

Plus, just found out my sister in law got engaged and now I have to look good for her wedding. So, that's some extra motivation.

Enjoy your weekend ladies!

:celebrate: everyone's loss this week!!! There are hotties in this group;)

I'm so impatient though - it's so much harder to come off than to put on and most times, less fun :devil: But my goal to look less hideous by Halloween is trucking along. Neesy - so happy you are safely below 200 now - I can't wait - so happy for you!! And Lindy - Dance is so right - the struggles you went through this summer are just literally falling off you now...you're going to be in the 150's soon!!! So awesome.

That's awesome to know about Starbucks Lindy - I know if I am desperate for a food thing quick to grab that is a good option. Thanks for sharing!

Well I am off to the gym, much later than I thought I would be, but staying in bed was an option I could not give up this morning. This work, taking care of me balance thing is going to be my main struggle going forward. I don't know how I get in my workouts and still work 12-14 hours a day...ummm.

Tonight is Patrick Swayze night...Ghost and Dirty Dancing with some girls -bring out the kleenex! But we are eating healthy!!

Hope everyone has an awesome day...

Lindy-I am in northern Michigan, so its already getting down in the 30s here at night. We were so cold. I slept in a hoodie all night with the hood on. You are doing an awesome job, 166 is great. No starbucks around here but if we move there will be so I will have to remember that.

Neesy-3 lbs is awesome too, you will be smokin hot by Oct 22nd. Are you just calorie counting??

Dance-I still want to see District 9. Running is getting easier, and it tires the dogs out too, they love it though. Congrats on the lb.

Maddiesmom-congrats to you too on the lb. You will look great for the wedding.

Staccie-looks like you are doing a good job balancing the 2 so far. Can you do something on your lunch, walk around the building or the stairs?

Well, I didnt get past my 1 lb streak, down only 1 again this week. I am going to reevaluate what I am doing and get these lbs falling off. Cant wait for my sister to get 30ds so we can start that. Had another family birthday BBQ today. I had a burger on whole wheat bun with tomato and onion and coleslaw. We played volleyball after lunch and worked some of it off. I am going to try to get a run in today, but have a 2 hour drive home. Maybe I can get Chris' cousin to go with me here before we head home. Hope everyone had a great weekend. I will check in later.

Wow, everyone had a loss this week, so exciting! Ya know, I cannot figure out what Im doing differently in my weight loss but hey...Ill take it. Maybe more organic foods do help? I mean, I always thought chicken is chicken, but I guess organic chicken is better?

Neesy - wow, your husband is going to be blown away. You are so in the zone girl...kudos to you!

Burgundy - omg...30, I would die! Im a northern girl (from Connecticut), but I have been Floridified. Anyway...good job on your 1 lb, something is better than nothing.

Stacie - is that pic with your new hair color? If so, I LOVE IT! I wish I lived there because I would be right there with you, I LOVE...LOVE...LOVE Dirty Dancing. I cried when PS died, Im such a dork but I LOVED him. He was even on my "list", you know---the celebrity list, right? haha.

Dance- I cant believe your almost at goal?! How exciting! So, I saw a girl at the pool the other day that looked my height and she said hi, so I decided to ask her, how much she weighed, lol---I must be nuts! But, when I saw her I was like man, thats exactly the size I want to be. So, I approached her and I apologized ahead of time for asking and told her she could blow me off, but that I would be interested to know, Haha...she gladly shared and congratulated me on my weight loss. She said she sees me in the neighborhood every morning and her and her husband have commented how they see how much Ive lost! Can you believe that?! How awesome! Anyway, long story short, she is 5'3 and weighs 123 pounds, so Im thinking, Im 5'5, so a goal of 130 would be about right for me. Which means---Im only 36 pounds from goal! Wow, I can taste the victory, haha. It does not seem that far away.

Sorry for babbling girls, Im just in all my glory right now. I have NEVER been this low, not since junior high, so this is a huge milestone for me. :)

I'm so glad to see everyone losing. A loss is a loss. We're moving in the right direction girls! YAY!

Rayne-I guesstimate calories. I make sure I eat every 4hrs.. which equals out to be 3-4 meals a day. I make sure the meals I eat are approximately 300-400 calories each. I also throw a couple snacks in. So.. I'm eating constantly throughout the day. I think it has done wonders for my metabolism. Because I use to not eat at all during work.. which was 13hrs! and no breakfast! So.. I'm eating more and losing. It's crazy.

Lindy- That's so funny about the girl at the pool. You are gutsy! But it ended in a compliment rather than a slap in the face. haha. Even strangers are noticing your loss. That has got to be so fullfilling. You go girl! I just realized we are both exactly 36lbs away from our goal weight. ... do I smell a competition. haha I have a feeling though.. I'll want to get below 160. We'll see once it gets closer. That was just the last time I felt skinny. I was about a size 8/9. I don't want to lose my curves. My husband loves them. haha

Staccie- I'm so amazed with your energy to squeeze in those workouts with such long work days. I work 12hrs and there is no way I'm working out afterward or getting my butt up early to go to the gym. You amaze me!

Maddiesmom- That is very doable. You will be in the ones before the new year. I have no doubt. You are doing awesome and you have a great game plan.

Dance- You are steadily getting to your goal. You are awesome!

Hi chickadees - HOT chickadees :belly:

I had a nice afternoon - worked out like a maniac and it felt great. And get this - I ran on the treadmill for 11 min without stopping! I have never done that before. I just pushed and then pushed some more and almost did a mile. I am so proud!!! :yay: After my weights I watched an old episode of the biggest loser and biked 13 miles. It wasn't at a fast pace but I thought I might as well do something useful while watching TV. I feel so awesome. Then I got home and rewarded myself with 20 min in the hottub. AHHHH! In a few hours we are watching movies.

Lindy - I am so happy for you - you deserve every bit of awesomeness you are experiencing and I am really happy that you share it with us because it's very motivational and inspiring. There is nothing that won't be able to accomplish especially with all of that energy, confidence and pride. You go girl!!! I consider myself extremely lucky to have met you on here!!! :sunny:
As for my hair, that is not the new color it's an older photo that I have always loved because I look so healthy. I do a lot of things to my hair so my colorist told me yesterday that he has to do it in stages or my hair will be fried. I pouted but he knows best. Right now it's darker but with some reddish highlights - good for fall. He's amazing.

Neesy - and how amazing will it be when your husband sees you!!!! I appreciate your comment - I don't know how I do it and how I will continue to when things get much worse than they are right now - I guess that is why I have to work out in the morning because I KNOW that I will not be able to do it at night with much effort. Hopefully by the time things get nuts for me again I will have developed some improved habits. Especially with the help from you girls!! I keep thinking of the picture that you posted with 199 on the scale - I LOVED that photo - and I am so going to do the same thing when I get there - I hope you keep that somewhere to be proud of again and again!

Burgandy - I think this past week was good for me personally but professionally was not, I am really behind in my work :( but I have to find a way this week to get done what I need to get done based on priority and not focus so much on impressing everyone and doing things that are not my job. That's very difficult for me to change, but I will do it - in stages I suppose. No matter what though my workouts are a priority, if I can't take out 2 hours a day for myself then I have some major problems. I bet if you step up your workouts a bit more you will see more results - sounds like the 3D's are a good incentive for you - incorporating those into your workouts will chisel some results I am sure!!! :cheer:

Well I am heading for a shower and then settle in for the night. I didn't get any work done today - so tonight after the movies I guess I have to do a few hours :comp:. Hope everyone is having a good day!! Check in tomorrow!!

Neesy - competition accepted...bring it! lol Im totally excited for both of us. Sometimes I wonder if my goal is too low, I guess I will have to see as I continue trucking on. Ill know when I get there. So have you figured out what smokin hot outfit you are going to wear when you see your hubby?

Stacie - wow, 11 minutes! Awesome girl. Oh, thanks for requesting me as a friend on FB! Oh and you are so lucky when you find a good colorist. I love the girl that does my hair but I have yet to find the "perfect stylist". The one time that I LOVED my hair, I got it done at Fantastic Sams, lol...go figure (its like a cheap Great Clips or what have you). Now I go to a ridiculously expensive salon and pay an arm and a leg for a cut and color, its like 120 for my color and 50 for my cut! BUT, my hair does look good, lol. Thank you for the compliment as well, I feel the same way about all of you. Each of you have a quality that I adore, Stacie, it is by far your humor, you make me laugh out loud on an almost daily basis--so thank you.

Girls, call me emotionally sappy but I am really crossing my fingers that everyone can do the cruise (or whatever we decide to do) because I am dying to meet all of you and hang out. I think we would have so much fun together. I think in November (once our competition is over), we will take a poll to see what everyone wants to do. From there, we could probably work out a plan to have everyone pay off their vaca around income tax time, if anyone else has a better idea, please let me know. Anyway---I want to thank all of you for your love and support. I have been through a lot with you girls, from my brother nearly dying, to a divorce, to hitting a plateau and now me in all my glory, and I am so incredibly lucky to be friends with everyone. BIG HUG! Ok, as for me, all is well, no slip ups, staying on track and exercising like a mad woman these days. OH- I do want to ask everyone a question though. Ok, so Im getting to the point where I have lost the most weight I ever have and one problem Ive NEVER had was was loose skin and uh, well...my skin is looking kinda nasty these days. Is anyone or has anyone had this problem? Any suggestions? Im going to have to research this because I just assumed my skin would shrink with the weight loss. :(