MsP - I had the caliper test done all over my stinking body, lol. But afterwards I used my friends body fat scale and it was within 0.3% so I thought that was great. And then I did the tape measure test from Health Central.com and it was again very close, 0.5% higher than the calipers. So it appears that everything short of the tank is telling me the same numbers so far.

FGG - Congrats on the 14's:carrot::carrot:It is scary, good scary but it is. All of a sudden you don't know what you look like anymore and it turns out a lot of our identity is wrapped up in how much we weigh. I'm having issues with my face, it doesn't look like me anymore, I feel like someone stole my face :yikes: And wtg on attending that meeting too, support is the name of the game!

Nella - Oh I hope she's better soon :hug: that's scary stuff.

Well I won't have time to catch up today it turns out I had a lot to do, lol. But regardless shopping was great yesterday. I'm just totally grooving on shopping for clothes in regular stores and even skinny people stores. And the sales people help me, which is sad b/c they didn't before when I was heavy and that hurt my feelings :( But regardless, got some slipper booties - too cute, a sweater, some awesome sweatpants from hollister which may be comfiest things I've ever owned and a few shirts for bumming around. And another cool thing is that I can actually shop in the clearence section of regular stores. I think I maybe spent $50.00 yesterday for everything. And you ladies all know about those plus size stores, ugh, that's expensive! Anyone else super cold all the time too, lol, I have never owned slippers, ever, I laughed in the face of slippers before, but lately I'm cold from sun up to sun down, that's what 72lbs of missing insulation gets ya I guess.

And just the icing on the cake if life didn't rock enough already, down another 0.8lbs this morning to 151 on the button :carrot:That's 11lbs to goal baby and 83lbs. Have a marvelous Friday ladies and hang in there you weekend people out there. If your week was great don't erase a beautiful calorie deficit on something! We can do it!

Dinners lately have been my downfall. I do good all day and then have crap for dinner and sadly I am up 2.4 lbs! Ugh! But at the same time I am hoping it is some water retention from the hardcore workout on Wednesday. I'm trying like crazy to get back into an exercise routine, but I'm just not feeling it. There is so much going on right now, I'm always tired and stressed. Okay, enough whining from me. I am sorry about my lack of personals, I'll hopefully be better after the holidays.

Good evening everyone!

Got a bit caught up with things early today and I just made it here. But here I am.

Gekster: That is great about the gym. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting there the first time, at least for me, then it all becomes easier. So proud of you! My only suggestion for dinners would be to plan ahead. Maybe buying bulk chicken breasts, add some marinade and freeze them individually so that you can just take whatever you need for the day along with some rice/pasta and veggies. Or making a big batch on the weekend of something you like and freezing smaller portions?


mystical: You are so right. Last year I was doing great at putting myself first, and now I sort of slid back into old habits, and I have to work on that. Glad to hear you are making the gym work for you now. woo hoo!

FitGirlyGirl: You are so lucky to have a hubby that will actually do those things for you and actually enjoy them. I cannot tell you how many times I got so frustrated with mine at the beginning of our relationship :lol:...Yay on those size 14 pants! I am sure you'll be wearing them out in public in no time. Awesome in making it into OA too.

Lauranna: We just have to stick to it until we see some progress. Hang in there.

dangerouscurves: I hear you! Hopefully things will be back to normal soon for you and you can tell those donuts to shut up.

Sanna Maria: Welcome.

Nella: Sorry to hear about SD. Seems like you got lots done with your day though. Take care!

SG: Here's to hoping that 195.2 is for real.

Ms. P.: You are absolutely right. I must take some time to get some insight into where I am right now. I sometimes procrastinate with things like this, but it must be some kind of fear that must be dealt with swiftly.
Glad to hear you had a good time last night. I would definitely be interested in a recipe if you manage to recreate that salad.

jen7: hope you feel more like yourself soon.

Tummy: Wow..sounds like shopping for clothing is a blast for you now. :woohoo: on the panties! I've often wondered what I'll look like when all of this is said and done but I guess the only way to find out is to actually get there myself ;)

My days have gradually been getting better when it comes to eating. I totally went and stocked up on veggies and I am actually making myself get into the kitchen before me and DH are actually starving so that we make good eating choices. The weekend is coming which is the hardest part of the week. But I must remember that my FIL and wife are coming for a 3 week long visit next week and I have to make as much progress as I can before that.

Have a great evening and weekend if I don't catch you!

I would like to join this challenge even though I'm one week into November already.. Put me down for 5 lbs over the next 3 weeks!

Tummy Great to hear about your shopping trip! That has to be an awesome feeling shopping on the clearance rack at a regular store. YOu are right, the plus size stores are very expensive. I am sticking to my favorite sweats which are just too big now. I look like I have a diaper butt!!! :) As far as induction, it has been tough. TOM is finishing up his evil dance but will be gone this weekend. I tried yesterday and did pretty good except last night. I ate pistachios until I was blue in the face. I think sodium was my killer this am. Plus TOM. Anyway, today was much better. TOm wanted me to eat chicken mcnuggets on my way home from school tonight. I told him no! I compromised and had 1 serving of black bean tortilla chips with my beef and cheese. They were only 17 grams of carbs with only 65 mg of sodium. I figured a good choice since 1 order of nuggets has 24 carbs and 1000mg of sodium. No joke. I read the box. So we shall see tomorrow. I have to work 12 hour shifts for the next 3 days. It will be very easy to stay on plan. It is my days off that are rough. I am hoping for a 244 number in the morning with 243 to follow. Fingers are crossed.

I am following my PT's instructions about no running. She is afraid that I will tear my ACL in my right knee. She says that I will be able to run, but because my hips were out of whack and weak on the right it was causing me to plant my foot wrong. We are hoping that a few more weeks of strengthening and stretching will make all the difference. I am keeping my fingers crossed or else it looks like no running the big race for me. Instead I will work on the century ride. That will still be a huge goal. She did release me back to the elliptical today and I killed it!!!! Felt great. Sweating and dripping all over the place. I showed the treadmill that even though I can't run I can still kick ***!!!!Lifted lots of weights today and then got lucky in class and caught a great massage!!! Life is sweet. The big doctor appointment weighin is on the 17th. I gotta make the scale do some moving before then. So, I shall stick to induction as best as I can!

Wow that was a mouth full!!!

So far, November is still ok. I haven't quit on it yet. I have proven to myself that I can maintain. I now need to get back to losing.

Love and light to all my peeps!!!

Howdy girls! Hope you all are having a happy, OP weekend! I'm doing well. Scale remained the same this morning, but I'm OP and feeling good. I gotta be sure to get my water, though. My muscles are STILL sore from my ST'ing Thursday. The run and ST'ing I did today may or may not help. :) I just don't want to retain water again for a week! Anyway, off to have some nice relaxing family time....

Tummy - I am so ready for shopping clearance at normal stores and buying more than purses and scarves. Congrats on the good shopping trip. I’m planning to get some slippers during the winter while they are so plentiful in the stores because I know that with more weight loss I will definitely want them, especially on our tile floors. I am terrified of not recognizing me and of having no idea what kind of clothes to wear for my new body type, but I also have extra reason to be scared because my hubby likes big girls. He says he is attracted to thin girls too, but I see who he looks at and the thin girls are maybe 1 in 10. Yikes! I know he will still love me, but I worry that he won’t still want me. I am probably just being crazy, but I can’t help it.

Gekster - You should look into getting a crock pot and/or a rice cooker. You can do almost anything with the crock and rice cookers do much more than just cook rice. The other night I tossed some brown rice, carrot chunks, green beans, chicken pieces, crushed tomato, basil leaves, garlic, and water into my rice cooker (extra water for the extra food) and went into the other room to work out. When I was done, so was my dinner and it was delicious.

NewShinyMe - I’m glad things are improving. That’s great that you are starting meal prep before you are starving. I know that was one of the bad habits I had to break. I wouldn’t even think about dinner until out bellies were literally growling. Now I plan at least a week ahead and am frequently doing some of the dinner prep while my lunch is cooking.

Kablooie - welcome aboard!

Jellofer - I like hearing that you are following PT’s orders. A torn ACL would not be fun. Congrats on having such a great attitude during it and on being allowed back to the elliptical and kickin butt on it


I am going to a holiday bazaar today. There will be baked goods and candy and craziness. It’s at the gym too, ha. I am praying for the strength to go check out the crafts and things that I want to go see while completely ignoring the evil evil foods.

Hi all,

So I weighed in at 170.4 lbs and I am very unhappy, because I was at 169lbs around tuesday or wednesday. I dont know wht went wrong but I am not happy.

SW 170.2
CW 170.4
GW 162.2

Down .9 from yesterday, definitely a good sign. I've made a schedule where I go to the gym MWF and workout at home at least one day a week, and even though I was supposed to go to the gym yesterday my classes were canceled so I stayed home, but I was good and worked out at home and I did so again today. I'm hoping I'll get my groove back soon.

Hello Chickies!!

As usual, I"m around on the weekend when it's slow so I'm gonna go back a couple of pages and hopefully catch up on some of the personals!

MsP Six. You fit into a size 6! OMG. I hope you have squealed with delight and put them on a few more times just to enjoy the moment! I'm with you on the pre-planning for eating out! When I first started in June I was scared to eat out and now I do it all the time.. there ARE smart choices! Way to plan ahead! I also know what you mean by being high maintenance orderer! My sisters are embarrassed whenever I order anything out anymore but hey, I've got to have it how I've got to have it! And on the butt... I'm more than willing to send you some of mine!

idream Sounds like you and mom are having a fantastic time! Don't sweat the lack of personals, we all get busy and besides... being busy and active is a GOOD thing!

shasha Here's hoping that Halloween candy leaves you alone and that the busy time at work leaves you time to relax as well! Busy at work is NOT fun.

mystical Thanks for the good vibes Thursday! They must have found their way to me because the night went really well, all my conferences were great and very positive! Glad to hear your schedule is falling into place... feels good when that happens, doesn't it!

fitgirlygirl HOORAY for running 10 minutes straight! You must feel like a million bucks right now! Awesome accomplishment!! Also, I think your choice for one year no smoking is excellent! I wish my DH had the coordination to dance but we've tried and it is NOT pretty! OMG, I just read 14's!!!! WTG!!!!! Congrats! My size 16's are beginning to be a bit loose and I'm looking forward to fitting into some 14's!

lauranna How is the no smoking going?

Nella Ugh... swine flu... Here's hoping for a speedy recovery!

NSM So good to see your name again! Way to go on realizing where you need to improve... fixing meals ahead of time can seem like a real chore but man is it worth it in the long run!!

jellofer You sound so pumped up and full of energy!! You are totally going to make some progress and show the doctor you can kick some butt too!!!

Soooo, the 195 stuck... in fact I saw 194.4 today which would be normal since I tend to not lose anything during the week and then boom on Friday/Saturday I lose my 2 lbs for the week. I was expecting one maybe since I lost one on Monday and especially since my eating hasn't been as carefully monitored as it usually is. I've been making good decisions, but I haven't known calorie counts... it's really encouraging though and it feels GREAT.

Here's hoping everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Happy weekend girls!! Just wanted to make a quick post that I am officially in the fifties!!!!! Imagine that!!!! 159.6!!!:) Hope your all doing well!

Quick update: Friday was a great diet/exercise day for me! :carrot: I tried to make sure that I was truly OP so that I could enjoy my night out with the girls. It was great to go out and prove to myself that I could resist "party-mode" behavior. I'm sure you all know what I mean. First you start off with one little drink and the next thing you know you've snacked on more junk food than you intended. And your total cocktail consumption is way more than you planned.

I have to admit I'm super proud to have made it home without over-indulging! :dancer:

Ms. P and Newshinyme: Thanks for the encouragement! I'm truly looking forward to the day when it's NOT a daily battle to stay OP. I've heard about people who swear that after awhile they don't even crave baked goods! That it doesn't even look good...something about it also taste too sweet. :?: Hope those gals weren't lying and that it's not just a crazy diet myth!!! :crossed:

And now it's time for me to run...literally! Enjoy your weekend chickies!

Good evening ladies! Just a quick fly by tonight as I want to spend as much time with my mom & sister as I can before they leave :cry:.

Mom and I have both been moody and grumpy the past couple of days and I think it's because with each passing day the end of their visit gets closer and closer. :(

Mom's done fantastic all week! No major losses despite being active, exercising every day (she even did Kenpo X with me today) and eating POP--it's really starting to frustrate her. :mad: We need to brainstorm ideas for her to try--she's stuck, has been for weeks and yet she plugs on...we gotta find out what she can do to get that scale moving in the right directions ladies!!!

As for me, I was up a smidge from yesterday--but I ate POP and got a gallon of water in so I know it's not fat.

Well girls, I better go. I can't wait to get caught up!! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!! And don't forget to...

Drink Your Water!!!
:D

i feel so darn puffy! Ate perfect today. and still feel puffy. every one at work says they see me and I look like I am shrinking. Maybe it is a fluid shift and the whoosh is right around the corner. good night. off to work another 12 hours tomorrow.

Just a quick check in tonight. It has been a crazy weekend. My step-son is moving has moved in with us so I now hoave 3 teenage boys LOL 18,17,14 I am not sure if it will last but I will take it anyway... It is really nice to have all the family together. We were so busy with moving him into our home that we didn't get to go to the gym but hopefully we will get to tomorrow. My husband has also set up a tv in our room so I will be able to do my workout videos, and my wii fit first thing every morning especially on the days I don't go to the gym YEAH! !! I have 3 Jillian Michaels DVD's so I am going to alternate them. Well gotta run for tonight I will check in tomorrow. :)

3 lbs away from ONDERLAND & 7 lbs away from Novembers goal. Must. Keep. Going!

Monring!

Gekster - I hope you're doing alright amidst your stress, I know I don't usually feel like exercising at all when I tired either. Maybe you'll find that mojo soon but as long as you're faking it until then :hug:

NSM - You're eating is improving :carrot:yeah! And it's true you'll look different, just a healthier version. That's a lot of in-laws, I hope that it's good relationship, lol.

Kablooie - Welcome to the challenge! This is one great group of ladies so post often so we can get to know you :)

Jellofer - Ahh diaper butt, we should do a photo spread of our sexy hanging butt pants! That would be awesome! Well it sounds like you're doing pretty good, and avoided McDonald's Day! That's always a plus and that's a gross amount of salt I enjoy reading the sides of the boxes when dh has his burger there and I bring my own food from home now, lol. It frightens me that I used to order two meals and eat them all myself, no wonder! Great job on that workout too, totaly moving in the right direction!

MsP - Kudos on the OP weekend, setting a great example for the rest of us :) I'm having some muscle stiffness from Friday still so we must have pushed pretty hard but ouch. Water water, I'll be filling up today and hopefully the muscles will release!

FGG - OMG, I was all about the purses and scarves too! LMAO I'd go with my thinner friends and they could all buy those really nice $9.00 shirts and there's me looking through the accessories. One the one hand, I have some very nice accessories, lol, but it's really nice to be able to go there and start rebuilding a very sad waredrobe with some nice and super cheap options. I dated a guy who like bigger girls too, we were together when I got down to my previous low point of 167. He did have a bit of a hard time at first but he really came to see the body as healthy instead of thin. But then again I was still a size 12 and a bit round then anyway. I'm sure dh will appreciate it, you'll just be his one in a million but I hear ya, some things just hang out in the back of our heads whether we like it or not.

Sweettooth - Sodium maybe? Working out with weights? Not enough water? There's lots of reasons that are unrealted to calories. If you've been tracking I'm sure it's a temporary thing. Chin up, you're doing good :)

SG - Loving the new avatar, honestly, can I borrow your cheekbones, lol, just for a day to try them out? Gorgeous! :cp: Bravo on 194's that is great and awesome and all things marvelous. It's like it was yesterday when you were stuck above 200 and now 190's, not for long, you're on the low side baby!

Jen7 - 150's :hat::celebrate::woo: Congrats on a new decade! So far 150's have been my favorite! I hope you enjoy them as much, I hear the 140's are nice this time of year too, hehe.

DC - Congrats on the girls night triumph! I totally relate, one thing always leads to another always and the next morning is so nice when you wake up, had a great time and weight the same! And it's true completely, certain things don't taste as good anymore and usually it's pretty easy to eat properly, I usually only have a hard time around preTOM week but otherwise it's straightforward. And those off program things, for me at least, I plan them, so they are OP and then they better be good! I save my indulgences for the most fantastic treats ever, not some nasty store bought stuff, it's not worth the calories anymore and it tastes like saw dust.

Sandye - The only thing I can think for mom is to start tracking her calorie deficit but she'd need a HRM or something to get an idea of the exercise. At least that way she can see when she's hitting 3500 and knowing whether it's coming off. Is it a too low calorie problem with all that working out? Glad you guys are having a good visit and live in the moment, enjoy the last minutes!

Sandye-I agree with Tummy. The best thing would be to track everything and either increase or decrease calories accordingly. Hope she figures out what it is! I know it's got to be very frustrating.

Gekster-Way to go on the at-home workout!

Shari-Today IS a new day. Just pick right back up and keep moving. You can do this!

Mystaical-Good luck with the addition of another teenage boy. Sounds like fun! LOL That's great that you have everything set up for your workouts at home.

Jellofer-Yay on the comments from co-workers! So nice to hear I bet. I'm sure it's water. I've noticed that A LOT more since I've dropped weight. Before I was proabably too puffy to notice, so there's progress for ya! LOL

DC-Nice job controlling consumption on girls night! Doesn't it feel good to know you were strong enough to say "no"?!

SG-Well, the 6's are in my closet, but I wouldn't wear them yet, that's for sure. Thanks for the generous offer of butt! ROFL But, I think I'll pass since I'm already trying to tone this thing I have!

FGG-Isn't it crazy some of the negative thoughts that creep in when we're trying to change to a healthier life!? If I were you, I'd talk to hubby and let him know your thoughts. I'm pretty positive he'll tell you he loves you whatever size you are. But then you can talk about a reasonable goal you have for it and he can feel like he's a part of the thing. Just a thought.

Well, the water weight from building these beautiful muscles has eased up and the scale had me at 136.4 this morning. Now, I can ALMOST see goal. It's amazing how close, yet how far away it still seems. Weird, huh? I am SO SO happy, content, and overwhelmingly proud with how things are progressing. A year ago I would've killed to be here and here I am! I'm still a touch sore and unfortunately caught a cold from DS, so I will be taking it easy today. I shortened my run, but still went 4 miles. I'm not sure I should have, but I wanted to keep up with my exercise goals. I hope resting the rest of the day (other than meal prep) will help, though. Have a healthy rest of the weekend, girls! Catch ya tomorrow!

jen-Congrats on the 150's! That's awesome!!

Well we had our Weigh in and I had a loss but not as big as I had hoped for. It was only .2 lbs down but I guess that is better than nothing right. I am really hoping that next week will be a bigger weight loss so keep your fingers crossed for me I need a really good number PLEASE!!! LOL I am am do my workout outs 4 days a week and I am going to make sure I keep track of everything I eat this week. I keep a notebook with me everywhere I go and I am planning everythings... Thanks for all the help with that Tummy... Still have a little problems with dinner but it is a work in progress... We'll see how it goes this week.. :) Hope you all have a wonderful day!

SG - The dancing is actually for onederland, but still good. Hubby actually wanted it more than me. It was something he wanted to do and I felt too big for. I’m glad I now have the confidence to do things like that with him.

DC - congrats on the not overindulging.

Sandye - Has your mom looked into things like the body bugg or go wear fit or something like that?

Mystical - that’s nice for you to get them all there. The moving was probably a workout in itself, so don’t worry too much about not getting to the gym. Even .2 is progress, it’s all good.

Tummy - Yep, time to get some clothes to match all the accessories, lol. I do figure hubby will get used to it - especially since it’ll be a gradual change. He thinks it’ll be “kinky”.

Ms. P - I have talked to him about it. He does say that, but still… ya know?


Day off - woohoo! Time to clean my kitchen and contemplate b-day presents for the hubbyman.

Mystical - Nice working around some obstacles there with the tv, very nice. And with 3 teenage boys you can exercise in private! Good to hear the planning is going good, it really does take practice, tons of it and you'll get better and find your own little tricks and things that make it easier. 0.2 is great, that's 700 calorie deficit that you created, way to go!

JasonsLea - And the next choice is an opportunity to turn things around, you can totally do this, you know how. Keep checking in!

LBLazy - Almost there, woohoo! Reminds me of William Shatner, talking. with. long . breaks. lol.

MsP - You're so close to goal your ticker doesn't even show your goal number anymore, they're almost on top of each other! I'm drinking tons of water today in hopes matching your success tomorrow. Take care and feel better, let's hope that super healthy immune system kicks into high gear for you and wipes it out.

FGG - LMAO, my dh said the exact thing last night: it's like it's you but it's not, I feel like I'm cheating on you with you! It's a whole new world to explore for sure. Just like shopping, and being frozen all the time. It's pretty amazing how it can truly change almost every aspect of your whole stinking life. And here I was just wanting a smaller butt, go figure!

Just got back from a hockey game in town, dh is coaching at 15-17 year old team this year and we went out to cheer them on. It's freezing, my lips literally turned blue but we're home and finally warmed up and it was a nice change. Nice lazy Sunday around here, hopefully going to flush some of this stiffness out soon, might have to do some stretching this afternoon to help out this poor butt of mine. Still happily at 151, would enjoy lower too but it will come in it's own time and I'm pretty darn happy with things lately.

Have a great weekend everybody. Catch ya tomorrow!

Hello ladies!! It's been a very busy few days, and it just keeps on going. I did read everyone's posts, but I jsut don't have the time to do personals tonight.

So, congrats to all those who lost, maintained, stayed POP, worked out, etc! Great job. For all those struggling still, tomorrow is always a new day.

I didnt' lost this weekend, but I didn't gain, so it's a win for me. Ate out several meals because we were out of town, and had a glass of wine on Saturday.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do for cardio now that it is dark. It's way to cold for me in the morning. You brave people up north running in the snow!!

I'll catch up better tomorrow, promise!!!

goal for this challenge (page 2) - 169lbs by Dec. 1
start weight: 179
current weight: 173.5
lbs lost since challenge began - 5.5
lbs left to go until end of challenge -4.5

last weigh-in ~ 177lbs so lost 3.5 lbs this week. I had a 173 weight on monday but I'm not going to let daily fluctuations get me down! Hope to reach 160s soon :D
I lost 15 lbs in 5 weeks! Today is the beginning of week 6 for me.

dangerouscurves76- Great job resisting party-mode behavior. With the holidays coming up, thats one of my fears.

LBLAZY- Great job!! =D Hope you reach onederland soon

mystical- Any loss is cause for celebration! :D

GivTLC - Yay congratz on -2.2 lbs~ Are you going to go shopping for new jeans or waiting until you reach goal?

Nella - Not gaining is already a win in my book hehe.

JasonsLea - Tomorrow is a new day!

It was a rough weekend, but stayed mostly OP. My boyfriend's grandmother is slowly dying from leukemia, the doc gave her 2-4 weeks max about a week and a half ago so the end is getting closer. I know she is not my relative, but when we moved here (partly to be closer to her) she welcomed me into their family with open arms. It is sad to have her leave, but I will be glad when she goes, because she is just in so much pain. She said herself she wants it to be over. Sorry I'm off topic here, its just kinda pouring out.

So with being with her most of the weekend I had to stay up late last night finishing homework for today so I am really tired, no energy for anything, but since I am on campus I am going to go to the gym after class and hope something kicks me into gear. My weight fluctuated daily so no loss as of yet, but I'll weigh in at the gym before I get started and hope for good news.

Good morning girls!!! One more quick fly by post and then I'll read back through and catch up on what's gone on with everyone this week and do some serious personals! :)

Mom & Sissy left this morning :cry: and I'm trying to distract myself with chores so as to not get all gloomy about it **Miss you already Mom!!! (and K too!)**.

We did great all week with eating! Exercise too!! :carrot: Last night we did indulge in some Olive Garden, but I stayed within my calories for the day so I'll call that a victory! :woohoo: No weekend binges, although I did have a bunch of weak moments all day Saturday--I even said to Mom, "You either need to be my partner in crime or smack me and tell me to snap out of it" (or something to that effect) and she didn't let me binge. Thank you Mom!!!

I have been busy tearing apart cribs and putting together Big Girl beds for the girls--it's kind of bittersweet, no trace of babies anywhere in the house. With the taking down of the cribs it's the end of the Baby Years in our house. *sniff*

Well, break time is over--I've had my snack and now I need to haul the crib pieces downstairs and then there's the laundry :eek:.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and I'll catch up with everyone soon!!! Until then, have a great day and be sure to...

Drink Your Water!!!
:D

Morning Ladies,

GivTLC - I was wondering where you'd gone off too, glad you're still holding your own :) That is fantastic news, all of it, the pounds, the comment and the saggy butt, way to go. I'd say you're showing life who's boss and not the other way around.

Nella - You never know till you try it, although I imagine cold weather gear might be hard to come by in north carolina. Up in the great white north all the running stores are stocked up to the rafters with all the stuff you need to about -25. There a lot of ppl who swear by those walk away the pounds dvd's but I have not tried them. Glad you came out even, we'll all be aiming for that after this is said and do so it's always nice to have some practice ;)

JasonsLea - You can do it.

InControl - :carrot:on the monster loss! I beatca that felt marvelous! Those 160's are right around the corner and maybe only a week or two away :crossed:

Gekster - :hug:that's rough news and with stress and crazy sleeping patterns it's hard for the body to lose, so please be kind to yourself :) Maybe a nice workout will help you out.

Sandye - :hug:for you too, that was a sad day around here too, they grow up too fast and it just breaks your heart. Glad your mom had a mini intervetion for you, now if we could just get dh is do that for a few weeks then you'll be golden. I'll be joining you in the laundry department shortly too. Oh and you're almost back down to 135 again, WTG!

All finished my run this morning, it was supposed to be -11 so I strapped on my base layers and it was actually not too bad out there and needless to say I was a hot mess when I was finished. But I may have sweat out an extra couple pounds alone.

I forgot to mention a funny thing from my doctor's appointment on Thursday. We were chatting about my goal weight and things and she mentioned that I would probably be on the low end of the healthy BMI scale when I'm done because I'm small framed and then, wait for it, she used the word "dainty." So I laughed at her b/c I'm socially awkward, lol. But it turns out she's right and I just always assumed I'm big boned b/c that was easier to think than fat. But she said the easiest way to tell is to wrap your fingers around your wrist and see if there is any overlap b/w your thumb and middle finger. My fingers overlap by about a centimeter, so there goes that excuse. It was interesting b/c it is just one more thing that I thought about myself that wasn't true. She thought my goal weight would be more like 125-130 depending on muslce mass, I think she's on crack.

Anthoer funny story, my mother, who granted is a bit unstable, actually called here yesterday and we chatted and then she wanted to talk with dh, which is odd. Turns out she wanted to make sure that I'm not anorexic, really! And he needed to promise her to call if I stopped eating properly. So he promised to call her if I start eating chips and garbage again (hehe I love my cheeky monkey) but assured her that I'm plenty healthy and not to worry. So Sandye I feel your pain and I'm not a size 6 yet either! The skinny police have entered the building.

On that note, I need to head down to the workout dungeon and do some heavy lifting. And down another 0.8lbs today to 150.2 :dancer: almost into those 140's. The really neat thing is that now that more of the fat is coming off I can finally really see the definition from all the hard STing work over the last 6 months. Lift those weights ladies, it's a beautiful thing! TTFN

It was a busy weekend--2 birthday parties on Saturday...I did break down and have cake, but I didn't totally binge, so I guess it was OK. Weighed-in Saturday morning...lost a little over a pound.

Start: 198
Current: 196.2
Nov Goal: 190

Keep on keepin' on, I guess...:carrot:

Hey girlies! I've just got smiles to spare from all the good news and sharing going on here. I'm not going to take time for personals today since I really just need to let myself rest a bit which I always say I will do, but then I start the laundry and other cleaning. The cold/sore throat is still here, but I did all my normal exercise and stuff. I'm hoping a nice restful day will knock it out, though. I don't feel terrible (no fever or aches). I just hate anything sickness-like! I may come back to do personals if I get an energy surge after resting a bit. I REALLY do want to say how proud I am of all everyone is doing! It's SO incredible to be a part of this group!!

A quick pop in, but I wanted to say to Gekster that I'm sorry you and your loved ones are dealing with this. I will keep you in my thoughts.

Hi ladies...man I hate being this busy! I really miss when I was able to get on here every day and look through all the posts and make comments. I haven't even had time to get on here since last week. :( My business is still going like crazy (I'm actually debating about just closing it down until Christmas so I can relax a little), and then to top it all off, both DD and I came down with some nasty flu that put me out of action for a week. Just feeling really overwhelmed now as it seems like I am falling behind on everything...my emails, business, work, here, just life in general!
Then to top it all off, I cheated ALOT for Halloween and the scale was up like 4 pounds. You think I would learn from that and watch what I was eating, but I got sick right after that and started having the WORST cravings. I actually did pretty good, but still not as great as I would have liked too. I hardly ate any veggies for the week until I started forcing myself a few days ago. It took me a week to lose those last 4 pounds, and then finally I got another pound off yesterday--which made my weight loss total 75 pounds!!!! I can't believe how crazy that is! I need to find some time to take a progress pic to put in the mini goal thread...but probably won't find time to do that for a few days either.....Then today the scale was down another 2 pounds (probably because I actually lose wight when I watch what I eat...duh, imagine that Jessica!)
Anyways, going to try and play catchup on everything today and wanted to stop in here and check in. Am really hoping things will slow down so I can relax a little and actually get on here more, but until then, hi and hope everyone is doing great!

Good Morning :)

Just a quick message today, I had a pretty terrible weekend with my eating, I was mostly OP but on Sat night we went over to a friends place for dinner and they ordered Calzone's! That was all they had to eat and I was super hungry so I had no choice but to eat it - I felt so gross afterwards! So yeh not looking forward to my weigh in this Wednesday, i'm scared to see the results of that calzone on the scale.

Anyways I am trying very hard to compensate for that little issue on the weekend by having a very healthy and OP week and am praying that on Weds things aren't looking too bad.

Hi all, just a quick post for me as I am super busy getting the house ready for company.
Tummy, you are right, that is a lot of in-laws, and I don't really know what I am going to do with them for 3 weeks as DH only has a handful of vacation days left and then it's all on me. I have not really spent much time with my FIL since when me and DH met he was in the middle of getting separated/divorced from my MIL. Hee left soon after to go live overseas and lost touch with DH for about 7 years. I met his wife 2 years ago when we went to visit them when he reached out to DH in an effort to reconnect. They were very nice and all, but I am worried I will get tired of them.

Anyway, just wanted to pop in and say hi, lots of laundry and cleaning left to do still so gotta keep moving.

Gekster: All I can give you is a big hug :hug:. Sounds like grandma has made her peace, and all you can do as a family is enjoy your time with her as much as you can.

Thanks for all your support ladies. It looks like she has slipped into a coma, but since she is breathing on her own there really is nothing that can be done as far as "pulling the plug" which everyone knows is what she wants. All we can do is wait.

I went to the gym today like I said I would, worked decent, but not nearly as hard as I should have. I got a nice surprise on the scale though, it said I was down 2.1 lbs from Friday when I was there. The numbers (both starting and today) are different than at home, but a loss is a loss. I am happy about that.

Congrats to all those that are losing and staying OP. I'm reading even if not having time or energy for personals.

Hello Ladies

First, Gekster, my heart goes out to you. I was once in a very similar situation and I know how difficult it is. Just know that all of us here are more than willing to support you in any way we can and that we're all thinking of you.

Well ladies, it seems like it's my turn to fall off the wagon so to speak. I'm up 3 lbs and I have no idea why. I'm thinking I might be a bit...um... backed up, but it's absolutely ridiculous that I saw 194.6 and I weighed in this morning at 197.4. Yep my eating hasn't been the greatest but no I haven't been going over maintenance calories. Nope, I haven't been getting my water in, but its no different than any other weekend. Yes, I did eat Chinese but nope, not gonna be sorry. Guess I'll be anticipating quite a loss by Friday and if not.. well then I guess I'm going to have to crack down on my eating for sure!

I've been feeling kind of low lately about my running. All these people seem to go so fast and I have no idea how they do it! A guy I went to college with just finished a half marathon and said he ended up doing better than his 9 minute miles. All I could keep thinking was "holy crap, that's better than 6mph!" And so ever since then I've been feeling more of a pit of despair about something I was already upset about. However, tonight I came home and started googling and found John Bingham and the Penguins. I feel so much better now knowing I"m not the only one who has trouble with speed and it gave me a good reminder that speed isn't everything. Lesson learned.

Hopefully my weight will behave itself soooooon. And I hope everyone has a great week!


OH OH OH~ Was it Tummy or Ms P talking about my cheekbones earlier? Girls, all that takes is a good camera angle and some good lighting. Trust me, those cheekbones don't appear under normal circumstances!

Originally Posted by Shrinking Girl:

Well ladies, it seems like it's my turn to fall off the wagon so to speak. I'm up 3 lbs and I have no idea why. I'm thinking I might be a bit...um... backed up, but it's absolutely ridiculous that I saw 194.6 and I weighed in this morning at 197.4. Yep my eating hasn't been the greatest but no I haven't been going over maintenance calories. Nope, I haven't been getting my water in, but its no different than any other weekend. Yes, I did eat Chinese but nope, not gonna be sorry. Guess I'll be anticipating quite a loss by Friday and if not.. well then I guess I'm going to have to crack down on my eating for sure!

I feel ya on almost all of this. I've been bouncing between 168 & 169 for the last 5 days. I should have had a loss since last Thursday, but maintaining isn't bad either. I had some issues with being - ahem - backed up last week. It was starting to worry me, not for the weight gain aspect, but because I am not a person who doesn't go for days at time.

But anyway, SG, it's probably a combo of not going, less water and extra sodium. I know that's what my issue is right now, but dang if that salt isn't the only thing I want right now, lol. Stupid week before TOM!

Lauren - One calzone isn't going to kill you. Just get your eating back on track :)

Jess - WAHOO!!!! 75 pounds gone is amazing!!!!! :carrot: I'm sorry you've been sick and are swamped with work, but hey, look at it this way, you are making money.

NSM - Good luck with the inlaws. I know how hard it can be sometimes.

Tummy - Dainty has a nice ring to it :) So close to 140's !! How exciting!!!!! I'll have to check out some of the "cold weather" stuff.


Sandye - I'm glad you had a great time with Mom and Sis!!! I know you're sad to see them go. And the little ones moving up to big beds, I'll let you know how much I cry when I get to that point of motherhood. I'm sure I'll be one of those cry at everything moms and my kids will be so embarrased, lol.


So I have a new hard deadline to be done with my weight loss - February 8th. That's Dh's surgey date. We scheduled it and paid the deposit today. I had already chosen February to be my goal month to be down 50 pounds, but now I really have my eye on the prize and can't screw around. I am determined to be down to around 135 before we start trying for kids.

And this weekend was kinda fun for me in a NSV way. I wore my mini-goal jeans with a clingy top and some boots. It felt so good to not constantly be worried about fat rolls and muffin tops (I still have a little one though). And I felt sexy!!! That was the most important thing. I felt so good walking around with DH, not worried about who was looking at me or worse, why they were looking at me.