Great KayG and stlrsgrl, because I am a lifter, too!

I found NROL4W about 7 years ago, now, and also worked through NROL4Abs, NROL4Life, Strength, as well as a couple of other programs.

I used to lift 3 x per week, but have reduced it to 2 x per week and added in a yoga for the third. I usually do cardio 2 x per week.

Anyway, lifting was TOTALLY awesome through my 40's....I am a convert-for-life, for sure. This year I turn 50 and while I don't lift the big, big stuff to max, anymore, I am not a slouch! Because I am tall, but short-waisted, it really did take me a long time to squat properly and even now, I just can't do back-squats, but do lots of DB squats and front-squatting. My deadlift form is 1,000 times better than when I started. My nemesis are pull-ups. In all these years of training, I still cannot do 1 x unassisted pull-up!! Yes, I am a pear and I may never get there....but, I am going to spend my 50s trying to get there!!

Cheers, all! I weigh-in today, so will post my weight, again, once I know it!

Beeps, I have the NRL4life and the abs but never got to those, how would you compare to NRLW? I was planning on moving on to one of those after I finish this one. I did this program about 5 years ago and I was only able to do 2 unassisted pullups, I was sooo proud of myself, I hope I get there again. I will be 47 this year so keeping my fingers crossed.
JB welcome to the group.

Thank you for the welcome everyone. I can't do personals just yet and may not be the best at doing them moving forward, but I hope you will still have me. Reading of others having success really does help. I am just busy these days with very little computer time.

So Saturday was the wake up call I needed. 287. Reality. It is what it is.
In my head I think, I can't believe my husband still loves me. He does, though and says it and acts like he does all the time. So when will I start to love MYSELF? I am trying, I am trying.

I had a great day Saturday: I tracked, I moved all day (painting walls and cleaning the house). I came in under my caloric budget but didn't feel hungry. I drank a ton of water.

Sunday was not so "great": I moved all day with painting again and staining trim and cleaning and prepping for the week. But I did eat chips, icecream bar and a couple beers. Didn't track those, not sure on calories, but sure it was over.

Monday, today, started out rough in that it's snowy and slushy and I am struggling at my job, so I don't like it too much. I let myself be late today, and I ate at home before finally going in. Once I got to work, though, I tracked all the food I ate this morning on "Lose It" (Love that app). My calories for today so far are 2108 and it's only 1:26 pm.

BUT... knowledge IS power. I am 279 under budget and I was honest about tracking everything I really did consume. I feel empowered knowing "the number" and I can make choices for the rest of the day without beating myself up for this morning. Maybe that's part of "self love?" I want to love myself, not enable myself. My choices this morning will not help me get to goal, but I have to promise myself I WILL TRACK NO MATTER WHAT I EAT. That's really step one for me on this journey of a lifetime. TRACK IT ALL. No "fooling myself" no "avoiding reality."

No promises from me beyond that at this point. Not even about exercise. In a perfect motivated world, I would go home and work out. I can't promise that, though, and I know that sounds weak, but I can't handle letting myself down anymore and I can't make promises unless I feel I will keep them. "Tracking No Matter What" is a promise I can keep and I know it will help me get on a healthy journey again.

My weight loss goal for this Spring to Summer challenge?
Track every day.
Beyond that, I hope to be less than 287 by the end of this challenge. The scale will do what it does, but I have to Track Every Day. I have my phone with me always always always so there is no excuse to ever not enter the food that is entering my mouth.

Thanks for being here, everyone. An active community IS important on this journey. I wonder why all the forums are dying out and getting quiet? Well, as long as this one keeps going! Have a great week.

My weigh in day will be Friday morning.

I'm going to join in! My end date will be June 1, as we are leaving on June 2 for "vacation"- driving to be in my sister's wedding, then visiting family all over. I am NOT taking my scale on a road trip, lol! Our van is full enough with 5 kiddos!

I made it into the 170's this morning! That was super exciting. I've got 9.5 weeks before June 1- I'm thinking I'll aim for 15 lbs.

CW: 179.6
GW: 164.6

Welcome clever! Congrats on getting into the 170's!!

WindSister of course we will still have you! I think tracking everything is a great goal. I started at 273. You can do this!

stlrsgrl I never made it this far into the program, but Bulgarian split squats sound brutal! I have never, ever been able to do an unassisted pullup, so that is great that you were able to a few years ago, you will get back there!

jb1975 and clevernameWelcome!!

beeps I have also heard so many good things about lifting, but especially what it can do for women. I admire you and other people who start off with a program and stick with it and then reap the rewards!

windsister Tracking is a great plan, its good to know where you stand even if you have an off day. Don't worry about not posting very much!

clevername Congrats on making it into a new decade!!

boop hi!!

Amandie-

Thanks for the spreadsheet; much easier to chart progress on a long term challenge like this one. Even if my loss is 0.0 at this point.

I did weigh last night after my cardio workout. So, here is my ticker:

SW: 172
CW: 169
GW: 156

stlrsgrl - every different incarnation of Lou Schuler's NROL programs have been helpful! For whatever reason, I do get bored by doing the same program over-and-over again, so I do like the variety. What I remember most about NROL4Abs was that the abs were at the TOP of the workout! What a change!! Instead of leaving abs until last, and therefore "skipping" them half the time, BOOM! you have to do them at the top. My, my, my did my lower back ever LOVE that! (I have lower back problems.) It was a really good switch. Hmmmmm, so good, I wonder why I am not doing it still?!?!?

And, for NROL4Life, I think it was more intuitive that NROL4Women because it basically said "you need a few different "types" of lifting every time you do a full body workout: a pull exercise, a push exercise, a hinge exercise, etc., etc". To me, this made a LOT of sense. It was a workout built on functional-weight-lifting and even though it is supposed to be a "mid-life to ancient" age of user, I used it in my mid-40s and really benefitted from it.

kfunk - I actually think that lifting should be something that is taught in gym class, to all genders, as early as puberty and from that point forward. When I realized my heart is healthy (I used to be a cardio-bunny doing cardio, cardio, cardio 24/7), but heck, I could fall and NOT be able to push myself up (...when I am a little old lady...) that just changed EVERYTHING for me.

Nobody wants their cat/dog to eat their face as you die there unable to get up!!!

Beeps, Thanks for the info, I just realized that I don't have the life edition, I have the supercharged edition and the abs. I haven't even looked at the supercharged and have had it for years. I bought the abs and women on hardback and the supercharged on my ipad. I guess when I get close to finishing NRLW, I will look through the other 2 and decide witch one I want to move onto. I think my problem last time I lost weight is the fact that I finished the program and didn't move onto something else. I didn't have that planned workout routine and I guess I need that, need to know what I am doing as far as exercise goes and what routine is next and so on. I agree with the lifting being in schools.
KayG, LMAO about legs, I think my legs look funny and when I lost those 60lbs years ago, my thighs looked like they were melting. That's the only way i can describe it.

Ok, one week down and we're off and racing. Or maybe perhaps we've re-tied our shoelaces and are thinking about a gentle stretch

1.6lb off for me. Happy with that
And I just got my first spontaneous 'OMG you've lost weight' comment this morning, from my neighbour, so happy about that too!

KayG, who is giving her the "compliments"? Meaning: are they coming from other bird-leg women??

stlrsgrl, I have spreadhsheets (like excel) for every NROL program....so, I can send them to you if you want. Yes, i am "that person" that walks around the gym with a clipboard and pen (rather than a phone/app) as I do my lifting. Old school - but for me I need that "visual" representation of each workout (and each one before to see the gains I am making!) to make my heart go pitter-pat!

Nice scale-loss, ange82.

ophelia - I could post photos of what happened to my body-shape when I changed-up cardio for lifting...it outlines my best work (sigh...in 2014....then Menopause hit and well, I am having to shave fat off, again...). The photos hi-lite that even though my scale-loss wasn't very much, the way my body "looked" was incredibly different. (I am a pear, and made it to a slighter pear that sorta started to look like an athlete.)

Hey everyone! I suck at personals sometimes but I will try my best.

Grats on everyone's progress so far! Not much to share except that tomorrow, I'm having oral surgery to get two wisdom teeth extracted, one impacted. I'm so nervous about being put to sleep and the pain after. To stay on plan- I'm armed with greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein powder for shakes to drink (no straws or sucking, I promise! ), SF pudding, homemade creamy tomato soup. Lastly, eggs lightly scrambled, if I'm able to eat that. Although, not on my food plan, I did get applesauce and instant mashed potatoes just in case.

Never did NROL4W but I wanted to. I got scared after I was doing lifting a while and it trigged my TMJ (guess I was clenching down too hard on my jaws?) so I never did any more after that, only cardio like elliptical or walking.

Have a great night, everyone!