Thank you. We are doing Eastern Caribbean and are so excited. I'm going with my friend and her parents and we splurged and got a suite. She is my weight loss buddy and this was our gift to ourselves for losing the weight. It serves as a good motivation to lose the weight. I started cruising when I was 350lbs so this will be my first cruise at a smaller size. I am looking forward to trying every excursion and adventure without worrying about weight limits!

Week Two
08: 271.2
09: 270.8
10: 270.2
11: 270.2
12: 270.0
13: 269.8
14:
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week Two:

Well it's official....bad carbs are officially my enemy. 2 weeks of no sugar/bad carbs has had such a positive effect on my body. I started 21 day fix yesterday. It is difficult but I really want to lock in good workout/eating habits and these seems to be a good way to do it. I have started using their containers for portion control and it really helps me see what a "healthy" portion is. I really want to lose those 35lbs by the end of November.

Had a bit of a bad moment last night, we picked our friends up from the airport and they had got us some Garrett's popcorn from Chicago so I ended up having some late at night :(. I'm up a smidge from yesterday, a 0.2 lb gain, so could've been a lot worse!

Week Three
13: 184.6 lbs
14:
15:
16:
17: Vacation
18: Vacation
19: Vacation
----------------------------------
Avg Weight for Week Two: 185 lbs
Avg Weight for Week Three: 184.6 lbs
Total Loss for Week Three: 0.4 lbs

yang - There are 10 videos total in Insanity Max 30, 5 for month 1 and 5 for month 2. There's a schedule to follow that tells you which workout to do on each day. There are a couple more videos that I choose not to do, basically the rest day videos that will be yoga/pilates based. I'd much rather do youtube yoga! I love the Insanity series, it's my go-to home workout. I've tried Jillian Michaels but I just don't like her personality so I don't do a good job. Especially in her Body Revolution videos where she spends so much time talking to/messing around with the people behind her and not motivating her audience. Shaun T is a great trainer who really knows how to pump up the people working out with him, so during these summer months I always turn to him for my workouts!

Jeny - Sorry to hear that your cravings have caused a gain! Cravings are difficult to deal with since our brains scream at us to just eat eat eat. That's why weight loss is hard, it's mostly a mental game!

yangtzer: When trying to lose weight, strength training can be frustrating. It is the right choice, but can make the scale go the wrong direction. Are you tracking measurements also? I find that tracking both is more motivating to me. Sometimes when I stall out on weight, I suddenly drop an inch around my waist, so I can use that for motivation, since it is more important than the number on the scale anyway.

JenyReddy: Not funny how easy it is to gain weight, is it? They say "you didn't gain it all overnight, so you can't expect to lose it all overnight." But sometimes it feels like I DID gain it all overnight. I was 170 like last week right? What do you mean that was 20 years ago?

boatingmommy: In my book, going out with friends and not gaining anything is a big WIN!

Fungirl: I'm glad to hear that your plan is working for you. Experimenting to find what works for you can be rough. Finding what works is a great feeling.

Riestrella: Those Insanity workouts sound, well, insane. Don't laugh, but I still do some workout videos from the 90s. I have a kickboxing one that I really enjoy and works up a great sweat. Good luck on your upcoming vacation. Vacations can be scary when trying to lose weight, but don't forget to have fun. And then don't forget to get back on track when you get home. As long as you don't let the vacation be an excuse to get completely off track, a little setback from the vacation itself isn't the end of the world. It isn't even necessarily a bad thing.

Week Two
08: 232.0
09: 231.2
10: 231.6
11: 232.2
12: 230.6
13: 230.0
14:
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week Two:

New Low at last. Yay! Haven't had a new low for 12 days now, so this feels great! (Not as greats as 229.8 would have, but I'll take it for now.)

Finally fixed my kayak and spent one hour on the lake, feeling great:)

TW: 112-117
CW: 116.4

Ate badly this weekend (although that was part of the plan, so fair enough). Nothing bingy or no pig-outs, but stillI gained 3lb as a result, so this week i'm back to basics to lose it again. One day down, and 2-3 dieting days more to go, then back to maintenance mode. That's the plan - which i'm hoping should do the trick. All I need to do now is follow it:)
Just shows how easy it is to get to the top of my target range!

Hello everyone, I'm back! Three days in Hawaii celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary, seven days aboard an aircraft carrier, and three days at my inlaws. It was lots of fun and some (many) indulgences but I'm only up one pound, whew! Must be all the constant moving around offset the excess in calories. Now I'm trying to settle back into my normal routine at home and I'm ready to lose a few more pounds.

Current weight: 133
Goal for August: 130 (3 lb loss)

My gosh, there are a lot of posts to catch up on here! Thank you gardenerjoy for once again starting the challenge. How does your garden grow? Lacerta, grats on a new low, that's fantastic! Ophelia, a huge grats to you as well! Fungirl, good for you on cutting out sugar and bad carbs; isn't it amazing how much better you feel eating clean, and you realize how poorly you had been feeling? Riestrella, your paint by numbers is coming along beautifully! Congrats to you, wantochange, on your anniversary! Welcome to all the new and returning folks to this challenge.

Lacerta, the spider in your hair made me laugh, but I understand the ick! We are so buggy out here at our place that the days I DON'T find a bug in my hair are special! And that reminds me of my last visit to my mom's house in Nevada. We were driving home when I suddenly felt something creepy crawly in the bodice of my sundress - something BIG. :sp: I grabbed up the material, trapping whatever it was inside, and it squeaked. I told my husband to pull over NOW. He did, we jumped out and he pulled my dress up and off of me, leaving me standing on the side of the mountain pass in my underwear. He poked around and finally found a 1 1/2" june beetle clinging to the dress. We left it on the side of the road and I reclaimed my dress. But how did that huge beetle crawl all the way up my dress without me noticing?!!

]August Goal: 6 pounds
Start Weight: 185.6
Week One
01: 184.1
02: 185.3
03: 184.6
04: 185.5
05:184.8
06:184.6
07:184.8
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week One: +.7 lbs

08-12 - Vacation and no weigh ins
13: 184.8
14: 183.7
________________
Total Loss for Week Two: 1.1 lbs
Chugging along...is it really only Tuesday?!!

Good morning!

Lacerta: Thank you!

Cattails: Welcome back and thank you!

This last week has been good. I feel like I made some serious strides is fighting my cravings and dealing better emotionally with them. I am very happy with my weight loss this week. My hope is to lose 1-2lbs a week so that I have a chance of meeting my goal of 35lbs lost by vacation at the end of December. Last week was amazing but I can't pull that off more than once I think, lol. I have to skedaddle...I overslept and I still need to make my breakfast. Have a good day everyone!

Week Two
08: 271.2
09: 270.8
10: 270.2
11: 270.2
12: 270.0
13: 269.8
14: 269.2
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week Two: -2lbs

I had a semi-good day yesterday? I did eat a lot of popcorn but it's GONE now! No more delicious caramel popcorn for me. However my Bokksu arrived, it's a gourmet Japanese subscription box and it has a sampling of delicious Japanese snacks. This box I got in particular because the snacks they curate are from local vendors vs. things you can find in every store. I looked into Japan Crate, but to be a bit of a snob here they were all things you can buy in a convenience store and having already lived in Japan I knew what they tasted like! Each Bokksu is also centered around a theme too, which I love. I swear I don't work there :lol: However because it is rather pricey I'm only going to nibble on those snacks when I absolutely want something sweet/salty. Plus while Japanese snacks definitely have sodium/sugar I feel like it's more...real? Less sweeteners and more straight up sugars. Even their McDonald's taste a little less salty!

I didn't work out yesterday like I intended, my bf had an interview and I tend to pick up on his emotions so I felt so sick to my stomach with nerves for him! Outwardly I was supportive and encouraging, but all morning I felt butterflies. It went well, but they're going to take a long time to decide, so I've told him to just pretend it never happened (after sending a follow up thank you email of course) and move on. I really hope he gets it, because it would honestly be a huge relief to us financially, but also because it's the perfect job for him in a cool company. Please send us all your positive energy! Anyway, back to weight loss :lol: I didn't work out because I was stupid and lazy and felt all discombobulated. I'm going to work out today and hopefully tomorrow to make up for it.

Regardless I weighed 183.9 lbs this morning, a nice 0.7 drop and my average is looking good at 184.2 lbs. I'm sure I'll go up a little tomorrow if I workout though, then it's vacation time Thursday onwards. Looking forward to it but also dreading it for my weight! Since it's a trip to visit a friend it's going to be centered around hanging out and food. It's going to be trying that's for sure.

Week Three
13: 184.6 lbs
14: 183.9 lbs
15:
16:
17: Vacation
18: Vacation
19: Vacation
----------------------------------
Avg Weight for Week Two: 185 lbs
Avg Weight for Week Three: 184.2 lbs
Total Loss for Week Three: 0.8 lbs

Lacerta - You're right, I just need to get right back on track when I get home and don't dwell on any gains that might happen. I wouldn't be surprised if I went all the way up to 187 lbs again when I returned, like when I had a bad couple of days a few weeks ago, but it came off really quickly. Congrats on an all new low, you're so close, you can do it!

Cattails - Welcome back and WOW at only a pound gained! That's amazing!

Fungirl: Your loss looks good and steady now, keep it up

boatingmommy: A 2 week vacation and you only gained 1 pound?!? WAY TO GO! That is amazing. And ugh! I'm pretty sure I'd move to a new city if I was finding bugs in my hair more than once a year, let alone every day. Fortunately, we don't get a lot of bugs out here in general.

yangtzer: You are being very active. I'm loving reading about all your adventures. I've only been kayaking once, and forgot to wear sunscreen. The burn lines were interesting.

ange: At least you know that you can have a bad weekend once in a while and still stay within your range if you are willing to make up for it during the week. That sounds like a successful experiment to me.

Week Two
08: 232.0
09: 231.2
10: 231.6
11: 232.2
12: 230.6
13: 230.0
14: 229.0
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week Two: 2.2

Yay! My first look at 229 and I skipped all the way through the 1st pound. Maybe that means I'll actually stay in the 220s. :crossed: This is the first time I've been in the 220s since I think 2008.

I'll happily take a 2.2 pound loss for the week, especially considering that only 3 days ago, I was +1 pound for the week.

Riestrella: We posted at the same time, AGAIN. Good vibes for your boyfriend's interview coming your way. Also, way to go for not just giving up on the week and starting your vacation early. That is something I'm always tempted to do. Being extra good to help offset it is a MUCH better choice. And congrats on seeing a 183 number this morning.

10,000 steps under my belt today:)

Lacerta congratulations on seeing the 220's. You're going gangbusters! And you win :) (I was 115.1 this morning.)

Yay! I now weigh 2 anges. Woohoo!

it's very similar, I had 12,000 yesterday! : D today I plan a long walk and make about 15,000. I'm curious if it will work

August Goal: 6 pounds
Start Weight: 185.6
Week One
01: 184.1
02: 185.3
03: 184.6
04: 185.5
05:184.8
06:184.6
07:184.8
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week One: +.7 lbs

Week Two
08-12 - Vacation and no weigh ins
13: 184.8
14: 183.7
________________
Total Loss for Week Two: 1.1 lbs

Week Three
15: 183.6

Still working on getting back to where I started this month, but i'm going the right direction. Seems like everyone is doing better. Keep up the good work!

Week Three
15: 241.2
16:
17:
18:
19:
20:
21:
----------------------------
End of Week Two: 242.9
Total Loss for Week Three:

Lacerta- Thank you and congrats!!!

Week Three
15: 269.0
16:
17:
18:
19:
20:
21:
Total Loss for Week Three:

August goal: -1 kg (reach 99.4 kgs)

1: 100.4 kgs
2: 100.15
4: 100.65
5: 100.7
6: 100
7: 100.05
8: 100.5
10: 100.45
11: 100.4
12: 100.1
13: 100.35
15: 100

Week Three
15: 229.0
16:
17:
18:
19:
20:
21:
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week Three:

No weight change from yesterday. I'm ok with that. 3 big drops the last 3 days, and I got to stay in the 220s today. Plus I actually went out and had a big Texas Roadhouse dinner last night, rolls and all. But I didn't have lunch, so that counted for 2 meals. I actually find that I do that a lot, have breakfast, and then one meal around 3:00 or 4:00 if I can get off work early enough to do it, it works really well for me (I suppose that is similar to Intermittent Fasting) Sometimes I have a protein bar for a snack, sometimes not. I only do Texas Roadhouse about twice a year, so I enjoy it guilt free when I do. Nice to see it didn't result in any gain.

I also took my measurements this morning, which I've been doing about twice a month. From my last measurements on July 29th, I've lost about 4 inches overall, including a full inch off my waist. Yay. I tried on my size 14 jeans and was able to get them done up. True, I had to lie down on the bed and squish things to do it, but still :) I think by the end of this month, the muffin top on the 16s might be down enough to actually start wearing them. Which is good, because the 18s I've been wearing are capris, and it'll likely get too cool to wear them sometime next month, so I'd really like to be able to just step down to the next size at that point. Oh, and I measured the actual waist size of my size 16 Gitano shorts. No wonder I can't fit into them. They are about the same size as the 10s I just bought for progress checking jeans.. Vanity sizing strikes again. In fact, they are so small, I might still be able to wear them next spring when it gets warm enough for shorts. We'll see.

Worked out with my Zumba video today.

Rie - thanks for your advice. I took your advice and took 2 rest days without exercise. I think my last rest day was about 10 days ago. I also have not been sleeping well for some time now. I managed to get a good night's sleep last night, probably the best sleep I've had in a month. It may be that my lack of sleep may be affecting my weight loss. Enjoy your vacation.

I hope everyone else is having a good week.

Aug-03 SW: 132.6
Week Two: (Aug 10-17)
11: 132.8
12: 132.6
15: 133.0

----------------------------
End of Week One: 132.6
Total Loss for Week Two:

Hi, guys! :wave: I've been reading but fell behind in posting.

yangzter and camila - I didn't expect to find tracking steps as motivating and fun as I do, but I really do like it! I don't have a fitness tracker though, so my steps are only from when I have my phone on me, since that's what I use to track. I should probably get a fitbit someday.

Lacerta - Wow, congrats on losing all those inches in only a couple of weeks!
....................
NSV today. I bought some new pants a couple of weeks ago. When I bought them, they were slightly snug. Today they fit fine. :D

Hey guys, just a quick one to say I'll be on vacation, so I won't be posting until Monday! Have a great week!

August goal: -1 kg (reach 99.4 kgs)

1: 100.4 kgs
2: 100.15
4: 100.65
5: 100.7
6: 100
7: 100.05
8: 100.5
10: 100.45
11: 100.4
12: 100.1
13: 100.35
15: 100
16: 99.65 (new low for the month)

gardenerjoy: Congrats on being back below 100kg. Keep it up!

Riestrella: Have a great time on vacation.

Chunkalunkah: Thanks! I've found that I'll go weeks without losing any measurable inches at all and then lose them all at once. When I measured on the 29th, I was only down 1.75 inches from where I was on June 30th. So that whole month I lost almost nothing from the 8 spots I measure. Must have been coming off my fingers, toes, face, ankles, etc. So apparently it was my time to drop a few from the places I do measure. Congrats to you on your NSV too. I like them even better than the number on the scale.

flower: Glad you got a good night's sleep. Lack of sleep can ABSOLUTELY mess with weight loss.

Week Three
15: 229.0
16: 228.2
17:
18:
19:
20:
21:
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week Three:

Good drop again for the day. Yay!

TW: 112-117
CW: 114

Well this morning i'm back again to the weight i'm sort of trying to stay at now, after a weekend of indulgence and 4 days of diet-mode. I suppose that's reasonable; 3 days bad, 4 days good kind of thing, to even it out, but it's a bit too up and down to do all the time, so the answer is more moderate weekends unfortunately!

I am starting to crank up the exercise a bit now though (two 5 mile walks this week, a spin-cycle class and plenty of stretches/squats/lunges, plus i'm hoping to go for a longer walk tomorrow, plus I've started a pushups program (very moderate so far but anyway...)) so i'm happy to increase my weight a bit if I think it's muscle - i'll just have to see how the jeans keep fitting! Also I know i'll get hungrier as I do more exercise too, so just as I was getting the hang of this Maintenance thing, I introduce a couple more variables! Ah well, should keep me motivated to carry on experimenting on myself. Just need to make sure I don't ramp up too quickly and re-injure my wonky knee.

Great to read that plenty of people are going really well at the moment. :)

I binged late last night, will do better today:)

August Goal: 6 pounds
Start Weight: 185.6
Week One
01: 184.1
02: 185.3
03: 184.6
04: 185.5
05:184.8
06:184.6
07:184.8
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week One: +.7 lbs

Week Two
08-12 - Vacation and no weigh ins
13: 184.8
14: 183.7
________________
Total Loss for Week Two: 1.1 lbs

Week Three
15: 183.6
16: 183.4
17: 183.6

Hi Jeny. Just browsing through threads and your post caught my eye. It looks as though the chocolate bar is a trigger for you, leading you to eat more undesireable foods. :nono: Some people can eat a chocolate bar then get right back on course. If not, then it's something to be aware of and avoid as much as possible.

Lots of familiar faces in this thread. Hi everyone!! :wave:

JenyReddy: If you've gained a bunch of muscle, don't be depressed. Celebrate it. That means your metabolism will be higher, your clothes will fit better, and you will be strong enough to do more things. The scale moving up is temporary. I've said this before, but when I started riding my bike to work every day, I gained 5 pounds but went down an entire pant size. So clearly I burned off quite a bit of fat, even though the scale went up. So how are your clothes fitting? Do you take measurements as well as weighing in? If not, you should start doing that. Inches lost are more important and more indicative of progress than what the scale says, anyway. If you were only going to do one or the other, I would definitely go with the tape measure instead of the scale.

boatingmommy: Way to go. Even with your vacation, you are still down 2 pounds so far this month. That's great! Keep it up.

yangtzer: Sending you extra willpower :dust:

ange: The experimental time is tough, right? What can and can't you get away with. How long does it take to recover from x, y, or z? Every day is a new experiment while you figure it out. I think you're doing great so far.

Raining: Sorry you haven't been feeling great. But don't be frustrated about your losses so far. We're only 1/2 way through the month, and you are already only 1 pound from your goal. You're doing great.

Wannabehealthy: Hi!

Week Three
15: 229.0
16: 228.2
17: 227.0
18:
19:
20:
21:
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week Three:

I'm really surprised by today's drop. I thought maybe I'd get down into the 227s, but I didn't expect 227.0. At this point, I've lost like 5 pounds in 6 days. I get to change my avatar to a 40 pound one now, YAY. Just in time for my 5 month mark tomorrow. So 40 pounds in 5 months. Not bad at all.

I swam 45 min today:)

Hello everyone Happy Friday Weigh-In
I have been at Tennessee Fitness Spa all week and have two more weeks.
On 1400 kcal a day.
Hello kfunk I have been fine and hope you are too.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

August 2018 Weight Loss Challenge
Goal: 11 lb

Date Weight Loss lb
-----------------------
8/1 314.2 lb START
8/3 314.6 lb
8/6 319.0 lb
8/7 317.0 lb
8/8 317.4 lb
8/9 313.4 lb
8/10 315.4 lb
8/12 319.8 lb (Tennessee Fitness Spa intake weigh in with clothes)
8/17 308.5 lb (with clothes)

Hi All!

It's been a crazy couple of days and I am off to my friend's house since we're leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow to spend the day at an amusement park. So a quick posting tonight and I'll check back in tomorrow night or Sunday. I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.

Week Three
15: 269.0
16: 268.6
17: 268.2
18:
19:
20:
21:
Total Loss for Week Three:

Checking in
 

It’s been a while since I have checked in. I’m going to start out being positive. I decided to try and see if my size 8 pants fit, not expecting to button them, IF I could get them over my butt... they fit AND I can button them! Omg, I was so shocked! My scale broke and I haven’t been able to find one. So I finally ordered one online, should be here this week.

I have been using the Fitbit to track my steps and I’m doing 10k-15k a day. I keep saying I’m going to start working out with the kettlebell, but I haven’t done that yet.

I have been having an issue with chronic headaches. I was doing so research, for my husband, on Hemp oil extract. He swears it has helps with his shoulder pain. He’s been using it for 2-3 months now. So, I tried it, not expecting anything from it. And I can tell you within 45 minutes, I completely forgot I had a headache! Now the bad part... I could not stop eating, I must of tasted everything in the house! Lol.

Welp. I didn't get to go on my vacation. The morning of my flight I had a fever, diarrhea, nausea and basically I was in no fit shape to fly. Despite all the anti-nausea and Pepto-Bismol I took I couldn't shake it in time, so I rearranged my flight for Friday. Luckily my flight Thursday was 2 hours delayed, so I could do it for free, but yesterday I was too weak to get up and get on a plane, so I had to cancel the whole trip :(. Needless to say, I was devastated, having been so excited for a long time. However, I know I made the right choice, because even though today I'm feeling much better, I'm not exactly at full energy so I would not have been good company over the weekend.

On Thursday morning I tried to deny that I was feeling crappy, so I started to get ready as if I was going to get on a plane, so I weighed and I was 183.2 lbs. Then it all went downhill from there :cry: Yesterday evening when I started to be able to eat again, I thought I'd weigh out of curiosity, and tracked 181.9 lbs. Fascinating how much weight you can "lose" in one day when being sick! This morning I was 183.2 lbs, which is back up to pre-sickness weight so I'm at least glad that my most consistent weight this week is in the 183's.

This weekend I'm going to focus on getting my energy back up to full speed and move forward!

Week Three
13: 184.6 lbs
14: 183.9 lbs
15: 185.2 lbs
16: 183.2 lbs
17: 181.9 lbs *sick
18: 183.2 lbs
19:
----------------------------------
Avg Weight for Week Two: 185 lbs
Avg Weight for Week Three: 183.6 lbs
Total Loss for Week Three: 1.4 lbs

Hope y'all don't mind if I skip on personals today, I'm still pretty run down but I'll get back up to speed next post!

yangtzer: I'm jealous every time you post about swimming. I love swimming laps, it's my favorite exercise. But my gym never seems to have an open lane in the pool, and I can't stand swimming laps and sharing a lane. So I never go, because I can never get a lane. So I'm jealous that you are able to go do that regularly.

darius: that sounds intense. Have you done one before? Do you find that it actually helps in the long run, or just give you a short term boost?

Fungirl: Ooh, have fun at your new smaller size getting to fit into more (hopefully all) of the rides.

sunshine: Google tells me that hemp oil can give you the munchies if you get one that is a THC based extract instead of a CBD. CBD doesn't typically give the munchies. So you might check which kind of extract you have and if it is a higher percentage THC, try one that is CBD instead. I don't know which state you are in, whether pot is legal there. If not, your oil is likely a low THC, because that is all that is legal in those states, but if you are in a state where pot is legal, you could have a higher percentage THC oil. And congrats on your NSV. I'm not sure I will ever be a size 8, so that is amazing.

Edited to add Riestrella: We posted at the same time, again. So sorry to hear you have been that sick and had to cancel your trip. That is miserable. Glad you're starting to feel better, and I hope you feel the rest of the way better soon.

Week Three
15: 229.0
16: 228.2
17: 227.0
18: 227.8
19:
20:
21:
----------------------------
Total Loss for Week Three:

I was back up today, but that wasn't really a surprise. I knew I had to have a rebound day at some point after the big losses of the last couple of days. Plus, I had a couple pieces of pizza last night, and the pepperoni always makes me retain water. Hopefully, I'll lose most of it back again tomorrow.