Califiona-I run 4 days a week, swim once a week. I'm going to do a marathon in the fall, so I'm going to be ramping up my miles slowly over the coming months. I also plan to do a sprint triathlon in June, so I need to add some bicycling back into my schedule, but it's a challenge.

Woot! Down to 144.5. I gotta lose as much as possible in the next 3 weeks, before the pms hormone craziness. I really tend to go nuts around then...there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it besides try not to have snacks in my pantry.

Califiona, I'm in San Mateo :

Ms. Perception: I think that it is great that you are cross training too. I found it hard for me to get the miles in on my bike. But, then I started biking to and from work so that helped. Good luck on training for the Marathon. When I trained for mine, I did it with Team in Training, which was a great way to meet people. But, on my own, I am not so motivated to run.
Kamesennin: Yeah! Down to 144.5 pounds. Congrats on the hard work. Yeah, I know what you mean about the hormones and cravings. But, you are doing the right thing. You know that about your body and you are adjusting your caloric intake now. San Mateo huh? And here I thought you were from outerspace (thought that was cute on your profile). do you like to hike? Have you been up Mt. Tam?

hi! i am a brand new 3FC member, and I would love to join as well. I've been failing pretty miserably at losing weight on SB diet, but am adding 4x a week cardio and strength training into the mix to see if this will get me losing, as well as cutting down on fats (I only eat healthy fats but they're still fat!) July 4th weekend is a big family get together in the OBX, NC, and I would love to show up looking more like me, and less like the chubby college version of myself I've been for the past 5 years!

Welcome lisa-Best of luck to you as you turn back into you!

Califiona-I'm a stay-at-home mom with one not yet in school, so I'm a little more limited in my time to exercise outside the house. It makes fitting it all in tricky, but it will get easier once summer hits and the kids are out of school.

Oh I am a little late but can I still join...?


I wanna reach my 2nd goal till July which is 110lbs... this would mean I have to lose about 18lbs...

Lisa and DietCoke --- Welcome! it is always nice to have people join a challenge!

Sorry i have been MIA for a while. I had my father visit me, so we were doing alot of family time. I made all my hand made save the date cards at night after hanging out with dad, so all my blog/3FC/internet time was taken away from me! Plus i was working almost everyday last week. This week i have my mornings off....YIPPYY!!!! I am so excited to get out there for a run today. It is sunny and beautiful! And i am finally feeling 100%. I still have a weak voice, but i think that is just from yelling at my students!

I am doing a bit of a re-commitment to this challenge. I want to check in alot more often, but it is hard with so much going on right now. I HAVE TO meet my goal (within a pound or two) because i want to look perfect at my wedding. I am planning to wear a short sun dress and i want my legs and arms to look killer! so, here's to getting back on plan and getting back to work!!

Ms Perception - I know my goal is a little on the low side, but it is a good weight on me. I don't have a super small frame, more like a medium small frame. If i find myself happy and comfortable at a little higher weight, i will gladly maintain there!

maenad-Oh, I'm sure you'll look even more fantastic than you already do once you're at goal. I guess I'm just always surprised how low people's goals are. I'm within 5 pounds of my high school weight now and I know I was heavier (weight-wise) than most of my friends then, but looked smokin' at that weight! (Pardon my lack of modesty! LOL) I'm a muscular, not at all "skinny-looking" body type, so I've never known myself at a terribly low weight....been 130-135ish from junior high school on 'til I gained a bunch of weight in college. I guess I'll see what weight "sticks" for me. I'm certainly not opposed to exploring a lower body weight.

I'm very happy with how I handled a weekend filled with challenges. I'm up a bit (136.0), but I'm convinced it will be gone by tomorrow. One more pound 'til I reach my goal for this month...which puts me ever closer to my final goal by July 4th!!! Independence (from fat) Day!!

ms perception: I gained weight when i was in HS, I got up to 155 my Junior year, and in a matter of 6 months dropped down to 105. It was not a very healthy weight loss. I stayed around that weight (105-115) until i finished University. Once i was out in the real world i put on weight....about 2 years ago i topped in at 142. I hovered around 135-130 for a year or so, and started this journey in November. I guess i prefer to be n the thin side, but i have a butt and hips that will never go away no matter how much i try!!!

Today was great! I got a nice run in and did some abs work. I am surprised at how easy it was to get back into in after having about three weeks of little to no exercise! I am going to get back out there tomorrow! food wise was not perfect, had a little more pasta than i should have, but it isn't the end of the world...as least i didn't snack on candy!

Hope everyone is doing well!

I'm muscular as well—I have been lifting heavy weights for years—but I still prefer myself lighter than 129. There is just so much that goes into what the ideal weight for a person may be. At 129 I'm a size 2 (by today's standards), but I want even more muscle definition than I have at that weight. I'm liking 111, but I think I want to see 108. I'm another who has curves even at a smaller size. They aren't going away. But that said, I've seen women my height who weigh more than I used to and I think they look lovely.

I've never weighed more than 129. That seems to be where my body likes to stay. But it's been easy for me to lose weight this time, and was two years ago when I last tried. I can lose about two pounds, sometimes more, a week eating between 1,750 and 2,000 calories a day, so I know I really shouldn't be setting myself up for failure by going low on the scale. I don't have to worry about being dissatisfied long-term with my calorie intake. But all the same the issue for me has been keeping it off. I like to eat, and can easily eat more than 2,000 if I let myself. I can eat more than friends who are twice my weight and more. For a time I can get away with that, but not forever. So last time I wasn't vigilant and kept saying that one more day of eating too much wouldn't hurt me. It turns out, eating too much catches up with you. I think, though, that this time I've learned to eat right and maintain. I've gone about things in a different way this time.

I've been reluctant to add weights back into my routine lately, though I know I will next month for certain. I was getting bored since I have no real gym access, so I'm doing free weights at home. I've got books and stuff, but I was weary of it all and have been enjoying running and swimming so much I didn't want to mess with it. I think that'll help the process along. I already have defined muscles, so it's not for appearance sake at all, just for metabolism and all.

Just got back from a run. I pushed myself a little harder and ran a little longer. I am going to add a 4th of the track each day, until i am up to 6 times around. right now i am at 3.5 times around. Once i get to 6 times around i am going to give up the track and just run the seaside. I also did my ads routine.

I made a meal plan for the week and am off to the store after i shower to do some shopping. I love meal planning. I think i am going to make honey mustard chicken with rice and steamed veggies today. yummm!!!

Yesterday started off good, I went for a run and did abs again. I ate a healthy lunch and was feeling good. It was my friends birthday so the BF and i went over to celebrate around 5. My friends Girlfriend and i had a few glasses of wine. I thought we were all going out to dinner, but we ended up ordering in. I was really upset because we ordered pizza and it's not like i could run out to buy salad fixings. Unfortunately i was pretty hungry and i ate more than i should have. At least i didn't eat anything after the pizza! but i did have several glasses of wine.....

This morning i wasn't feeling so hot, so i skipped my work out. I made eggs Benedict sans Hollendise Sauce for breakfast (toast, a little cheese, wilted spinach and a poached egg) and ate about a million strawberries. For dinner i had chicken and a salad. Feeling good about my day so far! I usually binge on hung over days, but i was pretty good!

I am glad i took a break, i think i needed it, i felt pretty sore in my legs this morning.

I'm very pleased to say this month I've lost several pounds and have made such great progress toward my goal weight. ..more than I expected in such a short time since my losses had slowed significantly. Okay it was more like I spent Febraury and March slowing GAINING. Now, I am in a place of better health and perspective. Thank God I realized my mistakes before I regained too much and now I can be at goal this summer and enjoy that satisfaction! I lowered my goal weight to 125 on my ticker since I was shooting for the 125-129 range and it's probably better to hit the low end to leave some wiggle room for special occassions. I read with great excitement in my marathon training book about how I will "need" to increase my calories as I progressively add miles to my runs during my training. I was drooling as the man described meals of pancakes, pasta, and rice to keep healthy levels of glycogen in my muscles. NICE!!

Ms Perception: I am so glad you have had such a good month so far! I totally can relate to letting yourself go for a month or two, then catching yourself just before your weight gets out of hand!

Last night i fell off the wagon again with alcohol. I guess i hadn't gone out in so long that i went a little overboard. This morning i went to the park with some friends and played frisbee and felt pretty active over all. My BF and i went home and i cooked dinner...just before he was leaving for a class we realized he forgot his favorite shirt at the park. So I put on my running shoes and headed out! Luckily i found it at a cafe we had gone to earlier in the day...and managed to get a nice run in!!!

feeling good about today!