TODAY MARKS THE HALF WAY POINT OF OUR FEATHERWEIGHTS JULY CHALLENGE!!!

4.6 mile run on the treadmill (running about 4 miles of it, I had to stop a lot today)

1 mile on the elliptical (and then my body gave out again)

weights ~ upper body

About 550 calories burned.

118.8 lb today :)

Anyone still working this challenge with me?

I had a rough w/e. Missed a workout. Ate pizza... twice. Ah well.

Treadmill & elliptical for a total of 62 min
30 day shread DVD, level 2
Strength training 15 min

About 800 cal burned today
Weigh in: 120.2, booooo!

I weighed in at 123.6lbs on Saturday, then ate crap ALL weekend instead of just during my free meal and didn't work out at all. Ugh, the guilt is overwhelming.

Back on track today, trying to avoid the scale until my next Friday weigh in so I won't be depressed. :dizzy:

How was Saturday, Dorian?? You deserved a w/e off ;)

skinny fast It was great! My jeans were sexy and my new high heels were sexy! Harry Potter made me cry a little! Red Lobster was too rich, I could barely eat it, my body did NOT want all that fried/battered/cheesed/creamed nonsense in it at ALL.

I probably gained half a pound over the weekend, haha. Oh well, I'll just be extra good this week! It was worth it! :D

You are doing GREAT, you'll see 118 on the scale again in no time!

Thanks! I hope in the next couple days my scale will be on my good side again. (TMI) Being on my period isn't helping!!

Glad you had a great time!! :) It's fabulous that your body is starting to reject unhealthy stuff! I wish mine did, lol.

I just implemented my cheat meal and my stomach is not happy. It's rejecting mac and cheese, lol. I think for my next cheat meal to boost my metabolism I'll indulge in pizza - not so much creamy cheese. Ugh! I'm gonna do my kettlebells later once I digest.

I went and bought myself a jump rope the other day and will start to incorporate that into my cardio portion of my exercise regiment.

Glad to hear everyone is doing well. :)

Here's an update:

Weigh-Ins
Week 1 SW (7/1): 116.5
Week 2 SW (7/8): 114.5
Week 3 SW (7/14): 114

Goals/Plan of Attack
I've been:
-staying on track with water intake & portion sizes
-exercising 4-5x/week (zumba, walking & swimming)

Goals Achieved So Far:
-reached July 4th GW (116)
-reached Beach Weekend GW (114.5)
-took a cute pic with my car on the beach

This should be my official "end weight photo":
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...t/DSC00102.jpg

Took 3 years of clean eating and exercise, but I'm finally happy with my progress looking at this pic :) Hope everyone's week is going good. Now that I'm back from vacation, its back to zumba class after work ;)

You look so great! WTG! I can't wait to wear a bikini on the beach :P

Just weighed in today at 136.4 lbs which means I've already passed my goal of losing 5 lbs by August.

Ran SO hard last night! It was after a very heavy meal though, so it put me at maintenance calories for the day.

I'm down about half a pound since last week, putting me at 123.2lbs.

I'm feeling pretty good about 122lbs by the end of July, we have a little over a week left.

TheManekiNeko - NICE work, that's awesome!

ferretgirl - You look so hot! Awesome! Congrats!

skinny fast - Hope you're on speaking terms with your scale again soon!

Dorian5, ferretgirl & TheManekiNeko... you are all doing great!!! Awesome job!!!!!!

August 1st is a week from today! I weighed in 2+lbs this morning since I ate at ALMOST maintenance calories all weekend (how infuriating to eat at maintenance and see a gain -- I know it's salt and water, but GEEZE! :dizzy: )

I am determined to see 122 before next Monday! I will settle for 122.4lbs since it rounds down. :lol:

The happier I get with my body, the more slack-a** I get. I have 8 more pounds until goal, I can't be slacking off NOW! :dust:

Crap! Seriosly did not even realize we have a week left, lol. I've been focusing on Aug 6th b/c that's the start of our vacation.

Well, my Aug 1st goal of 117 is still very possible. At 119.6 today I think I can hit it. I'm still losing the 'swell' I gained from my binges :o Got to hit the treadmill!!!!!!

I posted my update in my "I fell of the wagon" thread that I'm still off track, but getting back on! I'm trying to remember that I have worked hard, the right way, to lose about 18 lbs... I can't forget that, and I'm trying to forget my mishap. I can't wait to say, "I've lost 20 lbs!"

:carrot:

I did it. back at the point I was before I went into my binge week. Actually, I'm .2 lbs BELOW!

Weigh in today: 118.0 PHEW!
Working out later. Spending this morning at the pool, finally. That will burn a few hundred calories too :)

How are you, Dorain? Anyone else here with the 2 of us, lol????

Haha, I'm not sure, we might be alone!

NICE WORK on getting back to 118!!

I am up even higher today, but I think that's because dinner last night was flat bread turkey pepperoni pizza (sodium!) and green beans sauteed in soy sauce (more sodium!) -- so the scale said 126, whereas I was 123.2 on Friday. BAH. Obnoxious.

But I haven't been exercising at all, which is awful! I've been busy as ****, looking at houses to move into, blah blah blah.... lots of excuses. I really want to at least see 122.something by August 1st! I need to buckle down! My eating is great, even though it's salty -- but I've got to get some more running in!

Hi you two!

I'm here with you, but I probably won't be meeting any goals! My weight has stayed the same all month, probably because I can't exercise and haven't been counting calories exactly.

I get the bandages taken off my foot before we go away on holiday, so I'll be able to swim every day when I'm there! That + healthy Turkish food, I should meet my goal by 1st September. I'm still mostly (90%) on plan food wise though. I think my body likes 148lbs and doesn't want to go any lower!

Oh that's right Claire! Hope you can get back to it soon. Don't you hate when your body decides it's comfortable at a weight that's higher than what you want? But maybe it's saying something important? Congrats on the healthy eating :)

Dorian, THANKS! And you'll get back there. The same happens to me. I bloat up easily from too much sodium (like more than 1500mg). But it comes off easily too. Just remember that :) I just drink a ton of water the following day and I feel much better. I swear water is such an important tool in weight loss. You would think it;s the other way around, water would make you bloated, but it filters everything out, right? Plus it helps me feel fuller. I drink extra during meals. Man, I drink about 9 - 8oz cups/day. Yes, I'm a freak- I measure :dizzy:

OMGOMGOMG. So it looks like I'm gonna make it to my minigoal of 65kg/143.3lbs on my bday the 29th! I've lost over 10lbs since I started 3weeks ago. I am so psyched. I thought it wasn't gonna happen because I've cheated twice in these 3 weeks. But both cheats I stayed within calorie range for that day.

If that's possible, then I am seriously considering making my next mini-goal to be at 132lbs when uni starts in the beginning of september. But, beginnings go fast. So I should temper myself.

Week 4 SW (7/25): 114 lbs ~ Not bad. Only 1lb away from my end-of-month goal. Seems to be my lowest comfortable maintainance weight that's not too hard to maintain. Today's CW (7/29) 112 lbs ~ 2nd time I've met GW this month. We'll see if it sticks, but I'll still be fine with an EW of 113/114.

Plan of Attack Update: I've successfully went to Zumba class 4x/week all month. Only missed July 4th (studio closed) and the day after I got back from vacation. Membership goes out at the end of month.. Not sure if I'll renew the unlimited zumba, but I will sign me & Mom up for a 2-hour country/western date night at the studio next Friday. Food-wise: I've been mostly good on portions and nutritious foods. I slipped a couple times this week, eating foods I shouldn't eat (like chicken tenders /w fries & gravy or pizza), but I still kept to portion sizes (only 2 tenders, only 2 small pizza slices) which I think helped keep my scale numbers from spiking.

Thanks, you guys, for the sweet pic comments. And congrats to everyone who's meeting their goals and staying on track. Dorian5, I have to agree with your statement "The happier I get with my body, the more slack-a** I get." So true.. Its like once I reach a goal number, I quit trying. We gotta try to keep it going this time though ;)

Good luck ladies... Let's keep pushing into the next month as well! Glad to hear y'all doing good, skinnyfast, ManekiNeko, & philana!

Great updates, ferretgirl & philana!

"The happier I get with my body, the more slack-a** I get." Absolutely! I skipped today's morning workout to go to the pool instead.... again. You think 3.5 hours of chasing toddlers & swimming leisurely burns as many calories as an hour of cardio?????? LOL. No, seriously, does it?


I met my goal, 117. Just in time! I have 1 week, well 9 days, until my big beach vacation. Wonder if I can hit 115. Months ago my goal was to be 112 by vaca, but there's not way that will happen now.

I am 123.2lbs again this Friday. That is how much I weighed last Friday. /frustration

At least it isn't a gain. I'll buckle down and run hard to see if I can at least manage 122.8lbs by August 1st! There's still time! Problem is, it's the weekend. I tend to eat closer to maintenance on the weekend... :o

Nice work to everyone!

skinny fast - I'm sure it DOES burn a great deal of calories! I'm so proud of you, you've done an EXCELLENT job!

ferretgirl - We do have to keep it going this time! You are doing fantastic! :carrot:

skinnyfast, Leisurely swimming still counts as a workout. Chasing toddlers certainly does. You could just call them light or medium impact, depending on how tiring it is. I consider housework a light-impact workout (picking up/carrying laundry, cleaning house).

Dorian5, You can still make 122.8 by the 1st. I think water and healthy foods/portions will help you meet goal. If you eat more on the weekend, give yourself a grace day or half-day before weighing in again (ex: if I eat late Fri night and scale is up Sat morning, I weigh-in again before lunch and the number will have gone back down).

Good luck ladies on our last weekend of the month!

You CAN do it, Dorian!!!! I have faith in you :) Hugs!!!

...Yo! If we do another challenge you & I could possibly meet our goal weights by Sept 1st... if not an October 1st challenge. lol

All our challengers here have come so far... are so close if not there already :)

Weighed in at 123.8lbs this morning, I'm retaining water from salty food cause I didn't eat over my calories over the weekend and got a good run in last night. So I fell a little short. But that's okay, because I have some renewed motivation.

I would totally be down for a September 1st challenge! I've decided that I would like to see 120lbs by then. I don't lose as fast as I used to, I generally average about half a pound a week now, even when I eat great and run, so that's going to be a challenging goal. But I'm up for it!

The boyfriend and I have a wedding to go to this month, and his birthday is soon too, so I will have some challenges making sure to eat and drink well during these celebrations. It would be great to be at a low weight for these events too. :)

Congrats to all for their losses! :hug:

You did GREAT, Dorian5!!! You're probably actually 123, or I'd bet below :) Congrats.

I'm down for that August challenge too. Did you start a thread? I will if you haven't.

As for me, my goal weight was 117.0 & today I'm at 116.0. I'm happy!

My exercise goal however, was to burn at least 800 cals/day on workout days, and that started off so strong and died down the last 2 weeks. I'm still burning about 600 cals on workout days, but instead of working out 6 days/week I'm at more like 3-4, though the other days are pool days for me. I get a little exercise in then too :)

I also did great with food in the beginning, but had a couple set backs with binging :( I'm adding in binge free days for this months goal.

Is anyone else checking in today?

I'm a little late! I haven't had consistent access to a computer lately. Just wanted to let you guys know that I passed my goal for this month! I wanted to lose 5-6 pounds, starting at 142.4...I'm now bouncing around 132-134. *does happy dance* I also had a goal of working out at least 4 times a week...I worked about 6 times a week this month with Sunday as a rest day.

I can't believe this all happened in a MONTH. So encouraging.

Congrats to everyone and their weight loss goals! I'm also totally down for a new challenge. Hopefully I can chat more and won't be as busy. :)

skinnyfast Please share how you burn 600-800 calories per workout! I have almost 20lbs on you so I can probably do it in at least half the time lol! Tell me your secret! Binge free days are a goal for me too this month. Such a setback!

RachelAnne Im aiming for that type of success this month! Congrats! I truly think avoiding binges and off plan eating and consistently working your butt off 5-6 days a week is the key.

LOL, well I start with cardio. I usually do an hour of either running on the treadmill (now that it's too hot outside) or using the elliptical, or a little of both. I'll either run at about 6.5mph & do 30sec-2min spurts at 7.5/8mph or set the elliptical at a 4, 5, or 6 which gets pretty vigorous for me. I also use the treadmill at a 10 incline and walk at 4.5-5mph... that's a hike for shortie me.

After that cardio I will either lift weights or do a workout DVD (30 Day Shred by Jilliam Michaels, which does a lot of strength training, or a yoga DVD- one that really makes you sweat with reps & using your body for resistance, not just stretching). Or sometimes I do both.

I also have 2 toddlers, and on nice mornings I'll push them in our double stroller (which makes a heavy load, 48lb kid+34lb kid+ double stroller) on the hilly paths through my hood. Then I do that workout routine immediately afterward.

Some evenings I get pilates in too, usually a core workout. If not, I at least do some sort of calisthenics.