Me too, for the past 24 years! It's been cold and snowy the past few weeks with tons of power outages.

Oh ladies I tried yoga recently. In the distant past I was able to but now my goodness my knee was hurting and my wrist were hurting. I am sure when there is a little less of me to support it will be enjoyable again.

Andi.. BOOT CAMP!!!! I have wanted to do one for awhile but can't bring myself to sign up for it. It sounds soooo incredibly scarey. I admire you!

I am 212.1 I would love to be at onderland by the end of the challenge!


Faux - Congrats on the Work Visa!!!!

The detoxing, I sweat like mad and feel really clean and relaxed afterwards.

Plus I am one of those wanna be bendy girls who is just stiff as a board. So the heat helps my muscles relax and I can stretch further and more comfortably. Folks new to hot yoga need to be careful not to overdo the stretches.

And I guess the last thing is the challenge. It's harder when your sweating so much you need to be careful you aren't going to slide off your mat.

It took a while to get caught up with this thread, wow, we sure have a big supportive group here.

This was a tough day for me to stay OP. I made 2 SB recipes yesterday and wasn't pleased with either, although DH likes both. He's such a machine, food is fuel, etc. But it's easy for him to incinerate calories, for me I'm really choosy what I eat since I eat so little in comparison. Food quality and pleasure is important to me.

Anyhow, I have decided that SB is not for me, and continue with my CC and logging in TDP. I ended up having a veg/chick w/w sandwich for dinner. And today was my day with the puppy, since DH skate skied and ran to work and back. Right now she's chill when I'm on the couch but the second I get up to train she's going to be doing jumping jacks on me while I do jumping jacks (she's only 10 months but 47 pounds). I can't wait until she gets older and a bit more relaxed.

Yep, what she said. I couldn't sum it up any better.

Hello All!
I was a bit slow with getting into the chat

Did you know blue is my favourite colour???? Go Blue!

This is my first TBL challenge and I can't wait to get to know you all

QOTD:
1. Stay on plan even on weekends
2. Exercise 4-5 times a week
3. Drop at least one pant size

River: Yay another nova scotia gal! Mom was telling me about all the power outages and stuff.. I guess im glad imnot there this season! hehe

Got to work on the hundred pushup challenge today. on w1D2.. hehe Im gonn a try to actually finish it this time!!

Im also thinking more about getting something to track my miles when running. I dont want anything fancy.. just something goof for tracking. anyone got ideas?

Rhondaaaaa!!!! I've missed you that much too. It's great to be back. How is your family? And you? What have you been up to lately? I'm glad to see Anna and Marianne here too. Is Chellez doing the challenge too?

I'm sorry I haven't even stopped in during my hiatus. Believe me, I woulda been negative this last 6 months. We had lost another baby to relatives and things were sad here. But we got Meadow when she was 2 days old, Sept. 5th and now I'm just glad to sleep thru the night!!

About my weight loss, I'm still so frustrated I can't stand it. At some point I will decide that I will have to live with whatever comes my way in every aspect of my life after weight loss. And that's because I'm feeling tired carrying all this extra weight around. It's a nice cushion to keep people away though. (although that isn't why I'm heavy. I use food for every emotion imaginable and am working on that every day as well.) And I sure hope my earlier post doesn't sound 'conceited, whiny, ridiculous'. It's just that I've touched my toe into the water in that 'other world' and I'm not sure I like the temperature of the water there.

What do you have to say about that, Rhonda? Did you grow up thin though? Only people who grew up heavy I think could help me. If you know someone who is at goal and who grew up that way too send them my way!!! I need some clarity now to keep me on track. I also need to trust myself that whatever happens I can handle it. I am that way about all the rest of the things in my life, all thru all 3 adoptions (and the babies we lost) I was tough. I guess I know those things go away and will end. Once you sign for your baby, they stay. But with being thinner, every day you are thinner, and every day you don't want to 'dress up' to go out because it's strange now. It may seem trivial to anyone who hasn't touch toe into the water yet. But believe me, you will see what I mean. Another girl on here said 'I know what you mean!!! When the door is opened for me at stores, I think.. No one ever did that before! I know it's a good thing but it's also aggravating. How do you get past the fact that YOU are the same? But once you look 'good' all the sudden you MATTER?!?!?!?

It's an interesting social experiment. It's like those people who put on 'fat suits' and go to the mall. They are stunned at how badly they are treated and how invisible they feel. Yet when it's the opposite we should just be glad right? It's probably also that I'm a mom and married. I'm sure if I was younger and single I'd be loving it (well some of it.).

One last thing is my dad has lots of health problems I'm hoping to avoid. That means lowering my sugar and fat intake and watching what I'm doing instead of going on auto pilot so often. I am tired alot due to our new business and our home and the kids and the sports they are in, etc. which makes me want sugar. (What mom with 3 little ones isn't tired tho? Not all of them do what I do. Remember when I went 184.5 days OP, NEVER going over cals? Lost about 40 lbs with barely any exercise. But those days in the evening were nail-biting hard to get thru without eating something. I saw my problem right there.

Lotsa nites I hadda go to bed at 8pm because if I stayed up to work late I WOULD have gone over my cals.) Maybe that proves what they say. Do what your body really NEEDS at that moment and not just what is easy to feel a little better. My problem now is that I don't even have that choice. I have to put files into the computer til midnite sometimes or later. Not sure how it'll be this time around for me.

Anyhoo, ah well, so here goes. I'm in for 2009. Where it takes me, we shall see!!!

Hello to river, newshinyme, scarahjs, fauxtini, disgruntled one, dixied-thank for taking over blue team!! , and everyone else here!!! I'm so sorry about my long posts. You'll probably see alot of those. I say my feelings here better than anywhere. Hope they aren't too annoying. You can always pass them up. It won't hurt my feelings. I promise.

I hope you all post just as much. I LOVE getting to know every person on the challenge. Makes us closer, you know? We may can help each other more if we know more about what each of us struggle with most. I will be reading them all, even if it takes longer some days to get on here. I am almost embarrassed for starting over again. But I'm thinking there are others here doing the same thing. I so totally wish I could just lose it and be done with it. But there is always something that makes me hold back. I'm determined to figure all that out this year. Maybe some of you can give me some insight as to how you will handle things when you get close to goal and your life begins to change. Esp. those of you who have been thin before. How were things for you then vs now?

Well I'll be back later. I'm sure I'll post alot on days where my work is low. Some days I may not can get on at all. But I'll be thinking about you all and wishing I could come chat.

Ok, bye for now, hugs Selina

SophiaAugusta - I think it's awesome too! Last year I got into Bikram (hot) yoga and was really gung-ho about it. I had to stop because my job got really busy, but I really enjoyed it. Back in October I just decided that I didn't need outside help to start my own home practice, so I got a book, made my own sequence, and I've been doing yoga every morning since. I'm eventually going to join a yoga class to learn the more advanced poses with a teacher present, but I want to lose some more weight first. I can't wait to do handstands and such! I didn't know Bob Harper came out with a new one. I knew he already had one though. I think I'll check him out. Even though Jillian is my favorite on TBL, I do like Bob quite a lot as well. They're both my kind of trainers.

As for tea, I'm all there with you. I love mint teas and green teas and only certain herbal ones. I've stopped drinking black, but there are so many varieties of mint and green and herbal tea I haven't gotten bored yet!

river - I agree about how hot yoga makes you feel. I loved it while I was doing it. Also, since it's the same sequence every time, you can really feel your progress and also it becomes kind of a standing meditation since after you've done it for a while your body knows it. Do you do any other yoga besides hot yoga?

DisgruntledOne - When you first start out you become very aware of the different aches and pains in your body that you may or may not have noticed before. If you're interested in trying again, there are probably ways to ease yourself into it and it really helps in the long run with eliminating those pains.


heh I just love yoga so much I get kind of carried away when talking about it. Sometimes I try to "convert" my friends and they just smile and nod while trying to edge away from me. It really has changed my life though and I want it to help other people too. Anyhoo, I'm totally down for a blue team yoga thread. As you can probably tell, I'm pretty enthusiastic about it even though I'm just a beginner still.

Wrdfrog, I really haven't done any other yoga since starting hot yoga. My yoga journey has been long and convoluted with many stops over the years. I first started almost 20 years ago with an amazing instructor I found at the community centre. Didn't find another decent teacher although I tried a few times. Spent a lot of time at the karate dojo for a few years and stopped yoga altogether during that time. Since then I have just been doing yoga DVD's at home but since doing hot yoga I got spoiled and only want hot yoga.

Selina, when I was at goal weight I was really happy. I just felt "right" for me and strong and well, right for me. I lost that when I had so many work responsibilities that I ceased to matter. In 2008 I began to change and take control of my life back from overindulging with the "I deserve it" mentality. I don't deserve to eat and drink too much and not take care of myself. I deserve to have my outside match my sporty insides. I'm looking forward to reaching goal and finding balance in maintenance.

River, that is great to hear. I will be glad when I get to a point like that in my life also.

Hmm, I'm guessing you weren't always really heavy? Maybe my 'normal' IS chunky. And what's weird is that I was very happy when I got to (your highest, but was low for me) 178 while dating my dh and then got married and that was it. Even now, esp when I'm watching my cals, I HATE buffets. That's the only type place he wants to go. He doesn't always overeat, just likes the variety. So I bring a book and read. A lot. LOL. Not blaming him. I just see the times in my life when I 'gained it back' and why.

I also rarely have notice for when he wants to go eat out. Usually I've just eaten when he suggests it, like right after I ate my liunch or late at nite. Just doesn't tell me with any notice. So my cals are gone, I stay home and send the kids with him, if they haven't eaten yet, because why go? (I eat at different times than they do often because I can't have what they have. They have salad with their meal but sometimes my whole meal is salad. So hard to sit there and watch others eat other food.)

I had been over 200 since junior high. I wonder if I'll ever really find balance. I think if I did a challenge with someone, reaching for something else, like the show, a big money prize that I'd just DO IT and then learn to live in that body and find my 'new normal'. Maybe I should try to find people who want to do a money challenge! LOL! Hey, it's an idea. I guess I'd need people who could all weigh in on one scale in person tho, huh? Ah well, just a thought.

Thanks for your insight. I need all I can get.

Well everyone, except for a rogue cookie that found its way into my tummy (ok, ok, I put it there), eating was OP. Made really fantastic stuffed bell peppers for dinner, which got to simmer in beer for a bit... so yummy, and 5 points! Made it to the gym today for the first time in over a month and elliptical'd for 35 minutes.

Selina, you're right, our weight histories are totally different. My highest ever was 196 and I think I was only there for a few months before I got right back to between 170-180. My starting weight shown was this September when I got my butt back in gear big time. I've always fit some exercise in my life but it was the lack of consistency with it, and the drinking and eating that I was struggling with. I'm really small boned, and my lowest adult weight was 127, which didn't look good at all either- I didn't get that weight on purpose, and got a little panicked when it happened. It's pretty funny to think back on it now and see how far from that situation I am now. Weight goals are really personal and everyone's body is different.

What I do find interesting is that you chose your goal based on a time and weight in your life when you felt happy. Same as me. We're all going to rock this challenge!!!

Suitejudy- way to go with your workout!

What does "On Plan" mean to me?

I have had success in past on the "No-S diet"= which isn't a diet at all, but just a lot of common sense. No snacks, No sweets, No seconds, except on days that start with S! So during the week, I am eating clean with no desserts or seconds or snacking between meals ( may decide to "allow" for almonds and such- we'll see).
I also need to be exercising almost everyday. My exercise of choice is running/walking on the treadmill (need to start up C25K again) and t-tapp for strength and core training.

Today was great food-wise, but I still had one kid home from school and my husband home sick and didn't get to the treadmill. I also have a cleaning job which a do nightly and believe me that is a workout in itself so I'm going to be ok with that for today

Off to a great start of the week ladies!