Question regarding the "Just Beachy" Beach Hopping - Exercise Challenge: Is it too late for me to start? I know I can't get a badge for last week.

I'm really trying to build up muscle mass and get my % body fat down, and getting in more exercise and activity is what it is going to take. I feel I would get some extra motivation if I joined in on the exercise challenge - but, I don't want to participate if it would hurt the Black Team since I didn't get going during the first week. Thanks!

I'm doing great with my food and water intake. I'm finally to the point where fresh fruits and vegetables taste really good to me and I don't find that I crave sweets and breads (or pasta) any longer!! Huge step for me. (And I no longer have a desire for fast food and I don't get myself a chocolate bar every time I go to the store. I had some bad habits to change...but, I'm getting there!!!)

taragettingthin - Congrats for your 1.8 loss and getting into Onederland at the gym!!! AND congrats for being down a total of 12.5 inches in your measurements in 2 months. I took my measurements at the start of this Biggest Loser, so I hope to see some inches down too.

irishfairy - Good luck with getting through your dinner with the inlaws and the ice cream dilemma. I have always avoided Nutella because I know I would like it!!! Chocolate and peanut butter are 2 of my favorites. Someday I might try it...anyway, please let us know how it goes tonight, especially with the ice cream situation. (Oh, I just read where Anne gave you some options for DQ!)

blueyedlvrgirl - WOW, good for you, you're getting in a lot of exercising even with not getting home until 8 or 8:30 at night, I would be exhausted!

Keillynsmom - WTG not indulging in the snacks in the safety training!!! I hope it's nothing serious in regards to your "check engine light"!!!

JuliaHood - I need to get some good workout music on my iPod too! There's just so many, it's hard to decide on which ones to get. (Thanks for reminding me.)

Manick - Congrats on your 2.5 loss!!! If I get to go ahead and start with the exercise challenge, I think that will help motivate me as well to increase my exercising and activity.

ETA: Someone asked what we were doing for Mother's Day. This is the first time in about 8 years that I'll get to spend Mother's Day with both of my sons (they are 25 and 27). We're going to go to the Stanford University Pow Wow. I'm looking forward to it.

Hope everyone is having a great week, I'm enjoying everyone's posts.

Purplefirefly: Calabash is about 10 minutes from Myrtle Beach, right along the coast. It's filled with retirees...just imagine the driving. What part of Ohio are you from? I was born and raised in Ohio...until 10th grade, I lived in Wooster, then moved to Smithville until I was about 19 at which time I moved to Akron. I noticed a lot of churches in Calabash, too. Around here (San Diego), we have liquor stores and churches all over the place (mostly liquor stores and pawn shops though, with a few gun shops and strip joints thrown in). It's always a culture shock when I go to see my parents because I've been away from the small town lifestyle for so long. It's a much slower pace (and that's nice) than San Diego.

Tara: wow! That's awesome! That's a huge amount of inches. Congrats! I just measured myself this past week, but I don't know how accurate it is because I tried to do it myself...usually I make hubby help me. I guess this weekend, I'll have him do it so it's "official."

Manick: congratulations on your loss! What a great number! You've been working really hard, so I'm not surprised.


Well, I finished one of my classes tonight, except for the final. Just two other classes to go and I'm done with classes. I'm so happy. I'm a little disappointed in myself...today, I PACKED a lunch and a snack to eat at school. All was well at lunch, but then came my 90 min break. I ate my snack but then was feeling "empty" or "bored" so I decided to go in the convenience store and get some tea or something. My mind said, "Well, let me just see what kind of soups they have today, I'm CURIOUS." Don't you know, I ended up walking out of there with a bowl of beef stew??? Keep in mind I had just ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Well, this was the last day that I have that class that has the 90 minute break, so the danger is over. I wanted to kick myself. But, it still fit into my plan. What's going to push me over the limit is the drink that I'm having right now!

Hi Everyone,
It's been a busy week so far, but Monday was an almost perfect day, sunny in the mid 70's, I walked for an hour in the morning, then went mushroom hunting in the afternoon for about 1 1/2 hours with my dd, it was lots of fun being in the woods. We heard a wild turkey, and saw lots of deer tracks, and also found where the wild strawberries grow, we will go back later on and pick some. The rest of the week has had good weather but I haven't been able to get out in it at all, either work, girlscouts, or taking my mother to the dr, all in the past 2 days. I'm hoping tomorrow afternoon I will get out to walk again, and maybe look for more mushrooms.
I hope everyone has a great week.

Well just wanted to drop in and say Hi to everyone, boy there are quite a few of you going through finals this week and don't miss those at all GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL ON THEM AS WELL!!!!

Well we finally got over the storms and rain and had a half way descent day but very windy of which I am really getting tired of the rain....

Well I have to be to work at 5am tomorrow so I better head off to bed.
Good Night Everyone!

I went to boot camp again and it was lots easier this time! My friends didn't go or it would have been more fun . But, I went and I did everything I was supposed to do...maybe not well but I did it!

Also, I got a scale that seems to be okay. It is a cheapo from Target (not super cheap clearance, though! - I wish!) but it will work for now.

My calories have been good, as well, so I am looking forward to a big loss this week!!!! (Hopefully )

I am from Grove City, suburb of Columbus, and boy has it grown since I left 7 years ago. It's amazing when I go back to visit my family. Our town here in NC is so different...they just made it legal to sell alcohol here, we were a dry town before. We now have one very small little bar at the edge of town, but mostly you have to drive about an hour to Charlotte to really have any night life. I love it here though, esp. since it's all country roads to get places, instead of hopping on the crowded freeway all the time like in Ohio.

I'm exhausted again today...will catch up with everyone tomorrow. Hubby is back on the road and our veggie garden is in the ground, but not completely done just yet.

Purplefirefly: You know, I really like living in the city, but sometimes I miss living in the country. I miss the clean air, the quiet, the open space. I don't know that I'll ever go back to as small a town as I am from, but I would like to move to a smaller more quiet life someday. I don't know if I can ever get hubby to do that, though: he's used to the city, he was raised in Los Angeles.

Hi all,

Quick check in for me.

Trooworld for being this week's biggest loser!

Congrats to all who posted a loss and to those who didn't and came back for you. I hate it when we lose team members just because they're bummed over the scale that week or feel intimidated by fast moving chat threads. Just remember that no matter what happens, each morning (unless you work nights) is a new opportunity to start fresh again.

BlzMax... - you are just an unbeliveable MACHINE on the exercise challenge. WOW!!!!

Good luck to all those taking their finals now.

Cheree - I don't think it's too late to get into the Beach Hopping Challenge.

I'm finding it a bit overwhelming to keep up with everything. I might have to drop the Beach Hopping Challenge, especially if they are going to make the "distances" farther each week. Right now I'm just trying to focus on eating right and getting regular exercise and not spending so much time in front of the PC when I could be doing more constructive things.

Time for bed. Just wanted to say hi and GO BLACK TEAM!!! I have searched and searched and cannot find cheerleaders with black pom poms. Just ninja warriors so once again, the Black Team will not follow on the beaten path...

Just checking in team. Trooworld, you certainly could have done much worse than soup so that is a good thing, considering all the junk a convenience store has I think you did well. I know the issue is that you had already eaten, but I think we all boredom eat to some extent when the opportunity is as hard to avoid as a big break like that. Hurray for end of classes!
Happy2beme, I too am overwhelmed with the assortment of challenges and side activities so I am sticking here only. It's exciting to see others motivated by the other things going on, but no sense adding something that is just going to make me stressed and feel bad about myself. Tonia, great job at boot camp, that is awesome. That will get you into shape real quick. Bette k, mushroom hunting? That just sounds cool despite the fact that I can't imagine what exactly you do. Do you find mushrooms to cook? How do you know the ones you find are edible and not the toxic little buggers that grow in my lawn? I'd love to go mushroom hunting just to be able to tell people that is what I did today!

My weight is staying about the same, predictibly, as I haven't been doing much to make is change. Tomorrow I'm going to the gym and I have just got to get through these last couple exams then I can refocus on weight loss.

Hope everyone is doing well. Goodnight.

Just stopping by to check in... I'm finally done with my classes till next semester, as I'm not taking any classes during summer. Just submitted my final paper about 2 hours ago and man, I'm glad! I can do an extra credit that is due today but I already have an A in that class.. so I'm not sure if I'm even gonna bother with it.

Hey team! I'll be glad when its 4 o'clock today. I know its not good to wish your life away, but work has been unbearable. Well not all of it just the wicked witch of the west....I think the last time I talked about her I refered to her as dr jekyl and mrs hyde...she's all that and then some. She was being such a beeyotch the other day. Most days I'd like to just punch her in the head...but I guess there's rules about that. Even though she pissed me off so much I didn't turn to food....yeah me! Today I leave early because Madison has dance and then I took tomorrow off. My family will be here really early like 3am or so from Minnesota. I get to see my little nephew for the first time....I can't wait! I've been busy getting things ready for their visit, last night I spent three and half hours cleaning the carpets moving furniture etc, I still have a few things to do tonight but nothing too major.

Tara-so is clinton township a burb of Detroit? I was in Detroit last month for National bowling...we had fun...I bought lots of Lions stuff...I've been catching a lot of crap about it too....but I'm still loyal to my team. Congrats on being done with school for the summer.

Ceegee- I hear you about going from 4 miles to zilch. Each week I was doing less and eating more. My weight has only been fluctuating 5 lbs but I can tell by looking at my body that its not as lean as it had been while running more consistantly. I decided that I needed a reason to run, so I signed up for the 3FC memorial day run, plus I'm thinking about running a 2 miler in the beginning of June and another 5k in August. I think that eventually you'll find your reason to start running again. Maybe your just burnt out and need a break from it all

Irishfairy-I bet once your body gets used to all the extra exercise you are doing that it will show in the scale. I know its frustruating when you're trying soo hard but don't give up hard work does eventually pay off. Do you take measurements? Even though the scale isn't changing maybe your body is. I'm really thinking about getting turbo jam, is it worth the money to buy all of them or do you recommend anyone in particular?

Okay I best start getting ready for work. Everyone have a great op day!

Hi ya's Black team!

Just a quick drive by to say Hello to my girls and the whole team! You are all doing so well. I miss ya muchos!!!

Manick - Congrats on your 2.5 loss & thank you for dropping by the red thread to see me.

Dream, WTG not turning to food in a time of pisstivity! I'll be glad when i get there. J pissed me off good on Monday and both Monday & Tuesday I totally blew it with the food. O'well.

Ceegee, I am thinking maybe you are exactly where you need to be weight-wise? Here's a little email from our girl Jillian that made me think of you:

By: Jillian Michaels
Tune Into Your Body
Your body is trying to tell you something, but you're just not listening! To win at the weight-loss game, you've got to make some changes. One of the most important ones is to stop listening to anything but your body to establish a realistic weight for your specific build. Forget about what you see and hear from pop-culture sources.
Another thing not to rely on is the body mass index (BMI), which determines the amount of fat you have on your body according to your weight and height. Here's why you're not going to use it: It fails to distinguish between fat and muscle, so the BMI will ultimately give you an incomplete sense of the shape you're in.

Today, the medical industry has set its weight guidelines according to the waist-to-hip-ratio method, which is a much more accurate way of arriving at an ideal goal. Follow these steps to find yours:

Get a tape measure and measure your waist right at the belly-button line.
Standing with feet hip-width apart, measure your hips at their widest point.
Now simply divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. This is your waist-to-hip ratio.
The ideal waist-to-hip ratios are 0.80 for women and 0.95 for men.
****************************************

Anywho, maybe that will help??? I hope so.

Julz, happy2bme, reda, Purple, Bette, everyone! keep up the good work! we are fighting the good fight!

Pissitivity - that's my new word of the day - thanks Diva!

Hi smurf & barb -
I happened to search P90X and your posts popped up - please don't think I was ignoring you. It's very difficult keeping up with all the posts.

Sorry to hear about your knee problems smurf. Thankfully my knees are fine but I'm modifying some of the moves (I don't do as many jumping jacks, for instance. I'll sub something else.) My upper back and shoulders are killing me though. I don't know if it's this workout or my mattress (ha!)

barb i was planning to wait (or is it weight) until i was under 200 to start P90X but my package arrived sooner than I had planned and i couldn't resist trying it. although really hard, i was able to make my way through the workouts and can tell i'm making progress now that i've done them for 4 weeks. so that's cool!

today is stretch X which i've never done before. truthfully i'm really looking forward to it and hope it's not too difficult. i need a nice, easy, recovery day.

oh and about yoga X, the first 45 minutes is a bit monotonous but what i dislike even more than the actual routine (which comes close to some live ashtanga classes i took years ago), is Tony as an instructor. he's all about "drive" and "push" and fight through it. he even says he knows he's yelling alot for a yoga practice. He never talks about 'breathing into the stretch' and 'lengthening/relax into it' and 'finding space and openness'.

his constant chatter and moving around during the balance postures i find incredibly annoying. i think he even waves his hand in front of one of his background exercisers' face...and says something about not ruining her chi!!!

and the worst(!), when they're doing frog and the flexible girl isn't as deep into the posture as Tony thinks she should be. he says something along the lines of her not being perfect rather than pointing out that we all hold tension in different parts of our bodies.

can you tell i really dislike him as a yoga instructor? he goes against everything i've ever experienced in yoga. i'm substituting another workout the next time it's on the schedule. decision made. sorry for the rant - guess i needed to get that off my chest!

oh and pull-ups = don't do 'em. i'm using the band on a door. it's not the best and may be why my upper back is acting up.

I bought a bike!!! I'm sooooo excited about it because I was able to ride for over an hour yesterday! I discovered that my old bike hurt my butt so much because it was the wrong size. My BF wanted to get himself a nice bike yesterday, so we went to a bike shop in Btown. Once he picked out his bike I discovered that we would be able to finance it, making it so that I could buy a bike as well. The salesperson actually fitted bikes to us! My butt hurts a little today, but I feel amazing! My butt and legs are sore because I worked them, not because the bike was uncomfortable which is wonderful (did I mention that I love feeling sore?)! My BF's parents only live 4 miles away and my parents live 3 miles away, so we plan on riding our bikes the their houses from now on (when we have enough time) to not only boost our exercise, but also to save gas money. I also only live 1 mile from the school I work at, so I plan on riding to school as well. There are monster hills to all three locations that we have to climb going both ways, so I know I'm going to build some serious leg muscles. The salesperson told me my bike would practically climb a tree as long as I correctly use the gears, so I plan on working on getting the gears down and being able to climb all monster hills without stopping by the end of the summer! One of the hills is almost a quarter of a mile long and really, really steep (we live in the valley and my parents live in the mountains), and will be a real challenge. I'm so EXCITED!!! I realize I sound like a dork, but I really needed something to kick me in the butt and get me back on track! Actually having someone to exercise with will definitely do that!