Scarlett- I don't blame yu on saving those carbs! That'll be a nice run for yu!
That photo is beautiful! Thank you for sharing. And yes, a supportive family is so nice to have! You've done so well that your family notices and knows you will continue on your path, what a great feeling you must have! Good for you!

Khat- I hate being the the designated driver! It is sad, I mean I can still have fun without it but at a bar with everyone doing it and inhibitions getting lower. I can't help it! As I drink the prettier/skinnier I feel. Pathetic I know but I hear yu!

Fassgal- Good for you and congrats!

Ish- I'm trying, the 30 day shred is getting more and more old the more I do it! Looking forward to a new level with new things for sure!

aggie- Woo, that sounds fun! And congrats on the loss! Just keep working hard and you'll keep going down. 1 pieces can be cute, may have to shop around but they're out there and you'll find one that enhances your beauty even more I'll bet!

do the robot- I'm sorry to hear about your back Dear! Hopefully, you get feeling fantastic soon and I have no doubt you will get right back on track. You have to! We're all in this together. We have to try to not let things get us down.

cat eyes- I understand the bad foods, it happens though! You'll get through it I'm sure! I'm sorry you aren't feeling so well. Hopefully tomorrow you'll be feeling much better!

As for me, wow. I don't even know what happened. Well, I kind of do lol. :/ Friday night I went out got drunk THEN ate half a large pizza (good choice right) then my weight kept moving up slowly so I got upset about that. Then TOM hit 2 days ago I think? I am back up to 220. I was down to 215!!! So, of course with TOM and already feeling like a complete failure I went and got a bag of hershey hugs (yu knwo they only come in the bags :/) I ate maybe half the bag last night. Still been doing my work outs and told myself doing another work out before bed would help....so I did 8 minutes of level 2 30 day shred haha. Didn't feel better, but had a **** of a time getting to sleep. Now, I'm sitting here about to work out. HOPING that some pounds will go by Friday or after TOM.

I don't stick to a diet per se. I'm pretty broke right now, really. I eat sandwiches for lunch and sometimes a hot dog or two and then a decentish dinner and try not to snack- and sometimes I have breakfast, like eggs and toast. I only drink water and sweet tea.

What am I doing wrong? Is it too much carbs? I love carbs and by my weight I THINK I am sticking under my calories for the day. I really don't want to count them, it seems like a lot of work and I am already a stressed person. It will only stress me out more. Any ideas ladies? Simple things to change or cut out? I don't get many fruits or veggies they really cost a lot. I try to get like cauliflower or strawberries once a week. Mostly for dinner we have normal foods, spaghetti, chili dogs, this we we had a steak. I'm horrible with trying to figure out what and how much to be eating. Blah

Sorry for the rant!!! lol. Going to do the 30 DS again, maybe I'll feel a bit better. Can water weight from being drunk last for days? And can TOM add weight BEFORE and during? I need some hope. I have worked out 5 days in a row, I can't logically gain 4 or 5 pounds in just a few days can I?

Buttercup-Have you ever thought about switching to unsweet tea with splenda packets? I really think that would help! also, I LOVE CARBS too haha but unfortunately they don't love me back, I try to do less carbs (I don't push them out of my diet completely because that is simply unrealistic for me) and it seems to be working out for me. Every(body) is different, and you are more than allowed to keep switching things up until you find the nutrition/diet/exercise plan that works perfectly for you-I am sure you will find it!

I wish I could do something like this, unfortunately I am one of the ones that always wants to drink! Especially during the summer when there are so many bbq's and patio drinking nights going on. I'm glad we're doing this challenge otherwise who knows what damage I'd be doing right now. Over the last three weeks I've gone drinking at least 2 nights/week but have been super vigilant about going straight to bed when I get home, no late night eating for me.

Today I had the flu or mild food poisoning, either way not very fun. I almost cancelled my root canal because of it, but decided to tough it out and go anyway. Ended up being a bad idea as a piece of one of the tools broke off in my tooth and now I have to go see an orthodontist to finish the procedure. My dentist didn't charge me but the orthodontist's rate is higher . Plus, I just want to be done with it. On the plus side, I'm starting my period and it looks like I don't experience the pre-period water retention that alot of people do. So at least I have that.

Wednesday morning here on the other side of the world.

SW : 156.8
wk1: 155.4
wk2: 154.5
wk3: 152.3
wk4: 151.2

Was hoping for more but I'm not home for tomorrows weigh in so thats it for this weeks weigh in from me.

Good luck everyone!

Wednesday morning here in the UK, and I'm finally going to try and catch up with you all :-)

Buttercup Thanks for the encourgement! I'm determined to be proud of my results at the end, and not let set backs force me to give up. I ended up having a whole medium pizza on Friday too, and it wasn't even that nice! Pizza is banished for a while! It sounds to me like your diet is kinda high in processed fats and carbs. Things like hot dogs are packed full of saturated fat, as is red meat in general if it's not lean. Try replacing the steak with a grilled chicken breast, and maybe look at something like soup and a small roll for lunch rather than sandwiches / hot dogs. I'm not sure what fruit / veg prices are like in the States, but there are some things here that are really inexpensive - carrots, bananas, Celery are all under £1 for a bag (about $1.50) and they're great to snack on. I'm a bit obsessed with food and nutrition, so let me know how you get on with your diet :-)

Scarlett Thanks for the kind words. You had a day with 1.5 hours sleep! That's crazy! What were you doing? Something fun I hope? It's great that your family are so supportive, I'm glad you have a good network around you. Do you find it helps you to stay motivated? A lot of my friends say I don't need to lose weight and it really frustrates me, as I know I'm overweight and not happy with my body.

Lexi I'm fairly sure I'm in for a gain this week too. Don't worry about anyone else, this is YOUR challenge and your own progress is all that matters. It's great that you're not giving up, we've got plenty of time to put the bad times right!

Khat I have a big problem cutting out drinking too. I really enjoy a drink, taste wise, and find if I go out for a night without drinking I get really bored of drinking water / diet soda. I don't think it's something I'll ever be able to cut out of my life, as I don't want to, but the key is moderation! I'm with you on the social circles - I have a friend who is tea-total and parties all the time, I honestly don't know how he does it sometimes without getting bored of everyone else being silly!

Fassgal Well done with the work review, AND with not rewarding yourself with food. Double congrats!

Brianalee Well done for not having a drink since March! I could never do that. I managed 4 weeks in January and it was horrible!

Tahnee Hope you have an amazing time in South America! I guess you might be there already, can't wait to hear about it when you get back!

Ish Good luck with the 30ds! There are lots of these programmes around that i'd love to try, but don't have the time / money. As long as I keep getting to the gym, I'm hoping that will pay off.

Aggie Congrats on the loss! Good luck finding a bathing suit I'm going on holiday in September and hope to be comfortable in a 2 piece. I have a lot of work to do before then!

Do the Robot Sorry to hear your back's still giving you trouble - I really hope the specialist works out what's up and manages to fix it for you. Well done for being positive and thinking about looking forward rather than back. Good luck sticking to your diet! You can do it!

Cat eyes How on EARTH did you manage to only have HALF a cranberry vodka?!? I think you should be super-proud of yourself for that. I hope you feel better from over-eating soon. I know that feeling oh too well, just get back on track with healthy eating and ease back into exercise and you'll be fine!

Paloma As I've mentioned above, I'm a big drinker too! Well done for keeping it to 2 nights a week, I know how easily it could be more. I sometimes manage to alternate an alcoholic drink with a diet soda, I find this really helps me to stay in control. Sorry to hear about your tooth. Surely if one of the dentist's tools broke in your mouth then THEY should pay the orthodontist's fee? That sounds like a massive case of negligence to me....

So I'm feeling really good and positive this morning, for the first time in a long time. I went to the gym last night for pump class, and I upped my weights for one section and managed to complete all the reps. I also went to the gym this morning and ran 4 miles.

So I hope I can keep up this motivation and get some self-control to resist snacks. It's the treats at work that I find by far the hardest thing to control. I make my own food choices and find it fairly easy to have a super-healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. The moment someone brings cakes or treats into the office though, I can't say no! I feel like I'm losing out. How do you guys manage to control these temptations?

Morning everyone!

I had a pretty good week, down 2lbs. I'm getting excited to finally see the 160's!

CW:172lbs


ButterCup85 I totally understand what you are going through with the price of fruit and veg, but how I've been dealing with it is to branch out into other types that I'm not as used to eating. When I was first getting used to cooking healthier I tended to think that fruit=apples, strawberries or bananas, and veg= broccoli, cauliflower or carrots (and I think this is true for alot of people in the US).

Unfortunately, all but the last one in each group (bananas and carrots) tend to be expensive fresh. These aren't the only things to get though, and when I started branching out in to other foods, I realized that some of them were actually really cheap. For example, tonight I'm going to cook red potatoes and green beans, so I just got the amount I needed for one meal, and the potatoes were about 75 cents and the beans (a big handful or two) were just 29 cents. And just last week I bought a jalapeno for the first time, only to find that one (enough for me) was about 6 cents.

Of course, eating in season is a big part of that, and for some veg I just use frozen. If your are cooking your veg (other than roasting) then frozen should be fine for most dishes. I know its hard, but what I love about veg is that once I figured out how to cook and afford them, I've been able to keep my dinner size large and the total calories down, which means I can cook with oil for a good flavor.

And as for not wanting to count calories...hmm. Maybe, just for a few days, sit down at night and count how many you've had that day, just to give you an idea. Or, maybe you could figure out about how many are in your most common foods and put them into categories based on about how much they have. That way, if you've had several from the 'big' cal categories, you know to try to stick with the small cal categories for other meals/snacks that day.

Brianalee- Let's just hope I find it sooner than later! I should cut back on carbs I'll start working on that this week!

Paloma- sorry yu aint feeling so good! But yay for no water retention lol!

Khat- That isn't bad at all, it's still going down!

Themilesawaygirl- Can I pm you about this nutrition stuff you speak of? I could really use some help in that department! Very awesome of you staying so motivated! Reading these threads help me a lot! I don't know about temptations, I really am not as bad as I sounded in my last post! I eat a sweet once every 2 weeks. I really limit that and the only thing that works for me is reminding myself how hard I work EVERYDAY and how far I've come and how SEXY I want to be. And, do I really want to add another 200 or 300+ calories?! **** no I don't! I basically just spend time talking myself out of it. If it's bad enough I think I can't stop myself or will end up messing up anyways, I allow myself a couple bites depending on what it is. That isn't usual though, I just work way too hard to set my own self back! But, then again you are much smaller than me, not that it is easier for you, but if I was at 140 I'd give myself a break! Just saying! lol

Flashfacts- Thank you so much for the advice/tips. I think the hardest thing for me, is dinners and lunches. I was raised that you have meat, carb and veggie. So when I sit down to have dinner and there isn't a meat I feel really bothered. It's weird I know. But, it just feels like it isn't a meal yu know? I have to work on getting it out of my mind that I need all of those things.
I kind of count them, like bread is 70 each and meat is about 60 or 70. So I round it to 300 for lunch. And then sometimes I skip breakfast :/ like today. Other days I may have an egg or two and a piece of toast. Which i just put in my own head about 250 calories. Then I eat a decent sized dinner with all things. I have to assume I need more fruits, veggies and less carbs though. I just have no idea how to go about it. Even reading stuff online. Like looking at meals, it's all stuff I have never tasted much less never heard of!

And with money- I think do I really have the money to spend to try it and not like it? This healthy thing is MUCH more difficult than I thought. I am paying attention to a lot more now, but just feel kinda stuck as to what to do next. I will work on more veggies and fruits though. I am not a 6 meal a day person. I like 3. Or 2. I am not hungry other times. So, I need to think of some healthier meals and cut out some meat and a lot of carbs.

I know this is long I'm sorry. But, if you or anyone can give me tips I just want you to know my thoughts and how I work so maybe I can USE the tips! lol I don't want to set a goal for myself I wont reach nor do I want to be on a diet. So, I need things I can do everyday or most days yu know? Or else I will mess up. The whole life style change is really for me. A diet is no good.
Whew, that was a lot!

Thank you all for the great replies! I have some good news I am back down to 215 today! Now, whether it was all the alcohol on friday night, the half of pizza lol, my muscles holding water due to Jillian kicking my butt everyday, or TOM I don't know but thank GOD I didn't gain weight. I didn't exactly lose, but no gain so yay!!!!! Thank you all for being so encouraging!

I'll technically weigh in tomorrow maybe just maybe I'll hit 214! lol

I was very lazy this week, and had to check the scale 4 times to make sure I didn't lose my mind! Went from 164.2 to 161.8



Everyone is doing great on this challenge! Very proud of everyone! Let's keep it up!

213.6 today!

Hi guys, I think this challenge is awesome and I love that it has been so popular! We needed a good challenge in the 20 Somethings!

Just a note on thread limits- whenever a thread reaches 500 posts it will be closed. 500 seems to be that magic number that slows down the site so that's why the original thread was closed. I just wanted to make sure you knew why we do that at 3FC. We just want ya to open a fresh one!

Baseline: 216.4
WK1: 209.9
WK2: 211.5
WK3: 205.5
WK4: 204.3

-1.2 pounds

-12.1 total

I can live with this number. I had a big loss last week and I'm down 12.1 pounds total. I've been aiming for an average of 3 pounds per week, in order to make my 30 lb goal and I'm on track. I've had a few cheats in moderation and have been in a bit of a running slump so I wasn't expecting a huge number. I'll take it.

I'm starting to really get excited about ONEderland though . ALMOST THERE!!

Default
Baseline:139
WK1: 141.6
WK2: 141.6
WK3: 145.8
WK4: 140.1

themilesawaygirl - Luckily we don't usually bring treats to the office. But we do all bring food for someone's birthday. We did this on Monday, so I brought shortcakes, mixed berries sweetened with splenda, and light whipped cream. I allowed myself to have one of those, and had a small lunch so that I could have more afternoon snacks (pb2, string chesse, greek yogurt) to eat while everyone else ate pizza and chips, and jalapeno poppers, and thin mint ice cream cake. For an every once and awhile deal I find I can resist, but if people were constantly bringing in treats that I didn't know about ahead of time I would probably have a hard time saying no too!

LosingLOLA Don't you love it when you have a blah week and then end up with an awesome loss? Congrats!

Junebug41 - Thanks a bunch, I'll keep that in mind for the future and will start a new thread when it approaches 500.


---time to catch up, I'm feeling a little chatty this morning ---

ISH - glad you're feeling super confident too. It's so much fun to just know you are going to be there by August (and make plans accordingly). Not too long ago you were in a bit of a slump and now you're full of energy. It looks like you kicked your problems and then some. Also great job with the 30 day shred . It's amazing how much a short period of exercise can change your body. I've only been running (running/walking/C25K) for 6 weeks and I actually feel a difference in my body. I can feel the stomach muscles under the fat and my arms are more muscular. I think my high protein diet has been helping me tone up too. It feels amazing .

Aggie2006 - WOOO Vactation. That sounds great!! Also it looks like you're having a good week congrats.

Do the robot - I'm really sorry about your back pain. I've had some minor back problems in the past and they're not fun. It literally hurts to do EVERYTHING. Hang in there and try to do the best you can with your diet.

Cat eyes - the bloat will go down just give it a few days. As long as you get right back on track don't worry about it too much. Years ago when I was in the middle of a long and serious healthy eating stint, I came home for Easter and just ATE. I ate all sorts of high sugar and high fat comfort foods without abandon. I ACTUALLY ended up puking that night. I felt like crap for a few days. I remember feeling like I was hung-over from food. It's amazing how much crap food affects you when you're eating right.

Brianalee123-That was sly of you. I should try that next time I go out. I HATE shots and everyone always wants to do them. The problem is whenever you buy a round of shots; someone else comes along and buys another round. Then someone else feels like they should buy a round. In short it doesn't end well. Some of my worst drinking nights resulted from getting caught up in the middle of a "shot war."

Also WOW whatever you're doing sure is working. I now have you at -17.2 and 7.45%. It's certainly inspiring and pushing me to work harder. Congrats!

Paloma-WOW that really sucks, hopefully the teeth problems and food poisoning will at least help you lose a few pounds.

Themilesawaygirl-no, nothing fun. I had a job interview in North Jersey just outside of NYC at 9:30 AM. This was on the record-breaking 100+ degrees hottest day of the year. Its 1.5 hours away but I had to deal with NYC rush hour traffic. I tried to sleep downstairs with the AC but didn't sleep that well. I woke up at 5am to shower and get ready. I had to be out the door at 7am. It was NOT fun having to wear a suit that day. It was A LOT of tough driving and I don't think the interview went that well. I ended up stopping for a slice of pizza and an iced coffee. The whole thing threw me off a bit, but things are fine now .

My family is only starting to come around. I guess after 3-4 weeks they realize I'm serious. The other day my Dad only bought 1 half gallon of ice cream rather than 2 because he knows I'm not eating it any more. Now I feel like I don't want them to see me cheat. Stuff like that has been helping. Be patient with your friends, it sounds like they mean well. One of my all-time FAVORITE quotes is "Suck it up, not everyone will support you, accept that." Donna Brazille. You have to do what's best for you. Plus maybe seeing what you are doing is making them self conscious about their own diet/body.

scarlett-yeah i can be pretty sneaky haha and what i'm doing is just limiting my carbs, not taking them out completely because that is just unrealistic for me and my lifestyle-going to the gym 4-5 times a week (one or two of those times is a pilates sesh the other is with a personal trainer) and walking my dog every morning and night. thats all i'm doing, but it is working and i am so thankful for whatever (i'm thinking divine) intervention has helped me finally make a commitment! I am so proud of all you girls for doing so well, we are going to be crazy amazing in 8 weeks!!!!!