I've had a bad week food wise. I'm expecting a gain tomorrow. It's as if I can't get enough of any kind of food and then junk food on top of that.

Blasphemish, (I'm just having too much fun with that username) I'd do a few mins of walking for a warm-up, then the pilates thing, then a longer walk afterward, which will be a good cool down, plus you're used to doing it, so if you feel the need for a longer workout, it will be easy to just keep on walking till you feel you've done enough. Congrats on the first 5 lbs!

Isabella, here you go Don't make me come over there!

I'm off in a minute to run the little red dawg. Not looking forward to the drive, but I'm taking an audio book, and hopefully that will help pass the time. I got to change my profile cuz I hit a new low today: 178.6! That made my day! I'll check in later.

jamsk8r - congrats on the loss! You're doing so fantastic, though I'm sure you already know that. :P

I'm still stuck at 153, so I'm going to increase my exercise today. Hopefully that'll help a bit. I did a jog.walk interval last night so I think I'm just going to do an 1 1/2 hours of power-walking today. And maybe run up some steps.

Does anyone have any suggestions of a low cal Mexican dish to get??? My Aunt want to go to Margaritas, a local mexican restaraunt and I have no clue what to get??

If anyone has any suggestions shoot them my way!! Thanks

Fajitas? I do those without the tortillas and ask them to prepare w/o tons of oil. I also try out soups (of all things) at Mexican restaurants. I found a great shrimp, tomato and cilantro one at our local shindig.

Back away from the chips and dips if you can!

It's a beautiful 70 degree day here! I went to the gym and got my arms outta the way. Once my son gets home from school I'm forcing him to do a major ride with me on the tandem bike. Poor kid. At least his mom can pull his weight up and down hills!

wow! It's so good to hear so many of you doing so well! It's very inspiring. I've been able to go walking most days and have now entered "onederland" and am over half-way to my main goal! Thanks for the inspiration and the challenge, everyone!

Hey Gang! Happy Friday! I'm down 2.4lb this week....total of 97.4...c'mon major milestone...you are mine!!!

I am however in danger of not getting in my workout today. Now my youngest son is sick. I have to go do a few things with DH and then I still hope to sneak out to the gym for a lil cardio. Scratch that...I WILL get it in! No excuses!

FB - Sorry about the finger. It certainly isn't slowing you down! I knew it wouldn't. I'm also curious about the creatine. Jam always asks the good questions that I also want to know about! Sounds like a beautiful day for a ride!!! It's about time for me to start scoping out the bike shops and trails around here.

Jam - You rock girl! I've been scoping out the details in the other forum too! I'm very impressed!

SweetS - It's not easy to avoid temtation that is sitting in front of you. I do my best to stay as far from it as possible, find a healthy option - get gum if needed, I also mentally add up the calories in my head because if I eat them I will log them and I don't want to do that! I have an all day work thing next Friday that I know it going to be one of those situations and I'm already mentally preparing myself for it.

Blasphemie - YAY! Great job...keep it up!!!

Retire - Back away from the junk! You've come so far, don't let food take control. YOU are in control!

I haven't been to a Mexican restaurant since changing my lifestyle. I do miss it. I know I can go and stay healthy, but I am so tempted by it that I choose to avoid as long as possible. DH isn't a big fan so it's easy to skip. As for all the other crap he brings home and goes out to eat...well, that's another story!

Hi to everyone I may have missed! Have a great night!

Barb

ronni62ONEDERLAND!!!
Way to go!! You started at the same weight as I did. How did you do it? How long has it taken you? Did you have any plateaus along the way?

I have gained two lbs. I am still going with the 1800 cals. though. I am at 209. I sooo want to get to ONEDERLAND!!!

I will do it! I think I can..I think I can... I know I can!!!

Somehow I missed that...WOOHOO RONNI!

Congrats Ronnie!!!!

CONGRADS RONNIE!!
Sorry I am bearly replying here.
(I have a horrible cold~ALLERGIES Ect) I love Spring But It & Fall Do a number on me with allergies.
Anyways, I am SO CLOSE TO GETTING OUTTA THe 220's
(I remember how excited I was was to get outta the 230's and into the 220's but Now I am just as excited to leave them behind.)
I am still walking Like CRAZY! 2 to 2 & 1/2 Hours a day.
(I am hoping to reach my Easter Challenge goal.I have 11 Lbs to go Wish me Luck)
Grits~I started out just walking about 1 hour or so a day In 20 minutes at a time and I up it ever so often....It's painful as heck Until I get use to the new amount Which I aint yet ~And with the cold/allergies~It's so hard But I am sooooo Determined & Repeat daily to myself If you can quit smoking(I quit smoking 2-19-08 And stayed off the cigs) Then I can do anything.

EVERYBODY~
We all just gotta stay positive & Focused.
I am so Proud of myself So Far I am Really close to 40lbs of loss.
(I remember Looking at peoples tickers and thinking Must be nice to have lost 20lbs 30lbs 40lbs 50lbs & so On....Now I am one of them~WHICH IS SO COOL TO ME!) So anyone just starting just remember you will be there soon Just keep on working hard.
(Ignore my speech blabbing crazy mumbo Jumbo LOL~When I am sick I Get serious~Anyways GOODLUCK EVERYONE~
I will check back in again soon.

Congrats Ronni!
Hattie - keep ya chin up! You KNOW you WILL do it!
Lori - You're doing great! Look at that ticker - dayum!
Barb - You said 'scoping'! Love it! That word is so addicting, I'm bad with it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Creatine for Jam and Barb-
There have been a lot of studies on creatine and I researched it pretty good before popping it down my throat.

Creatine is shown to increase lean muscle mass and decrease body fat. That's a good thing, eh? It's also shown to increase power and recovery times while at the gym. I believe it's shining power is with intense weight training, not endurance or everyday simple cardio. It provides boosts for short bursts of energy - perfect for pumping iron. In that sense alone, you can see how it would help you to increase lean muscle mass - it enables you to work harder and longer.

It's not a stimulant, in the sense of caffeine, ephedra or crack (JK about crack!). It's sort of muscle food, if you will. It saturates the muscle fibers with water, hence the bloat and temporary weight gain.

Most people seem to cycle it, 4 weeks on, a few weeks off.

The powder form is more affordable than the capsules - but the taste is TERRIBLE and it doesn't mix well with water. Chunky powder water - blech. I get the capsules, I just steal my husband's debit card and charge it off to him. There is a price for a trophy wife after all.

Link for more info... HERE! andHERE! You can find zillions more articles, I'm certain. FYI, the articles are likely written by one of the members (it's a huge bodybuilding site, sort of like 3FC) - you can likely find more conclusive articles that aren't so biased elsewhere on the site. Here's a drier wikipedia article too - right HERE!

From wikipedia:
Again, I recommend it but hesitate to if you're at a turning point where the scale will play head games with you. It's very difficult to focus on both losing a lot of weight and gaining a lot muscle - it almost requires different mindsets and definitely has different caloric needs. You should be prepared to gain a few, albeit temporary pounds if you decide to go for it. You'll also look a little 'puffier' because of the muscle becoming saturated in water. I do think it's TOTALLY worth it, and I'm the biggest weenie about the scale ever. Which is exactly why I didn't give it a proper chance the first time around.

The first links lead to one of my favorite resources, bodybuilding.com. I've bought supplements from them before, reputable, fair prices and quick shipping. I have nothing whatsoever to do with them. Just saying, if you need a supplement resource. GNC blows.

All that with a broken typing finger. I must love you guys up.

P.S,
Jamsta - Are you EVER going to notice the terrible trick I played on you last month in the points challenge? Ya-haha - I had that planned, staying neck and neck until the end, when I could relax all freaking day - chillin' and thinking of you running up mountains. Ooooh, the suspense! Go make your acceptance speech!

FB, that was a lowdown dirty trick, you cupcake eatin', rest day takin' punk! FB takin' a rest day. I'll believe that when I see it! I missed my workout the first day of March, though, cuz of the stupid punk computer spammers, so I won't be able to compete, but I'll be on your tail!

Thanks for the rundown on the creatine, typing all that up with your busted finger and all. I'll have to read up on it. I'm all about being buff, and improved recovery sounds good, but wonder if it would be a bonus or a hindrance for doing the crossfit thing. I wonder if there's anything on the crossfit boards about it. I know there are some bodybuilders that do the crossfit thing, so maybe it's come up.

Ronni, ONEderland, woohoo! You need a Highly Coveted Flamey Award for that milestone!

Lori, meant to tell you, I like the new avatar. That's a lot of walking! Must be working, since you're throwing that weight off! WTG!

Hattie, how long have you been on the 1800? Doesn't seem like that long. Give it 2-3 weeks, IMO, and see what's going on then. If the scale isn't moving the right direction by then, you can drop it to 1700, which should kick things back in gear. Did you remember to switch up the exercise routine? That should help, too.

Barb, thanks. I can't wait till you hit that 100 lb mark!

Angel, ! How was the mexican food? I've been craving that for a year, since I haven't eaten any since I changed my eating habits. (drool)

Cammie, thanks for the support! I don't know about fantastic, but I'm still kickin', and I figure, that's a good sign.

----
So, I scootered with the little red dawg (aka miss Gracie) this morning. We met up with some friends and their dogs and did about 5 miles total. The boy and I went skating tonight. It was seriously crowded, for the first time since it opened. Couldn't navigate to skate around the floor, not dancing, anyway, since there were way too many newb skaters wiping out all the time. I mostly danced in the middle. We stayed 2 hrs, then called it good enough. I've got to get some sleep, since the crossfit class is at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. There oughta be a law, that you can't make people be at a workout class at the crack of 9 on a Saturday morning!

FB~You made My day~And so did you JAM!
OK LADIES~I finally reached 40lbs lost (This is my dads birthday He passed away in 2007 So Its a special day~I am so proud it happened on his birthday)
Anyways, I am sick as heck and I gotta walk then lay down~I will check back in again soon~Take care everyone...Its suppose to be 76 Today in OHIO And I am sick Dang it!

Oh before I go I got 10 more lbs to go to reach my goal of 209 for this challenge.I hope I make it there But who knows It will be close~We will have to see

A BIG HELLO EVERYONE!!!! AND GOODLUCK!!!!