Lishar~ What a huge difference!!! You look wonderful, and that is why I love being able to compare with pictures because even as we lose, it's hard to see it physically when looking at ourselves in the mirror or as we are getting dressed. You should be beyond proud, you look so great!!

Leben~ 60 pounds! Holy crap!!! Congrats and keep it up!

Angie~ I think your plan with going lower carb and higher protein is good, and you are still getting plenty of calories to help with the exercise you will be doing! That meal looks delicious too btw! Sorry to hear your were dealing with a virus, I do hope you are getting better! And big congrats for making it to day 200!


Day 17 of 365

I started back full on with P90X this week, and I have been going strong, until yesterday. I unfortunately injured my ankle, while walking in the front yard at work and misstepping into a hole left from a removed pine tree. My ankle bent outward and caused searing pain, which got worse throughout the day. I went to the doctor this morning and he said there was probably a small tear in the ligament, a bad sprain, and to give exercise a rest until it heals. The swelling has to be gone, it cannot be tender to the touch, and I should be able to do foot/ankle circles without pain before I can exercise again. He said it can take a few days to a week. My husband said as soon as I am good to exercise again we are going to start running together twice a week and doing Insanity after both of us are feeling physically well getting back into the swing of things. He started back up his PT this week and has been doing well, his heart was racing like crazy during PT yesterday but he was not in as much pain as before, so I think the medicine has started making a big difference for him.

So since I am unable to exercise, I am taking the time to make sure I have my nutrition completely under control. But I cannot wait to exercise again, this is driving me nuts!

Pink Hurricane - Ouch! I'm SO sorry to hear about your ankle injury. I've had one myself that came out of nowhere a few years ago. I had the swelling and everything too. Unfortunately, it didn't take mines a few days to a week to heal...it took a year. I was running a lot on the treadmill during that time period so maybe that's what did it. Anyways, I hope your ankle gets better soon!! I hate not being able to exercise too. I'm glad the meds are working for your hubby as well and he's feeling better!

Hi ladies! This thread has slowed down a bit I hope everyone is still doing well.

I got good scale news today and found out I'm in the 160's so I was thrilled about that. My body fat percentage was measured today and it's 35%. On October 17th, almost exactly 3 months ago, it was 42.8%. I think that's a great improvement. According to my health assessment, the amount of muscle in my body is spot on, and the only thing I need to lose is 25lbs of fat, which would put me at 140lbs. I'm still going to keep my ultimate goal at 150lbs for now and go from there....but it's exciting to know that my "ideal" is 23.5 lbs away!!

Angie~ This thread has slowed down a good bit but hopefully everyone will be back and pick things up again soon! That's great news about being in the 160s and your body fat percentage is my ideal!!!! You go girl! You made huge improvements over a short amount of time, you should be so happy and proud of yourself for achieveing that!

Day 23 of 365
So after being sidelined due to the ankel injury for over a week, I just couldn't take being still anymore. While my ankle is still a little tender I wrapped it up and hopped right back into P90X where I had left off, which was Shoulders and Arms this morning. I was careful with the beginning warm up in which you have to run in place and kind of do forward hopping motions, but I steamed through the rest of the workout without much of a problem. I will just be listening to my body to make sure I am not putting strain on my ankle.

I have really taken the last week to look at my nutrition and I want to start aiming to eat significantly more whole grains, fruits, and veggies. When my husband and I went grocery shopping we loaded up in the produce section first. I also loaded up on yogurt, both regular and greek. The greek is pretty good, VERY thick but good. I also decided to start bringing more of my own snacks to work so I am not tempted to eat all of the sweets and stuff here that I have binged on before. Little changes, but I think it will make all the difference in the world!

Wow! I spent a few minutes catching up on posts, and I am in awe of what people have been doing.

Angie - Oh. My. Goodness. You are SO VERY CLOSE. It's incredibly inspiring to see your progress and to hear your enthusiasm for your plan. You have been an inspiration all along, and I hope to replicate your success. Your commitment and consistency are insane, and it has paid off so completely.

Lisha - How could people not notice? You look SO GOOD. There is a huge difference in the before and after. But there's a woman in my office who has lost a significant amount of weight - incredibly noticeable. But she also just had surgery. (Couldn't be weight loss surgery -- she would not have been large enough to qualify.) I won't say anything to her other than - "Wow. You look great." I had another friend who lost a ton of weight, and I made the mistake of saying how impressed I was, but it was a health issue. "Do you think I want to look like this?" she asked me. She was a good enough friend that she could be frank, and she wasn't offended, but I am far more cautious about offering weight-related compliments.

Pink Hurricane - AAARGH! I hate it when injuries prevent exercise. I struggle so much with that. But look at you - all commiitted and finding great ways to keep on keeping on. But I wouldn't expect any less. ;-) I hope your husband (!! are you used to calling him that yet?) is doing well on the health front. I didn't read all of the back posts.

Leben - Wow. Still going strong. Your weight loss and commitment continues to impress me. You've had so many challenges, but you remain focused. It's an inspiration.

Okay. I am re-committing starting today. Just to be clear - I have not lost my commitment during the time my attendance here has been only spotty. I have been "careful" about what I eat and have maintained an exercise regimen. But, as I said before, I have been a little distracted by my new relationship. (Some day, Angie, I would love to get into this topic with you. This is my first post-divorce relationship, and I just don't know how to feel about it most of the time.) Interestingly enough, though, I feel like my over-focus on the relationship has damaged it. (Would you believe I can be a little intense at times? =D) So, my new way of making the relationship work is to spend less time worrying about it. Which means substituting something to take off the intensity. Which, for the next three weeks, is weight loss! Woot woot!

I had to be in court today, so I went to the thrift store last night to look for suits. First - hooray for being able to actually buy things there now. It was almost impossible at 270 pounds. [On a side note - I am really over my disproportionateness. I have a pannus -- an apron of fat, if you will -- that hangs down. Pair that with my oversized butt, and finding pants that fit and flatter is nearly impossible, and finding a suit that fits on both top and bottom is impossible. I can fit into a size 8 jacket (if it accommodates my "guns" ;-)), but pants are 14 or 16.]

Okay. Done rambling. Here's the plan.

Sugar is my weakness. And I have been able to eat sugar in moderation for most of my journey, so I don't intend to give it up forever. But I can give it up for 21 days. By this, I don't mean that if I want A-1 sauce to give a bit of extra flavor to lean protein, for example, I can't do it. I mean that I won't eat cookies or cake or muffins--foods that feature sugar. I need to get rid of the "treat creep" that has stalled (but not derailed) my progress.

So, beginning at 9 a.m. on 1/24/2013 and continuing until 9 a.m. on 1/31/2013, I will only allow myself one PLANNED sugar treat. That means no dipping into candy dishes at the office on late nights. No indulging in the birthday treats, even if it's just "one cookie" that later turns into a dozen cookies. And I will add this, too. I am at my ex's house frequently, and he always has tortilla chips. Not a big fan of these, actually, but I will eat them simply because they are there. Those are out too. All chips. And while I may do an initial weigh-in tomorrow morning, I will not weigh on a daily basis, instead keeping my focus on the process instead of the result. If I accomplish this, I will indulge in my first professional manicure.

The next week (1/31 to 02/07) - same thing. I will reward myself with eyebrow sculpting or jewelry, to be determined. (I am talking about $10 - $15 range here, so not professional sculpting. It needs to be done, I think. Just not too sure I want to do it, and this is supposed to be a reward.)

The following week (02/07 to 02/14) - same thing. I will reward myself with some type of fitness equipment. Lots of things I want, so I will leave it nebulous for now.


To encapsulate -
For the next seven days, I will check in here daily. I will lift weights on Friday, 1/25, Sunday, 1/27, Tuesday, 1/29 and again on Thursday, 1/31. I will do two cardio "sessions" on two of the off-days and will try to incorporate more movement in general. No sugar or chips. No daily weighing.

Apologies for the excessive length of the post. I'm back, baby. ;-)

Yep. I am the guy who virtually disappeared for six weeks, and is now highjacking the thread. Sorry.

Day 2 of my 21-day challenge! Weight this morning: 210.2. Not weighing again until at least 02/01. No sugar or chips today, and I will be lifting weights at some point. Feeling a little sore from running yesterday, but otherwise feeling really energized about it all.

Day 2 successful! I actually went and checked a candy dish at abput 9:30 last night. I thought it would be empty, and it was,and it allowed me to stop thinking about it, but I wonder if I dodged a bullet... I also printed out several huge '199' signs and posted one in my office and one on the office fridge. Onederland is never far from my mind. :-) Also got in a great lifting session.

Day 3 - might do some running, but may just decide to do some less goal-oriented cardio like basketball with my kids. No sugar. No chips. No scale. Onederland -prepare my welcome.

Day 3 successful! And I did step on the scale and saw a new low. 207.4. 7.5 pounds to Onederland! Gotta love the low-carb water whoosh! Played basketball last night and met a friend for a lunchtime walk. Needed a break from regimented cardio.

Today - still no planned cheats. No sugar. No chips. Weight lifting. Day 4 - let's dance. :-)

Hey All!
I've been a bit quiet for the past week or two, mainly because I'm trying to get into a good groove. I havent decided if I'm going to do 4 days of RFL then 3 days off or 3 days of RFL and 4 days off. I was able to maintain a good loss for awhile there, but several days off has me up to 242.2, which isnt much, but has me worried that too many day off won't have me at enough of a loss. I did a LOT better during the off time this week than last week though, so I really think it's just a matter of feeling things out.

A nice NSV from this weekend....I ordered two different sizes of a bridesmaid dress for a wedding I'm in in April. An 18 and a 20 (it's JCrew and those things run SMALL). Anyways, the 18 didn't zip so I was going to send it back, but I took a chance and tried it again this weekend. And it zipped! So yay, sending back the 20!

Went hiking for several hours yesterday, and that was nice. Sore this morning, but definitely worth it. So gorgeous!

Laurie - I'm glad you're keeping the thread alive! Looks like you're doing really well and you're so freakin close to onderland! I'm really really excited for you.

Angie and Pink, you guys are doing amazing too...everyone on here is such an inpsiration for me to keep going. We've all come so far, and even though some of us (ME) might have a long way to go, it's been an amazing experience already to know that -this time- is the time. Know what I mean?

Leben Alles - I love how you are tweaking RFL so it works for you. And SO exciting about the size 18. Jealous about the hiking. It is super cold here, and I have been reduced to - gag - mall walking when I just can't take the treadmill. Spring is around the corner. Being outside +delicious seasonal fruits and veggies = so much excitement!

Day 4 - I ate corn chips and about 4 ounces of soda. Late night eating. Calories still fine, though. And I tore it up at the gym. Altogether, pretty good for a weekend. :-)

Day 5 - I will not have a planned cheat today, and will be more vigilent today. Back at work. No sugar. No chips. Going to run two miles on the treadmill tonight.

Onederland - you are in my sights!!!

Sorry I have been away for a bit. Not much new I had a new low of 214. Of course it did not stay. I am now up to 217 and I know its water weight because I did not eat 7000+ calories this weekend. I did make chili and cornbread and could not stay away from the cornbread. I stopped lifting in December when my kids were sick and have not gotten back into it. I am not sure why.

I had a NSV this week. I had to take in the top of my bathingsuit because the girls were going to get free. I am going to have to take in the bottoms soon too before they fall off. I broke down last year and bought 2 -3x suits so we could got to the greatwolf lodge with our girls. They are way too big now.

I am waiting a until March to see what size I will be to buy a new one. We are going on a big trip in April and I will need at least 2 new ones. I am hoping to fit into a size 14 but probably it will be 16. This trip one of the key reasons for my decision to lose weight. I wanted to be fit and look better on our trip. We are going for a week to the Galapagos and a week to Puerto Vallarta Mexico. So lots of swimming and lots of hiking.

Oh. My. Goodness, Lishar! Such an exciting trip planned. What a great reason to get fit.

Day 5 successful! I ran, stayed away from sugar and chips.

Day 6 today. No planned cheats. Lifting session. Planning a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone for tomorrow. :-) Seeing my guy tonight. Though he doesn't do the 'food police' thing (thank goodness!), I have established a pattern where I only eat with him on special occasions, so it's easy to stay on plan when I am with him. :-)

Onederland -I am coming.

Have a great day everyone!

Lishar, that sounds amazing!! It's nice having an exciting thing like that to plan for...makes making a time goal even better because it'll be something you'll enjoy regardless. Wow, Galapagos...I bet it will be so beautiful.

Laurie, you are rocking it!

Still sitting at 242 but I have a feeling that's going to change tomorrow. I'm doing the 4 on 3 off this week and I think it has better results as long as I stay focused.

When we first planned it included Machu Picchu. I knew I would need to walk a lot. Then that got changed but I had already started. Its been a big goal to be fit for our trip.

I am up 2lbs this week. Water weight that I am trying to free with drinking more water.

I took a break last night. I have been on plan for 6 months now. Last night I decided to hav whatever I wanted (within reason). I ended eating about 800 calories above my plan. I don't feel guilty and enjoyed my dinner. I was only able to eat half of it. Bourbon BBQ meatloaf sandwich with garlic fries and a few bites of bread pudding for desert. It was so good and I felt so full.

Now back on plan and get my butt in gear and move it to burn some extra calories today