Morning, girls! Happy Friday!

There's one more small piece of this whole AC thing that needs to happen late this afternoon and then this crazy project will be done (and I promise to never bore you with it again)! Of course, it will be done just in time for a cool and rainy weekend but what can you do

My exercise has been good this week but maybe b/c of TOM or maybe just general orneriness I haven't been sticking to plan calorie-wise. I'm back on the wagon today though.

Food plan
B: lf yogurt and blueberries
S: strawberries
L: chicken and veggies
D: trout and veggies, glass of wine

We're eating out tonight at a place where I love their trout so that will make it much easier to stick to plan. I'll miss zumba tomorrow morning after missing it on wednesday due to the a/c thing so that's a bummer but my family is getting together for breakfast for my dad's b-day so it's for a good cause. Since it will be so cool and rainy this weekend, I'll probably get in my run later in the day. Now that my garage is all organized, I'm jonesing to get my storage room in the basement equally orderly so I have a feeling that may be my rainy day project.

What's everyone else up to?

Dance: The salad was actually from Portillos, but I was at Panera today and it was the exact same salad. So, I had it two days in a row. Glad that the A/C is getting done (better late than never, I suppose). Also happy to see that you are back on the wagon. Great place to be!

So, went to Jeff's class again last night and got my butt kicked again. Burned over 700 calories again - according to my monitor, in a 2-day, 2-hour workout period, I burned 1500 calories. Not too shabby. Jeff really kicked our butts and I'm glad that there's others in the class now, it pushes me to work harder. Food was good yesterday as well.

Food today, has been good. Here it is:
B: Protein shake with fresh fruit blended
S: Grapes and some walnuts
L: 1/2 chicken poppyseed salad with l/f chicken soup
S: apple, wasa cracker with laughing cow cheese
D: Not sure, have to run to the store

So, along with all my workouts, I have decided to run a 5K!!! My company is sponsoring anyone who wants to run, so I have asked a close friend if he wants to do it too (he ran the Chicago marathon), to push me to go. I've also am trying to recruit another friend who wants to lose some weight too. It's August 8th, so I have time to get some training in.

Hope everyone is doing well and having a great Friday! What is everyone doing this weekend?

Can I join too? I just started trying to lose weight this week (have lost 5 lbs so far!). I started at 309.6 and today I weighed 304.2. I'm 42, live in west central Florida, and I do not currently work. I am in a long term relationship (of 9 years) and have lots of pets. I am doing things totally differently this time (hopefully the LAST time). Anyway, I'd love to join y'all if I can!

Gina

gina - welcome! We'd love to have you join us. I liked your comment about doing things differently - what are those differences? My biggest one so far is not letting one small slip totally dis-rail me, if that makes sense.

maddiesmom - love love love the idea of you doing a 5k! I would so do it with you (at least do the local equivalent) but my shins are not okay with my running on pavement unfortunately. So the race is on 8/8? Maybe us WLB gals can all sign up to join you in 5k worth of treadmill/jogging/whatever on the same day. How far have you been running lately?

One more hour till the weekend - can't wait.

Mygrits - did you visit your parents and do a frenzy of gardening yesterday?

burgundy - hope you're having a blast down south and that you're finding food choices that work for you. I know it's hard when you're visiting family!

Gina: Welcome! What is your diet / exercise plan? Many of us have been together for over a year, so feel free to ask any questions - we've been there!

Dance: Actually, I haven't been running at all. With the ARP and the isometric exercises, Jeff said that it will help in my running. So, now that I'm signed up for the 5K, gotta kick my butt in gear and start running. Since we strengthened my legs, knees, ankles, I should be able to take the impact without a problem. So I will work out with Jeff 2-3 times/week and start running 2-3 times per week.

Ok, so I titled my message "feeling a little down & out" because I'm having a bit of depression. I've been working my butt off since Memorial Day, staying POP with my eating, not splurging on ANYTHING, only drinking water and 3/4 cup of skim milk a day, no chocolate, no sugar, etc. etc. Well, the scale told me I was up 3 pounds today! How the heck can that be?!? I've burned 2000 calories in my workouts the past 3 days. Not sure what is going on.

I had my PT session with Jeff today and he was shocked that I wasn't down any weight. He is thinking I'm losing inches and my pounds will come off too, but my clothes aren't feeling any looser. During the workout he told me to think of my goal, which I admitted was hard considering I'm busting my butt and nothing is happening. He's going to talk to his boss and start stepping up my already hard workouts and get to the bottom of everything. Hoping that works, if not, I don't know what to do.

It was so bad, he weighed me after my workout and I was heavier (granted it was after breakfast and a workout), but it really depressed me. I left and actually started tearing up in the car. I'm just feeling that I'm busting my butt not getting any results, but I'm away from my family, not eating dessert, etc. and I was doing this thinking I'd see results. I know it's only been 2 weeks, but I was extremely good those 2 weeks.

Any advice to help me here? I'm feeling pretty low. And I'm trying not to eat the greasy food that I'm craving right now. Guess we'll see what happens. TOM hasn't come either, but I don't think I'd gain that much water weight considering how much water I already drink.

Thanks ladies! It's really nice to know that I can vent to you guys.

maddiesmom - oh sweetie - I'm sorry you are not seeing the rewards on the scale right now - it sure sounds like you're doing everything right. Do you track your calories exactly? I can't remember. If you don't, I would give it a try for a few days. All that seems possible is that somehow you're getting more than you would have thought or less than you would have thought and either can mess with your body. It might be one of those weird situations where you actually need to go up by 200 cal or something with the intensity of the workouts you've been having. Another thing to try might be calorie cycling - if you're usual target range is, say, 1500, then one day you have 1700, one day 1400, another day 1600, etc. Of course, you may be doing everything just absolutely perfect and it's just some weird pre-TOM thing that you have no control over. I'll be curious to see if you get a different number on the scale tomorrow. On the running front, do you have somewhere with a softer surface to run? Along the side of a paved sidewalk in the grass where other runners have made a trail or on a dirt/gravel trail in a park? If not, I'm sure you can make it work on asphalt - it's just a bit harder on your body. I'm sure all your workouts will have set you up to be super successful in your running - I just couldn't remember if you already did some treadmill work as part of your gym visits. Lots of people swear by C25K - are you going to give that a shot?

Dance: Thanks for the ideas. I'm not tracking everything I eat...mostly because I did it for so long, I pretty much have an idea of how many calories I'm eating. Perhaps it's not enough anymore since I'm burning so many calories. But, I eat all the time, my metabolism has spead up considerably and i'm only putting healthy things into my body. Jeff has me writing down everything I eat again, so we'll see where that leads.

As for the TOM, it began today, which I'm sure is why I was crying yesterday (but I've also lost weight during the TOM week, so I dont know what is going on). But, I was the same weight again today - once again I ate when I was hungry, had fresh kabobs for dinner. I'm not giving up...this is a horrible plataeu that I will get over. I've put too much work into it to stop now.

Got up this morning and ran 1 mile, wanted to take it easy on my first day back, so going forward I will increase the length I'm running. Also, I took Dance's advice and instead of running on the sidewalk, I ran on the parkways of the neighborhood, which was kinder to my body. I got back to the house a sweaty mess, but my back and knees don't hurt, so it's an improvement.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. What is everyone's workout / eating plan this week??

maddiesmom - woooohoooo for a whole mile! That is not a typically first time out running type experience! I've read tons and tons of people on this board saying they can only go for one minute, etc. You rock! Not that I'm surprised with all of your super intense workouts. Glad you found a softer surface to go on - I think that will serve you well. I'd hate to see something start hurting after all your ARP work. Maybe you've just been retaining water in your hard-working muscles from all of your workouts lately and there's a big whoosh on your way.

I'm so impressed with your discipline. Mine is pretty sucky lately. Not sure quite what's going on but I seem to have a sort of pattern where I'm on plan for 4-5 days or so and then I go off for a few and have too many treats and of course I'm not losing as a result. I've been trying to think what's different from last summer when I was able to keep myself on track. I think part of it is that I need to eat less to lose than when I was at a higher weight so it's particularly easy to get off track and while I'm not at a normal bmi yet, I feel normal-ish in clothes so my incentives aren't as high. I really do want to make progress - I just have get back into the mindset of doing what needs to be done, not giving into doing what I feel like in that particular moment, which tends to be a lot more self-indulgent. The good part is that my treats are a heck of a lot healthier than they used to be - no fast food, no real junk food just something like more lf cheese and ww crackers than I really need, if that makes sense. Okay, so now that I've 'fessed up, time to start with the doing.

Food plan:
B: lf yogurt, raspberries
L: subway tuna on ww, grapes, apple
D: rotisserie chicken, yellow squash, spinach, ww couscous
S: cherries

Exercise - walk in front of tv on treadmill or run in park

mygrits - how was your weekend?

Hope everyone is having a good day...

Hey Ladies, or should I say Dance and Maddiesmom! LOL

I did read back and all I can say on updates is AJ moved to Seattle and seems quite happy. She does mention on FB how she needs to lose 20 lbs, but no mention of coming back here. Lindy seems to be really busy with the single life.........and I'll leave it at that. Tiff I don't see much on there. Sometimes she write about work and school, but that is about it. I know she was in Orlando for a weekened out with friends recently. Neesy is in St. Petersburg waiting for Korea orders and is doing good. Her weight is still doing good also.

Maddiesmoms - Sodium possibly? I know eating out tends to bring with it high sodium content, even in salad dressings (restaurant brands). I know you mentioned Panera and another place, so maybe that is the culprit? Just a thought. When the scale doesn't move for me, that is usually why. Hey would your husband been interested in a 5k? Just a thought for time together. Stay strong the scale will move! One thing that has really helped me is tracking on Live Strong either through my phone or the computer. My calories were always intact, but it showed me my higher sodium and sugars which were causing me not to lose.

Dance - Hey! Is the A/C running!!!???? Gosh I hope so. How are you? How are your workouts? If your shins are bothering you, can you do workouts indoors with weights? I never made it to my parents last week, I am slacking now in that area. I am thinking maybe this Saturday, but it is soooo hot and humid here now........I don't know. You go outside even at 6am and you can cut the humidity and heat with a knife! Seriously! LOL

Ok, sorry I missed a couple of days on here, but Bubba home on the weekends makes my days a bit busier at times........lol. Men...... Anyway, I was in Pre-Tom for 2 weeks! Totally sucked. My hormones were all over the place, and I ate like crazy. It was all healthier foods, but too much of it. Anyway, my body is back to normal - I think, so I am on track again. My weight is fine, and I guess that is because the extra foods weren't 'bad' foods. Today I did go on the bike, but didn't last past 22 minutes. It's just too hot here. I am going to try hard to get up alot earlier and maybe beat some of the heat. We will see.

Haven't heard from Burgund, but I know she must be busy working on her Mom's home. I feel for her though, because it is just as hot in Alabama....;-(

Working on computer, I will check back shortly.

mygrits - nice to see you here! thanks for the updates on our buddies. I hope Staccie and Neesy decide to visit sometime soon. Good thought about sodium for maddiesmom - panera is known for having super high sodium. And yes, I'm the proud owner of a functioning A/C, although we had cool, rainy weather all weekend and didn't need it at all. Wouldn't that just be my luck - our 90+ hot spell ends just as it is installed My exercise is okay - which is probably helping me stay out of too much trouble with my extra calories here and there but I'd like to start increasing my mileage up to about 5 miles again. I was doing that last summer until my knee decided not to cooperate so I'll do it slowly and see how it goes.

Sorry about the crazy heat - I know how tough that can make getting in your exercise!

Sandy: Thanks for the updates on the others - I think Tiff is preoccupied with college so she doesn't have time for us! It's too bad that we've lost so many chicks over the past 6 mos, but at least we've stuck around! Thanks for the advice on the sodium - I looked it up and the soup I had was high in sodium, I think that may have contributed, but I don't forsee it causing a 3 lb gain. Oh well, I'm chugging along still, haven't cracked and eaten the pound of chocolate I wanted to eat - especially with TOM. Also, when I go out, the amt of dressing I have is so insignificant, dont' think it would do much. I dunno, just have to work through it. Jeff is helping me, so all I can do is keep a positive attitude and do my best to get through it. Plus, I have all of you, which helps!

Dance: So glad the A/c is done!! We've had a cold snap here as well, so that's been a blast. Supposed to be 90 by Friday and hot through the weekend. Gotta love Chicago. What can we do to help you get motivated again? Shall we start running miles together? Well, walking or jogging, depending on shin splints, knees, etc? I'm in for the miles if you are - I'm really determined to jog as much of this 5K as possible. Maybe you should fly out to Chicago and we can do some workouts and Jeff can get you motivated! Younger, cute trainers never hurt!

Ok, so food is good today, I've stuck to plan and made my own meals, so not extra sodium, sugar, etc.

B: Protein shake (any big surprise there?!?)
S: Almonds
L: 6" subway chicken breast with baked lays and carrots
S: Rice with lemon, cilantro, avocado, red pepper and yellow squash
D: Roasted chicken & veggies

No work out at the gym today, hubby has plans tonight, so I'm thinking I'll go for a jog if the rain lets up. If not, I am training with Jeff tomorrow morning (took the day off - I need one).

hey chicks, at my sisters work again so only have a couple minutes. I havent read back but will soon. Its been hot hot hot down here and we have been working out in the heat everyday. My mom got sick working out in the heat today. It rained a little but didnt cool off. I dont know about my weight. My mom has a scale and its said I was 196 this morning, which I am hoping is wrong. I could of brought my scale and didnt even think about it. But if I am up when i get home I will just work extra hard to take it off. Having a fun time with my family. We are headed to "trade day" tomorrow, its like a big flea market. Hope you are all doing good. Talk to you soon

maddiesmom - hope you're enjoying your free day - what are you going to do with it? And did you end up running yesterday or did you take a break? I'm so excited to have another runner around here

burgundy - have a great time at trade day - are you looking for anything in particular?

I stuck to plan yesterday so I'm back in the game (how many times have you guys heard me say THAT before?) and am heading out for a run in a little bit. Thanks for helping me get recharged! In addition to running this morning, I'm going to walk with my girlfriends tonight so it should be a good calorie burning day. Not totally sure on my food plan but it will most likely be:
B: 1/2 grapefruit, 2 eggs, blueberries
L: chicken, spinach, yellow squash, raspberries
D: salad, tillapia, couscous
S: cherries

I'm working from home today so I will probably get some laundry going in the background and maybe move a few rocks in the garden at lunch to get in my upper body workout.

What's everyone else doing?

So far a good day for me - a run and a long walk and pretty much sticking to my food plan. I haven't had dinner yet but am going to go deal with that in a sec.

Isn't it weird how being good for just one day makes you want to be good again and vice versa? Now I just have to figure out how to keep it going for more than a few days

Hope you all are having fun out there....

Hello Ladies,

Burgund HELLO! Awwww yes, your in our heat............totally sucks doesn't it?

Dance congrates on the A/C, wow can't believe it's cool up there. It is so miserable here..........the heat register was 104 yesterday. You could cut the heat and humidity with a knife. I hate this time of year! Even the pool water is like a bathtub - not even refreshing. Are you going for a run today on top of working outside? Glad you get the day off - enjoy!

Vicky I know Jeff will figure out your weight issues. It could be your just retaining water from the workouts and TOM. How is the 5K training coming?

Well, I am heading out the door for a bike ride. Really tempted to try and jog, but scared it will set me back. I guess I'll wait an other week or so. Food has been good, but need to workout today -hard - to see if I can break my plateau. I'll check in later today - need to beat the heat because it's 10am already.

Bye for now!