Shane: Don't let your girlfriend's discouraging words discourage you. Hey, I own a gym and I would hire you in a nano second. You are in great shape and having been heavy before means you can relate to heavier clients, and A LOT of heavy clients are intimidated by trainers who have never been heavy--they think they don't understand what it's like, and they might be right in some cases. I know one trainer who is in perfect shape and thinks that all overweight people need to do is exercise--he doesn't realize that for most people, women especially, that isn't enough--they have to restrict their calories AND exercise. What's more, I think that clients don't always necessarily judge a trainer by what he or she looks like. You're in a great shape and don't have to worry about what your gf said, but I've seen successful trainers who are heavy, skinny, you name it. It's so hard to be so excited about something and have the people who are major parts of your life not get it. My hubby gets it and lets me ramble on and on and fitness and working out but the other people in my world just don't get it and make passive-aggressive comments that let me know that they don't think I'm ALL THAT FIT and that they think that i'm getting obsessed and fitness is borning, yada yada. I've learned to just shut about it with people who don't understand or who are threatened...

Hi to everyone else and happy fourth of July. I'm reading and keeping up with everyone but not posting all that much. Life is super busy but all is good. I've been happily, blissfully on track for the last few weeks. Haven't weighed in several months but my clothes fit and I feel good. I've been working out heavily and I feel muscle-y. I'm afraid that if I get on the scale and it doesn't say what I hope it will say, I'll go off the deep end and go on a bender. I did have a bad night last night. A client of my husband's invited us to a Rockies game and they had a suite, complete with an enormous amount of food and any drink/cocktail we could want. I started out with a nice salad but then had a piece of pizza and the night went downhill from there. I was almost in a food coma and couldn't stop thinking about what I would eat next. I almost asked my hubby to go through the McD's drive thru on the way home so I could get an Oreo McFlurry! How insane is that?!?! I have got to get a grip and learn how to allow myself a treat now and then without letting it turn into a major food-a-thon. I think the problem is that I know i won't have treats again for a while so I just go crazy. Grrr...

Good luck to everyone staying on track tomorrow. I'm going to do my best but my will is weak right now...

Pam

I am so right there with you! This is exactly my problem too (and I've even had the same thoughts about stopping somewhere on the way home to get more treats because I know there aren't any in the house--luckily, sanity has prevailed so far). I know I won't have a treat again for days, weeks...so I feel like I have eat as much as I can while I'm off plan. It would seem like the solution would be to allow myself a few more treats now and then, so they wouldn't be such a big deal, but now I'm afraid that every treat will lead to a food-a-thon.

Goal - Anne beat me to it on the lifting making you retain water.... I don't know where you live, but many people also retain water when it's hot and humid. I wouldn't stress too much yet. You know you've been on track. Enjoy your vacation and if you're still up when you get back, deal with it then.

Pam - I think we've all been there. I have to constantly watch myself at events where there are many choices of foods, most of which are not worth it. I'm speaking here of BBQ's, after church fellowship, that kind of stuff. If I'm going to have a treat, it should be a treat! Something really good that I really can't get any day of the week or worse yet, it's not even homemade but out of a box (i.e. crackers). Sometimes that works, sometimes not. Sigh. Sounds like you had good stuff though....

This weekend will be pretty good for food challenges for me. Just one BBQ on Sunday afternoon, and since it pretty well spans 2 meals I can plan to have a little more than if it were in the evening.

Happy Fourth of July! Our weather forecast is for rain, so the fireworks are iffy. DH is going autocrossing all day, so I'm on my own and don't feel motivated to do anything, even shopping. I will go to the gym early but after that, I may just read the latest David Sedaris and hang out.

Have a wonderful holiday!

We have a quiet day planned--perhaps a movie after lunch. We usually go up on our roof to watch fireworks from the park which is about 4 miles away. It's not the best view, but better than dealing with the traffic (and heat). We may fore go it tonight though because of the heat and humidity.

My DD hurt my feelings yesterday. You all know we're going on an Alaskan cruise at the end of the month. She's been trying (as I have) to lose weight. For those of you who know how much food is served on cruises, you know you need to exercise while on ship. So I asked DD if she was bringing workout clothes and her reply was that she didn't want to work out with me. She said she didn't need me to make her work out harder. All I want is a companion (and I know DH won't be there). I guess I'll have to ask my son.

That sucks ALLISON...my daughter runs or works out with Angie whenever she can...they run the 5K's together too since they run about the same speed. Now, Angie"s daughter doesn't work out but she will occasionally go with her to yoga.

JESSICA~ LOVED the pictures!!

Well BIG shuffleboard party here today...looking like 38 people now...only 1 beer so far since Saturday night....watching that and my portions today...don't feel real good about it....wink

Gotta run.....HAPPY 4TH of JULY EVERYONE!

Hello everyone!!
I hope everyone had a great 4th of July.
My trip to Houston is almost over. I am at the airport waiting for my flight back. Dh will meet me and dd (we are taking separate flights) at the airport to hand me car keys and then he is off to Brazil for a week. As soon as he returns, we all leave for a dude ranch in Mexico. I can't wait as I haven't seen him for more than a day in about a month!
Our trip was good. The comments about my new physique were very good and helped me to stay motivated to make better choices. I had no scale here (I am scale obsessed) and I did eat some not so good choices. I did exercise each day but much less than I'm used to-- different exercises too--rather than the gym I swam, went to a water park, walked, etc. So, I am real curious to see what the scale says. My clothes seem to fit fine so I hope I didn't do too much damage. I figure I have a week before Mexico to take off any weight.....
As much as I love Houston, I'm glad I don't live here due to the food choices. There are way too many amazing restaurants EVERYWHERE!
Yesterday we went to my best friend's house for the 4th. Her son is severely autistic so they don't go too many places with him. They bought a new house that suits him-- a pool with a huge backyard........ I was so good with my food choices. I ate fruit, veggies (without the dip), and then when the main course was served, I skipped the hot dogs and sausage. I had more veggies, a small bit of chicken, and one tiny piece of steak. I ate 2 chips-- they were so good but I walked away!
Dessert was a huge spread. I allowed myself one tiny brownie and some more fruit. I skipped the alcohol and overall was very pleased with my choices. I was hungry when I got home so I ate a fiber bar. I tried to eat a fiber bar before we went out places too so I wouldn't get starving. We went to a baseball game (Astros vs. Dodgers) one day and as soon as we got there my inlaws wanted barbeque. I started stressing but ordered a turkey sandwich and then just ate the meat-- skipping the chips. Then when they got ice cream, I declined. It feels good to be in control.....
I thought my father in law would give me a hard time about my weight but I explained maintenance to them and they didn't hound me. My best friend said she thinks I am thinner than when we were in High School. I don't think I weigh less, but I do think I am better shape now.
I found some picture albums at my inlaws. I noticed that even though I wasn't all that heavy in some of the pictures, parts of me are much thinner now (my upper arms-- thank you elliptical!). So that was nice to see.
I wore a bikini for the first time in I don't know how many years. I still wore a cover up so as not to expose anyone to my flabby tummy but I think it looks worse to me than it is. It felt great swimming laps-- I do miss that about Houston-- I hate indoor pools so I don't swim at the gym.
The other thing that happened was my mom in law hit a 2008 Bentley with an 18 year old driving! That was exciting! The police came and ticketed her for failure to yield. Kind of blew that day's plans. My mom in law has always had expensive taste!! I had to keep my mouth shut. It was obviously her fault but she tried to say it wasn't because "she didn't see the other car". Umm....don't really think that excuse is going to fly!!
Looking forward to catching up this week with everyone!!

Thanks for the comments on my pictures everyone!

I didn't do too horribly yesterday, although I certainly did worse than I would have had we stayed home. Dinner managed to be actually relatively healthy/low-cal: a BLT without mayo on whole wheat bread (only 2 slices bacon, and baked instead of fried), an ear of corn, and a slice of watermelon. On the other hand, I had a few tortilla chips (only around 5-10), a beer, and then . . . five cookies and a mini-cupcake. I just can't resist dessert.

Today we went to the farmer's market and bought loads of produce! I'm excited about eating all these veggies. Tomorrow night is our dinner club's meetup, so that should be exciting too.

Allison - I am guessing your daughter thought you were mentioning it because you thought she was fat and wanted to force her to work out more. At least, if I was a teenager and my mom tried to make sure I had gym clothes on a cruise, that's what I would think! Maybe if you explained that you just want company she would be more receptive?