burgund: yes i upd my calories to 1400.

i did ok yesturday
weighed my self this morning and was 193 so 3 more lbs lost. not sure if that is right or not. ihave not beenn exercising, but maybe just cutting my calories by at least 1/2 of what i was eating and the first 10 lbs is usually water weight . i'll take it tho, nice to see a lower a number each time i step on the scale.

my daughter as her check up today, blood draw and xray to make sure all is good after the pnemonia. she's been fine so not worried about.

each night i have been taking the girls on a walk, and we go a little further each time, not sure how far we are walking, will have to drive it in the van and check, just hope i can keep it up and not tire them out too much since it's the only real exercise i have been doing. need to work on cario some where some time, get my but in gear to do it.
have a good day ladies, i have to get going.

momof - some of the long-time experts around here say that weight loss is 90% diet and 10% exercise (or something close to that) so if it doesn't mean you have to be exercising like a crazy woman to lose. Going for walks is great! Congrats on your continued losses!! Are you feeling a difference in your clothes or not quite yet?

Did well yesterday but took the dog I'm dog-sitting for on a walk instead of running. Will run today. Last night I went to bed wanting more to eat but without snacking so I'm working on getting my discipline back. Basically, I'm trying to replicate what I did last summer that worked then. It takes more attention and focus but apparently that's what I need to do.

How's everyone else doing?

Momof: You are kicking some major butt! Even if part of that is water weight...who cares? It's gone forever! Congrats on the walks and eating better. I agree with Dance...as long as you are working on your eating, you don't have to work out a ton at first to lose weight. In fact, my trainer says that dieting is 60% eating and 40% exercise.

Dance: Glad you were able to get a walk in yesterday, and have fun on your run today!

Burgundy: Hope you can get some time to yourself today! We're having 80 degree weather, what about you?

So, I had the ARP treatment yesterday and it was the most painful thing I have ever done. They started with the muscles in my back and had 2 sensors pumping electricity through my muscles. He turned up the frequency until I reached a "10" on the pain scale, then while in pain, I did exercises to alleviate the pain...then it would start all over again. This went on for 15 minutes with Mr. Hott sitting with me. So now I have to eat a ton of protein and veggies and drink a ton of water. Mr. Hott said that I would feel like I did a huge workout today...and boy am I sore! Those muscles are definitely feeling it today. I go back tomorrow for another treatment. If it works, I'll deal with the pain. I'm just glad that Mr. Hott comes to all my appointments - he's such a great guy.

So, his boss gave me this spreadsheet that helps you determine how much protein, fat and carbs you need to eat each day in order to lose weight. It's an excel sheet where you enter your current weight and your desired weight, and tells you how many grams of protein, fat & carbs and tells you the total amt of calories per day you should be eating. According to this thing - I should be eating 1800 calories a day! And a ton more protein than I'm currently eating. Crazy! Let me know if any of you would like the sheet, in case you are curious.

Also, until my ARP treatments are done, I've been banned from working out. The thought is that my workouts may cause me to lose the progress I'm making in the ARP treatment. So, no workouts...personal trainer's orders. We'll see what happens with my weight then, if I can't work out and I'm eating a lot more than I'm used to.

Have a great day ladies! Hope we hear from the others soon!

maddiesmom - can you go for long walks? That's a good way to keep up your calorie burning without involving strength training potentially.

Things are good here - it's a work from home day and I was up super early so worked from 6-8 so that I could do yardwork outside while my construction guys are here working on the fence from 8-10. Lots of rock and dirt moving so I'm doing well on the exercise front and I'm still planning on a run at lunch today.

Food plan:
B: eggs, mango slices
L: chili, brown rice, ff sour cream, cuties
D: leftovers - lean steak, spinach, mushrooms
dessert - strawberries

What's everyone else up to?

maddiesmom: what are arp treatments for? sorry to ask. sounds painful, what ever it is i hope it works to get you better.
i'll take a copy of the spread sheet. i have no idea what to look out for besides my calories.

clothes don't feel different yet. hope to see some changes soon, but i know it will take time.
i'm going to have the hubby take photos of me this weekend, so i have something to start with.

no walk tonight, my oldest had homework to do when i got home, had to make supper, then laundary night. so busy here.
have a good night ladies

Momof2kz: The ARP Trainer is a tool which isolates the electrical cause of muscle pain sourced in the injury, and eliminates the muscle pain, relaxes tight muscles, and recovers the ability of injured muscles to stabilize in 10 or fewer ARP treatments. All injuries cause electrical disruption in muscle tisue. It is this electrical origin that creates inflamation and builds scar tissue to wall off inflammation. So the ARP trainer puts electricity into your muscles to make them contract and get them working properly again.

It can be quite painful, but my trainer has been using it and swears by it. Mostly this was only available to pro athletes, but my trainer now works for a gym where the guy there specializes in it. I've had multiple problems with my back (one which required a steriod injection into my spinal column) so this is a way that I'm hoping will help alleviate pain long term. We'll see how it goes!

Eating all this protein is making me exhausted, it's almost a punishment to be eating so much! My stomach has been beyond full, but i have to eat the protein to help repair muscle.

Anyways, have a great night ladies. I've got ARP at 11:00 tomorrow! Lucky me!

Hi Ladies,

Maddiesmom those ARP treatments sound like a serious muscle workout and I can definitely see how it would benefit you and even weightloss. The 1800 calories sounds reasonable when going through that much muscle work - especially the protein. Are you doing protein shakes? Mr. Hott really is an exceptional trainer and now friend. You are very fortunate to have found him - and him to have found you! I wish I lived closer, I would hire him!

Dance sounds like your house is really coming together. Still waiting for photo's! When do you leave for your trip? I do really well when alone at home or traveling. I seem to have more control. It's when I am busy, busy that I lose it and get into my 'emotional eating.' Congrates on your eating and I just noticed how close you are to goal!! Wow, only 11 pounds - that's awesome!

Well today I went to Orlando and worked in my parents yard. I was overheated and exhausted, but loved every minute of it. I took some mulch, plants and flowers. I weeded, rearranged border grass, planted flowers, etc.... I looks good, but I only managed to work in the front yard. After 4 1/2 hours I stopped and got in some visiting before leaving. They have a huge yard, so it will be a work in progress for a while. I have tomorrow off too, so will go for a bike ride and do some things around here. Oh, no 3 days off a week, my boss fired a girl and is supposedly fire two more tomorrow. So, she said being short staffed she can't do it. Ugh........I was really looking forward to extra time. Oh well.

I will check in tomorrow. Nite

Sandy: Yes, the ARP treatments are extremely painful, but I can already tell that they are working. My pain tolerance is very high now and Mr. Hott said that means that the scar tissue is breaking up and the muscles are working more effectively. Now I have to build up the strength in those muscles. I'm going again tomorrow, but Mr. Hott said that my progress is quite good. I'm really glad I have him as a trainer, without him, I don't know where I would be. Also, I haven't started on protein shakes (just the Special K ones), Mr. Hott suggested a whey protein supplement, so I may go shopping for that this weekend. Do you use the protein supplements? Any recommendations?

Sandy, hope you have a great day off today, did you get to go on your bike ride? yesterday must have been a workout...4-1/2 hours?!? Crazy!

So, what plans does everyone have for the weekend? My hubby's best friend is staying with us this weekend, and they have a get together tomorrow night, so it's just me and Madeline. Tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. I have an ARP treatment, and then I have to get the house spotless for our visitor. May go shopping to the big outlet mall in Kenosha on Sunday, not sure yet.

Hope everyone is doing well and checks in soon!

Hey ladies.

Momof2-congrats on being at 193. We are the same right now, but I think I have hit a plateau so you will probably pass me up. Good job on the walks. I need to get mine in today.

Dance-How is the discipline with eating going? I wish you lived closer with all the dog sitting you do. I am looking for one now, not gonna take them to Alabama with us in June. Oh and your question, through all this I have learned that it is so much harder than we want it to be, but I do have the willpower to do when I allow myself to have willpower. I am my own worst critic, my husband tells me that all the time. I know I look better than I used to but am not where I want to be yet and am hard on myself. I have to get to eating right again. The last few days havent been the best with food. I am gonna join you in having discipline.

Vicky-the weather was wonderful yesterday, in the 80s here too. Me and Waylon(the 3 yr old) spent a lot of time playing outside. Me and Chris went for a ride on our atv. It was a good day. Mr. Hott sounds like such a great guy to be there with you thru these treatments. Glad you are seeing some changes with them.

Sandy-4 1/2 hours working in the yard, bet you were hot. That stinks you wont have the 3 days off a week. Maybe your boss will hire someone else and you can have that extra day soon.

Gonna take it easy this weekend. Boys mom wanted me to babysit, but not going to. I didnt have to go over there last night either. Went out and had chinese for dinner last night so my weight is still up a little bit, and I bit the inside of my jaw at dinner last night and its swollen today and I cant really close my mouth or chew so I have just had applesauce today. Guess I will have to have soup or something soft for dinner if its still swollen.

Still have 9 miles to do between today and tomorrow, its possible just not sure if it will happen. If I get close I will be happy.

Gonna take the dogs outside and let them run and run while I walk my loop around the yard. I can usually only do a mile on my loop cos it gets boring, but I can go more when it cools off a little this afternoon. Have a great day everyone.

wow, those treatments sound like a lot, but if they help great.

not much going on here. got done with work early. i have to go grocery shopping, get supper done, kids need baths, and then to bed. getting up early to go to my parents in beaver dam, 2 1/2 hours away. my mom has very early parkinsons adn has been falling alot. a few weeks ago she fell down the basement stairs for the 2nd time, this time she split her head open and got 18 stitches. her bedroom is upstairs as well, so we talked my dad into swapping computer room for bedroom and we are helping rearrange the house for them so she does not have to do up or down any more stairs at all. other then that no plans here. just going to enjoy the weekend the best we can.
hope all you ladies enjoy your weekend and have great weather to do so.

burgundy - ouch on biting your cheek! That hurts so much! I love how you're tracking your weekly mileage - I think that's a super smart thing to do. I may have to join you on that. Discipline's going pretty well although I wobbled when I couldn't get right to sleep last night. Are we on for miles tomorrow? If I have the energy, I might sneak in a run tonight too - not sure. I hear you on the self-criticism thing - that's so tough because the more you tear yourself apart, the more you want to take refuge in a big bag of doritos (or whatever your personal poison is), or at least, that's how I feel. How are you dealing with your inner critic?

I don't know why I all of a sudden got inspired again but am so glad it happened. I'm getting to the point where each pound shows right in your tummy (that's where I carry my weight, the rest of me is pretty normal-ish) and that's pretty rewarding. Thank goodness for you girls - don't know how I'd keep going without you to get me through the wobbly bits. **Hugs**

mygrits - that sounds like some great exercise in your parents' yard, and productive too! What a nice daughter you are. Sorry about your disappointment with the schedule change - that's a bummer. How are your feet feeling these days? And what's new with your hubby?

Thanks for mentioning the goal weight thing - you reminded me that my original goal when I first started was 165 (one pound from where I am now!!) as I didn't want to set myself up for failure and couldn't imagine making it that far (of course, I hadn't met you girls at that point). I may revise the 155 goal downward as I get closer. I remember weighing that amount and I felt good, but to be honest, I felt even better back in the 145ish days. We'll see. That was a LOOOONG time ago

maddiesmom - I was on a protein kick at one point and bought a huge giant container of whey powder from costco - not bad in shakes with ice, skim milk and fruit. Come back and tell us about what you find at the mall - I bet shopping is getting more and more fun these days!

No super exciting plans for the weekend - lots of yardwork and organizing inside still. Maybe some fun shopping in there too and an out to eat on Saturday night - not sure where yet but healthy I hope

Dancer: I'll have to try that protein shake...doesn't sound too bad! You are doing so awesome...so close to goal. It seems that the closer I get, the more I realize I'm not where I want to be. I think we all had a "goal number" in mind, but I'm sure that's subject to change since we aren't sure what our body is going to look like at that point.

Momof2kz: So sorry to hear about your mom. Sounds like you have a busy weekend and moving furniture is definitely a workout.

burgundy: You are doing so great with your miles! Once these treatments are over, I'm back to running. Mr. Hott says that running won't have the horrible tiring effects on me once this is all over with. We'll see. Then i'll definitely be with you on the miles!

So I had an ARP treatment today and the pain in my left shoulder is completely GONE! Mr. Hott was pretty amazed. I had a bigger problem with my right shoulder, so we worked on that today. Quite painful. It literally felt like someone was stabbing me in the shoulder blade. I worked through it, Mr. Hott talked me through it, which really helped. (BTW: Mr. Hott's real name is Jeff, so I think I'll call him that). He really worked with me and knew what to say to keep me going. So, now that shoulder is back to normal, no pain. What does that mean?? It means that any scar tissue and inflammation are gone, so I can begin strengthening the muscle to get it all back to normal. Going back tomorrow morning at 8:00 for round 3.

Have a great night ladies!

momof2-sorry to hear your mom has been falling so much. Hopefully changing rooms will help with that.

Dance-I love tracking my miles now, it really keeps me accountable to get out there and walk. I dont stress if I dont make it to 20 every week. If I make it to 10(like last week) is ok. I have been doing ok with my inner critic lately. I have been looking at old pics from my highest weight and I can see that I have made progress.

Got in a mile outside on my loop, didnt go for an afternoon walk. Its been pretty cold here today. It was 80 yesterday then down to low 40s/high 50s today. I might get on the wii fit later for a couple miles. Maybe I can get 3 miles in and that will be 15 for the week. Plus I still have tomorrow.

Gonna stay home tomorrow hopefully after I run to the vet for flea/tick preventative and get all my laundry put away. Its all washed and dryed. I just hate putting it away. its so easy to go in the laundry room and grab something, but cant be lazy.

Hope you all have a wonderful night and great weekend. Hopefully my mouth is all better tomorrow. May have to go to dentist. Might not just be the bite, might be my wisdom tooth.

Vicky-just saw your post, I need to get back to running. When I take the dogs its hard to run cos they are so strong(even though they are little). They could pull me down the road. So glad to hear your pain is going away. Thats great. Good luck with round 3 tomorrow.

Howdy, girls! Down another .6 of a lb but I'm going to go ahead and round down - it's too fun to move that ticker.

maddiesmom - that is such great news about your shoulder - it must have you feeling better about the idea of going through all this pain if there's a solution at the end of it. Hope round three went well! Did you get in your shopping yesterday?

burgundy - are you still hurting? what did the dentist say if you went? What are you guys doing for fun this weekend?

Just got in 3 hours of yardwork so I'm going to call that my exercise for the day - way too tired to go run right now. I'm going to do a little organizing of my spring/summer clothes and see what fits as I'll need some light weight stuff for my florida trip next week. Still not sure yet what we're doing tonight - maybe a long walk to a restaurant if the weather's nice.

What's everyone else up to?