Cuter - wow! I thought I was well-endowed. I'm a 40 G/H right now. I don't know why, but you don't look that 'big' in the pictures? Maybe you just are dressing in a way that is very proportionate or maybe it is just the height difference, but I feel like any picture of me is pretty much dominated by them. Hah.

I have DEFINITELY lost from my chest (my original bra band size was 48 or even 50, and now 48 is generally my total chest measurement), but proportionally the cup sizes are smaller and they still dominate. I would love (someday) to have a reduction but I don't really have any back/shoulder pain so I don't think my insurance would cover it. How exciting though that you have that planned, too!

Hi all. Seems like everyone is very supportive around here. I'm new to the site. I was wonder if anyone has suggestions for ab exercises. I carry most of my weight in the stomach area. I'm not a fan of sit up/crunches but figured maybe someone could offer a suggestion.

I do a lot of resistance work in the pool, even just marching in the water and lifting my knees high works the abdominals.

Gggirls I am interested in an evpxercise accountability thread. Thanks.


Mnem Thanks on the congrats. One more pound to 40. Sigh The blues show was fantastic. There were some swing dancers that danced when a band played some jazz swing. I would go back for sure. I don't eat rice often but DH eats rice daily and at least he will eat brown rice.

Patti Welcome! I take deep water aerobics and my abs are engaged constantly to keep my core stable or to balance on a floatation noodle and do ab work. Yoga can also engage the abs quite a bit.

Went to the pool today and stuck to food allowance but too many simple carbs.

Mnem *grin* Too bad I didn't realize you were entering that range... Until they went haywire January 2012 I was a 40GG-H and I had a lot of Panache, Glamourise, Freya, etc.

Height helps. I always swear by it... And I am deceptive in how I dress by using multiple layers of compression.

I've been doing the naughty... Going into stores and asking what size their pretty cup sized bras go to so I can "select a size".

I have a lot of pictures where they "dominate" the photo. The "special event" ones are always memorable. *snicker*

This was before they went haywire (when I was all... LET THEM BE FREE):


A night of drunken foolishness in 2009:


Let's just say I will hold back the "perspective" photos... I have one where I used an empty LARGE McDonalds pop cup between them. Held them together with one hand... *snort* There was about 1.5 inches of the top of the cup that you can see... Or the pics where I'm using them for entertainment purposes (dumb, drunk and young showing off and drinking hands free).

Hi Patti. Welcome! I have been using Gilad's express workouts and lots of stuff you do there even if it is not targeted for abs engages them. Things like knee-lifts as Jane suggested, and those are probably more intense in the water!

pluckypear - you will be there in no time! And the show sounds great. Heh, I love live music so much. I just bought tickets to see Garbage (Shirley Manson, et al) in early April. I'm very excited. They aren't high enough profile to keep reuniting constantly so I figure this is my last chance to see them.

Good job on the pool AND the food allowance. I think we are sometimes too hard on ourselves beyond that, even though I sometimes feel that way about simple carbs.

Cuter - wow, yes! You manage to minimize them impressively, and I do think that your height makes them seem more proportionate. I've been going through bra sizes like whoa. Right now I have two pretty bras, but both are fairly plain, and some others that need to be retired as soon as I get my 'free bra' coupon from the catalogue from which I order my bras. I actually just got my first underwire in, oh, years. And it is a bit big (the instructions for the brand say to order 1 band size down and 2 cup sizes up?) but not badly. It is REALLY nice, though. Not as uncomfortable as I though. I think having the right size is really important. Also that pic from the... it looks like a wedding? it really sweet.

Also, hah. It is probably a good thing that my dumb, drunk and young years predated smartphones.

--

I volunteered last night, then came home and worked out, ate dinner, watched TV and went to bed. I was REALLY tired and I don't like that it is dark now when I get up, as it makes it hard for me to make myself get out of bed to do my treadmill time. Also, there are no new Daily Shows this week so I have to watch something else while I walk. Fortunately, I have a backlog of Colbert Reports to catch up on, but I don't know how long their hiatus is! I hope I don't run out.

Mnem Where do you volunteer? I sit on a Board of Directors as a secretary, that is my volunteer work.
I love live music too. Now I prefer small venues where I can sit, have a drink and see the show. Showing my age. I want to do more of this in the summer.

Speaking of bras I really need some decent ones asap.

pluckypear - in the wintertime I'm a volunteer income tax preparer. We to tax returns for people who make less than 50k/year for free. In the US we have a program called the Earned Income Tax Credit that is basically the biggest social spending program we have in the states and gives a LOT of money back to low-income families with kids, so it is targeted at that.

I do that Monday nights and many Saturdays.

Then when tax season is done I volunteer sometimes at a local food co-op sort of place!

And I totally get the preference for small venues. We have a local radio program called Mountain Stage that I love - fairly early, a reasonable venue size, never packed since it is in a proper auditorium. I am KINDA dreading the venue for the Garbage show as it has been, uh, years since I went to a show at a place like that? But I want to go. Feel like I've not done things I wanted to do for a long time now because of my weight and I'm getting back into them!

Like, for example, there is a music festival in Nelsonville, Ohio in May/June. The town's about a two-hour drive from where I live. The Thursday night headliners will be Gogol Bordello, whom I really want to see. The Saturday night headliners will be Wilco (!!!) whom I want to see even more. I haven't been to a music festival like that since the 1990s. Unless you count the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is not the same as one of those summer music festivals! I really want to go, and trying to remind myself how much more fit I am these days, and that anyway, if I could hike all over Machu Picchu (uh, well, that was TOUGH) at 320 lbs, I can go to a music festival at 230 lbs.

We will see.

Oh, yes. Decent bras make SUCH a difference. But they are so expensive. Hah.

Hi ladies.. Sorry I've been MIA.. Been reallly busy and finally have time to visit all my threads. Well, I've been doing really well eating wise, but the scale is not saying that at all. I'm actuall up to 281 and not sure what the heck is going on, but I'm not going to let it get me down. I know I'm putting in the work so just have to wait for my body to catch up.

Sounds like everyone is doing great in here! Hope you guys are. Keep up the great work!!

Mnem *grin* I have a lot of practice making objects appear smaller then they are... my arse and my bust kept me in good condition.

You were going wire free? I'd lose my mind over that! I had 3 wire free and the rest wired... But I was/am small in the ribs so it makes it a tad less complicated to just go with wires.

Too bad your new one is a bit big... I had a chart at one time that compared all the brands size for size so I had my sliding scale as to what to order for each size. If I can find it again I will re-post it (I think I shared it in this section 2007-2009 ish.

Yep! Bang on... A wedding. My husbands son was getting married. I love this photo of my daughter and I.

I always tried to make sure most of my dumb drunken activities were off film but there are a couple.

Cuter you really do wear them well! Mine are a 40H and I've just now been buying the right bra size. I can't believe how much better they look.

Sassy Hey! The scale will move in the right direction and good job being positive. I dread WI.

Mnem I used to be a member of a food co-op and did volunteer hours at cash. However I moved and it is too far away. I miss going to shop at the food co-op.

When I get my income tax refund back I am going to get two decent bras at a store that will size me. I have never gotten a good bra, I usually buy them at the plus size shop and they are too small in the back and the cups are too big. I don't even know my true bra size. I also need a TYR back up bathing suit and will hit the Sears outlet for that. Income tax refund how I love thee.

Hey ladies.. I love all this boob talk..lol.. I would join, but it only takes a little bit of weight loss for my small D's to get even smaller. Such a bummer. i wish I had bigger ones..lol.
Up another pound. Trying to stay positive, but seriously I'm getting frustrated by the whole thing. So glad I'm busy today because I don't want to be home dwelling on it all day.

Pear I hear ya on the bra. I need new ones bad, but I'm trying to hold out until i lose more weight. I have one good one that I got lucky when i bought it from Walmart because I can never find good ones there. The rest are stretched out ones from Layne Bryant. I can't wait until I can get a wire one again.

Have a good day guys. I have a ton of stuff to do for my parents. So I'll be back tonight or tomorrow..

sassyangies - our bodies fluctuate water weight for all sorts of reasons, from sodium to exercise to hormones. It's easy to say but hard to work through, but you're doing the right thing by sticking to your plan. The truth will out and you'll be happier for it! You've got exactly the right attitude.

By the way, congrats on the jump-roping!

Is it possible that you are dealing with hormones? I tend to put on weight a week before TOM. So I don't even have TOM to blame and just have to remind myself that that always happens. Just keep your head down and focus on your other progress. Like the jumping rope! And you will see the scales move.

Cuter - yep! I've been wire free for years. See, I never realized when I was younger than I actually needed something bigger than DD or DDD. Like, those were the largest bras available and I just bought them, and underwires did not work (soft cups are more forgiving there). So I still wear them mostly and just started branching out into underwires. The underwires seem to work much, much better in terms of support!

Anyway, the new one is just a WEE bit big, so when I order a new one I'll go down a cup size (or two? Not sure. I'm definitely shrinking on top, too.), but it also works. Plus it's black-and-leopard so it is fun to wear.

Aww, that is your daughter! So adorable.

Jane - hah, the right bra size really does work wonders, doesn't it? I wish someone had told me that when I was sixteen!

pluckypear - oh, that's neat, the co-op, and sorry you're too far away. This one is a local foods place so there's not much right now in terms of produce, but they did have local heirloom popcorn last time I was there, and I get organic dried black and adzuki beans there too. Though I don't loven adzuki beans.

Hey, maybe by the time the tax refund comes you'll be down a size? I need to get a bathing suit, and SOON. I was going to order a size 18 that was on clearance, but it sold out before I ordered it. I don't want to spend too much money because I plan to keep losing.

My mom bought me some new blouses. They are a big too big, and I am going to take them back and see if I can get 1 size down in the same thing, tonight after work.

My parents are going on vacation at the end of the month so will be gone over Easter. I am thinking about a mini-weekend vacation that weekend, instead, though I'm not sure where. And I don't really want to spend the money! Maybe a day-trip. I would like to go hiking in the Hocking Hills in the spring since that's when the waterfalls are most likely to be really active, so maybe there.

Boobs are a problem for me as larger tops are made for big bosomed women and I am moderate in that area. To get tops that fit my hips or do not hug my belly or fit my arms they tend to slide off my shoulders. Sigh.

Mnem Funny you mention adzuki beans. I made a soup with some organic dried ones. I called it adzuki gruel. Lol. It tasted okay but I only made it to use the beans up. I am not a fan but I know they are healthy. How do you prepare them?

I have a job interview to prep for and will be doing that today