Hello everyone! Happy July! I guess everyone has been busy with it being the weekend before the 4th. DH is off for a few days and will go back to work the 5th. Chat it up!

Just bought some black rice- anyone have any good ideas for what to do with it? I saw a recipe for rice pudding with black rice, but I'm thinking maybe I can make something breakfast-y with it...hmmm

Seems like a good time to get in on this. I didn't want to jump right in the middle of last months chat.

Anyways... I'M BACK!! I missed you girls so much, and now that I'm back on track (life got in the way, and yet somehow I maintained through months of eating nothing but crap) I need the support more than ever. I don't think anything new has happened since I posted here last, though I can't even remember when that really was. I'm guessing it was sometime last summer. Since then I've had a breakup with a boyfriend, a promotion, a breakup with a best friend, dropped out of college (again) and lots of other stuff. Honestly though, it's all for the better. I feel like (mostly, anyways) I'm in a good spot in my life right now, considering.

I'm debating getting a gym membership. I pretty much have everything I need at home, but I'd love to be able to run, and I can't exactly do that in the neighborhood I live in, and my treadmill isn't exactly up to the challenge. So do I spend the money on a membership? Or do I put that money towards paying off my student loans, since they're going to have to start being paid back in November or so?

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Iconised - It's good to see you still here! I wish I knew what to do with the rice... I don't cook.

Hey everyone!

Things are going good with me. I've hit HEALTHY and I've been maintaining that despite being a lazy poo for the last week. I dunno, I hit a milestone then I just decide to take a break! Bad me!

Today is the LAST DAY at the job I'm currently at. I'm not sure what to feel, because on the one hand I'm so happy to be leaving (I work at a cinema, not fulfilling at all) because I hate the customers, but I LOVE the people who work there! I've been there for a year and 4 months and I feel like I've really settled into the cinema family. I'll be sad not to see those faces on a regular basis!

I also feel nervous because I know why I'm leaving is to start preparation for my move to Japan. I can't believe I'll be there next month! Luckily I have an awesome boyfriend waiting for me to arrive so that makes things so much easier. Being unemployed and going through the job search/interview process again is going to suck though. I hate interviews!

Thursday I'll be going on a family holiday for a week to Menorca, an island off the West coast of Spain. I haven't been on a family holiday since I was 18, and I'm now 23 so it's going to be fun. I'm happy to have hit the healthy BMI mark for it! Bikini ready, whoop whoop!

laneyy - Welcome back! Sounds like you've gone through a lot, but I'm happy that you feel it's all for the best. As for your gym query...man, that's tough. I don't like gyms but I also have the option of running outside. If you feel like you can honestly get a great workout done at home then don't waste the money. Why not trial home workouts? Then if you find yourself slipping or you really want to go on a treadmill at a gym, then get the pass. See how it plays out.

HELLLO!

I am a returning user....it’s been about a year since, I have logged on. I was losing well last year before I found out I was pregnant. Well now Cam is here and 4 months old. I figure it's time to pick up where I left off. I haven’t weighed in about a week. I have reached my pre pregnancy weight so that won’t be a problem. I have already seen several forums I WILL be posting in, especially the daily weigh in. Getting on the scale frequently motivates me.

I am anxious to see what this ticker says once I post, I will make updated tickers once I get my exact weight in the am. I need to restock my fridge with good stuff. Also, debating on ordering Turbo Fire. I live in Louisiana and walking or running just simply isn’t on my radar right now, it’s just toooo hot here!

Looking forward to seeing you all around. IM EXCITED!

riestrella Wow, you have a journey ahead of you! Sounds fun, exciting and scary all at the same time!

lanney I see you are returning as well! Kudos to us! I totally understand your money debates. Same here, student loans will be on my back again soon, if I don’t start this MHA program soon. So for me and my budget, I’m just debating on which home work out to invest in.

Hi Everyone! I lost .5 in June which was a bit dissapointing but good considering I have been out of town so much. I am on vacation and return on Thursday. I am ready to get back to a normal routine and hopefully loose 4 lbs this month!

Be back to chat more later!

Laneyy, I know how you feel I have been thinking about getting a gym membership myself but I know money could be used else where..

Riestrella- congrats on hitting a healthy BMI and good luck with your move to japan. that sounds exciting!

lisa34t- congrats on your new baby! I am sure you will be moving along in no time!

crazygurl61- .5 is better than nothing I have had a crazy month with june as well, lots of vacations and also our anniversary was on the 30th. It has been HOT here so little to no exercise.

I am doing pretty well.. I guess. the weight is still coming off pretty well.. considering like I said my exercise has been limited. It is so so hot here.. I think once it hits about 6 though, I do not see a reason why I can not go.. we have acquired two extra kids till July 20th.. (my husbands sisters are visiting from Indiana) I am pretty tired after caring for 4 kids all day long.. not to mention emotionally exhausted. I have been really thinking about getting a gym membership so I could just go by myself without even my husband.. get away from all the kids for a hour a day lol! And no 108 degree heat index in the gym. The membership here is for a year and it is $100.. I do not think that is too bad. My husband already gets in free as a perk to his job..he has never gone lol. That is my July so far... I would love to rant about how I am going insane with the extra teenagers and their laziness but I will spare ya'll. In case anyone was wondering where I was.. I am still going for my goals.. just more quiet than usual. I will try and check in here more..

Hi!

I'd like to chat more this month. I lost 4.4 last month, which I'm happy about! Only 6 more weeks till Vegas, my gosh! I have a cute little playboy monokini Im taking with, I have another swimsuit I used to wear....

This one:

http://www.2011swimsuit.com/sinful-w...khftlg4d8njmb6

But it will be a long while before I wear that baby again.

Hello, I feel rather awkward posting as I feel I'm the only guy and stand out like a sore thumb and obviously cannot talk about what bikini I want to wear etc lol.

Aaaaanyway I will just say a couple of things, I started Tony Hortons power 90 a week ago and am adding in other various exercises, I managed to lose 6lbs my first week and tomorrow is my 2nd week weigh and I'm nervous as I pray for a loss of any kind, I really don't want to of gained as I have worked really hard. I plan on pushing it hard today to increase my chances of a loss! Rawr!

1Hope It's okay, we like having boys around

Ash2007 It's ridiculously hot up here, too. I think we were up to 106º last week or before. It's been in the 90s this week though. When I lived in Texas though, the heat was different. In El Paso it was dry and bearable, in San Antonio it was more humid. And up here, forget it. The air is so thick and humid up here sometimes you feel like you can't breathe.

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So I'm still debating about joining the gym. I have Jillian's 30 Day Shred, so I was going to start that, but I live in an apartment building and I don't think my neighbors will appreciate my fat *** doing jumping jacks on the second story. I have a neighbor/coworker who has agreed to teach me the ways of Crossfit, which she and her boyfriend are really into. And another friend who will walk/jog with me after work whenever we can.

I've decided that I can't just sit back and wait for everything to happen, I need to be the change.

And on that note, I've modified my goal just slightly, to make it an even 100lbs from start to finish, but I don't want to just weigh 128lbs. I want to be fit and active and not feel like I'm dying when I jog or run for more than 30 seconds.

Hey everyone!

It's been a rough couple of days for me. I just lack the motivation to keep trying...ugh...stuck in my rut. Anyway, I'll dig myself out eventually. As for now, I'll just keep coming around to check up on everyone else's progress.

Icon - I have no idea what you can do with black rice. How's it different than white rice besides just being a different color? Did you figure anything out?

Laneyy - Welcome back! About the gym membership...if you think it will make you commit more to working out then I would definitely do it...if it's not that far from you. I was a member of a gym for a while, but being in school and the location of the gym was a problem for me and I wasted a ton of money. Anyway, I hope you can figure out something soon.

Rie - I hate interviews too!...ugh! Anyway, sending good vibes your way! Hope you can find something soon! And the whole change of life will be a great thing for you! I'm excited for you. Make sure you keep us updated, miss ma'am!

Lisa - Welcome back! I can so relate with you on the too hot weather since I'm just above you in MS. It's ridiculous around here! And the humidity doesn't help either...ugh! Anyway, congrats on your little one! I miss those days. My little one is 14 months now and it just seems like yesterday when she was 4 months! Ahhh! Anyway, looking forward to chatting with you and learning a little more about you.

Ash - good to see that you are still around! Watching kids can be very tiring. I think $100 a year is a VERY good deal! I would definitely do it if you can get away. It may help keep you insane. Ha!

1Hope - :Welcome: I've never heard of that exercising program. Maybe you'll have a loss! Keep us updated!

I had an interview today. I think it went well, but my lack of experience with older kids is what is going to hurt me because this was for a position at a school for middle and high school students. It's called the high school advancement academy. It's for students who are 2 years or more behind in school. It's designed to help those students get up to the grade level that they should be in. Eventually the students can go on to the high school. Anyway, since all my college experience is with elementary students I don't have any with older kids. But, hopefully, they will give me a chance and I can learn as I go.

Hi all!

It has been not a good few months for me, but it's getting better! I started being ~irregular in March, which kind of screws with weight loss, April started up my eczema as bad as it has ever been, I got thrown off a horse a week and a half ago, and these wildfires have really put a cramp in our style. Luckily, no bones have been broken and we are blessed that nothing of ours was lost in the fire. Also, the Waldo Canyon fire is now 70% contained! Yay!

The past week or two FINALLY my tummy has been muuuuch more regular, which is awesome. I'm back down to my lowest again (187) so 45 pounds off... It's so odd, without tracking for the most part and with all these traumas going on, I've only been bouncing between three pounds. I suppose I've ingrained the whole pointsplus system to the point where I can at least not GAIN while not being "good"? Unfortunately, I'll be moving back to the wonderful south and all of its amazing foods in less than a month...so we'll see.

Hullo guys...
I was in Tokyo visiting a friend for the beginning of the month and haven't been doing so hot on the scale since coming back...I didn't gain too much despite a weekend of debauchery (it seemed only fitting since she'll be going back to France and I have no idea when I'll see her next), but my TOM is being obnoxious and refusing to go away (stupid PCOS is stupid...). I've been going on obscenely long bike rides all week despite the nasty heat and humidity and had 4 super active lessons with 1st graders today (my JTE commented that it looked like I'd gone swimming when I went to the staff room after the second class) where I was jumping around like an idiot and dancing for essentially the entire 45 minute period each time. On the plus side, the kids loved the crap out of it. On the not-so-plus side, I felt like I desperately needed a shower ALL DAY.

IC: sorry, I can barely cook normal rice >.< Try allrecipes.com ...they tend to have a ton of recipes and the comments and reviews are super helpful.

Rie: I know it's scary as heck at the moment, but I'm sure something will come along in the end. Keep in mind if you're going to be coming in August that that's the absolute hottest time of the year in Japan and it's horrendously humid. Lightweight materials and undershirts are your friends. Also, Japanese deodorants don't have antiperspirants, so you might want to pack extra.

Lisa and Laneyy: Welcome back!

Ash: Just reading about dealing with extra kids makes me tired...hopefully you get some well-deserved rest and free time soon.

Crazy: That close to goal, .5 lbs is nothing to sneeze at! Keep at it and I'm sure you'll get the 4 you're hoping for this month.

Katbot: Jealous...I've never tried a monokini, but I can't seem to find anything but one piece school swim suits (I get looks like I'm a crazy pedophile if I ask about those) or bikinis. I felt so awkward wearing a bikini in public even though it looked better than I would have thought.

1Hope: Welcome. Don't worry...we don't bite too hard.

sgregg: Good luck! Fingers crossed that you get it. Honestly you learn more by actually working with kids than you would from reading about it and taking courses...I hadn't done any teaching before my current job and the teachers and kids both seem pretty impressed so far.

Chel3: Stay safe...I'm so glad that it's generally wet and/or cool enough in New England for us to avoid most stuff like that. A forest in my town lost something like 25 acres to a fire a few months ago, but that's the worst we've had that I can recall. (Also, your username made me want to play Portal...it's probably entirely unrelated, but my brain makes stupid connections )

sgregg Good luck with the interview I hope it all works out for you, stay positive, you seem determined to me and like a nice person which is something important to many people, I hope they give you the chance.

Hotaruchan Lol, thanks, I don't think I would taste all that good anyway so you may not want to bite at all. It sounds like you had a lovely time with your friend in Tokyo and made the most if it which I would have done too. Its good you're keeping active, I can't imagine the energy it must take to keep up with a load of little kids, I'd probably pass out after the first 15 minutes haha.

Laneyy Thanks and that's good because I do plan on sticking around. I know it must suck to have something you want to do ruined because of circumstances such as living above someone but its great that you're finding a way around it and trying other things. Keep that fire burning inside, do your best and I'm sure you will be where you want to be and as fit as you you want.

It was my second week weigh in today and I lost another 3lbs so that's 9lbs in 2 weeks which is good although I wanted a higher number this week but maybe I'm being greedy. I got invited to go MMA training with my brother and his friend on Friday but I am far to anxious for it at the moment (I suffer with severe social anxiety) I was doing well with it and pushing myself but my image has really made me go backwards along with other problems and I'm finding just posting here and leaving the house quite a battle at the moment.

Well today is the 4th! I don’t expect much to go on for me today; mostly everything I eat today will be grilled. I haven’t quite figured out my game plan for this revamped journey , but I will figure it out! Luckily, I have extra funds, because eating right is usually a little pricier for me than the normal. I have decided to do turbo fire....although, I have the 30 shred, but I recall it being boring I may try it again before i spend $120 on turbo fire, because hellllooo, that is like 6 cases of diapers!!!!!! LOL Anyway home you all have a safe holiday.



Ash2007- Whew!!! Sounds like you have you hands full!!! I don’t normally recommend gyms, but sounds like you need a daily stress reliever!

sgregg- Congrats on the interview, that’s speaks volume alone. Stay positive.

chel3fsea- Moving back to the South! Woohoo! Lol, born and raised in Louisiana, I know the food battles ahead of you. Stay focused, I’m sure you will make it....not saying it won’t be hard.

Hotaruchan- Sounds like some pretty active