Melissa -- You look great! I see a huge change. That walking is doing wonders for you. Wow keep up the great work! See I told you that you inspire me to get busy and exercise honestly I do see a huge change in your pictures.

Melissa - I think you asked the question about trying out videos. Do you have a Netflix (or equivalent) account? They have tons of them there. I actually should have received one today but haven't checked the mailbox yet. Also, I agree with Jill - a definte big difference between the first one and the second two!

With all the talk of Tae Bo I decided to give it another try. I had bought it used when I first started and it was WAY too hard for me. I have balance problems and couldn't do the kicks without hanging on to something. Today I tried the basic tape, and although my form left much to be desired, I got through the whole thing. Pretty cool.

Also, I weighed in this morning, and although Thursday is officially my weigh in day, I need some good news so I am counting this morning (hey, it's my rules anyway, right?). So this morning I was 296, down 3 from Thursday (although I felt like I was retaining water). I am very happy - I was really getting worried for awhile there.

Also, I have been thinking about cutting back on exercise - at least contiguous. I have decided to try doing no more than 30 minutes cardio, but possibly trying 2 sessions - 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. These hour long stints at the gym have been sucking my energy too much and I need to find a way to work smarter, not harder. The only problem will be getting up in the morning to do it. I'm haven't ever been a morning person. But then again I never thought I would like going to the gym, and look at me now.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Melissa - As for exercise, I know you mentioned before that you tried high intensity intervals, have you been doing that often? That could also increase your calorie burn effect even more than adding more time. Also, I looked at your pictures, I think there is a big difference. You are doing great.

Ammi - I agree with others that you are doing good and don't feel discouraged about sizes at one store. Sizes vary quite a bit over here as well. I have a pair of 22s that are falling off, while another 22 fits fine while a pair of 20s fits like the pair of 22 that fits fine. It is very strange.

As for me, I finally got some exercise in today. I went for a 5 mile strenuous hike (500 elevation gain) in 2 hours. I didn't take any breaks! That is a personal best for me. It was quite humid so I was sweating like crazy. We did stop to examine bugs and various wildlife but we didn't actually stop for a rest break. Also there was one hill that would've stopped me in my tracks before but I did it! Even though I was huffing and puffing, I kept going. I can definitely see a huge improvement in my hiking abilities. Also, as a treat and because I was feeling like some ice cream, my DF took me to McDonald's to get a soft serve ice cream (in a cup, not cone). We shared half of it, then threw half of it away. Definite moderation practice

Hey chickies!

Just checking in, I know it has been a while. I am still trying to get all the test results back that I have had run.

My hormone test came back having higher testosterone and way low progesterone so it looks like I may be dealing with PCOS! At least its an explaination as to why my body just does not seem to want to let go of any weight. Also explains some other symptoms I have had too. I have been doing a lot of research and if any of your hormones are off balance your body just will not co-operate!

I have an appointment to go over other bloodwork with my Dr on Tuesday. After I talked to her about the TSH test I had done she wanted to do some other tests too to get a full picture of everything. She is a new Dr that I decided to go to because I was really tired of being yelled at by doctors when I asked for help with my weight. She did not yell and was very understanding and willing to help me.

I got a new exercise bike that works and I love it, so I have been exercising regularly again. It is really cool and has a feature on it for ifit.com that lets you hook up the bike to your computer and a program will run that will automatically control the tension etc on the bike according to your fitness level!

I promise to be around more once I get all this stuff figured out!

Claire

Kenya- I'm sorry to hear you are missind DH so much! I would have a hard time if mine was gone- i understand- although I'd probably be eating everything in sight to comfort me, so at least you aren't doing that. I'm glad you did some dancing, I hope that made you feel a little better? We are all here for you when times get tough, just keep checking in so we can support you!!

Melissa- I think I good video for you to try out would be walk away the pounds. Since you like walking so much- I don't know if you've ever tried it, but it's basically walking, but it adds some moves that makes your body work in different ways. it might be the kind of shock/change your body is looking for. Good for you-trying out TaeBo! that's a challenging workout from what I hear, and it sounds like you did pretty good. I checked out your pics and you can really see a diference-especially in your face!

EM- Congrats on being down 10 pounds! I understand how you feel about not going out with your husband tonight- I feel the same way at times. It's quite like the feeling I have about getting married before losing weight. But everyone really enouraged me, and i appreciate now that I don't want to let my weight get in the way of my life. I know it will take time to get comfortable in those situations, i hope that you know that you are beautiful and that anyone who would make you feel uncomfortable is suffering from self-esteem issues thesmselves and aren't worth you concern. I'm sure that as you continue to be successful you will gain confidence and really understand that!

Nelie- Wow! 5 miles! 2 hours! You're amazing- even if i had the stamina to do that (i might, not sure?) I don't think I'd have the dedication or drive. Be proud of yourself- and you did really good with the ice cream, splitting half!!

Claire- I haven't met you yet- I'm fairly new to this group. I'm sure all this bloodwork and testing is frustrating! I hope that something is resolved soon-it sounds like at least you have an explanation for why you've struggled with weight. Have fun with the new excersize bike- I love to cycle, it's one of my favorite excersizes!

I had a pretty good day today- worked until 3:30ish and than ran around doing errands. I went shopping at Lane Bryant- I was only supposed to get a new pair of work pants (I wear a uniform) but i also bought a pair of capris, pj's, a belt, and a purse. I have a shopping problem...:blush: I haven't lost much yet- so not really expecting changes, although this is the first time I bought capris (b/c before they never looked good on me). I'm going to take some pictures- i really want to have before's so that I can look back and see changes to motivate myself. sometimes you don't see the loss in yourself until you look back at your old self- seeing everyone's pics made me think about it. By the way you are all doing so good, Ammi- i really notice how much you've lost!

Well we have my stepson today, and I still haven't eaten dinner (it's 8:30p-not good), so I'd better get going. Have a good evening everyone!

Hello ladies..... Just wanted to stop oin and say hello. With my classes right around the corner I will be very busy today. Everyone have a great day.

kimberly-- Oh shopping is so muh fun. That is the one thing i have been doing since my husband has been gone. i have been hitting JCPenny outlet store that is the one thing I can admit I do love to shop. have a great day.

Claire- i am happy your doctor ordered bloodwork on you. I am still waiting on my doctor to call me back about my blood work. I am sending you good vibes that everything goes ok.

nelie- You are doing great. 5 miles oh my legs are getting tired even thinking about that keep up the good work.

nancy- Congrats on being down another 3 pounds that is great!

Ok all ladies I am wishing everyone a good day

Arggghhhh .. I had replies to everyone and then it all went when I pushed the wrong button!! okee .. lets see if I can remember it all rofl ..

Melissa - Great trying out Taebo ... excellent piccys .. I definitely see a BIG difference esp around your face and neck .. thankies for the compliments on my X Stitches .. I am working on 2 at the moment ...its a fun way to think of other things lol .. good luck on whatever new exercise regime you decide to do

Kenya - Sorry to hear you are down ... I know how you feel .. although I do get to see my hunny every weekend its hard Sunday nights when he goes. Great to hear youre still dancing up a storm (and retail therapy is always a good thing too!) .. Every time I hear music now I will be thinking of you boogying lol ..

Ammi - no apologies needed from you young lady! Glad to hear you found a silver lining for a cloud that crossed your way ... I agree with Sharon .. youre a ****STAR**** and dont you forget it!

Nancy - Well done on giving Taebo another try, and even better that you finished it .. doesnt matter how "elegantly" .. at least you gave it a go And great on your "unofficial" loss too! Always a good way to perk up a weekend!

Nelie - WOW on your hike .. so AB FAB and Awesome for sure! I hope you have patted yourself on your back a few times .. you have had a few NSVs today havent you .. esp the moderate application of ice cream to your system .. thumbs up!

Claire - Hiya .. Im not sure if I have seen you on the boards before .. but HIII if I havent and OOPs if I have .... glad to hear that you have been able to get some results on your tests and I hope that now that the docs have an idea they can sort it out for you

Kimberly - Have fun snapping Piccys are always a blessing and a curse lol .. Im sure they will be motivating tho if that is the reason you are taking them Have a great rest of weekend! Sure seems to be a busy one!

Im sure there are so many more I have forgotten to respond to .. the threads are just moving so fast lol ... but HELLOOOO and CONGRATS to those that have had weight losses or NSVs, remember tomorrow is another day for those that had a bad day so think positive

Its been a busy weekend, and my daughter is spending the night at a friends place cos she has to go to the dentist and my friends is closer .. also it gives me a little break so I can relax before a new week of whatever starts. My hunny has gone back to where he lives through the week ... but we had a good day .. had his brother and SIL come for a quick visit, went to see my best friend for a little before I went and got some more fresh veges, then before I started dinner I started building the new units for our lounge, then after putting one of them together I made dinner.. then after my hunny went I put together the other one (even tho I had planned to do that tomorrow) and reorganised the lounge ... tomorrow I will do the washing instead lol ...

Well .. its almost midnight and I really need to get some sleep .. have a bunch of phone calls to make tomorrow and I have to get some of the paperwork done (yuck) as well as go and post some dvds back to the rental place ... hopefully I will have enough time to come in for a visit! I really hate Mondays!! rofl

Huggies all and happy Sunday!

Hi All,

Well I am here a bit earlier today, well a lot earlier, so I can catch up with a few replies now.

Missy - that's great that you tried Tae Bo, even if it was a cheesy one I am glad you enjoyed it, well at least the punches if not the kicks. I hear you on the more dance orientated routines being something you want to try. I love my SalsaSize DVD, although I am sure if I did the routine in front of anybody who really could salsa they would just laugh at me. Still it's fun, and I think I might start doing it again when the kids are back in school. Half an hour of that and half an hour or my Rider

I loved looking at your progress pics, there is such change in you from the first photos. I think I can even see a difference in the second two, your face definitely looks smaller

Jill - lol I like the sound of that, Queen of personal replies I do feel guitly when I miss replying to people, but you are right, I am allowed a day off

Yes I agree with you that there is fabulous art work on Deviant. Caleigh's doesn't fall into that catergory but she draws well enough for me not to mind putting them out there for all to see I can't draw at all, stick figures is my forte LOL.

Nancy - a double and for you that's great that you have lost 3 lbs, AND you did all of that Tae Bo work out when you couldn't finish it before!! You should be really proud of yourself

Oh and thank goodness somebody is with me on the Adrian Paul pictures

Nelie - a 5 mile hike, you always amaze me. I walked 5 miles on my birthday, and it nearly killed me I am sure I had a nice easy walk compared to the terriain you must have been hiking on. You keep on like you are and you are going to be a skinny little thing before too long

As for sizes I am not going to worry about them anymore. I can see from my old clothes that I am losing weight and I can see in the mirror, and that's what matters!!

Claire - wow how impressive is that exercise bike with the function that allows you to hook your PC up to it so that it can control the tension on your bike. COOL

I am sorry to hear that you possibly have PCOS, it at least is good if it does get diagnosed because you will have some answers to why you haven't been able to lose weight, plus they can start treating you. I hope you get all the help you need and that you will be able to get the weight off

Kimberly - thanks for saying you can see the loss I have had in my photos. I couldn't see it at first, well in my face I could, but I had to really look for changes in my body, and finally I could. It is awful to look at the before photos, but they don't seem so bad when I can say well it's how I used to look but will NEVER look again

Glad you had a good time going shopping and that the capri pants you bought were a NSV because its the first time you have felt you looked good in them I think you and I have the same problem with shopping, we go out for one thing and come back with a lot more. I am very naughty though because I end up spending on my credit card and I just feel guilty afterwards

I am glad that I never gave in to the temptation to pig out when I was so down the other day. Hubby has a lot to be thanked for when it comes to that, but I think if I REALLY wanted to pig out I would have, just maybe not on a kebab. It was knowing that I didn't want to come on here and admit to giving in to comfort eating, that was also a great detterant!! That and realising that pigging out because I am not as small as I want to be would not be helping me to get smaller!!

How wonderful is your fiance telling you that when you get to 50 lbs lost he will take you shopping for some new clothes and that cost will not be taken into consideration What a sweet guy, and I am sure that reward is going to be a huge motivation to you.

Kenya - I hope you won't be too busy with your classes to pop here and tell us how you are doing.

How are you coping without hubby there? I know it must help having the children to keep you occupied, but I know you must be missing hubby a lot. Are you managing lots of online chats at least?

You are right that my hubby's response to my wanting to pig out was wonderful. At the time I got annoyed because he was telling me what to do, or not do in this case, but I also realised he was very right and was glad I had his support

As for me getting from a size 34, I may even have been bigger than that, I don't know. All I know is that before I started this diet I would go to Evans and put on their biggest size which is a 32 and most of the time unless it was a stretch material it wouldn't go near me So I guess fitting into a 28 of theirs in non stretch material is really a HUGE achievement lol, now if only I could have had you and some of the others with me at the time I never would have gotten upset in the first place Thank you for saying just the right thing

Newsnerd - glad you got chance to look at the site I gave you the link too. Well if you do make it to Wales, make sure you look me up I have been to Ireland, of course live in Wales, but I would love to go to Scotland one day. I think if we had a car we would have gone there already, but with the price of public transport we are going to have to give Scotland a miss at least til the kids have left home and we have a bit more spare cash

Sharon - 3 more lbs down with just 1 more to go before you go to your parents. I KNOW you can do it, well done!!!!

So what's the verdict on the fat monitor scales, are they good, or is it not nice knowing what percentage of fat you have got??

Glad you liked the new album you bought, can't say I have heard of the band, comes from not being rock chick like you At least I have heard of Led Zeplin, but don't ask me to name any of their songs

You are right I never thought I would be anybody's inspiration when it comes to dieting. It still feels weird and undeserved when I do hear it. I guess I can see the numbers coming down, and see it a little in the mirror that the weight loss is happening, but I will feel more deserving of being anybody's inspiration when I am about 100 more lbs lighter Thanks for your kind words though, you are a good friend

Patti - well at least one good thing comes from seeing a gain on the scales......you know they arne't stuck on 299 Seriously, now they have moved up, it's time to make them move back down again, and I hope you will see a loss on Friday. Perhaps the FFM will catch up with you like she did with Misti and you will see the weight come flying off soon!!

Your comforting words to me about sizes of clothes etc actually made me really smile, because when you told me to keep my chin up, I thought, yes CHIN, not CHINS Who cares about my jeans still being a huge size, and let's face it, not looking great on me, I have lost most of my double chin now

Jen - I can't even begin to comment on the nutritional value of veges raw verses cooked, but I guess if you did boil your veges and then drunk the water that you boiled them in you would be able to have them boiled and still get all the nutrients Actually my hubby loves to drink the water cabbage or sprouts have been boiled in, I dont like the after effects though, smelly

Xena - did you go to the ESL graduation? If you did then I hope you will find that you enjoyed yourself more than you expected. Sometimes it's the getting ready and the thought of going and being social that seems too much trouble and then when you get there you find you have a great time. I hope that was the case for you

Thanks for commenting on my upsetting shopping trip. I am over it now, but I am so glad that I had my wedding dress to try on because it really did make me realise that no matter size the jeans were that I had to buy, I am still smaller now than I was 4 years ago!!!

Brenda - not sure when you are back from camping, but I hope you have or had a great time and that the scales won't give you any nasty shocks when you get on them again

You are right about things getting better after that shopping trip, they already are. Well except for one worry which I think I will be posting in my blog

Heather - you hit the nail on the head precisely. When you have lost a lot of weight you DO expect to be able to try on any smaller clothes and have them all fit you. When you don't it is a kick in the teeth because you realise that even though you have lost so much you STILL have so much more to lose!! I am not giving in though, giving in won't get me into those smaller sizes will it. One day I will be writing here about the latest size 18 I have bought and you will be reminding me of the time I was getting upset because I could only just fit into a 28!!! I look forward to that day A LOT!!!

I know what you mean about feeling huge for your weight, I guess we are just the people that have our fat as our main weight rather than muscle mass. Still Heather, a 16 in Miss sizes or a woman's 14 is fabulous, what size did you start at?? What size are you aiming to get into?

Luan - great to see you back, how did you enjoy your time in Oregon? Well done on buying your books and a bike too. I hope you will enjoy riding to and from school, that will burn of lots of calories. How is the dieting going?

Katt - thanks for your reply to my 'down' post, you really helped to lift my mood, especially with the comment on bras I am totally with you that all manufacturers should have the same sizes in clothes, and shoes too. How stupid is it that you can buy a top in one shop in one size, but need a bigger one in the shop right next door. The same goes for shoes, I can be a size 5 in some shops and a size 9 in others!!!! Ridiculous!!!

I have a feeling that your latest spending spree was somewhat a bit of retail therapy for you, am I right? And there's nothing wrong with that. I loved hearing about all the things you bought.

As for the Subway lunch you had, oooh, I don't think we have a Subway Melt over here. I probably would have avoided it anyway, I see cheese and I think RUN, lol, and yet I bet your sub had less points than my tuna one Oh well in future I will stick with my Subway Club, 5.5 points, filling and yummy.

How are you coping with the little boxes with the counted sweets and chocolate in them. I tried that once, only I used plastic bags. They should have lasted me 10 days, they were gone in 4 BUT I still counted them in my points so they weren't naughty, just kind of a waste of points!

How are things with your daughter, I hope they are calm for now

Em - on the 10 lbs lost, that is fantastic. Just 4 more little lbs and you will be out of the 300s forever!!!!

Sorry that you didn't feel up to going to the BBQ with your hubby, I think we all know how you were feeling though, just not being up to being under the scrutiny of everbody. Even now as the weight is coming off, whenever I go out with my hubby I can't help but think that others are wondering how a good looking guy as Daren could end up with a fat dog like me. Shh don't tell him I said that, he'd get angry.

Anyway, as you and I both lose more weight let's hope our confidence and self worth will grow

Misti - have Birdseye only now just brought out those microwavable veges, the ones in individual bags? They have been here for a while now and I love them. They are quite expensive though so I tend not to buy them often, but they are delicious.

How are you doing with the FFM is she still stealing those lbs off you

Angie, Crock, Mel, Andrea, Brandnewme, Maria Lucia, JuleeC, Catherine, Sue Marie, Annie, Juliet, and all the others I haven't mentioned I hope you are all well and that you will post soon,

Hugs,

Ammi