Hey everyone! Week 5 Charts!

Overall Chart:


20-Somethings Chart:

Hey everyone! Hope y'all are doing well (I'm quite happy to adapt the southern "y'all" - it's useful!)

Food has been good so far this week. I had a cheat meal on Sunday, we went to a place called Yeah! Burger where they make their food from locally sourced farms. It was good, but we definitely preferred a different burger place closer to our apartment that has the same concept. Yesterday I made sure to not snack in the evening, even though the BF sits down and snacks around 9pm which I would usually jump on board with. He doesn't eat breakfast and has his first meal around 2-3pm, so he tends to eat into the night, which is bad for my own temptations but that's my own fight I have to battle and I won last night . I'm starting to make sure my breakfasts aren't all oatmeal, this morning I reached for the oatmeal bag but stopped myself and had banana and yogurt instead. I'm finding that changing my eating habits is definitely more of a habit breaking exercise more than anything. Last night the BF made this delicious tofu vegetable stir fry, it was so good! We started discussing the fact that healthy food is treated like a punishment when we're kids, when really it can be just as tasty as an unhealthy meal.

Exercise is going really well too! I ran Sunday and Monday, because I got a little behind with my running last week due to the hurricane weather (nothing crazy, just rain and humidity). I'm back on schedule now for the 5K I entered, I even plotted out 10K training for when I finish the 5K. Same concept of running/walking, since I don't want to push myself too soon, but I think once I've done another 10K I'll be ready to go back to my normal training style of running miles instead of running/walking intervals. I've also been realistic and put in a 4 week break for when I go back to England for Christmas. I can act all high and mighty now and say I'll keep up with exercise, but I know myself better than that. I'll be busy seeing family and friends, so I'm just going to get out and run when I can and hope to maintain over Christmas. I asked my Mum if she wanted to do a 10K with me, but she was very hesitant about it when usually she'd be up for it. It was kind of sad seeing her that way, usually she loves to compete with me, but I can tell her years of struggling with her own weight/exercise routine have caught up to her. Hopefully when I'm back we can do some fun runs together instead of making it feel like we have to do it to train for a race. That's my hope anyway!

Life is fine also, just busy with editing the film. At the moment I'm behind schedule but I think I'll catch up quickly since I've got the first edit of a lot of the scenes completed. The second/final edit is colour correcting, tweaking things, adding music. The director is very happy with the work I've done and he's a nice person, so if I DID get behind (not going to rely on his kindness however) he might understand. I have 3 weeks exactly to finish it and I'm positive I can do it if I focus! I got to see one of my favourite bands, Eisley, perform live on Sunday - it was amazing! I was right near the front, second row and in front of the lead singer. She was so adorable! I was singing along to all their songs (not loudly, I hate when people try and sing over the music!!) and she saw me singing along with her and smiled at me and it was awesome. My BF even bought me a t-shirt too, I went for the medium thinking if it's too small I'll shrink into it but it actually fits quite well!

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clay - I'll have to check it out!!

Riestrella: sounds like you're doing really well! I admire you for running. I've tried multiple times but end up back on the elliptical. Definitely check on the health nerd videos. I've found them really helpful and revamped my diet routine to maximize my hard work with the help of science! If you're looking for good easy breakfasts, one of my favorites is avocado toast. I use about 2 oz of avocado (100 calories) and I put it on a sandwich thin (100 calories). I usually just sprinkle sea salt and hot sauce on top but the options are endless. It's good with an egg too! I love fast easy breakfasts. I grab oatmeal more than I should too!

So... things are great and bad here. Lots going on. Weight-loss wise things are going fantastic. I revamped my routine and am seeing amazing results. I'm down from 219 to 214.8 in the past week and a half. Crazy. I've been using my scale that measures body fat and I've lost 1% body fat in the same amount of time (no loss in my total body water or muscle). My pants fit way better, my baby kangaroo pocket has shrunk significantly. I'm shocked at the results and I feel way better. I've added a few things:
I'm still eating around 1200 calories per day but I'm focusing on even more veggies, and reducing carbs for the time being to 30-50 grams per day. Ive focused on getting more salmon in my diet, more protein and not being afraid of a serving of nuts as a snack. I've also been adding whey protein to my meals to up the protein intake, and I've been feeling full and less like cheating.

Other things I've added in:
apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon in my green tea 3x per day. I usually drink it down with a straw before meals)
A probiotic
Jigsaw magnesium SRT with b vitamins (I have a magnesium deficiency confirmed by blood tests)
And that's it!

And the bad stuff: my son has a bump on his forehead. It's likely that it's a dermoid, that he would need surgery to remove. I'm scared and upset. We are going to get an ultrasound, and if we need to see more he will get a CT to figure out what's going on. I'm just scared for my baby, and worried I should have noticed this sooner.

So, it's a mix of good news and bad news here this week.

Hey guys!

I've updated last years badges to be included in this challenge! Sorry I didn't find new designs, but I figured something is better than nothing . Here they are:



Yesterday was a fail day. I just have to accept that these days are going to happen and get right back on track. I just felt so sluggish and tired all day, so instead of being active to combat it I was just lazy. I didn't want to cook either, so I moved up our cheat meal of the week and ordered pizza. The pizza place was amazing, really fresh ingredients, not too greasy and a lovely crust. But, no matter how homemade it is pizza is pizza - it's not exactly the epitome of health! I definitely need to work on lowering my sugar intake too, I think I've become addicted to sugar in some form. What do you guys eat to combat sugar cravings other than fruit? I should probably just drink water and flush my system a bit, maybe eat some small vegetable snack.

Yesterday I had a dermatology appointment. I used to have severe acne as a teenager and was given Accutane to get rid of it. It worked, I have remained relatively clear skinned since then bar some small blemishes here and there and some scarring. However recently I noticed my acne really flaring up again so I decided to make an appointment. I've been given some pills (Solodyn) and a topical, hopefully it helps. I might experience an upset stomach on the pills, I hope it's not too bad. If it makes it unbearable to exercise then I might come off it. I'd rather be able to exercise than have clear skin! I'm sure they'll find something else for me. I was going to go on a run when I got back from the appointment, but then I had lunch and then got to working then got all lazy and just didn't go. Again - I have to accept these things happen to work on it the next day. One day at a time, right?

Today I'm going to go on that run after a business phone call at 11am, then be productive with the rest of my day. Wish me luck!

Weight is lower today, I've been weighing in at 173 lbs but saw a drop to 172.2 lbs yesterday which was great to see. Slow but it's still progress

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clay - You know, I started using the elliptical at the complex's gym but it really hurt my hips! It was very unusual. I didn't want to risk damaging myself by using it incorrectly so I waited to take up running again. Avocado on toast does sound yum, but we don't have a toaster and I always think it's so much effort to toast bread in a pan! Someday we'll have a toaster and I can try it out . Thanks for the tip. Wow, huge congrats on such a huge loss! It's so amazing that you've seen a change in your body too, good for you! Keep it up. Sounds like you're doing all the right things, I definitely need to do what you're doing! Protein is very important, and it seems to be keeping you full which is amazing.
Try not to panic about your son, I'm sure it's so scary as he's your world, but take things a step at a time. Try not to think of the worse case scenario before you see any results, which is easier said than done but try your best.

Hey everyone! How are you doing? Are you enjoying the Autumn weather? I really am! I'm always happiest when it gets colder.

My 5K training is going really well. I'm loving walking and running, it's really taking me back to when I first began running but in a good way. I know I'll get stronger by taking it easy, but I'm still pushing myself. It's a nice balance. On my first 30 minute run I got to 1.76 miles, but yesterday on my 30 minute run I reached 2 miles - I've improved so much in just a week! I definitely think my body is waking up and remembering what it's like to run again.

My weight is still low 172's, which is great. I did go up after the pizza on Wednesday to 174 lbs, which was kinda scary to see but I knew it was temporary. I'm definitely doing well to remember not to snack at night, even when my boyfriend offers me some of his junk food. I'm glad he's not treating me any differently, besides it gives me more pride to say "no". I'm still working on bread and sugar intake - I think I need to work on sugar first because I'm starting to notice teeth sensitivity and I do NOT want to get a cavity without dental insurance. When I go back to England I'm still registered at our family dentists so I've got an appointment set up. It'd probably be cheaper to fly home and get a filling than it would to get one done here without insurance anyway o_O. Baffling.

Today I'm going to do a strength workout, first one in a while. I bought a set of dumbbells so I don't have to go to the complex's gym (I have no excuses now!). I'm going to start doing a strength workout once a week to help with my running and try and do yoga twice a week just to get a good stretch on and improve flexibility. Ideally I'd be doing some sort of plyometric workout like Insanity or even dancing - but I feel too guilty jumping around on my third floor apartment and I can't afford a membership to a studio. So I have to make do with home workouts and running! Very back to basics since this is pretty much what I did when I first joined 3FC 5 years ago (woah!) and I was successful back then so I can be now!

Riestrella: sounds like you're doing great and adding in a lot of good exercise. Good for you! Exercise has always been the hardest for me to stick to. I haven't worked out in a few days. I bet it is cheaper for you to go to England for a dentist appt. That says a lot about Healthcare in the US! Crazy. I've been having more trouble with acne over the past year than I ever have. It's super annoying. I read somewhere that when you lose weight estrogen is released from the fat cells and that can affect things in your body as you lose weight. Maybe that is contributing to more acne?

I'm doing okay. Weight-loss has stopped for the time being because my time of the month is any day now. I'm moody, and generally needing personal space (which of course is not something I get much of. My son is currently trying to bite me constantly). I did see a loss in body fat % and a gain in my total body water and the scale said 215. So I assume I did lose a little weight but body water is covering it up right now.

I'm trying not to panic about the possible dermoid in James' head but it seems bigger to me. I just wish I could take care of everything right this second.

In other news, my husband is pretty stressed, and that stress is affecting our home environment. I wish I could help him be happier bUT last night I got aggravated because he was stomping around and angry half the day, and it kind of pissed me off. It just made the little time we had together as a family very unpleasant. I felt like I did everything (cleaning up, taking care of James, cooking dinner) and he spent half the day on the couch and was unpleasant all day, and I'm just supposed to pretend I'm fine with that. But then if I say anything about it, he gets even more irritated. I'm just tired of it.

Sorry. Not so pleasant messages today. I just had a rough day yesterday. This coming weekend my husband leaves for a captains course (army stuff) for 2 weeks. So I'm also dreading really being alone for 2 weeks and having zero help. This month has just been very rough schedule wise and as far as having help around the house. 😥

Week 6 charts everyone!

Overall Chart:


20-Something Chart:

Hey everyone!

Had a semi-busy weekend, Saturday I did a lot of work and essentially planned out the rest of my month to ensure I reach my deadline. In short, I have a lot to do each day not to make sure I stay on top of things. It's going to be stressful, but I'm going to be so happy to see this project finished! I have a job lined up once it's over (related to Christmas, yay!) and today I have a phone meeting about another project that I'm pretty excited about. It's an incredible feeling to apply for work as a freelancer and have someone look at your portfolio and want to work with you. There's always that annoying voice that says "you're not good at this" so it's always nice when I can shut that voice up!
Yesterday I cleaned the apartment, installed our new printer while making dinner (ultimate multitasking win) and then went to a friends house to play the board game Sheriff of Nottingham. It was a lot of fun! However I didn't get a chance to sit down and work so I'm going to be playing catch up today. There's an event I'd like to go to tonight, but I have to make sure I catch up with work before I go. If this month has taught me anything it's definitely the importance of staying on schedule when working from home!

Weight wise I am 172 on the dot, which is fantastic as I've been slowly moving down for the past week or so. Definitely a great feeling to be moving in the right direction no matter what pace. Today I have a run to do, it'll be nice to get out and listen to my audio book before sitting at my desk all day! The next step for me is definitely to fill in my days where I'm not running with cross training. I didn't do the strength training on Saturday when I said I would, I don't even remember what distracted me now, but I'm trying to cut myself some slack and make sure I at least keep on top of the running.

Food is getting better, last night we had a dinner that had no grains which I was super happy with. I didn't even miss them either, so it was a great feeling.

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Clay - I know, when I lived in CO I was contemplating getting my wisdom teeth removed because the dentists were being kinda pushy about it. When they told me how much it was going to cost after insurance I was dumbfounded! And my wisdom teeth aren't even bothering me! I know now that if I have any sort of dental emergency just to fly home and get it sorted. Considering my acne came at a time when I wasn't losing weight I don't think that's it. My mum and sister both have it, I think it's just genetic. Thankfully the medication I'm taking for it seems to be working, my skin definitely looks better, but I'll give it the full 30 days and see how it goes. It's definitely hormone related though since just before my period it really flares up.
Sorry to hear you've been having a hard time recently. Stress is the worst, it can only cause problems. From an outsiders perspective I think your husband was being a little selfish, and I can understand why if he's having a hard time at work he wants to go home and chill out. But he's got a family now, so he has that responsibility to contribute to the house/looking after your son and spending time with you both. If anything, I think you should talk to him. I find when something in my relationship is bothering me I try and sit down at the table and communicate calmly but also frankly. If I just bring it up out of the blue or drop it in a conversation it never turns out well. I think setting up a "meeting" almost is the best method, even though it seems a bit unnatural and strange. Acknowledging their point of view is also key too, because you don't want to just point the finger.
Those 2 weeks alone will certainly be a challenge, perhaps there's some research you could do to make sure you keep everything in control? Someone out there must have some sage advice on being a solo parent that I'm sure will help. Even if it's just grocery shopping online it might be a big help.

Hay Girls, You'll be seeing me drop out of that high position this week. Just came back from Germany on Saturday night and Weighed in yesterday morning with an extra whopping 6.5lbs or something like that. This morning was an extra 4.7, so its coming down. If I can even get to 288 by Wednesday then I would be happy (lowest recorded is 287.9). I need to work extra hard this week to get off the alcohol fluids. I can also start building up my arms for muscle (the doc cleared me) which I am super excited about. I was getting lots of nice comments while away, but I have decided to probably not do another tour until next year when I can be an extra 50lbs off which would be amazing.

It is 2 weeks today until Halloween and I know that I won't be able to hit my initial target, but I will do my best to get as close to it as possible

Riestrella: congrats on getting more gigs! It sounds like you're talented and people are taking notice! I know what you mean, I make pottery (not for a while but hoping to get back to it soon). Sometimes I felt like I wasn't good. My husband put together a portfolio of my work, took me on a trip to all the best pottery places, and encouraged me to show my portfolio. When I finally did and they told me to call about selling my stuff there, I was thrilled. It's so nice to be recognized, and get that "not good enough" voice to shut up for a while! Board game nights are always fun! We love munchkin, settlers of Catan, dominion... so many good games! As far as things with my husband: he usually tries so hard to be very helpful. He's not the won't help with any diapers or around the house type. Sometimes though (and this has been a big issue recently) he already feels really guilty about not helping when he just needs a break, and if I try to bring it up he gets defensive and demoralized. He gets really upset. He's also really unhappy at work and told me he feels like he's failing at his job and at being a husband and father, like he can't do anything right. When I try to air a grievance, it's like he can't hear me and just gets more stressed bc he feels like there's nothing he can do right. While I understand, it frustrates me that I feel like I can't say how I'm feeling without him getting even more upset. He's looking into different options at work right now. I hope that things get better soon. Maybe if we have some time we will talk about it calmly away from James and make some more progress.

Food and weight wise things are good. I weighed in at 213.8 this morning. My time of the month should be around the corner, but my IUD makes it unpredictable. I've been eating right, but exercise had taken a back seat thus week unfortunately. I'll get back to it tomorrow. James as an appt for an ultrasound today. I hope they will be able to tell me something from the appt, but I'm not too sure they will be able to see much from an US. Hopefully he is fine and my new mom paranoia will calm down a little.

Scotsgal: I hope you had a great trip! I'm sure most of the gain is water weight. My weight goes crazy when I travel, but usually gets back down in around a week.

Claygirl1518 I know the feeling of tip toeing around people, I hope he find some happiness and strength. Nice to see you are keeping on track weight wise with everything going on.

I woke this morning on my weigh in day, not only seeing my holiday weight disappear, but to see a 0.4 under my lowest Supper happy with that! Now I just need to get over my cold (which makes me out of breath walking around the house) so that I can blast through the next 12 days until Halloween to hit my goal!

Hey everyone! Happy hump day!

Weight is still holding at 172 lbs ish, it goes up and down depending on what I've eaten/if I've drank enough water. I'm happy to see that even though there are fluctuations it's not as dramatic as seeing the scale go up to 174 lbs. I think it shows that if I get off track, it's only a little bit.

Exercise wise I'm doing very well! I've ran 3 times a week for the past 2 weeks and today was my 2nd of week 3 of 4. Today was a 26 minute run, so the short run of the week, but it was my fastest pace so far. I also had the longest running intervals today and the shortest walking intervals, I definitely worked up a sweat and felt out of breath by the end.

Life is good, I was going to go out to a film community gathering on Monday but prioritised work instead. I ended up just "picking" at the scenes I was supposed to edit rather than doing productive work, so I felt pretty bummed out that I had stayed in to work and not done much. But the boyfriend gave me a pep talk the following day and he's right - some days are just gonna suck but then there'll be days where I'll be on top of things.
Yesterday a couple of friends came over and we played some board games with them. Seems our life is surrounded by board games now, which I love! I loved them as a kid but my family weren't that bothered by them so I never got a chance to play with anyone. We had a lot of fun and they seemed to have a good time too, which is nice. They're super enthusiastic to hang out with us again too, always a nice feeling!

Tonight I'm going to a family friends house...she's a fantastic cook and she's making us buttermilk cooked pork?! I might be remembering it wrong, but it's going to be decadent I think.

Challenge news - The Delicious for Christmas 2016 challenge spreadsheet has been made and will be opening up its gates on Halloween! We'll get 1 week from October 31st - November 6th for the final weigh in, which will overlap with the Christmas challenge Starting Weight week. Since I got my act together halfway through this challenge I'm excited for the Christmas challenge!

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Scots - Glad to hear you've been cleared for strength training! I think that'll make a huge difference. I've always fantasized about losing a bunch of weight and then seeing people who haven't seen me in a long time and wowing them! I hope I can do that Christmas 2017 . You can always change your goal weight in the spreadsheet!

Clay - Wow, that's so great that people bought your work! I hope you get back into it soon, you could sell stuff on Etsy .
Aw, sounds like your husband is going through a tough time. It's hard to see our loved ones take so much to heart, but at the same time if he feels all these negative emotions then it's only going to sink him deeper into a hole he can't see out of. He should see the good in everything he does at his job and as a father. He needs to be your rock too, and if you want to blow off some steam he should let you and not feel like you're attacking him. I think he's contradicting himself in a way, because by him feeling like he's useless and giving that emotion attention he's actually becoming less helpful! I've been where he's been though, so I can completely relate to him. My advice to him would be to just force strength, do something that makes him happy, write out everything that he's good at and focus on that. Giving attention to negativity breeds more negativity.
Fingers crossed you get some results for James!

Riestrella I love that you run 3 times a week, complete dedication lol, now that the dark nights are settling in here all I want to do is curl up on the couch, drink hot chocolate and watch movies lol. I'm with you on the board games, we are freaks for Cluedo in our family (although for some reason I think the Americans call it Clue?) It is always a great time (unless playing monopoly, which gets too serious, very fast), my family seem to be into Cards Against Humanity lol. I bought it after spending time in the states and even my gran loves to play it lo,l she always has the card that says Balls!

CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE! I freeking love you and your challenges. I think I might go into my Halloween data and take 2 or 3lbs off, because I set myself like 14lbs off (A whole stone) in just 8 weeks. I can't wait for my xmas one I wanted to be under 280 so badly that by xmas I should be 6lbs or so past it by then

Things here are better already. I spent a couple rough hours at the hospital with James getting an ultrasound and x-ray. His forehead does have a bump on it, but from the scans we can see that its just his bone fusing together (in an admittedly odd way) but so far everything looks fine, nothing scary popped up which is a relief to me. I'm taking him to florida in january for a vacation with family at the beach, and my dad is a plastic surgeon so he will look at him then as well.

In other good news, my husband's army course got moved to April of next year, so now instead of being gone for 2 weeks, he will have a vacation for one week, and be home for James' first halloween! We've already had a much better couple days and vacation will help us all immensely.

Weight loss wise, my last weigh in was 213.8, and TOM just started so I won't be weighing for about a week. I'm hoping for a nice drop after it's over though. Yesterday Franklin and I watched the last presidential debate and I budgeted in one shot and one beer to make the ordeal slightly less horrific. It was effective and I was only 50 calories over my goal. I try not to drink alcohol when dieting but sometimes... well sometimes you just need a shot.

Riestrella: buttermilk pork does sound good... you'll have to tell us how it turned out! I'm super excited about the christmas challenge. the last time I did your holiday challenges it helped me lose a bunch of weight while other people put it on, which made me feel so much better. the last thing I need is to add holiday weight to my weight to lose! The challenges really help me stay on track, and get back on track when I lose it for a day, or even a week.

Scotsgal: We played cards against humanity last xmas with my dad and grandma. It was hilarious. My dad loved it and my grandma kept asking him in spanish what things meant and kept saying "Ay mi madre! Ay dios mio!" and laughing. Definitely an interesting one! We play munchkin and Catan a lot, but we have a ton of games. its' truly ridiculous! I didn't know it's Cluedo other places, we call it Clue. I don't play it with my husband anymore because he likes to pretend to make guesses he knows are wrong to throw everyone off, and people don't typically appreciate that. Another one of our favorites is the game of things. It can be very tame around family, but we play in the more... crude and sarcastic way, and we love it

Hey everyone!

Weight is now 171.8 lbs! After being 172.[something] for a couple of weeks it's great to see 171 pop up on the scale. I might creep back up into the 172 lb range, but it's nice to see a downward trend all the same.

Food is good, I'm definitely feeling the grain craving at night. It's amazing how much of a change not having oatmeal every day has done for my cravings. Unfortunately my BF's favourite snack is chips and dip, so I do find myself getting a handful of chips here and there. That'll be something that will be next on my list of things to improve on. I stopped buying this brand called Veggie Stix, if you want a chip alternative I'd highly recommend them - they're in the organic section of the supermarket and they're in a green bag. They're still not good for you, because it's not "real" food, but it's a great way to curb chip cravings. I've essentially weaned myself off of full fat chips using them, now I'm going cold turkey.

For exercise I need to include a foam roller routine at the end of my runs. BF is getting PT and has been shown a bunch of different ways to effectively foam roll, so I'm going to try and incorporate that. I really need to add in yoga, but for now I'm ok with just praising myself for the runs!

As for life stuff, I'm definitely feeling the deadline weigh on my conscience! Ideally I want to finish editing the film with enough time to clean it up and make a true final cut, but at this rate I'll be just finishing on time. I'm doing my best, but once November hits I'll have paid work again so I have to favour that because I've got to contribute to bills! This is an unpaid project and while I take it seriously I can't slave over it past the deadline.
In other news we're looking after a dog for a week! It's our neighbours dog, she's such a sweetheart that it's actually a pleasure to have her around. Plus we're looking after her in our place, whereas in the past we've moved in to that persons house to dog sit which is always a pain. She's gonna join me on my run today!

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Scots - Haha, thanks! I do it in the morning, and to be fair I work from home so I have that flexibility. When I worked a full time job it was so much harder to run after work, especially in the dark. Well, Cluedo is a combination of Clue and Ludo (latin for I play, I believe?) and the Americans probably couldn't handle that cultured shiz . My family is the same with Cards against Humanity!! I played it with them a couple of years ago, I discovered my mother is DARK. She loves it. Aww, thanks, I do love running these challenges! In a completely selfish way they're for me, so I'm beyond thrilled when I see others get into them as much as I do and rely on them for accountability. The badges and the such are all for fun . Oh yeah, absolutely change your goal, I thought I was going to lose a pound a week but that did not turn out so I changed it! I think now I'm going to estimate myself losing 1 lb every 2 weeks for the next challenge.

Clay - Glad to hear that the bump isn't something serious. What's it like having a plastic surgeon in the family? I'd probably want a nose job for free, haha! Fantastic news about the army course, that must be a load off your mind. Can I just say that you are killing it in this challenge!! Seriously, you're doing SO well, sometimes I focus so much on chatting to people that I miss out on the stats but looking at your loss is amazing! I'm so proud of you. Haha, definitely need a shot before looking at that idiot. I didn't taste the buttermilk, it was more of a breaded pork cutlet and she made a homemade ranch dressing which I, admittedly, slathered over it! It was delicious though. So glad to hear that these challenges help, I hope this year you're just as successful. I'm going to try and lose weight leading up to my holiday back to England but then while I'm in England I'll do my best to maintain. I'll keep on top of running when I can, but I won't guilt myself if I miss a day.