Susie- I cook more. I have found lots of good lower cal recipes, so I am always trying them out on my family. I try to eat more fruit, but forget it's in the fridge. Veggies, no change there. I don't like many. Biggest thing is portions. Instead of taking the bag of chex mix to the couch, I'll measure out my portion.

Kelly- Glad we have our plan set for the next 2 weeks. Hope it works.

Ward- Having one of those spells, eh?? C'mon, you know you can get over it. Come cry on our shoulders.

TOM hit full force today. 198.8 today. I am hoping that will start to change with TOM moving through. Did Cardio Max tonight for 40 min. Legs were killing me. Kelly too. Must keep moving.

Man, am I tired this week. Working out is a chore! It just feels like I can't lift my legs to do anything. I guess that is what it felt like 50 pounds ago, so I will just shut up and be thankful. I am on track so far this week. 3 and 1/2 pounds of the 6 are gone, I just need 2 and 1/2 more. Hopefully by Friday it will be mostly gone.

Susie--I haven't changed what I eat very much, I just count every calorie, which essentially just reduces portions. I have tried to find some reduced calorie foods to replace some of the higher cal stuff. For example, I buy Musselman's Lite applesauce cups, because they are 50 calories, as opposed to 100 for the regular. I also buy sugar free jello cups (10 cal) instead of the full cal stuff. I get Aunt Millie's Light Whole Wheat Bread, which is 35 calories per slice, instead of 70-90 for the regular. Just stuff like that has helped a lot. Lately I have been thinking about changing some things I eat, to try to break this plateau I seem to be on. I am going to replace a couple lunches a week with salads instead of eating Lean Cuisine stuff all the time. I am also trying to make sure I keep yogurt in my diet every day, and eating more veggies at dinner, instead of potatoes or rice. I am kind of picky about food, so it is hard for me. One thing that was important to me from the beginning was that I was not going to eliminate food groups, or try to eat "fat free" or "low carb". That is just not how I am going to live my life forever, so I wanted to make sure I lost weight by eating the same stuff I eat now, just reducing portions. I want to make sure the weight I have lost stays off for good, and I am hoping this plan is the way to do it!

Mindy--We just keep kicking butt. Hope it pays off soon. Sure gets frustrating sometimes.

Ward--Glad to see you back. Hope things look up soon!

See you tomorrow!

Hi,

Thank you so much for sharing your food routines with me. I am really good with working out..I have that down pat and I love to do it--really I do..I just have to get my mind wrapped around the food part.

Your suggestions of measuring out things and making those little changes to save some calories on things you would normally eat anyway are all good things that I know I can change and live with.

I wanted to let you know that I met with my trainer today. We sat down and came up with a S.M.A.R.T goal for me. A S.M.A.R.T goal stands for Sensible, Measureable, Attainable, Reachable, and I can't remember if the T is for Tracking or something like that.

So we went throught that and set that goal. She will be working up a program for me to follow to help me reach it and I should have that info in a couple of days. We made a long range goal and some short term ones to get me to that goal.

Once I get my program I"ll share that with you guys.

Kelly: My legs are feeling that way too. I did Zumba at lunch and then a 45 min walk tonight and I worked them on the natulis machine.

Mindy: TOM will roll through and those scales will come down.

Ward: I'm sorry that you are feeling a little unglued and don't have it together....we don't expect you to be that way every day....you know that you can come here and we will help you though it..like you help us. Please come back...we miss you!

Well Kelly and I decided to do WATP tonight. It's not hard core with weights and stuff, but good cardio. We needed a little bit of a break. TOM is crushing my uterus and making itself known. I was down to 198.4 today. Not quite where I was last week at 197.6. It would be great to at least be back down to that tomorrow. I don't know though.

Susie- I am interested in what your trainer comes up with for you. That would be a dream, having someone help me out. I follow plans well, just not sure if my plan is the right thing or not. Too many calories, not enough??? Do I work out enough, too much??? I just don't know these days.

I'm with ya, Mindy. Sometimes I wish someone else would tell me, "Do this..." and it magically works. I am tired of guessing. WATP was good tonight. I can actually walk up and down my stairs, so that feels kind of good!

Susie--Let us know more about what the trainer says!

Ward--Hope things are going according to plan.

Today I was down to 186. Only 2 more pounds to melt off before tomorrow's weigh in. Then, I would break even for the week. I'm not very optimistic. :( Oh well, if I show a gain this week, it will be a small one, not that freakish 6 pounds that came out of nowhere. I saw my doctor today. Part of me was kind of annoyed, because when I weighed 235 pounds, none of my doctors ever mentioned my weight, or told me I should lose some weight. All of my labs and everything have always been within normal limits, so I guess they didn't feel the need to comment. This time, I go in 50 pounds lighter, and after I get a "congratulations", they point out that I am overweight and want to run labs to check thyroid function. What the heck? Obviously I know I am still overweight, and clearly I am still doing something about it! Why mention it now and not 50 pounds ago? Ok, I will stop my rant now. Oh, yeah, the reason I went in was to get a chiropractic referral, and I came out with a tetanus shot, paperwork to have blood drawn, a prescription to have my knee x-rayed, and a list of exercises to help with my knee pain. Now I remember why I don't go to the doctor unless absolutely necessary. My arm hurt from the tetanus shot so bad, I couldn't even raise it up to work out to WATP. I know I looked foolish!

See you all tomorrow!

Hi Ladies,

I have good news...I showed a 2lb loss last night! I was so very, very excited. I can't tell you how much it helps me to come here everyday with your guys. Even last year when I didn't loose like the rest of you, being around and seeing your achievements and watching you fight your ways through struggles it influenced me to keep trying.

So, here's the scoop with the trainer. We sat down and came up with a long term goal for me, that is measurable every week. We also determined that when doing my cardio I need to stay in my fat burning mode and then gave me a cardio outline to use of the week so that when I'm working out I stay in that zone. Eventually I will get a heart rate monitor so that I can see the numbers but for now I'm going by these feelings that she gave me for the 5 zones. If you would like me to share the information that she gave to me for that I would be happy to. Maybe we could exchange email addresses; I know sometimes though they don't go through on this site when doing them through the Private messenger. I do have a Facebook account and if you have one and want to contact me there you know my first name is Susie and my last name starts with a C so I bet you can find me. My profile picture there is the same one as here.

Mindy; I believe you are doing your cardio workouts in a really good fashion because you mix it up. That's really the same sort of Cardio outline I was given by the trainer but it's outlined for me by minutes during the workout.

Kelly: I had to laugh when I read about your doctor visit. I know it didn't feel funny but it just figures it would go like that. I've had the same thing happen to me before. Good luck with your weigh-in.

Ward: Still missing you bunches here!

I'll be around this weekend...looking forward to seeing guys here too.

So, tonight's workout was very disappointing for me. I wanted to do so much more than I was able to do. My arm is still killing me from that d**n tetanus shot they gave me yesterday. Since we were doing kickboxing, it was hard to do with the intensity I wanted to do. So, I did as much of it as I could, then went out and walked in the halls. My weigh in was better than I expected. I only showed a gain of 1 pound. I was back down to 185 today. So, only 1 pound to go to get back to my lowest weight. We went out to dinner tonight because my husband's grandmother is in town. Usually my weakness is eating out, but I am happy to report I was successful and only ate my salad and the piece of garlic bread that came with it. All my best friends were there: nachos, potato skins, cheese sticks, onion rings....And I turned my nose up at them and told them they were not my friends anymore!! I never want to see a 6 pound gain like that again, and they will not drag me down with them! :carrot:

Susie--I am intrigued by the cardio plan. Does the trainer have you working on machines or doing other kinds of exercises?

Mindy--You kicked butt tonight. Have fun tomorrow while I am wasting away at yet another hockey tournament. (I will avoid the concession stand at all costs!)

Ward--See you soon!

Bye girls!!!

Great job on the dining out, Kelly. I hope your arm is feeling better soon.

Susie - Yay! on the weigh in. I am glad we found each other on FB. Now you know how to call me out if I go missing again. :)

Mindy, did you kick that other pound to the curb?

Today was day 3 back on plan. I normally weigh in on Fridays but I opted not to go there today. Workouts have been good. See you tomorrow.

Wow you guys have been busy today. Well tonight must be the night for eating out. We had no easily ready food so went to eat. I had some potato and egg stuff, with cheese. Toast also. It was kind of a disappointment. Calorie wise I am still okay, I think. I am going to be careful this weekend because I want some more pounds to go bye-bye since TOM is moving on.

Susie- Awesome. You are figuring out this game. Good job. You are so fortunate to be able to work with the trainer. I know Kelly and I are both interested in your plan. I'll try the PM route, since I don't have a facebook.

Kelly- I offered to punch you in the other arm, then that one wouldn't hurt so much. Have fun at the tournament. Beware of that consession stand. Just keep saying, "6 pounds, 6 pounds".

Ward- Glad you are back in the zone. You always pull yourself together. Keep up the good work.

I did 50 min. of that d*** kickboxing DVD tonight. The ab part was tough. I am still hanging out around 198 something. Come on!!! Time to lose. See ya later.

Hi Gals,

I need to stop in here early so that I get my mind set for the day. It's the weekend and I always have issues it seems like on the weekend, mostly because I am out of my routine.

I'm about to start cleaning house and it's going to be some work for a few hours. My whole house with the exception of the kitchen and baths, which are tile, are all hardwood. With all the winter weather we have had, it goes without saying that I need to mop them all today and get them into shape. It looks like we will not have snow and ice for a good week or so, so I want to get them cleaned up before it all happens again. I can usually just sweep them and dust mop them and then about every 6 weeks I will mop them but not in the winter time. It's ok though I love them and my allegies are a lot because of having them and not wall to wall carpeting.

We went out to eat last night to. I don't know if you guys have Bob Evans in your area but that is where we went. I had this Bobburrito thing. It was really good and it was large. I could only eat half of it, I brought the other half home to have for lunch today. I had a veggie one and with the egg in it it gave me protien as well. The cheese added a lot of calories but I still think it was a pretty good choice for me. I am not only looking at calories but nutrition and will it keep me from getting hungry later.

Kelly: I'm sorry that you couldn't work out like you wanted to. I know how bad those tentus shorts hurt. I had one about 3 years ago and I swore never again! I'm glad to see that the gain was a small one. You can take the credit for that; without all your hard work it would have been much worse. I laughed when I read about your "old friends" at the dinner table with you and you sticking your nose up at them. It is such a great mental picture.

Mindy: I see I have a PM from you. I'll check that later and then hopefully get you more information about the cardio plan the trainer gave me.
I want to say what a great friend and workout partner you are to Kelly to offer to punch her in the other arm! lol

Ward: You strong woman you! Powering back through whatever it was that got you off track and now you have been on plan for 3 days in a row. I am a binger too and I know how it can be, so know that you have someone who understands and is willing to help you work though those times...as I know you will help me to. I'm glad to find your on Facebook too. Can't let you go MIA again!

Ok..I've got to get to work on this house. My reward for getting it all done is that tonight I can relax with my computer..come back check posts, get the cardio info out--some me time..It sounds good.

Susie, how did it go today? Week-ends are hard for me, too. My husband always wants to eat out, plus there's a birthday party every time I turn around.

Mindy, how did you feel after the kickboxing? I think I might try to go to a kickboxing class next week. I used to really enjoy it, but then I got scared after I broke my foot.

Kelly, I hope your arm is all better and you are lifting lots of weights today. ;)

As for me, I had a good workout this morning - 3 mi run (30 min), Group Ride class, 30 min on the elliptical. My legs are quite sore this afternoon. Eating is on plan - day 4.

See you tomorrow. :)

Ward- That particular kickboxing DVD seems to get better every time I do it. I get to know the moves so I can really add some power. It must have done something because I was down to 197.8 this morning. A few hours later I was 197, and a few hours later I saw 196.8. Well, wonder what I will be in the morning. Low 197 would be good. Glad to see you back on plan and working out like the fiend we know you are.

Susie- Looks like you will keep yourself busy today. Cleaning house is on my list for the weekend. Already got groceries, the kitchen is almost clean, except the table. Have to do my taxes, school work, other stuff. All I "want" to do is curl up with a good book.

I did something interesting today. I went to my calorie-count account and analyzed. I figured out my loss for each month so far. the first 2 months were like 8 and 7 pounds. After that though, I average about 3 pounds a month. I knew it was slow, so that puts things into perspective. I gained .8 in Dec. I guess I had more Christmas fun than I thought. Well, I guess as long as I stick to that pace, I will be getting smaller, just slowly.

Gotta run and get stuff done. See ya tomorrow.

Hey, where is everybody today??? I have been a busy little beaver. DId my taxes, graded papers, even went outside for a walk jog. Yep, outside. It got into the 40's I think. I still need to finish cleaning house and do some cooking.

Good news of the day. I was down to 196.8 this morning. Must keep this going. I want to get under 195 before the "big gain". Hope to hear from some of you soon. Hope you are all doing well this weekend.

Mindy, I ran outside today, too (8 miles). It was so nice. We took the kids to the park, too. It will probably turn cold again so we had to take advantage of the nice weather today. You just keep chipping away at the pounds!

Eating is on plan - day 5, I think.

See you tomorrow.

Hi,

I'm here (finally!). It has been a full day wth church, finishing up the laundry, and my workout.

It's so nice here, in the high 40's and almost all the snow is gone. I don't know how long it will hang around but I'll take it when I can get it.

Coming here early on Saturday morning helped me to on track. I did have a "Grands" cinnamon roll but other than that...pretty good.

Today I did the fat burn routine on the Elliptical and then I worked my back, chest and shoulder with the weights. The food has been good. Knowing that my trainer is going to be looking at it helps me to make better choices. I'm really looking for guidance on nutrition from my trainer as well a guidance on the workouts. It takes all parts.

At some point I need to find a way to deal with the emotional eating/binging that can get me sometimes.

Ward: It's so great to have you back! I'm not a runner but I think I've heard most runners say they perfer to run outside when then can. Are you that way?

Mindy: Good to see you showed a loss. I was reading your post from Saturday and I think it was good thing that you looked at the information you have been keeping and took a look at it. It shows you what does work for you. Maybe not as fast as you want it to, but it IS working. I'm emailing you the cardio zone workout that my trainer gave to me. Let me know what you think of it.

Kelly: How did the weekend go for you?

I'll see everyone tomorrow.

Hi ladies!

I think my weekend was successful. I was out of town at a hockey tournament all day Saturday, and half the day Sunday, so needless to say, there were lots of meals that had to be eaten out. I am happy to report I never once even walked over to the evil concession stand! Yay! I was able to eat normal breakfast on Sat, but had Taco Bell for lunch. I got 2 Fresco Ranchero Chicken soft tacos, 170 calories each. Not bad. For dinner, we ate in the hotel restaurant. I had a salad. Blech. I am really getting tired of salad. It was not very satisfying, so I had half a grilled cheese. Of course, later on my husband ordered pizza and breadsticks (at 10:30 pm, mind you), so I just ate a couple breadsticks. It might have been too many calories for the day, but not too bad. This morning we ate at a breakfast buffet. Ate probably too much, but I carefully estimated calories and ate a bowl of cereal for lunch, and some beef stroganoff for dinner that made up for the breakfast. I think I managed to stay at 1450 calories for today. Because I wasn't at home this morning, I was not able to weigh myself, so now I am just terrified to step on that scale after what happened last weekend. Sadly, I have not had time to work out this weekend. After getting home today, we all fell asleep on the couches, got groceries, had dinner, did the bath and bedtime thing with the kids, and now I am here. I still have to pay bills and grade papers tonight, so I guess working out will have to wait until tomorrow.

Susie--I am looking forward to seeing your trainer's plan. I know Mindy will share it with me.

Mindy--Watch it girl. I'll punch you right back!! My arm is feeling better, finally, by the way. Woo Hoo on the 196! 195 will show it's face in no time!

Ward--Glad to see you back!

Hey, hey. Kelly good job keeping any damage to a minimum this weekend. It sounds like you did well. Also great work doing all 55 min. of BL Bootcamp tonight. Level 2 is the killer. My arms are feeling level 3 right now.

Susie- Thanks for the info. It is interesting. I am assuming that the cardio can be whatever you like. Either from a treadmill, elliptical, bike etc. So you should never get to levels 4 and 5 huh?? I gotta say, there are time I am certainly there.

Ward- Hope you are doing well today and still on plan.

I am just plugging along of course. 197 even today. Looking for that 195. Maybe this week. See ya later.

BL Bootcamp was killer for sure. Felt good though. I am still amazed that I can manage to do 55 minutes without dying. Last year at this time I was keeled over doing 30 minutes and giving up. Not bad. A little fifth grade boy gave me a compliment today. He stopped me in the hallway and said, "Have you been working out?" I told him yes, and he said, "You look really nice." I wanted to jump on the kid and give him a huge hug! Usually the kids notice when I get my nails done, or get new glasses, but most of them just see me too often to notice the weight difference. He sure put a spring in my step tonight. Food is on target today, weight was 185.5. Only up half a pound from Friday. I was worried that all that eating out from the weekend would kill me, but I think I made decent choices and it worked out!

Mindy--If we keep working like we did tonight, you should definitely see that 195 by the end of the week! Hey, forward Susie's trainer plan to me if you get a chance. I am interested!

Susie and Ward--Looking forward to seeing how you did today!

Ta ta for now!

Hi Gals,

I had the day from he** today at work & I managed to stay pretty much on plan. I say pretty much because I did allow myself at 6:30 tonight...when I was still at work, to have a small bag of M&M's. They were very good and I have been wanting them for days, so I just got it over with. Of course I have to write it on my food sheet and my trainer will see it. But it's much better than I have done in the past.

I had a good workout today. I did the treadmill and I choose to stay in Zone 3 & 4, going back and forth between them.

Kelly: I think you made very good choices for the situation you were in. What counts here is that you thought about it and did the best you could. I'm sure you remember a time when you wouldn't have.

That was so awesome what that little kid said.

Mindy: You are correct that that the cardio on my plan can be whatever I choose. I've done the treadmill and the eliptical so far. It's not that I can't ever get to a 4-5, she said that right now I need to get in my fat burning range there will be times in the future that I will be touching the 4-5 range for a few minutes...it's all to build up my anaerobic threshold. As I push it up, then I get a bigger range in which to burn fat.

Ward: Looking forward to hearing from you.

Kelly & Mindy - sounds like you are stepping up the workouts! Way to go! And a compliment from a fifth grader? You must be looking really different for him to notice. I am still waiting for those updated photos. Just sayin'. ;)

Susie, no worries about the M&Ms. I am sure you can work them into your plan, and even if you can't - one bag of M&Ms isn't going to do any damage in the long run. I am sorry the stress got to you today, though. :hug:

I am on plan. I even filled goody bags for my son's birthday party and valentine sweet sacks with candy without being tempted. I don't know, it's like I have an internal switch, and when it's on, I don't want to go off plan at all. But when it's off, it's WAY off. Anyway, I did Group Ride and Group Power this morning and then raked sweet gum balls out of my front yard, too. I just hit the day's calorie burn target (2150) with three hours to spare.

See you tomorrow!

Well Kelly had a meeting after work so I was on my own for my workout. It was 60 degrees at 4:30 so I headed home to get outside. I did a 3 mile walk/jog. It was beautiful. I know it will get cold again and we will get more snow, but I sure enjoyed these last few runs outside.

Tomorrow Kelly and I are back to working out at school. I believe we have Cardio Max scheduled. Lots of lunges in this one and we both complain about our knees.

Susie- I would love some M&M's right now. I did have a mini Kit Kat today. Other than that, I am on plan.

Ward- Good workout. I understand what you mean. Sometimes I have the willpower of a saint and nothing phases me. Other times I am tempted by everything. We must be strong.

Mindy, isn't it great when you can get back outside? I hate lunges, too. There, I said it! ;)

I wore myself completely out today. I did a 3.6 mi or so run on the tm, then Group Ride. I came home and raked for about another hour. Then this afternoon I ended up doing like every household chore there is - they kind of all piled up at once. Anyway, so here I am at 8:30pm with almost 2600 calories burned already. Eating is on plan, right at 1500.

See you tomorrow!

Hi Gals,

I am happy to let you know that those M&M's yesterday didn't upset my plan; I'm doing good. Did my Cardio Pump class today and then a 30 min walk. I can't believe it but I'm sitting here watching the biggest loser and I'm thinking I need something..like a bananna! Who is that girl? lol

Ward: I am so happy that you were able to not be tempted by the Valentine candy. I told my husband I did not want any for Valentines day. He could buy me a pair of workout socks or something instead! It's so glad to have you back Ward.

Mindy: I'm enjoying the warmer weather too. It reminds me that I want to look toned and thinner this summer so I've got to work hard now.

Kelly: I see that you had to miss a workout. Wouldn't it be so nice if life never got in the way?

OK, I'm going to get my bananna and glass of water and settle in with the Biggest Loser.

See you all tomorrow.

Somehow I did not post yesterday. Hmm. Don't know how that happened, since I read everything! I am on plan, both with diet and exercise, but not really seeing anything happen on the scale. It has taken almost 2 weeks to get back down to where I was before the wicked 6 pound gain. I was back at 184.5, which is where my ticker is set at. I worked as hard as I could tonight, my knee was bothering me, and I had to leave early to pick up my daughter from daycare, so I only got in about 45 minutes instead of the whole hour of P90X Kenpo. It was good and hard, and felt good when my knee didn't feel like it was giving out. Maybe tomorrow that scale will be kind to me. I would like to see an overall loss at my BL weigh in on Friday. I always seem to weigh a half pound less there than I do at home, so anything I can lose in the next 2 days will be an overall loss. My Valentine goal was 180, and I don't think I am going to make it :(, but I am not giving up. This weight is just being stubborn. I got 2 more compliments today. It must be compliment week. Our male assistant principal, and my brother in law both told me I looked good today. My husband wasn't real excited to hear it. He even made the comment he doesn't know if he likes the attention I am getting. Oh well, too bad for him. Because I am not going to let him sabotage me.

Susie--How was that banana? Look at you go!

Ward--Mindy and I keep talking about those darned pictures, we just have to remember to take them!

Mindy--You can totally have the M&M's. You are probably the only person I know that can just eat a few and not chow down on the whole bag. What amazing willpower you have.

Adios!

Hi,

How was everyone's day today? My workout last night really did me in...I feel so tired today and everything hurts...it must have been a effective workout. I did do my Zumba workout today. It gave me energy fo a while afterwards but I'm now tired again. My legs are the worst from all the squats we did.

I need to get to my feelings journal. I have some pent up frustrations with work and a situation there that I need to get out. I'm tired tonight so I'm not sure how much I will write but I need to get back with it. It's an effective tool for me.

Looking forward to seeing everyones posts.

Kelly- I had to laugh at your post about the compliments. We get comments all the time from women, but it seems a little different when men notice. Like Monday our male custodian told me I am sure losing weight and it really shows. He even told me I better slow down. It seems a little strange coming from him. Your husband will just have to adjust to having a new hot mama on his arm.

Susie- I never have time time to write about my feelings. I just ramble a mile a minute while we work out. My class is the most frustrating group of children I have had in a long time. Of course, they are 5th graders. Thank God I get to work it out of my system right after work.

Ward- nice job getting out there and running. Chores??? My house is never clean. Where does the time go??

This morning was joyous. I saw a new low, 195.6. Can you believe it?? I was very happy. Now to see 194. I did the whole P90X Kenpo. 56 min. It was long, but it was fun. Tomorrow I have a dentist appt so I'm off in the a.m. If it is nice I might come home and go for a run before I need to work for the afternoon.

Congratulations, Mindy! And you called your workout "fun"! Is that something the old Mindy would have said? :cheer2:

Kelly, I bet you are feeling very motivated by all those compliments. Those guys don't know whether you weigh 184 or 180, they can just see you changing!

Susie, did you get your feelings out? Do you go back and re-read your journal, or just write it down to get it out? Just curious, since I've never done anything like that.

I have worn myself out again. Yesterday was crazy with my daughter's parent teacher conference and my husband getting home late from work. Today she had early release again and I had to take her on errands with me. I worked out both days, don't worry. Eating is on plan, too.

Tomorrow I have a birthday party from 4 - 6, and then we're having my son's party at the exact same place on Sunday. Many of the same kids will be there. :sigh: Have I mentioned that I am already so.tired.? I think I might cook a nice dinner for V-Day. I need to stay on plan at least until Sunday, though. I might have to have some cake on my baby's 5th birthday.

See you tomorrow.

Ward--I am with you. I am just worn out. I couldn't stay to work out today. My daughter had an orthodontist appointment right after school. I swear, I have been on the run ever since. Dinner out (I ate another salad, of course), went and got my nails done, went to the grocery store to buy the things I need for our school valentine party tomorrow, back home to do baths and bedtime. Oh, and I have a pile of dishes upstairs and papers to correct tonight. Wow, the fun just never ends. At this point, I need to work out because my weigh in is tomorrow, but it sure looks like life is getting in the way again. I hope next week is better. I have been summoned for jury duty next week, I just have to keep my fingers crossed that I don't have to report.

See ya tomorrow!

Kelly- I was going to get on and ask what workout you were going to do tonight, since we couldn't work out together. It looks like it is going to be the busy teacher workout. I hope you are planning on staying tomorrow for a good workout, since you obviously won't get one in tonight. I just finished BL Bootcamp, levels 1&2, 45 min. Didn't feel like doing 55 min. and my arms are sore from yesterday's Kenpo.

Ward- Lots of partying for you this weekend. I also have a busy weekend. Tomorrow of course is our Valentine's party at school. I am already planning on 1 Lofthouse sugar cookie. Hopefully nothing else. Then my DD is in "The Vagina Monologues" tomorrow night. On Sat. my neice is getting married. I am so happy we have Monday off.

Susie- I hope you are doing well at your weigh-in tonight. You have been working hard. I just know you will get a loss. Tomorrow Kelly and I weigh-in at school. I am down maybe 3 pounds. I was 195 today. I am really hoping for 194 something tomorrow.

Well, I’m not sure how to feel about my weigh-in last night. I didn’t gain but I didn’t lose. I stayed the same. I really wanted to see those scales go down. I feel like I had a good week food and exercise wise but sometimes these things happen.

I’m that much more determined. One of my friends at TOPS met her goal last night. She lost 93 lbs! It has taken her 3 years but she looks great and she has changed her lifestyle so much.

I’ll be working out today at lunch time. I know that this will not happen overnight and last week I was actually surprised to see that 2 lb loss, so I know it will happen again, I just need to keep on doing what I’m doing and continue to work and improve on my food and workouts.

I have sent my info to my trainer so we will see what she has to say. Any advice, encouragement and total honesty is appreciated!

Ward: You are a busy lady. I'm so happy to see you back on plan. I have written in my feelings journal. I really don't have a plan for it when I do it. I just write whatever I'm thinking at that time. I do go back and read it sometimes. I also put in quotes I find that I like and other inspiration ideas. I've not done this before so it's all new to me.

Kelly: I am tired too! I have been dealing with a bit of a cold. I had it for 2 weeks and it just kept getting worse so I finally got some meds from the doctor and I slept in a bit in the mornings. Because of that I didn't get my ab workouts done but I thought it better to sleep, feel better and keep on track with my other workouts. Sometimes we do need to give ourselfs a bit of a break.

Mindy: Look at that # on the scales!!!! I'm excited to hear about yours and Kelly's weigh-in today.

Ladies...let's just keep it up. We can do this...I CAN DO THIS--as long as I have my team support here...you ladies are wonderful!

Hey there. Good evening. I am posting really quickly here because I am busy tonight. But I had to yell about my good news. At school weigh-in I was down 3 pounds and won for the week. Yay me. At home I had lost 3.8. I was 194.6 this morning. Did you hear that??? I am thrilled.

Now the downside is, I have beat the crap out of my body this week and everything hurts. I think I pulled something in my back because that really hurts. I am taking today off from working out for that reason. Plus my DD is doing her "Vagina Monologues" tonight, so I have to leave in a little bit.

Susie- We all have good weeks and not so good weeks. I'm sure next week will be better. Keep doing what you're doing.

Hey guys! Mindy, that is awesome! :cheer2: Congratulations on the win!

Kelly, how did you do?

Susie, I am glad your weigh-in resulted in increased determination. Just keep going and the scales will go down. :hug:

I ran about 3 mi today, then did Group Power and 15 min on the elliptical. Eating has been on plan, but I am off schedule because of the birthday party from 4 - 6. I just ate dinner so I hope the hunger settles down soon.

I had a nice compliment today. I was talking to the other moms about exercise. One said to me, "I didn't know you were a runner, but I guess I should have since you're always so thin." What, me? Always thin? It's funny how other people's perceptions don't match up to our own.

All right - see you tomorrow. If you're not here, Happy Valentine's Day! :val1:

Hey gals!

I was only down half a pound today at our weigh in. But, I am happy with that since I was only able to work out on Monday and Wednesday. I kept my food good for the week, so I am glad something showed. At the valentine party today, I had the smallest scoop of ice cream imaginable, with a miniscule squirt of chocolate and teensy weensy quirt of whipped cream. I counted every calorie, though, and wrote it down. Tonight I had Subway for dinner while shopping at the mall for Valentine stuff. With all that, I still didn't go over my goal of 1400 calories for the day. I am getting ready to work out here. I think I am going to do WATP and BL Yoga tonight. I really need to get my Jillian game out for the Wii and get into it. That was one of the only things I wanted for Christmas, and I have hardly looked at it.

Mindy---:woohoo::congrat: I knew you could do it!! I am so proud of you! Let me know what color shirt you get with your winnings. We can't get the same color. (I'm going to hint to my hubby that I would like one for Valentines day...)

Ward--Are you kidding! You look super skinny in all the pictures you have ever shared with us. I am not surprised someone made that comment.

Susie--Hey, staying the same is nothing to worry about. I remember last year being in tears the weeks I stayed the same or only lost 1 pound. We have such high expectations for ourselves, and some disappointment is always going to be part of this journey. But, I can say, at least the scales are heading in the right direction! You are definitely losing overall, and that is what counts! In no time, you will have reached that first goal, and you'll think to yourself, "That wasn't so hard, I can do that again!" I am glad you are more determined than ever!

Have a Happy Valentine's Day if I don't see you tomorrow!

Happy Valentines Day my friends! I hope that none of you got sweets--I told my hubby I didn't want any and he listened. He got me a gift certificate for a pedicure instead...that's perfect!

I had a good workout yesterday on my lunch hour. I did the eliptical and chose program 7, it was an interval program. I would stay for 2 min with the cross ramp at 4 and then it would move to 10, then back to 4. It was a 30 min workout and it made me feel so much better about those scales staying the same last week.

In Ohio we are enjoying such nice warmer weather...it makes me think of spring and summer and how I want to be thinner for my favorite times of the year.

As you all know the weekends can be hard for me because I"m such a routine person and when I'm out of it, I get off track easily. I will not let that happen today. Sunday's are better for me with the routine so I don't have to be so much on guard but on Saturday's I do. So, I told myself that today, even though I'm not at my goal, I'm going to act like I am. I'm going to eat in moderation, I will move my body, I will stand up straight, I will hold my stomach in--it's used to that because of all the ab work I did to get to goal. You know what they say, "Fake it until you make it".

I did have a run in with some popcorn last night and a glass of Sprite. I was just feeling a bit overwhelmed and worried--some people from my hubby's workplace were laid off and I'm afraid the same thing will happen to him eventually. Even though I know that eating is not going to make it any better I just felt like I needed to relax and I couldn't think of another way. So I tried to keep it a small comfort with food, but I would like to get over that....anyone have suggestions for it?

Ward: I was showing my husband your picture and he said, WOW when he saw you...he said you look in shape...I told him how much you exercise.
I know you have little ones and they most likely got candy for Valentines Day...keep your guard up and don't even have 1 piece. I know you have binging tendacies like I do and I know for me 1 piece can do me in. BE !
STRONG.

Mindy: What a great weight loss you showed! I could hear you shouting from here! lol Keep it up...you are doing so well.

Kelly: I love how you count in the special treats and keep in your calorie range. It's something I'm working on doing to. You have showed me that I can still have them, but I have to treat them as a part of what I'm eating and to remember that they are special treats and to include them as such.
I'm happy you showed a loss at your weigh-in.

Ok...time to clean the house. Hubby and I are going to a late matinee movie later and then to our local Mexican resturant for dinner. I've decided already what I'm having so I know how many calories are going into my body and I've planned for them.

I'll see you all tomorrow.

Yee Ha! I have finally gone over the hump and have a new low number! Today I was 182.5! My valentine's goal was 180, and while I didn't make it, I am happy to be pretty darn close. I am trying very hard to be vigilant this weekend and not eat over my calorie limit, I don't want this losing to stop now! Of course, my husband wants to get pizza tonight for V-day, since restaurants will be busy. Of course, he wants to order from my favorite place. I will just have to make sure I only eat a little, and not allow myself to go crazy.

Susie--Sorry to hear about the stressful times at your husband's work. I myself struggle with emotional eating. I just try to have snacks (usually sweets, for me) on hand that cure my craving for sugar, and are low in calorie. For me, it is not realistic to think that I am going to overcome the emotional urge to eat, so I am always prepared. I even try to leave about 100 calories (or maybe a little more) at the end of the day for a snack in the evening, because I know I will want a snack. Lately I have been loving the 100 calorie packs of Orville Redenbacher Kettle Corn, or the little individual Weight Watchers ice cream cups that are 130 calories, or Sugar Free Jello Pudding cups which are 60 calories, with a dollop of Light Cool Whip for 20 calories. I found some orange creme popsicles at Sam's Club, some swirl things, and those are really tasty and only 10 cal.

Mindy and Ward--Hope your day is going well!

Hasta la vista!

It has been a busy weekend so far. Last night was my DD show. It was really good. Her monologue was hysterical. I had tears running down my face. She goes to a vagina workshop to get in touch with her vagina. She lays on the floor, legs spread, and a hand mirror to get to know herself. Funny, funny.

I pulled something in my back Thurs. working out. No workout last night. Tonight I did 1 mile WATP and then 30 min. of Jillian's kickboxing. I did it at a much lower intensity. I hope it is feeling better soon, so I can get back to regular workouts. My neice got married today. It is reaaly sort of a farse. I have heard they are already fighting and arguing tonight. Sad!!

My scale was down a touch today, 194.4. I'll take it since i didn't workout yesterday. I had one sugar cookie, but counted it in my number. Didn't get much water in either. Have to do better with that today. I better go get some right now.

Susie- I am wishing the best for your husband. Times are certainly tough. One of my exes friends was just laid off from a job he has held for 30 years. My son can't find a job. I wish you the best.

Kelly- Yay for you!!!:carrot: It is nice to finally break through to a new weight. I know you are feeling great. Hold off that pizza. He loves to do that, doesn't he?? I ate at the wedding. Ham sandwich, 3 meatballs, tad of bean casserole, scalloped potatoes and 1 mini cupcake. I think I'll have popcorn tonight and call it good.

See ya all tomorrow.

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone is having a "on plan" Sunday. I'm doing ok, but I did have some leftover pizza for lunch. We haven't been to the grocery and so that was what I had. It was cheese and mushroom and I had 4 squares. I'm just not that happy with my choice because it wasn't all the healthy. I"ll make up for it tonight.

I'm planning on going to the Y here in about an hour for a hour workout.

I did really well at the movies last night. We had a late breakfast-didn't eat until 11:00 so I knew I wouldn't be hungry until about 4:30, which was when we went to the movie. We planned to go out afterwards. So, I took an apple and a piece of cheese. My hubby said "I can't believe you aren't having popcorn". I just smiled at him. It felt great to be that in control.

Mindy: Your numbers on the scales look good. I hope your back is feeling better.

Kelly: YEAH! That number looks very good on you.

Ward: How are things with you this weekend.

I want to thank you all about the kind words concerning my husbands employment. I am a very spirtual person so I'm trying my best to pray about it and leave it in Gods hands. Right now, he does have a job and that's more than some have.

I'll see you all tomorrow.

Okay I have to come and tell you guys about one of the most awkward compliments I've received so far. I was out shopping today with my ex-hubbie. You know our weird situation. This attractive bi-racial man (with 2 young children) walked past, smiled and said hello. I said hello back. A few minutes later he came up and asked me if I used to work for the Dept. of Ed. I laughed and said no, but it was funny because I am a teacher. A few minutes later he comes up to me again and says," I know that was kind of weird but I think you're attractive and wanted to meet you". I just said , OH. He asked me if I was married and I told him no but I was with someone. He politely said Oh, Okay but I did want you to know I think you are attractive. I just said well thank you. He said have a nice day and left.


I felt so strange. I haven't had someone hit on me since I was in my 20's. I didn't know how to react. I was thrown for a loop. I just ried to avoid hin the rest of the time we were in the store. My family got a real kick out of it.

So today I am the same as yesterday, but I know it is mid-cycle time. I am hoping I don't gain very much this time. PLEASE!!!!????

Susie- Pizza gets me every time. I will not deny myself the pleasure, but try to keep the frequency down. hope you have a great workout tonight. I am making spagetti pie for dinner then I will work out. My back is feeling a little better, but certainly not 100%.

See ya tom.

I tried this once and it didn't work. Here goes again. I managed to lose a little more today. I was 194. I will take it as long as it keeps coming off. It is definitely mid-cycle gain time, but I haven't seen it yet. It could sneek up at any time time, so I am prepared. I am hoping it doesn't though.

I hope you are all doing weel. I hope to hear from you tomorrow.

Hi all. I was up a half pound today to 183. It seemed like a very busy week last week with a lot of eating out on the go. Hope this week is back to normal routine. Worked out for about 50 minutes today. I did 25 minutes of WATP and 25 minutes of BL Power Sculpt. I bought some new clothing items today. I bought a spring jacket (size L :carrot:), a new pair of black work pants (size 14 :carrot:) , a new workout shirt with matching pants (size L again:carrot:). I realized today that even though it feels like I haven't lost much weight lately, I have actually lost 17 pounds since school started in September, 7 pounds since January 1st. I guess that's not too bad. I'll take it!

Mindy--Good for you for turning some heads! Maybe S will realize what he has and stop being a stinker! Keep up the good work and hopefully those scales continue to go down despite the mid-cycle.

Hope everyone is on plan and doing well.