154 this morning!!! Happy dance!

Off on a hike with a buddy so hoping to head for 153 soon!

So, the new guy is my age, 6'2", dark hair, green eyes and has a seven year old daughter . He lives 8 blocks from me which is super convenient and loves to travel, hike and DANCE if you can believe it. Pretty good fit for me ;) We've only gone on three dates but he texts every day and calls often - we'll see what happens...

Dance - dating a guy with kids is great because you know that they dont want to waste time. They either know its that girls or not, and if not, they move on quickly. There are no games. He sounds dreamy, lol. Kudos on some more weight down. I started buckling down last week with eating but have let up on the strict exercise routine. Ugh...why cant I just do both at one time, lol. I still plan on working out 5 days a week but I need a little break from Jillian. I found myself making up excuses on why I couldnt work out and that means I was getting bored. My friend at work started going to the gym everyday and just doing the treadmill. I joined her twice last week and loved it because the time flew by so I think I will continue to do the treadmill with her daily and then focus on weights in between. My plan is to hop on the scale on Friday and update my ticker on that day. I KNOW I am down because of how the clothes are all fitting but I really want to wait and make Fridays my weigh in date.

Keep up the good work girls! It seems Vanessa is continuing to do quite well for herself, it stinks that she doesnt hop on here anymore but Im glad I was able to friend request her on Facebook.

Sandy - oh come on Sandy, come back to the group...you can do it! I cant lie, dieting and exercising is not easy when you have a hectic lifestyle but we have to make time, make it part of our routine. :-) Im working FT, PT, school FT and taking care of 3 kids....you can do it girly. Ok, not trying to be mean, just want to be your cheerleader to give you some incentive to peak back in every once and while. p.s. you grandbabies are SO cute!

Ok girls, got a lot to do. I have not been sleeping well because my grandpa up north is in the hospital. I want to go and see him and very well may take a long weekend. I dont have vaca time so it would have to be friday night to sunday night.

Howdy, ladies!

Didn't run this morning but planning on a walk in the afternoon (while working from home) and a dance lesson again tonight. Will try for a run tomorrow morning. Heard from new guy and we're planning on a hike this weekend and a date on Sat night so things are good on that front.

How are you guys doing? Burgundy - I saw your recommit post on fb - what are you going to be committing to as far as diet/exercise? We are here for you!

Dance - I envy your social calendar, it sounds like so much fun. :-) The DF and I are trying to stick to a wedding budget and when we sat down and started to write everything out, it left me with $50 a week spending money! Like seriously! That is ridiculous but I am going to make my best effort to stick to it because the last thing we want to do is get into debt starting a marriage, I do not believe in it. *sigh*

I am anxious to hop on the scale on Friday because I am "in the zone" and I love when I get that way. I had a hair appointment so planned on skipping the gym and just working out on Saturday, then I woke up and have been feeling crappy all day, so I cancelled my appointment but still do not plan on going to the gym, lol. I just need to rest. My sweet girl comes back from Connecticut today so I am really excited about that.

Lindy - poor you! rest up and feel better (besides your hair looks gorgeous in your recent pics anyway). Glad your daughter is on her way back...

Hey girls...how is everyone doing?

Im having a great day and tomorrow I get to hop on the scale. My clothes are falling off of me so I am looking forward to a low number. I'll share tomorrow.

All good here! Heading out for a run after work then meeting a friend for a glass of wine.

Can't wait to hear what your new number is! Having fun with your daughter back? :)

Dance - she is actually sick and has to go to the doctors today. She has been running a fever since the night she got back and is coughing like crazy. My grandpa had pneumonia while she was there and was admitted to the hospital so I pray she did not catch anything that severe. :-( We will get her the meds she needs and hopefully she is feeling good tomorrow.

Ok...wait for it...wait for it....that magic number on the scale was 169!!! YES! I am officially the LOWEST I have ever been in my adult life. When I lost weight the first time, I got down to 170, but 169 has broken that barrier and I could not be more excited. Now it is a waiting game to see what weight is my "ideal" weight. I had a goal of 150 but I always wanted to be 130. I guess I will adjust my goal as I see myself progressing. I am so elated right now. Thanks for all your support! You helped me get here. :-D

WOOOHOOOO!!!! Lindy, that's amazing - you must be so thrilled! Way to go, girl!

Lindy-thats amazing, so happy for you. I saw on fb you fit into your smallest skirt, so exciting.

Dance-I'm cutting my calories and walking more. I'm gonna pull out some of my old workout DVDs and start doing them. I really need to clean up my eating. This is a new week, time to get serious. I'm not worrying about the scale right now. I used to rely on it too much and want to get away from this that.

Sandy-so glad you checked in. Hope you keep coming back. I would love to have all the old gang back together.

I'll check in more often now, just having a busy summer but I love it. I'm working at the cabin at least two days a week. A friend hired me to make cake pops for her 3year olds birthday party yesterday. I posted pics of them on fb. Planning on doing craft shows soon. Can't wait for the soup kitchen to open back up, I miss everyone.

Hey girls....happy to see everyone "back on the wagon".

Dance....whats going on in your dating life?

Burgundy - ok, I think I missed somthing. When you say "the cabin", what is that?

Not a whole lot to update you on. Have you girls ever dreamed excessively where you just really wished for something that was very unrealistic? lol. I swear I keep dreaming about winning the lotto and how I will live my life once I do, it is the most bizarre thing. *sigh* I guess one can dream. :-)

I feel like I need a challenge and maybe I have had just too much free time on my hands lately with all the kids going away. I will be starting up the PT job again in September, on top of my current FT job, and will be starting school at the end of August. Maybe I should I just sit and wait and see if my desire for change still exists after all of that. I love the people I work with and my job itself but I am getting my normal 5 year itch. Gosh I hate when I get like this. What do you girls so when you find yourself bored, or unchallenged, or stir crazy?

burgundy - I would find it really hard to make cake pops and not eat them! You have amazing will power. Are you up for joining me for exercise miles today? I'm going to run three - what are you walking?

Lindy - honey, I can't believe you are looking to fit *MORE* into your life! Getting married soon, kids, TWO jobs and school. Any one of those things is enough for most people ;) You are amazing! A lot of my friends like to have an exercise goal they're training for - a 5k, a sprint tri, a bike race for charity, whatever. Would something like that that you could maybe do with the future mr lindy be fun?

Having fun with new new guy :) He just took down his dating site profiles yesterday but didn't say anything about it when we got together briefly last night. What would you guys do? Take down your profile without saying anything? Ask him about it? Wait for him to bring it up? I'm thinking continue to be not active (I use another account for checking on things) and wait for him to mention it, right? We had an amazing time together this weekend - hike on Sat afternoon, drinks overlooking a river in Golden, dinner at a hole in the wall peruvian place that I've wanted to go to for ages (super fun - live music, crazy food), and he stayed over. We're actually taking it slow so it was a more innocent sleepover than it might sound. I think I could get used to being with someone this thoughtful :)

Off to jacksonville (not quite your neck of the woods, Lindy, but close!) later today for a quick business trip. Am going to try to pack some snacks so that I can stick to plan while traveling - you guys know that's one of my weaknesses!

Hope your tuesday is going well...

Dance - I think you are handling this relationship perfectly and yes, I would just sit back and wait. If it shows you are not active on the site, then he should be cool with it. Now, a month from now, if it continues to go as planned, then you should consider at that point but leaving him wondering a little is a good thing. :-) And you can play dumb like you never knew he took it down because you "never go on there anymore"...:-D

I like your idea of setting a goal, Im gonna look into upcoming events and see what I want to jump into. I mean...a wedding dress is goal enough but I need a challenge. :-) Thanks for the idea!

Lindy-dont know if I mentioned it before. I am selling my jewelry and other crafts at a co-op called The Craft makers Cabin. All the artists work a few days a week. They take a percentage of our sales each month but at least its not just sitting in my craft room collecting dust.

Dance-I would wait a little while with the profile, but it sounds like things are going good with this guy. I didn't have any cake pops while I was making them, but I did have one at the party. I made extra for my hubby and there are about 10 in the fridge right now. I'm not going to touch them.

I was talking to a friend earlier about fitness. I told her I usually do at least one 5k during the summer. Its almost August and I haven't done one. We should all find one in our area.

I still haven't looked at the scale but have been eating really well all week. Maybe by Friday I'll be ready to weigh. Time to do some crafting. Gotta work at the cabin tomorrow and want to take some new stuff.

Hey ladies. I will probably be MIA for a while. My 17 year old nephew passed away unexpectedly last night. This is the hardest thing our family has been through. I'll check back in sometime next week maybe.

Hey Burgundy - I am SO sad to read about the passing of your nephew. I will pray for you and your family. :-(

So sorry to hear about your nephew - I cant even imagine how sad you must be. Hang in there, sweetie, and now that we're thinking about you.

Thanks to both of you. Even though we've never met, you two are awesome friends and I'm glad I have you to talk to here. This has been a tough few days. My sister. In law and the kids have been spending most of their days here and going home at night. We're all holding up OK right now. The funeral is monday. My mom, sister and niece are headed back up here from Alabama. My stomach has just been one big knot since Thursday, but we've all been making ourselves eat a little everyday.

PLEASE get yourselves(and your children) checked for diabetes.

Burgundy - hope you and your family are holding up okay - make sure you get some rest - emotional stress can really wear you out. I'm glad you guys will be together during such a hard time.

Just got back from a run with a friend and am feeling very fortunate to have my health - thanks to you guys keeping me on plan. I met the new guy's daughter last night (crazy early after just three weeks of dating but it was her idea) - do you think that's crazy? The good part is that we got along really well .

Lindy - how are things with you?

Hey girls -

Hugs for Burgundy - I feel the same way about you girls. So glad we have stuck together this long.

Dance - I do think it is too soon but everyone moves at different speeds and if it feels right, just go with it. You had one guy that didnt want to introduce you to anyone and this one who is moving quick, just goes to show there are no "rules", lol, everyone is different. I'm glad to hear it went well. Is he in any of the pics that you uploaded this weekend?

Everything is going great with me. All 3 kids are back and it is time to get into a routine again. The DF and I decided that the healthy meals were not working for him and the kids (they were always hungry after dinner), so we just started ordering fresh meals to be delivered to the house for just me. They taste amazing and are way better than anything I ever cooked. Also, every meal is no more than 350 calories and it is gluten free with all fresh ingredients, its perfect. And cheap! I get 14 meals a week (lunch and dinner) for $66. And I get to pick my menus. :-)

I have decided to weigh myself once a month to keep getting excited about the weight loss so Ill probably shoot for a couple weeks from now, which will be a month from the last time I weighed in. It is so gratifying to see a "whoosh" from the last time, vs. getting on every day and seeing it go up two pounds, down two pound, etc. I skipped the gym yesterday so I am going at lunch today, and then again after work. I am shooting for a double workout of an hr and a half 2 days a week and then one hour one day a week. So, still doing 4 days a week but just adding a little time for good measure.

*hugs* You guys will be the reason that the weight is going to stay off this time - plus you keep me sane! I love that some of the old gang checks in now and then. Hope we hear from neesy and maddiesmom soon.

Lindy - Your meal plan sounds yummy and like a great solution! And yeah, I know it's really soon to have met her but I don't think I'll be seeing her regularly for a looong time. You are totally right about people moving at different paces ;)

I'm thinking this guy might be a keeper - we'll see... And no, the folks in the pictures are other friends - he was camping with his daughter somewhere else while I was hiking. We are meeting up for lunch tomorrow and going to a concert on friday night - should be fun.

I'm really trying to keep up with exercise - hikes on the weekends, running or walking 4-5 days/wk - and am staying low-carb but the scale isn't budging. I think my body is stuck at this weight. Ughhh!!! Any suggestions? I've been hovering around this same number since march - at least I'm back on the low side of it again - but geez! I so want to be in the 140s and start fitting into some 6s *sigh*. Any suggestions?

Hey Dance....when I worked out with a personal trainer...many moons ago, he told me there was two ways to break a plateau. One was going hard at the gym with weights because it boost your metabolism and is thrown off by the "lacksadasical" as he would like to call it, workouts that your body is used to. He also encouraged cleansing but the problem with that is it isnt for everyone. But he said that alone would jump start a plateau. I never got to a plateau really because when I got to 170 I just threw in the towel so I cant give advice from my own experiences.

Great idea, lindy - maybe I'll start hitting the weights this weekend and see if I can bust through this. Off for an early morning run...

Hey ladies, I think I am finally back to reality. I've gotten back into walking, just need to start going further. I did the air stepper tonight and some an exercises. I also started a 30 day beginners push up challenge. I only had to do 3 push ups today. I haven't been on the scale so I don't know where that is. I feel a little bloated so I will probably wait a few days for that.

Hope y'all are doing good.

Hey burgundy - nice to have you back. Sad stuff is just going around right now - I'm headed to Houston tomorrow for the funeral of a high school friend's mom. A couple of us are going together so it will be nice to have company.

Weight is holding steady but at least not going up. Things are good with new guy - will fill you in on more details when I get back.

Hey girls....glad to see everyone checking in again.

My plan to hop on the scale once a month is scheduled for August 30th, so that is the next time I will have an update on my weight for you girls. I am FINALLY starting to get compliments from everyone on how much weight I have lost. Its funny because no one notices at 15 pounds but all the sudden you hit 25 and its like...omg, you have lost a ton of weight. haha Anyway, it feels good to get the acknowledgements that you worked so hard for. I am doing the gym twice a day 3 days a week and then doing a 30 minute walk and weights 3 days, with one "rest" day. I should feel fantastic with all this clean eating and working out but I dont, I feel tired ALL THE TIME. I tried adjust my calories from 1200 to 1400 to 1600 to 1800 just to see if any of those number affected how I felt but nada. I may need to go in for a physical to make sure everything is on the up and up. My mother has Lupus and that is a side affect and I get tested every year so it may be time.

Ok, Im babbling and I have to go give blood at our blood drive today so I will catch up later. Cant wait to get more detailed updates from everyone else soon.

Bah! So the boyfriend hops on the scale every day and I've been avoiding it. Yesterday he hops on and tells me its broken. I told him, it probably needed batteries. So we put new batteries in this morning and it still is not working. TOTALLY bummed and hoping to replace it before my weigh in. Its up to him to pick up the "extras" based on our new budget. I might have to give him a nudge. Unfortunately, with a new scale comes a possible varying weight. I dont know yet if this is a good or bad thing. We will see.

Sounds like that scale is messing with you, Lindy :) but you know you are looking great and fitting into your clothes which is the important part.

All good here - this weekend will be week 6 with new guy - he's actually out of town at the moment on a backpacking trip but I'll be picking him up at the airport on sunday morning and am hoping we get some good catch up time the rest of the day ;) I've been a little tired lately and am having trouble getting enough sleep - am hoping that passes (not particularly stressed at work or anything). Weight is holding steady despite some offsite meeting days which involve lots of eating out. I'd rather be making progress but I'll take holding the line for right now. I can't believe that a year ago I weighed 50lbs more than I do right now and that I was so unhappy about my ex - amazing difference 12mos can make!

How are you girls doing?

Hey Dance! Glad to see you checking in. I am so happy how much a year has changed your life for the better, and adding a cute boy to the mix is just an added bonus. :-D Good job! People always say that winter is a bad time and thats when you put on weight but I find summer to be the hardest for me. There are SO many social outings and it is hard to say no. And even if I eat healthy, there is always alcohol, lol.

Welp, the DF ending up buying a new scale and we tested it out on the kids. The girls needed to get physicals so they weighed in at home before they left the house and then at school. The numbers registered the same so it seems to be a consistant scale. On that note, I hopped on and low and behold, I am still losing. 165! Woot woot! I expect to hit a plateau soon because that would put me at a 29 pound loss and anything over 25 I hit a pleateau. Fortunately for me, I wont be hopping on the scale again till late September so I have time for the scale to play games. :-) I wont off my clean eating today as someone made me empanadas. So I had that for breakfast. Then I am going out for dinner and drinks with one of my best girlfriends so I just plan to do better tomorrow to make up for today. I am eating clean at lunch to make up for things. Zucchini lasagna....yum!

What is everyones plans for the weekend?

Lindy - that is wonderful! Woohoo!! We need to see some recent progress pics, btw - you keep forgetting to post them!

Finally got some good sleep yesterday and am feeling much better. Am getting a massage after work and then going for a run with a friend (yeah, I know the order is a little weird but that's how it worked out) so it will be a good healthy evening. I need to get back into cooking and plan to cook up a bunch of my mom's yellow squash so that I have some veggies around and ready to eat.

Happy Friday, girls!

Hey dance...yea, I really stink at posting pics. Part of it is because I do all my chatting with you guys while at work and Im not allowed to upload personal pics. Then I get home and forget, lol. I dont really want to post too many pics on Facebook because I want my weight loss to be a surprise to the many people coming to my wedding. :-) Ill try to remember.

Same here exactly - I mean with no photos on my work computer and checking in on 3fc mainly at work.

Getting excited because new guy should be back in texting range again tonight (he's been backpacking out of range since monday). Sometimes it's the little things ;)

Sorry I've been mia again. I thought I was back in the swing of things but its just so hard. Today is a new day and I feel good. I'm not going to let this derail me. I'm going to get healthy and do it in honor of my nephew. I got out for a run this morning. I went two miles in 25 minutes. I don't think that's too bad for a fat girl, lol. It was so hot but I made it. Now to keep it going. Hubby wants BBQ chicken and potato wedges for dinner. I'm gonna have baked chicken and zucchini fries.

Dance-sorry to hear about your friends mom. So happy to hear things are good with the new guy.

Lindy-165, that's great. Your are looking great from your pics on fb. Glad your new scale is accurate. I hate buying new scales.

Burgundy - woohoo in your running accomplishments! I love the idea of celebrating your nephew's life by getting even healthier - what a strong woman you are.

Went in a great hike with a friend today and new guy called from Canada so life is pretty good here.

Hope you guys are enjoying the weekend...

Well, it was fun while it lasted. New guy just broke up with me tonight - he wasn't feeling the way he thought he should feel. Back to the drawing board!

Hey chickadees....

Dance, wow I was so shocked to read that! Do you think he maybe went on the trip to meet up with someone and maybe developed feelings for them? Or was it something else? Sorry to hear that. *hugs* Dating is such a "learning curb", I remember when I dated, it took me two years to find someone and I was so frustrated by the end. Now Im in a relationship and I see my single friends and Im like "you are so lucky", haha, I mean....not lucky because I do consider myself lucky but just the fact that you can do you own thing and dont have to run it by someone, its a big change.

Burgundy - if your nephew isnt the best inspiration out there, I dont know what is! Maybe you can set some goals to accompany it, like a 5k for diabetes prevention? Good job on the walk. Im not gonna lie, I giggled when you said "pretty good for a fat girl" because lord knows I use that term more often than not. :-)

Nothing new to update. Im trying to stay on point as best as I can and just maintain for the next couple of months. I have a bridal shower, bachlorette party, and destination wedding in September, then one week cruise in October. If I can maintain I would be pleased. November is not really bad and December is ok too. Football season is here and that sucks but I can work around it. Anyway, I started classes this week....4 in all so wish me luck. :-)

Lindy - No, he was on a backpacking trip with a guy friend and apparently he did a lot of thinking and talking and realized it just wasn't quite working for him. No biggee - it was tough last night but I'm already focused on next steps and finding a new new guy ;)

Off to go catch up on missed sleep from last night and get in a good run in the morning...

Dance - well, that makes sense. Did you deactivate your account? Hopefully not. ;-)

Nothing new to report, I do a double workout session three to four times a week and today is one of those days. I'll catch up later.

Lindy - nope - just hid my profile. I'm going to tweak it a little and will add some new photos and get back on line maybe as early as tonight. Back on the horse, right? I've got a good list of new guys to contact - should be interesting.

I'm going for a run tonight - anyone with me for some exercise time?

Hey Dance....I wish I was exercising. Received horrible news today that my dear friend who was ill with cancer only has a day or so left. I just came back from a visit at the hospital and plan to go again after work. I may not be checking in depending on my mood, definitely a sad time.