Q Anagram! High Five to you! I CAN RELATE!!
You must be able to see Wonderland on the horizon! The lights are twinkling and you can hear the traffic! I am so excited for you! I remember so well!

Just was thinking on the way home that perhaps some of the "old wives tales" about weight hanging on during winter are true.... I seem to have also moved quickly thru a few pounds, and my average is about .5 a week generally. Or is it just more activity becuase we can get out and about and the better weather keeps us motivated??
No matter... We're moving lower on the scale and we're healthier than we've been in years!!

May I brag too??
DH and I went to the Big W store... and just because I thought I should....
I tried on a smaller size than my last announcement of a smaller size... There really is a method here... It occurred to me that for the longest time, I could wear size 12 dress pants but only 14 jeans... then when I finally could wear a smaller size jean... I quick went and found dress pants in the same smaller size... but then just today thought... if the size12/size 14 theory was true, then why wouldnt it be again .....

And I was right... If I was so inclined I could 've purchased the smaller size...

But the belt was very hard to figure out and yardsales will have lots of choices at better prices...

So.... what will my final goal weight size be??? This mornings pleasant suprise was more because I've never been able to wear this size... The stair climbing and etc have trimmed thighs, butt in places that have not been trim ever.....

So, sometimes we surpise even ourselves with our efforts....

Congrats on that NSV, :queen: K!!!! :cheer: :hb: :cp: Mayhap thou'll find a special magikal belt at a yardsale today to commemorate (sp?) this victory. Then everytime thou weareth it, it'll make you feel special.

Unfortunately, the summer here tends to make most of us put on weight rather than take it off ... but I intend to buck that tradition. I'm having a bit of a setback, but noticed my jeans are quite loose and my rear view seemingly has gone flat! :doh: I may be gaining some muscle (I'm lifting much heavier every week). At all events, if I'm down tomorrow or the next day, I'm going to adopt that as my weight for the week and change all my records! :coffee:

I really could use some encouragement, :queen: s!! :)

Wood Nymph, if you're there, I'm pmging thee! :wave:

Empress!
Here is a bucket of encouragement! I've included a shiny dipper and a sent a Royal Footman to dispense as needed!

Hmmmm.... I like your idea... I like it alot... because ... I already have a belt... from many years anon with a belt buckle just as old... now to find it!
It must be close to fitting by now!

How come you get to use so many smilies ?? My system is not liking them...
ah well... guess the computer issues are in my palace lately!


Guess what was in the produce store today! Ugly fruit. and Yes , they are UGLY. I didnt even buy one to try... are they any good anyone???

Need to work a few moments on my Resume.

I'll look back in in a few.

Thanks, :queen: K, I found the bucket outside my royal suite with flowers from the footman! :)

That's a great idea re the belt ... mayhap thou couldst add something new to it (eg, beads or a charm) to tie the older dream of wearing it with the current victory!?

I've tried to eat Ugli fruit ... couldn't really figure out what it was good for.

With apologies (ahead of time) to any low carbers, I did get a chuckle from an ad I saw in a mag about the new Snackwell cookies, which they are now calling Carb Well (somewhat clinical name for a cookie, n'est pas?)!! It touted the virtues of the low carb cookies, but in small print pointed out that now familiar bit about there are really more carbs in here but some of it is fiber (I'm using my words, they said it much more diplomatically), so it probably doesn't affect your blood sugar, so don't count it, and some of it is sugar alcohol that likely doesn't affect your blood sugar, so don't count it, except that there's no research on whether the sugar alcohol affects your blood sugar or not, so, well, don't worry about it, except that (the disclaimer continued, paraphrased in my words) these products have from 90 to 120 calories per serving, so if you are trying to lose weight, count calories, too.

Sheesh.

My word.

Anagram, congrats on dropping the pounds! What's your secret, any shifts in your routine? Tell all!

Kaylets, Pretty cool to try out those smaller sizes. About the ugly fruit, I tried it and wasn't impressed. Kinda like a mediocre grapefruit.
I tried a 'new' apple called a grapple. It's an apple infused with grape essence or something like that. Maybe it's one of those genetically engineered mutant fruits, but heck I'll try anything once! It was great [but expensive], the look and texture of an apple but the taste and aroma of grapes. Freaky-deaky indeed.

Amarantha, here's a boatload of encouragement--are you feeling it? You're so inspiring, if I can send some good vibes your way, believe me, I'm on the case! I've been meaning to ask you--do you have those toned lifter's arms? I finally got a little tone-age started when I did BFL for a while last summer--love that! That was a big problem area for me for a long time. And I'm envious of your flatter butt!!! I can't get mine to deflate for anything---Oh well, J Lo got it to work for her--why not me? :lol:

Oh girls, I had such a bad food day. I don't know what happened. I was doing a reception at work and one thing led to another. Oh the shame! Shiny bright new week ahead of us all though!

Yo, yes, :queen: E, I'm feeling the boatload-o-encouragement vibes!! Yowza! :yes: I do feel encouraged. Had a good eating day, at least calorically.

Re my arms, they could be better! With the trainer's help, I've made great strides and have rather impressive biceps and the tris are coming along nicely. My favorite exercise for triceps (though you didn't ask) is the dip machine (or whatever they call it). You can easily do dips at home on a bench or even on the floor.

Lately I've only been doing one-third of the body on a given weight day and that's why I can afford to go much heavier and do a lot of exercises for one part at a time, so I do think I'm building more muscle. I've just been rotating upper and lower body on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On cardio days, I do all the core stuff, some weighted, some not. Theoretically, I do yoga every other day at night, but that hasn't been a happening thing lately.

The flatter butt happened because I'm doing heavier weights in that area and lots of reps of different exercises, which is exactly the opposite of what I'd think would happen, but it's a good thing!

More than you wanted to know, but there it is!

If only that :devil: Scale would cooperate!

P.S. Somewhere on 3FC, Ledom has posted the URL of a woman's personal BFL website/blog ... I can't remember the name or address. I think the site's posted on the EFL thread Suzanne started on General Diet Plans. I'm too lazy to look it up again but it'd be easy to find it or maybe everyone else has already seen it and I'm the only one it was news to. Anyhow, the reason I'm mentioning this is that the site shows a picture of the woman and those are the exact arms I intend to have, not to mention her shoulders. She's considerably younger than I, but that's ok, because I really intend to have her upper body.

She also has a section where she's posted pics of her favorite BFL meals and there's some good ideas there for mini meals ... it's quite an amusing site ... she says she's been known to consider a donut as a carb portion, so you can see why I like it.

Ok, bye.

Hello all!

Here we go Monday!

Will go to edit my profile tonight but am very pleased this am with my weighin...

In fact, need a reminder about our latest challenge.. sprint.. is Memorial Day the deadline??
Do I remember what I challegened myself??

Empress! Please review the royal spreadsheet! and tell me where I was when we began!!

And oh, by the way, the scale this am read 153 lbs....

***
Thought of the day :

" Treat everyone gently. Everyone is fighting their own battle."

Question of the day :

"How will the cost of gas affect you?"

*****


And....
Please send more positive thoughts... job related.... I've made some inquiries and believe I recved a very favorable response....


Thanks !

KETTLE IS ON!

So much energy, good vibes and positive thoughts swirling around the kingdom today. All blowing in Kaylet's direction but stirring up some strong encouragement winds to the Empress as well. I'm catching showers of all and really excited this a.m. about my Monday Fresh Start.

Eydie, I don't think I'm eating all that much less but have picked up on my water intake and am back to pool exercising. Plus my body holds onto weight and eventually will give it up, more or less all at once. I do have a tendency to lose better in spring and summer as well. More yardwork usually.

Kaylets, 12 and 14 sound like wonderful numbers to me. Heck, I'm still thrilled to be back into my 18s. But 12 would be my dream number. Not even thinking about Wonderland. Did that last year at this time and actually did a projection that had me there by last September. That slowed it all down. So I'm on the pound at a time plan. Nonetheless if it happens, you'll hear me shouting.

Queen Eydie, inspiration of all, one bad day will not set you back on your aim to reach a goal below your goal. I suspect you needed that as you mentioned having more cravings lately.

Mental picture of Empress with perfectly toned upper body........Sounds like the weights are working for you.

Gas prices? Just make me poorer, I guess. Doubt I'll change much else but glad we got the Toyota last summer. Use that for all longer trips and it gets good mileage. My car gets to sit in garage and look beautiful.

flying by again... Laden with a big project at work (it's a comprehensive learning guide on viruses, spyware & etc. -- what it is, how to detect it, remove it, and protect yourself from it) that I've got to finish in two weeks, along with regular work. But did get some affirmation that my contract will almost certainly be renewed, so --- that's good! I didn't work on the weekend -- we actually went to Fundy Park in New Brunswick and hiked. Now today I'm just about paralyzed and achy, so must save energy for work. I read all your posts and thought responses to you -- what a wonderful group of women you are!

K -- just an update, so you know I'm not lost completely! Love to all... let's make this a good one!

Yo! Arabella, hi! :wave: Updating the pm I sent thee, the program doesn't work on my computer, so I'm out the price because the store won't take it back! Sigh!

:queen: K, I don't think we had a Memorial Day sprint. Thought we only went to Mayday. Dunno, I got lost in where we were in Sprintland when the server changed and I couldn't post, so I just decided to post a challenge to journal every day in May ... maybe somebody should post a quickie sprint to end Memorial Day?

Sending job related vibes thy way!!! :yes:

At any rate, I know thou be doing fantastic in the weight department!!!! Great weigh-in! :cheer:

Anagramatic: Thanks for the encouragement ... I need lots of it!

Do we have some missing in action :queen: s out there who are thinking of coming to the castle for the all-queen check-in that I just thought of hosting in the royal great hall? I just know we do!!!! :yes: Yowza!!! Let's all report in today, :queen: s!!! Report, report, report! Sis boom bah! :cheer:

BTW, I hate weaving! :yes:

Sis boom bah!

Re gas prices, they're the least of my worries! :)

Hello, my dears. Sorry I've been gone so long.

I've been going through a bit of a Crisis of Dissatisfaction and sort of holed up and didn't talk to people at all, much. Just my husband, best friend and brother, as usual, in that order.

Nothing big - nothing to be alarmed about. We just create our own suffering sometimes, you know? Lack of discipline makes life so much harder to slog through sometimes, and it gets bad enough sometimes (eg: money, fitness, nutrition, house cleaning, etc.) that you start to feel very powerless and depressed.

I missed you all, hope you're all OK. I'll be back later to catch up (I haven't even been lurking) and do posties.

Kaylets, positive thoughts for your job hunt!

Much love,

Helllooooo!

Just popping by with encouragement for Kaylets and Amarantha! And congrats to Anagram on the loss!

I'm back at the South Beach, and getting loads of encouragement from a co-worker who has lost 25 lbs on a similar plan since February. She looks fabulous!

I have to dash to get laundry done and pack for a business trip...will be out of town until the end of the week.

Hi to everyone! :wave: