Marti, congrats on going to the gym instead of lazing around! I know my inclination is always to lie around and laze...
Red, my challenge is no wine or chocolate bars. And I seem to be doing pretty well! Today was Day 11 (I think), and I turned down wine with dinner without so much as a pang.
I had a great day, went to a friend in the country very near here. She now has access to a small private lake, and we spent about 2 and a half hours swimming and paddling all around the perimeter of the lake. The weather was less muggy today, and there was a little breeze. Paradise.I've been ready to hit the hay ever since. I think I'll sleep very well tonight.
Marti, Red, dk, all the other challengers, have a great weekend! As for me, I'm back in the lake tomorrow. I should have been swimming for the past 2 months, but the important thing is I'm doing it now.
I am so far behind after not checking in yesterday or at all today. I have read all the replies but I'm really tired, so I'm going to save personal responses until tomorrow.
Day 8 went well yesterday. I actually skipped dinner yesterday, because I had a BIG late lunch and just wasn't hungry. I typically wouldn't do that, but it worked out okay this once. Today was not as great. I'm calling today my free day for my first round on the challenge and tomorrow will be day 9. I wanted to save my free day for a little later but I just realized that I forgot to add in a snack from this afternoon when calculating my calories, and I'm over for today - I'm at 1800. So today was my free day because I do NOT want to go back to day 1. I really want to be done with this challenge by my little girl's birthday party, so that I can plan ahead for that to be a free day (I HAVE to have a piece of my baby's birthday cake!) and have one more for days like today, and I won't be done by then if I start over. And THAT will mean that I have to start over AGAIN. So I have to stay committed now, no exceptions at all.
I've just got a case of the "blahs" today. I'm about to get my period, so I'm bloated, overly emotional, feeling self conscious and ugly, tired, crampy, and craving junk food, which is not a fun way to feel. You all know what I mean. I did get in some exercise, which is good - 45 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes of weights - and that helped. I have been making AWFUL food choices the past few days and I really, really need to stop or I AM going to go back to day 1.
I'm also expecting to see a gain on the scale tomorrow morning because of the lovely bloating during this TOM. I may avoid weighing in altogether and just wait until after this week is over. It's been particularly bad this month. I'm not a happy camper today.
Gray-I can so feel what you are saying. But just so you know, in all of that sad post-you still inspired someone! You are stronger than you are giving yourself credit for-and smarter! You are "planning ahead" for your next free day! Something so simple I never thought about it. In my mind I was keeping it banked for a day I screwd up. Now I feel more in control! I am going to be in charge of my free day and save it for something very special-a reward to myself. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi, all. Wrapping up Day 7 (again) here and moving on to Day 8! Not much exercise in today because of work and the gym's not open early Saturdays. Also, late night last night so no budging me. I needed a day off from the gym anyhow. Things are slow around here. I hope we're going to see more action soon. I'm getting that lonely feeling again.....
gray eyed girl -- How are you doing? I hope you're feeling better. At least you know WHY you're blue. And don't worry about responding to people. We can't all the time. Sometimes even I don't say anything except what I've done. The most important thing is YOU and what you've done, how you're doing. The rest of us come LATER or not at all. I'm with 1nceagain in saying you're doing a great job of planning. Sometimes the slipups are unexpected, other times we can plan for them. I think planning for them actually helps prevent a lot of "unintentional" ones as well. When is your girl's birthday, by the way? I don't know if I will use another free day (my last) on Monday for my birthday. Cake I'm not a big fan of but ice cream, especially those soft vanilla cones, those I absolutely love. Then again, I don't need to have it on my birthday. The best present I could give myself would be a long day in the gym! Alas, the gym is closed Monday. Darn! I will think of something else to do. May go for the cone though, may save it for later in the challenge should my resolve waver! In any case, I'm glad you are working through the blahs with exercise. I think too you should forego the scale tomorrow. There's no need to see the numbers and I know even if I expect a gain, it gets me down to actually see the numbers go up. Well, take care and I want to hear a good report from you, okay?
1nceagain -- Excellent going on Day 12. You're almost through to the carbs... and... Hang in there! You're doing so well!
Quote of the moment:
"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." Charles Austin Beard
Last edited by redballoon; 08-06-2005 at 07:28 AM.
Ok I'm not sure what to do here. I don't know if I have to start over to day 1. Or is this a Pause day? Not sure what that means. I had alot of running around yesterday and didn't keep a correct count of my points. Ate way to much.
Mez
mez -- Oops, oh well, hitting a glitch in things is normal. Well, it's up to you what you do here. You can take your free/pause day or go back to Start. Since this is your first round, you have one free day. I like to go back to Start rather than take a free day early on. You're still in the single digits. I'd rather have the free day to use later when I'm on like Day 11 or so and would really hate to go back. However, if you think you'll be able to get through to the end without another need for a free day, then keep going, in which case, you consider today a pause in the counting and you resume counting from tomorrow. Up to you! Good luck!
ok with the rule change i am on day 5 and have completed it!
RE: the birthday cake dilema... one thing i have noticed is that a tiny serving of something can be just as gratifying as a
a large one... my parents were having ice cream and i had 1 tablespoon and it was just as good to me as an entire bowl full
Last edited by curlylocks; 08-06-2005 at 04:00 PM.
Reason: typo
I have noticed that I'm extremely tired now. I sleep 8hrs and get up and I'm ready for a nap after being up a couple of hours. Very frustrating. So I'm hoping that will subsized soon!!
Hey, all...although "all" may not be the right word here. Where is everyone?!?!? Have you all given up? Gosh, I hope not.
Well, I'm halfway through Day 8 and feeling extremely frustrated. My weight is not budging even though I have been exercising and not overeating. It's so frustrating! How will I ever lose 50 or so pounds if this is the way it is even in the beginning. I am in tears. I hate it so much. Why do I hold onto the fat so? I really can't figure it out. And it's not because I gained muscle or anything. There is no change in the jeans I have to try to struggle into. None at all. I am on the verge of pigging out. It could be water or something but this is utterly ridiculous. How can I not be losing weight?!?! Rant. Rant. Well, maybe it's water retention from salt. That's all I can think. Oh well, sorry to carry on. My challenge is going ok so far. That's what matters here at least. But, I really, really need to see some progress or I am going to give this whole thing up. If I can eat all the sugar I want and stay the same, then what's the sense of depriving myself and staying the same. It simply makes no sense whatsoever.
curly -- I'm glad you understand the rule change. Congrats on Day 5! I don't know about the "just a little bit" thing. For me, I just can't do it. I'd rather have none I think. I wish I could be like you, but for some reason I can't do that. Consider yourself either lucky or just very resolved!
Marti -- That's great that you have gone two whole days without cigs. I guess it's natural that you would be feeling very tired. I can't remember that happening to me but maybe it did. I probably drank tons of coffee to make up for it. The nicotine is a stimulant so you can be sure your body must be missing it quite a bit. If you can sleep then do so! You are getting over an addiction so think of yourself as ill. You are! Allow your body to heal and try to remember how to access the energy reserves that have been shut down, beaten down by the constant use of nicotine. It really is gross stuff. Have you read Allan Carr's book on stopping smoking. It is excellent. Not sure of the spelling on that, maybe one "l" or one "r." Check it out if you can. Good luck and keep up the great work!
Red-You know as well as everyone else here, that this is not going to be easy. It took a long time to get where we are. Give your body a chance to figure out what the heck is up ! If you feel sure in your mind you are doing every thing right-then maybe you need to change something. Just give what you are doing a tweek, a spin. Maybe you have to go through the drudgery of writing EVERYTHING down until you figure out what is goin on. In any case-GIVE YOURSELF SOME CREDIT! You are making difficult changes-you are! Please don't give up now. Ok-yes, I'm selfish. You are a prime inspiration. But If you give up now-what then? We are all in this together. Think of it as a relay team. You can pass the baton and have a rest on day 21-not before!
Sorry I had to get rough with you Red-Tough Love ya know.
Marti-I agree with Red. Your body has a lot of repair work to do. Slow down. Give it the time it needs. You are doing great. I am smoke-free for 18 years now.
Curly-One thing beneficial about living in Japan is the size of thier portions and utensils. When you order a desert, you may get a tiny little portion but you also get a tiny little fork or spoon to eat it with! Takes longer to eat and I think I enjoy it just as much as a large portion. "Sometimes" just a bit is enough for me to. I am definately trying to change the way I eat. I try to enjoy my food more when it's in my mouth cause once it is in my stomach-I cant taste it anymore anyway!
Oh Red, what a bummer! I did read of one woman who dropped a lot of weight but seemed to notice no difference until about the seventh week and then the weight just seemed to fall off her. So chin up and enjoy your clean room in the meantime
Had a good week and a bad week. Went screamingly well until night time of Day 6 and realised I hadn't drunk any water, and I wasn't going to drink then . So that feel in a heap. Will start modified goals in Day 1 tomorrow. The new and improved 21 Day Challenge goals are:
1. 3 cups of coffee a day only
2. 3 glasses of water a day
3. No snacking between meals
4. Only 1 glass wine a day
Will consider to daily or not to daily weigh myself as the time goes on - this was the hardest bit for me in my, um, 6 Day Challenge.
Good luck for the next day, everyone.
Ok, guys, feeling a bit better. I'm thinking my carbs must have been super low or something because I was draggin and that must have knocked my mood into the basement as well. I have to have tons of carbs to move cause I really do a lot of exercise. Then again, I suppose my body is so used to having the ready carbs to draw on that it is basically useless as a fat-burning machine. Maybe this is what I have to do until my body learns to switch over. I don't know. I think I overdid it today.
High C -- Thanks for the support. Hmm, I don't think I could ever, ever, ever, wait for seven weeks with no sign of progress. I would throw in the towel WAY before that. Ok, so you're restarting your challenge with modified goals. Sound good. Only three glasses of water a day? Is that just your minimum for the challenge. Seems awful low. I have about 5 liters a day! Anyway, you know what's best for you! Good luck!
1nceagain -- Thanks for your support too! You're right. I'm just going to have to get a better handle on things and then stick to them c.o.n.s.i.s.t.e.n.t.l.y!!!! for a week or so and then adjust them. In any case, I was talking about giving up the challenge totally. I would have stayed here for you all....though I must say there have been so few posts these past couple days I'm wondering just who all those people may be. And, no, you weren't tough at all with me! I can take (and probably need) it. Thanks! I hope you're still doing well with your SBD. It's going to get easier real soon!
1ceagain, thank you! I'm glad to know that I helped you, too. I try to plan ahead for "free days" and have since I started this. Originally my "free day" was the first day of my placebos on my birth control pills, because that is generally the day I feel the crummiest and don't want anything to do with dieting or exercise. I may continue that and plan for that to be a free day every month, because it is always a BAD day. I think it's a good idea to plan ahead, because then your free days are something to look forward to instead of something to feel guilty about because they mean you "failed".
red, my little girl will be 3 at the end of the month. We're having her party a little early, so I can focus entirely on that before I start school. Her party is in 2 weeks. I am going to try really hard to keep my eating in control at her party, but we're going pretty crazy with food and snacks and I know that I'll go over 1600 that day, so I want to plan for it. I didn't pass up the scale yesterday, but that's okay because I actually lost a pound after all. A nice start to the weekend. I'm sorry you're stuck at a plateau. I was stuck at 222 for 2 1/2 weeks and it was awful. I assume you've tried this already but you could adjust your calories up or down by a couple hundred, and change up your exercise a bit either by working harder or longer, or by trying a new exercise (running if you usually bicycle, elliptical if you run, etc). Either of those things might get you started again. And drink TONS of water. The scale WILL move again. It has to, if you keep doing things right. I predict that when the scale starts moving again, you'll drop several pounds really fast. I went from 222 to around 218 in less than a week when my plateau ended. Hang in there.
mez, I'd probably start over at day 1, and save the free day. I started over after screwing up day 3 on my first attempt at this challenge. I don't want to "waste" a free day that early.
curlylocks, you're absolutely right and I do plan to keep things in control. It's not just cake though, we're also having ice cream and sandwiches and chips and all kinds of stuff. I went a little overboard planning this thing, honestly, but we're going to have at least 20 people there (kids and adults) and I wanted to be sure there'd be enough for everyone. I did order a veggie tray for myself and the other moms who I know are dieting, so that there's something diet-friendly available. I just highly doubt that I'll stay under 1600 that day.
Marti, I hope you've got more energy again soon! Congrats on getting through day 2, I know quitting smoking is extremely hard.
High C, I'm sorry you had to start over. I think you've got a good set of goals for yourself. One suggestion with the water would be to buy a water bottle for yourself and just sip at it all day long. I have a 32 oz Nalgene bottle and I drink 4 a day most days, which gives me more than 120 oz of water. That's an easier way to get your water in, and you'll probably end up drinking more too which is a good thing. I don't know how big your glasses are but the daily recommended amount of water is at least 8 8-oz cups. Getting enough water helps you to retain less, and it helps with weight loss too.
Day 9 (yesterday) down . Almost to "hump day" and couldn't be happier about it. I weighed in yesterday after all and as it turns out, I'm actually down a pound! I'm at 209 now. I can't WAIT to get to 199. I hope to be there within a month. Today is day 10 and so far, I'm doing great.
Good morning, all! Happy Birthday to me! I'm taking off from work for MY day. Ah, decadent luxury. Well, so far (it's only around 6 a.m.) I feel much better than yesterday. I don't know what happened yesterday. If felt like PMS but it couldn't have been. I think it was the low carbs. I always have oatmeal with 7-grain cereal and raisins made with soymilk in the morning. It gives me the energy I need to go a long time without eating because I'm out and exercising (riding). Yesterday I decided to forego the breakfast and instead had a protein drink and a bit of peanut butter on Vollkorn Brot. So, I guess my body was dragging and it was affecting my mood. It's scary when you think that food affects your mood to such an extent...if that was the reason.
Well, as for the challenge (I know I'm getting away from it quite a bit but why not, as long as we have the challenge to come back to at some point. I'm on Day 9. Yes, without allowing myself any sugar, the lack of readily accessible carbs (such as would be had from the raisins) no doubt was just too much for my shocked body to take!
Heh, where is everyone. I'm getting tired of asking. This is the worst we've seen in a long time. Okay, you all are still on your weekend but...hope to see some action around here soon.
gray eyed girl -- Hi there! Glad to see someone is still around here. Great going on getting through Day 9! And congrats on the pound loss! Yes, you ARE doing great and I'm glad for you. I really like the way you are planning ahead for your special days. You're right, planning ahead makes them something to look forward to as opposed to seeing them as failures. Of course, if I plan ahead I may go a bit too overboard! As for your birthday party, though, I think you should just have as much fun as possible! You'll probably be too busy to eat all that much though!
I don't know what's going on with me and that my body is not budging. I really can't even think about it because it's too depressing. I am 160 lbs and because I'm so short that means I still have quite a bit of fat on me. So, for the scale not to be moving is pretty damn discouraging. How do people ever get really lean? I guess there are just different body types. You probably have to be moving literally ALL the time or be unhealthy. I do remember when I was smoking a ton, it seemed I could lose weight more easily. Then again, that was then, this is now and the body changes as we get older. Perhaps it's just all the other things in life that take up time and we can't be out there moving around and around and probably don't want to either. In any case, I'm going to try to just stop thinking about the whole thing. My challenge this time is not about eating right or cutting back and that does make it seem rather insignificant to me. I am belittling eating no sugar because I don't see it as doing anything to help me get to my REAL goals. Oh well....I suppose the no sugar was too much of a shock to my system and my mind! I'm going to carry on though.....
So today was my free day because I do NOT want to go back to day 1. I really want to be done with this challenge by my little girl's birthday party, so that I can plan ahead for that to be a free day (I HAVE to have a piece of my baby's birthday cake!) and have one more for days like today, and I won't be done by then if I start over. And THAT will mean that I have to start over AGAIN. So I have to stay committed now, no exceptions at all.
Don't let it make your gray eyes blue . . .
Day 7 notched!
I'm with 1nceagain in saying you're doing a great job of planning. Sometimes the slipups are unexpected, other times we can plan for them. I think planning for them actually helps prevent a lot of "unintentional" ones as well. When is your girl's birthday, by the way? I don't know if I will use another free day (my last) on Monday for my birthday. Cake I'm not a big fan of but ice cream, especially those soft vanilla cones, those I absolutely love. Then again, I don't need to have it on my birthday. The best present I could give myself would be a long day in the gym! Alas, the gym is closed Monday. Darn! I will think of something else to do. May go for the cone though, may save it for later in the challenge should my resolve waver! In any case, I'm glad you are working through the blahs with exercise. I think too you should forego the scale tomorrow. There's no need to see the numbers and I know even if I expect a gain, it gets me down to actually see the numbers go up. Well, take care and I want to hear a good report from you, okay? 
You're almost through to the carbs... and... 
Hang in there! You're doing so well! 
ah...decisions....
beware...rant ahead...
Rant. Rant. Well, maybe it's water retention from salt. That's all I can think. Oh well, sorry to carry on. My challenge is going ok so far. That's what matters here at least. But, I really, really need to see some progress or I am going to give this whole thing up. If I can eat all the sugar I want and stay the same, then what's the sense of depriving myself and staying the same. It simply makes no sense whatsoever.
Listen up!
Red-You know as well as everyone else here, that this is not going to be easy. It took a long time to get where we are. Give your body a chance to figure out what the heck is up 
! If you feel sure in your mind you are doing every thing right-then maybe you need to change something. Just give what you are doing a tweek, a spin. Maybe you have to go through the drudgery of writing EVERYTHING down until you figure out what is goin on. 
In any case-GIVE YOURSELF SOME CREDIT! You are making difficult changes-you are! Please don't give up now. Ok-yes, I'm selfish. You are a prime inspiration. But If you give up now-what then? We are all in this together. Think of it as a relay team. You can pass the baton and have a rest on day 21-not before! 
Sorry I had to get rough with you Red-Tough Love ya know. 
. So that feel in a heap. Will start modified goals in Day 1 tomorrow. The new and improved 21 Day Challenge goals are:
I can take (and probably need) it. Thanks! 
on my first attempt at this challenge. I don't want to "waste" a free day that early.
starting Day 9.
Glad to see someone is still around here. Great going on getting through Day 9! 
And congrats on the pound loss! 