Hello,

This challenge is harder then I thought. Not doing so hot. But trying. I finally got the weight Tracker figured out. I have not lost any yet since in the group. But trying. I did 30 min of my Cardio Cruiser tonight while watching Biggest Loser. Love the show and the weight loss video. Just started that Yesterday. I am sore today. By the way I am sure you are all wondering about the weight loss. I did that before I joined the group. I have been stuck for some time now on this weight. 180! I lost 90 pounds in a year doing the Toney Little Gazelle. But gained some over the Holiday. :( Anyway thanks for letting be here! Have a great night! Anske

Anske - Great job..90lbs id awesome...I was stuck at a stand still too...I started eating more fruits & veggies and add more protein and my scale started moving again....I went today and bought some protein powder to add to my food...extra protein & less calories than eating chicken etc

Wiley...I wasn't really up that late. It was about 11:30 west coast time. I am a bit of a night owl because I love to have some quiet time after my kids go to bed. Now, I hope you're not going to have a dream about me stuffing my cheeks full of chocolate!

Deanna....How are those burns today? Have you been able to show the thermos who is in charge?

Susie...Great job...2 lbs is great.

Hope everyone is doing well with their fruits and veggies. I struggled with it today but think I pulled it off.

Cat

Well, yesterday I ended up getting 3 fruits in.....does yogurt count? If it does, I had 4 :). I felt like I was forcing it down my throat but hopefully by Sunday, this will be an easier task for me.

So, I just had an affair on my Billy (Blanks that is, no rumors needed here). I did my gazelle for 30 min....oh my lord, I forgot how much it kills my legs. However, its nice to only have dead legs, not dead body like I do after Billy. I think I might keep this affair going until next week, how inspiring to know that Anske lost 90 pounds doing this!!!!!!!!! Wow. Congrats girl!!!

Donna - How does that protein powder taste? Does it add weird tastes/textures to your food that you add it to? As you probably know, I am nurse.... some of my patients get a protein supplement added to their water (usually they have massive wounds, it is great for aiding with healing!) and the water smells like ***! lol well, maybe not ***....but it does not smell appetizing in the least! As I watch them drink it, I watch smiles turn into frowns and they guzzle another cup of plain water after.....so this kinda tells me its nasty....please give me your thoughts.

Deanna - As for the coat....I am with you girl!!!! I hardly EVER wear a coat....and my hubby is like "You ought to know better, dont come complaining to me when you have pheumonia!". Heres the thing....you get in the car, and you sweat your buns off because of the heat....you go into stores and sweat your buns off because its stifling hot and there are people everywhere....why wear a coat for the 30 seconds that your going to be outside going from the car to the store, or the car to the house or whatever. I wouldnt suggest wearing a tank top in the middle of the winter and not wearing a coat...but typically I have a sweater or sweatshirt on or something and if not that, then I definately have a fleece vest on. *Heres to not sweating your cheeks off!!!*

Also, when I go home I always bring a bag of my healthy foods....home is where the good food is, so I do my best to avoid not having heathly foods present. I do cheat when I go home, but its ok to cheat here and there. As for the dessert thing....make a healthy dessert and present that for dessert instead....they might be surprised and like it....dont tell them its healthy until you get some good raves on it. Might not work out for you....but thats how I try to avoid things like that. Christmas I made a peppermint ice cream cake....oh my gosh it was so good!! It had two chocolate cake layers with low fat low cal peppermint ice cream in the middle with fat free cool whip as the icing....everyone lovvvved it.....and then after we all ohhhed and ahhhhed about it, I told them it was only 200 cals a slice :) They were stunned!

Well ladies, I need a serious shower here....I may stink the baby out of the house! Ciao for now!

Oh, I was also wondering how often you all weigh yourself? Hubby says I am becoming obsessed with the scale and that its not healthy to weigh more then once a week!?

I end up hoping on almost 6 times a day. I know that it fluctuates normally, but if I see the scale up a couple of pounds I tend not to reach for that extra snack between meals. Thoughts? Ideas? Comments?

I weigh once a week... I also do my meaasurements once a week also.. i can tell I lost in my belly, the scales not showing it though...

Morgan... that's my explanation also...lol 30 seconds does not justify the uncomfortableness...lol I do have some AWESOME coats though...lol Still buy them, just don't wear them...lol

The burns are good actually, the lips are better and the redness has lightened... they just look and feel chapped now....

OH and get this... I laughed sooo hard... the girls at work sabotaged my stuff...

They put a big sticker (BRIGHT YELLOW)

on my pop saying "CAUTION: will burn if you put HOT stuff in it"...

on my shirt "Caution: will catch your neck if you ZIP it too fast".

on my bag "CAUTION: wil put your eye out if you run with it"

and on my purse "CAUTION: will hurt your foot if you drop it on them"....

Are they not terrible... they said that they were just too nice too long... so I got the RAZZZ....lol

Thank goodness I am not a vegetarian, or I would be dead by now! I just cannot seem to get all those veggies in, nor the fruit. I'm trying to be creative so I don't get bored with just plain ole cut up raw veggies and fruit, but I'm not THAT creative!...Makes me wonder just what I am eating all day, I keep forgetting to write it down...must start that back right away.

Morgan, I don't have a scale, so I am not much help to you there, but when I did, I tried to weigh on the same day once a week, otherwise, I made myself miserable because I didn't think it was coming off fast enough.

Deanna, that's what friends are for - to remind you that there is humor in just about everything!

By the way, I feel just like ya'll do about coats. I hate dragging those darn things around wherever I go, so I just leave one in my truck in case I get stranded or something.

Hope you all have a great day!

Well, I am a vegetarian and I still find this challenge hard. I have no idea what I eat. Well, that's not true....carbohydrates, carbohydrates. Now, I am eating more tofu and veggies.

Weigh Ins: I weigh in every morning before I have anything to eat or drink so not to have an extra ounce in my body..LOL! I think for some time the prevailing theory was that you should only weigh in once a week because your weight will fluctuate during the week and that could be frustrating. However, I recently read an article that suggested new research (I don't know whose research it was) shows that weighing in everyday actually keeps you motivated. This is the case for me. When I see what I weigh in the morning, good or bad, it serves as a good reminder for me during the day. Now, 6 times a day probably doesn't do you any good.....LOL!

Coats??? Its about 70 degrees here today. I never need one out here on the West Coast.

Anske!!!! WOW 90 LBS! Is really amazing. Every time I hear it I am amazed. I hope it rubs off on me.

Got my veggies - for a while
 

Well, I finally figured out what to do after seeing the Swan man drive by. I love the mixed veggies they have with the seasonings. They are really low fat, and I really like them. I totally forgot about them! He dosen't come by my house regularly - can't afford to buy every time, so I have to ration them out, but they are a great change from what I can do to a vegetable. I wish I could learn to cook with herbs so that I could make my own veggies - anyone got any ideas?

Hey girls... you HAVE to hear my news....

I was on the treadmill after school and got called to the office for a phone call.... No one except hubby knew that I was there so I was a little concerned... Well, I get down there and my Principal ios on the phone wiht the District Superintendent and the Secretary said that he needed me next... well I am about peeing my pants because why would the HEAD HONCHO call ME unless it was something I had done wrong????

Well, I finally had my conversation with him and it was the EXACT opposite of what I thought. Get this... He asked me if I would be on a committee to help write a 1/2 million dollar grant for my department!!!!! I have never done such a thing, but I am ready to give it a try... There is another woman on the grant writing committee that is going to be there to help us.... but there are like 6 people going to be on the committee....

It is going to be a proposal for content standards, nutrition, physical fitness, fitness equipment (treadmills, elipticals, etc), to help develop the core program for our school and the expansion of the field!!!

I am SOOOOOOO excited....

But, I am dealing with a headache so I can't be tooooo happy, just a little high five to me... Not wanting to toot my own horn, but..... TOOOOOOOOOOT!!

More later....

Oh, and I just won a Nike mp3 player on ebay....that'll get me moving!!! Good night at the Rainery's!!

Wiley...Who is the Swan Man? Is this a major brand that they sell at stores or they actually deliver? I am picturing a man with big white wings driving a truck!:D

Deanna - That's so cool! I would have freaked out worrying for that meeting too but it sounds like a really great project to participate in....good for you...:hug:

I just got my Nutrisystem food in the mail today. I have to sort it out tonight and hope that my first taste tomorrow is good. I like the plan because I have a hard time figuring out what to eat but always worry that prepackaged food will be weird.

Hope everyone is feeling light on their feet today!

Cat

hey Ladies...Doing great today...I got up early and exercised today before work for the first time...I felt so good all day...this is something I'll have to do more often thats is if I can continues to get my butt out of bed ..lol...
I'm doing well on geting in my fruits & veggies still but it is a challenge...

Deanna - Thats great about the committee...i know you'll do a great job

yeah I never wear a coat either...It's only cold for the few seconds out side but glad that I don't get sick from it

Morgan - I bought a whey protein mix vanilla flavor from a vitamin shop kinda like GNC...I've only used it last night and twice today..I do like it...It really doesn't have no flavor at least when it's mixed with food...so far I've mixed 2 tablespoons in my yogurt as a sanck and mixed in my soy milk and put it on my cereal...1 serving is 4 tablespoons, 90 calories, 17 protein and only 3 carbs per serving...I'm really not a big meat, egg or cheese eater and this has helped my protien intake go up....try it I only paid 7 dollars for mine

Well I can't wait for weigh-in tomorrow..Wish everyone good luck...

You know, I forget that we are all from different parts of the world around here! Cat, there is a co. called Schwan's (swans), and they send a truck to your house every two weeks. It is stocked with all kinds of frozen goodies...meats, breads, veggies, ice cream....stuff that we cannot get at our "supercenters". They have excellent frzn veggies, very fresh, but they may only be here in the South. Besides TX, I know that they are in Louisiana, but that's all I know. I guess they have a website?

Deanna, that sounds like a great program for your school, and you as well! Congratulations on being chosen to be on the committee. I know how you feel about being called by the head hauncho- I've been there...

Donna, as bad as I hate to admit it, I always felt wonderful when I got up early and exercised before I started to work. If they could just make some kind of bed launcher to shoot me out of bed....

I won't be with ya'll Sat-maybe Mon, we are going to stay at a cabin and take the kids fishing and hiking at the lake. My boys have a choice on their birthdays to have a party, or go camping....I enjoy the camping much more! Baby girl is too small for actual "camping", so cabin is second choice.

Hope everyone does great on their weigh in's today :goodscale ...and have a wonderful day and weekend! :bubbles: - I love bubbles...so much fun...

Hey everyone

I'm so excited:cloud9: ..I weight-in today and I've lost 2lbs this week:D ..It's about time since last week I lost nothing...Guess I'm doing something right this week..

Willeyb - Hope you have a great time at the cabin this weekend...Sounds like alot of fun...do some fishing for me..It's been so long since I've fished.

I hope everyone else has a wonderful weigh-in today...Good luck to all My friends :hug: here and have a great day...

I am out for the weekend also... Staying at the in laws Saturday morning until Sunday night or Monday.... I HOPE that I can keep some type of eating proram in place.... I will be thinking about you guys...

We have Schwann's also (Ohio)... I have never bought off of them but my neighbors always do...lol I should look into it... how is that pricing? That's my thing....

Get at me withyour weigh in girls... Thanks!!!

GREAT JOB Donna!!!! WOO HOO>.. I'll update asap!!!

Sorry I haven't been around, gals...
I have been a little busy these last few days.

I just want to say a quick congrats to Donna!
Woohoo! keep up the great work girl!

:carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot:

Hey there girlie girls!

CONGRATS to Deanna...sounds like a WONDERFUL opportunity for you!!! I know you will do wonderfully with it!!!

Also congrats to Donna for making that scale budge! You are right, you must have done something good this week....maybe all those fruits and veggies?! Keep up the great work!

We miss you Kristy....hope all is well, and your not so busy that you arent making time for yourself...remember you are most important.

Today was my weigh in day....and I lost another 5. Any ideas on when this will slow down? I want to keep it off and it feels like its flying off, which doesnt mean its a permanant thing right? I'm not complaining, I love that its coming off....but I'm going to be heartbroken when it stops eventually :( I am trying to mentally prepare myself for that.

Time for a nap, the baby is taking hers and its now or never for me. Hope all is well for the rest of you!!! For those of you taking off this weekend, enjoy!

Ciao Ladies

What a couple of losers!
 

...and I can't wait to become one too! Congratulations to Donna & Morgan for their loss! Here's to ya'll - :cheer:

Deanna, congratulations to you for being picked to do such an important task for your school! I know that you will do a great job with it too! :D

Kristy, we've missed you! Hope everything is going ok!:)

I started on Nutrisystem today and now I know how it works. The food is SO GROSS it may just turn you off of eating forever:D .

I still can't get the taste out of my mouth:( . Pretty much everything is a powder that you mix with water with and it is suppose to be a meal with a fancy name. The exception were the muffins. They weren't a powder to begin with but put them in your mouth and they turn to powder. :dizzy:

My daughter saw my muffin and asked to eat some. I don't wan't her to know I am on a diet so I didn't make a big deal about it but told her I thought it didn't taste good. She tasted it anyway and promptly spit it out. She said, "It is too bad some people have a hard time baking".

Luckily they have a liberal return policy. What a pain to have to go ship all of this back but yuck. Really, really, yuck. I guess I need a new plan. Sigh! I don't think the scale is budging this week but we will see on Saturday.

Cat

Yeah Donna and Morgan!!!
 

Donna and Morgan.....Awesome job this week! Hooray for you!!!:hug: :hug:

Morgan, I know what you mean about the weight coming off too fast. You want it to come of as fast as possible but don't want it to come flying back. I am not sure how old your baby is but are you still loosing pregnancy weight because that always comes off faster? What type of plan are you following. You may have said, I will have to look around.

Cat

Congrats on that 5 pounds Morgan... I WISH mine would come off that fast.... I am creeping with mine...

Cat.... You crack me up... I love the fact that you are contemplating on sending it back.... at least you can... I have been through so many supplements that didn't work and I had the "eat" the cost....

I have to thank you all for the comments on the grant thing... I am very honored to be chosen... I hope it works out... AND I found out that there is 1.5 million up for grabs.... we may end up with about 500,000... which would be WONDERFUL!!!

Hello,

I have been doing really bad. I have endomeriosis and I am in a lot of pain around my monthly for a bout a week in a half. So my exercising is not going well for me. Any sugestions? I am really down about it. The Pain is so bad at times I just lay around the house and do nothing. Well I am still trying. I will keep you posted. Anske

Just hang in there... on a lighter note, and I hope this helps... Exercising releases chemicals called endorphins which are NATURAL pain relievers. I always tell my girls when they try to get out of practice because of cramps.... I know that endo is MUCH MORE painful but maybe try to work through it...

Hope it helps...

well I did do to good today and the fruit & veg...I hate working the night shift..It never fails that I can never managed to get in all my calories and eat right...We just get to busy at night to take breaks and I miss eating my snacks and meals...Glad that I only have to work 1 night a week.

Morgan - Congrats on the 5lbs....I agree it could be baby weight...also you lose more at the begining on your diet...Just keep eating right, exercise and drink your water and you should be okay..

Cat - Sorry your food taste so bad...have you thought about counting calories...Its not has hard as it seem and fitday really helps you watch how your doing..

Anske....I have the same problem. Well they aren't sure if it's endo or a ovarian cyst sitting on a nerve but just after that time of the month I am in so much pain for days I can't see straight. I take alot of pain relievers but always seem to gain weight during that time. I get migraines and this pain is worse. I don't have any great suggestions for you but just know you aren't alone. I think this is a big cause of my weight gain. When the pain is gone I feel motivated, workout, eat right and lose weight. The pain comes back, I can't sleep, get really tired don't eat right, etc. I am sorry you are going through this! Hugs to you! My only suggestion, which is what I am trying, is to try to plan ahead what I am going to eat during that time and take light walks and do some stretching. Donna is right about the endorphins but sometimes easier said then done.

Donna - What I am going to do is count calories and use some frozen meals for a while. I like Amy's brand frozen meals and am going to use those for portion control. I just need something easy right now. I just planned out what I am going to have to eat each day and am going to go shopping tomorrow.

Happy Friday!

Cat

Hi all! Boy it's been a busy week with work and school...glad I finally have the chance to say hi to everyone!

Anske- Deanna is right about exercise helping with cramps...but I'm not sure if it works the same way with endometriosis...I'd be interested to hear your input. Has your doc put you on any meds (birth control, muscle relaxants, pain meds)? My friend's doctor put her on birth contol specifically for the endometriosis becuase it can reduce the pain and damage done.

Deanna- a belated congrats on the grant committe...how wonderful for you! It is wonderful when you are recognized at work by the head honchos!

Morgan- I sell tons of types of protein powders at the GNC I work at. I have heard the cheap ones you can buy at Walmart/K-Mart/etc don't taste as good. The 2 brands I recommend to my customers are Designer Whey Protein and GNC Pro Performance 100% whey protein. The whey proteins tend to have less fat, calories, and sugar than soy protein. The protein drinks taste best if you serve them very cold (some people blend with ice) and ff milk tastes better than plain water. You can always add fruit for added flavor. And congrats on the loss! I lost more quickly while counting calories too...it's slowed down a bit since I started core but I am still losing.

Everyone else--keep up the great work! Every little bit counts!

Hello all,

My doctor wanted me to be on birth control pills and I refused to take them. In the past I took birth control and gained weight. I have gone to far to get the 90 pounds off to take a pill and have weight added back on. I have gained some back just on Holidays alone. I am just scared to gain some back ya know. Thanks for everyones advise. You are an awsomw group. Keep up the good work. Anske

Hey girls!!!!!!! How are all of you doing??? Let me tell you right off...I was down for the ENTIRE week!!!! I manage to pull my muscles that are right on the nerves of the spine. I had to lie flat for 15 minutes with a small towel under my neck. I had to do this for the week. So, I am afraid to say, I HAD NO EXERCISE!!!! UUUGGGHH!!!! But, it's okay....I ate healthy. I did not weigh myself yesterday because #1- I am on my period, and #2- I had no exercise. I did not want to look at the scale and be disapointed in myself. so I say, "out of sight, out of mind." LOL!

I am sooo proud of everyone! You all are going to be wearing that bikini in no time!!! ;) I go to my doctors on Monday to see if he'll let me do anything...even stretching. Boy, I really, REALLY missed you all! :hug: I REALLY missed the exercising. :(

I can't stay on long..my back is already starting to hurt. I will email all of you. I am having trouble retreiving emails today so I am hoping I will not have the trouble sending them.

Chat to you all later.................

emerald dragonfly

Way to go on those who lost weight!!!! Keep up the great work. We are all worth it!!!

Anske

Hi!

I hope you all had a great weekend. I didn't lose any weight this week. So, on to next week!

Cat

Alright ladies.....as you all know, I was the lucky one of the week and need to think up a challenge for you all.....last weeks fruits and veggies challenge is going to be a tough one to beat!!

I was thinking about stuff that I need to improve on....thinking that we probably all have similar deficits when it comes to weight loss. Here is the "skinny" on my challenge:

Simple : Walk as much as possible!!
Ex: Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park as far away from the store as you can and resist the closest parking spot these are just a couple of examples but I am sure you get my drift.

I bought a pedometer last week and am averaging like 15,000 steps per day, my personal goal is to beat that.

Good luck with this ladies, I know its very simple but for those of us that dont choose these simple steps in the right direction, I am guessing we should see some good results because of it.

I'll be back later....ciao chicas

Yaaahooo, Kristy!!!! :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: That's great news both about your loss and your anniversary too!

Morgan, I just bought a pedometer and think this is a great idea. 15,000 steps sounds great. I have to see how much I am walking but I doubt that much. Do you include an actual workout walk or this is just what you get in around the house, working and running errands?

Cat

Hey Ladies... Finally back home... But, I have bad news... I flippin' gained 2 pounds this week... I KNOW it had to be from the weekend... we had wings, Red Robin, spaghetti, CAKE, URGH... I am sooooooo mad because I worked my butt off last week...

Anyway... I have to get everythign updated and I'll do it here in a little bit... 24 is on and hubby and I are HUGE fans...

We also discussed this weekend that I am going back to our local gym... There is SOMETHING about this place that I usually lose a ton... I think it's a combination of people and mutual goals.... I am going there tomorrow after school to sign back up!!!

I'll be back on later.... Talk soon!

Sounds great...15,000 steps...I'm going to have to go buy a pedometer...i was thinking about it anyway...

Kristy - way to go ...I knew you could do it..

Deanna - sorry to hear about the gain...You'll do better this week...congrats on going back to the gym

Hi Gals..... Just a quick note to let you know I'm still on the planet. Good challenge, Morgan. I have a pedometer, I'll have to start using it. Of course I must get my butt MOVING!!! My knees have been hurting so much lately it's hard to walk much, but I'll chug the pain pills and GO. I haven't weighed myself--I'm waiting until next week. More tomorrow, ok? Got to sign off--bad headache. Huggsss, Marion

Marion- get to feeling better..PLEASE!!!!! :hug:

Kristy- Congrats on both your weight loss and anniversary! :carrot:

Deanna- you can be hard on yourself just for this one day..then GET OVER IT!!! LOL! Think positive now. You know why you gained the weight, so stay away from the foods that sabatoged you. LOL!! For reals though, don't beat yourself up. name one person from this group who hasn't gained weight. HUH??? can't, can you? See, no one is perfect. Start over tomorrow..it'll be a new day for you! I believe in you.........

Morgan- GREAT challenge. Today at the doctors office, I was told NO EXERCISES FOR ! MORE WEEK!!!! I was mordified! but she told me to walk, walk, walk! So, great minds think alike. ;) I walked for 1 hour today, my back ached but it felt good to move.

anske- I remeber all the weight I gained while on birth control...God, I'm so glad I can't take them anymore!!!!

Okay, everyone do me proud this week! :D I am hoping to at least lose 1 pound..LOL. I guess it's better than not losing anything.

Chat with you all tomorrow!!!!

emerald dragonfly

Hi all, today was my official weigh in..I am down to 235.5 pounds- I think that is 2.5 pounds down from last week. I am really excited! I wasn't able to work out much last week because of my darn cold...but I watched my eating really well and I guess it paid off!

Morgan- excellent challenge...every little bit counts!

Kristy- congrats on your weight loss and on your anniversary

Deanna- keep your chin up...remember we're in this for the long haul..don't let one bad week upset you...just focus on making this new week better!

Marion- sorry to hear your hurting so bad...I can empathize with the feeling. I have fibromyalgia and it makes everything so much harder.

Best of luck to all for a happy healthy week!

Vanessa! Fantastic job!!! You did a wonderful job even without getting your workouts in last week. Good luck this week.

Cat