[Amarantha2]

Yowza!!! For some reason I stayed at the gym three hours, just kept exercising, then jogged in the parking lot, then came back in and took a tai chi class. Must be the cooler weather (the monsoon broke last night)!

Wildfire, times six for your scale victory!!! That's a fantastic loss and I'm willing to bet it'll hold!!! Sorry you got caught in the blackout ... and that you had to eat that ice cream ... lucky your dh was willing to step up to the plate and deal with the crisis! Seriously, hope you're doing ok ... am assuming you're back up or you wouldn't be posting ...

Apple Blossom: on renewing your commitment ... and on adding those 100 situps a day ... you're more intrepid than I!!!

Zadie: I'm glad to find there's another person who does spreadsheets, charts and graphs with calories!!!

Later, gators!

[sleepyangel508]

Hey guys,

I've been following a 21 day challenge along with you all. I have successfully had absolutely no soda in that time frame, I'm so happy!!! Just had to share that with you all, bye!

[Cerise]

Happy Friday, gorgeous girls!

I've decided that Sunday's the kickoff day for my 21-day challenge. That'll give me enough time to amass info. about counting calories. Wish I hadn't given my calorie-counting book away last year when THAT effort failed. Poo.

So, my 21-day challenge goals will be:

1. Eat no more than 1700 calories per day,
2. Every day alternate situps with lower-back exercises (the one where you lay on your belly and raise one arm and the opposite leg and hold it).

Sound good? Thanks to everyone for your support! I've been following you all and am very proud of you.

AppleBlossom: I wish I could've kicked off with you, but wasn't quite ready. Maybe next time...

I did it! One day down. I finished the day with 1585 calories. And the thing that I'm supremely proud of is after working 10 hours I came home and walked on the treadmill for 2 1/2 miles!!!! I don't know how that happened, wasn't expecting it. I think that I was possessed by 'the Queen Within'! So I'm feeling great. Tired, but great. Ready to do it again tomorrow!

We're all doing so well. This board is such an inspiration to me---know that I'm paying attention even if I don't mention everyone personally.

Can't let Wildfire's 6 missing pounds pass though---WOOHOO!

[redballoon]

I'm on to Day 4! Yahoo! Why does that sound like an Internet site these days?
The days seem to be going by more slowly than usual. We're on our third day of steady steady rain here. I'm thinking of building an ark.

Amarantha, amazing stuff at the gym yesterday. You're rebounding from the slump it seems. More power to you!

What's this, a sleepyangel logging in?!! Hello there. How far along are you on the challenge? How'd you fare in the blackout? Tell us more.

Cerise, good choice on the exercises. We'll be awaiting the scheduled kickoff time eagerly! Good luck!

Eydie, You're an inspiration. Treadmill after 10 hours! Fantastic. I've brought my workout stuff to work today. Let's see if I can follow suit with an after-work gym appearance.

Hello to everyone else! Good luck!

[Wildfire]

Thank you, Amarantha and Eydie!

Amarantha, WOW! Now that's a workout!

Glad you got through the day, Eydie, and conquered the treadmill to boot!

[Apple Blossom]

Ok, day one went well. Got a 20 min jog, 10 min walk in, but still need to do 100 sit-ups...I'll do them right after my post because you are all so inspirational!!!! I love you guys!!!
Good job with the soda Sleepy!
Cerise-even if we're not on the same day, we'll get through it together!!!
Way to go Eydie and Amaratha!!

[redballoon]

Sorry I forgot some of you! You were on the other page!

zadie k, congratulations on making it to Day 4. It seems to me like your days are going by faster than mine?!!? You are stronger than the alfredo. Yes!!

Wildfire, you are really moving along too. Major accolades for Day 10 and the weight loss! Oh, you are an inspiration too with your ice cream save helped by a loving husband!

Oh, and Amarantha, love that comment for Wildfire on ''husband stepping up to the PLATE!''

Apple Blossom (and beautiful Sabrina) you can do those old situps. We are counting for you!! Yeah!!

*********

Right, just wanted to get you all in there. Sorry to have missed some of you earlier.

[Amarantha2]

Yowza! Sleepyangel!!! So glad you posted about your challenge and how you've been doing it with us!!! to you for the sodaless days. Also have fingers crossed for you that you are ok with the blackout. Please keep posting with us and letting us know how your challenge is going!

RB!!! to you for your move to DAY 4!!! Great work!!!

AB of the cute canine, on Day One and the determination on the 100 situps! Everytime I do a situp in the next week, I'm going to dedicate it to you!

Cerise: Your plan sounds like a good one! Here's to a successful kickoff !!!!! You're gonna ace it!!!

Wildfire!!!!! Yowza!!! You're doing great!!

EYDIE!!!! I KNEW YOU'D DO IT!! The within never fails us when we listen carefully for her! Yowza!

Not sure when I'll post tomorrow as I'm nervous about getting to my seminar on time ... but for now my report is 1750 calories for day four and on to

DAY FIVE!!!

No jive!

To all, mentioned and unmentioned, avanti!!

Got up this morning and stepped on the scales and it looks like I'm UP a pound. I really wanted with all my hard work, weighing and measuring, journaling, etc. to drop ONE pound a week--I thought that was more than reasonable. What's going on with me?
At this moment, I feel absolutely demoralized, but am determined not to let any self-sabotage take over. [Going to be a loooong day.... ]
Won't go on any longer, as I'm perilously close to full blown whining. Maybe the extra pound is just some weird fluke?

The quest continues.......

[redballoon]

Eydie, DON'T WORRY!!! This is why I stay away from scales. You can't expect the loss to be registered on the very day you step on the scale. It may have been there a day ago or two days ago and now there's water retention or fat is being changed into water and then will leave your body. Remember that the water generated by melting fat weighs more than the fat when it's getting ready to leave your body. You really, really mustn't let this get to you.

If you're going to worry about weight a lot then weigh yourself EVERY day. Then you'll see just how much the body fluctuates.

Hang in there! The same thing happens to all of us and it seems to happen when we're trying our hardest and doing our best. Don't feel bad though of course we all feel horrible when it happens but those who persist will see their victory later. You've already won. You just can't see it. Don't be demoralized!! Look at Amarantha. She's been having gains. But if you stick with it you WILL see a drop.

***

Well, I've made it through Day 4! Even went to the gym after work and did weights, jogged, did the arm/shoulder/ab routine there too. Still have to write up the food journal though.

I was inspired and it was mostly thanks to you all, especially those people who work out after work. That takes some doing!!

[Amarantha2]

EEENY MEEENY CHILE BEANIE, THE SPIRITS ARE ABOUT TO SPEAK TO EYDIE!!!!! EYDIE!!!! IT IS WAAATEEER AND DEMON SCALE'S OL' TRICKS!!!!! IT'LL BE GONE IN A DAY OR SO!!! YOUR HARD WORK HAS NOT GONE UNREMARKED BY THE UNIVERSE AND YOUR REWARD WILLLLLLLL COME ... WHINE IF YOU MUST, BUT THE WEIGHT LOSS IS IN THE BAG ... IT'S ON ITS WAY ... SOOON!!

[zadie k]

Hello All,
Well I have made it to day five. Funny scale story to tell: my boyfriend just bought a new good scale (as opposed to the old crappy one we had) and ....I weight 6 pounds more than I thought. Yikes. I guess it is good to know on one level, but at the same time ignorance was bliss when it got me below 150. Aparently the higher the weight the more inaccurate old scale was because boyfriend weight 20 pounds more on the new scale.

Well, eating just as I should, cause I got a ways to go.

[Angel26519]

Hello All-----

Well I was doing great until yesterday!

I am going to start over tomorrow.... I am changing several things that I am doing.... but basically just cutting out all the bad things.....

Will start my challenge tomorrow.... It sounds like everyone else is doing really well.... Keep up all the good work.... you guys are all inspirational!!!!

[Cerise]

Happy Saturday, my dears!

Got thrown for a bit of a loop last night during a visit to my Bro and SIL's. Elisabeth is a personal trainer and has degrees in nutrition and psychology, so you can imagine that I consult with her frequently on my Journey to Fitness . Anyway, she forbade me absolutely to portion out my food based on caloric value, since it's ultimately unsustainable (true at least for me - I sure as **** am not going to count those poopers all my life). So, my new goal for the 21-day challenge is to eat only when I'm hungry, eat only until I'm satisfied, and bulk up with only whole grains and veggies. A much vaguer (is that a word?) and harder-to-police goal that calorie-counting, but I believe that SIL is right when she says that I'd only be listening to the calories rather than my body's needs.

Special note: Don't think for one minute that I'm pooh-pooing other peoples' efforts to count calories or points. No. I don't think SIL is either. It's just that she knows me very well and knows that I haven't listened to my body's needs for a long time. Calorie counting, while a legitimate way for most experienced "dieters" (hate that word) to regulate intake, won't work for someone who'll just use it as a crutch. I've ignored my body's signals for so long that I never do know what it needs to eat, so though this new plan will be more difficult, hopefully it will lead to me being a more sparing and sensitive eater. No offense intended. If I've hurt someone's feelings I'll die.


So, anyway, ladies, on to wonderful YOU.

Zadie, take a hammer to your old scale!!! Cruel, miserable teaser that it was. On to increased accuracy and better certainty in your real weight. Man, if it wasn't giving you accurate ACTUAL weight, it probably wasn't giving you good RELATIVE weight, either (you know, from one day to the next?). We don't call them devil scales for nothing...

Day FIVE, Empress!! You're the shiznit, or whatever. YOU RULE!! You know, your challenge might be "The Thing" that gets me on the fast-track to fitness. Ever thought about that? Huh?

Eydie, dear, what the other ladies said. I've been as close a monitor of your efforts as anyone, and you're doing GREAT!!! Remember that the scale is only ONE indicator of progress. I'm so very proud of you.

Apple Blossom, great going on the jog/walk! Good luck with the situps. Thanks for being with me, love. Arm-in-arm, marching up the hill!

Wildfire, DAMN. Six pounds?!? (Reminder to Eydie: SEE? You stagnate for a while then the scale plunges. Remember!) You are burning up, girl? for the Official Monday Weigh-In.

RedBalloon, do you work out outside or in? If out, this rain must be really cramping your style. Do laps around the ark if you have to. I'm waiting in suspense to hear about Day 5...

SleepyAngel, come back and tell us how you felt after giving up all that canned sugar! You're doing a wonderful thing for your body.

Ramon Report : My partner is the sweetest man on earth. When I put my head on his shoulder and whined for a minute about how I WANTED to count calories because that's the only time I could remember the pounds dropping off the scale , he kindly reminded me of that one summer when I lifted weights and walked a treadmill every day, and sort of "watched" what I ate, and I dropped the pounds just as effectively then and looked great. Isn't he lovely? I swear, sometimes those significant others say something perfect, just what we need. I guess it's why we keep them.

Love to all,