Hi ladies!
So sorry I've been so busy the past few days to post. Still going strong, although I'm a little PMSy the past few days and it's hard to not snack here/there. I've added a little more clean food into my plan just to avert an all-out binge this week. I swear, PMS kills me sometimes.

Susan--I too experience lower back pain when doing yoga. When I lived in CA, I had an excellent instructor who was absolutely diligent about correcting my positioning. When I moved back here, the instructor did the entire class with her eyes closed, never checking form. I know I was off, but with no help, my lower back would ache for a few days after class. My advice is to make sure your form is correct--it's crucial in both yoga and pilates.

I was reading through the posts about muscularity (found the link on L&S). I think that women are really intimidated by other women who lift weights, heavy weights especially. I'm constantly explaining myself at the gym to both men and women who ask me how why I want to make my butt bigger by squatting, etc. These questions even come from other trainers!! So frustrating the mis-information out there. I remember all too clearly what I used to think of female bodybuilders--now I want to look like one, of course! I get tired of people telling me I'm too skinny, too tiny. I want to be bigger, with muscles that pop! I'm getting there, but I only wish there was some way to magically pack on those pounds of lean muscle. In my dreams, I guess!

I gotta run to make it to work on time--have a great day ladies.
Maggie

Hi Ladies,

Well free day turned into a few days:(

Not trying to make excuses, but I had my mother visiting this weekend and I ate my way through unresolved issues with her. I won't bore you with the details. I'm feeling a little disheartened about how I'm doing in this challenge with you gals. BUT - if not for this board I would probably use this weekend to derail myself for a good few months. You ladies do inspire me to be better than my old self and I agree with Susanje - when I see those pics of PamB and MrsJim it gives me hope. So I'm movin on with my water.

MrsJim - that other thread - like water off a duck's back - a lean and strong duck - kinda like those chickens that lift weights on that commercial on TV (you get that one in the USA?) It's a commercial for a brand of chicken meat and the chickens are working out in a gym. Always makes me chuckle. I'm a closet weight lifter around here too - I've just given up on trying to explain the benefits of it - I'm not exactly a poster girl either - but I will prove to them (family, friends) that it does work!

Quick question - I saw the chicken recipe posted from Rich at L&S. One hour seems like an awfully long time to cook chicken breasts no?

Well time to get the armour on and back in the trenches!

Hey TH - I've done the chicken breasts twice already. Trust me, with all that foil, and at 350 degrees, an hour is not too long. Actually since you put liquid (chicken broth or lemon juice) in with the chicken and have the pan tightly sealed, you're really POACHING them I think. I cross-posted the recipe here in our Recipes thread as well.

Fail fast! Believe me, I'm sure most - if not all - of us have had those days. I know I have. :) I'm definitely not perfect. But what you do is learn from your mistakes and move on. We don't have that chicken commercial here BTW...or if we do, I haven't seen it (I usually just watch the news and Seinfeld for the most part).

I had a SUPER workout today - bis and tris...and when I was doing skulls I thought of JC's story about the gal glaring at her...almost laughed out loud! :lol:

This is odd...I was having my hair cut on Saturday and Stephen (my hair stylist) said he noticed my hair (which has always been fine) is getting THICKER. I dunno if it's because of all the protein or EFAs or what. But I do believe that weight training slows down or might even reverse the aging process!! Because I figured years ago that my hair was so fine that I'd be using Rogaine by the time I was 40...which is less than 2 months away. I'll have to rethink that now :)

Okay gals - we're gonna have another great day!!! Woohoo!

Hello girls,

Everyone seems to be doing so exeptionally well.... I had a great workout this morning, LBWO, last night I went for a good brisk walk and in the morning I did cardio and abs at the gym.... On Monday evening too I went for a walk....

Here's a cute story... Daughter and I were watching TV, I was lying on my stomach she had her head on my butt.... She said: "Mommy relax your butt it's too hard..." I said: "It is relaxed..." she said: "ok make if hard then....(so I did) and she said: "wow it's really hard now..." :lol: I was pleased as punch... as you can see it' doesn't take me much :o I thought it was cute...

Maggie ~ PMS killed me last week.... I was soooooooooo B****y that I could not believe I was the one talking at times... It blows me away at times.... I feel like it's an out of body experience...

TH ~ just keep posting here and talk your way through with us... we're all in the same boat really.....

The only problem with me lately is my water..... I don't have time at work.... i barely can go pee.........

Anyway i have to go i'm only on lunch....

bye all

Hi girls,

I learned a valuable lesson tonite at supper time.... I had meal 3 at 12 and didn't eat in the afternoon, or 2 - 3 hours later, like I should have.... I got home at 4:30 positively ravenous!!!:dizzy:
I ate 3 slices of bread, whole wheat (thank goodness), WITH margarine on it....:nono:ewwwwwwwwwww:ink: then I calmed down and had fresh tomatoes with a can of salmon....I'm going to be careful with the carbs in meal 5 tonite....

Starring at the gym makes me laugh.... I don't get it anymore because I go so early and the real lifters young and old are there... I feel at the gym that people stare at my shoulders, they are extremely wide, always have been, even as a kid.... My mother used to buy dresses to fit my shoulders, then hem the heck out of the skirt to the right length....:lol:
I have trouble buying jeans, do any of you? It's a real delema to shop for jeans for me....

I leg pressed 400 this morning.... first time ever!!
:strong: :strong:

I've been getting back pain too since I started speed walking at nite, and at the gym I used the incline on the treadmill at 8.5% at times, so I may slow down on that incline for a few weeks and make it more gradual...

Karen ~ I'm sure your thicker shinnier hair has lots to do with your eating.... what a great compliment to get! and I'm positive weight training keeps the years away... I just have to keep away from the sun and tanning bed so that my SKIN stays young.... My mother-in-law was a redhead, and could not go out in the sun at all because she would burn... and when she passed away at 81 she had the most beautiful skin, her daughter, my sister-in-law who is in the sun constantly is only 50 something and she looks older than her mother did at 81....and her face is creased with wrinkles, she also SMOKES!!

Well girls, gotta go do groceries.... good clean food...

See you all later :grouphug:

Hey Hey!!
 

Hey everyone.....

Susan: I would say the lower back pain is from Yoga. I used to get it all the time. As for the bloating - how much water do you drink?

Thunder: So you fell of the wagon? What are you going to do about it huh? huh? :D

MrsJim: Yeah my hair has gotten thicker and healthy since being healthy - just another awesome benefit I guess!
Hey I think I know why that girl was staring at me - I took some photos last night (urgh :mad: ) and I STILL have tonnes of weight to lose but anyway I took a flexing shot and geez I have BIG GUNS! I didn't know my biceps had gotten so big! Check it out! I'm scary! :s:

Lana: your daughter sounds so cute. Children are always HONEST so you can be proud! Sorry I can't help you on the jean front.

Well today is a great day but Ihad a bad start to it. Last night I took some updated pictures for my L&S profile and I was *****ing because I have lot nearly 50 lbs and am about 18 lbs off my goal weight and I thought that I was 'getting there.' Well after seeing the pictures I realised that losing the 18 wasn't going to get me anywhere so I had to alter my goal. It was actually really hard for me because firstly I have had that goal for a year now and secondly because I couldn't get past the mental goal of 'I have never been smaller than 145 lbs' - note at this point I never stepped on a scale until I was 17. After complaining for a while hubby just turned to me and said 'WILL YOU GET IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD that you can't be any smaller that 145?' You can do it - just change your goal!

Well that hit me big time - another mental self-limiting belief I had established. I had a bad night's sleep and then when I got up hubby just hugged me hard for a few minutes :grouphug: and I said to him 'remind me why I am doing this again?' He said to me 'because the look you are going for is smaller than you first anticipated and you have come so far already' So I dragged my butt to the gym and did my workout. It was the single hardest morning I have ever had on BFL or any program.

I have a lot of deep thinking to do now to get my head right to finish this!

JC

Hi there
 

What a long day this has been. Alarm was set wrong and I didn't even look at the clock when I got up and hit the treadmill, so when I got off, it was 1/2 hour later than it was supposed to be, leaving 15 minutes to wake groggy son, convince him that if he stopped complaining, he COULD get dressed, eat and make it to the bus stop. And that I wasn't really the WORST parent in the world. Then repeated process with daughter, who drove out to Ohio today to go back to school. Then argued with boss for a while..... but had an AWESOME back and bi workout! If I could just live a the gym, it would be so much easier! LOL.

JC- Glad to see you back at l&s... I have the same problems/quandry with goal weight. I actually started BFL last January after reaching what I thought my goal weight was. I just picked 135 out of a hat, because that was the last weight I remember being able to maintain. At 135, I still felt fat and my bf was around 28%. So I started BFL thinking I'd look like the "after" pics in 12 weeks, and would lose a bunch more weight. C1 I gained 3 pounds but bf% dropped to 22. Not exactly a stellar transformation, but a start. C2, I think I lost 2 pounds and bf dropped to 19%. C3 ends a week before our challenge, and unless there is some miracle, scale is staying the same, bf maybe down 2% more. Each time I get to a goal, I realize that's not what I wanted, and I still don't look right. My husband has been super supportive, too when I start wailing about it. But he did make the comment that I should keep in mind the big picture- that I had set a goal and reached it and should be proud of that. And that constantly revising the "look" goal downward in terms of body fat is like constantly revising a lifting goal upward- each day, the iron wins at the end. Hmm...I think I've lost whatever I was trying to say.

MrsJim- My hair is just getting grayer, but my NAILS are stronger. Think I scared 'em on the other thread?

Susan- I'm always "bigger' at night. I'm real careful now to NOT measure except first thing in the am. Too depressing otherwise.

Lana- I have a lot of trouble buying jeans. My waist measurement won't budge, but my thighs and butt are getting really lean. If it fits in the waist, it's baggy everywhere else. Oh, for the hourglass figure!

TH- Welcome back. Sending the wagon your way.

mel

HEY the hourglass figure has it's disadvantages as well!

I CANNOT get these thighs to move!

JC :D

I thought I would stop in!
 

After a whirlwind trip to Vegas and loads of e-mail upon my return... I have found myself unable to sleep and thinking about all of you and the challenges you are putting yourselves through. I thought I would stop in and see how it's been going.

I hope you all are still excited about getting to those goals you set for yourselves! You should be... even if you have had some setbacks, you can reach those goals you have set for yourself. One of you referred to yourself as being thickheaded... that's me... without a doubt! I just got so stubborn and so thick headed that even when I "blew it" and blew it miserably, I would somehow find my way back to that thick headed determination to see this thing through. I was bound and determined to claim the victory once and for all.

Believe it or not I still have my challenges with food. I've been wrestling the last few days because I have the "freedom" to eat whatever I want now that my competition is over. But what exactly is this freedom anyway? It's the freedom to make wise choices for yourself. Wise choices include healthy choices, include choices for your mental well being, choices for your family, and choices for your own self respect. I choose to eat clean on most days so that I can live a healthy, energetic, self respecting life! Now I have to admit, I have had a lot of fun enjoying some sweets with my 4 year old!! ;) But instead of eating ALL the cookies... we saved some for daddy! :lol:

Be proud of yourselves for continuing your journey onto better health and happiness! I applaud you ladies for all your efforts and your support of one another!

All the best!

Pam

THANK YOU! so much for stopping by Pam. I know how busy you are and I am sure I speak for everyone when I say that it means a LOT to us that you are thinking of us.

Take care and I look forward to your email.

JC

Good morning everyone!!!
 

Just got back from the gym - cardio only day for me!

I have today off from work and a busy day it's going to be...cleaning the house...getting food ready for our road trip...laundry, laundry, laundry...quality time with Sparky...and of course time here at 3FC and L&S...

I'm also going back to the gym at noon today to check out a class called "Pi-Yo". It's supposed to be a cross between Pilates and yoga.

Jim talked to his mom last night and (this is so great) let her know that I was bringing my OWN FOOD during this trip and GRILLED her about where we were going to eat on Saturday night to make sure I could order something 'clean'. What a love! Of course Joan (Jim's mom) is a dear and asked what I COULD eat. I said as long as we go to a place where I could get chicken breast or fish and veggies (low-carb week for me) and lots of water and iced tea (my going-out-to-eat beverage) I'll be okay. I want to keep Sunday as my free day. We'll be so busy anyway that I'll probably have to REMIND myself when to eat! :lol:

OH and Jim said he wants to watch what HE eats too. He is intent on making the Bay Area-to-San Diego trip in less than 7 hours so NO STOPPING unless it's to fuel up or pee! :dizzy: (Of course we ARE stopping at the Kellogg Arabian Horse Ranch at California State Poly University in Pomona - he promised me that months ago... http://www.csupomona.edu/~equine/farm.htm

JC - I AM SO GLAD that you are posting once again at L&S. See how much you were missed, girlfriend??? Now if we could only get SUSAN to start posting there again...yeah, I know, law school really chews away at what 'free time' you might have! I have the same problem with my thighs BTW...the hourglass figure can be a real curse sometimes...usually I can see my abs before I see much thigh definition - weird huh? That's why I just decided to HECK with the numbers on the scale and even the calipers. I'll just go by 'look and feel' which is really what matters anyway!

PAM!!! I am so glad you decided to check in!! Sorry I didn't post right away...but I had to put my foot down on my evening Internet/PC use...because as I said, our office is in the kitchen and evenings are my worst time, as far as eating. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about food. I know a lot of 3FC'ers check in here even if they don't post. That little stir that happened on the main Diet Plans board (regarding the definition of 'lifting heavy' and muscularity) actually did some good as I've been PM'ed by a few folks wondering about bodybuilding and BFL. I know so many women are scared of weight lifting...and all those old myths still flying around that 'weights will make you too bulky' etc. etc. My hope and dream is that our little corner here (in conjunction with L&S - I really feel that our BFL/BB forum here is kind of a 'offshoot' or hand-in-hand with L&S) can dispel some of those myths for those who are on the 'diet roller coaster' and trying every pill, infomercial product, etc that promises the moon - with the only 'guaranteed weight loss' ultimately occuring in people's wallets... okay that's today's sermon...

Mel - Nails? What are nails??? :lol: I used to get mine done every two weeks...but stopped when I started taking riding lessons. Being around horses and weights isn't exactly condusive to nail growth - besides I'm a biter from way back...yeah, I know, bad habit!

Lana - My problem with jeans is the LENGTH. Obviously I have shorter legs than average according to the manufacturers. If I buy jeans at Nordstrom, they will hem them for me at no extra charge - unfortunately it appears they stopped carrying my favorite ones (DKNY Classics) so I have to go to Macy's (not like I'm doing much clothes shopping these days as I'm paying down bills right now in preparation for purchasing my own wheels).

Woo! Gotta go and get Jim ready for work (I have a kajillion hours of Paid Time Off - but he's saving his up) and check out L&S...I'll be baaacck...

Hey, I wasn't able to check-in for a few days and miss so much activity . . . I'll have to tell my boss to lighten my work load!!!

Thunder -- Hang in there! I hit a rough patch last week and had to work hard to get re-motivated. (the support from all the great people on this site helped tremendously). It seems to me that we're all trying to do our best every day. Sometimes this means we make it, but sometimes we don't. The key -- or what I keep reminding myself -- is to stay with the challenge of being/doing the best I can one day at a time. If I dwell too much on my past failures, I'm never going to get healthy; if I dwell too much on -- oh my God! will I have to go to the gym for the rest of my life -- I get overwhelmed. This goes to something JEC said -- really thinking about why each of us is doing this. For me, it's important to try to really figure out what I want with this eating/fitness challenge. Is it just to lose weight? If so, then there may be other methods that work (i.e., WLS). Is it to fit into some ideal female shape? Get fit? Deal with health issues? Etc. The answers (and I don't think it's ever a one-or-the-other type thing) drive the level of commitment to this, or any other, fitness/weight loss routine. For me, I'm trying to view this challenge as a process -- sure, I may be through with C3FC in 3 more weeks, but I can't go back to my old habits or the progress I've made (lost weight, gained muscle) will be gone. Mentally (and as many of you have said in the past, so much of the battle takes place in our minds), I'm trying to take a long view of what I'm hoping to accomplish, and to enjoy the journey along the way. (Sorry for long ramble . . .)

On a lighter topic: jeans - I have problems buying all types of pants 'cause I'm short waisted and have long legs. So, if the pants fit in the inseam, they're way too short; if they fit in length, the inseam falls half-way to my knees. :dizzy: I actually like the hip-hugger-style pants, 'cause they actually hit my waist about right!

Anyway, gotta go do some work. Hang in there everyone! Ciao. Mox

Hi Everyone,
Still stumbling along. I tried on some jeans that were baggy on me about 3 months ago and now I can't even zipper them up - ACKKKK!!! I gotta shake this off somehow. To answer your question JEC I don't know yet what I'm gonna do about it - but I'm gonna figure something out - I am getting way out of control. By the way JEC you look awesome - checked out your profile at L&S - you've come a long way!! How did you get past all of your starts and stops that you mentioned in your profile?

MOX - It's like you crawled inside my head and read what I've been stressing over the last few days - to the point of immobility. I am dwelling on all I have undone and looking at all the weight I have yet to lose (90lbs +) It just doesn't seem achievable right now. I need to look at it one day at a time like you say. I need to take another look at why I am wanting to do this and reclaim that energy I had to complete my first challenge. So thank you for your rambling (as you put it) - it's triggering some things I really need to look at. I know what you all are probably thinking - JUST DO IT!!!

Not for more excuses but it has been a vulnerable/stressful week for me - Mom's visit, PMS/TOM, and my daughter started school for the first time. But I had stresses and visits during my first challenge and I worked my way through it. My focus is getting lazy and I need to remind myself daily what I'm trying to achieve. I know what you all are probably thinking - JUST DO IT!!

Now I feel like I'm rambling - thanks for listening - it really does help to talk (type) this out. I don't mean to be a wet blanket - I'm still cheering you gals on! I promise I'll quit the whining now until I've got my sh#t together!

MrsJim - I just have to mention that your hubby is sooo supportive of you - that is sooo awesome - you picked a good one!

Thunderheart - thanks! I guess I was second time lucky :) because Hubby #1 was a total jerk - very non supportive to say the least.

Seriously though - have you tried JOURNALING? Just spend a week writing down your food and workouts each day - in a book for your own records - okay it's a diary!

Actually it also helps TREMENDOUSLY to write down your eating and training the night before each day - those BFL "Daily Progress Report" forms are great for that.

Right now I'm cleaning house!! AACK. Kitty is snoozing but that'll be short-lived as The Vacumn Monster, devourer of naughty kitties (or so Sparky thinks anyway) comes to life...and gets rid of all the white cat hair on the floor and furniture :lol: PiYo is in about an hour or so and I'm planning on leaving in about 40 minutes...looking forward to checking it out!

HI Karen,
I have just been so impressed with your research and success, I thought I would come over here and venture onto this board. I am a Gym Hoochie, I guess, but am also intelligent, and am very happy that way. I workout at a military post with soldiers, and lifting heavy is not shunned, but respected. It took a long time to get where I am, but I am happily progressing along my journey again. I am really happy you put yourself out here, you are looking so impressive these days!
Hugs,
Marie