Hi everyone,

Thanks for the concern.

I have been very quiet the last couple of days and not done anything. I am not sure if my tiredness is just an excuse to be a lazy ass or not. I do feel better, and I do think I'll go to the gym this evening.

The gym for 2 reasons:
Climate controlled!
and, if I do end up feeling wonky, I can stop and not have to worry about walking a km or more to my car

I think I am ok, but that really was scarier than I let on and especially the sheer exhaustion I felt Tues, and to a bit lesser degree, yesterday.

I have not kept up the ab challenge, I'll see how tonight goes and may reintroduce it back tomorrow!

Thank you for being concerned, it makes me feel valued and important :)

Bea, If it happens again, have some one take you to Emerg right away.
It;s better to have it checked out when it's happening. Take care of yourself.

Bea - Glad you're feeling a bit better and I agree with Libby, if it should happen again get to the hospital and have it looked at right away! It may be easier for them to detect what is happening at the time you're experiencing the symptoms.

Libby - Glad to hear you're back in the saddle buddy ;)

Terri - I'm here cheering you on! I hope that darn scale finally budges for you tomorrow!

Debbie, I hadn't thought about the fact that I had eaten a lot of sodium, so I went and looked at the nutrition breakdown for the last couple days. Although the soup and crackers, for as much as actually went into my servings, wasn't that high, it turns out that everything from my whole day contributed to a 1000mg surplus of RDA sodium for each of the past 2 days. I didn't realize I was having that much sodium. Today I am doing better. My sodium will be 200mg over RDA for the day. Not great, but way better than 1000mg! My Atkin's shakes (I have 2 everyday) account for 300mg each. Then there's the cheese and milk I love so much. I'll have to pay better attention to that! Thanks for pointing it out. And I hope that the massaging and stretching helps your shoulder.

Bea, I'm with Libby...if it happens again, go to the ER. But don't drive yourself like that!

Libby, so glad you are feeling positive again. I am too, so I know what a drain it is to feel bad.

Terri, good for you for getting up, moving, and completing your exercise.

I've tried doing my Slim in 6 workouts in the morning, and super late at night. Both times I felt really sick, dizzy, nauseous, etc. and it took a long time for it to pass. It seems the only time that I can comfortably get my workouts done is in the evening about an hour after I eat. Unfortunately, that's not always possible. I'm going to try to stay motivated and do whatever I can to get the workouts in. On the Team Beachbody website there is a place where you can track your workouts. On the calendar, the days that you exercise, it shows the day in red. I looooove seeing lots of red boxes on my calendar!:)

Also, my midnight attempt at the Start It Up workout had my muscles so weak so fast for some reason. Much more than normal. I couldn't finish all the lunges, and the squats, which usually burn but I can do them...I couldn't do them all, and after what I did do my legs felt like spaghetti for quite a while. Maybe I'm going deeper into the moves? (I'm trying to.) Or maybe it was because I was out of energy? I had an Atkin's shake with milk a little while before I tried the workout, thinking that the protein (almost 15g worth) would help. But I still felt sick. Any ideas?:confused:

Hey Jenai :) I'm glad me pointing out the sodium helped. I always hesitate when given (what I intend) to be positive criticism. I would never want to overstep...ya know ;) It's funny because when people talk 'diet' it seems sugar is the devil...which it can be to a point...but sodium is the side kick then! It's so bad for us....although it does certainly add flavour to a dish. I do use salt when cooking, but when it comes to anything packaged, it's a great idea to check the label.

A suggestion for you as far as fueling up before a workout...you may want to try a light carb rich snack...like a half a banana or half a sandwich and save your Atkins protein drink with milk for after your workout. The carbs in your preworkout meal will help to fuel your workout and the carbs in the milk and protein in the shake will help your muscles recover after the workout. Give it a try and let me know if it helps!

Today was a good day. I ate tons of vegetables and am quite full for not a lot of calories. Tomorrow is weigh in day and I know it won't be good but it will get better.

Well I went to the gym this evening

All was good. I really pushed it, but am no worse for the wear :)

Bea, I am so glad to hear that you were able to exercise and are feeling fine.

Debbie, thanks for the suggestion. I have found that about 45 minutes after dinner is the best time for me. But if I do need to workout at a different time of day if my schedule gets messed up or something, I will try your advice.

Libby, even if it's not what you were hoping for this week, if you keep with your plan you will get there. Keep truckin' on!

Bea, glad to hear your workout went without a hitch this time!


I got my Slim in 6 workout done tonight. I am a little disappointed in myself that I missed so many days and am back doing Start It Up again. But, on the other hand, it is still a workout that is kicking my butt because I am trying to kick higher, lunge lower, etc. I think my non-existent ab muscles might be doing something because when I'm doing crunches (oblique and regular) I'm feeling it more in my abdominal area. Before I was pulling with my hands, shoulders and neck and my neck was getting strained. Today I noticed that I'm pulling from my gut a little more and not relying on my hands and neck as much. Good news, huh? I think I will try to get back to Ramp It Up on Monday.

Not looking forward to tomorrow's weigh-in. I haven't lost an ounce this week. In fact, I might have gained a half lb. :eek:

Goals:

1) Drink 5-6 glasses H20 per day (M/Y, T/Y, W/Y, T/Y
2) Eat 4-5 meals per day (M/Y, T/N, W/Y, Th/N
3) workout 5x week (M/Y, T/Y, W/Y, Th/Y
4)Do Ab Challenge (M/Y, T/Y, W/Y, Th/Y
5) Lose 1-2 lbs for Friday weigh in

Day 11 Ab Challenge done. I have vacation starting next week. I'm nervous I'll backtrack again. One thing I am determined to do exercise-wise while I'm gone is to finish the Ab Challenge though.

Libby- I'm glad to hear you're back into the swing of things.
Bea- Also very glad to hear you're doing ok.
Jenai- congrats on getting back to your exercise shows.

Can I Please Vent???
 

Never mind. lol

Aimee: Working out changes a lot of things!!! I'd take less cramps!! Looks like you and me are both on vacay next week. I'm going to try to get my exercising in. I think my mother has a stationary bike or an elliptical, and I should have no excuses for not getting on that thing whenever I can.

Mary: Great job on getting your workouts over with early!

Debbie: The tennis ball massages really work, I used to use them on my lower back, and I hope you figure out how to get them right on your shoulder! Nothing worse than a nagging injury. DH is finally feeling better and starting to peel; it looks awful, but he isn't having the "ant bite" pain anymore, which is good. Thanks for asking! This plateau is quite annoying and it's making me nervous because I travel home next week and I know food and exercise are going to be difficult. I was hoping to see a lower number today for some psychological motivation, but no such luck.

Libby: Of course we care :) Glad to see you back!!! Just get back on that saddle and we'll try to help you steer the horse.

Bea: So glad to hear from you and know you're feeling better and back at it. You just take care of yourself!

Jenai: For what it's worth, I agree with Debbie. Carbs before a workout and protein after is usually the way to go, or at least something with carbs in it. I find protein shakes before a workout make me feel heavy and blergh. Carbs will give you some quick energy. Quick tip for the ab workouts -- when I was doing Jillian Michaels workouts, they always gave the tip that the hands should be a very very light touch on the back of the head (fingertips) and you shouldn't be using them to pull up. Also, keep your head straight and stare at a poiint on the ceiling when you lift (don't curl your neck or shoulders). This will help you use your abdominals and not your neck/shoulders/back. You might not get up very high at first, but the abdominal strength will come.

As for me:

After having a great Thursday, I'm still right around 180. This is some official "stuck" right here!!!!! Yikes. I'm going to try and persevere, though, and just do my workout as I have been doing. I keep telling myself that I'm doing the right things. I'm going to be re-thinking my dinner (it's hard to cook things that both me and DH like) because I think that might be a key in getting the scale to move. I portion control myself well, but they're usually not the best in terms of my macros. Too many starches - couscous, rice, or things of that nature.

This weekend we have a quiet saturday planned and will probably do some packing, and Sunday we're helping a friend move. I solemnly swear that I will not have any alcohol during the process, since I determined earlier this week that the alcohol on the weekends might be part of the problem, too. It's gotta be food and not activity.


Week Goals:
1) Calorie deficit of 4,000+ M: -1,281 T: -926 W: -616 Th: -1,431Total: -4,254
2) Protein > 20% of intake every day M: 23% T: 23% W: 19% Th: 27%
3) Water 64 oz. or more daily M: yes T: yes W: yes Th: yes
4) Exercise 6x this week: Turbo schedule M: yes (40 mins cardio) T: yes (40 mins conditioning, 20 mins abs) W: yes (20 mins cardio) Th: yes (40 mins cardio)
5) Eat veggies with lunch and dinner M: lunch yes, dinner no T: lunch yes, dinner does tomato sauce count? W: lunch yes dinner no Th: yes
6) Weigh in and report on Friday M-Th: N/A F: 180.3. Still stuck.

~Terri

Bea Glad things are better. A spell like that can leave you drained for a few days no matter what the cause. Below 180 today - happy to be on the way down again. feeling motivated to lose - but not to work. very quiet in the office today. I think quitting at noon is in order. Have a great weekend everyone. I'm debating whether to expose myself to a BBQ with food and drinks in abundance or have a quiet weekend. I know my motivation can handle the quiet weekend. I'll have to see how strong I feel tomorrow.

Hi all. Today is shaping up to be another good day.
Mary, the BBQ last week end was my undoing. I was out of control and couldn't stop till I ate it all. What madness. I should have sent all the left overs home with my guests. You may be different and can handle it. Do what you feel is best for you. The lesson I learned is I can't trust my self around junk food.

Mary, BBQ's sound like atomic calorie bombs to me. Of course, I can't resist potato salad, hot dogs, etc. For me, best to stay away. Maybe you have more willpower and can handle it though.

Terri, yes...persevere. You know the plan. Stick to it and results will happen. You'll probably lose a bunch at once as soon as you get off this plateau.

Aimee you are doing great on your goals this week!

I was right when I predicted a half lb weight gain for myself earlier in the week. It had been at one point as much as 2 lbs higher, so I guess I should be happy it's gone down to just 1/2 lb gain. I hope Debbie was right and it was just my sodium intake. Calorie-wise I've been doing really good. Super good in fact. I worked out 3 times this week. That part could have been better, but I had been losing steadily without any exercise, so I would think I would lose with some exercise. I don't think I'm building much muscle yet, so I don't think that would be a weight gain. Also, I haven't lost any inches anywhere whatsoever for a couple weeks.

All that being said, tonight is take out night for us. I can't afford to do that to my body right now. I'll go get it for all of them, but I will have to resist and have a good salad or something instead.

I'm really kind of frustrated. I just figured out my average calories over the past week have been 1473/day. This would give me about a 5500 calorie deficit (not including my exercising a few days). That means I should have lost at least 1.5lbs. But I gained 1/2lb. I just don't understand.

I'm not getting unmotivated because of this or anything. I'm just really disappointed. Several of us are going through the weight staying around the same despite our efforts. I don't want to be a part of that club! lol I will keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully soon it will start paying off.

Soooooooooooooooo, I've been eating myself stupid, to try and stop myself from eating what I really wanted, so last night, I just had them! 8 gloriously greasy deliciously divine chicken wings! And today I am ready to get back on track.

That is the first junk food I have had since Jan. I'm not sure if it was a good or bad decision, but for now I think it was the right one!

I feel satisfied and not grudgingly doing what I know I need to do. I just don't want this to become a habit!

It was nice to have a normal nutritious breakfast taste delicious and filling again, instead of still wanting something after.

Good or bad, time will tell.

Jenai Have you checked for hidden calories? I sometimes check my portion size estimates and find I'm underestimating what I am consuming. I'm not sure what else might help.
Bea - sometimes we need to go off track. Getting back on is what counts. I came across a quote yesterday that I think was posted here a while ago.
You don't need to be perfect - you only need to keep progressing.
Sometimes I'm amazed because I will go off track for a day - and lose weight. Our bodies like to mess with our minds.
I'm skipping the BBQ. I went out for dinner and a couple beers last night and that was enough temptation for this weekend. I really want to make a dent in the 170's this month.

Goals for Sat and Sunday anyway
1) walk or gym
2) water, 6 glasses min
3) Do not have serious talks before work
4) No meds for sleep, pain, etc.
5) get rid of 5 papers or 3 items
6) stay positive

Gotta get back to accountability, I think. It sure seems to help!!!

Bea, that sounded scary. I agree with everyone on ER for serious symptoms. So glad you are feeling better.

My project wasn't home improvement lol though we have been tackling that too, sloooooooowly. More of that coming soon. No this was dealing with family issues. Gave into a few bad habits, frustration, thinking I had to deal with everything alone, overeating, etc then pulled up my big girl pants, found support and am moving forward. Yay!!!!

Mary, I love that: no need to be perfect, only progressing. And I will add that sometimes we are progressing even if we don't see results right away. Sometimes just not giving up is progress.

Love this!!! That should be a new quote that makes it's way around the internet!! And how appropriate that your name is Hope!

Sometimes just not giving up is progress. ~~ Hope ~~

I'm still working on that laundry room of ours! I'm hoping to be 95% done by tomorrow so I can get back to 'normal' life :p This project has shifted me off track once again....but never enough to throw in the towel! :cool:

Debbie - it sounds like we are spending our weekend doing the same thing. I spent 5 hours putting tile in my new suspended ceiling in my laundry room. The tracks had been put up however the room in not straight so cutting the tile and installing it was a pain. Should have burned at least 600 calories. Now to see if I can walk tomorrow.

Not feeling well today. Many trips to the bathroom. Just resting.
It's evening and I am feeling better. I didn't eat a lot earlier today but made up for it this evening.
Where is every body?

A whole heck of a lot of temptation going on in this house. My daughter asked me to make chocolate chip cookies for her class. 3 batches of cookies...I ate one cookie. Then it was my brother in law's bday Friday. Made him a cake and haven't eaten a piece all weekend.

I still need to do Day 13 of my Ab Challenge. Will do late tonight when everyone goes to bed.

Aimee, huge kudos to you for showing such willpower!

Libby, I'm sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. :( I hope it passes quickly and you're back to yourself again.

Mary, hope you're not too sore tomorrow after all that ceiling work.

Debbie, you've been working so hard on that project! I hope you post pics when it's all done. And you're right...don't throw in the towel!

Hope, I'm glad you found the support you needed. I like the quote too!

Bea, I really feel that all things in moderation is key. You can't deprive yourself always, because that will just lead to binging. Let yourself to eat the things you crave once in a while without guilt, and then move on from there. I bet the chicken wings were good! I haven't had good chicken wings in quite a while...that sounds yummy!


I'm doing ok. I love this group. I think it's a wonderful group, and I'm going to be a fixture here for a long time. A lot of times, though, I wish I had someone to talk to about all this health and nutrition stuff in real time.

I indulged in a single scoop of Culver's ice cream tonight. It was $1/scoop day. They have the most amazing soft serve ever. I got a single scoop of chocolate and tried to enjoy it rather than just gobbling it down. I'm so glad I got it. It hit the spot and it still fit within my calorie range for the day (maybe a smidge over, but not by much). I'm just really proud of myself that I only had one scoop and no fudge sauce on top. I consider that a win!

I didn't exercise yesterday. Most people on Beachbody take Sundays off, but I find that my least energetic day of the week is Friday. I almost skipped today, but at 10:30 tonight I got Slim in 6 done. I was proud of myself!

Jenai- I know what you mean about real time chats. It does take a bit for the forums esp. if you really need to talk to someone at a single moment. ((hugs)) Congrats on your single scoop at Culvers. Sounds perfect.

I just finished my Day 13 Ab Challenge and am off to bed soon.

Hi all :) My shoulder is still giving me grief...probably because I'm not resting it as much as I should...kind of hard to rest it when I need to get the laundry room finished :p We're almost done...the flooring is about 60% down now. Should be finishing up with flooring and moving onto baseboards before end of the day.

Aimee - I admire your perseverance with the ab challenge! I think you may be on your own now unless Bea jumps back in....it's even bother my shoulder to do all the sit ups.

I love that... laundry room, not throwing in the towel...

I was in family project hell seven years ago, bumping out our kitchen. Of course, now I want to sell the place and there's still so much work to do to make it marketable. But hey, the house is over 100 years old. If I were over 100, I might need fixing up too!!

Mary, good luck on your project!!

Libby, feel better!!!

Aimee and Jenai, good control on the temptation!! I think we all need treats not to feel deprived.

My aim: not to deprive or overindulge myself. BALANCE.

I was looking for some inspirational quote to get us started for a new week....I never dreamed I would find this image. Look at the smile on his little face!! So happy to run!! WOW! What a little inspiration he is!

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/or...f051a8c9cc.jpg


Hope - "I love that... laundry room, not throwing in the towel"... I didn't even realize what I was writing...so very funny!! :p

This week I didn't do so well..... but again...Monday brand new week...Im sticking to better choices this week ..slap me ladies slap me :D

Hope everybody is enjoying Father's Day!!!

I am just beaming with pride today. My son competed in a duathlon with 71 other people and he came home with the gold medal. He has won other medals before but this was the first GOLD. He takes after his daddy, athletic.
I am going to do better this week.
The picture brought tears to my eyes.
Debbie, You have put a lot of work into your new laundry room. Enjoy.
Take care of you shoulder.
Lets all have a great week.

Yeah I kinda fell down last week but I'm picking myself up!!!! New week!!! New choices!!!