TOM, know the feeling...
 

I have issues with water weight a few days before and for 3 or 4 days after. Gained about 6 lbs this time! Its crazy....Really have found that I have to restrict myself during that time. Try to avoid salt and sugar but its hard. I like dark chocolate a lot and even that is crazy high in calories. I eat chocolate Kraze cereal now instead. Get my chocolate fix and my vitamins and minerals LOL. HAVE FUN!!! Sounds like a great time! Loves!

Fathers day fun!!!
 

I LOVE my dad and all, but during fathers day there are a ton of deserts and I didn't resist so now I'm at home upset that I ate like an entire peanut butter pie :/

I am totally doing about a mile ride on my bike tomorrow!!!!!!!

PEACE OUT LOVE ALL,
Kaitlyn

Hi Ladies
 

This past week I've been lazy and fell into my old ways. I did not follow any type of eating plan. Maybe the see food diet!! I saw it, I ate it. Although I was afraid, I did do my weekly weigh in today and I got lucky. I am exactly the same as the week prior. 221.2. Considering all the things I ate and no exercise I consider this to be a blessing. I am back with vengeance. I use to have that all or nothing thinking and a part of me still does. I am beginning to adhere to the analogy that it’s not about whether I messed up but about how quickly I get back up.

I just finished my half mile bike ride!! :D

I'm glad you didn't gain any SASSYI did that Sunday and now I gained a pound even though I only did it for a day. But I'm going to lose that pound plus some this week, well I'm at least planing on it lol.

LOVE ALL,
Kaitlyn

Hi everyone! I have had a very unmotivating weekend, I won't get into the dirty details, but no workouts and buffets were involved. However, I am back on track today, with a new plan for this week! I am going to try alternating low carb and high carb days (always good carbs), and 3 cardio sessions with 2 strength workouts thrown in. Today was awesome, I ate almost nothing but fresh fruits and veggies, baked tilapia and asparagus for dinner, and I'm about to have a bedtime snack of some strawberries with light vanilla dip. Off to bed early, so I can get up early tomorrow and get started. I hope everyone is doing great! :)

Hey All!
 

Did well this weekend and didn't go overboard on Father's Day (although I did indulge a bit Saturday and had some BBQ chicken pizza). Snuck in a workout Saturday and felt pretty good! Father's Day was quiet and relaxing and I took a day off. Doing my weigh in today and curious to see if my new exercise program is paying off. Going to start a "Biggest Loser" workout series today. It's only Bob, so no Jillian to scare the pants off of me LOL. I LOVE and adore Jillian, but she scares me.....A LOT LOL.

It is all about how you bounce back! We all get thrown from the horse and ya just gotta get back up and show that horse that you are gonna ride! Proud of all of you and I respect you so much for keeping up your quest! I would have checked in yesterday but I ended up stressed for the last part of the day.

My kids have muscular dystrophy and behavior problems that come along with it (biting,hitting....) and they are struggling with them. We are already at full plate status when it comes to therapies and such for them. Anywho, my 7 year old bit my six year old and when the teacher asked Liam what happened, he told her that his dad bit him.:eek: So at about 6:30 in the evening a police officer was standing at my door! The school called the POLICE! They also called CPS (they are mandatory reporters of course, but still:(). I ended up having to fill out a formal statement telling the police what happened. This is not the first time the school has done this, but they never seem to care about other bites or scratches that my kids get at the school that they never report to me!

Sorry, had to vent. But other than that, I plan to keep up with my routine and hopefully Bob from the "Biggest Loser" can help me along. It may be a recording, but he's so awesome and motivational! Let me know how you are doing and I will check in with you later. Time to weigh in.

All the love,
LIZ:D

So, my day started out super awesome today. Woke up early enough before work to do some yoga and eat a good breakfast, then I went to my uncle's house for dinner and only had 1 serving of jambalaya (not easy). But then I totally undid it when somebody said "dairy queen". After that I felt totally yucky and defeated, so I'll definitely remember that next time. I will say however that I only went about 150 calories over, and managed to keep my carbs in balance, so today wasn't a total bust. And tomorrow is another day! I'm going to actually try for 2 workouts tomorrow because I have a 3 hour break from work. I hope everyone is doing awesome! Keep up the good work!

Hello Friends,
Overall I feel like I ate pretty well. Breakfast was a waffle from the lobby and a glass of mile both days. Lunches where small cold cut sandwiches, dinners where Kobe’s one night and Olive Garden the next. I really wasn’t surprised to see the scale say I was up 7lbs. I feel like it’s all water retentions as my pee was dark yellow every time I went. Now that I’ve been home and have gotten my 90 plus oz. in I’m already down 2lbs. But like others have mentioned on here it could be my sign that menstruation may be around the corner. Magyckmama you had asked about multivitamins, I take the equate multivitamin of centrum along with one pro nutrient omega 3. Kpgood67: You had mentioned feeling awful when you ate too much, do you get that same feeling when you eat something to sweet? I agree with you when you said weight loss is all about changing behavior, and being accountable for what you put in your mouth. My home group has a saying of, “if you bite it you write” I weigh everyday but only go bye once a month for progress.

Keily664: You are already doing so great. You are able to identify what foods are high in calories, and are making a good choice for working out when you feel you have over did it in terms of eating. Keep with it and I now you will see results, even if it's only a few lbs.

Magyckmama, you must have a very stricked school system. When I worked for the school, we would at least talk to the parents first to here there side and to see how they reacted to the situation. We did have to report to the princiaple that student a did this to student b so that if student b's parents called all upset about the situtaion. But to get the CPS involved would not have happened here, excpesially since it would be viewed as a behavioral issue caused from being frustrated about the syndrom. On the up side of things how is Bob treating you? I'm thinking about buying a line dance video since I'm missing doing zumba.

Kayla.underhill: DQ tends to call me and my family together too. Sounds like you made a pretty good choice in your treat to only be over by 150.

To all the ladies: if you like to chat on yahoo, feel free to add me. [email protected]

Hey everyone! I am having a great day so far, I will say my goal I made last night of 2 workouts today probably will not happen because I slept late this morning, but I will still get at least one in, and I have done great with my eating today. I had a realization a week ago about my carbohydrate intake, and have really been watching that now. Bonus, most low carb foods are low calorie too! I think I will make Saturday my standard weigh-day, since Sunday is usually a cheat day. Does anyone else have regular cheat days? I've heard that it is a good idea to have one, so you don't feel too deprived, but I wonder how much it is setting back my progress... Let me know what you think! I hope everyone is doing awesome!

Kayla

Current weight: 175
Mini Goal: 165
Goal weight: 130

I think Sunday is like worldwide diet cheat day lol. That's the day I cheat on and several other people.

PEACE OUT,
Kaitlyn

Hi Everyone!

So I guess it goes without saying that I am not meeting my goal of posting here everyday :) I have been sticking with the food log though. I had a really bad day yesterday. Summertime to me means margaritas and yummy cocktails and I had a few too many, and then that made me hungry and I overate. I wrote it all down though and had to face it today. Trying to at least be honest with myself. Today I did great though and stayed in my calorie goal and got some good exercise.

I love seeing how most of us are making slip ups but then we get right back on track. I think that is the ultimate key to success! Congrats all! We've got a great, courageous group.

LMB, I don't think that the idea of something "too sweet" exists to my taste buds! I love sweets. It's not eating something too sweet that makes me feel yucky, it's binging and eating too much. I almost start just downing food sometimes and then I get into a food coma, and then I feel yucky.

Love to all,
Kathy

Hello! I am feeling awesome, and having a great week all around! I have been really good so far today, and I'm about to go for a bike ride before work. I am saving up for this weekend, because I will be at the beach which probably means less exercise then I would get if I was home. I hope everyone is having an awesome day!

Kayla

Current: 175
Mini goal: 165
Goal Weight: 130

Hey Kayla and all,
Great work! I finally weighed in today after two weeks, and I lost 2.4 pounds. I was hoping for more, but I'll take what I can get. I'm going to go alcohol free for 4 days and weigh in again. I know when I drink (I had 3 glasses of wine last night) I retain fluid for a while. I can see where I've slipped up too much, and I'm going to modify as best I can. I'm going to do some things to take care of myself today today -- a little pampering -- manicure/pedicure. Take care ladies!
Love,
Kathy

Start weight (6/8/12) 161.4
Current weight (6/22/12) 159.0
Goal weight (7/4/12) 155 (may have to add an extra week to get to this, we'll see)

Hello all!

Well, I tried to sleep through my workout this morning, but God (in the form of my 1 year old) didn't allow it to happen. So I got in a 30 min workout and a good breakfast long before it was time for me to actually be up. I work in a restaurant and can only have so many things free, which causes a lot of repetition in my diet. Super tedious. So today I was tempted to cheat and get chicken strips, instead of greek tilapia which is actually on my diet. But first I tried my trick I learned earlier this week about thinking how I would feel after instead of focusing on instant gratification and I'm happy to report it totally worked!! I saved tons of calories, carbs, and fat just by helping myself realize that eating things like that doesn't make me feel good physically or emotionally at all. Turning point? I certainly hope so.

I hope everyone is doing awesome, keep it up!

Praying that I don't get a sunburn tomorrow afternoon, and that my sister and I rock our duet for the concert. Tonight we will be running through it with our church group. The other night we practiced at the church by singing to it through the video from the phone. These past few day I have been haiving a hard time staying awake once I'm up. So, today I'm going to try and keep my carbs under 300g for the whole day total. It may be hard as I'm already up to 100 and that was just breakfast alone. Frosted mini wheats has 46 carbs for 25 squares. That was an eye opener for me. As much as I like them I think I will be finding another kind of cold cereal to eat. This way I can stick to not going over 60g of carbs per meal. Have a blessed weekend everyone.

I'm Baaaaack!
 

Oh ladies, I have been SO SO SOOOOO sick this last week! Barely been able to exercise. I was diagnosed as having the flu and I tell ya it has been rough! But I am back on track and slowly getting back to my workouts. I have been good with food and hopefully lost something. I hope everyone is doing well and I haven't gotten to read all of your new posts yet but I will!

I am down to 271.5 lbs and I feel proud! I haven't been this weight in 13 years! I also realized that I have almost NO pictures of myself. I have been so used to hiding myself (and almost every pic I DO have is of me eating cake or pizza LOL) that I have never given myself a chance to feel beautiful. Has taken me a long time to realize that I AM beautiful!! We are ALL beautiful and AMAZING!!

I am proud to be here and excited to see that you gals are still checking in and being there for eachother. Thank you for your support and caring!
LIZ

Wish me luck!
 

I just found this web site last night and I am anxious to see if it helps me with sticking with my goals! Today is my second day of keeping track of my weight, exercise, and measurements!

Does keeping track daily seem to help everyone? Any suggestions and/or comments about the website?

Thanks and good luck everyone! Here is to day two!!!

Welcome ntheo!!
 

Hey girl WELCOME!!!!! I hope day three is successful! I love Fitday. Three years ago it helped me lose 52 lbs! It really helps to be able to keep track of your intake and exercise. It can help you plan goals and stick to them. I have been sick for a week so I haven't been here every day. I will try to be here every other day now (Summer Break....*SIGH*) that I am not sick. All women are welcome here and if you have a question here the ladies are so wonderful!

If you need a laugh, a cry, or need to vent, we have open ears. We all know what it is like to have an issue so don't be afraid to share! :D

Love,
LIZ:)

Hey Ladies!! Looks like you gals are doing an awesome job! Great energy in here! I normally post on the motivational thread but need as much positive energy as possible - I keep going back to my old habits but I know that if I put my mind to it I will be able to accomplish my goals! I will be checking in here too if thats ok!?

Hey Jho!!!
 

:DWELCOME!!! You are so welcome here! I have found such motivation in the ladies that are here! It's nice to see women of all ages and sizes here! Check in when you like and feel free to share! Laugh, cry, VENT!!!!! I have thought about checking out the 7 Day too. Nice to have you here!!

Love,
LIZ:)

Ok Ladies. I need some serious help. I started in January tracking my calories and working out 3 times a week. I have gone as low as 600 calories a day, and as high as 1300. As many as 7 cardio sessions a week, and down to just 3. I've cut carbs, when that didn't work I switched to cutting fat, and when that didn't work I tried just focusing on calories. Bottom line, I weigh the exact same 175lbs that I weighed in January. 6 months ago. I am discouraged, disappointed and just about ready to give up. Maybe this is just the size I am supposed to be now? I don't know what to do anymore. If anyone has any suggestions, I would be incredibly grateful.

I've been talking a class and we learned that if aperson is 5'4" there lowest weight should only be 120lbs. We've been scolded many times that if you are eating less the 1200 cals everyday, you are restircting your body to much. Through out the week we had to keep a running total of our cals and fat grams and then average them out. So, ones total if they where staying at 1200 should be around 8400 for all seven days. We also did the same for are weekly activity minutes. Kept a running total and then took then average it out. Our minimum goal to get in for the week was 150 total.
What has helped me a lot has been watching my fat grams and making sure I get n 45 to 60 min. a day if not more of activity. I usually get the minutes in on my wii. In stead of running in place, Imarch i nplace. I really enjoy doing the plank instead of situps or push ups. I hear the Biggest Loser game for the wii along with just dance of zumba gives you a really good work out. I also us the 2 mile and 5 miles walking video.

Have been there too!!!
 

One thing that has worked for me is to add protein. In order for a food to be effectively burned from your body, your body requires two things: carbs and protein. Have you heard of the GI (glycemic index)? It basically measures how the body uses the carbs and sugars ("good carbs" vs. "bad carbs") in foods. Check out Glycemic Index Food Chart: List of Glycemic Values of Foods. Sometimes to kick off some burn, try low glycemic foods with protein! The body starts to realize it has the ability to burn those calories without burning out. The more of these foods you consume, the more your body is fueled with good carbs and makes more energy. How are you with fruits and veg? If you like them, its ok to load up on them!

When you are working out, try having ICE COLD, I mean FRIGID water at your side! It's a small trick, but it takes more calories to heat up that water in the body. Sugar of course is an iffy one when it comes to diets. Some say it's ok, and others say nay. I have started using Stevia instead. It's sweeter and hey, 0 calories.

This is the hardest for me: I like A LOT of foods....Do not put a dessert buffet in front of me :o. I have learned to eat like the French: small portions of a bit of everything tricks the eyes, and the tummy. You actually THINK you ate a ton!

Please be careful with calories! I have a friend that is losing an average of 15 lbs a month, but is doing it by only eating 1100 or fewer calories a day and spending 3 hours at a gym per day....She says her doctor says this is ok, but all the doctors I've talked to so far are wondering how she is still standing! If you have to go low, listen to LMB, 1200 is acceptable. But you need that energy to exercise and be up right! I am at about 1400-1600 a day and about an hour of exercise a day. Find an exercise program that you find entertaining and you WANT to do! Zumba is excellent, and you don't have to know how to dance (they teach you!). The Biggest Loser has some stellar DVD workouts and you get to work with Jillian and Bob! I love BOB!

Good luck sweets and keep us posted! If you find any ideas, feel free to shoot em my way! My apologies for the essay LOL!
LOVE,
LIZ :D

Liz - loved your Essay!! It is all great advice!

LMB - also good advice - you are absolutely correct - don't go under cals cuz your body will go into starvation mode and result in weight gain!

Kayla - I would like to add what has been the biggest factor for me! WATER! Water to your body is like fuel to a fire! water water water! I'm currently drinking 80-100 oz/day plus one multivitamin in the morning. I know that this is not easy as it is a constant challenge for myself. But, if I'm on track (which I have not been) and I'm drinking all my water I feel soooo much better!! I can already feel my energy going up from Monday. Don't lose hope - clearly you have the right frame of mind. Maybe give us some details (only if you want) about what kind of food you are eating and how long your cardio sessions are, are you weight training, are you doing pushups, situps?? .... Also I've heard that Interval workouts are much better than straight cardio. I have just started interval training - just doing a basic on the Elliptical (but I'm sure any machine or even running/walking will work) - 5 min warmup, 1min at level 4, 2min at level 1, 1min level 4, 2min level1.... until I've completed about 20 min then 5 min cooldown. Apparently this type of workout is equal to 40 min regular cardio. And I love Zumba too!!! So much fun - have you ever Zumba'ed?? If not - give it at least 3 weeks and don't give up - you will notice how much easier it is once you have an idea about the routines. Don't give up the fight! Stay with us!!

Wow! I am overwhelmed by super helpful information! I think a big problem for me is carbs. I am a bread fanatic. I have decided to cut out bread/pasta entirely for a month and see what results I can get just from doing that. I know that most fruits have a lot of carbs, but I am also fruit obsessed and it is one of my few low calorie obsessions so I am holding on to it for dear life. I have been trying some interval training, but I like the 1min-2min routine better than my current one and will definitely try it. I have never in my life used weights, because I fear bulkiness (irrational for someone who weighs 175 lbs, but a fear nevertheless). Will weights not make me bulky? Raising protein levels I have heard is a great way to help burn fat as well, so I will definitely try that. However, with that much water intake isn't there a fear of "over-hydration"? I have known people who have become very sick because of that, and I am just curious where the line between beneficial and dangerous is, if anyone happens to know. Overall, I am so grateful for all the helpful tips and encouragement and I will start tomorrow with a fresh outlook and some awesome new ideas to go with it! Thank you so much ladies! I'm so glad I have other women I can talk to about these things who will help in a constructive and supportive way. You have no idea what that means to me. <3

So glad you could use all of our suggestions Kayla!! I am by no means a professional so you may have to do some google research to back up my points LOL! With regards to bulkiness - I don't think that women have enough of the horomone that men have to make them bulky so unless you are doing bicep curls with 30 lb weights you will not get bulky! I FOUND THIS:

[I]"If you are a woman, it simply isn’t possible to “bulk up” with two 20 minute sessions per week. It’s just not enough time and you don’t have the hormones necessary for it anyway. Testosterone is the main hormone responsible for muscle mass and girth increase. Men have this in abundance so it’s easier for them. Some men are bulky and strong without even lifting weights because they have such high levels, but that gift usually comes at the expense of hair loss-another effect of high testosterone.
Women have about the same testosterone levels as a 10 year old boy, so “bulking” is obviously not a possibility[ii]. Even women who want to bulk cannot do so without the aid of drugs, steroids, excessive supplementation, and hours per day of heavy conventional weight lifting"

Thats exactly what I wanted to say! heehee! Doing weights a couple times a week will help you to "tone" - My Bikini Bootcamp book (best book ever!) is big on the basic weights like take a small 5 or 8lb weight and do bicep curls for 1 min - it doesn't sound like a lot but if you are just beginning you should feel it! Currently I am using 12-15lb weights and have been since January - Def not bulking up!

If you are scared of "over-hydration" maybe you should try being in the PCC (Pee clear club) - just drink as much water over the day until your pee is clear - its that simple. It just means that your body has detoxified and if now just releasing the extra water! if you start out with 50-60 OZ you might notice a huge difference. I started out dreading water and was getting maybe 20 oz/day. I slowly increases week by week and now I'm up to 80-100oz. I FOUND THIS:

"The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen liters of water a day! You are unlikely to suffer from water intoxication, even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over time as opposed to intaking an enormous volume at one time. As a general guideline, most adults need about three quarts of fluid each day. Much of that water comes from food, so 8-12 eight ounce glasses a day is a common recommended intake. You may need more water if the weather is very warm or very dry, if you are exercising, or if you are taking certain medications. The bottom line is this: it's possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition."

My method is to drink 20 oz with breaky, 20 with lunch, 20 with dinner, 20 with pm workout and the odd 10 oz here and there throughout the day. I tried to carry a water bottle around with me in the beginning but that did not work! I just chug 10 oz at a time (10-15 sec!) using one of my daughters bottles for measure! :D (stock up on toilet paper;))

OMG you guys, I tried the 30 day shred Level 1 last night (5lbs weights btw Kayla!=no bulkiness) and I am soooooooo sore right now! It feels great! So excited to do it again tonight!

Hi ladies,
I would love to join your group. I think its really important to have a support group while loosing weight and changing your life, its not always an easy path!
I'm 29, from Scotland. I have a fancy wedding to go to in September and I would like to feel beautiful at it. My goal is to loose as much as is healthy possible for it and then to continue loosing weight.
I've been doing the Tracy Anderson mat work out and my muscles are screaming today!
I've been really inspired reading your posts.
Claire.
June 22nd - 322lb
June 30th - 317lb
Goal weight 150

Still Here
 

@edinburghgirl Hey hon!!!WELCOME!!! Nice to have a new face here!
@Everyone--Hope everyone is doing alright! I have been having some really busy days!Fourth of July is coming up and was wondering if anyone has some grill recipes using veggies....Anyone have some sauce/marinade recipes?

Got myself a new exercise ball (heehee, I accidentally popped my old one blowing it up....who knew I had that much hot air in me?;)). So they say 10 mins a day, 5 days a week....Hmmmmmm....Will let you know how that goes gals. Changing my weigh in days to Fridays and WILL post more regularly! Need to start accomplishing more of my goals.

So off I go to try my new toy....And I will not blow this one up....

Love,
LIZ:D

I have a question for people.

Can you lose weight without counting cal. just by exercising and eating healthier?? Or do you need to count cal. to lose weight?? Because I'm not always near my computer to put things in and I tend to forget things that I have eaten. Also I just don't know how much I've eaten of things most of the time.

Feedback would be great.
Thanks

LOVE ALL,
Kaitlyn

Liz -thanks for the welcome :). I'm really interested to hear how it goes with the exercise ball. I was considering getting one and using it instead of a chair at my desk when I study.
Kaitlyn - Hi, can I just say how impressive I think you are. To do what your doing at your age is brilliant and really inspiring. I don't know about the whole counting calories thing, there is, as always with weight loss, conflicting studies on counting or not counting. What I do know is that it helps to log what you eat so that you stay aware of what you are eating and to be accountable for it, if that makes any sence?:)

Claire

Hey everyone! I have had a terrible terrible week involving diet cheating, almost no workouts and bad moods (likely due to the cheating and lack of workouts). Also, I hope I don't gross anyone out by sharing this (women's only corner right?) but I have literally had like 3 1/2 weeks of pms-like symptoms, bloating, cramping, starvation, meanness, ect. and there seems to be no end in sight. I really should go to the dr to figure out the problem, but i simply hate dr's and so I am putting it off.
At any rate, I have declared that I will put mind over matter, and not let these symptoms set me back any farther than the 5 lbs that they already have (hopefully that's water weight right?). I have done very well with my eating today, and did a great job taking out all my aggression on my exercise bike and am now super duper sore all over.
Kaitlyn, it is not absolutely necessary to count calories to lose weight. However, being aware of how much you are eating is necessary. If you aren't around a computer all day, you can carry a journal to keep track. Even if you just try to keep track for one week, to see a rough estimate of how many calories you are consuming, it can help a lot. :)

Hi All,
I hope everyone has been doing better than I have. I had a horrible Wednesday to Wednesday week. I went to the beach for a couple nights and that combined with July 4th was a spin out of control off the diet. I haven't exercised in a week either. Today I met my calorie goal, and I am determined to get back on track. Before my week of screw-up, I weighed in and had lost 4 pounds in about 2.5 weeks. I was really happy with that. I have probably gained some back, but have to be determined to take that off and then some. Some steps back, some steps forward, but more forward than back I guess, and for that I'm glad. Have to recognize and pat myself on the back when I can for merely staying committed to coming back after each fail. Good luck and love to all!
Kathy

Hey everybody! I am having an awesome day today! Perhaps mind over matter, and deciding to not stress about my hormonal issues was the key because today they are gone entirely! I am back on track, woke up and had an awesome breakfast, played with the baby, cleaned my house, made plans to go to the beach this weekend, and then got (halfway) through a completely butt kicking workout. I say halfway because I had to take a breather or giving up was a legitimate possibility. I have started splitting my cardio in half. 10 minute interval workout on my bike, then get off and work some muscle groups (abs and arms today) and then get back on the bike for 10 more minutes of intervals. Burns about 400 calories and I am drenched and no longer cute by the end of it. I hope everyone is having an awesome day!! :) Keep it up!

Great job Kayla! So far, so good for me today too. Hope you are all doing awesome, and being good to yourselves!

Hey everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely day. I am doing great on the diet side of things, and less so on the exercise. My husband came home early because of bad weather, and I don't work out when he is home. I need to get over that, but I haven't yet, so I am skipping today. I'll make up for it with a walk on the beach tomorrow. :) I found (what I assume to be) a great recipe for strawberry muffins. My idea was to make a batch, and keep them in the fridge for quick breakfast when I'm in a hurry. However I totally destroyed my first batch by forgetting the eggs. Don't do that, they come out gross. I'm gonna try again, with hopefully better results this time. Wish me luck! And here is the recipe if anybody wants to try it. :) Only 93 calories per muffin!!!

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins &mdash; Dashing Dish

Hi Ladies! I feel like it's been forever since I last checked in. I too have slipped on keeping track of calories and not making myself exercise. I kept telling myself I was still aware of how much I was eating, and that cheating wasn't going to hurt me. I know cheating doesn't hurt, but I ignored the fact that I was eating foods that I normally wouldn't indulge in if it weren’t the holiday. Hotdogs, chips, smore's, pop.... pasta salads.... I'm hoping I can lose 3 lbs before Wed. nights monthly weigh in. My mind set for these next few days is, “if your not going to write it, then don’t eat it”. Hopefully that will work. I’m also making sure I meet my water goal of drinking 12 glasses or more. I can sure tell when I don’t get them in. I feel so yucky, and my lips feel dry. I’m happy to report that the end of June was my one-year anniversary of being at my heaviest. I have kept 39 lbs off. That feels really really good. Looking forward to September when I can compare my one-year on this site. Have a great day ladies!

Hello all! So, I had to get on and share this, I feel like I had a total breakthrough today! I went to the beach with my family for the day, and they were planning a fish fry. So mean right? But i did not write off my whole day, instead I shaved a few calories off my breakfast, skipped my midmorning snack, ate fried fish and fries and hush puppys, LOGGED EVERY LAST BIT OF IT, and ate a light dinner. I still did not stay under my calorie goals, but I did much better than my usual well, I'm gonna eat something unhealthy so I'll pretend fitday doesn't exist and its my last night on Earth and eat all the things. Breakthrough!

Also, I am getting married!!! April 20th of next year I will (finally) get to marry my best friend, and I must look my best! I'm kicking it into high gear because I want to lose at least 25lbs by February. I think I need a cleanse to really get started right. Does anybody know of any good, but also healthy ones? I would love any advice and encouragement anyone has to offer! Love you guys! Stick with it!!!

:D

Kayla congratulations!:D On getting engaged and logging everything. I don't know about cleanses except juice ones, but a few of my friends have done bride boot camp , which seems a little scary to me! Another just cut out all sweet things and walked everywhere. You could try using visualization of how incredible your going to look at your wedding as a motivation tool? I have a supper posh formal wedding to go to in Sept and every time I want to quite exercising or eat something sweet I think of myself in my dress dancing and looking amazing and it pushes me on. Congrats again!

LMB - 39lb? That's brilliant, well done!:)

:D Thank you so much! I think you're right, bride boot camp does seem a little scary, but I think visualization is a great motivational tool! I'm also trying something where I don't take "days off" from exercise, I just have hard days and easy days. 3 or 4 days a week I have a hard day, intervals on my bike and strength training, and then the rest of the days John and I take walks or bike rides around town. And as a bonus, that is usually when we do all our wedding discussions.
I am also considering taking something to speed up my thyroid, because my Mom is a nurse and has watched me struggle for months to lose even 5 lbs, and she advised me that it could be a thyroid issue. They now have things you can take over the counter to help that, so its definitely something I am considering.
Anyway, I hope everybody is having a great day! Love you all!

edinburghgirl: Yes, 1 year 39 pounds. I don't think I could have done it with out the support from everyone on the forums. I'm looking forward to reaching my next goal weight of 285. I'm currently going inbetween 289 and 292.

Kayla: I now you said your mom is a nurse, but please don't use the otc treatments with out first getting lab test, and talking to you doctor. I'm only saying this because my thyrod changes from lab test to lab test. One test I'll be up a little, and then the next time I will be down. With cutting out soda and quite a bit of sugar, and not using the diabetic sugars has helped me get to where I'm at in my journey. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I feel the less meds one has to take to improve health the better. I always think of the book drug muggers. For every med one uses there is something else needed to sastain the nutrients one needs.