Kicking *kitten* In Our Twenties - January Challenge!!

GuamGrly

Now that goals are out of the way, I can take a minute to respond to everyone...

Emma - great job almost being done with school!! If all goes according to plan, I will be done in March or May.

Melissa - oh the joys of motherhood!! My 6-year old still pulls stuff like that except she can't think of a valid reason why she is crying so then she just starts to make stuff up.

Meag - hope they are able to give you a little more insight at the clinic!! I am sure it will be good to at least have some sort of clue whats going on with your body.

Mary - great job kicking @ss!! Great start to the year!! Feeling skinny is amazing!! I have felt that at one point in time and I look forward to that feeling again.

Gonks - great loss!! You are truly an inspiration!! Now I think I will take my measurements tonights so that I have an "official" start for the year. And like you, I hope to finish up school so that I can graduate June 4th!!

Cait - I have a hard time planning too. Which is really funny cause I am a complete planner and list maker. My schedule makes it hard though cause there are quite a few nights out of the week that I'm not home due to school or driving 2 hours round trip to pick up my son. But all of my classes are online now so I'm hoping to settle into some sense of normalcy and get myself and my kids and a structured schedule. I wish you luck. And let me know if you find out any secrets along the way!!

stuartme123

Here's my December recap:

1) Cardio (30 min/3x a week): Didn't do so well on this goal. I got sick right after finals and still haven't really gotten over it. :frown: Being home with the family for the holidays led me to take walks around the neighborhoods with friends I haven't seen in a while, so that was healthy and fun!

2) Food: a) Unhealthy snacking - I did well until the holidays. Those darn 70% dark chocolate covered pretzels that my mom bought...... b) More veggies - Pretty successful. My family is also into adding veggies to meals, so it wasn't a problem holding to this during the holidays. One night we sauteed some spinach with garlic and cherry tomatoes. It was delicious! I plan on making this for myself more often this month :happy: c) trying new healthy recipes - success for 3 out of the 4 full December weeks!

3) The scale! Goal was to lose 1lb a week (total 4 lbs). My DecSW was 161 and my WI this morning was 156 :bigsmile: :bigsmile: 5lb loss!!! This feels great! I was stuck right above 160 for about 2 months, and I've finally clicked back into loss-mode - even around the holidays :bigsmile: I am officially below my lowest weight in college (which was 158 about 16 months ago). Feeling pretty great about myself, MFP and this Kick *kitten* Group!!

January Goals:

I like my goals from last month, but I want to be able to do better on them. I was knocked off track by finals, being sick, and holiday festivities. So back on track for the New Year!! I also think I need to make checking in with the Kick *kitten* Crew a goal - because I got so out of the groove last month - and you twenty-somethings are such great motivators.

- Check in with this thread 3-4x a week.
- 30 min of cardio 3x a week
- Exercise Challenges: Get back into the 100 push-up challenge 3x/wk. Restart and keep up with C25K.
- Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day
- Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day.
- Try one new healthy recipe a week
- Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs. JanSW = 156.

stuartme123

skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
Lauratx22-to lose 6 pounds! Weighing 165!
Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month.
Stuartme123: JanSW = 156. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Restart and keep up with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.

lostalykat

skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
Lauratx22-to lose 6 pounds! Weighing 165!
Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month. Preferably 168 if possible. Do weight lifting or strength 3 times a week, be active in some way every day. Get back into doing Yoga do a class at least 1 time this month. Write down my feelings more often.

I got kicked off when I was working on it. This is a general list sorry it is somewhat long. It is great to see everyone's progress, and for those of you(like me) who struggled through the holidays, lets get back on this horse! I also want to do another half marathon this year, and I am toying with the idea of doing the vineman aquabike....we will see if that happens. So far soo good today, at a healthy breakfast with tea, and I just had an apple as a snack. My lunch today is a chicken salad, so I am setting myself up for good stuff right now!

seripha

skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
Lauratx22-to lose 6 pounds! Weighing 165!
Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month.
Stuartme123: JanSW = 156. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Restart and keep up with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
seripha - exercise 5x a week for at least 30 minutes each. Try to eat at least 1 cup of dark green food every day and only 1 sweet thing per day.

seripha

P.S. my running ladies -

Runningskirts is having a big clearance sale on a lot of their stuff for 2011. All the clearance is either $20.11 or $11. There's more stuff in the American Clearance outlet but they also have local ones in England and Canada too.

http://www.runningskirts.com/sale.html

So if you're looking to get some cute gear this helps

meagalayne

Updating to make sure the list is comprehensive :happy:

skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
Lauratx22-to lose 6 pounds! Weighing 165!
Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month. Do weight lifting or strength 3 times a week, be active in some way every day. Get back into doing Yoga do a class at least 1 time this month. Write down my feelings more often.
Stuartme123: JanSW = 156. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Restart and keep up with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
seripha - exercise 5x a week for at least 30 minutes each. Try to eat at least 1 cup of dark green food every day and only 1 sweet thing per day.

GuamGrly

Stuartme - that spinach and tomatoes sounds so yummy!!! Please share how you made it!!

Tara - is there a push up challenge this month. I am really thinking I need to jump on that bandwagon.

meagalayne

Stuartme - that spinach and tomatoes sounds so yummy!!! Please share how you made it!!

Tara - is there a push up challenge this month. I am really thinking I need to jump on that bandwagon.

The push-up challenge is on-going and can be found here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/128418-go-team-october-hundred-push-up-challenge?page=10#posts-1984669

I am trying to get back into it this month and I think Gonks and a few others are too! Feel free to join

lostalykat

haha thanks Meag, I was just about to do it but you beat me to it!!

Meag- I hope you are feeling better, there is nothing worse then feeling super sick! Try not to let the guilt sick in. You are such a strong amazing person for doing all that you do! Hang in there chicka!

Daily check in? I am debating about checking in every morning to talk about calories from the previous day and workouts. I know we all normally do it but I wanted to see how everyone feels about it being somewhat regular?

meagalayne

haha thanks Meag, I was just about to do it but you beat me to it!!

Meag- I hope you are feeling better, there is nothing worse then feeling super sick! Try not to let the guilt sick in. You are such a strong amazing person for doing all that you do! Hang in there chicka!

Daily check in? I am debating about checking in every morning to talk about calories from the previous day and workouts. I know we all normally do it but I wanted to see how everyone feels about it being somewhat regular?

I do it anyway and just force you all to put up with it, so it works for me! :laugh: I also ramble on constantly and write wayyyy more than I should. Love to hear my own voice, I guess. This is a problem in my day-to-day, as well :blushing: I say do whatever works! I'm going to keep harassing you all because I love being accountable in that way. If you think daily check-ins with cals and exercise will keep you on track, I say DO IT! I'd love to hear about how you guys are eating + exercising on a regular basis :happy:

Also - We should start up the QOTD again, just because I like getting convos going on here that don't always revolve around weight-loss. It's nice to get to know you all as people. Unfortunately, I am terrible at thinking of interesting questions to ask...

miss_amy

hi everyone! i'm back! so i ended up gaining 2lbs from the holidays. but i sucked it up and adjusted my weight accordingly on here. i am SOOOOOO HAPPY the holidays are over- i feel re-energized and ready to kick MAJOR *kitten* in January. My goal is big this month: 8lbs. I want to do it. I am going to step up my game and really focus on being good this month. I know I can do this!

I hope everyone had a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
Lauratx22-to lose 6 pounds! Weighing 165!
Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month. Do weight lifting or strength 3 times a week, be active in some way every day. Get back into doing Yoga do a class at least 1 time this month. Write down my feelings more often.
Stuartme123: JanSW = 156. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Restart and keep up with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
seripha - exercise 5x a week for at least 30 minutes each. Try to eat at least 1 cup of dark green food every day and only 1 sweet thing per day.
miss_amy: to lose 8lbs (38 total lbs), work out 5x a week for an hour & log EVERYTHING!

lostalykat

I like the questions as well, it is hard to think of questions every day...but , I am up for the challenge.

Question of the Day!

What is your go to healthy snack??

I was thinking maybe we should start by using something that is healthy as the first question, also to help give ideas to everyone, I guess mine is a list lol.

Hummus with veggies
Greek nonfat yogurt
raw almonds
Apple with peanut butter

meagalayne

What is your go to healthy snack??

Fruit, cottage cheese + cinnamon (and sometimes walnuts) - it's a huge, filling snack and tastes great!

Either that, or I have an apple, or cut up veggies with hummus and homemade pico de gallo. But usually cottage cheese and fruit wins out because it's so sweet and cinnamony and delicious! :happy:

GuamGrly

I keep my desk stocked with 100 calorie packs. I know they are not that great for me but when I get the inkling for something, they are a better choice to turn to then the items in the vending machine.

My new fave is trail mix!! I bought snack bags when I bought my last bag of trail mix and immediately divided it up according to the correct portions. Cause I could easily finish the whole thing.

And I am trying to incorporate fruit and/or vegetables as my new snack. I did pretty good last week. I think I'm gonna head to the farmer's market on lunch to load up for this week.

stuartme123

Yay for the return of QOTD!

My favorite healthy snack is a cup of frozen veggies drizzled with some olive oil, sprinkled with garlic, pepper, etc and baked for about 10 min in the oven. I'm usually home for lunch so I have it cooking while I eat a sandwich and eat it afterward. Also I love hummus - I've been making my own lately (not a health conscious recipe, but good: http://mideastfood.about.com/od/dipsandsauces/r/hummusredpepper.htm).

@ Guam: here's what we did for the Sauteed Spinach/Tomato stuff. Put a bit of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Added a handful or two of halved cherry tomatoes. Then added about 1/2 of a bag of spinach. It looks like a lot of spinach, but it really cooks down. Then seasoned it with some garlic salt and onion powder and a little pepper as the spinach was cooking down. We served it as a side for a family meal - and the four of us finished it. The red and green made it look very festive.

ngoat

skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
Lauratx22-to lose 6 pounds! Weighing 165!
Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month. Do weight lifting or strength 3 times a week, be active in some way every day. Get back into doing Yoga do a class at least 1 time this month. Write down my feelings more often.
Stuartme123: JanSW = 156. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Restart and keep up with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
seripha - exercise 5x a week for at least 30 minutes each. Try to eat at least 1 cup of dark green food every day and only 1 sweet thing per day.
miss_amy: to lose 8lbs (38 total lbs), work out 5x a week for an hour & log EVERYTHING!
Ngoat (nancy): Lose 5lbs, Drink more water, and eat healthier dinners!

finncmh

I think I am with Aly on the healthy snacks!
Hummus with veggies
Greek yogurt
Almonds

mmmm
Lately I have been working on getting more fruit in as snacks also!

SkipToMyLou32

Laura--Fab loss! Hooray for no more treats at the office!

KVR--Good job hitting your goal. I am trying to take advantage of extra time to work out in January also!

Meag--(Pertaining to your question to me--Yes I definitely have been able to lose 5 lbs rather quickly if I follow my healthy eating plan because most of the weight I put on a lot of times is just sodium/water/huge portions. So I think I can get to 125 end of January as long as I don't mess around with my diet. The next 5 for February may be a bit tougher...we'll see!)
So sorry about your yucky weekend at work. I can't imagine dealing with New Year's drunken revelers... I am so glad you got 8 hours last night!! I can only imagine how much your body is thanking you! Please don't feel like you are letting yourself down!!! You need to give 110% to healing completely, and then you can give 110% to training! Get better!! :flowerforyou:

Emmarie--Great job losing weight over the holidays! That is absolutely amazing if you ask me! I'm glad your next semester is looking good. I'm excited about my schedule next semester too. I don't start class till 12 or 2 depending on the day so that is perfect because I can get my workout done first thing which is what works best for me.

Melissa--Even if you didn't have a technical workout today you are so prepared to kick fanny this week!! It is so much easier to eat healthy when you have pre-cut veggies and such and a stocked fridge and pantry full of good for you stuff. I'm sure cleaning your house burned quite a few calories! So cute about your daughter wanting pony tails, even though I'm sure you didn't find it cute at the time! Have fun starting your training tomorrow!

TJ--You continue to rock! Good job! That Michael Jackson dance game sounds interesting! I would probably burn a ton of calories laughing at myself trying to dance!

Finn--I'm so glad you are not letting the scale derail you! I know that is hard (from personal experience!) and it's easy to throw in the towel. Keep at it and it will drop! And great job rocking your other goals!!

Briar Rose--Welcome!

Euca--Welcome! Calories definitely don't count on your birthday!

Gonks--WOW congrats on your amazing year!!! :drinker: You have worked so hard and it has totally paid off. You should be so proud!

Mary--I am so happy for you that you are enjoying lifting and feeling skinny!! Feeling skinny is the best! I'm glad you said that because it made me remember the feeling and want to get it back! Hopefully I will get there soon!

mkingrahm--welcome!

Guam--Your NSGs sound great! Hope you have an amazing time on your upcoming vacations!

Stuart--Good job with your Dec. loss!

QOTD-Oikos greek yogurt with stevia or almonds--23 to be exact

AFM--I am SO freaking glad that the holidays are over! I told my hubby yesterday that I love him, but I am so glad he is going back to work today because he is a bad influence on me! When he's off and we're hanging out I am so much more likely to go out for lunch or have some wine or something. Of course it is totally my fault in the end for indulging, but you know what I mean... I am finally back in the swing of things at the gym--no more half-a$$ing! Today I did strength training and then elliptical. I had a bit of chocolate indulgence today, but other than that it's been great. I baked some chicken yesterday so I have enough to last a few days so looking forward to some healthy protein. I am trying to focus on that "skinny feeling" that Roo talked about that I get sometimes. Hopefully that will motivate me to keep on track and meet my January goal.

rai8759

HEY EVERYBODY!! MISSED YOU!!

So totally lost control over the holidays and now weigh 168.2 (my last wi was 163.something). Waaah! Its ok though. I was a fun holiday and I'm planning to make good! No more major holidays for a loooong time, so no more of those to face for awhile.

My December goals:

rai8759 - Go from 167.4 to 162 by 1/3/11 (1.08 lbs/week); Carry a water bottle around with me and drink 8-10 cups of water per day; Be true to my food diary even if i miss a day get right back into it the next day!!

Feel like I did pretty good on all of these until Christmas kicked in... then it all went down hill. So for this month I plan on loosing at least 4 lbs (164 by 1/31/11); working out 3x a week; developing a consistent weight training regiment and working my way up to 2x a week weight training; drinking 8-10 cups of water per day; eating more veggies; tracking everything in my food diary!!

Working towards a new GW for 5/30/2011-148 lbs.

Here's to the new year!!!

skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
Lauratx22-to lose 6 pounds! Weighing 165!
Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month. Do weight lifting or strength 3 times a week, be active in some way every day. Get back into doing Yoga do a class at least 1 time this month. Write down my feelings more often.
Stuartme123: JanSW = 156. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Restart and keep up with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
seripha - exercise 5x a week for at least 30 minutes each. Try to eat at least 1 cup of dark green food every day and only 1 sweet thing per day.
miss_amy: to lose 8lbs (38 total lbs), work out 5x a week for an hour & log EVERYTHING!
Ngoat (nancy): Lose 5lbs, Drink more water, and eat healthier dinners!
rai8759: lose at least 4 lbs (164 by 1/31/11); work out 3x a week; develop a consistent weight training regiment and work my way up to 2x a week weight training; drink 8-10 cups of water per day; eat more veggies; track everything in my food diary!!