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

fightingdissonance

Thanks so much for the warm welcome everyone! :happy: Much appreciated! To properly introduce myself, I'm Jess - hi! :flowerforyou:
Since I've been using MFP and was actually able to see what nutrition was in my food I've developed a bit of a crush on unprocessed foods and am always looking for new ways to improve what I'm eating, though I have a serious habit of diet pepsi that is still hanging on stubbornly. Was never really been into working out or being active in the past, with the exception of a few bouts of going to the gym for a while and then stopping again, and have been dipping my toes in the water (so to speak) at our school's gym since the fall. Now I'm on a mission to not only lose this 20lbs that piled on over the last few years but to push myself farther than I ever have, make an enduring lifestyle change, and to build a healthy, strong and active self.
So my goals for the month are to: make time in my schedule to get to the gym for a full workout 3 times weekly with strength training and cardio in between those 3 days, down 5 lbs and at least 2" total loss from hips and waist, improve resistance on elliptical from 6 to 10, able to hold at least 2 planks for solid minute each (I'll repost the entire goal list with mine added in a second post to keep it neat)

fightingdissonance

mpresto - scale goal: lose 10lbs by March 1 (150 lbs); non-scale goal: 2 days lifting, 2 days abs, 4 days cardio per week
megteg - Lose 4 lbs, drink 9 glasses of water/day, and get 4 workouts in per week (at least one with strength), make more homemade lunches
jessista: Be under my calorie goal for at least 7 days this month, be under 150 lbs by the end of the month, cut down on unhealthy late-night snacking (sometimes I am just hungry, so a healthy snack would be ok), walk the long way back to my apartment after class, climb the four flights of stairs to my apartment without it ending in heavy breathing.
seripha - 148lbs by the end of the month, work out 5x a week, go to kung fu 3x a week when I'm in town
roobean33- Focus on NSV's, take measurements every 2 weeks, focus on healthy quality calories, CF 4X/week, cardio 2X
emmarie1630- lose 3 pounds, track measurements- lose up to 1 inch, drink tons of water, cut out diet soda, 4x/week work out and strength training
lil_vic22: Lose 9 lbs
Meggonkgonk: To reach 143 lbs and cut down eating out to 1x a week
mkingraham: I would like to lose 7 lbs this month but more importantly by the end of Feb I would like to be able to run 2 miles without stopping. Its gonna be a hard one but I think I can do it! I also am planning on keeping up the healthy breakfast and exerciese routines! woop!
jbars11- lose 6lbs, continue 30 day shred personal challenge and cut back on soda
meagalayne- Maintain under 130lbs, finish 4 more weeks of HH 1/2 Training Program (Intermediate), race 15km on Feb 19th in UNDER 1:43:00, curb late night snacking and after work binging, and limit sweetener use to ONCE a day.
ChelsiBurnett- (Starting weight 139.2) Goals: Lose 5 + pounds, Eat back most of my exercise calories, drink lots of water, do p90x everyday, & don't eat fast food.
Lostalykat- Lose 4 pounds, Weigh 167, Strength train 2-3 days a week, Track all food that goes in my mouth, Do at least one Yoga class! Assess goals weekly, Make a new recipe 4 times this month.
Cheralicia - Scale Goal: 2lbs (116lbs); Non Scale Goal: Cook at least 3x/week, yoga at least 1x/week, Cardio at least 1x/week, TRACK EVERYTHING (even the bad days) - oh yeah and crush my LSAT this month!
LiL_Fizzy-lose 15 Lbs., Cardio 6x's a week, Kettlebell 3x's a week and NO FAST FOOD!
lolahippie - Be below 140lbs, complete food diary everyday and exercising at least 3 times a week!
kbellnurse - Get out of the 150's! Stop mindless snacking/eating off the meal plan. No chocolate bars all month!
jnlynch- Be 124 lbs (lose 4 pounds this month), workout at least 4x a week, drink at least 8 cups of water a day, & pack my lunch more often.
Kristin - Exercise EVERYday, stay under my calories at least 20 days out of the month and overcome my sugar addiction!
Aholtz1- Exercise 5x/wk (3x Cardio 2x Strength training) drink 12glasses of water a day...lower the amount of soda to 1 per wk
marymoni- Get to 135lbs and improve endurance to 10km.
Nadine - stop drinking. prepare all my meals at home. 4 strength workouts per week. Lose 6lbs - GW for March 1st is 124lbs.
GuamGrly (Bethany) - no scale goal. My focus will continue to be on the lifestyle rather than the # on the scale. Incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet, drink my water, workout 120 minutes per week, and attempt to get on track with C25K training...again!!
nesmikelopez (Vanessa) – lose 5lbs and finish 5k in under 40 minutes. Drink water, no soda and track meals.
noltes2 (Sara) - lose 5 pounds, hit under 155 to have a healthy BMI! Eat consistent calories, with only one over day per week.
wardiemelissa-continue my 1/2 training using Hal Higdon Intermediate, maintain weight, continue to try 2-3 new dinner recipes, eat at least 6 servings of fruit and veggies a day
crystal_ice4: Work out atleast 4 times a week, loose 8 lbs, and try new fruits and veggies
Rachellynch83-I would like to lose 3 lbs this month. (Slow and steady), take my measurements, keep planning our meals a week ahead, and work out 4 days a week.
Allie7383- lose at least 4.5 pounds to put me into the 140's, get back on track with TurboFire. Continue with 8 cups of water/day, consistently track, even if i have a bad food day.
KanCrav- get to 157, make it to the gym 3times a week, workout at least 5 times a week, learn my limits with strength training and start a regimanet.. NO ALCOHOL!
kvr414- 12+cups water/day, Intense cardio 3x/week, Limit carb consumption post 5PM, Lose 3 lbs.
lizzymaez--lose at least 4 more pounds of the 8 pounds I have left to go. Be healthy and workout 3 times a week. Continue taking vitamins every day.
Stuartme123: JanSW = 155. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Conintue with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
slindsey137- Be down to 162 by the end of the month to keep my goal weight on track, do 30 Day Shred EVERY DAY, track all of my food everyday!
KatySteele- lose 10 lbs by March 1st!!! Make it to the gym at least five days per week. Drink 6 glasses of water per day.
shelsab: lose 5 lbs. Work out 5x a week. Try new classes at the gym and no more soda. Be more motivating to my friends and family in anything they are trying to achieve.
tjradd73-lose 6lbs, at least 80ozs of water/day, 3X arms/week, 3X abs/week, burn at least 1000 calories per week!
odettelh - walk for 30 minutes without feeling tired, watch my food intake, get into a solid workout routine and make sure my diet is healthy
amgant- My goals for February are to Exercise everyday, even if it is only 30 min on an treadmill and get under 180.
finncmh- See a loss on the scale. 4 days a week lifting. Cardio: by the end of the month be running between 1.5 and 2.0 miles straight. Continue to refine my eating. Really focus on finding a nice daily yoga routine for myself.
spellbinder25 - (1) Workout regularly, as much as I can, (2) Eat healthy. (Mental note: I AM NOT GOING BACK TO WHERE I STARTED!!), (3) Come up with a strength training plan for March onwards.
BFab24-lose 5lbs to get down to 185, non-scale goals: workout 4-5 days per week (at least 2 in the gym), eat healthy snacks at work, and to move into a new place
Happybunnysbabe57- My Goals on scale- lose 7lbs (or more) My Goals off scale- Workout 4 to 5 days a week, cook more healthy food options, and drink more water.
SeeCrystal - Lose 15lbs, increase workouts, eat at home more often and take a lunch to work - no cheating!
sweetmelissa22-to get to 33lbs lost total, and to go to the gym at least 3 times per week!
echoicmemories (Jess)-commit to gym workouts 3x/wk with training days in between, down 5lbs and 2" total hips and waist, elliptical resistance to 10, and hold 2 planks for a min each

mkingraham

Rachel- Holy smokes! What a great run!! You should be soo proud!!

meagalayne

Here's another great bit of information for those are you still relatively new to calorie counting and eating to fuel your bodies: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8977-your-body-s-thoughts-on-calories

Good luck to everyone and great goals Jess! Welcome to the group :bigsmile:

Lola- So, so damn jealous of your weather. Trying pretty hard not to resent you right now :grumble: haha Sounds like a supreme weekend though - Glad you had fun, and glad to hear your car is back in working order!

Spell - I am so excited too! :bigsmile: Thanks for the compliments. Good luck on your runs this week. Sounds like you *know* what you have to do to get them done. It's all a matter of pushing yourself and not letting your body quit when you get fatigued. If you are finding you are getting too fatigued, too quickly, start out jogging a bit slower to warm up and around 2/3rds of the way through your run bump your speed upto what you would normally jog at - the speed matters a lot less than the time on your feet and the miles logged, esp while you're just getting started. Love the V-day goal - You can totally get it done, lady! :drinker:

nadine2unfit2bqueen

I am feeling EXTREMELY lathargic today - which is to be expected after yesterdays crazy exercise day. Days like today I would usually cave and end up eating a whole bunch of sugar just to stay awake, but I am really trying to stay focused and find healthy ways to pep myself up. I had green tea and some gingseng at breakfast, gingseng with my lunch, and when that was failing I looked back at what I logged yesterday and realized I had 100cals leftover. Since I am all about eating all my cals I just went for a walk out in the beautiful sunshine to the coffee shop and got a skim latter - topped with ground cinnamon which is supposed to be a mood improver. I brought just enough change for the latte, so I wouldn't be tempted to ad a cookie to my order. I read some jokes from the tongue-n-cheek paper while waiting for my latte and laughing out loud over some of them definitly improved my mood. So did checking out the cute construction boy also waiting for his coffee, hehehe. I'm now savouring my latte with one of meag's awesome brownies which I made on the weekend.... which...

Meag - I never got around to telling you, I made the brownies and they turned out great! I didn't have the right sized pan so I made a double batch and baked them in a 9x13 inch pan. Definitly not sweet even though I added some stevia. Might be because I didn't get the chocolate protein powder and used coyote flax seed pancake mix instead. I wrapped one up and took it with me snowboarding yesterday, such a good chairlift snack! Saved me from having to stop and buy an unhealthy lunch on the mtn. I've cut n wrapped up the rest and frozen them so I can just grab in the morning on my way to work and have the perfect afternoon snack when my energy is lagging.

Anyways since laughing helped me feel better today thought I'd share the joke that made me laugh... (maybe its not that funny but my own gramps is just like this so I had to laugh)

"don't mess with seniors"

I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes (he is 76). We decided to grab a bit at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors - red, green, orange, and blue. My dad kept staring at him. The teenager kept looking and would find my dad staring every time. When the teenager had enough he sarcastically asked "What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?" Knowing my dad I quickly swallowed my food so I wouldn't choke on his response; I knew he would have a good one! In classic style he responded without batting an eyelid ... "Got stoned once and had my way with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son."

tjradd73

kbell-good luck with those great goals! and no worries about the "selfish" posts...we are all here for support and advice...no matter how often it goes good OR bad!

Nadine-sounds like you had a great activity day! that is so awesome...great job!

Rachel-same prob here...have you tried flaxseed capsules? and awesome job on your run!

Megan-what an awesome loss!!

jbar-I don't know why people do this to us?? especially people that are suppossed to care about us!! you are doing great and they will realize soon enough that what you are doing is healthy for you and will make you happy!! just keep going!!

Meag-I am so happy that you have found your "soul-mate" there is nothing better in the world CONGRATS!

echo-welcome to the group, and great Feb goals!!

jnlynch-great loss!

spell-how'd you do girly??

QOTD-lunch ideas...oscar meyer deli creations...its like a healthier adult version of a lunchable!! quick and easy!

AFM-not too much of course...got in an extra ab WO today, so I crushed my weekly WO goals which is good, and means that I will have to up it next month! 1/4 of the way through the month already!!

Fitnurse27

Thanks for all the support you guys are awesome!
Nadine your dad sounds hilarious.
Kbell- I'm actually a nurse! You know what they say about nurses being the worst patient's.
I have a history of problems with constipation. I know TMI. I have been to several doctors. The last one wanted to remove my entire large intestine. So I said see you later! They want me taking 2 stool softeners twice a day, two capfuls of miralax twice a day, 2 tablespoons of metamucil daily, and fiber pills daily. I don't believe that a lifetime of laxatives is really the best for my digestive tract. So I'm trying to take care of myself with diet, water, and exercise. You're right sometimes coffee helps so I have been making myself drink it lately. I have also added some miralax to my green tea once a day. I'm not against using it when things get uncomfortable. I just don't want my body to rely on medicine all the time. To answer your other question. It had been about a week and a half. The miralax is helping very slowly.

Meag- I would love to work on increasing the fiber in unprocessed foods. I guess I was just surprised that some of the vegetables I thought were high fiber like spinach, which I love, are a lot lower than I thought. So I started adding fiber one bars and high fiber tortillas to my diet to try and increase my fiber. I would love it if I had some recipes for some more meals involving beans and lentils. If you have any ideas let me know!

jnlynch-where do you get a smooth move tea? Sounds perfect.

tjradd73 I have tried them before lately I have been taking fish oil per doctor's reccommendation to help raise my HDL. I wonder if I should take the two together? I know I'm a nurse I should know that!

jbar- we do know what your going through with other people not supporting your choices. Everyone at work has been giving me a hard time. They wanted to know Sunday if I wanted to order out. When I said no thank you. They went on about how I'm eating healthy now and too good to get Domino's. I didn't worry about it though. Just told them I was saving calories for my superbowl party!

TiniTurtle

quick update- i am feeling much better than earlier, not 100% but i'm not as weak as i was & though my nose is super raw from all the blowing (my vicks lotion tissues have been AMAZING- love them!), it isn't running non-stop anymore. i'm hoping that tomorrow i'll be back to normal. i did end up doing day 5 of the 30 Day Shred & it was tough because my body is so tired, but i sucked it up & i'm glad that i did because i feel even better now. )

@kbell & rachel- i'm in nursing school ) i finish the end of march, can't wait!

@rachel- i bought the smooth move tea at cvs, but i know you can get it almost anywhere like grocery stores, walmart, trader joe's type places too. it's in the pharmacy section near the fiber & laxatives, not in the regular tea section. )

@meag- i'm excited for you guys to possibly take the next step sometime soon! 7 months is quite a while & he sounds really supportive. my bf & i are getting close to engagement, but we've been dating over 3 years & i am SO ready to be a wife baha i want babies & a home of my own & my bf to be with me everyday.

@nadine- you made me LoL :oD & i'm glad you enjoyed your latte & the nice view ;o)

@tjradd- awesome with the kicking your workout goal's butt! push yourself some more, we're not even halfway through this month!

finncmh

Holy crazy lifting workout: LOVING my new routine!!!! Here is what my pull workout looked like and now my legs are jello

Back:
Lat pull down
Low row
Hyper Extension (lower back)

Biceps:
Seated Twisting Dumbell Curls
Standing Barbell Curls

Legs: and here is where it kicked my TUSH
Football press (its similiar to a squat except you are facing in towards the machine and driving up and forward at the same time)
Romanian Deadlifts (hamstrings)
Single Leg Stationary Lunges with Dumbells
Leg Extensions (with a ball between my knees)

Abs:
Lower Abs
Obliques

just did a walking warm up and cool down since my legs were shot.


CRAZINESS!!!!!!! Loved it and looking forward to my push day tomorrow (chest/shoulders/triceps/upper abs) woot woot. walk run intervals tomorrow also

megteg

@Meag - Good luck on your new transition to normalcy. It's good that you can see what you need to work on and that you have a level head about it. Baby steps Definitely give yourself some credit because you are a fighter! But you also deserve to go out and celebrate life without too much worry about calories or eating too perfect. It seems like you have a great set of skills to keep your health in check without sacrificing life/food experiences! The pictures of you and the boy are so cute, and I'm glad you had a good race! Also, thanks for the encouragement! Yeah, it's nice to see the scale moving after all the work. It definitely makes me want to keep it up!

@Nadine - thanks for the hydration info. I'm feeling glad my hydration % was in that range during my last weigh in. Good workout snowboarding and running on the same day. You must be SUPER in shape to do that! You're a rockstar.

@Cait - AMAZING loss! Good luck with this week and getting close to your 15lb loss goal!

@Crystal - wow..how did you lose that much per week? Great loss! But remember it's no race If the pace is too much for you, better to slow down and stick with it than getting too discouraged. You're doing great!

@Megan - Great loss AND a new puppy! Sounds like a pretty great weekend to me. I hear you with the brain getting in the way with running. I'm constantly fighting mine after a few minutes of running. My best advice is visualizing yourself finishing your goal and how great you'll feel when you're done. My mom/second cousin run marathons, and they inspire me, so I picture myself having a hard time during my first marathon next to Lake Superior ( my LONG term goal someday), and just when I'm about to give up, they both run up next to me and encourage me to keep going. Picture yourself strong and durable - you can work it!

@jbars - glad you like the drink! Also, I'm so sorry to hear people seem to try to slow your progress. Honestly, I think it's about jealousy and comfort. People don't like change most of the time, and maybe they're worried you won't be the same person you used to be (silly thought but I could imagine people thinking that way). They probably wish they had the same commitment as you. It's so easy to make up excuses and complain without making any changes. Hopefully the good ones will come around and be happy for you in the end!

My parents and my boyfriends parent's met for the first time on Sunday. It was a good experience. At the brunch , the rents definitely got along. They seemed to bond well over very embarrassing pictures of my youth The delicious food helped too! Not very healthy though. My food diary this weekend is pretty embarrassing...oh well. Everyday is new!

Today's update: I finished my C25k run today, completed week 6. 25 MINUTES! I can't believe it. I was having such a hard time, but I had to finish. Sooo tired and worn out now...but so excited to be making it through the program and to be moving on to week 7! Maybe I'll be in shape soon enough for the St. Patty's day 5k in town!

kbellnurse

@jnlynch & rachel - haha oh man so many nurses! Yeah nurses are the worst patients. And also the most hypochondriac(s?) right! My mom is a nurse too so I was raised in this crazy world. Sorry for giving you laxative advice, how embaressing for me haha

Just popping in a quick one here. First day of my TOM and it knocked me flat. I was up and full of energy this morning, popped some stew in the slow cooker (I had my last bootcamp class today after school and I never have time to cook after without eating everything in sight!) I was just packing up my lunch/books and it was just like 0-60 cramps. As the day went on too my energy level just went down and down. I was so bloated I just wore a huge hoodie and lulu's to class. I don't even know if I should weigh myself tomorrow because it'll probably just depress me. The good news is that because I had my bootcamp class I was forced to do a real workout! And since it was our last day the instructor just nailed us. I was sore from my kettlebells/walk yesterday so it was double hard. I kept thinking that if I was at home I would just be giving up (about 60 times!) so I am thankful for that.

I'm in this "February Fat Loss" group on FB (I may have mentioned this earlier). It's being run by this lady who's RKC (kettlebell) certified and who runs a training studio in Southern California, anyway - she's been posting suggestions to help ramp up our workouts and fat loss each week or so. In the first week she said we should try getting an additional 200 swings in each workout and that we should go gluten free. (I have no gluten sensitivity so I'm not participating in this one but the swings I am!) Most recently she suggested trying to incorporate a 30-35 walk before breakfast a few times this week. (Fasted Cardio.) Since it's pretty arctic out and I'm a big weiner (walking is pretty treacherous outside!) I'm picking up one of those "Walk it off at home" DVD's from the library. I know that the benefits of fasted cardio are kind of sketchy but I read one article that said "If it's the only time you can fit in cardio then it won't hurt you at all." I figure even if the "fast-edness" of it doesn't improve my fat loss the extra cardio can't hurt. I also get pretty gross feeling if I work out too soon after eating so this could work out for me. I will keep you posted. If I faint and have to get my husband to force feed me an apple or something I will definitely give it up, haha.

hilhall822

mpresto - scale goal: lose 10lbs by March 1 (150 lbs); non-scale goal: 2 days lifting, 2 days abs, 4 days cardio per week
megteg - Lose 4 lbs, drink 9 glasses of water/day, and get 4 workouts in per week (at least one with strength), make more homemade lunches
jessista: Be under my calorie goal for at least 7 days this month, be under 150 lbs by the end of the month, cut down on unhealthy late-night snacking (sometimes I am just hungry, so a healthy snack would be ok), walk the long way back to my apartment after class, climb the four flights of stairs to my apartment without it ending in heavy breathing.
seripha - 148lbs by the end of the month, work out 5x a week, go to kung fu 3x a week when I'm in town
roobean33- Focus on NSV's, take measurements every 2 weeks, focus on healthy quality calories, CF 4X/week, cardio 2X
emmarie1630- lose 3 pounds, track measurements- lose up to 1 inch, drink tons of water, cut out diet soda, 4x/week work out and strength training
lil_vic22: Lose 9 lbs
Meggonkgonk: To reach 143 lbs and cut down eating out to 1x a week
mkingraham: I would like to lose 7 lbs this month but more importantly by the end of Feb I would like to be able to run 2 miles without stopping. Its gonna be a hard one but I think I can do it! I also am planning on keeping up the healthy breakfast and exerciese routines! woop!
jbars11- lose 6lbs, continue 30 day shred personal challenge and cut back on soda
meagalayne- Maintain under 130lbs, finish 4 more weeks of HH 1/2 Training Program (Intermediate), race 15km on Feb 19th in UNDER 1:43:00, curb late night snacking and after work binging, and limit sweetener use to ONCE a day.
ChelsiBurnett- (Starting weight 139.2) Goals: Lose 5 + pounds, Eat back most of my exercise calories, drink lots of water, do p90x everyday, & don't eat fast food.
Lostalykat- Lose 4 pounds, Weigh 167, Strength train 2-3 days a week, Track all food that goes in my mouth, Do at least one Yoga class! Assess goals weekly, Make a new recipe 4 times this month.
Cheralicia - Scale Goal: 2lbs (116lbs); Non Scale Goal: Cook at least 3x/week, yoga at least 1x/week, Cardio at least 1x/week, TRACK EVERYTHING (even the bad days) - oh yeah and crush my LSAT this month!
LiL_Fizzy-lose 15 Lbs., Cardio 6x's a week, Kettlebell 3x's a week and NO FAST FOOD!
lolahippie - Be below 140lbs, complete food diary everyday and exercising at least 3 times a week!
kbellnurse - Get out of the 150's! Stop mindless snacking/eating off the meal plan. No chocolate bars all month!
jnlynch- Be 124 lbs (lose 4 pounds this month), workout at least 4x a week, drink at least 8 cups of water a day, & pack my lunch more often.
Kristin - Exercise EVERYday, stay under my calories at least 20 days out of the month and overcome my sugar addiction!
Aholtz1- Exercise 5x/wk (3x Cardio 2x Strength training) drink 12glasses of water a day...lower the amount of soda to 1 per wk
marymoni- Get to 135lbs and improve endurance to 10km.
Nadine - stop drinking. prepare all my meals at home. 4 strength workouts per week. Lose 6lbs - GW for March 1st is 124lbs.
GuamGrly (Bethany) - no scale goal. My focus will continue to be on the lifestyle rather than the # on the scale. Incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet, drink my water, workout 120 minutes per week, and attempt to get on track with C25K training...again!!
nesmikelopez (Vanessa) – lose 5lbs and finish 5k in under 40 minutes. Drink water, no soda and track meals.
noltes2 (Sara) - lose 5 pounds, hit under 155 to have a healthy BMI! Eat consistent calories, with only one over day per week.
wardiemelissa-continue my 1/2 training using Hal Higdon Intermediate, maintain weight, continue to try 2-3 new dinner recipes, eat at least 6 servings of fruit and veggies a day
crystal_ice4: Work out atleast 4 times a week, loose 8 lbs, and try new fruits and veggies
Rachellynch83-I would like to lose 3 lbs this month. (Slow and steady), take my measurements, keep planning our meals a week ahead, and work out 4 days a week.
Allie7383- lose at least 4.5 pounds to put me into the 140's, get back on track with TurboFire. Continue with 8 cups of water/day, consistently track, even if i have a bad food day.
KanCrav- get to 157, make it to the gym 3times a week, workout at least 5 times a week, learn my limits with strength training and start a regimanet.. NO ALCOHOL!
kvr414- 12+cups water/day, Intense cardio 3x/week, Limit carb consumption post 5PM, Lose 3 lbs.
lizzymaez--lose at least 4 more pounds of the 8 pounds I have left to go. Be healthy and workout 3 times a week. Continue taking vitamins every day.
Stuartme123: JanSW = 155. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Conintue with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
slindsey137- Be down to 162 by the end of the month to keep my goal weight on track, do 30 Day Shred EVERY DAY, track all of my food everyday!
KatySteele- lose 10 lbs by March 1st!!! Make it to the gym at least five days per week. Drink 6 glasses of water per day.
shelsab: lose 5 lbs. Work out 5x a week. Try new classes at the gym and no more soda. Be more motivating to my friends and family in anything they are trying to achieve.
tjradd73-lose 6lbs, at least 80ozs of water/day, 3X arms/week, 3X abs/week, burn at least 1000 calories per week!
odettelh - walk for 30 minutes without feeling tired, watch my food intake, get into a solid workout routine and make sure my diet is healthy
amgant- My goals for February are to Exercise everyday, even if it is only 30 min on an treadmill and get under 180.
finncmh- See a loss on the scale. 4 days a week lifting. Cardio: by the end of the month be running between 1.5 and 2.0 miles straight. Continue to refine my eating. Really focus on finding a nice daily yoga routine for myself.
spellbinder25 - (1) Workout regularly, as much as I can, (2) Eat healthy. (Mental note: I AM NOT GOING BACK TO WHERE I STARTED!!), (3) Come up with a strength training plan for March onwards.
BFab24-lose 5lbs to get down to 185, non-scale goals: workout 4-5 days per week (at least 2 in the gym), eat healthy snacks at work, and to move into a new place
Happybunnysbabe57- My Goals on scale- lose 7lbs (or more) My Goals off scale- Workout 4 to 5 days a week, cook more healthy food options, and drink more water.
SeeCrystal - Lose 15lbs, increase workouts, eat at home more often and take a lunch to work - no cheating!
sweetmelissa22-to get to 33lbs lost total, and to go to the gym at least 3 times per week!
echoicmemories (Jess)-commit to gym workouts 3x/wk with training days in between, down 5lbs and 2" total hips and waist, elliptical resistance to 10, and hold 2 planks for a min each
hilhall822- get to 220 lbs by the end of the month- drink lost of water EVERY day!

stuartme123

@Kbellnurse: The walk it off DVDs sound like a great idea to use while it's still so cold out. I'm a big weather wuss too. I've been using some cardio videos that I've found online when I'm too much of a wimp to go outside or to the gym (have to walk or bike there...) I've had a lot of fun with them - I hope you do too! Good luck!

@Megteg: Sounds like you're making great progress on the C25K program. You've got plenty of time for a St Patty's 5K - which sounds like a whole lot of fun to me! Go for it!

@Jnlynch: so sorry that you're feeling sick. it takes some determination to workout when you're feeling crappy - so kudos on doing the 30 Day Shred today. Glad you're starting to feel better. Hope you're back to 100% in no time!

@Nadine: No matter how crappy my day is, laughing always makes me feel better. And your dad is too funny!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Thanks for sharing that. Great plan just bringing enough change for the skim latte - you're such a smartie!

@Jess: welcome!!! you've got some great February goals.

@Lola: soooooooo jealous of your weather!!

@Megan: congrats on your great loss!! You deserve for your hard work to pay off! I think it's great that you and your coworkers are having a friendly weight loss competition - although you are 100% right to not sacrifice doing it slow, steady and healthy for winning. Do you guys talk about the things that you are doing to lose the weight? Maybe they already know what you're doing to take of the weight in a healthy and sustainable way - but if they don't, hearing about your experiences may help to motivate them to doing it the right way too. Any way, good luck in the competition.

@Meag: your pics are ridiculously adorable and you totally deserve to be giddy and happy when you look at them!! That race sounds like it was so much fun and it's really great that your boy is talking about doing races with you in the future too!

AFM: I have been so intrigued by KatySteele's black bean brownies idea. So I made some for the superbowl party that my friends hosted. I also splurged and made them black bean cream cheese brownies (low fat cream cheese though, so they still weren't a huge bust on calories!) I made people try them before I told them about the black beens :laugh: But, Katy you are definitely right, everyone LOVED them!

I didn't track my calories for the superbowl party. I know that I went way over. However they were serving chili as the main food instead of pizza or wings, so the food was definitely not as bad as it could have been! Went over today as well. Had a date planned for dinner, but not until he got out of work. So I knew I had to wait until 9 for dinner tonight - but by the time I got out of my 3 hour class at 5:30, I was sooooo hungry. So I kept snacking. And I discovered the perfect thing to make me stop snacking: baby carrots! I ate a bunch and suddenly wasn't hungry or craving. It was like magic! Dinner was at a pizza place though (his choice). But I don't feel bad about it. I have been craving pizza for a month and have not had any. It was absolutely worth the calories for me... this one time

Meredith

Fitnurse27

I started the 30 day shred last night. My husband didn't think it was a great time to start as I just did a long run yesterday morning, but I said it's fine. It's only 20 minutes. I will just think of it as my strength. Famous last words! It was a good workout, and my legs were feeling it from the run before. Today I am lightly sore all over and I'm excited to do it again! I need to work on my arm strength-pushups are so hard for me right now.

QOTD- Ideal Saturday is one I don't have to work. I get to sleep in until around 9am. Make a big nice breakfast for the family and then go do something active together as a family. Lately that has been taking everyone swimming at the gym. They have an awesome family pool the kids love and a lap lane for me! Then coming home and relaxing as a family.

QOTD- I also usually eat leftovers from supper the night before. I love spinach salads, and homemade tuna salad with lots of celery and 1 tablespoon light mayo. Then I usually add in carrots and an apple or some other type of fresh fruit or veggie.

wardiemelissa

Sorry in advance for being a quick and selfish post...I broke the webstick for our internet last night :grumble: so I have only a few quick minutes to post before my students come racing in...

I signed up for my 1/2 yesterday :noway: super excited and yet nervous at the same time!!! I also signed my daughter up for the kids marathon. She has to log 25 miles at home and then she gets to run the last 1.2 miles of the marathon on race day. Upon completion she earns an actual marathon medal! She (and I) are both really excited about it!!! She did her first 0.8 miles on the treadmill last night and she was so proud of herself!!! I am so happy for her! Tonight is our skating party for our school so I am taking my 5 yr old (who is in Kdg. at my school)...so I probably won't get my run in unless I do it after we get home. But I'm sure I'll burn a few calories roller skating tonight-along with some bumps and bruises :laugh: Haven't roller skated since oh....middle school!!!!

Stepped on the scale this morning and gained about 3 pounds...likely from all the sodium consumed and YUMMY goodness!!! Alas the pitfalls of enjoying myself "a lttle TOO much" :drinker:

Welcome to all the new kick *kitten* women on here!!! To everyone else keep up the great work and I'm hoping to check back later when I have some time to respond!!!

Melissa

meagalayne

Hey everyone!! Happy Tuesday :bigsmile: Up bright and early today to get a good start to the day. Getting a 4miler in, then showering quickly and driving up to Ty's for the day. He's come down with some freak illness, apparently, and home sick from work so I'm going to keep him company and procrastinate a whole bunch from getting stuff done around here :blushing: It'll be a nice little road trip for the pup and I. Temps sitting at about -13C (feels like -22C) right now, so should be a VERY brisk run... Maybe it'll speed me up? :ohwell: Ugh!

Rachel - Doing strength and stretching exercises the day after your longer runs is actually perfect for active recovery! Just don't push yourself too hard :happy: 20 mins sounds like a very reasonable workout, and since it's only 20 mins it's good that you really pushed yourself hard. I tend to do 55 min classes on Mon nights after my long runs on Sunday and find it hard to push through the entire class... a shorter, more intense strength workout is probably a great substitute. As for high-fiber whole foods... fruit, vegetables, lentils, whole grains, and beans are all great. If you want specific suggestions about certain foods, let me know. You can also check out my food diary for suggestions - Yesterday I ate 49g of fiber and the only processed food item I had was some Balance popcorn at night for a snack...

Meredith - Great job making everything fit into your life. And no regrets on the pizza date, I'm sure :bigsmile: Who's the boy!?! I want details, missy! hahaha Cream cheese black bean brownies sound way too good... did you just add cream cheese in addition to the black beans? Did you find there was too much moisture? And how much CC did you add? Just wondering! I love to experiment in the kitchen but baking is sooo not my forte

Hihall - Welcome :flowerforyou: Great goals! Introduce yourself a little when you get a chance - Just tell us whatever you like about yourself. It's great to get to know the ladies on the forum. And don't be overwhelmed by allll the posts. We (I) tend to blather on a LOT! hahah

Kbell - Fasted cardio is definitely sketchy, IMO. But for 30 mins of walking I wouldn't be too worried about fainting :laugh: You won't be working so hard that your body can't survive off your nutrition from yesterday. I'm just not sure if the benefits outweigh the discomfort and grumpiness I would feel not getting breakfast in first thing in the AM... What, exactly, is the science that supports fasted cardio exactly? And does it really apply to a short walk? Just curious!

Meg - Thanks for all your kind words and well-wishing :happy: You are such a sweetie!! Love that everything is going well in your world and don't worry too much about your important breakfast being "over". Sounds like it was really worth it if everyone got on well and you were embarrassed in the process :laugh: Great job on your C25K victory too! Finishing W6 is a huge accomplishment! Hope you had a little mini-celebration dance. You'll definitely be ready for the 5K in March!

Cait - Sounds like a bad-*kitten* work-out lady!! You are so impressive! Maybe one day I can get you to take me to the gym and show me a thing or two I can use all the help I can get! Keep it up - You rock my socks off every time you post about your wicked strength routines!:drinker:

jnlynch - Sounds like you and your boy are doing great :bigsmile: Very happy for you, as well!

meagalayne

I signed up for my 1/2 yesterday :noway: super excited and yet nervous at the same time!!! I also signed my daughter up for the kids marathon. She has to log 25 miles at home and then she gets to run the last 1.2 miles of the marathon on race day. Upon completion she earns an actual marathon medal! She (and I) are both really excited about it!!! She did her first 0.8 miles on the treadmill last night and she was so proud of herself!!! I am so happy for her!

This is awesome news! YAY for signing up for your 1/2 :drinker: :bigsmile: :drinker: Totally motivating me to register for mine! I have to find the funds to register for another race first (15K race next weekend) but I am definitely going to be registering VERY soon. And I can't wait - I know that it will finally feel "real" once I sign up!

So cute about the kids marathon and your daughters interest in running. Sounds like such a great learning experience for her :happy: What a wonderful mommy and teacher you are - Your daughters are pretty damn lucky to have you, Melissa!

KanCrav

Wow I def missed alot going on here!~!~! Where have I been????? Well I read all your posts and I am very excited to see everyone so motivated. I dont have the mental power today to get back to everyone individually, but I am still thinking of you all!~!

AFM... not doing to well this week. I have wine and beer during the superbowl and I am pretty disapointed in myself. Hopefully going to a meeting tonight will make me feel better. I cant change the past, only look into the future and try to do the right thing. Thanks for listening everyone! I hope everyone is doing well.

lostalykat

So much is going on here it is hard to reply! Let alone catch up!

So glad we have so many new peeps that seem to be sticking around, it is great to get more advice and just more input on here. I feel so much better when someone else is either struggling with food or exercise. On the flip side it is great to hear about what is motivating people to push to the next level.

KanCrav- I know this is a personal struggle for you but try to not let the guilt ruin your day. It is too easy to feel bad about ourselves. Waking up and saying this is what happened and this is how I am going to change it is a hard thing to do but a good habit to get into. I am sure you will conquer this battle, it will take time tho. Keep your head up girly.,

Meag- I didn't get to mention how cute you and your boy are. Glad you feel like you can share such an important part of your healthy life with him. My boy will be my cheerleader for my race next weekend hehe that works for me.

Melissa that is so cute about your daughter being involved in races! Love It!

Stuartme123- I didn't track for the superbowl as well, I am writing it off as a free day and trying to not think about it hehe. It made me feel better to not be the only one who is doing that.

Rachel- Good job on pushing yourself on the 30 day shred, that is a tough workout and it takes a lot of mental will power to force it after a big workout the previous day. WTG! :drinker:

Finn- that workout sounds awesome! Good job pushing yourself and getting into a lifting routine. This is one of my goals and it is so hard for me since I do 6 days of cardio a week.

AFM- whoosh that was a little hard lol, so much to comment on sorry if I forgot you. Last night I was sooo tired from this weekend we ended up just watching a movie and eating some veggies and seafood for dinner. It was healthy and I was full so that was good. Stayed under in my points so yay. It is supposed to rain on saturday and I am scared about the duathlon. There are some big hills that were challenging on a beautiful day, let alone a rainy one. I am going to sign up for a half ironman with some friends instead of the aquabike. Half Ironman is - 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and a 13.2 mile run. It sounds intense, but I know I can push myself and do it. Hoping for a loss on thursday but not expecting one considering the weekend I had. I am not sure how many of my scheduled workouts I am going to do since I have the race on saturday.
Mon-Rest
Tues- Swim for at least an hour
weds- run group
Thurs- day off? maybe little swim in the morning if I can get up.
friday- walk?
Sat- duathlon 2mile run, 19 mile bike, 2 mile run
Sun- recovery run with team

Well on to another day and another week! I packed my lunch today and I have to figure out how we are going to do grocery shopping after work and workout...long day planned. Have a good one peeps!

QOTD- What is your mantra for working out? what do you put in your brain to keep you going?
haha I will answer in a bit I have to think a little.

GuamGrly

So I think I am ready to come out of hiding...:noway:

I have been keeping up with the posts but I don't think I could even begin to comment on everyone's posts so I will begin with a selfish post. My weekend was not very good food-wise but I am not letting it get to me. Yesterday I had planned on starting my C25K training but as I left work I came up with every excuse as to why I didn't want to go. BUT I have to drive right past the gym to get to my daughter's daycare so I decided that I needed to stop into the gym no matter what. So...Day 1 of C25K traning is complete. Had to be into work early today so that I can leave early to take my mom to her MRI appt later so I packed my breakfast and I am ready to face the day. I think I eat better when I am working out on a regular basis because I don't want my hard work to go to waste. But when I'm not working out, it seems like everything falls apart. So...as you lovely ladies have done, I am going to post my workout schedule for the week. Hopefully I am able to make it all work with the kids, school, and taking care of my mom but we shall see.

Monday - C25K traning
Tuesday - 60 minutes of kickboxing & 60 minutes of hula
Wednesday - rest day (and have to pick up my son)
Thursday - C25K training
Friday night or Saturday morning - C25K training

Next week I want to start up the push-up challenge again on the days I do 5K training.

Well I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!! :flowerforyou: