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

lostalykat

Hey Guys!! I know it has been a long time. My work has been super anal about how much we use the internet and I have just been plain busy every night. I miss you all and I am in the process of still getting back on track and figuring out these headaches. I have an appt with an acupuncturist this saturday and I am back to counting and tracking. I miss you guys and I promise to be coming back hard for May. Other than that I am good, I gained a few pounds this week but it makes sense considering I have just been flaking on everything fitness/health wise. Today is a new day and a new month is about to start. I am mentally thinking of my goals right now. Ill come back as soon as I have some time to see how everyone is doing.

meagalayne

Hey everyone - Happy Thursday!

Today I was a total ball of stress... The last little while I've been trying to teach myself not to need to plan SO much. Not to stress so much about the small, inconsequential stuff, because I know that my stress and anxiety is a) unjustified, b) not productive, and c) potentially self-destructive. I'm doing this by continuously reminding myself of what matters and when the urge to micro-manage crops up, I try to cram it back down and remember to just let things happen. Can't plan out every second of your day. But I notice that some days it's so much easier than others and today the fact that I hadn't made lists and planned heavily yesterday for my day today made me very, very, VERY anxious. I felt absolutely mad, to be perfectly honest, sooo disorganized and generally just completely out of control. I wish I had a dollar for every time I ask my folks what their plans are for the day/night/weekend or every time I make a grocery list, or ask my mom if she needs anything at the store, or hell how many times I go to the store in general! I went to 2 separate grocery stores and a whole foods store today, alone. And then when I got home I made a list of food items we need to get on Sat. I'm just constantly planning my meals days/weeks in advance because I stress so much about what I eat sometimes... I know I need to learn to be OK with feeling uncomfortable like this (it's like Yoga, right?) and that eventually I'll cool down a bit and mellow out, but right now I'm finding it just so overwhelming. Definitely a long way to go. It's so crazy to think that I've been so successful and changed so much of myself and my life in the last 2 years on this journey and yet I can still recognize that there is so much work left to be done on ME, emotionally and mentally. Seems like the physical part was easy in comparison! :noway:

My interview for summer employment with the Liquor Control Board was today and it was really, really well. Despite all my stress I think I really impressed them. I appeared calm, collected and very sociable. Definitely stressed my communication skills and ability to engage with people from all walks of life and they seemed pretty taken with me. The panel of interviewers were really upbeat and had a lot of interesting questions about my work experience (amid general horror at my current position and work environment) and when I left I could register a sense of genuine well-wishing from them all. Definitely feeling positive about the job and my prospects. I should hear back over the next week or two. Fingers will be crossed! :bigsmile:

Onto my responses - I've been slacking hard lately and always have a million things to say and never enough time to type them all out, so bear with me!

Aly - New day, new month, new commitment! It's all about getting back on track when you falter. I know you're going to do great :happy: And yes, we definitely missed you too! So get back here and gear up for some serious *kitten*-kicking! :bigsmile:

Em - Hope the bridal shower went really well and was everything you wanted it to be! Wedding stress + Easter is definitely tough on the body and the mind, so don't worry too much about your stall in progress. Once things get back to "normal" (whatever that is) I'm sure you'll start seeing results again! Just have to make sure you're committed and motivated and the rest will follow

Rai - Positive news is that despite everything weight-wise you are feeling better about how your body looks! Even if you did gain a pound or two, you looked at yourself and thought "Not too shabby, girl!" and that's a majorrrr victory! Whenever I get that "damnnn girl, get the scale, you look GOOD!" feeling I know I'm making progress because the old, overweight Meag would never EVER have seen progress on her body with her own two eyes. All I'd ever see was all the trouble spots. For the first 40lbs or so I was adamant every time my mom said I looked thinner or that I was losing weight - "Nope. Exactly the same. Still overweight." Relentless! We can totally be our own worse enemies, so thinking your tummy looked flatter and firmer is definitely a huge mental victory. Own it! As for beating yourself up about your motivation and falling off track, please consult every post I've made on this board in the last 3 months... I've been at this a long time and I know I've made MAJOR progress physically, but I still have so much work to do on me - It's totally a bummer some days knowing how much work I still have to do, but for some people this journey is just way way harder mentally and emotionally than for others. I often feel that moderation is the ultimate goal but life doesn't ever feel "moderate"... It's either all or nothing. I either give in and ice cream out of the carton every day or I buckle down and really commit to being healthy. Everything is a slippery slope for me and I sense that you are worried about the same sort of behaviours and outcomes. It's a tough balance and I'm not sure what advice to give. The best thing I can tell you is what I am trying to implement myself - Take each day at a time, constantly remind yourself of what's important versus what's inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, and try to give yourself a break. I've found recently that having a break from life and just doing something fun, where I can forget about food and weight and life for even just an hour or two, really helps to ground me again. As Guam said, don't lose sight of the journey, but make sure you give yourself a break once in a while and don't lose sight of everything and everyone outside of the journey while you're at it :happy:

Megan - Hope the foot fared well on your run today! Sounds like a bummer - I know how foot injuries can be. Take it easy if it's still bugging you. No sense making matters worse. You'll really want to kick yourself (with the good foot) if you mess it up - feet take ages to heal! :grumble: Lots of anti-inflammatories, rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) after your W/O if you can. Should be feeling better in a few days. If not, consult a physician

OK This is wayyy long and I need to get to work. Eeep! Three more shifts, ladies! Soooo excited to just get it over and done with. Thank goodness! :bigsmile: I've never been so happy to go to work in my life :laugh:

See you all tomorrow!

tjradd73

Kandace-you should be very proud of yourself...you are trying to break so many habits all at once....things that most people can't do very easily even one at a time!! Keep up the great work girl! The caffine is a hard one...I used to drink like 3 or 4 sodas or coffees/day and now I am down to less than 1/day! it's a great feeling not to have to DEPEND on it all of the time! :flowerforyou:

Cait-good luck to J!! And great job on the run....I love running in mud! LOL Don't forget to practice the cargo nets for the dash in August...I hear that is the most difficult part of it!

Alexis-thanks girl...I'm trying my best to stay positive..I think that I have been doing very well and will take whatever I get as far as losses go! I still have 22lbs to go but they are each getting harder and harder as they drop off!! Hears to hoping for a good b-day party for me and fun times with your friends that you haven't seen it a while!! I am sure that you will get some great positive reinforcement when they see you! :drinker:

Megan-LOl thanks for making me see the good in my loss!! sometimes I just need a smack to get the point across!! :blushing: My body is definately weird though...when I eat 1400/day I need to really step up my workouts to see even that -0.6lbs lost!! Guess it just goes to show that this truly is a lifestlye change and not just a temporary change to get and keep what you want! I'm glad that your foot is feeling better...good luck on your run!

Bethany-naps are definately good on occassion!! and so is procrastinating!! LOL How did date night go? Have fun this weekend!!

Rachel-I'm sorry to hear about your gain...the key is really just CONSISTENCY, your workouts seem to be under control for sure...so that is great! Now as for the eating and logging...the reason that MFP works is because it is here to hold you accountable for EVERYTHING that you eat!! I am a firm believer in logging everything no matter what! It really shows you how much you truly do or do not know about cals and portions....you must learn this before you can ever be able to live a "normal" healthy lifestyle! My suggestion to you....log everything-everday, and don't feel bad about ONE cheat meal/week (you better believe that I will be having one during my b-day week)! I am glad that you took your measurements to double check things and if you are doing a lot or strength then water retention is a very realistic possibility...I would recommend re-weighing after a rest day of strength just to see what's up. Do NOT give up and you will get to your goals sooner or later! :ohwell:

Em-I am glad to see you back at it!! I will tell you the same thing that I told Rachel ^^^....do NOT give up!! We all are here because we still need MFP and our pals here to hold us accountable...the only way to get this is to check in on occassion and to log EVERYTHING no matter what...if you do these 2 things the weight will come off!! Keep on goin girl!

Meag-congrats on the great interview!! I will keep my fingers crossed for you....and be sure to keep us posted! Try to have a great night at work

AFM-well....6 days to go until my last WI for the month, and exactly 2lbs for me to reach my goal this month! I shot high for my lbs lost goal this month to try and make up for the <4lbs that I lost last month!! I didn't know if I would hit it or not but it def has made me push myself a lot harder!! I am still doing everything that I set for myself and I am really, really hoping that I can reach the 8lbs for the month...in the meantime I have been working on coming up with some really great goals for May and can't wait to see how this month pans out fo me and for everyone else! Only 2 days until May!! :happy:

allie7383

Hey all! where the heck did the month of April go?? I for one blinked and apparently missed it lol. I'm looking forward to May now that I've turned in my application for grad school, and it's one huge thing to not be thinking about for the mean time.. I was so angry at my boss for taking the entire month to finally get my recommendation to me tonight, after countless reminders over the past week. Fortunately I called the school today and they said as long as the app is in, the recs can be in by June 1st, which was nice to hear, but I'll be heading back there tomorrow to turn my last rec in, and then it's up to them!
So Wed, I started the 30 Day Shred, and wow... It is a tough 20 minutes. She gives you no break, which I guess is good b/c you're only doing 20 min, however I was def sweating bullets by the end. The one thing I don't like is that it's basically 3 levels and the only instruction they give you is that you move on when you're ready. I like having a calendar lol. So I planned on doing 10 days at each level, though today I am sore and had no desire to do it again. I ended up instead being a total lazy-butt and not doing anything and eating the (lower fat) cookie dough ice cream i bought yesterday lol. argh.

Rai- I'm walking in your shoes girl, and feel like I have been ever since this year started. To date I've lost about 6-8 pounds since Jan, leaving me stuck in the 150's. It's so frustrating b/c I know I'm sabotaging myself and I know that all I have to do is rededicate myself to logging, eating properly, and regularly exercising, but have been pretty unsuccessful at it. I think I've grown comfortable in knowing that while I'm not losing, I haven't been gaining either from the slacking off.. I totally agree with Meag in that this journey is super mental, and I def think that it's easier to change your physical appearance than the mental picture of yourself. I know I've come a long way from where I was, however I think about the 20+ pounds I still want to lose, and look at myself everyday and just see the negatives.. how big my thighs are, how flabby my stomach and arms are, etc... It sucks!! It's hard but do the best you can to push the negative thoughts out and just think of the positives, however small they may be, and again think of the big picture.. We're all going to lose battles here and there but in the end I know you'll win the war! :flowerforyou:

ok break time for me, but i'll be back to further comment!!

tjradd73

Allie-you and I have about the same amount of weight to lose still...if we both stay focused we can FOR SURE finish by summertime!! Let's GET and STAY focused and just do it!! If there is anything that I can do to help motivate you or any ideas/suggestions that you feel like you need help with...please feel free to ask otherwise....just keep on movin and loggin and you will get there!!

KanCrav

~Alexis... Thanks for reminding me that I have the decision to make today a good day!~!~! I woke up in a good mood but somehow got frustrated and I was going to let that ruin the WHOLE day. Not any more, thanks for the reminder!~!

~Megan... Im glad your foot is ok! I roll my foot ALL the time, I was told when I was younger that I have weak ankles... to this day I cant stand on roller blades or iceskates for more that a half hour without wanting to die! I totally know how that pain feels, and its not fun!

~Guam... I hope you have a good Friday!~!, your weekend sounds crazy busy! Good luck with everything!

~Rai.... take your gain as a lesson learned! Dont beat yourself up over it and just keep on going. Keep your bad food decisions in the back of your head so the next time you think about cheating too much you will remember how it affected you this time. You lost 2 pounds before, you can loose it again!~!~!~!~! Use it as motivation, throw in an extra workout if it helps. When I have a small gain or if I only maintained when I worked my butt off and felt like I should have lost.... I like to go to the gym and just cardio it up!~!~! Afterwards I feel much better becuase I feel like I am taking a much better step in the right direction. You can do this!~!~! :flowerforyou:

~Tara... Good Luck with your next two pounds!~!~ I know you can do it! I hope I can come up with a fun goal for may... what are you thinking that is fun?????

~Meag... I knew you would do a great job on your interview!~! I just felt it!~! I am very happy for you, fingers crossed!~!~!~! Remeber to be nice to yourself though... Im feeling like your freaking out just a little bit!~!~:explode: !~!~! I think you need to jump into LessStress May!~!~! (its official cuz I say so) hehe.. no stress for the willing!~!

AsForMuah!~!~!~!~! I lost 2 pounds this week!~!~!~!~!~! whAT what~!~! I dont think I have lost two pounds in one week since feb! I NeeD to challenge myself this month. I have been going very easy on myself and only needing like a four pound loss a month. Its getting nicer outside, I have NO excuss to sit inside, my withdraw is almost over and I am over my fear of the gym. That means NO MORE excusses. Do we think I can loose 9 pounds in a month>???? is that crazy??? I only say 9 cuz I am 149 and 140 is a round number.. lol... what do you all think??? Too much??? Doable????? :ohwell:

Random ramble really fast. I have some thoughts going on in my head and I need to get them out. I was going to Army Community Services to volunteer today but when I called they said they had alot of ppl there already and didnt need me. So someone from there is going to meet me and take me to the RedCross and show me how to sign up there. BUT I feel like the volunteer director from ACS doesnt want me because he knows the stupid things I did when I was drinking (like going to work drunk or drinking when I was tending bar) and that makes me paraniod and upset. I know I messed up and made a fool out of myself (on a VERY small army post where everyone knows everyone) but I just want something to do. I am not asking them to pay me or give me a job.. I just want something to do!~! And now I am embarrassed to go down there cuz I imagine that he is expecting me to be drunk and stupid still. :brokenheart: :embarassed:

allie7383

ok continuing on:

Erica- congrats on the loss! keep it up! can't wait to be where you are!!

Megan- ouch! sorry to hear about your ankle, but i'm glad you're doing better, and good luck on the run!

Bethany- happy Administrative Pros day! it's Lab Week for us here and it's been food every day between chinese, pizza, and the goodies people have brought in every night lol. i'm ready for the week to be over!!

Cait- you're doing so great with the running! i'm looking to do a 5k in the near future, but it's hard to pick since i have to work every other weekend and usually on friday nights, so i'd end up staying up and going into a race with no sleep! also, i just went back again and saw your comments about the 30 day shred lol.. omg i fully agree with you! before doing it i figured i'd do 10 days of each level... now after doing just 1 day.. yeah right! i can def see where people are hurting themselves, and now i know i'll need a day in between workouts!

Meag- glad to hear the interview went well!! looks like you'll be on your way to a MUCH better workspace! ever since i've been put in charge of my shift i can totally sympathize with your stressing over the little things. in the past several months we've had people get fired, quit, and go to other shifts, and had new people come on.. very stressful, and it's left me with nothing but crappy sleep and therefore a crappy attitude about pretty much everything... i have 2 new poeple on my shift who are basically trying to change the things they don't like, even though there's nothing they can do about it.. it causes other people to get aggravated, including myself, and i've been brought to tears several a time in talking to my manager about them.. last week she told me it's not worth worrying about things that haven't happened yet, and i extend that bit advice to you. just take it day by day girl, and enjoy all that you've accomplished, along with your family and Tyler.. you've come so far, and yes you still may be learning but you've got so much knowledge, and have helped so many people here, including myself, that you should feel so proud and confident in whatever you do! i had more but can't think of how to phrase it at the moment, and my time is running short to comment lol.. but just know that i think you're awesome, and such an inspiration
and p.s. the samoas are practically a perfect food, and therefore very dangerous to be around.. i've learned to take 2 out, then put the box away otherwise it'll be haf the box down my gullet lol.

Tara- yes i def need to STAY STAY STAY focused lol.. i'm so glad a new month is here, and with a little less worry i think... i'm gonna hang up my summer pants next to my bikini, and just get myself back into the old mindset.. one of my friends at work was told by her doc that she needs to lose 60 pounds, so i'm hoping she'll get on the train as well! first stop... back to logging!

mkingraham

Kandace- You should not even think about what he thinks. If he is going to judge you based on your past mistakes when you are completely changing your life for the better then you don't need to be around him. I'm sure the Red Cross would love to have you and volunteering in general is a fantastic thing to do. Keep your head up because you deserve every opportunity but some people are just plain rude!

Allie- Grad school apps are so nerve racking! I totally feel you because I just finished grad school last year. At least that stress is off your plate and you can now concentrate on bigger and better things.

Meag- I'm really glad that your interview went well! I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

Tara- I also like setting lofty goals and really pushing ourselves to meet them. I think you are going to totally kill it this coming week! And you will feel awesome for doing so!

AFM- Foot is feeling much better. I ran today, only a mile though since the brace was too tight and was digging into the bottom of my foot and making my arch cramp. I am going to try to run this weekend without the brace and see how I feel. Luckily when I did roll it I didn't try to force stop it I just let my weight go with it so it turned out to be not as bad of a strain as it could have been. Anyways- I'm excited for monday and my last weigh-in for April- I think I'm going to crush it

tjradd73

Kandace-First off...CONGRATS on your loss!!!:happy: As for your volunteering...do NOT pay attention, or give a f^ck what that guy thinks...or anyone for that matter!! If you wanna put yourself out there and volunteer your time...then do it!! I think it is not only a good thing for people to do period...but it is also a good thing to keep you busy...the past is the past...move forward! Now onto your weight goal...I am all for trying to push yourself...however 9lbs is a pretty lofty goal, for me it would just make me push harder to reach it, and if I didn't I would at least know that I gave a good effort....for some, it does more harm then good, and just makes them be disappointed if they don't reach it! You need to figure out which type of person you are and what effect it will have on you if you DON'T happen to reach it?! As for any fun challenges...my main focus in May is going to be fitness related...I will be adding in more lower body strength and yoga to my normal cardio and upper body/abs...I have come up with a great upper body workout for the month and a great ab workout for the month so far...now onto the lower body!!

Allie-well I am certainly glad to hear it!! I really hope that your friend decides to join you...for some people a diet partner is the key to their success!!

Megan-I sure hope that you are right about this week!! Like I said...I feel like I have worked pretty hard this month, and deserve everyone of those pounds that I have lost! I'm glad to hear that you got in your run and hope that this weekend goes well with not wearing your brace too. I think that you will for sure crush your WI on Monday...you are doing great! And I agree with setting the higher goals and will be totally striving for it again this month...lets do this!!:happy:

AFM-as I am thinking up my new May goals...I have been trying out some new workouts that I may wanna add...so not only did I do my elliptical today but I also added Yoga Burn to the mix...pretty awesome burn for yoga!! I think that I will be adding that yo the mix 2 days per week! I day until the new month begins ladies...have you thought of your new May goals?!?!?

meagalayne

Lots to comment on today but I am just not up for it, ladies... I'm sorry :ohwell:

Rough day today. I always feel so rushed because I sleep in on Fridays after work and then have limited time to workout, fit in meals, and get my *kitten* together before work again tonight. I have no idea how you shift workers cope with this regularly... It makes me so, so anxious!

Weighed-in this AM at 123.2lbs and was pretty crushed. I have no idea why I'm losing. I ate a ton of stuff this weekend that I shouldn't have and definitely felt as though I had put on weight. My clothes were fitting differently and my body just looked "worse", for lack of a better term. I don't know what the hell happened. But I definitely do not want to be teetering too close to the 120 mark and 123 is way, way, way too low for me. Need to re-evaluate, but the stress of moving, last shifts at work, potential new job stuff and trying to organize my life before I head to Ottawa next weekend is consuming a lot of my emotional energy and I'm not sure I can really cope with that right now. So I'm going to log today but at an arms length from MFP and will not be logging on the weekend, once again. Taking some more time off.

I'll try to stay in touch and will post the new challenge tomorrow night before heading to work (I won't have access to a computer May 1st. I'd really appreciate you vets helping, as always, to keep the lists sorted and organized and to instruct the newbs on posting goals and how the group works. I'll do my best to be as clear as possible in the initial post, but I know that folks typically scan all that junk anyway Thanks ladies. Have a great Friday Much love!

rai8759

Thanks so much for your kind and encouraging words!!! I really needed to hear that stuff. I know I can get down to earth advice here, and I'm really thankful for that.

@ Guam- I am the exact same way with sweets. If I eat one I want to throw the whole day away as if it were “ruined” and then I proceed to stuff my face. I've been putting extra focus on that lately. Trying to still make healthy choices and remember that what I put in my body matters regardless of when I mess up, but it is super hard. I still need to remind myself that this is a journey and not a means to an end. I'm meant to live life along the way and not just close my eyes and crash on through to being “skinny”.

@ Meag – The emotional/mental part of this is CRAZY!! I always knew it was there when I would break a diet to binge or start truly hating myself because I was “fat”. Truly unhealthy, destructive behaviors have always surrounded food and gaining/loosing weight for me. Now with MFP and other healthy information sources I know what is good to do and yet doing it can be like climbing Mt. Everest. It is encouraging to see that you have made it so far through all your struggles to stay on track. I am seeking moderation also, though I think I am more like you in that I am an all or nothing kind of girl. That means that I like to beat myself up over mistakes, which is so bad. I think taking it a day at a time will help with that. Jillian Michaels says on the DVD I'm doing that “transformation is not a future act but a current activity” or something like that. If I want to change I need to do it now, not tomorrow, this minute. Yesterday has already been lived. Gotta focus on the now!

Good job at your interview. When are you going to hear back from them?? Honestly I want to be as scheduled and diverse as you are with your meal plans, but we are really at two totally different stages. You are working at maintenance and I'm trying to whip myself into working order. After being so good at something like meal planning for so long and seeing the results I can totally see how it is hard to let go. I don't want to think about unlearning something I'm trying so hard to build in myself now...yikes!
(please forgive me for how long this is!!!!)

@TJ- Very practical, very true advice. Logging everything I put past my lips used to be a monthly goal for me, and I have really let that go. I need to be diligent with that. Weighed myself today after some rest and came down to 164.4 so there was some water retention. Yay! Lol. Still I've gained a little, but I need to be realistic. If I'm not going to monitor what I put in my body.. I'm not going to see a loss. It just comes down to that.
Good luck on your last wi! I'm going to start coming up with some great goals for May also!

@Allie- Jillian is no joke, lol. But keep doing it and you really will get ripped!! My hubby just commented that my stomach was starting to look kind of cut. ;D Taking a break if you really sore is good, but get right back on it!! Thanks for the encouragement. It sounds like we are really in the same boat. I've lost up to 10 lbs (gained some back) and can't believe I've been riding this yo-yo so long!!! What has been helping me some is signing up for something challenging.. like running a 10k or buying that JM DVD. It gives me a goal that kind of keeps my mind off of always thinking about food and that I can't have it, lol. But obviously I'm still hitting road blocks. =/

@KanCrav- Thanks for hitting me with some tough love. You are so right!! 1+1=2. If I eat the right foods within my calories and work out I will see results and feel great!!! I am jumping right back in!

Honestly I really like the JM Ripped in 30 DVD. I think it is awesome. I really bust my *kitten* every work out. It is advertised as a 20 minute work out but it turns out to take between 30 and 35 minutes (still pretty quick). The ripped in 30 one also comes with a free diet plan from her website. I've not taken a look at that though.

Disclaimer – It is not like Turbo Jam where the moves are super dancie and it goes to music (which I also love for different reasons). Jillian is pure business. She is ready to kick your butt!!!

@Emmarie- Study hard for those exams! Enjoy the time you have leading up to and including your wedding!! It is so fun, but it can go super quick.

@Kat – Good to hear from you. Acupuncturist! Hope it works to relieve your headaches.

@Shannon – Have you tried the JM shred DVD yet??

AGAIN THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I FREAKIN LOVE THIS THREAD!! I know I didn't have time to read everyone's posts. I've got to head out to a friend's bball game, but much love to everyone!! Fight on! One more day in April!!!

tjradd73

Meag-I'm sorry to hear that you had a loss again....maybe a dietician would help figure this out for you?! we all need help sometimes :ohwell: You are almost done with your oh so hated job, congrats for that! and you can count on us to keep the lists updated as well as possible :happy: enjoy your weekend and see ya in May!

AFM-well first of all...the back pic is apparently a theme on MFP for the day between some of the peeps on my friend list...so in case you're wondering why it's there...that's it!! LOL
Now waiting on the damn plumber to come fix a blockage somewhere in my pipes that is causing water to flood my downstairs anytime the shower, dishwasher, or washer is used...the joys of owning your own home!!:grumble:

KanCrav

Good Morning Everyone!~!~! It is the last day of April, im glad you could all be here. its been a blast. (sorry, sometimes I imagine myself on stage accepting an award and I just ramble) lol.

There is a 5k going on right outside my window.. im a little sad cuz I was thinking about doing it (i was going to walk most of it) but I never got around to registering. But On the plus side, I took Cody for a walk at 8 this morning and when we imerged from the woods the 5k people were still standing around waiting, so I kinda felt good that I had already gotten in a 30 min jog before they even started. (its the small things, rememeber, drunks dont get up before noon...lol) That reminds me!~!, its been 71 DAYS since my last drink! AND I have only had 6 random cigs in the past 2 weeks... none in the past 6 days!~!

I am stll not sure what I want my goals to be for May, 9 might be alttle steep to try to loose, but I dont think I will be that upset if I dont get it, I am pretty sure that setting the bar high will just make me want to work to see if I can get it. Honestly when I started this weightloss my MAIN goal was 145 cuz I couldnt even imagine getting there. Now its 135 becuase I KNOW I can do it if I just stay dedicated. My bras are not wroking for me anymore so I had to get some new ones. I have never bought a good bra before in my life, I always get walmart or the clearence ones at Marshalls.... so, I treated myself. I bought 2, TWO Victoria Secret bras (still on sale, of course!~!) and .... AND... drum roll please......... a VS BIKINI!~!~! holy crap, I know, I am as shocked as you are... see, so there is NO EXCUSSES..... I have to do this.... already paid for... ITS ON like Donky Kong!~!~!

Going to a SwimBad today, I hope its fun and I hope they have an outdoor part so I can work on my tan....... have a great day everyone, I will surely be back tonight to see how everyone is doing!~!

allie7383

yay to the VS Bikini Kandace!! I got a couple myself lol. both on sale haha.. i was brave and got one without underwires, though i think that one will be my lay around doing nothing one, while the other i feel more confident that i won't be putting on a peep show at the beach hahaha.. i have that one hanging up in my closet in the open for motivation... time's running out! gotta get it done.. i didn't think about the money aspect before but i darn sure am now!!

KanCrav

Allie... I didnt think about the money while I was doing it either.. it was tax return money!~!~ and Damn it, I deserve it~!~! Plus, i figured, I spend so much money on bras that only last a few months and then I have to throw them away. THis way, if I buy VS i KNOW they are going to stay good. Did you know that they are guarenteed for life??? if a wire pops out or a strap breaks or the cup missforms, you can walk in.. hand it to them and ask for a new one!~!~! Money we spent!~! (i dont know about bikinis, but bras you can)

allie7383

What?? Omg I had no idea!! I've def had wires pop out after a while, dang it!! I just bought new ones from kohl's bc all mine are now too big lol. My first time in a ling time not buying from VS bc I wanted to save some $$ lol.. Oh well, good to know! Where is that guarantee stated?

meagalayne

Last day of April ladies - MAKE IT COUNT!

No time to post today. This weekend is a write off! But I'll be posting the May challenge tonight before work. Hope you've all got some neat and creative goals set up for next month. Can't wait to hear them!

Happy Saturday!

shelsab

LAST DAY!! OMG I Cannot believe it! TOmorrow MAY 1st!!!

Kandace! what VS bras are guarenteed for life! I have never heard this! I too have had them break and just threw them out :[ Man, at least i know now! Congrats on the loss! Thats awesome!!! Great job on thinking about your May goals, you reminded me that I need some now because it's tomorrow! :]

AFM: Today is definitely a rest day, I woke up to my body being very sore from yesterday's boot camp. I was going to finish off my week with my long run, but I am thinking a rest day is necessary, so long run is prolonged till tomorrow. Other than that nothing too much, May is here tomorrow and that means I get to see my friends from California at the end of May, so I am trying to make myself really stick to my goals this month.

Have a great day everyone!
-Alexis

shelsab

Bethany- Summer trips are July-Idaho for a cousins wedding and August-Madrid, Italy and Germany. Madrid would be a week, Italy for 5 days and Germany for about 5ish. I just don't know if its all going to work out. I have the money, thanks to my tax return, but there's just a lot going on so far that its just getting the details figured out. Plus my brother is proposing to his girlfriend in Madrid, so it's a special trip. I am hopping it works out and it was only supposed to be Madrid and Italy, but a cousin just moved to Germany and wants me to visit since I will be in Europe. I don't know, Germany may have to wait till next April. And there are some other small trips, mostly between home and California.

Allie-Congrats on getting your app in for grad school! Good luck! My sis applied to grad school too and one ref didn't turn theirs in, but said he did, luckily they let him resend the rec letter.

finncmh

Alexis- I have never done a warrior dash! I am doing one in August with a few of the ladies from here. Should be pretty exciting! We are totally going to rock these 5ks! Definitely keep us posted on how yours goes!! Sounds like you have some GREAT trips planned!

Megan- how is the foot feeling? How did the pup do with the storm? You have kept on me so good about the running now its my turn to harass you! When are you going to sign up for a 5k!!!! teehee. I am telling you I really think it will give you the extra motivation to keep going with this running. You are doing such an AWESOME job!!!

Guam- enjoy your weekend with all those fun activities planned! And SUPER blush :blushing: for saying that I would have some good advice. To even be compared to meag and gonks in that regard is an honor… :blushing: :blushing: However, I think you gave some great advice yourself missy!

Rai- its hard to give advice on this aspect because we all respond to different things. But first and foremost- please stop beating yourself up! You are human and we all make mistakes. This isn’t about beating ourselves up to lose the weight. Honestly, this only seems to send us in to a further downward spiral. I am also not saying go to the other extreme and use this as an excuse to do and eat whatever you want. Everyone is right the mental thing is the hardest part sometimes but its also the most important part. Sounds like you just need to give yourself some time to keep figuring this out. Figure out why this is really important to you (other than weight). Take some of the stress off yourself, maybe think about same more general goals for May. Like going for a walk a certain amount of days a week. Or thinking of a nice activity to spoil yourself once a week (not food or exercise related) like a candlelit bath and a book or something along those lines. I don’t know what the answer is but I know that for me a huge part of this journey happened before ever finding MFP and that was about learning to love myself (yes SUPER SUPER cheesy) learning to let go of some (still working on this) of my all or nothing attitude, learning that I need to find things to do that I enjoy (not just because I have to) and finally that I freaking deserve to be healthy and happy (whatever that weight looks like!). Just my $0.02!!! Hope it helps and makes sense.

Em- sounds like you are having a great time with all the wedding craziness. Don’t apologize enjoy this time! I know I certainly need to take some of this advice for myself! Just enjoy the wedding craziness and take care of yourself.

Aly- ditto to Em. Don’t stress about this- just enjoy this whirlwind experience of being engaged and getting married!

Meag- Its so good to hear you really trying to work through some of the emotional/mental aspect of thigns. You are always suge a huge support for me and I am happy to see you really focusing on yourself too!!!! As for kicking *kitten* on the interview- way to FREAKIN go! So pumped for you. Amen to EVERYTHING you said to Rai! I think you were spot on and you always so it so well! Ps- one more shift right?!?!?! Woot woot!

Tara- I cant believe that may is almost over! Thank you again for encouraging me to check my measurements. Hard to believe I hadn’t checked them since end of Feb. Glad that I did- definitely gave me that extra boost I needed! Like that you are trying out some different workouts. Working on figuring out a good schedule for May- pretty excited for this month. Going to be crazy! Good luck with the house thing! We are looking to buy after the wedding but its definitely a big commitment.

Allie- awesome accomplishment on the grad school app! They can be so all consuming! Finding a race is hard for me too since I run the shop on the weekends. I just try and switch my Friday off with a Sunday and the owner cover that Sunday. See if you can find any 5ks on Sundays- that’s when most of them are around me!

Kandace- 2lbs way to rock it lady!!!! As for the volunteering thing- I think you need to just figure out what is right for you and go with it. Don’t stress about what other people are thinking. This needs to be all about doing what is right for you and nothing else! You are doing an incredible job!

AFM- just enjoying this great weather here (when its not raining). Getting in lost of runs/walks and think I figured out a good workout schedule/loose plan for May. Pretty excited about that. I upped my calories a bit the other day because I have been plateaud again. Grrr BUT I did measurements yesterday and I have lost 10 inches over my whole body (bust, back, natural waistline, bellybutton/waist, & hips) since end of Feb. Feel pretty good about that! Interesting part is that my thighs and calves all gained about a half inch to an inch each (must be from all the running I am doing which I am totally cool with that then). Going to be starting the push-up and squat challenge come Monday. I hadn’t done it last time but I think with all my running it will be a great way to incorporate strength. Also think I am going to make up a pull-up (modified) and core challenge for myself that I will do with the other two. That way I am hitting all the major muscle groups three times a week in addition to my running. All in all feeling pretty good! April was a good month and May is going to be even better.

I should be around tomorrow on and off while I am at work in the shop so I will def try to help keep things in order since I know you are going to be swamped Meag. Cant wait for the May group!!!!

-Cait

tjradd73

Kandace-I see that you are still doing fantastic all around....wtg on the sobriety, cigfree life, run, and bikini!!! Keep on killin it girl...you deserve all of this! And if you wanna shoot for 9lbs....then do it!!! I feel what doesn't kill ya only make you stronger right?! :flowerforyou:

I wish that I could wear a bikini SOMETIME in my life...Not gonna happen unless I get a tummy tuck!! I have realized that after having a baby when I was so young, and losing almost 100lbs that all of the crunches in the world will not make me bikini ready!!! that sucks :grumble: but hey...at least I look decent in clothes now! LOL

Alexis-great job on getting in another JM workout....and have fun on your run tomorrow!

Cait-thanks girl, my house is all better now!! Buying is def a HUGE committment; however, if you are planning on staying in it when you buy it then it is well worth it! I'm so happy for you, with your measurements and "upped" motivation!! You definately deserved everyone of those inches like I said! WTG! :drinker:

AFM-Got in another decent workout today...25min wii fit cardio, and 23min strength (arms/abs), I will be finishing my exercise plan for May tonight and then working on the rest of my goals as well!! I can't wait to see the 120's now that I have seen the 130's for a lil bit!! Finish out strong everyone...we can do this!

meagalayne

MAY CHALLENGE POSTED: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/229851-kicking-a-in-our-twenties-may-challenge

Sorry ladies I'm off to work, but I'll be back to respond and comment whenever I can. Busy busy weekend but I'll try to log in tomorrow to keep up. Thank you all for your help keeping the lists in order. I really do appreciate you folks picking up my slack lately... We're in it together!

Love, Meag