Manic, I hate them too! But I've found crossover step ups hit my glutes, so I do them. I'll keep praying for your daughter!

Sunshine, you're welcome! I periodically go back a re-read that article and this one:http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
When I start getting impatient, I have to reevaluate what I'm doing and why.

Pudding, I loved Stage 2! I've always had trouble keeping my elbows in on push-ups. FSPP is very awkward to start out. You'll get it figured out. If you can hold a plank for 60 secs easily, make it harder by elevating your feet or putting one hand up so you're only using one arm and your legs to support yourself. In Supercharged, they revised the planks- if you can hold it for 45-60 secs, make it harder, not longer. It makes planks interesting for me.

Sam, sometimes I envy some of the tiny cardio queens at the gym- but then I watch them struggle with the 10lb DBs. So while I'd love to be smaller and "skinny", I love being strong and the empowerment that comes with it even more. My dead lifting booty may never be a size two, but I don't need help unloading 50lb sacks of feed either!

I'm in the same boat- my BF% is very similar and my "goal" is 22%. However, the bewbs are really shrinking and my ribs barely have any fat on them (to the point that the hubs keeps commenting on it). Thighs and lower belly are still there. I know I won't have the muscle to look like I want to at 22%, but I'm too impatient for a recomp. My plan is to continue cutting until I get to 22% (probably Fall) and then do a slow bulk over the Winter. Then cut again in the Spring.
However, I also think that if I lose these last 10lbs slowly, I may be surprised at what muscle is left when I get to 22%. So I'm just going to have to see what happens when I get there.
If you do it right, you might have time to be bulking and putting some muscle and fat back on by the time your wedding gets here?

This sounds like me! My lower belly is just not budging and I'm definitely too impatient to do a recomp. And my fiance commented on Saturday that I'm losing my butt. I'm so happy that I found someone who is ALMOST in the same boat as me. Makes it a tad bit less scary to cut so low. But I'm still worried nonetheless.

manic, so sorry about your daughter. I totally feel your pain. I hope things work themselves out very soon.

Nancy...congrats and happy birthday!!!

Beeps...welcome back!!

Manic....hang in there....

Checking in at 2/3....I met my caloric goals, albeit low protein...I am repeating last week's lifting because I missed last Friday's workout (due to TOM and food poisoning)....I plan to adjust my numbers on the Scooby calculator, as my body has changed.

Today I am going for Zumba class (every other week, I cut out the TRX Suspension Training Class and the Core class - trying to cut cardio lol), and cannot wait for the high!! Wohoo!!

Lift on ladies!!

Manic- when i was 18 all my mother and i was fight. I knew everything and she was just trying to hold me back. Six months on my own and was calling and apologizing for the fights and thanking her for everything she did for me. She's now one of my best friends. All that to say: give her time. If you guys were close before you will be again.
Sunshine: I'm tinkering around with my calories too. I dropped by 50 and I'm just going to monitor my weight daily (i know conventional wisdom says this is a horrible idea but it actually dies more to keep me accountable than anything else) for a few weeks see what the scale does. If at 1610 the scale moves great. If not I'll drop another 50 and see what happens.
Jamaica: congratulations on the wedding! I think you can reach your goal with weight lifting.
Beeps:love your outlook. It makes tons of sense. I'm glad you had a great time in Europe.
Nancy: your progress is beautiful and so are you.

So I'm frustrated today. Two years ago i managed to get myself to my ultimate goal weight of 125 without counting calories and barely working out and i did it pretty quickly. Now I'm 141 which is the heaviest I've ever been. My was 2.5 inches smaller before i started new rules. On the flip side my legs look better and so do my arms. For the first time in my life i have a visible tricep. I'm cutting my calories back like I said earlier but continuing new rules in the hope that that will help move the scale and my measurements.
I've pushed bikinigeddon back a month because while i want this body I'm not going to stress myself out with a self imposed deadline. Now if the end of June rolls around and I'm happy and ready to buy a bikini so be it. If i have to push back to December so be it. At this point i may be frustrated with my progress but by God I'm going to figure this out and get it right one and for all.

Jamaican: the number on the scale used to drive me crazy but now I'm pretty removed from it. I like your idea of buying a one piece abbr a bikini. I do my eye on this really cute one piece. I might have to borrow your idea.
So I've gotten committed to these workouts but if my weight isn't moving its not Lou's fault. I figure I'm missing somethinghere and there are four areas I can work on.
1) I eat a A LOT on the weekends. No point in making all this progress during the week if I'm just going to jack up over the weekend.
2) this ties into number one but I drink too much over the weekend. The idea of one cocktail is ridiculous to me. I probably need to take another hiatus from the fire water.
3) I used to drink a lot more water than i have been in the past few weeks. Gotta fix that.
4) I'm not getting enough sleep. And I stay up late doing dumb tHings like watching ratchet tv I mean ch1.
I know the challenge ends this week but i think I'm going to keep going and do my best to hit these four goals every week.

3A2 tonight. I wish I could be excited but I'm too tired.

Last week was 2/3. I don't even know what my third goal was :laugh:

Manic, I'm sorry you're having a tough time with your daughter. It took a long time (and two rounds of prison time) for my brother to grow up.

DS and I are two itty bitty peas in a way far out pod. I just can't imagine it ever being different :frown:

I haven't found my sweet spot either. The only time I did really super was when I was training for a half marathon and ate EVERYTHING. That was fun :drinker: But I can't always be marathon training :sick: Also, I've been running for 11 years and my butt is squishy. I love running but I want to be a solid :bigsmile:

DNA, my PMS varies from month to month and this round I am super emotional. Lots of worrying over stuff that doesn't even exist :grumble: :explode: :explode:

I like FSPP. I miss them

Sam, when you were doing 1600 calories, was that for everyday or did you eat more on lift days?

Barbell, since I'm nailin' the planks these days, maybe I should go for harder instead of the time allotted. I don't know what has changed since last year. Last year, my planks totally sucked.

Marieann, so glad to see the chiropractor could help!

Beeps, are you trying to tell me to get the hell out of my pajamas? :grumble: Put makeup on? :noway:

Welcome, Swoldier.

I think I might just need to suck it up and do a bulk and cut cycle. Scary stuff right there. :sick:

I'm not on any photo sharing site other than FB, so I don't add pics here except in my photo album.
< ok, #1 guess the age lol. However, I'm posting this for a reason. I was 128 in this picture. No go into my pictures and find me at the beach in the black bikini and guess my weight there.

Trying to make a point, work with me here. (I didn't scan the pic properly, sorry it's so grainy.)

75 g of protein today. Hit my goal . Not a good day for me. I am in a funk. Started out eating high carbs this am and didn't workout until I realized I was self sabotaging. SO I went to the gym at 4:30! I had to work in areas that were super busy, but I feel like I got in a decent workout on shoulders and back.

No workout tomorrow unless I get up super early, and honestly I don't want to get up early.

Beeps, thanks. I just need to accept it. I can't though. For the past 20 years I have made my kids my life and worked at it that they would want to be with family. I didn't have it as a child. (alcoholic father and stepfather, a mother who didn't raise me, etc long story) So I worked all these years to have a family and now she doesn't want it. It HURTS.

Something funny but sad. My husband was playing with my cocker spaniel, and I started bawling.Our boy had taken the youngest out for lunch so we were home alone. He said , "what?" Me: "Is this what our lives will be? Us sitting at home playing with dogs?" Rather comical now that I think about it.

Well, shoot. didn't hit my protein goal yet. I logged my food and didn't finish it. Back down to 70 g. I definitely want to hit my goal. Hopefully, I'll find something to eat protein wise in a few.

So , Sam message me with your age. I am curious. I still say 18-20. Like I said, I won't guess your weight in that bikini now because I vaguely know. It would ruin the guess for others.

Pmagna that really sucks about your gym bag, especially all those log sheets and sounded like a nice bag, too. Sorry to hear about that! Hopefully you can remember at least where you left off in your lifting? Lotta data to lose!

Driving to Syracuse today for an all day meeting. What with all that sitting I'll be glad to get stage 2 workout b in at the end of the day. No kids tonight means no cooking and freedom!

Have a great day everyone!

Sam: I never play guess the age because I always end up offending someone but I'd say mid twenties? And I feel like this is one of those freaky weight lifting stories where in the black bobbin you actually weighed less or the same weight but you LOOK like you weight about 10 pounds more in the black bikini.

Pmag: that absolutely sucks about your gym bag. Especially losing all your logs. But on the up side this is a great excuse to talk hubby into getting you a new one.

Pudding: yay for stage two! Besides the soreness how are you liking it?

Sunshine: no kids? Party at your house! You guys are rolling right through stage 2 what are your thoughts on it so far?

3A2 is done. I came home with all of my sad thoughts but I found the hip hop and pop workout mix on Pandora. The first song was Kanye west stronger. "That that don't kill me can only make me stronger" the lyrics and the beat got me pumped and suddenly my funky mood was gone. From stage 1 to now I have gotten stronger. I've been at this for three months and haven't quit. New rules hasn't killed me and is making me stronger. I watched myself in the mirror last night and was really proud of my form and the fact that this is actually my life. Whenever people come over my house they're always fascinated by my weights. I had a friend try to lift my ez curl bar with ten lbs weights on it and it was heavy to her. She's taller and heavier than me and struggled to lift it with both hands. I carry it around during my workouts with one hand and brush it off. I mean it's only 35 pounds. Or at least that's how I see it. But last night I realized that for the first time I'm really dedicated to this- it may take me awhile but I'm going to get there. So on Saturday I'm going to slap on the bikini I currently own and take some progress pics. And then I'm going to post them here so a voice outside of my own head can tell me if I've made any progress. I know you guys have that rate mix of honesty and kindness. I'm scared and excited.

Sam, I was going to say 140ish- but I had an idea. I definitely don't see a 20lb difference between the two pics. What is awesome is that your skin looks firm and tight in the heavier pic. No jiggles. You have more shape to your body.

Manic, that's awesome....maybe you can inspire those girls to lift.

Red, great attitude!

runz, definitely make that plank harder! I can hold a normal plank for as long as I care to stay in that position. But increasing the difficulty gives my core a much better workout.