Ok...so in the weekly check ins...what exactly am I suppose to do? Since I am late and just getting started...do I just tell you guys this week's goals then next week share if I made it??

Holy kittens, @kerryatoon, that's some shrinkage you've got going on there! Way to go!!
@LizSmith55 not really rules, more like a way to make myself accountable, I often think 'I gotta report to my ladies in the evening, so i better skip that cookie today'! Also helps in motivation when you see the hard work everyone else is doing!! Plus support when things get tough!!
Today is my oldest kid's 5th grade graduation!!! Holy kittens, it went fast! Now I start bumping into a little man I sometimes no longer recognize with the hormones taking over! Plus he's getting hairy!!! LOL, I'm going to skip feeling old today, and I'll try to get a run this afternoon. I did barbells yesterday, so it should be a rest day for me.
I have not gotten on the scale, I still feel a lot of water retention swelling. Don't know if it's from beginning lifting still. So I don't want to feel disappointed when I see an ugly number under my feet!!!

bitbits24 wrote: »

It's Tuesday! Yesterday was Memorial Day and while I didn't eat very healthy, I didn't eat everything I normally would have ate. I have very bad asthma and I'm trying not to rely on my rescue inhaler anymore because when I was skinny I never had to use it. Now that I'm big, I use it multiple times a day. I haven't used it in over a week!! I'm proud of that. My goal is to not go over my calories at all for the rest of the week since I didn't count them all yesterday.

@bitbits24 Sounds like a great goal to me. Just take it one day at a time and log EVERYTHING.. you got this!
@NadiaMayl I have read that anytime you start a new strength training regimen it isn't unusual to have 2-4 weeks of weight stalls while your body gets used to the new demands. Make sure you're doing your measurements so you can keep track of your progress!
@heatherc369 I just want to thank you for starting this group and embracing this weirdo.. lol.. I love this group. I look forward to checking in here all day. I do have a life I swear, you guys are just that bada**

@NadiaMayl lol!!! I'm dying imagining your whole family puking except the one kid sitting there completely cool..haha.. Sorry that happened! Sounds like you had a good day in spite of all that and ate well! My kiddo's last day was today too! She's going to do some summer programs..I work so it's pretty much the same for me
@heatherc369 good job on yesterday! And I've been seeing your scale numbers going down down! Awesome job!! I'm just trying to focus on strength gains for now and inching cals up to find my maintenance so I'll know how much to drop when I want to cut. Kinda weird to eat so much..not sure it's working but it's ok for now.
I ate too much today..just ravenous after my workout so I ate. My workout was good but I had to stay put on weights because of a strained wrist.
Here's what did today:
1.5 miles treadmill run 160 cals
5x5 squat 85lbs
5x5 bench 65lb
5x5 rows 50lb
Face pulls 5x10 50lb
Cable crunch 4x14 100lb
Ahh.. Good night everyone!!

I have no idea what happened yesterday but I took the time to write this long post in this thread and when I went back in later...it wasn't here!! I checked to see if I stupidly posted somewhere else...well if I did...I couldn't even find it...ugg!!

So, my goal....my goal is to start tracking cals. Something I have never done...it seems like even more work to add to this process that is already hard. So yesterday I did it and I lost 1lb...I know HOW to reel it in and I think all my added cardio work will certainly expedite my weight loss and maybe it is just time to re-motivate myself and finish the job THEN fight with 5lbs. At that point. But I am a "good time girl" who loves her beer and BBQ'S and tis the season....it's gonna be a tough summer ladies...but I just committed to a friend that we are gonna train for a 1/2 marathon...so it's time to get serious now.

@LizSmith55 Glad you came here to post! It helps me just to process stuff for myself by writing down exactly what I'm struggling with.

First of all DON"T PANIC or beat yourself up! Get moving in the right direction and I suspect you'll find it relatively easy once you're logging and keeping good track of your diet.

I would definitely start using MFP to track and log your calories. It's so easy once you get started and keeping cal's in lower than cal's used is THE KEY to losing weight. No amount of exercise can change that simple equation. I suggest you get a food scale so you can accurately measure your servings.. I found that I was unclear about serving sizes when I started.

I'm going to be 40 this year and I've definitely noticed my caloric requirements are lower than they were in my 20's although strength training and building lean muscle mass has certainly improved that.

I'm including a link to one of the message boards for you.. its where I started reading and learning how to use MFP to its full potential. Read, educate yourself and get started! MFP is awesome and has so many ways to help you toward your goals. Also feel free to post here anytime and we'll all be glad to help however we can!

Here's the link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest

Ack!! I'm kinda freaking out! I've inched up 100 again on my cals this week as suggested in the recomp threads and strength training articles I've been reading. I hadn't gained any weight and still lost inches over the last 3 weeks at 1500 and the previous 2 weeks at 1400 so I'm up to 1600 now. It's frustrating and scary to allow myself to eat that much (I'm not having any problem enjoying it though.. I'm loving the food!) but I'm looking for that balance point to find maintenance at my current activity level. I'm not unhappy with my size now but still have a pooch on my belly and some flab here and there I know is fat that I want to lose. According to MFP I should still be losing about 1/2-1lb week even at 1600!! Crazy right!?! But that doesn't seem right as I haven't lost anything worth mentioning in 5 weeks now. Le sigh. I'm still seeing strength gains and I know this part of the journey takes mad patience but it's more of a head trip than I was counting on. I was told to try 1600 for a couple weeks and if I saw no weight gain to try 1700 for a couple weeks and so on. I'm looking for that point where I "tip the scales" so to speak and gain a pound or two. Then I'll know where my maintenance point is and how much of a deficit to run to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss. I'm sorry to ramble but i need a place to talk this all out (mostly for myself). Part of me wants to just drop back to 1200 but I've worked so hard for this muscle and I DO NOT want to lose it. I'm just being impatient I think. Sooooo hard to change my mindset from "I'm too fat and need to lose weight" to "I'm pretty good now and want to get bigger muscles" I still want to lose a bit more body fat but honestly I don't want to get much "skinnier". I've spent most of my adult life with the I'm fat mentality and have never tried to do any kind of "body building" before. But I LOVE my muscles and how strong I feel. I LOVE how I'm looking in my clothes! I just have to re-learn how I see myself and my goals. Work in progress.. You all can bill me for the therapy session later..lol!

Off week... Hubs stomach thing might have actually been a bug. The day after his issue I woke up feeling queasy and nauseous, never threw up, but yucky for three days. Finally today I feel back to the normal life type thing... Hehehe.
Add the last week of school activities and I have not set foot at the gym or in the treadmill since Monday. I woke up achy and out of breath today, I think my body is telling me to get back into it! So, tomorrow will be my re-kick off day!
Hubs and I were supposed to go salsa dancing tonight, but ended up smashing himself against a wall of tires while GoKart racing with our boys today. His entire back cramped up and now he can't move... Poor bugger!
Top it off, I stopped by my mom's apartment earlier to drop off her meds... Uugghh... It was a mess, four days worth of dirty dishes and trash everywhere (short story, severe depression and anxiety for years)! Had to clean and it was really hard not to lose my temper over her hoarding and lack of self-care. I KNOW it's an illness, I've suffered from depression as well, but it still gets to me...anyhoo!
Eating, obviously with nausea, has been ok... Lots of homemade chicken soup, hahaha... Have been able to keep up with my 10,000 steps most days. Mainly trying not to beat myself over the inability to make it to the gym and not feel like I've gained 4 lbs on three days -you know, those nasty mind games.
Good job @kerryatoon and @Heatherc369, I learn a lot from you ladies! It's really a great thing to have your examples of work, acceptance, and grace! I love reading your goal achievements and your journeys!
@kerryatoon, how's the non smoking going?!
@lizsmith55 like Kerryatoon, I recommend you get to reading the pinned/sticky posts in the different forums... Information is your stronger tool! Support comes right after, so don't hesitate to ask for it here! I use the recipe builder all the time, some of my family's staples are homemade waffles, chicken soup, scrambled eggs, chicken tostadas, etc... Some of them simple, some more complex... It's nice to be able to add my serving to MFP diary and not guess around it! And use the scanner option in your camera phone or tablet (if you have one), it's much faster than searching for a food item by typing it up! But mostly, don't be so hard on yourself! This journey is also about getting fit and strong (in my opinion)! Your body may be adjusting to a change in exercise routine and new nutrition... Maybe you are eating more sodium and together with exercise changes, you maybe retaining water (I've been going through this for about three weeks)! Just keep at it, and try to remember that this should not be an obsession but an interesting learning journey... I'm trying really hard to learn to enjoy the discovery of how this mystery works! One day at a time, not one day is a success or a failure, it's just a small part of an entire event!
You girls have a lovely weekend!!!