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

Hi all my lovely ladies!

My life has finally settled down for a bit. I'm Interning full-time now back at home in NY, so I have less and less time to spend on here. I pretty much work all day, workout for a bit, shower, eat, watch some tv or something for a bit then pass out. I'm sorry I was gone all month of June. Time just seemed to elapse me. I'm really proud of everyone! And once I finally get through about 100 emails from this weekend maybe I can have time to catch up with everyone.

Great job everyone! Keep it up!

Okay y'all, I'm going to try and be an active member of this thread again. To those that don't know me, I'm Jill, 26 and an avid runner. I have a plethora of injuries on my right side after too many years of being a feisty soccer player and runner. Got back into running February 2010 after nearly 2 years of feeling sorry for myself about my injuries, mostly to prove that I could do it. I was never really overweight, but I lost 25 pounds and am in pretty decent shape now. To those who remember me, I'm back...got a new job, moved to Charleston (South Carolina) and survived a rough few months. I also got a running sponsorship, so that's pretty fun/rewarding...it was one of my "maybe someday I can be a sponsored athlete" and I didn't ever think it could happen.

I still want to lose a few pounds (need to be more of a racing weight), but am focusing on the fitness and healthy food aspect for right now. First marathon is November 5th, and one of my big goals is to get back to playing soccer in September. So I want to get back into physical therapy to get myself as strong as I can be for both soccer and running. Been slacking on the strength training, so working on getting that back into my rotation. Basically lots to focus on, so I'm trying to prioritize.

July goals: Start training for my first full marathon; at least 96 ounces of water a day; make initial appointment with a physical therapist; hit 583.33 miles running by month end; at least 2 strength training sessions a week

Sounds fun .

Allie7383- Finally finish the 30DS, get into the 130's, start and keep up with the bridge to 10k program!
Black_Swan - eat back all exercise calories and keep up with my running plan
Teee2- Lose these next pounds the healthy way with no self harming involved for the next month!!!! (Baby steps!)
marshallj86 - hit 135, ditch the scale, and stick with clean eating (and turn 25! my bday is July 30!)
mkingraham (Megan)- Create a succesful healthy delicious food plan and stick to it, do 30DS with my hubby at least 3 times a week, average at least 6 miles a week of running, own the scale don't let it own me (meaning take my no scale challenge and actually learn and apply the lessons it taught me), get back to my optimistic self!
meagalayne- find time twice a week for strength and make it a priority - don't cut it short!; continue with 1/2 Marathon training plan and make it fit, even when life gets in the way; stop giving myself permission to binge/junk because of training or stress - be accountable and plan out indulgences; drink more water than coffee and sleep >6 hours a night, 5 times a week.
imarunner890s- 155lbs, 10k walkings program, wake up at 8am and get 8 hrs of sleep
guamgrly (Bethany) - no scale!! Focus on the lifestyle, the routine, and meal planning. Work out 3x per week. Drink 8 glasses of water per day. Eat more fruits and veggies
lostalykat- Stick to my calories as best as I can with training, Focus on training these last 4 weeks, Don't worry about the number on the scale but check it weekly to keep me accountable.
Ashleypeterson37- Move into new house on the 15th and wear my HRM, gym 3x a week minimum, try 3 new recipes and drop 8 more pounds, be more active on this page so: post 2x a week!
Mariababe81 (mariam): finish the 30ds and start round 2, zumba once a week and running once a week. once weekly weigh in.allow myself some rest days if i need them! enjoy maintainance!!!
~~KanCrav.... NO SCALE until August 1st!~!~!~!~ Workout 5 times a week, enjoy my trips!
luv_lea~Drink more water-aiming for the general 8 glasses (64 oz.) of water a day, Start 6 Week 6 Pack video and do at least 4 days a week! Continue running 1 mile (or more?) 3 times a week, and lastly, lose 2.5 lbs. for the month of July!
Elmersglue (Ellie): Train for Sept 5k at least once a week, at least 7 hours of sleep 5x a week (!!), no emotional binging (mainly Sunday nights, when life and things tend to catch up), get to know everyone here^^
cmg2008- Finish c25k and continue running at least 3 times a week, finish 30DS, accumulate 1200mintues of exercise, and get down into the low 140s.
tjradd73(Tara)-to lose 4lbs, 30/35 days of 30DS, 10,000 steps/day (Sun-Tue), Tues stretch/yoga, <1400 avg cals,< 4 days over cals total, and try to get <180g carbs, and >60g protein.
tobemotivated - do the 30ds (first day was today!), lose 5lbs, drink more water, eat less sugar!
glitterballv-1. To stop overeating with sweets and cake! 2. Run three times a week, try and start bridge to 10k. 3. Try to get to at least one spin class a week.
Anitanz- Get to 64kg’s. Drink less alcohol. Limit chocolate at work to <100 cals per day.
ComfortFoodAddict: 64 oz water/day, No sodas!, sleep 6 hours 5x/wk, workout at least 4x/wk, drop below 170 *at least* again, log food without omitting anything 6x/wk
Allislefttogain: Start training for my first full marathon; at least 96 ounces of water a day; make initial appointment with a physical therapist; hit 583.33 miles running by month end; at least 2 strength training sessions a week
zerozeta0: Run 40 miles a week. Drink 8 cups of water a day. Limit candies/chocolates to once a week. Limit coffee to 3 times a week. Get down to 105.

Hey ladies!! Add me to the list of people not happy with the start of this month

My bday was on Sunday, and one of my presents was a dozen cupcakes from the Georgetown Bakery, which can be seen on that show DC Cupcakes on TLC... They're almost gone, and with the exception of a few, I've fallen victim and had most of them myself.. argh.. so between that, and the ton of macaroni salad i just had to buy.. this weekend was pretty much the worst for me in a long time.. my one redeemer was my 4 mile race on July 4th.. This was my first race at that distance and I finished at 42:59.. By the time we started at 9:30 it was already rather warm, so I was only able to run for the first 2 miles, then had to alternate with walking for the rest, and managed to run to finish out the last 1/2 mile.. The heat and I are total enemies.. Also, I saw my HR was easily at 200 so I figured I should get it back down as well. The nice thing about the race was that a lot of it was through the neighborhood and there were clusters of people out watching us go by.. They put their sprinklers on and held up hoses which felt super refreshing to run through. I was drenched by the end.. This week I'm going to start the bridge to 10k program as I don't feel like I'm progressing much with my distance..

I've still been in a bit of a funk lately, just about life in general, and have found it hard to find joy in things.. Maybe part of it is my slacking with exercising, getting one year older and feeling like I'm still in the same place as I was 5 years ago or something... I know a big factor lately is my job, as I have a couple people on my shift (which makes a huge difference when there's only 7 of you), who have been causing everyone grief, and I'm growing sick of the night hours and how it's come to affect how I live, or rather don't get to live my life like everyone else. Unfortunately there's not a lot out there, and this position is stable and will give me $$ for school, so I guess I'll be sticking it out for a while longer, then I'm outta here like no tomorrow!

Welcome to all the newbies! This group is so so so amazing, and has def been a great help to me since I joined way back when.. You know what they say, things can only go up from here, so yeah the start of July may not have been the greatest for a lot of us, but now we have the rest of the month to rise above it!

Allie-First of all...Happy Belated Birthday!!! And sorry to hear that you are in a funk still I know how you feel about working nights...however it is a little better for me in Vegas since it is a 24 hour town, and there are 100 peeps in my dept (50 of them being on the same shift as me) to chill with on off hours/days! Now for my advice...throw the rest of those cupcakes away, get in a great workout, and then take a YOU day and get out of that funk, so you can finish out July strong, like we all know that you can!

Mariam-CONGRATS on being awesome as usual!!

AFM-still at work...plan of action for the day: get home, do my 10min stretch, sleep, wake up, hope for the best, weigh-in, do Day 8 of the shred, eat some yum-delish breakfast, and then take a R & R day!!! LOL Have a great one everyone!

Anita-I put some links up on the water retention in the muscles that you may wanna check out!! The general idea is that, your muscles retain water after a new or hard workout, because they need the hydration to rebuild themselves and recover! Henceforth..water retention, and a slight weight gain!


http://www.livestrong.com/article/418620-do-muscles-hold-water-after-a-hard-workout/
http://www.personalpowertraining.net/Articles/what_causes_muscle_soreness.htm
http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan

as for the oatmeal...i would say cinnamon, peaches, or splenda brown sugar!

holy MOLEY i haven't been on this thread in SOOOOO long and sadly that probably won't change much in the next several months :sad:

i am working on my dissertation FULL FORCE and also just started teaching abnormal psychology at the college level yesterday!! eeek!!!! :bigsmile: so needless to say time is TIGHT!

that being said - im still kicking *kitten* of course (would you expect anything less!) im trying some new things this summer - namely YOGA, RUNNING and eating CLEAN as much as possible. so far, i am loving all three!!! (and of course i'll still be rocking the turbo too )

i hope you are all doing well! the summer months can be tough with all the bbqs and outside drinking and socializing! i was out thursday night, friday night, a bbq saturday, sunday, and two on monday! but i worked out thurs & fri, went for a run on sat, took sun off, and went for a run on mon - so all in all im pretty proud of how i handled this past holiday weekend!

now it's back to the grind! gotta focus hard now that i am teaching and have SO little time! (and of course i am pms-ing this week too :grumble: ) but im trying to ignore it and stay as happy as a clam so my students will love me :flowerforyou:

even though i haven't been on here much i want you all to know i think about you on the reg and hope you're accomplishing all you hope to!!! i will be on as much as i can over the next month, but just know in the back of your little minds that im thinking of you and kicking *kitten* even when you can't see me

much love to my fav MFPers!!!

Kandace- I bet you are super excited for your cruise! I am going on a cruise in September so hopefully you will have some good tips to share about how to manage the whole nonstop never closed food buffett. Although I hear while the food isn’t horrible it isn’t great either and hopefully that will stop. I am sure your stomach is not flabby like you see it, based on your profile pics it definitely isn’t so work on being positive towards yourself! Keep up the great work!

Black_swan- I am not sure what your name is but glad to hear your groove is back! I haven’t gone for a run in about a week so I am a little nervous about my planned run this afternoon. Hopefully it will feel amazing and I will be right back at it!

Aly- Sounds like your attitude of positivity and rolling with the punches is back! I LOVE IT! I also made some not marvelous choices this weekend, but I had a great time and I don’t regret it. I hope that your training partner gets her shiz together! Your new gym sounds amazing and you sound like you are excited for the prospect of it which is even better!! Keep up the amazing work!

Leela- Glad to see you here and remember that we will support you no matter what so check in whenever you need a little extra boost!
Cmg- sorry to hear about your aunt. My grandma went through some similar stuff a few years ago and it definitely is up to them to want to get the help. Just try and remember that just like losing weight, getting help from a doctor has to be their choice. If they don’t want to get better it’s just going to make your life absolutely miserable!

Jill- YOU’RE BACK!! Welcome back GF! I actually used to live in Clemson SC, about 4 hours northwest of Charleston and during the summer we would head down to Charleston to camp on the beach. I hope you really like living there! That is absolutely amazing that you are a sponsored athelete! You should be soooo proud of yourself because it takes a lot to get to that level! So glad to have you back!

Tara- you are totally kicking it this month! I am very impressed that you are sticking with the shred and really powering through. As always you are super inspiring!

Allie- I have been fitting that same yucky feeling lately, and that is why I made one of my July goals to get back to being my usual optimistic self. I have decided to look at everything from the bright side. Like you said things can only go up which means things can only get better which means things are going to be totally awesome!!! I hope you find your way out of your funk- oh and your race time is totally amazing!!

Maria-Sounds like you are being super active lately which is awesome! I need to start doing more outdoor activities especially now that summer is here and it is amazing to be outside! Keep up the great work!

Anita- I put cinnamon and ¼ cup of greek yogurt on my oats and it is AMAZING! It adds just a touch of sweetness which makes it so tasty. For me September for a half marathon would be so soon! But I think that is an amazing goal and you should definitely go for it! I would love to do a half marathon some day, but I think I need to work my way into consistently running 5ks and then do some 10ks before I get to crazy! I feel ya on the diet thing. I think that has been my biggest problem lately- I need to stop working out to eat and start to eat to fuel myself in the proper way!

AFM- I have big plans today- the hubby and I went shopping for groceries last night and I feel ready to take on the remainder of the week with great choices. We are going on a cruise mid-september and the hubby and I both want to lose some more lbs by then so our goal is to not eat out between now and then. I know for me my diet is 90% of the issue. So by cutting out going out to eat and by making the best choices at home I really believe these pounds will melt off. I know my workouts are killer since I wear my HRM everytime, and now its just me getting my eating in check. Also hubby and I are going to head to the pool which has a nice 2 mile loop around it, run 2 miles and then go for a nice swim. I might see if he wants to do shred before as well since we didn’t do it yesterday. I need to get my 3 days in this week! Alright ladies keep up the amazing work!

XOXO Megan

Guys!

Today started off horribly I caved at breakfast and got some total fatty food... and now I've just had lunch but I'm alsready over on ALL my daily goals I'm going to have to exercise extra to make up for it

I also didn't do the shred yesterday, but at the same time I went for a jog and did some yoga as well, so I'm ok with that... I actually managed to do my personal best, with 6 mins of continuous running and 22 mins of total run time I've started wearing my own wrist watch to keep track of time, instead of having my bf watch the timings, cuz he's not as accurate as I want to be... but back on the shred today! and I will definitely do my yoga meltdown dvd as well....

Anyway, I'm just finishing lunch at work right now, so I'm going to go but I will check out what's going on with everyone else later on today

Hope everyone else is having/has a better day than me!!!

Hello Lovelies!! Just a quick check in. I had started to respond to everyone individually but then got a last-minute invitation to go to the New Kids on the Block concert in a suite tonight so I had to pick up my game at work so that I could get out early. I will do my very best to properly respond to everyone tomorrow.

Mandy- I a so sorry, I could not imagine what this is like. All I can say is try your best. You are doing everything you can to be there for her and it is hard to focus on you but if you can, give it a try. I wish you all the best during these trying times.

Okay so I'm 6 days late, but this challenge sounds awesome!!! Feel free to add me!...

Allie7383- Finally finish the 30DS, get into the 130's, start and keep up with the bridge to 10k program!
Black_Swan - eat back all exercise calories and keep up with my running plan
Teee2- Lose these next pounds the healthy way with no self harming involved for the next month!!!! (Baby steps!)
marshallj86 - hit 135, ditch the scale, and stick with clean eating (and turn 25! my bday is July 30!)
mkingraham (Megan)- Create a succesful healthy delicious food plan and stick to it, do 30DS with my hubby at least 3 times a week, average at least 6 miles a week of running, own the scale don't let it own me (meaning take my no scale challenge and actually learn and apply the lessons it taught me), get back to my optimistic self!
meagalayne- find time twice a week for strength and make it a priority - don't cut it short!; continue with 1/2 Marathon training plan and make it fit, even when life gets in the way; stop giving myself permission to binge/junk because of training or stress - be accountable and plan out indulgences; drink more water than coffee and sleep >6 hours a night, 5 times a week.
imarunner890s- 155lbs, 10k walkings program, wake up at 8am and get 8 hrs of sleep
guamgrly (Bethany) - no scale!! Focus on the lifestyle, the routine, and meal planning. Work out 3x per week. Drink 8 glasses of water per day. Eat more fruits and veggies
lostalykat- Stick to my calories as best as I can with training, Focus on training these last 4 weeks, Don't worry about the number on the scale but check it weekly to keep me accountable.
Ashleypeterson37- Move into new house on the 15th and wear my HRM, gym 3x a week minimum, try 3 new recipes and drop 8 more pounds, be more active on this page so: post 2x a week!
Mariababe81 (mariam): finish the 30ds and start round 2, zumba once a week and running once a week. once weekly weigh in.allow myself some rest days if i need them! enjoy maintainance!!!
~~KanCrav.... NO SCALE until August 1st!~!~!~!~ Workout 5 times a week, enjoy my trips!
luv_lea~Drink more water-aiming for the general 8 glasses (64 oz.) of water a day, Start 6 Week 6 Pack video and do at least 4 days a week! Continue running 1 mile (or more?) 3 times a week, and lastly, lose 2.5 lbs. for the month of July!
Elmersglue (Ellie): Train for Sept 5k at least once a week, at least 7 hours of sleep 5x a week (!!), no emotional binging (mainly Sunday nights, when life and things tend to catch up), get to know everyone here^^
cmg2008- Finish c25k and continue running at least 3 times a week, finish 30DS, accumulate 1200mintues of exercise, and get down into the low 140s.
tjradd73(Tara)-to lose 4lbs, 30/35 days of 30DS, 10,000 steps/day (Sun-Tue), Tues stretch/yoga, <1400 avg cals,< 4 days over cals total, and try to get <180g carbs, and >60g protein.
tobemotivated - do the 30ds (first day was today!), lose 5lbs, drink more water, eat less sugar!
glitterballv-1. To stop overeating with sweets and cake! 2. Run three times a week, try and start bridge to 10k. 3. Try to get to at least one spin class a week.
Anitanz- Get to 64kg’s. Drink less alcohol. Limit chocolate at work to <100 cals per day.
ComfortFoodAddict: 64 oz water/day, No sodas!, sleep 6 hours 5x/wk, workout at least 4x/wk, drop below 170 *at least* again, log food without omitting anything 6x/wk
Allislefttogain: Start training for my first full marathon; at least 96 ounces of water a day; make initial appointment with a physical therapist; hit 583.33 miles running by month end; at least 2 strength training sessions a week
zerozeta0: Run 40 miles a week. Drink 8 cups of water a day. Limit candies/chocolates to once a week. Limit coffee to 3 times a week. Get down to 105.
emiyr9602 - get through level 3 of the 30DS, lose my last 9 lbs, drink atleast 72oz of water a day, and continue to work through the c25k!

Comfort-I like havin my goals down there, not only for a constant reminder to myself....but also to remind all of you lovely ladies what my goals are each and every day!!

Jennelle-congrats on the teaching position...sounds awesome!! And I am glad to hear that you are kickin *kitten* still...I know I wouldn't expect any less from the ProFIT!! :happy:

ima-sorry to hear about yor friend :frown: Just remember...you need to be strong, not only for you...but for her right now too!! You need to be there for her...not laying in bed feeling sorry for yourself!! you are in this process to feel better about yourself and to be a stronger person...and although this situation sucks royally, take it by the reigns and show you (and your friend) what kind of person you are and what kind of person you want to be...STRONG!

Megan-thanks girl...I try to take my own advice, and to just keep on, keeping on!! Sounds like you have some great PRE-cruise plans, and I can't wait to hear how you do with them...I'm sure you will kick it as always!

Aly-thanks girly!!! I can't wait to hear how your tri goes...and the new and exciting workouts that will be coming in your near future...hang in there, almost done!

tobemotivated-it's early enough to still salvage the day...glad that you realized it early enough to try ot even it out still!! go get that shred and yoga tonight...and even if you end up a little over for the day, you still should be happy that you did what you could do to try to "fix" it!

Anita-I'm glad that the articles helped explain a little bit...definately a thing to keep in mind!! that is why measurements every month are so important....even if the scale sucks for one weigh-in does NOT mean that you aren't still rockin it!! Happy early b-day if we don't see ya before then...and rock it out in that dress girl! :bigsmile:

Bethany-have fun at the NKOTB concert....I would totally go to that!! I grew up with them

Emily-welcome to the group...you are gonna love it! good luck with the goals (9lbs is kinda steep...especially when it's your last 9!!) and glad to have a fellow shredder in the group :flowerforyou:

AFM-L1D8 of the shred done!! I am getting stronger and stronger every day...and believe it or not...I think that my arms are actually starting to "tighten" up a bit!!! who would have thunk it, after losing 100lbs!! WOOT!!! I did have a slight (1.4lb) gain on today's WI...but like I said, I was expecting it and am not discouraged....this just means that my muscles are holding onto water so they can regenerate and get more toned! super excited to start level 2 in 2 days!!

Woah, that Kath Eats Real Food blog is awesome!!! Love it!! Can't wait to try some new porridge toppings. Just can't get my head around the peanut butter and jam one though, I think thats an American thing
Thanks for all the ideas ladies xx

I am praising God that Michelle isn't feeling any pain. Her brain tumor causes minor headaches, but she doesn't have the awful pain that people with stomach cancer and other cancers have...Thank God. It's so hard though...she has a 4 year old little girl who know's her mommy is sick, but she doesn't understand death. :brokenheart: And the father is less than helpful (that's a compliment compared to what I would like to say). I deal with death almost daily as I work in a hospital and am also a volunteer EMT/Firefighter...but those are usually quick deaths. She was diagnosed a year ago and they gave up on treating her about 2-3 weeks ago. Last night, I was at her house with her, her sister, and a few of her friends. We all laughed and shared stories. It was great to see her smile. If that's the last time I see her, I can say I won't regret it...and I'll always have her beautiful smile in my mind as my last memory of her. She's not expected to live until the weekend. I'm just praying for strength...for all of us.

Thank you again for reminding me of the important things. :happy:

be strong for your friend, she needs you. i used to work in the icu and dealt with death on a daily basis, when its someone close to you- all common sense and rationale goes out of the window. sounds like you have some wonderful memories to remember her by.