@carlene7 I'm excited to see your posts of progress. I LOVE, LOVE lifting weights. If your friend at the gym will let you, maybe you can take a short video of her doing the lift properly. A friend verbally explained to me how to lift and I tried to do it by memory. I ended up doing it wrong or because I couldn't see myself lifting in the mirror very well, I hurt my neck and shoulder. I am still paying for it 2 years later.

@empressichel thanks for the links. the seated pull downs in pic 13 of the first link is the very one that I jacked up my neck. I think that I tensed up my neck while I was doing them. I have not been back in the gym for 2 years so I have not done that exact exercise. But I hope to have a pull up bar put in my basement so I can try to do them properly.

BTW @jerilynconn did you change your profile name on here or am I confused?

Ok I'm having a freak out moment. Weight is up again. I have gained a total of 5 pounds over the last month. Still doing weight lifting 3 days a week and cardio 2 days a week. Each workout is about 30-35 minutes. I have been able to increase my weights and have increased calorie count to TDEE of 2000. Upper body/shoulders going slow but increasing. Lower body going well (butt shelf nearly gone, thighs smaller). Belly is the same. Thanks @jerilynconn for the advice of just hanging in and giving it more time for the abs.

I did check around and according to one site my body fat percentage is 49.77%. BMI is 29.3. Sick bed calorie is 1473. TDEE is 2026 and 15% cut is 1722. I have not been good at the 30% protein but getting there. I have been working in a meal at a time.

Breakfast is protein shake (Chocolate Shakology), 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (cows milk doesn't settle with me), 1 slice spelt toast and a fried egg.
Snack is now 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1/2 cup pineapple chunks.
Lunch is 1 cup chicken chunks, 1 cup veggies
Just added snack of 1 can of tuna in water with 1 tbsp light mayo and 1 tbsp relish.
Dinner varies but usually meat and veggie. Have been eating out some due to my work schedule last few weeks and being out of town some.

I have been staying between 1700-2000, closer to the 2000 mark, on calorie count, just not always clean food. I am trying hard this week to keep on it. I am a creature of habit. I have breakfast set, snacks and lunch now set to improve the protein amount.

My question is: am I on the right track? I'm concentrating on increasing protein now that I have calorie count up. Does working out 30 minutes, 5 days a week along with my job add up to more intake calories or still concidered light activity? Deep tissue seems more like a strength workout and I'm tired and sore if I have done more than 3 hours of it that day. Relaxing massage and my elderly people are easy and I feel no workout from it. I am also doing more planks and push ups sporadically during the day. If I eat more protein my calorie amount goes down but evenings are hard for me with snacking habit.

I massage elderly on Mondays and are usually 30 minute sessions, very easy. It a lot of walking and a lot of driving around town to homes. Wednesday is elderly in the morning and office clients in the afternoon. So Wednesday afternoons can be from 2-6 hours of deep tissue massage work. Tuesday's and Friday's afternoons are usually slow but can be 2-4 hours of deep tissue massage work. Tuesday morning, all day Thursday and Friday mornings are open to give massages at a Rehab facility, mostly with spinal cord injury, brain injury and pain management clients. Average of 4-5 hours a week but has been up to 15-20 hours a week. Those clients are usually deep tissue.

I feel satisfied with 2000 calories and I have gained muscle but the scale goes up and up. I guess I just need a pat on the back and told. Yes everything is going as it should. Hang in there. ☹️

Thanks. I needed the confirmation. It is a different mindset to get used to. Have a great day.

Thanks, @empressichel and @jerilynconn. I feel pretty good. I am tired at the end of the day but I am a business owner and 46 year old Mom of a 3 year old very active boy. I try to play in the evenings with him once I'm home. Mood is good but on meds for menopause mood swings. (Gotta love the "happy pills") Over all I can tell I'm better, I just spend several months last year making gains on loosing the belly and now its back. In my head I realize that I was eating way too little but seeing that I look 6 months pregnant is hard on the ego. Muscle tone is getting better and I can see some muscle definition. I need to take the batteries out of the scale or hide it so I don't get on it. I take measurements this week so I hope that will make me feel better. I did go a head and bump to phase two with workouts. Increase weights and doing 6-8 reps a set before fatigue. Its is the "push" phase of the ChaLean Extreme program. I truly appreciate the advice and calming words.

Yesterday numbers:
carbs 63%, fat 13%, protein 24%. I had a late night snack of butternut squash bread that was heavenly. That's probably why carbs are that much higher. I can't turn down good homemade breads like that. I purchased it at a out door local market.

I am finally seeing with my eyes what you all have been saying. I hope to have it brain and heart soon. That way maybe it will sink all the way in. @TerezaToledo thank you for the article, it is great. I will be referring to it several times during my journey. I have decided to divorce my scale. He has not been honest with me especially the last month or so. For example, I did not gain 5 pounds yesterday. I could not have eaten enough to gain that. I did take my measurements this morning and I am down half inch over all.

Feb 2015 I was 233.8 inches over all, Sept 2015 I was down to 213 inches, back up to 225 Sept 2016 at the start of TDEE. Now I am at 224.5. So I will be divorcing my scale and gaining a better relationship with my tape measurement.