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

Maria- Your week off sounds so relaxing and amazing! I am super jealous, but I am counting the days until my week long cruise in September!! We have 64 days until cast off!! Yippee!

Emily- Loved your post I have read/heard similar versions of that story but its something that I think everyone needs to be reminded of. Its so easy to forget that the most important things in life fill you up and that everything else is just gravy :happy:

Amber- Welcome to the Group!! I LOVE everything about these women. Their courage, their support, their struggles, their honesty... it makes me feel like I am apart of something and really the only place that I feel comfortable openly discussing the obstacles I face in my journey to a better me, heck a lot of my very good friends don't even now I've been dropping the lbs.

Aly- hang in there girlfriend! My suggestion is to start writing in a journal or something where you can attempt to actually figuring out what is making you that way. I think the reason I have been so successful this time around in actually making forward progress is that I stopped making excuses because I sat down and really figured out what got me here in the first place. Maybe try that and then you will have something to focus on within that will help you stop hurting/punishing yourself on the outside

CMG- I have complete faith that you will be back running where you left off in no time! Keep up the amazing work!

AFM- well ladies today was the day! METRO DASH!!!!! I encourage you to check out metrodash.com to see the obstacles I had to tackle today. 30 obstacles in a distance that is about 1/2 a mile and I completed it in 23:07. I ran with my boss, my coworker and my hubby. My boss finished in 13:07, my coworker in 18:33 and my hubby in 23:23. I am so proud of myself for finishing. There are a lot of obstacles that require upper body strength and that is where I really struggled. I now have the proof that I really need to start hitting the strength training workouts so that I can get stronger. The very first obstacle was a 15 foot rope ladder climb, then I had to pull and push a sled with 25lbs on it, then flip a tractor tire up and back for a total distance of about 30 yards. That was just 3/30. BRUTAL! I already have brusies showing up, but I finished and I am so proud of myself! Then the hubby and I came home and downed some serious water, then headed to the pool. It felt good to get a little suntan action and just be in the nice water working out muscle cramps. So completing Metro Dash was my first victory of the weekend, my second was shopping yesterday . I have been desperately needing clothes for work for a while now. But I have been avoiding buying anything because I'm cheap. But as 99% of my bottoms can now be taken on and off without unbuttoning or unzipping them, I figured it was time.

I went to Old Navy because they are generally cheap and they were having a sale. Well I picked up all the cute things I liked in the size I figured I might be. And what do you know, going in the dressing room, every single item I put on fit! For once I didn't buy something because I didn't want to not because I couldn't button them! It felt so good! Obviously I am not at the size I want to be at just yet, I am still a work in progress, but this is the first time in I don't even know how long that I handed something back to the dressing room attendent because your white pants are see through, or these khakis don't have the pant leg style I like not well *kitten* these are too tight (hang head in shame). My body is changing and I love the way its working out!!

Hopefully I won't be too sore tomorrow because I want to go for a run, do the shred, and then get in some killer yard work. YEAH weekend! I hope your weekends are filled with NSVs as well!

I am so happy y'all are here to share it with :bigsmile:

XOXOXO
Megan

Happy Saturday Lovelies!!

Allie – congrats on receiving the letter of acceptance from grad school. I think I will start looking for schools to get my Master’s degree soon. But I just graduated in June so I am also enjoying the little break. I think I will wait til long after my mom has moved, the kids and I are settled, and I am deeply invested into my new lifestyle. And things will happen for you in the boy dept. I am not too happy with mine right now and think of myself single majority of the time. Trying to not let it get me down. Hoping that it will fuel me in a more positive direction. And in regards to the whole NKOTB/BSB thing, I don’t think you would have been disappointed. They all were in shape and looked great. Did all of their signature songs and dances. It was great!!! Oh and I want to see pics of you in your dress from the wedding!!

Amber – welcome girly!! And I think that we are all our own worst enemies and our biggest critics. Even once our hardwork starts to pay off, we never see it because we look at ourselves in the mirror daily so that’s when we look toward others for that reassurance that our hard work is really paying off. Stick around and you will meet a great group of women that will inspire, encourage, or just be here to listen when you are having a rough day, week, or even month. We can do this girly!!!

Annemade – welcome!!

Emily – I love that story and no matter how many times it ends up in my email inbox, it is always a great reminder. And it usually ends up being sent at the time I need it most. Today was no different!! Thank you so much!!

Miriam – glad to hear that your time off was well spent. And you ended up where you wanted to be so that sounds like a major win in my book!!

Megan – you have turned into a machine!! I love it!! You have now inspired me to look into something like that. I checked out Metro Dash and the closest one to me is still a few states away. Although I may have Tara meet me out here next year for the one at Camp Pendleton!! And great job with the shopping! I went shopping a few weeks ago and had a revelation that I needed to step up my game and buckle down. I have done it before and my excuses are the only thing holding me back. You have done so amazing girly!! Keep up the great work!!

Tara – sounds like you are doing great with your 30DS challenge!! So inspiring to watch you each and every week and your persistence!! I need to catch some of that! Great job girly!!

AFM…did fairly good with my eating this morning and at lunchtime. And then got to mom’s house to help her pack for her move and she decides that we are ordering pizza. I understand that she really doesn’t have time to stop and think about a healthier dinner….not that she really would anyways. But that is one thing that I am looking forward to after she goes…I can get on my own food schedule and not be influenced by the crap that they continually bring into the house. Although I was able to do great months before but not so sure what went wrong. However, I will also be going out with some friends for some much needed friends time and adult beverages. But this will also more than likely be the last time I partake in adult beverages for a long while. Things are definitely going to change after my mom moves. I just need to make sure that I don’t turn to emotional eating but rather use that energy to fuel my healthy lifestyle!!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!!

Bethany-thanks lady!!! sounds like thigs will be a lot easier...and a lil harder when your mom is gone!! One good thing is that your lifestyle will be completely up to you...one bad thing is a lack of family support on other aspects of your life...you are strong and just need to take one day at a time...and you will get through ANYTHING!

Meag-whew!! you're day makes me tired!!! I know that you are a multi-tasker like myself...but even I couldn't keep up with your schedule!! now....enjoy that brew and get some sleep!

good news....it's raining!! probably won't last long, but any rain is very much needed and wanted here right now!! so WOOT for that!

oh very quiet today! managed my last day on level 2. so onto level 3 tomorrow. I met two friends today that i havent seen since jan and one of them was very very pleased to see my progress! and she's keen to come running with me and wants to start the shred! she's the teeny tiny friend who i wanted to resemble! now we are the same size and she wants me to help HER tone! yikes! so big nsv for me! as for my other friend, she very grudingly complimented me on my wt loss and half heartedly wanted to know how i did it! i used to be the biggest one in our little group (we met in pre-natal classes)! hehe, playground mummy wars! lol!

anyways, im back to work tomorrow and so wont be so active. will try and catch up when i can, have a good week ladies!!!! im prob going to be way over today as im cracking open the wino and choc as ive been up since the crack of down!

love you all!

so I weighed in today -- for the first time in 2 weeks. Skipped my weigh in last week because I knew I would just be disappointed from the Holiday weekend/family picnics. Good news - dropped another 1.2 lbs! WooHoo!! I am officially as skinny as I was 6 years ago when I started my freshman year of High School!

I love summer weekends. Yesterday I spent the entire day at a family picnic, talking & laughing & telling stories with my brother & sister - and playing with 2 of my nephews. There's nothing I love more than spending time with family & positive people - I don't think I stopped smiling the entire day! My big brother is also using this site - he's dropped 37 lbs since March! We spent a good 45 minutes talking health & fitness - it was great! Today I spent the day relaxing poolside & soaking up the sun (92 degrees today here in PA!)...great way to spend the end of my weekend!

Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend! I'm off to the kitchen to prep my lunch for work tomorrow! :-)

So, I had my photo shoot last night with 2 of my favorite friends and I have to say that despite not losing all the weight I had planned to lose...IT WAS AMAZING! If any of you need a self-image reconstruction in your head, I totally recommend a boudoir shoot....but do it with friends! There is something about lounging around in your lingerie, eating strawberries, drinking wine, and having someone take fabulous pictures of you that completely rearranges the way you see yourself in the mirror. I cannot wait to get the proofs back!!!

Maria- how exciting for the person you used as motivation to now be asking you for advice! You should be so proud of yourself because of everything you have accomplished! WOOHOO!

Tara- nicely done on the food planning and early logging. I always plan out my food for the week, but I don’t do the early logging. I eat for lunch leftovers from dinner the night before so first thing in the morning I copy my breakfast and dinner from the night before and input my snacks and exercise. So typically by 9 am I already know how many cals I have left for dinner that night. It’s a pretty good strategy for me! Keep up the awesome work with the shred!

Emily- 1.2 lbs is awesome! WAY TO GO! That’s amazing about your bro! I found when a bunch of my girlfriends came to visit those who had also been exercising and watching their weight we ended up talking a lot about fitness. It’s a nice change of pace!

Anita- I bet you looked AMAZING in your dress! You should be really proud of yourself. My bday is in just over 4 weeks and I am will be the closest in weight to what I weighed when I turned 18! Crazy!

Meag- I get up early for my workouts too but I find that they help me feel energized and ready to go for the rest of the day. I do however get my butt to bed really early. I just can’t handle not getting sleep and my body shuts down on me really quickly so I could never do what you! Find sometime for your sleep because you definitely need it! Oh and amazing 10k time!!!

Mandy- I’m glad you enjoyed your photo shoot! I am not sure if I will do that when I get to my goal weight or just do some sort of photo shoot. I hear a lot of people talking about it, but who knows! Either way I totally believe in rewarding yourself with non food items along the way. I think it helps keep the motivation going!

Bethany- I am sure once the craziness in your life slows down you will be back to finding this lifestyle, and then hopefully once you get the hang of the lifestyle next time your life turns upside down you will be able to make all of those awesome choices, although I think you are being pretty smart about your choices. I suggest for the mexican food buffet for your mom’s party, maybe try eating a really big salad or something really filling beforehand so you only have a bite or two of something and that way you don’t overindulge.

AFM- Still super sore from the obstacle course on Saturday and I have bruises all over! I guess you don’t realize what parts of your body you use to pull and push and all of that until you have to do it and see the after math. I was planning on going for a run this morning, but I was so tired when my alarm went off so I slept a little while longer instead. I am going to do the shred with the hubby and then go for a run and maybe hit up the pool tonight. Should be nice! I might go for the run first if I beat my hubby home and he doesn’t want to do the run portion. We went shopping for groceries for the week yesterday, and 90% of our list was in the produce section! LOVE fresh food! After I finally got all of the items my hubby says what else do we need and it was only a few items which were mostly proteins! And oats of course I’m really liking July so far!!

XOXO
Megan

this group is no where near as active as it used to be!

UPDATE: managed to scrap through the potluck with ONE FORKFUL of bundt cake....so all in all, happy with these results

Oh and my ticker is a bit off because I lost some weight before I started here. Start weight was 72.5kg/ 159.5lb, weight on Saturday was 65.5kg/ 144.1 lb. I'm not so sure about my weight now though, retaining water and maybe gained a little from all the alcohol and cake!

CMG-I totally feel ya with trying to get in the exercise before the heat hits- the worst is dealing with the humidity as well. It just makes the sweat com pouring off me!

Meag- You have been crazy busy so no worries about personally responding. I still you!

Anita- The pics look great! You should be really proud of the hard work you have been doing because it looks like its paying off! Awesome results for the bf too!

Tara- as always you are rocking it! Keep it up GF!

AFM- Spin this morning per my usual Tuesday routine followed by a busy but productive day at work. I wanted to wake up early to do some arm weights before spin this morning, but right as we were going to bed last night we heard police going next door and we have no idea what happened! Needless to say that kept me up for about an hour longer than I wanted to be and so I didn't get my lazy bum out of bed in time to do weights before spin, but thats okay because the hubby and I should be doing day 2 of the shred. We did it yesterday and I could tell a massive difference between the very first time I attempted Level 1 and this go round. I was sweating and could definitely feel the moves, but I think I need to up my weights and I didn't burn nearly the same amount of calories as I did when I first started it. Talk about improving my fitness!

Today I wore my new black work pants that actually fit and don't look like I may have taken a poop in my pants, needless to say, my *kitten* looks amazing! I use to play soccer from age 5 to age 18, stopped because of knee and concussion issues, but the best part of that was that I had great legs and a wonderful *kitten*. Well I think spinning has given that back to me because I am starting to like both of those aspects again! From behind I look way skinnier than I feel, so hopefully the front will catch up soon!! Yeah NSVs!

Have a fantastic rest of your tuesday!

I don't think i've ever seen this thread so slow lol, but it gives me a chance to catch up!

Tara- I posted on your wall about my thoughts on your gain.. like i said there, i saw a gain as well when i did it, so i was glad we did the no-scale challenge when we did lol.. that's great about your triceps! i need mine to tone like you have no idea! i still have the bat wings. i started to see some muscle, but fell out of the schedule very badly.. gonna try to pick it up again to go along with my bridge to 10K.. keep it up girlie!!

Megan- congrats on the NSV! i did level 1 of the shred today to get myself back into it, with 3lbs, and found the same time as you.. i could totally feel the difference this time around doing it, and even thought, hey i should switch to 5lbs.. love it!

Anita- love the pics, you both look great! congrats to both of you!

Meag- i so admire your dedication to training, even with all you have going on with work and life in general.. send some of that my way lol. right now we're under a heat advisory so there was no running for me today.. gonna attempt to get out there early tomorrow as i'm off work tonight.. enjoy!

AFM-- So I feel like I had a little lightbulb go off the other day, and felt like the reason i've been so down lately is that I'm bored with my life.. All I do is work, sleep, and veg out.. oh and try to get motivation some days to work out lol... So I decided I need to do something new until I start grad school, and signed up for a free trial class of kickboxing! I go in on Monday and am def looking forward to working out with a group since so far everything I've done has been by myself. It also gives me something scheduled so I'll be motivated to go lol.. Maybe some of those Turbo moves will come in handy
One of my coworkers got married last weekend, so I went in my new dress and had a great time.. I saw some pics my coworker took, and wow, I must say I looked pretty darn good.. I don't think I've ever looked so slim..Hoping to get a copy and put them up here.. It really makes a difference when you see yourself in pics versus the mirror every day..

Allie-thanks for the tips girl!!! I'm not gonna start worrying bout the scale til next week!! LOL I am so glad that you liked your self-image at the wedding...can't wait to see the pics!

Jill-have fun in SD...and kill your time on the 5K tomorrow...even if it is just for fun

Anita-it's ok...I fully expected a gain for the 1st week of the shred...and although I was hoping for a loss on the 2nd week (this week) I will understand if i am even or have a gain again....but by next week I expect big things to happen!! LOL I'm not quite ready to put the scale away yet....seeing as I just did in June for the month, and that I have my vaca coming up in 4 weeks...but I may give it a whirl again when I stat "ripped in 30" after my vaca!! Sorry to hear that your caf sucks these days...but sushi can be a great option for a to-go lunch...if it's available!! I have been trying to "use up" my groceries...so it's been a bunch of soup and canned fruits for me these days!

AFM-I have decided that if I do not have a loss (from the start of the shred) on my WI today... I WILL be doing half-way pics and measurements for some extra encouragment and motivation for myself i think this is a solid-fail-safe plan...and I hope that I am right!!