Dropping pounds with inspiring pals *CLOSED GROUP*

Hey everyone! Its great too see all the Monday NSV's! Woot! :drinker:

I just wanted to remind everyone the weekly challenges are optional. You can pretty much skew them how you want too, or not do them at all. :laugh: So if you weigh in on Fridays, don't peek till Fridays. If you need to check in everyday for motivation, then check in everyday. Its OK.

Last thing I want to see is the weekly challenges overwhelming anyone and causing them to regress backwards....which is what actually happened to me when I joined a monthly challenge back in August. I couldn't take the pressure of all the challenges I had to keep up with everyday, so I would stress eat...basically about week 3 I looked at my progress, and realized...it doesn't matter that I'm doing 100 push-up challenge, or walking 10 miles...because I'm eating about 7000 calories a day and beating myself up when I don't meet my own expectations for each daily challenge.

That's why in this group the challenges are optional. Just a way to challenge yourself every week, but make it fit your needs, the goal is to move forward. I am sure some weeks we will have super easy challenges, and other times we might have really difficult ones.

im mad at myself ive done pretty decent all week untill yesterday i went over on my calories and not on good food either it was on bad food and now i have a food hangover! well this week i gained .6

no i lied i just went back to my food log this week i actually did terrible, i went over at least 4 days this week and then the days i didnt go over i had almost 500 calories left over, my body is probably freaking out! this week along with the challenge of not looking at the scale till lext monday(hard for me) i have a goal of staying within 50 calories of my recommended and to also make sure im working out 4-5 times this week, and to stay positive not negative i have been super moody, uncle tom has been all wacky (12 days )and my hormones are a mess . so today im going to start a cleanse of all the negative! and can someone give me some pointers on how to handle going to other people houses, and family reunions with food, cause i screw up if im not incontrol!

I can't even tell you how many times I've done that (just more proof of why logging your food is almost necessary). I will swear with very serious conviction that I was good all week except one day....and be mad I didn't lose...but when I actually look back, my week was all over the place...and its like..."oh...well...fine then..."

You will do better this week. A positive outlook will help a lot! As for handling food at family reunions and other outings. Here are my suggestions. Eat before going. If you know there is going to be almost nothing healthy there, eat a full meal before you go. Make yourself a nice plate of chicken, with a side of veggies...you can even spruce up and roll the chicken in bacon bits or something, make it "taste" bad...but actually be really good for your calories. This way when you go to the party, you won't be hungry, and temptation won't be AS bad (I'm not gonna lie, it won't go away completely, but its kind of like eating before going grocery shopping, the temptation to put all the junk into your basket is greatly reduced).

And even though you are eating before, leave some calories left over that way you can have something there. If its a buffet kind of party its actually easier, because no ones going to want to "force" food on your plate. If everyone is sitting at the table, and you feel obligated to eat (even though we all shouldn't feel that way, not going to pretend its not there). Make yourself a small plate with the healthiest looking food available. They have a salad? Then only make yourself a salad. If people keep pushing food towards you, just say your not really hungry. (and you don't have to tell them its because you ate before you came, its really non of their business).

Another suggestion is bring your own sweets. Make calorie friendly cupcakes, or cookies etc. And bring them to the party (depending on the party or family, you can ask first...I know most my friends family would not turn away free cupcakes though lol). There is a ton of really good tasting recipes that no one can tell that they aren't full of sugar and calories, so you don't even have to say anything. Watch the looks you get when someone who knows your watching your food sees you eat the cupcake, its priceless!

Ok...that concludes the BOOK. haha.

I like fishing, hiking, there's also rock climbing (harnessed of course! but if you're a dare devil you could just climb some big *kitten* rocks without a harness and go "I'm QUEEN of the ROCK!)

I have no upper body strength! I need to have awesome super arms for that

I want to go rock climbing, (the kind with the harness and no cliffs! lol). A girl I went to high school with started taking classes at a local rec center, and she got BUFF arms (in a good way, no flab!). But that was after like 6 months of going 3 times a week. But I have to admit that sounds like a much funner way to work out my arms than lifting weights. :laugh:

How about my personal challenge for this week is to stay with 30DS for the entire week. That'll really be a challenge for me since Jillian and I tend to have a love/hate relationship!

Good luck, I hope you like it I think there is quite a few people starting 30DS in this group? Maybe you can all keep each other motivated to do it each day.

I'm sorry for all you ladies starting TOM....I really hope I don't get mine anytime soon, it was long and miserable enough last time....


On a more random note.... I really want to go to six flags.... I'm in the mood to go on some roller coasters. lol

hell's yes i did it again i finished 45 mins of tae bo, i am so proud of myself i feel amazing! i feel like actually doing something now im gonna clean my house and finish the laundry after i finish my amazing protein shake that i made in my amazing new blender i got absolutely free compliments of the pampered chef!!

Yay! This is awesome! Glad your are doing so well with tae bo!! What kind of protein shake mix do you use?

if i watch what i eat and eat healthy, and workout i feel like there is no way i can eat all my calories>>??? now if i ate what i used to i could see going over but the idea is to eat healthy, im so lost!

Don't worry about eating every one of your exercise calories back, but don't get into the habit of not eating them either. I listen to my body... if I'm hungry, I eat the exercise calories. If I'm not, I don't. But I'm usually hungry. LMAO!

There are a lot of people who drink shakes and things when they need their calories up, but icecream shakes aren't particularly healthy. Frozen yogurt shakes on the otherhand... it'd be worth a try. Also, nuts are very good for you and have more calories than other food, so you could always go that route also...

i also do the protein shakes and still have all of these calories left, i earned something like 1256 calories today?? i know crazy i hurt lol!! but i am really really watching what im eating! i want this so bad but i have to get in a good state of mind i decided yesterday that i am going to do this !! and i am going to lose this weight and i will not let my hormones, or emotions get the best of me!! i love this site i get on here and get excited and wanna workout again!

I don't eat back my exercise calories at all unless I'm starving. If your not hungry, I wouldn't force yourself to eat back 1200 calories! lol. BTW...that's a freakin good burn! With all that working out though, I would definitely make sure your getting your basic recommend amount of calories. No being under 1200! Healthy food is good, but having a treat once in a while too is good (good for the soul! lol). So if your pulling major burns like that, and want to get an ice cream cone or something I wouldn't worry to much about the fact that its "not healhty". ya know?

Just got in from an hour and ahalf in the gym my trainer got me to wear the heart monitor and I am so chuffed, I got way to the top of the aerobic zone, was so pleased and my recovery rate was tip top too yey! I am fit if I am still fat!

That's good to hear And they think all fat people aren't fit... I bet you could run circles around a few of the the "skinny fat" girls out there.