JulieSHelms Member

I heard this a lot too (that you can't build muscle with a caloric deficit). That clearly wasn't the case in the beginning for me. This summer I began going to the gym for the first time in my life and learned about strength training. As I lost 50 lbs, I WAS getting stronger along with muscle development. I was seeing…

I don't know how other people do it but I use http://www.quickpicturetools.com/en/combine_images/ It's very easy!

I force sheep to have sex, then I eat their babies.

On the reply box there is a symbol of a black page with the corner turned down--that's where you can choose your picture file from.

I went dress shopping today for the first time in 2 years--since my daughter's wedding (pic on left). In the wedding photo I'm wearing a size 26 Women's. Today, on right, a size 14 Misses! I'm now the same size as I was in high school--35 years ago! :smiley: I've lost 109 lbs with 15-20 still to go.

I have lots of before pictures because it was my daughter's wedding that got me going. When I saw all the pictures of me I couldn't stand what I was seeing. BUT I wish that I had taken an underwear shot and I do recommend that (no one ever has to see it but you).

Mine is stuck, too....think it's catching? Lol. But we forge onward!

Hey @middlehaitch! You were the one who encouraged me not to be so petrified walking into the free weight section where I had never ventured before. I am much more confident now. :smile: And, get this, the guys in there have been helpful and always courteous to me. Don't know what I was expecting--like they were going to…

Can you elaborate? If you work on the stabilizer muscles to some degree with free weights, can you then increase overall gains with machines?

I got the part about the stabilizers from people here, but it was why that was important that was never communicated (or maybe just never received!) and the practical application/problem of it. IOW--it seems that strength built on a machine doesn't necessarily translate to real (practical) strength.

-104 lbs, took a year and a half.

I think part of the trick is that since I know I can have it, I don't get panicky or obsessed about it--so I'm not thinking about it as much.

The loss of chocolate as one of my four major food groups has been one of my biggest challenges while losing weight. So I figured out how to squeeze it in. Every day I put 9 Hershey Kisses (1 serving) in a bowl and I get to eat them whenever I'm overcome with need. And I log it of course. My NSV is over the past week,…

I wanted to update with some mini-goals reached since I posted this 3 weeks ago: * I've lost 104 lbs now...or 416 sticks of butter :smile: * I've lost more than 1/3 of me * I hit Onederland * I passed over the hated BMI calculator designation of obese to just overweight I'm hoping to lose 21 lbs more for my final goal (and…

movie star

top shelf

French kisses

Christmas morning

OK, here's something annoying that I haven't seen mentioned yet. Happened to me last night. I was on the elliptical in a line of about 20 empty ones--no others were being used. And a guy gets on the one right next me. Unusual, but whatever, I'm in my zone, I ignore him. But then an employee comes up and stands in front of…

Well there is no button, and I have heard the alarm go off once after a loud bang. But no, it wouldn't register a grunt or someone going "too fast" on a treadmill. My PF opened 2 years ago. I visited another one last week that was newly opened and it didn't have a button either.

It's supposed to be a mat under the flooring. I'm not having an opinion on this one way or the other. I just hadn't seen the button y'all were talking about.

I don't actually know. But I have a sensor at my house because of a home business so I know when customers come in. It's a thing they drive over that sets off an alarm in my house. It cost about $8.

OK, didn't know that--when I got my tour, they said it was a sensor in the floor.

Irish luck

There is no alarm to pull at Planet Fitness. It's something in the floor that registers the hit. I've been at my PF for 5 months and have only heard the alarm once--following a really loud bang.

break dance

hard body

What? The solid gold ones were at the cleaners?

After reading through this, I got curious as to the difference between a gym and a health club (or fitness center is what I've heard PF referred to): (From Macmillian Dictionary) GYM: short for gymnasium--a large hall or room with special equipment for doing physical exercises FITNESS CENTER:--a place where people go to do…

I go to Planet Fitness where there are signs all over the place about spraying the equipment after you use it. The other day I saw an older man just dripping with sweat. He was mopping his face and chest with a towel. Then he proceeded to wipe down a machine with that towel before he sat down. He did about 5 reps then…