MicheleWE Member

I second the Strong Curves program! I just finished it a short while ago and am very pleased with the progress of my abs, butt, and thighs. It was only 12 weeks and I felt like I saw changes almost daily!

I mix a tablespoon or two in hot water with a little lemon juice and sweetener of choice and drink it like hot tea. I've never used it for weight loss purposes, I take it when I am not feeling well.

Congrats! You have done a great job. No doubt you'll get exactly where you want to be.

I have a lot of trouble with forward lean on my squats and this^^^ was the same advice given to me. Also, put a stool, chair, etc behind you and just touch your bum to it. More important to get form down vs going deeper into the squat. I'll be checking out all these links, thanks to those that posted them.

Oh, I am a shameless flexer! Just ask me and I'll pop my arm out so fast it will poke your eye out! LOL! I've got to stop that :) I do spend an awful lot of time admiring all my hard work even though I still have so far to go. My upper body is coming along nicely and a little bit of abs are starting to show. I have to use…

What I am beginning to learn is that your body responds better if it isn't under stress. Eating very low calorie creates stress in the body on a hormonal level. When certain hormones are high you won't lose fat. If you create a lot of stress through high intensity exercise and then don't fuel yourself properly it's a…

One thing I would like to point out. You said before you were only eating a 1200 calorie meal, but do you know the amount of calories in...what did you say 4-5 32oz? sweet teas a day? I haven't looked it up but I am imagining it is around 100 per 8-16 oz. So it sounds like a lot of your calories were coming from drinks.…

Yes, I'd defiantly say you need to eat more. Dieting so extreme will more than likely cause problems with your metabolism that could cause you a lot of grief as you age. Losing weight on such a low calorie diet eats away at your lean body mass. The less lean body mass (muscle) you have the slower your metabolism gets. The…

I didn't get a string bikini. I bought a top from Victoria Secret structured like the one in the link above. My girls want to migrate out the middle.

I always thought I was huge....I didn't even know some of these sizes existed. At 230 lbs I was a 36/38 DDD and was busting out, pardon the pun. Thankfully after a 85 lbs loss I was down to a 36 D. I think I could go to a C if it weren't for all the extra skin. I am happy with that loss, just wish my girls weren't so sad,…

Five pounds in the whole scheme of things is really no big deal unless you are now going to let it defeat you. If you get yourself right back on track then you'll bounce right back. Did you enjoy your vacation? Did you make some good memories with loved ones? I bet your answer is yes, so don't let the scale/guilt/shame rob…

I would second the idea of getting one of the books New Rules of Weight Lifting For Women or Strong Curves. Either one will give you all the answers plus more. They explain how and how much to eat, how to exercise and what to do. I am sure there are other good ones but I've read both of these. I am currently following the…

I also agree with just plan the birthday week ahead so you can enjoy the special dessert without guilt. So, that day may not be a deficit day, but if you are still coming out at maintenance that's still a win right? That being said, I have tried many different solutions to this problem. I am not one that can be in a house…

Sometimes we just have to be a detective and figure out what is pushing us to go the wrong direction. One bad day is no big deal, but when it happens with regularity it is time to assess what we are doing and what maybe causing it. Is it possible that your cycle is causing you to overeat? Like stronger cravings or just…

I am in to try a few of these recipes. I long ago wrote off Alfredo sauce because it is so scary nutritionally and I just figured I could live without it. I was just thinking yesterday about making a Chicken Alfredo Pizza for my dad's birthday dinner but then told myself no. Looks like it gets to be back on the menu.…

AWESOME! Losing weight and being healthy contains so many more positives than just a lower # on the scale. Thanks for sharing because I know I need to be reminded and focus on these types of things often!

I have also had problems with binging. I finally realized if I give myself a larger daily calorie allowance (200 more) I am way less tempted to binge. For a while I decided I would try to accurately log a binge, but when in the midst of one, weighing food is not something I do, so it was still just an estimate. Sometimes…

I agree, it is more of a mental thing to me than anything else. I made the choice to get healthy and I didn't give myself any other option but to keep making that choice every day regardless of how I feel. I think about food all the time and yes, sometimes I have bad days where I fall hard. I just pick myself up, shake it…

Working out in the morning has been a desire of mine for a while now. My natural habit is to sit around and slowly wake up in the mornings and end up working out late morning/early afternoon. It works out okay, but I usually end up rushed for my afternoon/evening activities during the week and if the family has plans on…

In for checking out a few of these brands.

Yep, lifting is making me bulky

Over the years I've worked at decreasing the amount of creamer I use in coffee. I went from 2 TBS of flavored creamer to 1/2 TBS of sugar free flavored creamer and stevia. It's still not the best as far as health to be using SF creamers, but that is a great as compromise as I am willing to make at this time in regards to…

Congratulations on your success. All the hard work shows, but it shows a lot more than just a fit slimmer physique. It shows love for yourself, determination, endurance.....the list goes on and on. You will conquer that marathon!

You are doing great. I think what is most important is that you are always pushing yourself. It might be easier to increase weight regularly in the beginning but you can't always maintain that same increase. If that were possible, a lot more folks would be power lifters. Being progressive includes not only increase…

Thank you, wish I would have seen this 1 1/2 years ago. I started with a split routine and followed it for a year but never really gained in strength, did bring some definition to arms but that was about it. 4 weeks into Strong Curves and I see my lower half finally paying attention and building strength with those…

I remember the first time I tried Jillian it kicked my butt. Several years later after establishing a consistent workout plan I tried it again. It was still challenging but I worked my way through the entire program. I lost 5 lbs that month while also doing traditional weight training and walking while eating at a deficit.…

Incredible transformation, empowering inspiration! Thank you for sharing your story and your success.

You are not alone! I posted a similar question earlier in the week, although I didn't get the response you did. Lots of good little tips here that I am going to try as well. One thing I realized is those days that were out of ordinary (where I wasn't logging fully) are probably causing more of a problem than I realized.…

20000 mg of sodium in one day????? Beyond weight loss and appearance this much sodium is bad for your health and you may want to consider cutting down. The recommended daily allowance is only 1800mg. Long term high sodium can contribute to high blood pressure which leads to all sorts of bad things. Not trying to be rude, I…

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