CHALLENGE!!! 4/10-8/31 Who Can Reach Their Goal?!?!?!

Our loyal little group consists of these wonderful ladies, who are dedicated to moving forward with a healthier, more vital lifestyle.

• pinkpinkotter (a.k.a Pink)
  
• aperfectblink (a.k.a. Blink)
• ocean_girl88 (a.k.a. Surfer)
• loveitmm (a.k.a. Love)
• moonlight_liz (a.k.a. Liz)
  

and a few other ladies that are not mentioned who are just as important.

I'm still here! Sorry!  Man this internship is keeping me beyond busy.  I wake up at 6, am at work by 715ish, and don't get back until 7pm.  Then all I do is have dinner and go to bed before I do it all over again!  Absolute craziness but I love it.  Haha the only reason I think I'm posting now is cause it's my day off.  BUT I'm down to 146.6!  It's pretty exciting...but it's SOOOO slow going.  It's really annoying actually.  At least I've successfully left the 150s in the dust.

Blink I'm glad to hear you're happy now at home!  Go you!  Life's too short to be doing something that makes you miserable.

thanks surfer, i feel the same way. i don't want to go back to just waste money and not be happy, etc. your internship still sounds amazing, haha. and congrats on the loss!

diet is going well, i ran today and lifted, yay! we had horrible weather in dallas since yesterday and my whole block flooded and i was stranded at home with my little brother and the power was out and three cars stalled trying to drive down our streets, it was a good time.. haha.

hope everyone is doing well! keep on keeping on!

I'm getting really frustrated - I'm still stuck at 149.5.

I'm sticking to 1300 calories/day.  I work at a desk job and since I commute 1.5 hours to work each day I don't really have the energy to work out when I get home.  So I've only lost 5.5 pounds and already I hit a plateau?  Well that kinda sucks...

I don't want to join a gym - I tried that once and I never went so it was a waste of money.  It's also hard to work out when I get home because I get home between 7-7:30pm, I still have to cook dinner, eat, and get my things together for the following day.  I'm lucky if I get to bed before midnight. 

And it's not like I eat unhealthy either.  I feel like I get a balanced diet.  My typical meals include:

Breakfast - Dannon Light 'N Fit nonfat yogurt with fresh fruit, coffee with skim milk and splenda (approx. 100 calories) I'm not very hungry in the morning, so I dont want to stuff myself.

Snack - celery, red peppers or baby carrots with 2 tbsp of hummus  (80 calories)

Lunch - whole wheat sandwhich bread with 2 oz of turkey or half and once slice of cheese.  I use real cheese, I can't stand low/nonfat cheese.  So I will only use one slice, .5 tbsp of light mayonnaise, and lettuce - (280 calories)

Snack - 1 apple or 1 cup of grapes (80 calories)

Dinner - meat, veggies, and some type of starch -  700 calories. 

sometimes for a snack I will have a piece of chocolate.  This is what I normally eat during the week, on the weekend I don't watch as closely, but I'm also not scarfing down 2 pizza pies.

Normally I'm not that hungry throughout the day, so I eat less throughout the day and then have a bigger dinner.  Should I try to spread out my calories more evenly?  I also constantly drink water throughout the day.  Probably from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed, I drink 64 oz of water. 

Do you guys have any suggestions about ways I could get more exercise?  I try to take the stairs whenever I can, I work on the 8th floor - So sometimes I will walk up 4 flights, I take the stairs up and down 3 flights in the parking garage. 

The new CC calculator said I should only eat 1200/day, but I was losing on 1300 before - so what happened?

I'm asking you ladies because you all seem to have a great handle on your weight loss.  I'm very frustrated and I don't want to quit, I just really want to lose this weight, I feel disgusting  

harl, that is really frustrating.. i'm not quite sure what to tell you. from what i can read, you seem to be eating healthy and not going over calories, which should make you lose weight. i've always heard that losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise, so you should still be able to lose without rearranging your day or exhausting yourself by staying up and working out at night. what i would say (and by no means am i an expert) is so try cycling your calories (1200 mon, 1350 tues, 1200 wed, 1400 thurs, etc) or changing where your calories go (i.e. bigger breakfast instead of such a large dinner). exercise would probably help you lose weight, but it seems like a harder step to take at this point for you. just stick with it, and the pounds will come off eventually. i've read that sometimes when you're losing weight your body holds on to it for a while because it's not exactly sure what's going to happen. just dont give up! you can do it girl!

YOU GUYS! I JUST RAN FOR 20 MINUTES ON THE TREADMILL! after i had done 15 on the elliptical and 5 on the treadmill walking at an incline. i've wanted to transition from the elliptical to the treadmill and then from the treadmill to outdoors.. i think i'm finally on my way to be a runner! i'm starting slow (4.5 mph) and once i can go for 45 min no big deal, i'm gonna bump it up to 5, 5.5, 6, and so on, then TO THE STREETS! i'm sooo happy and i feel GREAT right now!

i need you guys to come back! we're here to support you and help you not badger you and upset you! haha, even if you're off the wagon, come say hi! I MISS EVERYONE?!? 

Thanks for the advice Blink!  I think I'm going to do a little bit of both.  Reduce my calorie intake, but switch it up a little bit during the day - eat more during the day and have a lighter dinner...but maybe still save some room for ice cream once in a while  Although I still can't eat that much in the morning, but try to have a larger lunch - maybe include a side salad with a sandwich. 

I was also talking to my cousin about it - she lost a ton of weight recently, in a healthy way and has been able to keep it off.  She's also started running - like you blink.  She told me to increase my protein intake because apparently it takes more energy to burn protein then carbs. 

Blink - good for you on running for 20 minutes on the treadmill!  That's certainly an accomplishment!  Maybe you can try mixing it up and run outside too - I know you said you wanted to wait, but if I had to stare at the same wall everytime, I would find it boring.  They also have a running game on the Wii Fit, if you have one.  When I played with the Wii Fit more, I did that one all the time...it's a lot of fun =)

How is your internship going surfer?  What is everyone else up to?

harl!!! my friend marrissa got over a month long plateau by doing what blink suggested... she just switched up the amount she ate every day. and i know someone else who tried to just eat 1200 because that was the amount "suggested" for her weight and what not... and her body stalled... thinking she was starving herself... she went to her doctor and her doctor told her to start eating 1600 calories a day... and her weight started melting off. because it was still under her "maintaining" calorie intake of 1800, but it was enough that her body thought she was eating the same amount... so instead of stalling it revved up her metabolism and she ended up losing a good chunk the first month... then she cut back to 1500... then 1400 etc when it was time.

i also know someone who eats like 1500 a day... all lean proteins and vegetables and a few whole grain carbs... exercises tons... completely fit.. but wasn't getting under 150. turns out... she was eating just ONE DOLLARS worth of licorice every day or two... (it's her favorite snack food ever).. she wasn't going over her calorie intake... but that extra sugar that shouldn't have been there was doing something with her insulin levels and only let her maintain.. she let go of licorice... and a month later she was 143. something as small as a few pieces of licorice were holding her back!!! can you believe that!!!! maybe that's the case?!?! i know a few ppl like her who when they eat cheese they stop losing weight... even if it's in their calorie range. (i'm one of them lol... but i love it too much to give it up).

i was also watching x-weighted on tv yesterday... and they had a girl who was eating the right amount of food... big dinner small other meals. he made her break it up into 6 small meals a a day... and he said that none of her meals was allowed being over 200 calories.  just because it was going to kick her metabolisms butt in gear... and make her burn consistently over the course of the day... especially since you're body works best in teh morning and slows down around dinner time.

hope any of this helps :)

as of this morning i'm back up to 210... though i expected it... because i've just given up this week lol. it's so much harder to get on the wagon..... maybe i shouldn't cheat anymore lol lol lol. i think today i already ate like 2 days worth of calories... damn you tim hortons!! dammmnnnn youuuu!!!!

on the plus side.... i have a VERY sexy hair cut!!! and just 2 weeks until i'm in my new apartment!!!!!!

harl, you can do it! i know you can, just keep on trucking. update us with the results :)

pink! you're back! woohoo.. even if you're off the wagon now, it's never too early to get back on it. whenever i have trouble getting back on the wagon cause i want cake or queso or what not i always tell myself, i've had it before, i know what it tastes like, i'll have it again, just not right now.. just think, those foods will be there forever, it's not like you have to eat all of it now, moderation is key! just something i like to think about :) glad you're back!

i'm about to hit up the gym and do a little running and then lift. yay! my friends from colorado are coming to visit tomorrow and they're staying the week. it's going to be hell on my calorie intake.. ahhhh!

Thanks Pink...I'm trying to eat more throughout the day and cycling my calories...I'm aiming for 1200 today, I ate 1350 yesterday...tomorrow will be around 1250.

It seems very odd that I would be losing on 1300, then my body stops & when I recalculate it says 1200 to lose.  However, other calorie calculators state the following:

From Nutrition.about.com - It says I should be taking in 1,495 calories/day and lose 1 pound/week

http://www.phord.com/cc/ - It says I should have 1411/day and lose .5 pounds/week

CC - 1200/day?  What I'm really confused about is how can 2 different people from the same website give 2 different numbers?

So...which one should I follow?  I'm going to try and cycle my calories and see if that works...if not I'll try upping my calories.  I guess I'm afraid I will gain weight and be back where I started.

Pink - it is harder to get back on the wagon, but being on the wagon has so many more positives then not being on it.  You should post a picture of this fabulous new haircut of yours!  Congrats on the new apt.  you sound so excited and just think the amount of exercise you'll be doing unpacking boxes and moving?  Good Luck!  Let us know how the move goes!

my healthy teacher always used to say that for every pound you weigh... you should eat 12 calories per pound to gain weight... 10 calories to maintain weight... and 7 calories to lose weight (7 to 9 really, anything below 7 is starvation). if you're weighing in (on average) at 150... 1800 calories a day will put weight on you, 1500 will make you maintain, 1050 will make you drop the weight. (though that's a crazy number and i wouldn't recommend it lol)... but tha'ts if you're ONLY chaning your diet.. and not your lifestyle... if you're more active... you need to eat more... etc. and stick to proteins and complex carbs... it takes your body more energy to eat them than to pack them on your hips. so lets say you're eating 1300 calories a day.. and you weigh 150. It should take you 15 days to lose 1 pound.

you need to burn 3000 calories to lose a single pound.. that's twice your daily calorie intake needed (1500x2), then how much you're cutting down (1500-1300=200 calories lost a day)... 3000/200=15 days to lose one pound.

this may be your equation of why you're not losing weight... and why it's so much easier for bigger ppl to drop weight initially then smaller ppl. i know when i scale right back to 1200-1600 i tend to lose a pound every 5 days... up until the ten poundl ose mark then i stall hard core lol. ugh plateaus.

Pink - that is starting to make a lot of sense, because this past week I'm down 1/2 pound.

I think this weeek, I'm going to restrict my intake to 1200/day and see how that goes and then i will reevaluate at the end of the week.

Thank you guys for your help!  I really appreciate it. 

This past weekend was great!  My DH and I bought a new bedroom furniture set!  It's being delivered tomorrow and I'm so excited =)

I hope everyone else had a great weekend!  Talk with you ladies soon!

i gained a few pounds :(

but to be truthful i never got back on the wagon.. my whole schtick is "i'm moving in aweek so i should just eat whatever i have in the house now.. and not bother getting fresh groceries until i move"... which.. is OBVIOUSLY not helping my waist line lmao. so i'm giving up and going grocery shopping tonight for a weeks supply of good fresh foods.

i'm going to do it ladies!!! i'm going to be good!! i'm tired of having back problems or knee problems or whatever... i'm going to do it!!! yayyy lol. anyways. i'm off now :)

hey ladies! thought i'd drop in and say hello! i've been busy because of my friends being in town. it was a bit hard with eating, but we had so MUCH FUN! i'm more than back on track. i've been keeping up with my running and am transitioning to the treadmill more and more. i did one and a quarter mile running straight today! i walk at 3.0 or 3.5 mph at a 7.5 or greater incline in between running. i think i'm starting to really enjoy it too! at the beginning its somewhat hard to get motivated to keep going, but once i get to a half mile or 3/4, i'm untouchable! i love it. anyways! my mom told me today that it looks like i'm getting thinner! woohooooo! just what i needed after this crazy day. hope everyone is doing fantastic!

pink, i know the whole "being back on the wagon" but not really doing it.. you can always make excuses to keep eating whatever you want, but in reality, it's never worth it! know that you are doing this FOR YOU and that you are improving YOUR life and YOUR future. you can do it!

harl, glad to see your weight is budging! how's 1200/day going? new bedroom furniture is so fun, I CANT WAIT TO GET MY OWN APARTMENT AND DECORATE! AHH! hahah, hope you're staying on track, woman!

yay for running and enjoying it blink!!!

guess what :) ??? i move in less than a week!! i'm so excited!! but also... i got another bunny!!! he's so cute and so small!! he's actually 3 years old so he's not really a "bunny" but he's two pounds. so he's so small!! lol. but he has a lot of eating issues... he doesn't like the healthy stuff.. jsut treats... like me lol.

but i did hop on the band wagon yesterday ladies :) let's see how long a can stay on it this time!! hopefully forever!! lol. it's easy for me to eat lots of fruits and veggies now... i have two bunnies who i give the extra stuff to.. like strawberry tops and the ends of carrots and other veggies. so i eat more so they eat more healthy lol.

nothing new to report except to watch out!! i'm back on the wagon so i'm gonna give you ladies a run for your money!!!

i just typed out a really long message and it got deleted and now i'm mad. GRRRR... i'll post later.

LADIES. GET YOUR ASSES BACK IN HERE. i don't know where everyone is but i know that nothing is stopping you from taking a COUPLE MINUTES to at least tell us(me) what's going on and how life is! it's so depressing coming back in here and seeing ... nothing. 

pink, my latest thread friend, where did you go! you were jumping back on the wagon, RIIGGGHHHTTT?

harl, i know you've been doing well, and have been busy, but we(i) miss you! i want to hear about the new bedroom and how 1200/day is working out?

surfer, that internship is probably eating up your time, hope everything is going well, stop by and tell us about petting whale tongues!

LIZ, THE OP, WHERE ARE YOU?!

it looks like liz hasn't been on in a month :( :(.. i was waiting for your big post that was deleted... you said yuo were going to rewrite it so i was waiting for it to reply to it. and now i see this lame ass post. you suck lol.

i'm not on the wagon lmao lmao. buuutttt... i know i know.. excuses... there's no food in my house lol. and everyone that has been helping us move has brought over pizza and beer and wings lol. which is like... i either eat a slice of pizza and eat a few wings and starve the rest of the day... or just not worry about it lol... and let me tell you... i'm not doing the latter. i'm going to get some groceries tonight... not a lot... but all my fruit and veggies and sandwhich stuffs to at least get me through the work week. i swear next week will proally be more normal for me .

updates!! i'm in the new place... and both me and my bunnies LOVE IT!!!!

the bigger bunny absolutely loves it and loves exploring new places to get to and from his "home" station to the rest of the apartment... (he only walks on carpet... they have no grips for tiles and wood floor)... so he's found a way to travel in the kitchen.. he goes under the kitchen counter... those little "lips" at the bottom where the floor and cupboard meet... he uses that as a balance to walk through the kitchen... it's SOOOOOOO cute. you look down and youcan just see the side of him making his way to the end lmao.

the new bunny is sick :(... apparently his previous owners were douches and didn't take the best of care with him. oh well. he's mine now!!!

another update for blink!!! *i'm bored at work lol* soooo i went grocery shopping last night... and LO AND BEHOLD!!!! while we were shopping... the power went out!!! and they ushered everyone to the cash.. because they only have a 20 minute battery life on there cash registers before they die as well... and it was at sobeys.. and already 1030 at night.. so there was NO OTHER place to go :(. but i did get veggies and fruits. and am eating them right now... but i have no dinner or lunch sandwich stuffs lol. i'll get them today... and for lunch just have some subway sub. yum yum. i walked to work today. it's a 30 minute walk. and will be walking again tomorrow as well!! soooo already it's a benefit to living where i am :) yay.

so my bigger bunny found a way to take over the whole apartment and terrorize the small one. so i had to get the little guy in our room until we buy one of those pens to keep him in his area. haha.

the sick little guy is getting better. though he REFUSES to eat hay and vegetables... which should be like 90% of his staple. he only wants pellets and treats... so i'm starving him lol. well not really... rabbits are clever and they'll eat a tiny bit of this stuff when no one is looking.. and hold out for the fatty stuff that they like... but after a few days they come to realize that they need to eat the hay and veggies. but they look so sad when you don't give them their favorite food :(. why can't he be like my big one? he's a garbage disposal unit. eats everything you put in front of him. .... ohhh i wish i were a rabbit lol.

how are you lovely ladies doing by the way?

Hello!  Gahhh I'm so sorry I haven't been here in a while...ok a really long time.  But yeah this internship is completely consuming every second I have.  I work 4 almost 12 hour days a week and then am totally busy doing other work for the internship on my days off.  BUT things have been going ok weight loss wise....extremely slow but ok.  I'm down to 144.8 now but I'm only losing about 1 lb a week on average.  I know that that's just fine, but it's still frustrating you know?!  Oh well.  Slow and steady wins the race I guess.  I've also completely slacked on counting.  I don't even remember the last time I entered my food on here.  But I'm still losing so I can't be doing too terrible without it.  I definately should get back on track though and see if that helps me lose weight any faster.  I'm definately going to try and make a bigger effort on posting here too!  I miss talking to you guys.

yay! SO HAPPY TO COME BACK TO POSTS! glad you guys are here :)

i worked this morning and have just been relaxing around the house all day. its been nice. 4th of july was a bit of setback on the diet, but hey, i'm not too worried. well. kind of? i weighed 117.0 the on the 3rd. i had been doing SO WELL. i'm up above 120 on the scales now.. but i'm crossing my fingers its just water weight (it has to be, right?), eating normally, and drinking lots of wa wa. 

pink,  your bunnies sound adorable. i've always wanted one, i think they are soooo darling when they're younger but i'm not too wild about them when they're older and fat and don't care about you anymore, haha. i'm thinking i'll either get a puppy, kitten, or another pygmy goat once i move out. yep, a pygmy goat. i'm actually kind of leaning that way because i loved the one i used to have so much. 

surfer, weight loss may be slow, but look at it this way, you've been slacking a bit, you've gotten to eat a bit more, a bit worse, etc, and you're still down! that's sooo good. i wish that could happen to me, but nope. no no nope. i mean i still have my days though (like yesterday, tee hee).. 

i'm currently on the market, wait that doesn't sound right, i'm currently shopping the market (? lol) for horses! i've got the money and the time, just trying to find the right ones... which sucks, cause it definitely takes a while. i've been looking since the beginning of the summer.. cross your fingers for me! 

yay thread revival!