*Bringing "Sexy Back" Motivation Group* ( *Group Closed* )

I want to start a group of motivating girls that have the intention of bringing nothing but their sexy back... I would love to motivate, work towards, congratulate, get tough love and throw pity parties whenever deemed necassary... Anyone want to join me?? I do belong to other groups with other wonderful women but those challenges seem to be ending and people are dwindling... anyone want to stick through it with me, until we get our sexy back??  

Special note: There are no weigh in days, no challenges, no scales, you are own challenge, whether you want to use measurements, scales or even a pair of jeans to measure your success, welcome, if you want to gain weight welcome, if you want to lose welcome, if you want to build up some curves welcome... we are all here to give one another positive reinforcements... 

Yay! Hell week is over, everything worked out, everything except me that is. I have been too slammed for gym time this week. But amazingly I dropped those 2 pounds, that's right, that 196 showed on the scale yesterday and made me dance around the room. Since i didn't work out the only thing I can assign this to is perhaps the water intake. I have kept it up over 100 ounces every day and that before any soda, coffee, ect. It works and I feel awesome. So now that I can relax again I am hitting the gym today to close out this nutty week with some good old sweating. I love the post workout feeling and I have missed it so much this week.

So, after work I'm hitting the gym, then going with Mom to hobby night at church. Four hours of adult conversation, crafting and no kids. It's pretty great. Then tomorrow I am doing a three mile jog, cleaning the spare room and getting ahead on some work. Sunday will be more crafting, I'm doing handmade Christmas this year, and I want to get ahead on that as well.

I made some pumpkin whoopie pies with whole wheat flour, eggbeaters and splenda this week. They are not "lo-cal" but they were delicious and at around 100 cals for one, a treat I can totally build into my day. I am bringing them as an alternative to pie for the Thanksgiving celebration this year, and I'm working on a sweet potato casserole that is lo-cal and delicious.

My 190 reward is a new pair of running shoes, I am starting to look at styles because I feel like I'm going to get there sooner than I originally planned.

ah its friday!

i weighed in at 180.4 with clothes and shoes on today...not a stellar number but not horrible either...i'm ok with it. Bootcamp was fun today, i am going to call it the failure circuit, because there are 8 or 9 stations and you have 25 minutes to go through the stations 1 time and do each station until failure (until you can't do anymore) we partnered up and combined our reps together and then at the end which ever pair had the most won lol, it was actually really good, because i'm so used to making sure i hit a certain number of reps, but today it was go as far as you can, and it was cool because you could see which ones you were really good at, for instance i did 100 walking lunges...i had normally only done 24...it was pretty freaking cool! but push ups i still suck, i only did 12 hahahahaha and they were the ones where you're hands are on a bench...

oh and i think i should clarify a bit, i wasn't in a totally rural area, its just set back kind of far from the main road...but ya, i won't be going that way again...thanks for the concern though, its nice to hear you all care! : )

i definitely feel like i'm getting my mojo back which is awesome! but i also feel pudgy wudgy...so i think i need to really focus on the foods i'm shoving into my mouth...

Soraya--i was the same way for a little bit, i totally ditched the group, but i am sooo happy to be back, and i'm happy your back too!! i live in yorba linda by the way...orange county Sounds like that was an amazing yoga class that came at the right time for you, i hope you keep seeing positive things with it...hang in there i'm sure a job is right around the corner! praying for ya!!

Nellie--hobby night sounds so fun! i usually do handmade christmas too, and you are right, now is the time to start it all! And CONGRATS on the 196 thats awesome doll face!!

well i'm getting pretty close to quittin' time here at work...i hope all of you sexy ladies have a safe, fun, relaxing, amazing weekend!

peace, love, and water bottles! <3

Good Sunday morning!  I love being up early on the weekends!  Looks like another beautiful day here, too bad I need to spend part of it in the office!  lol  I've been a little lazy this weekend.  Ran a quick 1.5 miles Friday night (was real short on time), had several beers that night but I stuck to low cal.  Yesterday no workout.  I went to a party in the afternoon and ate too much cheese.  Ugh.  It was a beautiful day at a beachhouse just under 2 hours away and I rode with a friend I don't see much so it was a very lovely afternoon.  Love some QT with a good friend.  :)   Think today I need to do a solid hour of yoga.  My muscles are joints are feeling like they need a good stretch. 

Mandi that bootcamp sounds like a killer!  I am super impressed.  You and Nellie homemade Christmas sounds so nice.  I would do that but I have no skills (except baking but I hate to give people more sweets when there is already so much of it).  We did a homemade christmas one year.  It was fun but I feel like my mom and brother, who do have real crafty skills, got screwed by those of us with no skills!  It was my favorite christmas.  My mom framed for each of us paintings she'd done.  We're back to gifts but try to keep it to a minimum and just amoungst the immediate family.  

Nellie good call on looking at shoes.  If you run/will run you def. want a pair that fit your feet perfectly.  Several years ago I did some foot measurement thing at a big shoe store.  You stand and walk across a pad and it measures your arch and where you put the pressue, if your feet roll etc and recommends certain shoes.  I found my favorite running shoe that way.  They fit me like a glove and now I just order them off the internet 2 at a time.  If you can find something like that to test your feet I highly recommend it.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!  Claire

Holy Crap Ladies, Monday Morning Weigh In pre-breakfast 195!!!

Thats three pounds in two weeks. I feel amazing!

Hey? where did everybody go???

Thanks for the tip claire, I think the place I'm going has that type of system. Glad you got to enjoy some time outdoors, I'm soaking in as much as I can before it gets too rotten outside.  

Mandi- of course we care! glad to hear you're going to take a safer route!

Happy monday, ya right ! I was up til 2am helping my daughter get her work done, she had done it herself but upon checking i found it was done quite poorly, urgh!

Anyway, despite that, I don't feel to bad today, and my weight is down to 143.5-144, not sure cause I'm wearing lighter shoes but I already had breakfast, so I evened it out. My ankles feeling pretty good so I'm going to give it another go at the gym this week and hope to do better. I just going to go back to my old routines before I was doing spin or step and see how that goes with the stairmaster & elliptical, I'll still pilate's & yoga.

I was really busy last week with my daughter performing in fb games and compition and all the preprations that came with that. Sat. I was at at 6am getting her hair and make-up on, her call time was 830. They all rode the bus, takes about 2 hours. I got down around 1pm. after performancces, awards, finals, and awards again it was 930 pm. She called me when the bus got to school at midnight. Look forward to the same this sat. and then one more in Dec. Then we have a break 'til the new year for winter guard and they learn a new show. Fun Fun!!

~Nikki

Jen- still thinking about you girl. I hope your mom is able to keep her spirits up despite the circumstances

Nellie- way to go gf! almost to your next goal ;)  I personally like Ascis running shoes, they are good for my have high arches- not sure what all you have looked at so far. but i have had two friends like Claire, who also swear by getting a professional fit. they also should look at how you run, and prescribe shoes based on if you supinate or pronate or run normal.

Soraya- SO GLAD U ARE BACK! i was hoping you would come back soon. Glad you are digging the yoga, you mightinspire me to go tonight after spinning. Job whoes, huh? me too.i am looking for my dream job, it hasn't feel in my lap yet and until it does i'll be stuck in this 3rd shift zombie state which i am convienced is bad for my health :P haha

Claire- yes, i neeeeddd to do the sugar challenge until Tx giving. Glad you feel like u are getting ur groove back. still hasn't completely hit me yet, but is slowly coming back. i endulged way to much over the weekend, and used the excuse that i haven't had any sugar in a while and went over board. but ready to cleanse myself and go until tx giving tho. i too felt my belly getting flatter, more energy. but right now its the tom and feeling bloated from the food this weekend, hahha

Nix- how is the ankle coming along? did you do any exercise? no worries if you hadn't. i didn't do any last week except 1 walk :( i went to my parent's place out of town on Wed. and had a lot of shopping/party planning/food making until Sat.

Mandi- glad you are keeping up with bootcamp! your post are a motivation for me:)

Kellie- oohh do tell about your vacation. where did you go???

So we threw my dad a big 60th b-day party on Sat and it was great. We got him a gag cake shaped like toilet since he spends so much time in the bathroom ;),(sorry if TMI) it was even propped with a newspaper .  my dad is a very funny guy and can take a joke.gifts included a walker, adult diapers, and a plethora of other "senior" gift items, he thought it was hilarious :P

Hey ladies.

The scale wasn't very good to me today.  It said 152.  I have been keeping it at or below 150 so I wasn't very happy.  It is the week before my period though so I am hoping that has something to do with it.  I didn't eat horribly enough to gain 2 lbs and I know for sure because I logged my calories this weekend (which I never do).  Plus I worked out 5 days again last week.  Oh well.  I am really watching what I eat this week because I get my cholesterol checked again on Thursday morning.  Hopefully, the scale will be back to 150 in time for my Friday weigh in.

Claire - thanks for the at home circuit training idea.  We had a snowstorm this weekend and I didn't feel like leaving the house on Saturday so I did my own circuit training (25 minutes) and then did a taebo tape.  I haven't done taebo in forever, but it was fun. 

Insiyah - it was a short vacation to see a friend in Durham, North Carolina.  I was there from Thursday to Sunday.  It was fun though.  We went running on a trail in the woods one day and then did all 32 of the fitness stations along a shorter trail.  We went to a big cat sanctuary and saw tigers which was awesome!  I'm kind of a crazy cat lady even though I only have 2 of my own.  Mini-vacations are nice,  but long ones to warm beaches are better.  : )

Nix - Glad your ankle is feeling better!  Good luck this week.  Just reading your post about your busy weekend made me feel exhausted.  We had a snowstorm this weekend so I actually got some downtime.  It was nice although I hate snow. 

Nellie - nice job on the 3 lb loss!  Keep up the great work!  Glad your hell week is over.

Mandi - I am impressed.  Now I kind of want to go home and see how many walking lunges and push ups I can do.  It is amazing how much farther we can push ourselves when motivated by an instructor or trainer or workout buddy than we do on our own.  Nice work!

Jen - you are still in my thoughts and prayers. 

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

~Kelli

hi girls,

well, i must say things have been a little off today...woke up with a horrible allergic reaction to something...my eyelids were so swollen i could barely blink...needless to say i skipped bootcamp this morning, which really bummed me out...still not 100% sure if i should workout today, i just don't want sweat or outside pollens to aggrevate my eyes any more...i don't know whats going on with me, ever since i got back from vegas all these weird ailments have been plaguing me...weird!

my weekend went pretty well overall, i got in my 8 glasses of water or pretty darn close to it each day so that was good! did a little better on eating then i have been in recent weekends...so not too shabby : )

well this is going to be a quick post, i've got lots of work to do today...just wanted to check in and say hi to all you sexies!!

peace, love, and water bottles! <3

Mandi-my husband has weird allergies like that and occasionally his lower lip swells and he looks just like the character in the movie the nutty professor, and i swear it's not an exageration. but how scary not knowing what it is! you should go see an allergist. i take a daily claritin for my allergies, but your's sounds like a more serious reaction.

Kellie- mini vacations are great too! very mind clearing and great you got in some physical activity!

speaking of vacations, i am taking 3 weeks off in Dec, but only at the cost of selling my soul to the devil and working like crazy on 3rd shift from now until Dec. Ick! but 3 weeks off is worth it i guess. We'll be traveling taking my in-laws to see my bro-in-law in Toronto, stop in Chicago to see family there. Then about 10 day stop in Dallas, Tx. My husband and I are thinking of dropping the in-laws off in Dallas and doing our own thing for about a week during those 10 days tho- Any suggestions for nearby vacations?! I was disappointed to find out the Grand Canyon is still something like 16hrs away, i wanted to hike a rim-to-rim trail; New Orleans is a contender, but 8 hrs away. So how bout it, any suggestions for something closer but still outdoorsy or just fun?? 5-6hr away is fine.

tx :)

just a quick post to let you know i FINALLY posted some pictures on my profile...Check them out, I think you can totally notice a difference in my face from the 2009 photos to the 2010 ones...it was really hard to find any pictures that went below my chest...i really avoided full body shots sheesh! anyway i figured it was high time i posted some...and now i'm sure i'll be posting more as i lose more

oh and sorry for some reason they are all out of order!

Hello Ladies!  Mandi: you look great!!  You should be so proud of yourself, I can totally see a difference.  Hope you recover from those Vegas ailments soon!

Insiyah: Have you thought about Austin?  That shouldn't be too far from Dallas.  I have a friend who lives there and loves it.  Apparently if you like live music and tex mex you would be in heaven.  :)  Are you back on the wagon with me??  I have drank tea instead of coffee the past few mornings and I drink it without any added sugar, which makes me happy.

Nikki: good luck at the gym, take it easy!  We want you all healed up with no setbacks!

Nellie: woo hoo!  You are an amazing roll, keep it up and keep telling us about it to motivate me!

Kellie: I put on a few pounds over the past two months and was stagant, but I'm finally feeling back in the game and have nearly shed the extra pounds.  You'll get back to where you were.

My muscles are so pathetically weak.  I did yoga Monday night at home.  My hamstrings are sore now!  Such that instead of running last night, I took the dog on a long walk.  I have at least been good about food.  I give credit to the sugar fast!  I saw our secretary yesterday eating a huge bag of peanut m&ms, which would normally start me salivating and asking for some.  But I just thought "that looks tasty" and forgot about them.  Victory!  Also I have a real date tomorrow so I need to be eating really well today and tomorrow so I am not bloated or gross feeling.  Gotta bring the sexy!  lol

Mandi - I have also had random facial swellings.  I went to an allergist and a dermatologist and they could never figure out the cause so I just take Zyrtec everyday.  You look fabulous in your pics!  I can definitely see a difference.

Insiyah - I have vacationed in South Padre Island many times with my family.  I'm not sure how far it is from Dalls, but it is off the coast of Texas just past Corpus Christi.  I love it there.  It is beautiful and there is a lot to do.  New Orleans is great - I've been there many times too.  I suppose it depends on what you want to do.  If you want to lay on the beach head to Padre, but if you are more interested in music and food you may prefer New Orleans or Austin.  I haven't been to Austin, but I have heard great things about it.

Claire - thanks for the encouragement! 

I did really well yesterday - I scored an A- for the day and logged all my food.  I had a deficit of close to 900 calories.  I ran and played volleyball last night so that is the reason for the high deficit.  Scale still said 152 this morning though.  : (  I am trying not to get discouraged.  Today is going well so far.  I woke up early and did another circuit workout - this time I did 30 minutes.  I sweat a lot and even had to take a couple 15 second breaks to catch my breath.  I would like to get one of those calorie burn counters - it would be great to know exactly what I burn during workouts and playing sports.  I have plans to meet some friends at a restaurant for dinner tonight and they decided on Cracker Barrell so I am hoping I can find something relatively healthy on that menu.  I am trying to keep it light until dinner though since I know I'll probably have a higher calorie dinner than usual. 

I hope you ladies all have a wonderful day!

Kelli

Kelleigh, don't let 2 lbs discourage you, it's def. water weight from tom coming, 5 lbs is when I get worried, then I know it's not just water weight! it'll get back down just keep doing what you doing

Claire, great job on the yoga! I love when my muscles get sore from it, I know I'm working hard at it :) good job on walking away from the m&m's :)

Mandi, you look great girl!!! keep up the good work!

Insiyah, thanks girly! means the world to me! let's both meditate on our dream jobs coming to us right about NOW :)

Okay girls I did a body blast class yesterday and my bum is super sore ;) love it... only thing is the weight is creeping up and it's the dreaded 5lb weight gain that I was afraid of, once it passes 4lbs I know it's not just water...so gotta watch the food intake super close and not feed my feelings and be a slouchy, blob that is on autopilot trying to avoid reality.... phew felt good to get it out... keep fingers crossed for me girls, something may be coming up this wk! I missed out on a job to london bcuz I don't have my visa stuff in order to travel o well...cest' la vie...

xo...S

Mandi- you look GREAT! your can tell adifference from your new profile pic your arms look really skinny, and love the halloween costume ;), i also like your sort of retro/pin-upy look if i may say so- very cute :)  how's your allergies?

Kelli-yah, I am with Soraya. don't let 2 lbs discourage you. i know i have gotten discouraged from not even dropping even 1 bl for a few weeks despite doing everything right- only for me to suddenly drop 4-5 lbs especially post t.o.m.

Soraya- i love it when my bum feels sore from a good work out! didn't make it to spin class yest, so WO on my own was massive stair stepper and really focused on squeezing the gutes, did a bunch of arm weights, then abs. i was so sore today, will try and WO tomorrow.

Claire- after telling myself and announcing that i would do the sugar challenge with you until Tx-giving i totally had hot chocolate yesterday :P I want to get back on track though bcuz I am, 141, which close to my weight prior to this current slump!

So yesterday it hit me that I totally did not meet my goal of running a 1/2 marathon before the end of the year! I am disappointed by this. My last run was 5 mi, not sure if Isee myself pulling enough will power together to train in 1 mo's time tho. The next 1/2 marathon I am interested in is in March. There are several local running groups that train for it starting in Jan. So, I am reaching for that even though it is a bit far away, and happy that there is a large support group. I'll keep running at the gym for now, too cold for me outside. maybe there will be something for me when i reach Texas in Dec??

Thanks Soraya and Insiyah!  The scale finally moved down today.  I was just under 150 lbs.  I feel much better.  It is hard not to get discouraged when I am doing everything right and not seeing immediate results, but I know making lifestyle changes isn't going to grant me immediate gratification.  I went out to dinner last night and ordered a turkey sandwich and a side salad.  My friend ordered a cheeseburger and fries.  Although her dinner looked and smelled delicious my dinner was very good and I felt much better after than she did.  I just have to stay focused on my long term goals.  Thanks again for your encouragement and support!

Have a fabulous day!

~Kelli

Happy Wednesday ladies!

Well i have to tell you the great news!  during bootcamp today we went on a short run i think it was 1.5 miles...during the running portion i am usually 2nd 3rd or 4th position, but today during the last (little less than half) of the run, i bolted ahead and was 1st! yay! it was so nice to see that i can push myself i felt so awesome!!

oh and thanks for all the positive feedback on my photos! its weird, being in my body, i just always feel the same plus size, no matter how many sizes i go down...

Kelli--congrats on the scale numbers!!! way to go! i hope i see good things come this friday!

Soraya--i feel you on the food situation, i have been making some crappy choices lately...i just kind of let it slide, i need to get back in the habit of being super dilligent and eating the right foods...I am in the same boat as you! I've got toes, fingers, and eyes crossed for this next job! : )

Jen--not sure if you are reading these lately, with everything that your going through right now, but i just wanted to let you know i'm thinking of you and your family and praying for you too...

well i should get going, hope you all have a wonderful day!

peace, love, water bottles! <3

Hey girls! Sorry I haven't posted for a couple days, but I'm proud to say I've been doing very well. I went to the gym Mon. & Tues. They were both good workouts and I'm adequately sore, off to the gym again tonite. My weight today is 142.5, I'm down!!! Yayyyyy, I was worried cause 2 wks ago I got up to 156 and literally felt like i was gonna pop, i don;t know if I've ever retained that much water- YES I HAVE! Anyway, I'm making good food choice although yesterday I had a Dove ice cream bar, someone brought it to me in the lab at work, if I didn't;t eat it it would have melted!! To my relief it was only 250 cals.

Mandi,Woohoo! to 1st place, it's mind over matter! Yay to losing weight around the face, right? That's my favorite part of weight loss anyhow, oh and the love handles! I love the costume. And I love the 40-50's hairdo you love to rock!

Insiyah, While your in Dallas you should definitely go party in Deep Ellum, just wiki it and you can learn about it. Tons of great fun and music on the weekend & it's right in the heart of all the sky scarpers. I've never been to Austin but so many of my friends love lovelove it! Again, the music scene! I think Googling would be a requirement to know whats going on and where it's at. Of course there's Memphis, but I've never been in the winter and it can be quite dangerous. Being that it's winter and your in the Midwest rather than the west on your travels my suggestions are limited to night  life- good luck & have a blast.

Soraya, good luck on the job girl, although I wish I knew exactly what you did, you have me so intrigued!

Kelli, Good luck with the cracker barrel, I'm not so sure healthy is going to be easy to find on that menu, however, yummy shouldn't be a problem. Good job on the A's! 

Muah, Nikki

Nikki, I'm in entertainment production, you may have seen a few things I've produced on tv... it's not as glamourous as ppl make it, it's tough biz, but I love it and am looking for something more perm... congrats on the weight down! You must of shaken up a plateau of yours, you will probably not get to that number again...keep it up and before you know it, youll be in the 130's trust me, I did it went from 150's to 130's w/serious dedication...

Mandi, I know what you mean about becoming comfortable in your new body, 2 months ago when I got down to 125, it was very strange even though I felt sexy and confident, I still in the back of my head think I still saw myself "bigger" no more! I refuse to keep myself locked and trapped in that chubby girl, not sexy!

Kelliegh, told you girl no way 2 lbs should ever get you down, when it hits 5lbs that's a red flag, for sure... glad it went down and good for you for doing the turkey! I went to subway the other day and really wanted to tuna sandwhich and looked at the case of Tuna and it was all gooey and mayonaise laced, I decided on the healthier turkey sandwhich and FELT much better about it too, come to find out the tuna @ Subway is one of the worst things you can order! interesting, they need to fix that.

Insiyah, my bum has been sore for days now and it feels fantastic! I love it! I know that something is working and muscles aren't getting loosey goosey, I read that it takes about 3 days before muscles start to entrophy(sp?) so ever since I read that I have been diligent with work outs! I think the march 1/2 marathon is a great! you might as well get a head start and train this month anyway, you'll feel stronger by the time march comes around (maybe?)

OKAY, SO my weight was down at the gym yesterday 131, thank god! I freaked out the other day when I saw the 134/135 that would mean I gained nearly 10lbs in 2 months! not good... so I've started to realize that I do have to work out more and maintain a healthier mindframe for eating, eating too many pizza's and junk has caused havoc and I need to get back to my original goal weight that was oh so close (123) must.get.there :) I took a Body Blast class at the gym, it was pretty awesome, sure I will be sore tom... did yoga yesterday and body blast he day before so this week so far 3 days in row! working it out!!! Ladies keep up the good work and let's really push ourselves this week, THANKSGIVING is around the corner and O BOY HERE COMES MY FAVORITE THING IN THIS WORLD (PUMPKIN PIE) ..... MUST.HAVE SELFCONTROL.NEXT.WEEK. Or else I will spend 3 hours a day @ the gym just to get the cals off!

xo's... s

Soraya, huh, that's interesting, I wonder if you've ever worked on a set with Moe's BFF (I'm sure you wouldn't know it even if you had). He has talked about multiple producers coming in on one show. He's just a stand in guy, but he was working on Greek for like a year or more, it just ended. The last season was only half a season, i didn't realize that was ever done. I don't really watch alot of TV shows, I've never seen every episode of anything, although I'm working on Seinfeld. So what are a couple I might have watched. Don't be surprised if I haven't tho, I went 7 years without even turning on a tv at one time, my lil 10" black & white was just for looks, lol!

I hope your right about the weight, but I had such a heavy lunch! We went to whole foods and they had wild mushroom lasagna, OMG, yum! I only had one serving, but I had several samples while in the store. It's been neearly 3 hours and I still feel full- I swear it wasn't a big serving!

Okay so I'm off to the gym after work & I'll eat a light dinner to balance things out.

 Have a good night lovelies? Lovely's?

adios amigos~ Nix

Good morning sexy ladies!!  I am feeling pumped this morning, I ran before work.  I got my winter workout clothes in the mail so I had to try them out.  :)  I need to start running more in the morning, it's a great feeling to start the day with a workout done. 

Sorry I can't post much more right now, work is busy and the boss is going ca-razy.  lol

Have a great day everyone!