Firm, Fit, & Fabulous: Maintenance-Minded Fat Loss *CLOSED*
We approach our goals with a healthy mindset. Here is our philosophy in a nutshell....
- we do NOT restrict our caloriesby large amounts
- we do NOT subscribe to any particular diet trends
- we take the holistic approachthat the body should be nourished, strengthened, and appreciated for LIFE.
- we will NOT beat our bodies into submission by attempting a program that is impossible to maintain.
Strong, healthy, and sexy beats skinny any day of the week!
THE BEST PART.....
**We are a community of FRIENDS and we are inviting you along for the ride. A few of us became close friends while supporting each other in this weight loss thread and that support and friendship became such an important part of our lives that we crossed over to this endeavor together. So this is a group where we really focus on getting to know each other closely, not only as weight loss buddies, but as individuals.We will offer each other daily support about anything and everything.
*12 Cycles To Bikini Bliss*
Weigh In Schedule
1. Feb 1st
- Stevie: 148.4
- Christina:115
2. Feb 11th
- Stevie: (Falsely high Wednesday weigh in of 150.8)
- Christina: 114 (113.8--Friday)
3. Feb 21st
- Stevie: 147.8
- Christina: 112.6
4. March 3rd
- Stevie:
- Christina:111.8 (day early--progesterone started today)
5. March 13th
- Stevie:
- Christina: 113
6. March 23rd
- Stevie:
- Christina: 111.4 (March 26th)
7. April 2nd
- Stevie:
- Christina: ?
8. April 12th
- Stevie:
- Christina: ?
9. April 22nd
- Stevie:
- Christina: 110.4
10. May 2nd
- Stevie:
- Christina:
11. May 12th
- Stevie:
- Christina:
12. May 22nd
- Stevie:
- Christina:
75% compliance = 9 pounds down
I am thinking about my exercise plan... I am beginning my fourth week of Original TT workouts, and they recommend that you 'upgrade' to the next workout after every 4 weeks. I was looking at the next workout in the manual and it's called 2k3... it looks good but really heavy on the arms and a little lighter on the lower body. I am thinking I am going to extend the current "Original" workout program that I'm doing by 2 weeks (for a total of 6 weeks in this stage instead of 4) so that I can work on these moves a little more and just keep challenging myself with the weights so that my body doesn't get used to it. As I'm still getting sore like a maniac, I can't imagine that my body's grown used to it yet so it should be alright. After this I'll try to do the rest of the program stages in their 4-week segments.
Jo, this may be a good question for you... as TT is so similar to NR... do you think extending any one of the stages is detrimental or less effective as long you keep challenging yourself with the weights used?
Stevie: I don't have access to weights right now. I think I will eventually do about 50/50 in terms of time spent doing cardio/strength but only when i have the necessary equipment. right now all i have is 1 set of 5 pound dumbbells. Not much. I also don't enjoy strength training as much, it's hard for me so as long as I get in my 25-30 ish minutes daily I am proud! :)
Chrissy and Stevie - Hi Girls! Its nice to see you guys talk so positively about your bodies :) I think mine has come a ways in just the past few months even! The progress has been slow because, especially for May and some of June, I was eating pretty heavy on the treats... but from early june to now I can even tell a difference and it feels great! to have my clothes hang a bit looser. Some of them anyway. I am like you Stevie and carry a lot of my problem weight in the thighs/hips/butt area... my stomach is looking way better so now I notice more that that is where my problem area is ! But I have just been focusing on the positives - that my stomach is looking much slimmer and that changes are happening slowly and that if I am patient they will happen to my lower body too!
So my gym buddy/boyfriend hurt himself at BBall last night :( He's actually getting checked out now to see if its a broken collerbone. I hope not. Anyway he said he'd still come to the gym with me and by my PT and do whatever stuff he can, and that we can do more cardio and abs focusing while he is healing. So thats nice :) But I do feel bad for him !
Anyway that might be good. Except for last week when I did cardio twice, I almost completely neglect it other than walking. In favor of weight training which is good, but a balance I think is BEST.
Jo - how are you holding up?? HUGS
So my lunch was lighter than I planned for at only around 160 calories, so more of a snack than a lunch really. steamed green beans, but with a few bites of wheat pasta and roasted chicken.
So when I head home in an hour or so I'll do another meal because primarily green beans isn't going to cut it. :-P
Megs-- Yeah, I think it's good for us to take stock of the positives every now and again so we don't get too caught up in where we're trying to be, and instead just enjoy where we are. :-) I'm sorry to hear about Dave, that's no good! But at least he is still agreeing to be your personal trainer and cheer you on! :^)
Chrissy-- 50/50 is probably a pretty good mix. If you get creative I know there are a lot of body weight workouts out there that are targeted to strength training that don't require equipment or weights and would help you sculpt your body too. What sort of things do you do on the 30 Day Shred? I really like Jillian on TBL, so I bet her workout is pretty effective.
Stevie: I do things like squats, curls, and push ups. They are mostly isolation moves. I try to do strength workouts without weights when I'm away so I do squats, lunges, tricep dips, push ups, and planks. I am happy with the level I'm at though for the time being. I'm still struggling in the strength department so I'm taking it one step at a time. Eventually I'd like to move to something like TT because the results are so amazing. why was your lunch so small? what will lunch 2 be?
Megs: I think we are mostly all in the same boat. my weight is definitely in my thighs as well. I would like them a teensy bit thinner. It's tough though because the squats/lunges definitely bulk them up. sorry about the BF...that sucks. hopefully he feels better soon. I think MORE weight training is actually ideal for MOST of us at this point, don't worry about the balance. do what feels right for YOU.
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I had a HUGE salad and frozen yogurt....it was delicious. I had spinach, mushrooms, balsamic vinegar and cherry tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and crumbled eggs. YUMMY! Then cheesecake and coffee frozen yogurt. YUM again! :)
Chrissy - Yeah you are right!! I have been torn about doing leg exercises that I know bulk, because I know they are good but gosh I don't want that. Thats why I guess I do just have to lose some fat too. Oh well.
Stevie - I had a small lunch too and now I have been snacking my face off Lol. I actually came home with my horrible sore throat. Got a frappachino on my way home. Got here and ate three oatmeal cookies (at least they are small!!) and a couple bites of chicken and made some pudding to eat for dinner, haha, It just sounds nice and soothing on my throat.
I have no idea about my calories today. I feel awful and I might bail on the gym anyway... definitely a maintenance day I am probably OVER maintenance already without even eating dinner lol. Thats OK though.
I brought home work to do anyway... Gonna tackle that... :)
Chrissy-- A lot of the exercises you listed are excellent exercises, and they're part of TT and NR. Both of those incorporate a lot of squats and lunges, so you're on the right track. As far as lunch, my chicken didn't appear to be cooked thoroughly enough so I didn't want to risk it. :-( Just made it home and was craving something fruity so I made a shake with a cup of blueberries, a whole banana, a couple strawberries, .75 cup skim milk, and a few ice cubes and I'm having that for now. Approx. 200 cals, so I'm at slightly under 700 right now. I can tell I'll be hungry again in a couple hours, so I'll be having another small meal... probably eggs and toast. I have LOTS of chicken legs in the fridge, so I'll be trying to be creative with chicken recipes for dinner all week. :-P
Your lunch sounds delicious! Mmmm cheesecake...
Megs & Chrissy-- I've been fortunate enough to not have the problem of thighs getting bigger yet, in fact, I think they're slimming slightly due to the tightening effect. Also, if you look at the old challenge threads on JPfitness, I was observing before and after measurements and legs typically go down in size after 6 months of hardcore lifting and squats/lunges etc. Arms and shoulders I've seen get slightly bigger, chest too. I was concerned about the bulking effect also, but it seems to not be a problem, even with the people who were already pretty thin to begin with. I really hope it doesn't become a problem for me, but I'll keep you all posted.
Megs-- If I were you I'd skip the gym hon. If you're feeling bad you don't want to push yourself and make it worse. :-( Just relax a little, enjoy soothing foods, and hopefully you'll be back to yourself tomorrow.
Jo-- My thoughts are with you honey, I hope today is going okay.
Emmie-- Hope my lovely (hot as hell!) home state is treating you well. What part of TX are you visiting?
Megs: sorry you're not feeling well. don't worry about one bad day. you'll be okay. everyone is different with squats/lunges and building muscle/bulking...I bulk easily in that area...I've always had muscular thighs. some people don't, like Stevie.
Stevie: that smoothie sounds awesome! :) Wow, under 700. I passed that already. BOO!! I wish I was having a lower calorie day but whatever. It's okay.
Well, good day. 1715 calories total. Exercised. Not nearly enough water. I did eat a good amount of veggies, protein, fiber....all good. Of course dairy and other stuff too but I could have used some fruit! :)
megs: did you have you skor bar? was it yummy?
stevie: how did the writing go:
jo: feeling any betteR? how was work today?
emmie: so, is the heat still bad? what day are you back home?
I actually can't tell if my thighs are bigger and I haven't been letting it stop me from doing all the good leg exercises. I do think of it sometimes but just put it out of my head because strength training is way more important than silly thoughts like that!
Jo hope your day went better today!!!
Night everyone!
I'm in good ol' steamy, south Texas through tomorrow.
I started out my day by sleeping through my workout time. For some reason, I just couldn't get to sleep last night.
Not such a good eating day either. Just a latte for breakfast (thought they were bringing food...but not so much), sandwich and chips for lunch, was really tired so I caved and had a Diet Coke this afternoon, then out to dinner - grilled chicken sandwich, fries, margarita.
So nothing earth shattering bad, but really no veggies, no fruit, so I feel icky.
Here's hoping for a better night sleep.
Y'all had a lot going on today! Now I need to read and catch up.
Chrissy, honestly I was nowhere near as productive today as I should have been. I had a lot of work that followed me home, and I did that rather than my dissertation work. I wish I had no other responsibilities so I could only do my own research... but as goes life, eh?
Sounds like you had a good balanced day today, you go girl. :-)
My day went pretty well, I think I ended at 1820 calories and my workout rocked... it totally fatigued me. I used 17.5 lb dumbbells for all of the dumbbell exercises, which is a challenge for me for most of the moves, and on a couple I could probably go a teeny bit higher. The next workout on Wednesday though has some moves that are very tough for me, even at just 17.5, so I'll stick with that weight for a little while.
I could probably go for another snack honestly, but I just feel too tired and lazy to eat anything, plus it just feels so late. I had a really healthy dinner of chicken made in the crock pot, with just a little low sodium cream of chicken soup thrown in. I had that over whole grain wild brown rice with corn, carrots, and peas cooked in it. I guess the 'worst' thing of the whole day is I had a glass of diet pepsi midday, and I had a couple nutrigrain bars thrown in throughout the day. I love those things, they're like treats for me. :-)
Whew, workout wiped me out and I'm beat, so I'm going to head to bed within the hour. Hope you lovely ladies had an excellent day!
Oops, missed your posts Megs and Emmie.
Megs, yuck to feeling so bad. I really hope you feel better tomorrow. :-( Hope the pudding hit the spot!
Emmie, definitely doesn't sound like a terrible day, but I know what you mean about just feeling icky when you don't get wholesome fruits and veggies in, I'm the same way. Particularly when I've just sort of snacked all day or had a lot of packaged or processed foods, even if my calories are fine I just feel so tired and empty. Hope the margarita was great though!!! Good luck with getting some more nutritious things in your day tomorrow. :-)
my weight is up 3 pounds today. vacation weight catching up to me or bulk from yesterday...in any case...i hope it is gone by the time we leave on friday.
stevie: ehh..my day was okay. no fruit and not enough water. my weigh in today was not so good but im trying to take it with a grain of salt. nutrigrain bars are delicious. i could easily eat an entire box of them if i werent careful.
emmie: not a bad day at all calorie wise but i can understand wanting some fresh foods in there. you did the right thing by getting some sleep. ive read in loads of magazines that if choosing between a workout and sleep (and youre tired) then sleep. sleep deprivation sets you up to overeat and your workout quality would be comprommised.
megs...hopefully you feel better now. great job yesterday. your high calrie start didnt even affect you. good good.
Hey thanks Guys! I do feel better today. Actually it might be the codeine. I have all these really strong pain killers left over from knee surgeries and they really even work on throat pain. Yay. lol. Anyway its worth it because I needed to be at my office today not at home drooling in my bed :P
Yeah yesterday wasn't too bad. Sometimes I find it so hard to count calories like I just have no idea how much calories are in a lot of the stuff I eat so I purely guess. I wish I knew how many calories were in these oatmeal cookies I keep eating. They are rather small, like flat and maybe the roundness of like 1.5 oreas or something, but they definitely have terrible ingredients. Anyway I had one with my breakky today. They are very delicious :D I like them better than chocolate chip!
Stevie I feel like you do about nutrigrain bars with nature valley bars. I am super addicted to sweet and salty almond! They have like 160 cals though and I often have 2 in a day! yikes haha. I am going to work on eating only 1 as a snack and having a healthier choice as another snack but... not ready to implement this plan quite yet bc the addiction MAY take some time to break... Your dinner yesterday sounds delicious btw...
Chrissy - busy day? I bet you must have tons to do! Do you have favorite spots in florida that you are trying to hit up before you go?
Emmie - you travelling back today? have a good trip!
Jo - HI!!
megs...nope, no favorite spots in FL really. well, there is one restaurant and i will be going there on Thursday with my dad. so excited about that. it is healthy and delicious. wonderful. the cookies youre eating probably have about 100 calories...if they are thinner than an oreo then they probably weigh about the same...oreos actually only have about 55cals per cookie so 100 for the oatmeal cookie would be a high estimate i thihk.
wow...i feel gross today. my tummy is protruding and i just dont feel comfortable at all. i am supposed to go through my clothes today but i wont feel like it if the bloating is there. i am going to drink loads of water to flush it all out.
Hey Chrissy! That sucks :/ water is definitely the best course of action! I need to get rid of some clothes too. it makes me sad because some stuff I really like and feel attached too even though I know I will never be healthily small enough to fit it! Anyway I have to do it sometime.
Ugh I have been underestimating my cookies! Lol I was thinking like 60 cals. your probably right though jeez. Ah well. Its all good.
we just had a fire drill, annoying... really interrupted my productivity!
megs...I said 100 would be a HIGH estimate. 60 is probably closer to what they really are.
Aww Chrissy, sorry about your morning not being so great with the bloatedness. I hope the water helps you feel better. At least you know there's just no way you could have really gained 3 whole pounds, so maybe it's just your body holding onto it for dear life as a rebound effect since you're no longer walking alllll day long like you were on vacay. Hope it goes away asap! Any big plans for today?
Megs, so glad you're feeling a little better today and the codeine helped. Your oatmeal cookies sound tasty, according to CC a big commercially prepared oatmeal cookie that is 3.5-4 inches in diameter is 113 calories, so I'm betting yours (since flat and smaller) would be perhaps 75ish? Hard to know without the ingredients, but like Chrissy said, 100 cals would be a very high estimate to be safe. Thanks, now you made me crave cookies! :-P
So today I'm feeling wiped out, it was really hard to get out of bed, I just felt like a zombie with no energy. I think my workout drained me yesterday and maybe I didn't get enough protein for recovery? Bleh.
Plan for today is to take it pretty easy, eat 1750 calories, take a walk/jog with the dog, and work on editing/writing.
