SCHMOOZE & LOSE: Final week (June 21-27) {CLOSED}

Need extra help and support? Join me in the battle to lose those pounds! No goal weights for this group…just a determination to lose.Post your weigh-in on THURSDAY, FRIDAY or SATURDAY!!!YOU CHOOSE!!

GET INVOLVED!!!  Each Sunday we will be presenting a mini-challenge for all participants to take part in. You might have to post your favorite snack under 100 calories or tell everyone the nicest compliment you have recieved so far.  Message me with your ideas and recieve honorable mention as the week's BIGGEST SCHMOOZER!

This group is all about keeping that postitive attitude throughout your journey. It doesn't matter if you are just starting out or are maintaining, everyone needs someone to lean on now and then. So SCHMOOZE & LOSE with your friends and stay motivated!

WHAT TO EXPECT (GUIDELINES):

1. This is a 10 week motivational group. If you feel you cannot endure the full 10 weeks, message me and let me know so the rest of the team doesn't hound you.
2. You must post a Start and Finish weight. If you're not up to posting your weight on certain weeks, that's fine. This is all about staying motivated. 
3. Mini-challenges will be posted on Sunday. Every participant is required to complete the weekly challenge. If you do not, the rest of the team will be notified and we will message you friendly reminders until you take part.
4. Feel free to use this group as a place to express yourself -  fears, frustrations, worries, goals, triumphs, successes. We are here to support and motivate one another, whether you're doing great or stuggling.

START     April 16-18:
Week 1.   April 23-25:
Week 2.   Ap30/May2:
Week 3.   May   7 - 9:
Week 4.   May 14-16:
Week 5.   May 21-23:
Week 6.   May 28-30:     SIGN UPS ARE NOW CLOSED
Week 7.   June  4 - 6:
Week 8.   June 11-13:
Week 9.   June 18-20:
FINISH.   June 25-27:

NAME..................START....CURRENT...LOSS
agdotto63...........140.2........136.2....... 4.0
anastase.............196.0........180.0...... .16.0 - GOLD STAR
augette...............249.5........242.5..... ...7.0 - GOLD STAR
bubbles556.........193.5........190.5........ 3.0 - GOLD STAR
cbussiere ............145.0.......139.0. ........6.0 - SILVER STAR
ccali1234.............158.0........157.0..... ..1.0
debramatthews...183.6.......176.5........7.1 - GOLD STAR
dovelette.............169.4.......166.0...... ..3.4
girlfighting27........148.8.......155.0...... . --- - GOLD STAR
hot_fudge............130.8.......129.8....... .1.0
jigglethehandle....277.0.......260.5........1 6.5
kacka...................137.0.......138.4.... ....---- - SILVER STAR
lilygirl1970...........184.6.......175.4..... ...9.2 - GOLD STAR
mackenziewilms..185.4........186.6........--- -
ocean_girl88.......149.6........146.0........ 3.6 -  SILVER STAR
pochahontas.......246.5........224.5........2 2.0 - GOLD STAR
sos47..................126.6.........116.2... ....10.4 - SILVER STAR
trcyh....................271.0........265.0.. ......6.0 - GOLD STAR
wannabfitt...........157.0........155.0...... .2.0
windra06.............135.0.........134.4..... ..0.6
xcathyxx..............193.6.........182.0.... ...11.6 - GOLD STAR

TOTAL LOST: 130.4 pounds

* Haven't heard from these people in a while. Send them a message if they're on your friends list!!

WEEK 10: MEASUREMENTS, WATER UPDATE, SCHMOOZE II http://caloriecount.about.com/schmooze-lose-f inal-week-june-closed-ft135821-23#474

WEEK 9: SNACKS http://caloriecount.about.com/schmooze-lose-w eek-june-closed-ft135821-22#454
WEEK 8: SOUNDTRACK TO MY LIFE http://caloriecount.about.com/schmooze-lose-w eek-june-closed-ft135821-21#437
WEEK 7: YOU LOOK MARVELOUS!! http://caloriecount.about.com/schmooze-lose-w eek-may-june-closed-ft135821-20#403
WEEK 6: WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE  http://caloriecount.about.com/schmooze-lose-w eek-may-closed-ft135821-18#376
WEEK 5: LET'S GET PHYSICAL http://caloriecount.about.com/schmooze-lose-w eek-may-closed-ft135821-17#345
WEEK 4: CHANGE IS GOOD http://caloriecount.about.com/schmooze-lose-w eek-may-closed-ft135821-15#310
WEEK 3: DO WHAT YOU LOVE http://caloriecount.about.com/schmooze-lose-w eek-apr-may-closed-ft135821-12#246
WEEK 2: FIBER 101  http://caloriecount.about.com/schmooze-lose-w eek-apr-may-closed-ft135821-7#145
WEEK 1: MEASUREMENTS & MOTIVATION http://caloriecount.about.com/schmooze-lose-w eek-apr-may-closed-ft135821-2#46

today and yesterday were pretty bad days for me but im goign to try to wake up early, do some stength exercises and get my butt out of the house.

yay good luck tomrorow everyone!

I did an hour on the elliptical today. My TOM right now and I just didn't feel like doing more. PLUS I gained back the lb I lost plus another lb. I have been eating so well. I know it's the TOM thing so I'm just going to try to drink more water and not weigh myself 5 times a day

I hear ya about that damn TOM and the extra lbs.  I always get the extra pound or 5 a few days before...and I always think..whoa, what did I eat now? lol   Then I remember that my friend "TOM" must be arriving soon.  Oh the joys of being a girl with a weight issue and a scale. 

I am teaching all-day kindergarten tomorrow, so I know I will get my workout in...lol

Everyone have a wonderful Wednesday and be good to yourselves. 

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but the new job is exhausting and I've just been too tired to post much. Have today off due to bad weather so I thought I would catch up with everyone!

I sent messages to those of us who haven't responded to the challenge and am thinking hard about the new one. Tomorrow through Saturday is weigh-in, so don't forget!

Otherwise, I am feeling good...very sore in the glutes, back of legs and lower back so am up on the scales with the extra water in my muscles. Hopefully this day off work will help.  I'll be on the elliptical for my regular workout today, though. After 6 months I just can't go without doing some kind of exercise...that, and, if I don't work out I have a low burn for the day and can't eat as much...so I like to burn at least 600 a day ... I can eat 1600 and still have a 900 cal deficit. Of course I am not losing right now...why do I try so hard?  ARGH!  At least I get a burn of at least 1200 on work days! Nice to have that workout built into my days!

Hope everyone has a HAPPY EARTH DAY! Keep up the good work!

This thread is all about motivation right?  Cuz, I could use a little.

I started off with a new trainer on saturday - who worked my butt off literally - I could barely move for 2 whole days.  Who would have thought putting on a pair of pants was so darn painful?

Well - my scale went up - I think it's water in the muscles.  I'm on a meal plan of 1800 calories - which seems like a lot to me and this is an issue I will re-visit with him on saturday.  I'm doing cardio for 40 mins every day and will begin resistance training again on saturday.

But, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today - like the task before me is to huge to over come.

Original Post by mellisaann:

This thread is all about motivation right?  Cuz, I could use a little.

I started off with a new trainer on saturday - who worked my butt off literally - I could barely move for 2 whole days.  Who would have thought putting on a pair of pants was so darn painful?

Well - my scale went up - I think it's water in the muscles.  I'm on a meal plan of 1800 calories - which seems like a lot to me and this is an issue I will re-visit with him on saturday.  I'm doing cardio for 40 mins every day and will begin resistance training again on saturday.

But, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today - like the task before me is to huge to over come.

Okay well I can't take my own advice, but...if you are starting a new workout program, I have two suggestions:

1.  Throw your scale away, lock it up and toss the key for one month.  Yes you SHOULD see fluxuations in your weight when you start exercise, it could be from any number of things but do NOT get discouraged by your scale.  Your body loooooves the exercise :o)

2.  Slow down!  You probably feel overwhelmed cause, well, what your talking about is pretty overwhelming!  My problem with exercise always has been that I do too much too fast andd burn out.  I think that happens to a lot of us.  So slow down, maybe start with 3-4x a week for your first month, and maybe only 30min at a time, and then increase to 40min at a time, and then 4-5x a week, and then 50min at a time...you get the idea.  Also look into other kinds of exercise as you get further along - maybe focus more on heavy lifting and/or HIIT.  But don't do it all at once, it really is overwhelming!!! 

Regardless...YOU CAN DO IT!  Your body CAN do this, you can TRAIN your body to respond, and it'll be hard and take hard work and time, but it WILL happen!

yaaaaa!!! you can do it melissaann!

i woke up and did 20 mins of circuit training :] yay

our muscles hold more water after exercise? thats actually a very helpful piece of information! thank you all who have said so! i never knew. 

I do agree with the slow and steady road to increasing exercise. I've learned the hard way to not take on too much new too fast! the burn out is disheartening. better to have smaller steps that are sustainable and that help you feel successful, rather than going from 0 to 60 in one week! 

melissaann, i feel you! and, its ok! if your trainer is pushing you too hard, tell them that you want to succeed and that you need it to be sustainable, ask for small steps with realistic goals. Some push through is definitely valuable, Im just learning to do that, to push a bit more than I think I can accomplish, but its just a little further than where i am, not too big of a push. We need plans that work for us and that we'll stick with, and its ok to have to figure out what that's going to look like. and fitness is always a moving target, as we get stronger and gain endurance hard things get easy! it can be fun once we find the rhythm of our capacities. 

good luck! you can do this and succeed! i'm sorry its so painful right now! 

Original Post by mellisaann:

This thread is all about motivation right?  Cuz, I could use a little.

I started off with a new trainer on saturday - who worked my butt off literally - I could barely move for 2 whole days.  Who would have thought putting on a pair of pants was so darn painful?

But, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today - like the task before me is to huge to over come.

 Dovelette and Bubbles are right - don't let your trainer push you to the point where you can't stand it any more! I don't think  that weightloss/exercising need to be about pain - especially to the point where you can barely dress yourself. I've refused to go to the gym for that reason...I know that I will quit. I might face it after another 20 or 25 pounds but right now the weight is coming off (SLOWLY) but I am enjoying this!

I lost 40 pounds by walking in my neighbourhood and using my elliptical machine and I LOVE doing it - look forward to it every day! I love to swim too, so I might add that in on the weekends. I'm trying to say pick things you like for exercise and you won't be feeling overwhelmed at all!

I read in your journal that your trainer is making you weigh yourself twice a day and take pictures that you don't want to - how can this be good for you if you dread doing those things?  Maybe you need a gentle trainer who will understand that you want to do this, but also want to enjoy yourself.  

Perhaps you can find a new one or talk to the one you have and let him know that pushing you so hard will amke you walk out the door and never come back. And we all know how hard it is to start again once you lose hope like that.

Thanks for understanding Tracy lol. I've not been getting my full allotment of 1500 cals every day and am concerned that might be it. I was losing so steadily and now it stopped. But all bets are probably off with TOM

Mellisaann...I totally agree with everyone. You've got to do this at the right pace for you. It sounds like you are not "in sync" with your trainer. I would write down what's bugging you and ask to have a meeting with them. Tell them this is the way it needs to be. You are paying them to help you, not to run over you hehe. Good luck and let us know how it goes! :)

Original Post by bubbles556:

our muscles hold more water after exercise? thats actually a very helpful piece of information! thank you all who have said so! i never knew. 

From what I was told - when your muscles are SORE they are actually damaged from overuse and need water to speed up the repair. You body holds that water in the muscles for a few days...

So now, if I wake up sore, I expect to see the scales up a little from the day before and I know it is okay because my body is repairing my muscles and making them bigger. Bigger muscles means more fat burning and that is good!

I like this muscles holding water idea... I have exercised every day this week and have been absolutely perfect on my calories and I am up 2 pounds. I'm so frustrated, I guess I just keep going and hope that its just water retention. It's so disappointing though.

If you are going into something new and rigorous, then don't even mess with your scale for a couple of weeks.  I know you want to see progress, but it's only going to drive you mad.  Settle into your new routine and check the progress after doing you rnew stuff in a couple of weeks..at least a week.  Listen, I make myself crazy every day looking at the scale, but I am only logging the number once a week.  It is all over the board.  This is where all of those math classes that we all slept through in school and "law of averages" comes into play.

You are doing great.  Just give yourself a chance and a bit of time.  You will be fine.

JTH

I appreciate everyone's comments.  Some days are just more difficult than others.

My trainer is actually pretty great - I need the push occasionally.  He wants me to weigh myself 2x a day to get an idea of my water retention and hydration levels.  Apparently I retain a lot of water.  It's only for the first week - then every saturday I'll weigh in and get measurements.

I've only been to him once - so I'll give this a shot for a few weeks and see where I am.  I know nothing happens overnight.

It's just for some reason today trying to reach in and pull out motivation is next to impossible - could be weather related (raining outside).

And I'm tired - overly tired.

Thanks everyone - I'm glad we can lean on one another when we are feeling weak.

Feeling a little low tonight.  I had been avoiding going at my dad's for the past few weeks because he always comments on people's weight, especially my own.

But I felt good about myself and very comfortable with the weight I'm currently at - although I'm still trying to lose 6 vanity pounds - so I went over there for dinner.  Even if he and his girlfriend congratulated me on my weight loss many times over, his girlfriend actually said something quite horrible to me.  She said 'wow congratulations, now you only have about 10 lbs to lose'. 

The thing is... I'm only trying to lose 6 lbs.  And those 6 lbs are vanity pounds, I was actually comfortable with where I was.  Now she tells me I need to lose 10 lbs?  And if she says so, that means I'm still not pretty enough, because 10 lbs does make a huge difference at that point!!

And even if I knew she didn't mean no harm (she has trouble speaking english and sometimes she says things the wrong way), it was still very hurtful.  Now I feel like I should reevaluate my goal and lose 10 lbs instead of 6 lbs.  And I know this isn't right - that she's wrong and that I should just ignore it... but you know... it's there.  And I having the feeling that when I do reach my goal weight, that's it's not going to be enough anymore.  Just because someone said so.

Sorry about the rant =| !

Christine I know how you feel, I've had relatives say similiar things to me. I think YOU should be the judge of how many lbs you want to lose. I looked at your gallery and omg, you look so thin! I don't even see why you need to lose 6 more vanity lbs lol, but it is of course your decision..where are you wanting it to come off? You look great hon. People just don't think about how hurtful their comments can be, and it sounds like your dad's girlfriend has a problem with some communication.

I say don't worry about what she said, shake it off as a comment that didn't need to be said and is NOT true *big hugs*

cbussiere, owch! imho,

• you get to decide for yourself how many pounds.
  
• you get to live in your body, listen to your body, respect your body. 
  
• you get to notice when your body says, "yes, this weight is good!" 

• its your body. she's not living in it! 

your the boss of you and you're right, her opinion doesn't actually matter. maybe at some point you'll find words to let her know that her advice about your goals isn't actually helpful, but until then, you get to know that you'll find your right weight, and absolutely none of it is on her.

you are the one doing all this good work! and that is entirely on you! congrats! 

CB

Sounds to me like maybe she was trying to say something along the lines of "keep up the good work" and it got all screwed up in the translation.  Either that or she messed up the pounds vs kilograms or whatever y'all use up in the Great White North.   You hated symmetry, I hated metric system.

All you need to do is look at your before and after pics.  You are doing awesome.  Don't even freak.  Just keep on keeping on, let the vanity pounds you want to shed melt off.

Keep smiling.  I am going to need your help as Talladega Weekend just took a nasty turn and I am going to have to have you on your A-game.

Cheers,

JTH

Not having a very good week.  Started out with a major chest cold last weekend and thought I was about over it on Monday but it is still hanging on.  Other than some chest congestion/coughing I feel pretty good in the morning but by afternoon I am drained, achy, and am having trouble breathing. Which means when I get home I don't feel up to trying to exercise.

I've been going to bed earlier due to not feeling well but also sleeping in.  Which has cut out my exercise almost completely this week.  I did get some in on Monday and I'm going to try to get on the bike tonight. Maybe if I go slow I'll be able to get some activity in. 

I go to the doctor tomorrow so I'm hoping for some meds to get me over this. I can hardly believe I'm saying this but I actually miss the exercise!

Hope everyone has a good day.  The scale was up a little this morning, not surprising since I've not exercised, but I'm hoping it will be back down tomorrow for my weigh in.

I'm not feeling too well this am either, and the scale jumped three pounds! thats insane! is it possible to be retaining that much water? because I haven't eatten that many calories! no way! oh well. it is time to push fluids, but i cant imagine i've been that successful at it!