Stay positive, make progress and see results*Inspirational Group*

I wanted to start a inspirational group to help keep a positive attitude and encourage eachother along our journey, weither it be getting into better shape or maintaining the shape we are in! I think it is very important to be able to share our achievements, goals and struggles with others who are going through the same thing:)  

So feel free to come in and share your goals, progress or daily struggles and lets all help keep eachother motivated to reach our healthy living goals.

My name is Mandy and I am 5'2" at 151 pds. my goal is to get down to 130 by my 30th birthday in December. I have been working with a personal trainer for the past month and a half and even though the scale has not changed...I do see changes in my body which is keeping me positive.

Lets help eachother reach our goals!!!!

This sounds good, I'm in for motivation and reaching our healthy living goals!

I've never been big on the numbers I see on the scale, but more on my physical progress, ie. how heavy I'm upping my weights and my physical endurance as well. I'm hoping to restart NROWL in the next few weeks, and hopefuly, stick to it this time around!

You will totally make it to your goal weight by your bday.

I am also really looking forward to NROWL!!! For the next couple of weeks other than training I am really going to fouc on getting some cardio done. That is where I have really been slacking so I need to pick up the pace:)

This is a good idea, Mandy!  Who can't use all the support/motivation they can get?  I'm all for being healthy and maintaining my weight, and increasing my muscles some.  :)  You guys know me, but I'll give my stats for anyone else who doesn't... my name is Karey and I'm 5'7", 135lbs.

Got a pretty decent run in today... so hot out!  Walked the dog too and did my EA Sports ACTIVE... some of the boxing, tennis, and baseball drills.  :)  Keeping eating in check, even though I treated myself to some Panda Express... I was good and got mixed veggies instead of rice and had lower calorie sides.  yum

Hi Karey! I actually really like Panda Express. I ate there about a month ago and instead of using the cals listed for their foods here on CC, I went to their actual website and found that a lot of their stuff isn't too bad. A lot of the nutritional info. I found on CC didn't match what Panda posted on their website.

Ugh...I haven't worked out since Sunday! But last night at Mandy's I don't think we ate too bad. Mandy and Karen had picked out 2 recipes from the Biggest Loser cookbook to try out: the chicken nachos and the bbq pizza. We all decided the pizza...hmmm...not all that, but the nachos..tasty! Mandy also grilled / baked some chicken kabobs, which were tasty...and "crispy" lol

Oh...we brought you up last night Karey! Mandy had recently been going through your pics and we all talked about how impressive your journey has been.

Hey Zima!  Yeah, I really love Panda Express, but the hubby hates it so I have to sneak over there when I can, lol.  I get the cals and nutrition info off their website too, and no a lot of it isn't that bad if you're smart when ordering.  I was so proud of myself for getting the mixed veggies instead of the rice of noodles. 

Sounds like you guys had a good time at Mandy's last night.  I def would have picked the bbq pizza one too.... sounds yummy.  Can't really go wrong w/pizza.  Mmm, nachos!  How is that cookbook, is it good??  Never sure if those are worth it or not... I'm such a picky eater.  The chicken kabobs sound wonderful too!  Too bad you guys are so far away... I really need to find some girls around here that have similar interests that I can hang with and workout with.  It's hard for me to make friends outside of work though. 

I'm embarassed that you guys brought me up, lol.  At least it was in a good way...  Mandy had PM'd me previously about my pics.  Thanks for the props!  :)

Karey-Actually the cook book is really good. What I like about it, is how easy everything in their is to make and it all looks so yummy:) I also tried Wii sports over the weekend and I loved it...Now I want to go buy the whole thing:) Is EA sports active the same thing?

Zima-Don't laugh at my Kabobs:) I tried....It is hard to talk,drink, and cook all at once:) LOL

Me-So eating has been really good today and I am going to make a low cal. green chicken enchillada dish tonight so hopefully it is good:) I love enchilladas so i hope I don't screw it up.

Good morning girls!!!  So last night a made a healthier style of enchilladas and they were so yummy:) So yesterday I did really good calorie wise. I have my measurements and body fat test set for monday to see where I have come and hopefully they have changed:) I feel like they have so I hope the measurements reflect that:)

So tonight I am going to focus on Cardio, and make a healthy fish dinner, tomorrow I have bootcamp, then Sunday I am going to work on cardio some more so hopefully Monday will be good:)

Hope you are all having a great day!!!! And keep up the good work!

Hi, thanks for the PM. This sounds like a great group. I admitt that I am always afraid to weigh myself until I see signs of real weight loss. However, I did measure my waiste this morning and I have lost half and inch. Yay, something is happening! I find that eating eggs takes away my appetite so I think I should make them a part of my regular breakfast routine. The multigrain Cheerios are also pretty filling.

Thanks for joining:) Congrats on the inches lots!!!! That is always a good sign:) I really enjoy the banana nut cheerios...Then I put some fresh strawberries in them and it is great:) Keep up the good work!

Hi girls!

This sounds fun...we can all use as much cheerleading a possible in our journeys!

Karey ~ I looked through the Biggest Loser cookbook at Mandy's, it's really good! You should check it out. What I liked best was how simple the recipes were, there are no weird ingredients you will only use once or anything, I'd say most of it is in your kitchen now. A ton of the recipes sounded so good and they are things you'd eat normally anyhow, just with healthier ingredients.

I've kind of gotten back into working out, I was with the trainer on Wednesday and have another session today and tomorrow. Trying to fit it in where I can because there will be no good time to exercise! I am sure I will be quite sore by tomorrow.

Best of luck to all of you!

I would like to join if I could... EDIT.. Totally forgot to tell you my name is Stefanie

Mandy it seems like we are pretty close to the same stats.. I started my journey in February at 168, I'm 5'2". I gained all my weight by having two babies (2 in three years) and the first one I gained a HUGE 55 lbs. OOPS.. Didn't know anything about counting calories.

So fastforward to today... I'm at 139. I have been going to the gym 4 days a week (though sometimes 3) like this week because I was sick on Monday. I do cardio HIIT 1 or 2 of those days and the rest is heavy lifting (for me of course) :)

I hurt my groin a couple of weeks ago doing squats and so I have been plateaued at 139 for two weeks and it's really frustrating. I'm hoping to heal soon so I can get back into it. I'm still going to the gym but I can't do any intense stuff with legs (which kills the cardio and leg workouts).

Okay for some fun tid bit of information, I was at the gym today and I was talking to a professional weight lifter and he asked if I did compeititions and I of course said no. He then asked if I was interested and if so to let him know because he coordinates events. I am in no shape to compete but it was sure nice to hear that. :)

Hope to get to know you guys.

Hi Stefanie! Wow, that is a HUGE acclompishment: almost 30lbs lost! Awesome.

That was a big compliment too, that weight lifter totally saw something in you. Don't write it off just because you don't compete...now! That is totally something you can train for ; )

So again I had dinner plans with my girls and didn't get to workout last night, but the eating has been decent all week and I'm looking forward to heading straight home after work and hitting my gym!

Stefanie- Great job on the loss! That is great:) I cannot weight to get to where you are. Just let your self recover and you will be right back on track. LOL...That is funny about the guy at the gym:) It is always nice to have someone make you feel better!

Karen-Great job on the workout with the trainer! So you will probably not be up for bootcamp after all the workouts with week:) LOL

Mandy - sounds like you are totally on track to see some good results on Monday! stay focused over the weekend and you should be all good. if something falls through with my sister and we don't end up heading to Havasu, I'll call you :)

Sounds like a deal:) If I don't hear from you have fun in havasu:)

Since I am in this group I should probably give my stats. My name is Megan and I am...

24 Years old

5'7"

170-ish lbs

want to lose 15-20 pounds

By the way, Panda Express' orange chicken is one of my favorite foods. Unfortuneatly, it is one of their higher calorie options. That's OK though because there are many other good options out there that are healthy. For those of you who have been losing weight, Congratulations! Even if you are not yet at your goal weights you have done a fantastic job of getting there. For those of you who are just starting like me, let's keep up the good work. We can do it!

Hi everyone!  Sorry, I've been kinda MIA today... been in a funky mood and could use some motivation today.  :)

Mandy:  I'll have to check that cookbook out.  I like things that seem normal and easy to make.  Sounds like you have a great plan and I'm sure you'll see some results on Monday.

Megan:  Ooh, I love orange chicken too, but the cals are so high when I go to Panda I stick w/the lower cal options like the mushroom chicken & the chicken and string beans... not as tasty as the orange chicken, but still good.  Congrats on losing half and inch!!

Karen:  Yay, for getting back into working out!  Hope you're not too sore. 

Stefanie:  Congrats on getting a great compliment at the gym!  You must look pretty ripped!  Keep up the good work!

Zima;  Great job on keeping the eating decent at least... I was in a bad mood today and ate healthy in the morning, but totally pigged out at dinner... we went out for pizza and I had a bunch and breadsticks... also had ice cream at Baskin Robbins... such a pig today, lol.

Since I pigged out tonight, I really have to put my new "toy" to good use!  I just bought an elliptical tonight, yay!  I got it used off craigslist, but it's in mint condition and just like new... so excited to try it out.  Hoping it renews some motivation in me for working out.

YAY KAREY!!!! You will have a blast with the elliptical:) And don't worry about pigging out...We all need a cheat day...Plus with your new toy you will be fine:)

Megan-Thanks for the encouraging:) I need that right now.

I went to kohl's and tried on a pair of skinny jeans just to see if anything had changed and nope! Still couldn't button them...Very frustrating! But bootcamp is tomorrow so that should help me feel better.

Thanks Mandy!  I hopped on for a few minutes before bed last night and my legs got really sore already, lol.  I think it's going to give me a good workout.  Plus, it has lots of different programs on it to keep me interested. 

I feel a bit yucky this morning after my pigout last night, but at the same time I feel "renewed" and more motivated again.  ;)  I'm off to a healthy start already... had ww waffles, 0 cal syrup w/strawberries, Egg Beaters w/light laughing cow cheese, and a glass of OJ.  Oh, and a big jug of water too.  :) 

Don't feel bad about the skinny jeans... they're somewhat over-rated anyways, IMO.  I own one pair, but never wear them. LOL  Don't get frustrated, just keep plugging along and you'll see some results... it just takes time.  Don't give up!  You'll be rewarded for your hard work... Maybe if you really want those skinny jeans you should buy them and hang them on your closet as your goal... then try them on once a week until you can button them...