Thanks, Sharon -- I'm hoping so! I'm here for the duration!!
Good morning everyone! I've just gotten back from a two-week vacation and have missed checking the forum! I'm glad so many of you have stayed the course. Congrats to Karen and Connie for your results. I am very pleased with my results and surprised even myself during our trip.
If you've never been, the Badlands and Black Hills area are really beautiful. I will never forget the gorgeous scenery we saw, the rainbows after a storm, and the star filled skies we saw at night. My astronomer-son observed that it was the first time he'd ever been able to see the Milky Way Galaxy. Priceless. The HUGE disappointment of the trip was that our digital camera was stolen so we lost hundreds of vacation photos. (I'm so glad I uploaded my BFL transformation photos as I took them.)
By planning ahead, I was able to eat "according to plan" most days. I packed protein powder and bars, water bottles, etc. We camped for 6 nights and that actually made it easier, because I did all the grocery shopping so I could buy things like egg substitutes, cottage cheese, and veggies. For dinner, we cooked low fat turkey burgers, whole wheat spaghetti and salmon patties. I bought tuna packets for lunches. That being said, I did have my moments - a couple of beers at the our family reunion, a couple of toasted marshmallows, etc. But for the most part, being on BFL for the 10 weeks prior made it a lot easier to stay on track on vacation.
Likewise, with only two exceptions, I got up every day and do some sort of BFL workout as I'd planned. When we stayed in hotels, I was able to go to the fitness rooms and also get some swimming in. While camping, I had some routines planned out that I just did first thing in the morning next to our tent. (It's amazing what you can do with a jump rope and resistance bands) Plus, just about every day, we did some sort of walking or hiking.
I actually lost 2 more pounds on the trip, so my grand total for 11 1/2 weeks is 17 pounds lost! I'll do my final stats this weekend. Just need to find some way to take my last set of photos...
Clare
Good Morning Everyone!!
Whew! We are back from the cruise and boy oh boy was that a much needed vacation!! It felt wonderful to be back on a cruise ship and sitting on a deck chair reading. I actually went through one of my books on my kindle so I was happy that I had thought ahead and downloaded more than one! hehe The ocean of the Caribbean is the most amazing crystal blue sight to see. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend taking a boat down there!! I do not recommend taking a smaller boat and going way out to a reef and going snorkeling however....that is unless you ARE NOT prone to sea sickness. Yep. Thirty people on the boat all snorkeling and having fun and half way through I am green to the extent that I thought I was going to pass out and die right there on the spot. haha It was fun to snorkel - and we even had the company of a 4 foot barracuda, who is named Jack and supposedly friendly, but he stilled scared the absolute crap out of me when he swam right next to me and actually was looking at me. I was out by myself along the reef as others had gathered to look at a school of purplish fish and I looked over to my left and there, 5 feet from my side, was Jack ambling along with me. He just came out of nowhere - suddenly there he was swimming with me - yeah, I about panicked but reminded myself that when you run, your prey....and as "friendly" as Jack was supposed to be, those were some seriously long teeth sticking out of his gigantic mouth!! I got on the boat shortly after and that's when the rocking waters pretty much sent me into throw-up land. Unfortunately, we were only halfway done and still had another boat trip to where we were to snorkel with stingrays. I sat on the shoreline for that one. I honestly thought I was going to pass out I was so dizzy. By the time we got to the "going back to the boat" end, I was praying to God that he could get me to the dock before I threw up in front of all of those strangers. I did, but it was close and I was sick the rest of the day. Lesson learned - big boat on the ocean "A-OK", little boat on the ocean - "NOT OK". haha
The very first morning I went straight to the ships gym to find that they had a grand total of 6 treadmills for 2100 people onboard. It was impossible to get on one of them. There were people standing in line waiting and there was no "time limit" for using them so who knew when one would come open. I decided to hit the path at the top of the ship and jog around that. Yeah, so did the other 2094 people who couldn't get on the treadmill that morning! haha There was not much jogging that could have been done because the walkers were stretched across the path and you had to keep going around them one way or the other. So....after the first day I decided that I would do stairs. That's what I did, stairs - up and down, up and down, up and down. There was no "hitting intensity" but there was a work out for sure.
Eating was actually better than I anticipated. They had tons of prepared fruit and cottage cheese (unfortunately not low fat though, blech) and many healthy choices such as oatmeal. They also had some very unhealthy choices as you can imagine. hehe I made some good choices and some bad choices, and limited my bad choices to very small portions. I also drank the drink of the day, sometimes more than once a day and sometimes switching to peach and tiramisu martini's halfway through the day. haha All in all it was not a bad week of eating but as anticipated, not a really good one either! =)
We got home yesterday and I was right back on the BFL eating but didn't exercise. I didn't have my "land legs" yet and just wasn't feeling right from all the travel. Today I was on the treadmill and did my cardio routine. Later this morning I actually decided to be brave and step on the scale. I looked at that scale and was a bit nervous, but then decided "it is what it is so get on it and see". I was actually cheering out loud to find that I had not gained a single ounce - I weighed EXACTLY the same as the day we left for vacation. I didn't lose any weight of course, but I didn't gain at all! I was so excited and so proud of myself for having a vacation and enjoying it but also being moderate enough and exercising enough to keep my weight stable. YAY!!! =0
nmdragonfly - WOW! Congratulations on losing 15 pounds!! That is an awesome achievement!! You should be VERY proud of yourself!! Yippeeee!!!!
Connie - Down 9 pounds with a DOUBLE WOWIE on those pictures!! You can see such a difference in such a short time! I am so happy for you!! It's awesome to see the success of others - that is so motivating - thank you for sharing your photos with us! =)
Clare - Woot! Woot! A successful vacation and you are down 17 pounds!! Yeeeehaaaa!!!! =)
I've been to the Black Hills, I know what you are saying. It's just so amazing and so beautiful. It's hard to describe, but there is something about that place that just takes the breath away. I am so sorry that someone stole your camera. That is just awful. =( People nowadays are not like they were when I was a kid or when my grandmother was alive. It's really shameful what we accept and reward these days.
Well, I guess that is my "catch up" after being gone for almost 2 weeks! I am happy to be back home, to know I was able to handle a vacation and good food without gaining an once, and to be able to once again read all of your successes! CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!!!
Have a GREAT week and if it isn't perfect, just remember.....at least you aren't on a little boat, with 30 strangers, in a great big ocean, that is rocking and rocking and rocking and rocking.....oooh, barf...... =)
Karen
Hey Armywife, missed your cruise information, where did you go? The New
York trip was awesome, I only gained 1 lb. Still trying to get to do workout, had a flareup of my RA and can't walk right now. I am totally DISAPPOINTED!!!! :(
I don't know what to do, be going over to my sons pool, hope it will keep me down some. I just don't want to gain while not being able to workout, any suggestions anyone have, let me know. I am about to get ready for another challenge. Need to lose still 20 lbs before October 2nd, know it might be impossible, but if I can lose a dress size, I would be HAPPY!!!
Fine2008
Hi Fine2008
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! on only gaining a pound while on vacation in New York! That is fantastic!! Yeah for you!! =) I know the setbacks must be frustrating, but aren't you just sooooo proud of yourself for all you have accomplished? You have made so many positive life changes in such a short time and with the added difficulty of RA. You went on vacation and managed to have a good time while also only gaining 1 pound - heck....with the sodium content in processed/restaurant foods - that 1 pound is probably nothing more than regular fluctuations in weight.
Did the info on New York help you get around? What did you see and do while in New York? How was West Point? I love that place - so much history!!
I did some water aerobics when we were stationed at Ft Polk, LA. It was so hot there in the summer that I tried to incorporate some water into the exercise routine just to mix it up and stay out of the heat whenever possible. The instructor had these water-hand things and little water boards that we would use during the routine and we did a lot of running in place, walking from side to side while waving the water hands to cause resistence, and treading/flutter kicks/frog kicks in the deep end while resting on the board. It was an incredible workout/seriously intense and when we got out of the pool our legs and arms felt like rubber. I didn't keep it up though; the time of the activity wasn't until 10:00 in the morning and I hate sitting around waiting to exercise and then not really being home and ready for my day until almost noon.
Check YouTube for ideas on routines. Here's a link to some videos.
www.google.com/search
Have a great day and CONGRATS on the vacation success! =)
Challenge 1 completed! Woo hoo. Final photos posted on profile. Anyone up for another one? I'm going to start again in 2 weeks and work on toning the flab!
Couldn't have made it without all your support.
Congratulations Everyone! Clare you look great!! I am sorry that I haven't been here this week. I am trying to get my daughter ready to go back to college. Everything has been CRAZY!!!
I am happy with the results, but I am still a work in progress!
starting weight 188lbs. ending 170lbs -18
left arm - 12.5" 12" -.5"
right arm- 13" 12.25" -.75"
left thigh- 27.25" 25.5" -1.75"
right thigh- 28" 26" -2"
waist- 36" 33" -3"
hips- 48" 45" -3"
left calf-14" 14" 0
right calf-14" 14" 0
under boobs-36" 34" -2"
total 18 lbs and 13 inches!!! woot woot!
I am on my way!!! Is anyone interested in challenge #2?
Good Job everyone!!! Hold your head high, you have worked hard for your results!
Malena
Hey, congrats to Clare, Karen and Fine2008 for kickin' it while on vacation! No small feat!!
And for your successful BFL results as you close out your challenge -- sooooo inspiring. I love hearing about all the progress of this group. The rest of you guys finishing, please post your results/pics, too!
I see several folks are going to be going into BFL2. I am currently in week 10, but will definitely go for round 2, so I'll look for you all when the time comes :)
I am still out there, dreamed of starting but only did about two weeks. I plan to start with all of you who will be going with round two! So state the start date and I am there!
Thanks to all of you faithful who have the vulnerability to post pictures. It is so inspiring to see what you have done. I look at myself and wonder...could that really work for me. I know the answer is yes--if I commit to doing the work. I look forward to setting the goals, and working the plan, for life.
I will be more visible on this post....probably with lots of questions! Take care!
Good Morning All -
Malena - Yippeee!! Those are some great results!! I am so happy for you!!
Clare - Your post challenge pictures are amazing!! You totally rocked the challenge and made amazing strides!! You have good reason to be really proud of yourself!!
Creativethinkr - Congrats on reaching Week 10! For me, the longer the challenge went on, the easier it got. I found that I didn't have to "think" about every little detail of the work out or my eating and because of the eating right and working out, I had so much more energy than when I started that the whole end process seemed easier! Your last two weeks are going to fly by and I would bet you are going to see some awesome results in those two weeks.
WriteOn - I am a firm believer that knowledge is never wasted. You may have only done two weeks of the challenge but in those two weeks (and the weeks leading up to it) you were establishing your goals, understanding the person you wanted to be, and learning about the BFL program - which you completed for two whole weeks! That means in the next challenge you will take that knowledge with you and when you start you won't be starting from "square one" but from a place of knowledge and understanding. That knowledge and understanding will take you farther into the next challenge and perhaps, all the way through without a glitch! We don't go out and run a 10k one day just because we decided to become a runner. We start out taking a walk, then running a mile with walking breaks in between, and then as we know and understand what we are capable of - that gained strength and knowledge brings us to the point where we are running 10k's every month and even plotting a half-marathon. Success takes time.
As Einstien said: "The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." =)
As for anyone starting a second challenge, I am in - but this time around I am going to concentrate on muscle strength alone. I weighed myself this morning and I am 139 lbs (5'8") so I am pretty much where I want to be weight-wise, but I would like to see more abdominal and butt/thighs toning. I can't wait to get started, let me know the date you all choose, and I will mark it on my calendar.
HAVE AN AWESOME WEEKEND ALL!
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all of your inspirations and encouragement. This forum and you guys have made this challenge alot easier than if I had done it on my own.
I am ready to start another challenge on Monday, August 30th. Who is with me?
Awesome results, Malena!!
So, looks like quite a few who are up for BFL2 -- love that!
I am entering week 12 of my challenge this week (finishing Labor day), so I'm a little behind you guys.
But I can always 'tag on' if you start before me :)
What is the appropriate amount of time you're supposed to wait between Challenges -- or IS there a suggested wait time? Experienced Challengers -- are there benefits/disadvantages to waiting or starting right in again?
Thanks cre8tivethinkr!!! and Thanks Karen!!!
I can't wait to get to the point where I am satisfied fully with my results and only have to maintain. I couldn't have done it without all of you and your support.
I am excited to start back tomorrow...woot woot!!!! I hope to keep seeing all of your posts.
CreativeThinkr - 2 weeks between challenges from what I understand.
I am on my two weeks. I find that I am still pretty much eating along the program and doing exercises just as I was before, but I am not focusing on intensity or measuring each portion, etc. for the eating. When I start the challenge again I will go back to measuring and hitting intensities as I did before. I want to be careful not to lose too much more weight this time around. I wouldn't mind being 135-136 (I'm 139 now) but losing weight isn't my goal next challenge; next challenge is about locating the bottom part of my "abs" with a nice set of lines, and lifting the bottom of my butt up. hehe
I think I will start the second challenge on Sept 5th. It's not exactly two weeks off, but I think it would be good to finish around Thanksgiving timeframe and I am really energized to get back into dedicated mode. I don't usually have much of a problem with eating around the holidays, but I think it would be nice to have challenge two under my belt before the season begins. It will for sure help me stay motivated! =)
Oooh, I almost forgot to tell you all - I have big news! Our oldest daughter (who is 25) has been accepted into the marine officer program and will be leaving for Quantico, VA on October 1st! She will spend 10 weeks in officer basic and then 6 months in a school (also at Quantico) where she will learn military history, war tactics, leadership, etc. Then she will go to wherever her advanced training is to learn her specific job. She is very excited, and we are very excited for her. The selection was very competitive and of the 6 that were presented to the board from her specific recruiter, only 2 were accepted. We are so proud of her and she says that she couldn't have done it without all the discipline and dedication that we taught her as she was growing up. Aaah...I am so proud! I even ordered a t-shirt that says "My Daughter is a Marine!" =) Now...the big question is do I change my sign on name from ArmyWife to MarineMom or just extend it to ArmyWife/MarineMom! haha
Have an awesome day!
Hello again. I'm planning to start my second challenge on Monday, September 6. I started a new group under that date, but also noticed there's a group starting Sept. 3 (why a Friday?) and I may just join that one. Or maybe just keep posting here?
My kids don't start school until next week, so we've been trying to enjoy our last week together and get all the last minute "to do" items done. Congrats on your daughter, Karen - that's exciting news! It's good to see a few updates from the rest of you. Awesome job Malena!
I've been enjoying my two week break before the next challenge. I've been following the eating plan "more or less" and allowing myself a few treats here and there. I'm looking forward to getting back on the plan. It has been nice not waking up so early every day to exercise - I'm "only" exercising every couple of days. What a difference.
It's good to know some of you are still out there and we can look for each other on the next challenge.